Chapter 2 - Prince Charming

As soon as Zara regain consciousness the girl fanning her called the king and queen. The couple that entered the room was none other than king and queen themselves.

 The King asked, "Daughter, how are you feeling now?"

"Who... who are you?" Zara asked.

As soon as these words left Zara's mouth, a heavy silence filled the room. No one could understand why she was saying such a thing.

"I am your father, King Arthur Halbert, and this is your mother, Chrysalis. Don't you remember anything?" The man finally introduced himself and his wife.

"Mother... Father... I'm sorry. I have a bit of a headache. Can I rest for a while... alone?"

"Yes... yes, of course." Saying this, King Arthur Halbert left the room with his wife and everyone else. Zara closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Once the room was empty, Zara opened one eye to see if everyone had left. Then she looked around, and her gaze fell on the window. She quickly got up and went to it. As soon as she looked outside, she felt dizzy.

She was on the fourth floor. From that spot, she could see the entire surrounding area. She didn't want to believe it, but at that moment, she was inside a palace, surrounded by soldiers on all sides. Suddenly, Zara slapped herself.

"I must be dreaming..." Zara said, but the scene in front of her hadn't changed.

"What should I do? What's happening to me? Where am I?" Zara started to panic. She couldn't understand what to do... did she die when she fell from that mountain? But if she was dead, then where was she now? And why were these people mistaking her for someone else?

"Oh God, please, please... help me!! Tell me something, where am I?" Zara muttered, pacing around the room when suddenly her eyes fell on a large curtain in front of her.

She ran over to the curtain and pulled it down. Behind the curtain, a huge painting was hanging on the wall, and it wasn't of anyone else but Zara herself. Below the painting, a name was written: "Princess Charlotte."

After seeing that painting, Zara came up with a theory, "I'm in some other world right now... but how is this even possible? I've only read about this in stories... but if this is true, then I need to figure out how to get out of here... and until I find a way, I'll have to live here as Princess Charlotte... without anyone catching on."

With these thoughts, Zara began to explore the room and prepared herself for how to interact with the people here.

The next day, there was a knock on the door.

"Princess... the King and Queen have invited you for the meal," a maid said from outside the door.

"Wait outside, I'm coming," Zara replied.

She didn't want to leave this room, but it was necessary for her to learn who Princess Charlotte was and what she was like.

***

"Greetings, Mother and Father. I'm sorry I'm a little late," Zara said timidly. She was trying to avoid using too much 21st-century language.

"No problem. You need rest at this time anyway. You can eat and then return to your chamber," Arthur Halbert said.

"Yes, Father," Zara murmured.

Suddenly, the room fell silent. Everyone was focused on their meal when Arthur Halbert said, "I have something else to tell you..."

Hearing this, Zara, who had just lifted a glass of water to drink, suddenly got startled, and the water spilled all over her clothes.

"Are you alright, Charlotte?" Queen Chrysalis asked.

"Yes... yes, I'm fine. My hand just slipped..." Zara said.

"Alright... no problem. I wanted to inform you that the royal family of our neighboring kingdom will be coming here tomorrow, to meet you..."

Upon hearing this, Zara started coughing suddenly. Her breathing became erratic. She had barely begun to understand what was happening to her, and now, this... Zara didn't know how to respond. She just kept staring at them.

Zara wanted to use her health as an excuse to delay this meeting, but Arthur Halbert wouldn't hear of it. There was a reason behind this marriage, something the real princess probably knew, but Zara didn't.

'Wait a minute, if I'm completely here, does that mean the real princess has run away? Or has my soul somehow wandered into this body? What has happened to me in the 21st century, how will I ever know?' Thinking this, tears welled up in Zara's eyes... if her soul was in this world, it meant she had died in the other world... and she might never return. As this thought crossed her mind, her heart began to race.

"I... I'm not hungry. You all eat." Zara said, and she ran back to the room where she had come from.

Arthur Halbert and Chrysalis found her behavior strange, but they said nothing, thinking her health was still not well.

****

Back in her room, Zara was pacing anxiously. She couldn't figure out what to do.

"I'll act like a rude, spoiled girl in front of them, and that guy will refuse the marriage himself... yes, that's the right plan." And with this thought, a creepy smile spread across her face. She had decided how to escape this marriage problem.

Now that she had a plan, her mind settled down a bit. She began looking for something to pass the time...

"Argh! I am missing my phone… Who knows what's happening in that world? My crush, what if he's with someone else... what will I do if he finds someone? And my novels, what do my readers think of me now, I don't even know."

Suddenly, Zara had an idea. She called out to one of the guards standing outside her door and asked if there was a library nearby. The guard was surprised at first, but then he thought maybe the princess was asking such questions because she was unwell.

In response, he said, "Princess, how could you forget your own library? You worked day and night for its construction. You even went against the King just for its completion."

Hearing this, Zara felt a bit relieved, but to avoid arousing the guard's suspicion, she displayed her royal authority and ordered him to take her to the library.

****

The guard led Zara to a large room and left her there. As soon as Zara stepped inside, she was stunned. The entire room was filled with thick books.

She didn't know where to start or which book to pick. Then her eyes fell on a separate pile of books in front of her. These were history books, detailing the neighboring states and the previous kingdoms. Zara's eyes sparkled as she saw them.

If she could read these, she'd learn a lot and could keep herself safe from suspicious looks for a while.

Zara stayed in the library until the next morning and only left when Queen Chrysalis sent a maid to fetch her.

It was time for the guests to arrive, and the entire royal family had to be at the door to welcome them.

"The King Thalric Ironheart and Queen Evelina of the neighboring kingdom, Eldoria, have arrived at the palace."

"Welcome to our kingdom..." Arthur Halbert said with great respect. "We were informed that Prince Albert would be coming with you, but he's not here... is there a special reason?"

"He is in your kingdom. He has a friend who lives here, and he went to meet him. He will be here shortly..." King Thalric replied.

After this, everyone entered the palace. After a brief conversation with Zara, she was sent back to her room.

****

"Should I be happy that he hasn't arrived, or sad? But I should at least see his face once... let's see what this prince is like," Zara muttered to herself.

Saying this, Zara went to her room's window and waited for Albert's arrival... for some reason, the name Albert gave her a strange feeling... she felt like she only wanted to see his face because she couldn't figure out what this feeling was.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew. The trees around the palace began to sway, and Zara saw what she had been eagerly waiting for.

He is quite handsome with shoulder-length hair and a fair complexion. He is well-built, with strong, sharp features that make him stand out. His appearance combines the elegance of royalty with the strength of a warrior.

Riding on a white horse, with long flowing hair, a handsome young man entered the palace grounds.

It would be a lie to say Zara didn't enjoy gazing at him. If she were in the 21st century, she would probably have been trying to impress him by now. The mere thought of it made her cheeks flush with warmth.

"Dude! I feel like I'm watching a rom-com where the girl waits for her prince charming." Saying this, Zara lightly slapped herself... Meanwhile, the boy who had dismounted the horse glanced at Zara standing at the window and smiled slightly.

Zara didn't know what to do, and she instinctively stepped back from the window in embarrassment.

****

As soon as the prince entered the court, everyone stood up.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Prince Albert," Arthur said.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty... apologies for making you wait." Albert bowed respectfully.

They all sat in the court for a long time, discussing their respective kingdoms. King Arthur Halbert and King Thalric Ironheart shared a deep friendship. Recently, Arkendale had been facing a looming threat. Neighboring kingdoms were slowly trying to encroach on Arkendale, and the only way to stop them was for King Arthur Halbert to strengthen his military and ally with other neighboring kingdoms so that in the event of war, Arkendale would suffer minimal damage... or eliminate the possibility of an attack altogether.

The next day, both royal families sat down to eat together, and it was the first time that Princess Charlotte, or rather Zara, and Prince Albert sat face to face.

Zara sat at the dining table, staring intently into Albert's eyes. Albert became so uncomfortable under her gaze that he had to drop his spoon just to break her stare.

'If I don't make you run away from here with your tail between your legs, then my name isn't Zara. You'll refuse this marriage yourself, just wait and see...' As she thought this, a creepy smile spread across Zara's face.

Sitting across from her, Albert now found the situation strange. At first, he thought maybe Zara liked him, but after seeing that creepy smile, he suddenly felt a strange shiver run down his spine.