Chapter 26

“What the hell?” Livia blurts out instantly, scooting over to put distance between them.

The third prince raises his hands so his palms were open and exposed, but his expression flickers slightly at her vulgar language, a hint of surprise in his eyes. The Livia he knew would have never said such a thing, even in private. She was a stuck-up bitch with a frosty and spoiled rotten personality, but she also liked to keep up her image as the fiancé of the crown prince, no matter how false it was.

“Apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you,” The third prince says with a sheepish smile on his beautiful face. It was a disarming smile, the type that made you want to relax, almost as much as Orin’s signature smile.

Wispy hair the color of blond strawberries falls slightly into eyes that resembled a sun blooming outward in a teal sea of the ocean. The boy who seems to have appeared from thin air shares a striking resemblance to Rodale and Orin, only a bit younger, with shoulder-length hair that seems soft and feathery instead of straight and plain like his brother which was half tied up and half down.

His outfit was casual and informal for a prince, plain black trousers, a grey button-down shirt with an open jacket over his wide but trim shoulders. He could easily blend into the crowd of common folk if he didn’t have such a sticking appearance, unlike his brothers who were decked out clothes that embodied princes of a well of the country.

But it wasn’t his pretty face that caught Livia off guard. She was all but immune to such dazzling and jaw-dropping looks after spending so much time with Sen, no, it was his eyes.

They were unique and very distinct. Yes, Livia would remember those eyes. From her first life, in her room, admiring how pretty they were, and in her second life, a blurry far away image of a soft-spoken woman under a shaded tree. Unpleasant. Those eyes were burned in her memory.

“You...” She says rather rudely and un-ladylike as she stares openly in her shock.

The sweet, open smile twits up slightly at the corners, “Well, it seems my name doesn’t proceed me. How unfortunate. Still, it was rather rude not to introduce myself first, wasn’t it?” The third prince says, putting his hands down.

He does a small showy bow in his seat, “I am Kolton William Silvan. I am the third Prince of Wisteria, and the third in line for the throne. I believe you and I haven’t officially met until now. Which makes sense, given that you were one year above me in school and quite busy with being the crown princess and fiancé of my older brother.”

Livia has already overcome her shock. Her mask of cool indifference already in place before Colton could finish his introduction. She glances around as he speaks, seeing if anyone noticed his sudden appearance, and isn’t surprised to meet the blank eyes of Orin. She blinks slowly at the second prince, meeting his stare directly and not looking away.

Orin's eyes narrow slightly before he turns his attention back on the spectacle of Mimi finally being captured.

When Livia realizes Colton has finished talking and so she returns her attention towards him, only to catch a brief glimpse of something flash in his eyes before they return to being mildly curious and amused.

Her eyes narrow instinctively.

Why was he here? She thought to herself, a bit perplexed.

Certainly, the events of her return would no doubt be a spectacle that all that many would wish to see for their own eyes, even the wayward third prince, but why was he here sitting next to her and talking to her as if he had an inkling of interest. He could just as easily see the view along with the other nobles and aristocrats or by his brother and father’s side.

Livia knew that he only saw her as one of the Crown Prince's many supporters, and therefore in opposition to him. For the most part, she had been ignored by the third Prince and she had ignored him in turn. They didn’t speak to each other; they didn’t even make eye contact with each other when they had passed in the halls of Aster Academy. As far as either of them was concerned, the other didn’t exist.

But suddenly, he was making an effort to personally introduce himself.

Livia was not the protagonist. She was not the beautiful heroine.

She was the exact opposite. So, why the hell was Kolton bothering her now after she had long been disgraced and had returned to seek justice. Not once did he bother to show himself during the three days leading up to her trial, even in the dinners King Grail had continuously invited her mother and her too.

Livia had dismissed him, had thought he wouldn’t be a problem, but no.

Here he was.

The third prince who boldly went after the throne even when his older brother had been crowned as prince heir. Of course, not so bold as to gain the attention of his father. He was smart and subtle enough to stay under the radar of his king. The common folk knew nothing of his bid for the crown, but the nobles and aristocrats did, well, at least those who keep up with gossip and information.

“Greetings, your highness,” Livia says blandly, inclining her head a bit, “I am sure you are already aware of who I am, given that you are here, pointedly taking a seat by me, so I will skip over the introduction.”

“You are correct, I do know who you are, Miss Livia Katrina Valentine,” Prince Kolton says, leaning forward to openly look her up and down, his head tilting to the side, “Everyone in the whole country knows of the woman who had been exiled and returned to seek righteous justice after being falsely framed and condemned by my brothers.”

Livia doesn’t say anything to this, just continues to stare, waiting.

“Ah, I see. No doubt you are wondering why I have come over to bother you during the proceeding, and at such an awkward time no less,” Prince Kolton says, blinking rapidly.

“Yes,” She says simply, still waiting for him to tell her why he really came over.

“You see, I couldn’t help but be curious,” Kolton says, all polite and unlike himself.

Livia knew he wasn’t the type for dull small talk, that out of the King Grail’s four children, Kolton was the least likely to stick to the teachings of his many tutors, and talk much casually like the common folk. But they were in King Grail’s domain, in the white castle instead of the halls of Aster Academy with many eyes on them. He couldn’t be careless here, not if he still intended to reach for the throne.

Still, it was odd to see Kolton, the rebel and punk, be so courtly.

In the background, Mimi lets out a screech and bulks wildly between the two guards that had her by the arms. They drop her and she falls to the floor. She is quick to scramble away, all but crawling to Amelia, reaching out to her.

Baron Reeve yanks Amelia to his bulky chest, glaring down a Mimi, “Don’t you dare touch my daughter you crazy girl! I should have never let you join my staff,” He spits at her, shocking his daughter.

The guards try to get a hold of Mimi, but she is on her feet and running around again, aiming for the doors this time. She doesn’t spend her energy hurling insults Livia’s way, determined to escape.

“My, that is still going on,” Kolton says, glancing at the chase with eyes mildly amused.

Livia almost cringed. Weird. Such restraint...it was so unlike him. His usual character would be pointing rudely and laughing his ass off at Mimi’s antics right about now, happy to see the royal family making a fool of themselves. It set her on edge, put her on high alert.

“That it is, your highness,” Livia says robotically, turning to look straight ahead, not even glancing over when Mimi takes a sharp turn and bolts into the crowd. Those that had been laughing at her now flinch and recoil away from Mimi, staring at her as if she turned into a viper.

Livia's lips curl a bit, disgusted.

She hates crowds.

She hates people.

At least, she had claimed too in her first life.

Now, look at her, putting on a grand show like an A-class actress.

“Why so formal?” Prince Kolton asks, doing the head tilt again, now added with slow innocent blinks, “You are my senior, it feels weird for you to call me ‘your highness’. Ah! I know, why don’t you call me Kole?”

“I thought only your friends call you that,” Livia says instantly, eyebrow furrowing.

What is this?

What is happening right now?

They just met, didn’t they? Really, it was their first official encounter, so why was Colton, the fox-like third Prince, sly as he was cautious, bothering her? Shouldn’t he be by Amelia’s side? Shouldn’t he be using the opportunity to try to charm her away from his two older brothers? He usually popped up whenever the heroine was feeling vulnerable or her guard was down and wasn’t now that time?

What was going on with his character?

Did he glitch?

Prince Kolton’s face blanks, and for a split second, all Livia can see is Orin.

“What?” He asks, and his expression breaks.

Oh, shi-

She shouldn’t have said that. She shouldn’t have known that.

“I mean to say we are not close. You shouldn’t let someone call you by a nickname if you aren’t close to one another,” Livia says, backpaddling a bit lamely.

Kolton blinks, “Oh, that’s what you meant. I had thought...well, it doesn’t matter.”

“Your right, it doesn’t,” Livia says. She glances at the third prince from the corner of her eye. He seems so young, though he was barely a few inches shorter than Sen. To think one year in age could feel like an eon.

“Oh, come on,” Kolton says, “Don’t shut me out now. We only just begun to talk,” He continues, picking up on her frosty and closed-off demeanor.

Livia smiles thinly, “I simply think there are a more appropriate time and place, your highness.”

And that your new restrained demeanor is weird as hell, she thinks but doesn’t say.

Now that she thought of it, she picks up on an unsettling thing.

“Please, call me Kole,” Kolton says easily.

Liva's shoulders drop, her straight back posture relaxing as she suddenly turns a bright smile on the third prince.

“Well, Kole,” She says, her tone light and airy, “Now that you are here, invading my space in the oddest time, speaking to for the first time in all the years we knew of each other, I think it would be a wonderful time to have a little chat. Tell me, what are you most interested in knowing?” She asks while she turns to give him her full attention. Her eyes are wide and almost sparkling as she leans eagerly forward. Well, as much as she can with her limited mobility.

Prince Kolton is taken aback.

For two seconds.

Before he smiles, mirroring her sunny demeanor, and Livia likens him to a fox in appearance in that moment. It could be seen as a cute and fluffy creature that almost tempts you into cuddling it...until you realize it is a wild animal that had only been after the sandwich you left unguarded while you cooed at it and swiftly stole it before it darted off with a sly grin.

The third prince knew exactly what he was doing.

He had chosen this moment specifically to encroach on her under the guise of improper introduction in the hopes of catching her off guard. He had thought she would be vulnerable, open to a new face while she sits alone in court, with no one by her side, not even Sen. At the very least, his sudden appearance would have lowered her guard enough to reveal some small tidbit of information he didn’t already know.

Or so he thought.

Thick eyebrows and slightly droopy eyes soften into an open expression on Prince Kolton's face. He looked every bit the prince that he was, sharing many features with his brothers, and in-kind, his father.

“How generous of you, Miss Livia, and here I thought it would take more coaxing to get you to speak with me,” The third prince says, looking down at her from his height difference. Even as he smiled, Livia knew it wasn’t genuine.

Oddly enough, this relieved her.

She wasn’t wrong about his character after all.

It was just the odd setting that was throwing him off.

It wasn’t every day that a menace you thought buried and gone cropped back up.

If she hadn’t almost completely abandoned trying to follow the original plot of the storyline to keep ahead, she would be very concerned about the rippling affects her current actions have on the future. But Livia doesn’t give a fuck about that. As far as she was concerned, that original plot of the otome game or sim game she once played became completely irrelevant the moment she was taken out of the story. She would use whatever advantage she could with her memories, but that was solely for her sake.

Still, it would be best to keep an eye on it.

Rodale was the only one who brought death to her door during the game, and she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by him anymore.

It was the third prince's eyes that gave him away. Kolton hadn’t mastered the art of glaring through a bland smile or the face of complete indifference likes his older brothers have. If she was anyone else, she would have thought him a potential ally, even a friend, but she wasn’t just anybody.

Ah, so he was still very much on team Amelia then, Livia thinks as the world around her shuffles and mutters as Mimi is knocked down by a sleeping spell, courtesy of Orin.

She could almost hear the third prince insulting her in his mind, his contempt all but radiating out of his body despite his almost reluctant curiosity of her. He still had a rather fiery personality then.

Livia wasn’t offended by his barely contained dislike. She thought it only fair.

She didn’t exactly hold back when she had bullied Amelia, and of course, by now, the third Prince had encountered the heroine and been had become besotted.

“Yes, it seems my days of being a cold bitch is behind me,” Livia answers, laughing elegantly despite her crude words, “It seems being falsely accused and exiled has drained me of my previous ways. Though, it might have been being taken against my will and held hostage for over a year that did it. My, it has been so long, one can never different these types of things, am I right?” She says it as if she was contemplating the difference between a pink and red rose.

Prince Kolton's smile drops. He is unable to maintain his dignified persona in the face of such boldness and almost careless disregard, and for a brief moment, he seems unsure.

My, my, what is this? Livia thinks as she eyes him from under her eyelashes, Is the little prince no longer in the mood to see his precious Amelia tormentor up close in person now? Does he not wish to bask in my ruin even as becomes fired up with righteous anger for the sake of his cardboard heroine?

“I don’t pity you.”

Livia blinks, startled.

“What?”

Prince Kolton isn’t scowling or outright glaring, but his expression is one of barely contained tension.

“You got what you deserved,” He says, his voice sounding like a stone.

Livia glares darkly, her fist balling up tightly in her dress, pulling the soft flowing fabric over her stomach. Prince Kolton's eyes fall over it before he looks away, his mouth thinning.

Then why the fuck are you bothering me? Why even muster up the energy to put on a false smile to coax information out of me if you are just going to be as callous and unfeeling as your bastard brothers? Fuck off you little asshole! I do not need this right now. I am barely holding it together as it is, Livia rants in her head as a small pit of anger flares up in her chest. It chases away the coldness that has been settled around her heart for days now, a small twinge of feeling that breaks through the numbness.

“If you have already made up your mind about me then why trouble yourself with my wretched presence?” Livia bites out, her posture straightening as she raises her chin defensively.

Prince Kolton gives her a searing look, “Because I know there is more to the story than father wishes to disclose.”

“So, what?” Livia says, uncaring. She watches as Mimi’s unconscious body is toted out of the room, as the councilor and King Grail speak in low voices by the throne while Prince Orin tries to stare a hole into Amelia’s head, and Prince Rodale attempts to do the exact opposite. Soon the trial would resume.

“So, I want to know what really happened,” The third prince says, the words sounding strained and riddled with annoyance.

Livia shrugs carelessly, “Just steal the secretary files and read over them. I already gave my official statement.”

Prince Kolton laughs scornfully, “That mockery of a document? It was riddled with holes and barely consistent information with foggy details! The only thing in that file worth reading was the section about your botched exile.”

Livia says nothing to this, knowing it was true.

She had been more than ready to offer up the second part of her story of how her kidnapping took place, where she was held hostage, who she had been held hostage by and how she escaped, but King Grail hadn’t been interested in the details.

“We will come back to those detail at a later time,” The old king had said.

“But-” Livia had tried to protest with a sinking feeling.

“The focus right now is on your trial. This and that are separate,” King Grail said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Livia had let it be.

It wasn’t like the information she would have offered would have been completely true anyway. She couldn’t exactly say she had been taken to the Eastern Empire and had been the concubine of the 14th Emperor. That bit would not go over well. Not for her, or her unborn son. She wanted to hold onto that for as long as she could.

And no doubt the King didn’t wish to document the fact that his sons might have direct dealings with human trafficking and slave traders. The Wisteria Kingdom had never allowed slavery within its borders. It was strictly forbidden and punished by death if a guilty party was found.

On top of his sons fucking her over royally...

King Grail likely wished to tackle one problem at a time while keeping a tight lid on the matter as much as he could.

Livia understood his reasoning, but it didn’t exactly work in her favor, did it? That is if she still had been intent on tossing a nuke at the Royal House of Silvan and basking in the chaos. That plan wasn’t entirely off the table if she was being honest. It was still very tempting.

But she preferred prolonged suffering over a quick, fiery death.

She wanted them to feel every second, every minute, every day like she had. Livia wanted to give them their just deserts and then some.

Livia wanted to make her return worth the trouble.

“Well?” The third prince says, cutting into her thoughts. He hadn’t meant for this conversation to take so long. His goal had been simple. Throw the ex for a loop, gather intel, and leave.

Livia's eyes flicker to him, “Well what?”

Prince Kolton giver her an impatient look.

Familiar, she thinks and raises an eyebrow in return.

“What am I missing? What did father not write down?” The third prince asks.

Livia rolls her neck and yawns. She stays silent until the air between them becomes taught before she pats her belly and blinks slowly at Prince Kolton.

“I’m pregnant,” She offers.

Prince Kolton, funny enough, flinches at the words as if he took a physical blow. His face colors slightly as his eyes look up then down, back up and down again.

Livia rubs her belly, unashamed.

“I’m having a baby boy,” She says as if he asked.

The third prince doesn’t seem to know what to do with that bit of information. His expression cracking wide open to reveal his age as all his righteous anger and irritation deflates. He was one year younger than her, the same age as Liliana. Certainly, he was smart, talented, and mature for his age. As a capture target, he had a certain quota to meet, but he was also a sixteen-year-old boy who was the black sheep of his family.

Despite being known as the punk rebel and even playboy of the house of Silvan, he was as sheltered as any prince or princess, and never once stepped foot outside his country borders.

She was probably the youngest person he has ever seen pregnant in his entire life.

He was in unknown territory, and it shows clearly in the way that he easily lost his composure in the face of it.

Prince Kolton's mouth opens and closes. His eyes lost as he tries to gather his wits about him.

Livia waits, feeling patient for once, but movement from the corner of her eyes steals her attention.

Councilor Gibit was back in place at the foot of the throne, his old, saggy gaze was on her, the scroll in his hand-held firm as his mouth opens.

“I call Miss Livia Katrina Valentine to the stand.”

The third prince jolts at the words, his soft hair swaying with the movement as he comes back into himself as all eyes turn to Livia, and in turn, him sitting by her side.

Kole curses in his head.

He had hoped to be gone before that maid had finished making a scene but then again; he hadn’t taken into account the state the cursed woman would be in.

He had heard the rumors that she been knocked up, but he had dismissed them. Kole had mockingly thought that no man would be foolish enough to sleep with such a snake under the guise of a beautiful maiden. Had thought that anyone stupid enough to fall for her pretty face would sooner freeze over dead from her cold black heart than make it into bed with her.

It had been childish and crude, but he hadn’t cared.

Kole had been cocky.

He had been sure that she would fall for his soft charm, desperate for an ally who seems open to her presence instead of keeping their distance. He recalls how desperate she was to be at the center of attention during their time at Aster Academy. How angry Livia would become when Amelia was all anyone would talk about or look at. How jealous she was of Amelia. She was so quick to be consumed by her emotions, so easy to snap and rave.

Kole had thought she would be easy to manipulate.

He was known to be against his brother’s. Who better to make an ally with?

Surely this girl would be rather vulnerable as her fate was decided. Surely, she would be riding on a wave of emotion.

But when the third prince had sat next to her silently, her face had been stony and impassive. She didn’t seem to give a damn about her own trial, unmoved at the accusations and slurs that crazy maid had through her way.

Livia had never been the type to say silently in the face of an insult, small or large, but she had been dead quiet, her gaze distant and impossible to read.

Up close, it was impossible to not see what everyone had else had gossiped about.

Her belly was extended out in an almost perfect curve, pulling at the fabric of her dress that did nothing to hide her pregnant state.

It made no sense.

Livia had once been the heiress of the Duke of Valentine, a lady born in such a wealthy family who grew up with almost as many private tutors as he did, and was schooled in the complicated ways of the aristocrats. She had once taken great pride in her status and upbringing, lording it over everyone who was beneath her. She was practically the poster child of all the things Kole hated about high society.

That same girl was now all but showing off a pregnancy she should be gravely ashamed of, she stood tall in the face of insults thrown in her face and didn’t budge even when she had been publicly accused of bullying. At the same time, she had enough gall to even bring attention to her pregnancy almost jokingly.

Just who was this girl?

She could not be the same Livia he remembered. She just couldn’t.

But the third prince didn’t take her silence as an admittance of guilt. So, she learned to keep a level head during her time away. So, she might not have been the one who attempted to kill Amelia. So, she might have been falsely exiled and had been kidnapped from point A to point B.

So what?

That didn’t change anything. She stilled bullied and tormented Amelia at every turn and practically exuded everything Kole hated. She may not have been behind Amelia’s attempted murder over a year ago, but that didn’t mean she was blameless and didn’t deserve the misfortune that befell her.

Still, he went along with his plan and introduced himself. He had been delighted to catch her off guard, as short-lived as it was. And now he was here, still sitting by her side as she was called forth to the stand.

Certainly, he should move away now. He has already been caught by all the onlookers. He didn’t miss when Orin noticed him either and how Livia and his brother had exchanged a tense standoff. Or how his father stares at him now with slightly narrowed eyes, clearly disapproving and urging him back to his place on the sidelines with the other nobles and aristocrats.

Plus, Amelia was looking rather surprised and betrayed to see him by Livia. He offers a small, reassuring smile to that silly girl and a wink that she just blinks at.

Still, Kole doesn’t budge.

He finally managed to compose himself, and completely disregards putting back on the false persona of a concerned prince. Instead, he sighs and just shrugs, relaxing his posture into a careless slouch.

His questions still haven’t been answered, and despite her dodgy behavior, Livia didn’t seem entirely opposed to his inquiries. Though, she was clearly pissed and offended when he blunted stated that she deserved to be exiled. Kole didn’t really care about that. He said what he said, and meant it. He wasn’t going to apologize for it. He also wasn’t going to leave until he got what he wanted. It was just a matter of witling away at her stubbornness.

So, he rolls his neck and sighs, “Looks like our conversation has been cut short,” He says, sounding casual and only mildly annoyed.

Livia sighs as well, “Yes, how unfortunate. Right when it was just getting interesting.”

“Miss Livia, if you would please come forward,” Councilor Gibit calls, clearly short of temper after the stunt Mimi pulled and ready to get the trial over and done with.

“Yes, yes, I am coming,” Livia says under her breath, moving to get up. She is surprised when an elegant hand is offered to her, and her eyes trail up the arm of that hand to meet Prince Kolton’s distinct eyes.

When did he stand?

She looks to the hand then at him and raises a sardonic eyebrow.

Prince Kolton wiggles his fingers and offers a cocky smile, “Your ass must be pretty numb by now, and that belly is likely doing you no favors. Why not just take it while I’m trying to be nice? I got an image to uphold.”

Livia makes a face but takes the offered hand.

“You have zero charm and no class,” She says with her nose in the air.

“And you walked into the lion's den when you could be anywhere else in the world,” Kolton throws back as he helps her stand, causing Livia’s hand to tighten around his.

Their eyes meet. Neither one backs down.

It’s only their arrival at the podium that breaks the stare-off.

Livia is quick to snatch back her hand from Kolton, annoyed, and aware of the sight they made together. From the corner of her eye, she can see her mother's constipated face, looking for all the world like she was about to drag her daughter away at any moment notice if she kept on embarrassing her.

Prince Kolton does a showy bow to King Grail, causing a few light snickers and the King hand tightening around his staff before he turns and swaggers back to his seat.