บททั้งหมดของ Prim and Proper, Kiss and Conquer: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

After getting out of jail, I moped around the Princess' Manor for a few days.I finally got it into my head that I wasn't the female protagonist of this world. I didn't have the luck that came with all protagonists. I couldn't just crook my finger and expect men to be as obsessed with me as they'd been in my original world.But then, I remembered I was still a princess. I could take what I want. I didn't even need to crook a finger.So, I set my sights on Felix Lodge, the newly minted third-ranked scholar in the imperial exams. I heard that during the palace exam, Father was leaning toward making him the top-ranked scholar because he was more talented than the others.However, Felix was just too handsome. Per tradition, the most handsome scholar had to be ranked third, so Father appointed him as such instead.I asked around about Felix's background. He came from poverty. His widowed mother had raised him alone, and they'd suffered their whole lives. He had no power, no influence,

Derrick's breathing seemed a bit quick, and his ears were so red they looked like they might bleed. Just when things were getting interesting, a handmaiden announced that Felix was requesting an audience.Ugh, could he have picked a worse time?I sat up, smoothed my clothes, and winked at Derrick. "Am I pretty, Mr. Guard?"He froze for a moment, then immediately lowered his head. His voice was barely above a whisper as he answered, "You are."…Felix wore dark robes that day. Even seated, he had his back straight, looking refined and composed. When he saw me, he stood and bowed in greeting.I waved him off, took the main seat, and looked at him with a smile.He didn't dodge or avert his gaze. He looked straight into my eyes and asked, "Your Highness, does your earlier offer still count?""Of course.""I'm willing to marry you, then."Uh, what? Marry me? When did I ever say anything about marriage?Then, I saw the look on Felix's face. He'd clearly struggled a lot before maki

Gerard wasn't wearing armor, probably because of the palace banquet. Instead, he wore a black brocade robe edged with gold.His features were defined, the boyish frivolity of the past stripped away. His nose was straight, and his posture was tall. There was an indestructible sharpness about him.At that moment, his gaze was heavy with anger as he stared me down. There actually was something rather intimidating about him.Rowan stood beside him, his eyes dark and unfathomable. Shit, he was coming for me! I could already see the jail cell looming before me."Would you believe me if I said I was just chatting with Mr. Lodge?" I asked.Gerard snorted. "Your Highness, maybe wipe the rouge off Mr. Lodge's lips before you say that."I glanced at Felix. He looked calm and composed, but there were smudges of bright red on his lips.Alright, that was hard to talk my way out of. I couldn't just say it was a coincidence that Felix and I used the same shade.I was better off fleeing. I felt

What Rowan said left me confused. Was he talking about me and Gerard, or me and Felix, or even me and Derrick?I mean, he couldn't be talking about me and him.It was hilarious, really. My love life was so crowded that I couldn't even tell who he meant.…Felix was supposed to be tutoring me, but he ended up being the one listening to Rowan the most intently. He said to me in private, "Someone of Lord Gifford's caliber could bring peace to the realm.""How do you compare to him?" I asked.He smiled easily. "I'm far inferior to him."Yikes! Was this part of the plot armor that protected the protagonists?Speaking of protagonists… I did the math and realized that this world's female protagonist would be showing up soon. Once that happened, every man in the book with a name would probably fall for her.I was an experienced female protagonist myself, so I decided to quickly secure the men I could.…I wanted to start with Derrick. He was a character with the easiest difficulty.

And so, being a young woman who now understood the greater good, I quietly slipped into the army. With Gerard covering for me, I wasn't afraid of being found out.Initially, he objected to me tagging along. He paced anxiously in front of me, muttering, "How can you go? The battlefield doesn't spare anyone. You're delicate—what if you get hurt?"I looked at him and said steadily, "But I'm worried about you. I can't bear to be without you."Gerard paused, his voice softening a little. "The journey is long and tough, and it'll be exhausting to travel to the frontier. How can you—""I can't bear to be without you."His voice grew even smaller. "But the fighting will be intense. I won't have time to—""I can't bear to be without you."Gerard opened his mouth again but only spoke after a long moment. "Come along, then. Either way, I'll protect you. I won't let you be in any danger!"I wasn't worried about that, honestly. I remembered from the original novel that this would be a sweep