The cold night air hit my face the second I ran outside the ballroom.
Heavy dresses were officially the enemy of humanity.
How did noble women sprint in these things without dying?
Ahead of me, Adeline hurried down the palace stairs desperately while Crown Prince Cedric followed close behind.
"Lady Adeline, wait—"
"My father was outside earlier!" she cried anxiously.
Right.
In the original story, Baron Augustus had briefly stepped outside to greet another noble near the southern entrance.
Then the accident happened.
A frightened horse lost control.
The carriage crashed.
And Adeline got injured trying to protect her father.
Which naturally caused the Crown Prince to fall even harder for her.
Romantic for readers.
Terrifying for me.
Because injured heroine usually meant villainess accusations somehow followed shortly afterward.
The palace guards rushed around chaotically near the entrance while nobles gathered at a safe distance whispering nervously.
I immediately spotted the destroyed carriage.
One wheel had completely shattered.
A horse neighed wildly while knights struggled to restrain it.
And near the ground—
Adeline's father.
Baron Augustus had fallen beside the broken carriage, clearly injured.
"Father!"
Adeline tried to run toward him immediately—
—but suddenly the terrified horse jerked violently.
Straight toward her.
Everything happened too fast.
People screamed.
The guards shouted.
Adeline froze.
And without thinking—
I moved.
"LOOK OUT!"
I grabbed Adeline's arm hard and pulled her backward just as the horse charged past.
Unfortunately—
my own balance disappeared instantly afterward.
My heel slipped against the stone stairs.
And the next thing I knew—
Pain exploded through my ankle.
Ow.
OW.
Okay.
Historical staircases were officially my enemy too.
"Lady Alexandra!"
Several voices shouted at once.
I sat there in complete shock while my ankle screamed violently in protest.
Adeline stared at me wide-eyed.
"You pushed me away…"
"…Yeah," I wheezed painfully. "Because getting trampled seemed unhealthy."
Not my best line.
But pain reduced my brain function significantly.
Crown Prince Cedric immediately stepped forward.
"Are you injured?"
The irony nearly made me laugh.
Earlier I lied about having a leg injury to avoid dancing.
Now I actually had one.
This was karma.
"My ankle," I admitted weakly.
Cedric crouched slightly, examining it carefully.
Nearby nobles whispered loudly.
"Lady Alexandra saved her…"
"She protected Baron Augustus' daughter…"
"Wasn't she supposed to hate Adeline?"
I wanted to yell that I never hated her in the first place.
Technically.
Adeline knelt beside me looking genuinely distressed.
"This is my fault…"
"No it isn't."
"But if I hadn't run—"
"You would've gotten hit by a horse."
Honestly, this girl apologized too much.
Someone needed to give the heroine therapy.
Cedric looked toward the palace physician nearby.
"Bring medical assistance immediately."
The physician rushed over nervously.
Meanwhile, I sat there awkwardly while dozens of nobles stared at me like I'd suddenly become a different species.
Which honestly—
fair enough.
Because according to the novel, Alexandra was supposed to laugh at Adeline's injury tonight.
Not replace her in the accident.
Oops.
The physician carefully examined my ankle.
"Young Lady Raine, it appears sprained."
Fantastic.
At least it wasn't broken.
Still hurt like betrayal though.
Adeline looked incredibly guilty beside me.
"I'm truly sorry, Lady Alexandra."
"You've apologized like five times already."
"…I did?"
"Yes."
A tiny embarrassed expression crossed her face.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
No wonder the fandom adored her.
Cedric suddenly removed his gloves calmly before offering his hand toward me.
"Can you stand?"
I hesitated.
Mostly because accepting help from male leads usually triggered plot developments.
Unfortunately, standing up alone sounded impossible right now.
I accepted carefully.
The second I tried putting weight on my ankle—
Pain shot through my leg immediately.
"AH—"
I nearly collapsed.
Cedric caught me quickly before I hit the ground again.
And unfortunately—
the nearby nobles gasped dramatically.
OH COME ON.
Why were romance misunderstandings so easy in this world?!
"I'm fine," I lied immediately.
"You are clearly not," Cedric replied flatly.
Rude.
True, but rude.
Before the situation could become more embarrassing—
another voice entered calmly.
"You look terrible."
I turned my head.
Leonhart Blake stood nearby with his usual relaxed expression.
How was this man everywhere?!
"Thank you," I answered dryly.
"So polite despite the injury."
He crouched slightly near me, blue eyes scanning my swollen ankle.
Then unexpectedly—
he looked annoyed.
Not dramatic annoyance.
Quiet annoyance.
The dangerous kind.
"You should not have moved recklessly," he said.
I blinked.
"…Were you worried about me?"
Leonhart immediately looked offended.
"Absolutely not."
Ah.
One of those characters.
Emotionally allergic to honesty.
Cedric's expression cooled slightly at Leonhart's interruption.
Interesting.
The male leads clearly didn't like each other.
Actually, now that I remembered correctly—
Leonhart and Cedric eventually became enemies in the original story.
Wonderful.
And somehow I was standing between them.
This felt unsafe.
Very unsafe.
Duke Raine finally arrived moments later after cutting through the crowd.
The second his eyes landed on my injured ankle—
the temperature around him dropped terrifyingly.
"Who caused this?"
Every nearby noble looked nervous instantly.
Even the palace guards stiffened.
Adeline lowered her head quickly.
"It happened because of me—"
"No," I interrupted immediately.
Everyone looked toward me.
"The horse lost control. Nobody caused it intentionally."
Duke Raine's sharp gaze shifted between me and Adeline silently.
Then finally, he sighed quietly.
"You're injured."
It sounded almost accusing.
Like my injury personally offended him.
"A little."
The Duke looked entirely unconvinced.
Without another word—
he suddenly picked me up.
Princess style.
My soul left my body immediately.
"FATHER?!"
The nearby nobles looked scandalized.
Adeline looked shocked.
Cedric blinked once in surprise.
Even Leonhart raised an eyebrow slightly.
Meanwhile, I wanted death.
"Put me down!" I whisper-yelled.
"You cannot walk."
"I have dignity!"
"You lost that while screaming on the stairs."
I gasped in betrayal.
This man had jokes?!
Since when?!
The Duke ignored my suffering completely as he carried me toward the palace entrance.
The whispers behind us became louder instantly.
"Duke Raine carried Lady Alexandra himself…"
"He dotes on her more than expected…"
"The rumors about their poor relationship were false?"
I buried my face into my hands.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Tonight, I accidentally:
✔ Changed the plot
✔ Saved the heroine
✔ Injured myself
✔ Got carried publicly by my terrifying father
✔ Became the center of noble gossip
At this point, destiny was definitely laughing at me somewhere.