After I got lost in the forest, Grey, Ace, and I were able to find our way back to the castle. They handed me over to my brother, Ash, and left to go meet Sir Maddy.

When they left, Ash began to scold me.

"Cordelia, why are you still an idiot..." Ash sighed.

"Hey! I've always had better test scores than you! So, don't call me an idiot," I said stubbornly.

"Just because you happen to be academically smart doesn't mean that you aren't dumb," Ash muttered.

Humph.

I'm not that dumb. I'm just bad with directions, etiquette, and...other stuff. I'm still smart though!

"I'm not dumb, okay? ...Since you insulted me, I'm not going to give you any of my cake," I said with a teasing smile.

After a few years passed, Ash slowly gained an addiction to cake.

In order to tame his extreme cravings of cake, I had to give him my cake during dessert time. I refused at first...but then I realized that he might not try to kill me in the future if I gave him some of my desserts.

It's a stupid plan, but it might work.

"W-Wait! I...really want you to continue feeding me cake though..." Ash said with a blush on his face.

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention that Ash always begs me to feed him cake using my own fork and hand. Basically, I have to spoon-feed him just like a baby.

Why can't he just eat the cake on his own?! I think I've spoiled him too much...

"No. You can't always have my cake! You need to learn to eat by yourself!" I scolded him.

"B-but...the cake...is sweeter...it tastes better...I...prefer...when you feed me...that's the only reason...why I want cake..." Ash mumbled under his breath.

"Huh? Did you say something?" I asked him. I couldn't hear what he was saying since he was talking so quietly.

"N-NO! I didn't say anything! Shut up! I don't even need your cake!" Ash yelled at me before leaving me alone.

This guy...really gets on my nerves.

Welp...I guess I'll just try to escape the castle again...Maybe I won't get lost in the forest this time!

But before I could run to the forest again, I was stopped by an annoying prince.

"Lia, where do you think you're going again?" Florence said behind me.

Ugh. For the past year or so, the prince has been calling me by a nickname because he thinks it's "cute." So instead of calling me Cordelia like a normal person, he calls me Lia.

"Uhh...I'm not going to go very far..." I quietly lied.

"Why do you always enjoy escaping? Wouldn't it be better if you just comfortably stayed by my side forever?" Florence said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

Ugh...not this again...

"Stop it! If you act like this, people are going to get the wrong idea!" I said as I whacked him away.

"What do you mean by that?" Florence said sarcastically.

"You already know that there are a ton of rumors about us! They always talk about how the nine-year-old crown prince is hopelessly in love with his violent fiance!" I yelled at him.

"Aren't the rumors true though?" Florence asked with a smile.

"No, they aren't...and you know that! First of all, I am not violent. I just like to protect my personal space. Second, you aren't hopelessly in love with me! You just like teasing me until I get mad!"

"...I wonder how long it will take for you to understand...I'm starting to pity myself," Florence sighed.

Why does everyone always think that I'm stupid?!

I AM NOT STUPID!

"Is that all you have to say?! Because I'm getting out of here!" I yelled at him before stomping away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lia~ Oh, also, wear some cute clothes," Florence said cheerfully behind me.

"Just because tomorrow is a somewhat special day doesn't mean that I have to do anything for you!" I yelled.

I could hear Florence chuckling behind me as I left.

Why do all of the male leads get on my nerves?!

As I was leaving, I could see my maid, Sophie coming towards me to escort me home.

"Young lady! Where were you! We're late. Hurry up and let's go!" Sophie said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me to my carriage.

At this point, Sophie is just like a mother. She's just...too strict.

When we reached the carriage, I could see Grey, Ash, and Ace sitting inside.

I sighed.

It was time for me to go back home.

You see, every weekday, the boys and I go to the castle to train. A single ride is two hours, which means that I have to sit in a carriage for a minimum of 20 hours a week.

At this point, I hate riding in carriages. They are incredibly uncomfortable and hurt to sit in.

But here, carriages and horses were the only way to move around without walking. So, I sat in the carriage without too much of a fuss.

"Cordelia, we need to get you ready for tomorrow's festival!" Sophie said quickly.

The Royal Festival.

The Royal Festival is held every ten years on the day of the first prince's birthday.

This means that the kingdom will hold a festival when the prince turns 10, then 20, then 30, then 40, and so forth.

The festivals will end when he becomes the king and will begin again when he has a prince of his own.

Since tomorrow is the royal festival, it is also Florence's tenth birthday.

Obviously, since I am the prince's fiance, it is mandatory for me to attend...although, I'd rather say at home than go to his stupid, overrated birthday party.

"Do I have to go?" I whined to Sophie.

"Yes, you absolutely must go to this festival. Tonight, the maids and I will work together to make you shine." Sophie said sternly.

I shuddered.

"H-How will you be preparing me...?" I asked with a little fear.

"...You'll find out when we get back to the estate..." Sophie said with a chuckle.

...Nooo!

"Please excuse me, but if it is possible, may I help milady get ready too?" Grey said while trying to join in on the "fun."

"Of course! The maids and I will need all of the help we can get," Sophie said gratefully with a knowing smile.

W-Wait! If Grey joins...the whole preparation will be...even...worse...

This is it...this is the end of my life.

"Oh...cruel world, why do you treat me so?" I said dramatically with tears in my eyes.

"Shut up, Cordelia. It's time for you to understand your role as the duke's daughter," Sophie scolded me.

"...It's time for you to understand your role as the duke's maid," I mumbled under my breath.

"Ohoho...it seems that you need some more etiquette lessons...from me," Sophie said with a dark chuckle.

Whoops.

I probably shouldn't have said that...

"Ehehe...I can't...wait..." I said while struggling to smile.

I sighed.

This week is going to be the worst...

.

.

2 Hours Later

.

.

Torture.

The preparation was torture.

Imagine having dozens of maids try to pound beauty into your skin in the most painful way possible.

Grey was only making the preparation worse by helping...it was bad.

At some point, I tried to escape...but I was caught. Grey found me hiding away in the bushes of my backyard.

"Oh dear...Milady, you got yourself all dirty again...It seems that the work the maids and I have done is ruined..." Grey smiled darkly.

"...Y-yeah! Uh...Sorry...?" I mumbled.

"The only thing we can do now is to restart everything...I'll make sure to bind your hands and feet with my shadow magic," Grey exclaimed with a smile.

He snapped his finger to activate his magic. The shadows picked me up and carried me smoothly back to Sophie.

NOOOOOOO!!!

"Cordelia! There you are! We were trying to find you! We need to restart...I hope you won't run away this time," Sophie threatened kindly.

"Ehehe...can we...skip a few steps...?" I asked quietly.

"Absolutely not."

Wahhhhhh!

.

.

The Next Day

.

.

After two hours of sitting in a carriage, I finally made it to the capital. The sun was high in the sky and there was a soft breeze.

I was fully "prepared" for the festival and wore slightly fancier clothes.

Ugh...none of it was worth it...

But when I stepped outside of my carriage and took a look around, I gasped.

Everything is so...it's all so...It's...

PRETTY!!!!!!!

Every single inch of the capital was decorated in festive colors. Even though there were so many decorations, it didn't even look tacky!

I could see hundreds of food stalls in my line of sight and some other amazing stuff. Musicians and dancers lined the streets while tourists walked around.

I could even see nonpowered fairy lights around the area.

When night comes, I bet that all of the lights will turn on and the whole capital will look magical.

I mostly paid attention to the food stalls though.

"Calm down, milady. If you keep staring at the food stalls like that, the people will think that you are a lunatic," Grey said teasingly.

"Shut up! It's important to observe the food stalls, okay? We need to make a plan on how to conquer them all..." I said absentmindedly as I stared at the food.

It all looks so tasty...

However, I have to be careful when I eat since I am the enviable Duke's daughter. There is a risk that I may be poisoned.

So, Grey will be using his poison magic to sense whether any of the food I eat is poisoned.

"We need to go greet the royal family. Let's go together," my father said as he took my hand.

"Okay, Daddy!" I said as I skipped along with him.

I giggled and acted as cute as I could. I even pretended to act shy to the people who walked by us. Of course, my father loved my cuteness.

Ash, Grey, and Ace sighed at my acting. Obviously, I'm not the type of person to act cute...but I need to act like this in order to hopefully not be thrown away by my father...

The five of us walked for a bit while grabbing food along the way until we reached the central part of the capital.

There were royal guards everywhere and, in the very middle, the royal family was busy socializing with the other nobles.

"Oh! It's Cordelia!" the king exclaimed as he saw me come closer.

"Hi, Uncle Gloria!" I squeaked as I came over to give him a hug.

If you guys have forgotten, Uncle Gloria is the king of Silverbell and the father of my fiance, Florence.

Since he's my dad's best friend, I also get to call him my "Uncle."

"You've grown up so much and you're getting prettier every day! My son is a very lucky man," Uncle Gloria said with a smile.

"You're exaggerating, Uncle Gloria," I answered modestly.

I'm not very pretty...and compared to the male leads...I look like a sewage rat. I would look even worse if I was compared to the heroine.

"...Alastair...how does your daughter not understand how pretty she is...?" the Uncle Gloria said to my father with surprise.

"Be quiet, Sebastian. My angel can stay innocent for a little longer," my father said with a stern look on his face.

Okay, I am not innocent. I am corrupted. I only act innocent.

Besides, the male leads will become super hot when they grow up. One day, these toddlers will be too handsome for the eyes of average women...including me...

Hmm... maybe I should create sunglasses with my creation magic just in case...

"Sorry, Duke Cyllia, but I believe that you have the wrong idea about your daughter..." Florence laughed as he walked up to me and my father.

...What is this kid saying...

He isn't going to expose my nasty personality to my father...right?!

I gave Florence a look of disbelief, but he just smirked back.

"What do you mean? My daughter is innocent just like an angel," my father said with a little irritation.

"Ehehe...Really...?" Florence said with a small chuckle.

No...He's going to expose me!!!

"Yes, I am sure that Cordelia de Boren Cyllia is the kindest and prettiest little girl alive," my father said lovingly to me.

"Y-Yep! So...uh...Dad let's go...buy some food!" I yelped as I tried to change the conversation.

"Oh...sure, we can go buy some food. But...young man don't you dare insult my daughter like this again, do you understand?" my father snarled threateningly to Florence.

"Of course, Duke Cyllia. I was merely mentioning what was on my mind. Please forgive me," the prince said with a small bow.

My father merely nodded in reply and left, which was kind of rude to the royal family...but my father has a good relationship with the king, so he should be okay.

But while we headed to the food stalls, many other noble families greeted me and my father, which blocked us from the food.

Why!? I just want food! Get out of the way, you stupid, idiot nobles!

But then, the crowd of people surrounding my father and I parted right in front of us. I thought that it was a miracle until I saw another noble family walking toward us.

Walking up to me and my father was a noble family that most likely had a lot of power.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Duke Cyllia. We are from the Marquis family," a woman from the family said politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Assuming by the family crest on your ribbon, you are the Scott family, correct?" my father deducted in his business voice.

...Hmm...Why does this family sound so familiar...

"Yes, we are indeed the Scott family," a man from the family said.

"No need for so many formalities! It's a day for celebrating," my father said with a chuckle.

"Yes, of course!" the woman said with a smile.

...She was smiling...but she wasn't smiling.

Her smile was something...cruel...and my father realized it too.

"So what is the purpose of us talking like this?" my father said a little sharper than his previous words.

"We were hoping to introduce our son to your children!" the woman said with a pitched laugh.

Then, the woman pushed a little boy into our view.

"His name is Mattius!" the woman said with a glint in her eye.

Mattius Scott.

I remember now.

He's the fourth and final male lead.

He finally appeared!

I've been preparing for this moment for YEARS!

But...there's something wrong about this kid in front of me...

Mattius is supposed to be calm and cool, right?

...The kid in front of me looked like he was about to pee his pants at any moment.

--------------------------------------------------

A/N: Welp. That's it for this chapter! I hope you guys liked it~

Ehehe...I wonder what Mattius' weird personality symbolizes...

Anyway, "Another Life, Another Me" has reached 3,000 votes!!

THREE THOUSAND FLIPPIN VOTES!



Yeah...um...wow! Thank you, everyone!!!!!!

At this point, I'm starting to find it hard to express what I feel every time I hit a new milestone...

Honestly, I feel genuinely happy that you guys enjoy reading my story!

Thank you, everyone, who helped me reach 3,000+ votes! (I would also like to thank everyone who read or commented on my story too!)

THANK YOU!

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 2610