As I stepped out of the room, I was immediately greeted by a maid standing in the hallway.
She looked startled at first, her eyes widened, but quickly composed herself and bowed.
"Good evening, Your Highness. Do you need anything?" she asked, head still lowered.
"You can raise your head, miss…?" I said, trying to spark a conversation and get a sense of my situation.
She lifted her gaze.
Our eyes met. She looked young. Cold eyes. A smile that seemed like it had never truly formed.
Short brunette hair. Green eyes. At first glance, she seemed ordinary...but her posture said otherwise.
"It's Juliet, Your Highness," she replied.
"Miss Juliet, can you tell me what date it is today?"
If I could figure out the date, maybe I'd know what timeline I was in.
Her eyes flinched slightly. I wasn't sure why.
"Today is the 17th of July, Year 785."
My eyes widened. I knew exactly what that date meant, what had happened, and what was about to happen.
"Your birthday is tomorrow," she added.
"Everyone in the capital and across the country will gather to celebrate your 18th birthday. There will be a ball tomorrow night in the garden, Your Highness."
Yeah. That ball. That night.
The night everything changes.
The pig rises.
The original plot kicks in.
Jealousy. Chaos. Everything.
"Your Highness?" she asked, noticing my silence.
"…Shit. That pig's going to be there too," I blurted out.
Her eyes widened again. She clearly didn't expect me to swear.
"…Pardon me!?" she gasped.
"…Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered that an old friend will be visiting me, that's all," I reassured her quickly.
"Anyway, Miss Juliet, could you show me my daily routine? How I usually go through the day?"
I had to ask. I had no idea how this prince behaved, and I couldn't afford to raise suspicion.
"E-Excuse me, Your Highness… I'm not sure I understand what you mean?"
She was clearly stunned by how casually I asked. I mean, if someone asked me that, I'd think they'd lost their mind too.
But if a prince asked? That's a different story.
"What's so strange about my request? You don't know my daily routine even though you take care of me every day? Is that how a prince's maid should behave?"
I tried to sound more commanding.
She was shocked again. She clearly noticed something was off.
But I'd only asked questions. Nothing too strange… well, except for the pig comment.
She lowered her head.
"Of course not, Your Highness. I will now show you how you go through the day."
She extended a hand to guide me.
"Please follow me Your Highness. This way,"
I smirked.
So this is what life feels like when you have both wealth and power.
Not bad at all.
I nodded and followed her.
As we walked, she explained my daily routine.
"We maids come to wake you. After Your Highness rises, you usually go for a short jog outside," she said, gesturing toward the training grounds visible through the window.
"Once you finish your jog, you return to your room and take a bath. Then you have breakfast, which we maids prepare and bring to your room," she added, pointing back toward the fancy-looking room I had just left.
"…After your breakfast, you head to the training facility to practice swordsmanship with your personal coach," Juliet explained as we walked through the grand hallway.
"Then you take another bath and join His Majesty and Her Majesty for lunch," she added as we descended the staircase.
"After that, you go to the academy with your fiancée, Your Highness."
I stopped halfway down the stairs.
Academy?
Right… I'd completely forgotten about that part.
I glanced down at my clothes and realized I was already dressed in the academy's male uniform—a plain white shirt with a red tie, typical of senior students. The blue slacks were clearly designed for durability and swordsmanship training.
So today, the original prince was supposed to attend the academy. But ever since I took over, he hadn't gone.
"…Which kind of messed with the plot."
There was supposed to be a scene, after the pig's reincarnation...where their first encounter wasn't at the ball, but at the academy gates.
Apparently, the prince and his fiancée had another argument about something, and the pig stepped in to save the day. Don't ask me for details.
After that, no one knew who the mysterious figure was until he revealed himself at the ball tomorrow night—on the prince's birthday.
"…Juliet, can you show me where the restroom is?"
I needed a moment to think. To come up with a plan for tomorrow night. Maybe even tweak the plot I'd written.
"…Understood, Your Highness," Juliet replied, and we continued walking.
"Can you tell me what time it is now?" I asked as we were heading toward the restroom.
"It's just past 7 p.m., Your Highness," she answered, even though her back was still to me.
Great.
Too late to go to the academy now.
The only prince in the country skipped his first day at the academy. What a headline.
"…Are you feeling unwell, Your Highness?" she asked, turning to face me.
"…Unwell? Why?" I replied, confused. I felt perfectly fine.
"You didn't join Their Majesties for lunch, and you missed your entrance ceremony at the academy…"
Fair point. I listened quietly.
"…Is it because your fiancée's family is arriving for dinner that you're acting this way?" she added.
My eyes shot open.
She's coming for dinner?
With the duke!?
"!? How many hours until dinner!?" I asked, stunned, grabbing her shoulders in panic.
"U-uhm… A-about one hour or so, Y-Your Highness…" she stammered nervously.
One hour.
They might already be in the palace.
"…Are the duke and my fiancé here now?" I asked, the most urgent question of all.
"…Y-yes."
"…."
Fantastic.
Just my luck.
.
.
.