Chapter 8: Chapter 8

"Thank you for your visit, Count, Lady," said the cake shop owner, who even took the trouble to wrap Aston and Trisya's order.

"The cakes at your shop are very good. We'll definitely stop again sometime," Trisya replied. She was waiting for Aston to pay. After that, they immediately left.

Trisya looked a little rushed. She even only nodded briefly at the Crown Prince who had been looking at her. Meanwhile, Aston, who respected the Prince very much, of course paid his respects well before following Trisya.

"Trisya, wait!" said Aston. He quickly handed Trisya's two bags of cakes to a maid, then he approached Trisya who had already walked away.

"Trisya, don't hurry! You'll bump into someone and then fall-"

"Ah!!!" Trisya cried out in pain as someone bumped into her and she fell. Aston rounded her eyes and rushed over to his beloved cousin. But unfortunately, at the same time, there were two horse-drawn carriages passing by on the road in front of him, making Aston's steps a little hampered.

Meanwhile, Trisya raised her head. Staring at the man who had just hit her. "I- I'm apologize, Lady." But, the man didn't even help Trisya.

"That's fine. But, don't you intend to help me, Sir?" asked Trisya. She was wearing a long skirt, and her legs were a little sore so she was having trouble getting up on her own. The man reached out his hand nervously, and immediately helped Trisya. However, just as Trisya reached for him, the man fell down beside her.

Trisya didn't know what had happened. She was also surprised why the man also fell beside her. From his posture, he seemed to be a noble bodyguard. And there was no way a bodyguard could be this weak, right? If he was physically weak, there was no way he could be a royal bodyguard.

"Oh my, Lady, are you alright?" Trisya looked up again, and saw the daughter of a nobleman in front of her.

"Oh, I'm fine. But it looks like this bodyguard is the one who got hurt. Sir, are you alright? Let me help-" Trisya stopped her speech when her ears accidentally heard people whispering about her.

"What? So the noble lady pulled him down?"

"Huh? So she scolded him just because the bodyguard accidentally bumped into him?"

Wait! Who was angry? And who also pulled the bodyguard down? Why do people think that?

"I- I'm fine, Lady," the bodyguard quickly got up. Trisya was still giggling, even as the bodyguard again extended his hand to help Trisya up.

"Lady, did my bodyguard hurt you? If so, I apologize, Lady. I apologize for the mistake my bodyguard made," said the beautiful noble girl who was about to help Trisya.

"O- oh? I'm fine. It's just- oh no! My dress is dirty!" exclaimed Trisya unconsciously in a quite loud voice. Come on, even though from the outside she looks like a noble girl who received special education on manners, Milla is actually just an ordinary girl who was thrown into the middle of a bad situation like this. Sometimes her mouth just can't be controlled. She also occasionally does speak with quite a loud volume at certain times, such as when she is shocked like this.

"Oh look! She's even clearly showing her true character in public!" said a resident who passed by them.

"Wait! Isn't she the Lady of Duke Gerald's manor?"

"You mean Lady Trisya? Ah yes. Her face is quite recognizable, similar to Duchess Lovatta."

Well, now they were starting to recognize Trisya. It seemed like things were about to get a little worse when it came to the family name.

"Lady? So you are the daughter of a Duke?" asked the beautiful young lady in front of Trisya.

"That's... I-"

"Please forgive me and my bodyguard, Lady. Please forgive us. Please don't punish my bodyguard for what he did to you. I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose. Please forgive us!" The girl suddenly prostrated herself at Trisya's feet.

Trisya couldn't believe what she was seeing at the moment. From her clothes, it was obvious that the girl was also the daughter of a nobleman. Then how could she prostrate herself at someone else's feet?

"Lady, please don't be like this!" Trisya misbehaved and tried to help the young lady and her bodyguard back to their feet.

"Trisya, are you alright?" Trisya looked back. Aston was hurrying towards her with a worried look on his face.

"Trisya, are you hurt?" Then, Aston's gaze shifted to the young girl and her bodyguard who were still in a state of prostration begging for Trisya's forgiveness. "What exactly happened?"

"Isn't that Count Aston?"

"Ah yes. He's the Duke's nephew. I wonder what he'll do after seeing his favorite cousin bullying others, huh?"

"Yes, especially since the one being bullied also seems to be the daughter of a nobleman."

"Uh but, from what I've heard, Lady Lovatta does have an unsavory personality."

"Geez, I just realized that the young lady kowtowing is the lady from Count Morsche's manor!"

Trisya gasped at the family name. Why did that name sound familiar to her? Without Trisya realizing it, Aston had already helped the young lady to get up.

"Are you alright? Actually, what happened between you and my cousin's sister?" Aston asked the girl.

The girl began to lift her face, so that Trisya could see her. The shape of those eyebrows and eyeballs... Trisya seemed to recognize them from a description she had read. Then, the name that she had vaguely heard earlier, flashed back into her mind. 'The young lady of the Morsche residence? Is it possible-'

"Count Aston? S- so this Lady Lovatta is-"

"She's my cousin's sister, Lady Rania. Did something happen between you and Trisya?"

Trisya suddenly rounded her eyes. RANIA! Was it Rania Morsche? She couldn't possibly misrecognize the main character of this novel. So, she was the Lady who would eventually win the Crown Prince's heart?

"Tha- that... my bodyguard accidentally bumped into Lady Lovatta, then-"

"Mr. Count, did you know that Lady Lovatta had just run over Lady Morsche's bodyguard? It seems like the issue I heard about Lady Trisya all this time was true, huh?" said a lady who had been observing them.

"What, when did I bully him? I didn't-"

"Well, I guess I misspoke. Okay, Lady Lovatta. I think I should shut up before you harm me too," interrupted the woman, backed by the cynical stares of the surrounding public.

"Madam, but I am not bullying anyone," Trisya defended.

"We saw Lady Lovatta pull Lady Morsche's bodyguard to the ground when he was trying to help Lady Lovatta. Then, Lady Lovatta made Lady Morsche kowtow like earlier. Is that evidence still lacking? The public has even seen your misbehavior, Lady. So you'd better not deny it!"

Two of Trisya's bodyguards immediately approached the people who attacked Trisya with those scathing words, ready to teach her a lesson. After all, they were hired to protect the Duke's daughter.

"Look! She's even now telling her bodyguards to-"

"Stop right there!" shouted Aston. Aston forbade Trisya's bodyguards from going any further. For a moment, everyone there was silent.

"Lady Rania, are you and your bodyguard okay?" asked Aston to make sure one more time.

"We are fine. But Lady Lovatta, Lady, you must be-"

"I'm fine too. But, why stay silent when you know everyone is saying bad things about me? Don't you know what happened? I didn't ask you to kowtow or anything, did I? You're the one who-"

"Trisya, stop bullying Lady Rania!" snapped Aston.

Trisya turned to her cousin's brother. Trisya just realized, if everything she did to Rania seemed wrong. Is this the way of life for an antagonist? Trisya didn't even have any bad intentions. She only asked Rania, why did she not speak up to defend Trisya when she saw Trisya being attacked like earlier?

"I'm not bullying her, Aston. I was just-"

"It's better if we go back now, Trisya. Looks like you need some time to reflect on your mistakes today!" interrupted Aston.

"Aston, we haven't even finished buying my painting supplies yet. Didn't you promise to accompany me shopping?" protested Trisya.

"Maybe next time. For now, I'd better take you home first. Let's go!" Trisya turned to her maids and bodyguards who immediately bowed their heads, as if they too were at fault.

Trisya looked at Rania once more. The girl looked like a confused person who didn't know what to do. Was Rania's character really that innocent? Or was the girl actually good at acting as an innocent girl?

Oh come on, Trisya didn't want her judgment of one of her favorite characters to be damaged. Why did everything have to be like this in Trisya's first meeting with her favorite character in the novel?

Trisya could not contain her annoyance. She immediately stepped ahead of Aston. She just wanted to get out of here quickly. It seemed like it would be better if she avoided the protagonist. Because whenever the antagonist is near the protagonist, then he will definitely look evil and wrong. Yes. That seems to be the way of life for antagonistic characters like Trisya.

"Look! Lady Morsche has fainted!!!"

Trisya who heard that suddenly looked back. And sure enough. She doesn't know what just happened, but Rania seemed to be lying down, which was immediately surrounded by several maids and bodyguards.

"Why must there be such a terrible coincidence?" Trisya muttered. Because she knew, surely the people there would again blame her for this. In fact, she did not even hurt Rania in the slightest. She did not do anything evil to Rania.

"What's going on here?"

That voice... Trisya didn't know that there would still be worse things happening after this. And the cause is, the meeting of the two main characters, along with the antagonist in a misunderstanding. And unfortunately, here Trisya had to become the antagonist.

"His Highness the Crown Prince." Everyone saluted in unison. Meanwhile, Prince Terry paused in front of Trisya.

"What mess have you made today, Lady Trisya?" quipped the Crown Prince.

Trisya clenched her hands tightly. Why did everyone have to blame her for what she did not do?

"I didn't do anything. But, even if I explain it, you won't believe me, right?" Trisya replied while trying to hold back her anger.

Tablo - the Prince's bodyguard seemed to be whispering something to his master. And Trisya guessed, it must still be about the misunderstanding between Trisya and Rania, because after that Prince Terry looked directly at Rania.

"As a Crown Prince, of course I have to give more precedence to the facts on the ground, rather than the words of one of the daughters of a close relative of the royal family," said Prince Terry, who then passed Trisya unceremoniously, heading towards Rania.

Trisya whipped her head around to see where Prince Terry had gone. Prince Terry took over Rania from her bodyguard. Prince Terry picked Rania up and carried her away from there, which caused a commotion among the people. However, from what Trisya heard, it seemed like the people were happy about it.

'Oh shit! Why is my chest suddenly tight like this?' Trisya cursed to herself, as her eyes kept watching where the Prince was taking Rania.

"Trisya, let's go home!" Trisya felt a light tug on her hand, and when she looked to see what was happening, Aston had grabbed her hand and pulled her away.