To Know What I'm Up Against

There is a subtle tension in the air. Both Fuschia and that guard refused to back down. Fuschia hates this situation, even more, when she clearly remembers that when there is Hayden's presence, they do not dare to act this way to her.

“But, where are your guards, Your Highness?” This one guard is quite observant.

“Is he one of Hayden's people? Shit. How many of Hayden's men are in this castle alone?!”

“Hmm... it turns out that they are doing their job so well that you don't even notice them. My bodyguard observes us from their hiding spot. What? You don't think that I, a Crown Princess, am walking around alone without bodyguards, do you?”

“Of course not, Your Highness. You… can enter. Please, next time bring your permit badge.” Asked that one guard with respect.

Finally, they opened the door. The sound of the door creaking echoed throughout the room. The cold air of the large empty room was prickling against my skin. The palace’s central library is a huge building with towering bookshelves inside. In the center of it, there is a long wooden table. Looks like it's the desk belonging to the librarian who currently isn't in his position.

Oh wow, this is my first time visiting the palace library when I live as Fuschia long enough. Is that why I'm so stupid? Haha.

“But this! How do I find the book? There is no computer system here to search easily! Do I have to check every shelf? Gargh~ I've never had this yearning for technology so much in my life before!”

As a person who has never been friends with books before, when I saw so many books piled up, my head immediately dizzy.

Luckily, the books I was looking for were easy to find. I immediately piled up my findings and took them to a small table at the end of the room. Near a large window with the brightest light.

“Teachers in the academy say that magic doesn't exist anymore because this kingdom ran out of Manna since the monsters first attacked. But I'm sure there's still some left. My existence itself which transmigrated from another world then regressed to the past is proof that magic may still exist. Right. It must be how Hayden bewitched me too.”

Wow, doing things that I’ve rarely done before is hard. My eyes have been attacked by terrible drowsiness. Moreover, reading these books is very foreign to my brain. So I have to read several sentences over and over again to understand the meaning.

“I am stupid, aren’t I?” I want to dig a rabbit hole and squeeze myself inside.

No wonder Hayden easily manipulated me. Hng!

“It’s okay. It’s never too late to start something, right? Now I just have to find out how Hayden bewitched me. Only then, should I be able to escape Hayden's plot without being obvious?”

Apart from reading books related to magic, I also read newspapers from a year ago. I've never read the newspapers because they say women don't need to read things like that. So the information that women in this kingdom found were mostly come from attending a tea party. Even then, the information is not very important. It's more about gossip.

At that time I was quite grateful that I transmigrated to the body of Fuschia, a woman who was born as a noble. Imagine if I was born as a woman from an ordinary family in this kingdom, my life might be miserable. Because the movement of women in this kingdom is very limited and restricted.

I just found out from these books. If there were women capable of using magic, they were considered a witch with dark powers who had to be extinguished.

“So crazy! Why if it’s a man can be called a wizard while a girl is called a witch who must be burned alive?! Does the writer of this novel hate women or what?”

My chest rumbled. The drowsiness soon disappeared. I continued reading with determination, even when the sun starts to fall from its place. The light I got is getting fainter. But it's okay because the library lights have turned on as if evening arrived.

When I turned over the next sheet of the newspaper, my eyes trembled.

“Hmm? This is!”

“Why are the prices of houses so expensive?! Is it because it's in the capital, huh? How much do I need to save so I can buy a house in a safe place?” I grunted irritably.

The more I read the newspapers, the more shameful I became. Because the knowledge I got was more than the knowledge I possess when I was Fuschia for ten years long. At one point in time, I simply became complacent about all the things Fuschia had that Nawang didn't have.

Wealthy, prestigious, protection and a spouse. I don't need to work day and night. I also don't have to think about what to eat tomorrow, how much it will cost if I get sick, or if I can take a vacation.

Fuschia has everything. And I don't feel the need to know many things. I am so apathetic about the situation in this world. As if I don't live here. Is that why the price I paid for my ignorance was so great?

“Geez, I really don't know anything. I never pay for my own purchases. Dress, jewelry, and everything has already been taken care of. Albertus was the one who takes care of my finances. I like pretending to be a conglomerate until I forgot myself. No wonder they step on me so easily”

Just because I didn't want to be bothered before, I left the household affair of the Jasmine Palace to Albertus who offered to help. He told me to focus more on getting offspring and socializing with other high nobles at a tea party or banquet. I believe Albertus will work fine. Sadly, it turns out that he had embezzled my money. Even I got dragged into a human trafficking case that I don’t even know existed!

He also planted shreds of evidence of other nobles’ crimes in the Jasmine Palace. To frame me instead and free those nobles in return for wealth and fame.

“Albertus!” Just remembering him makes me so furious. I crumpled all the paper in front of me then calm myself.

I don't have time to take revenge on them one by one. I have to focus on making baby first! Yes, baby first!

I patted my cheek. The clapping sound echoed through the air convince me that I am alone in this spacious space. Not that it makes me scared.

I got pregnant when I was in my 22s, which means there are still eight months left before I get pregnant. And in an early stage of pregnancy, I couldn't act too much because it was dangerous for my baby. So I was only able to run away when I was pregnant for 7 months old. Okay, then I need to prepare someone who can help deliver my baby safe while in the running. I also need a lot of money to be a single mom. Hmmm.

I cannot ask for help from my family's side, Duke Mountravven. It was enough for them that I "sold" to the Royal Family as the Crown Princess. That way they still get material gain and prestige as in-laws. It was ridiculous for people to think that I was Duke Mountravven's beloved only daughter. Though not at all.

“If I run away, it's better to go to the border area of ​​the kingdom because there are few people there. But it is prone to monsters there, so there are rarely settlements too. If I had a device that could block monsters like what Raymon had in the forest back then, it probably wouldn't be a problem. But the price of that equipment is insanely expensive, my money can’t be used up just for that. Haaa.”

My mind is getting jumbled. I also haven't found a way to detect how I got bewitched by Hayden. Even though I need it to make sure that the guy who slept with me has blonde hair.

“Wait, there's no way Hayden set me up to sleep with several different guys on a different night, right? If he does, he's a real jerk, what a scum bastard!”

My head is dizzy. And even my stomach rumbling. I remember not eating anything since the morning. I feel very nauseous. It always does whenever I think that I slept with a man I didn't know.

Even though I had promised myself to accept my condition of being impregnated by a man whose identity was not clear, there was still a sense of annoyance and anxiety. I convinced myself once again that it was okay as long as the man had blonde hair.

Unfortunately, Hayden will arrive in two days. And as I remember, after returning home from eradicating monsters at the border, it's time for us to share a bed. Our first night.

“Damn! In four or five days I'll have my first night, but I haven't figured out a way so I won't be bewitched by him. Ukh.” I stroked my hair furiously. The hair that was originally neatly combed is now a mess.

While my hands were busy ruffling my hair, my feet were kicking on the floor like a child. A behavior that a noble woman, especially a Crown Princess, should not have.

I sank my head into the pads of my arms resting on the table. Then I closed my eyes. Enjoying the silence. Whenelse would I have time for myself without any disturbants from servants or bodyguards around me?

But when I raise my head,

“ARGH! Wh-who?!” I fell on my back, there was a man with a square glasses who was standing at the side of the table, smiling at me.