Chapter 15: Surviving the royal court

(Lina)

I was thinking about my latest mission from the system: "Survive in the Royal Court." The mission had a mocking tone to it like it didn't expect me to last a day in there. I rolled my eyes.

Of course, this was another impossible task it wanted me to pull off. It didn't help that everyone here knew me as Princess Isabella—the perfect, poised, delicate princess.

Not Lina, the twenty-four-year-old woman who didn't belong in a castle, much less in a royal court filled with scheming nobles.

But here I was. In a royal court. As Princess Isabella.

Just my luck.

I adjusted my dress, which felt way too tight and frilly and headed toward the grand doors of the court. I could hear voices already—loud, important people with titles and power.

My stomach did a little flip. I had no idea how to act around these people. Growing up, I was used to school, work, and then heading off to join the army. Not this world of titles and crowns.

As I approached the entrance, I spotted Prince Nicholas standing there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching me closely. He looked annoyed. No, more than annoyed—he didn't want me here. Great.

"And why are you here?" He asked, his voice sharp. "The royal court isn't exactly a place for you, Isabella."

I clenched my fists, already irritated by his tone. Sure, he didn't want me around, and I didn't exactly want to be here either. But he didn't have to be so obvious about it. The system's mission was one thing, but dealing with Nicholas' constant scorn was another.

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a sweet smile. "I'm just exploring ways to divorce you, that's all. Thought maybe the court could offer some help," I said, brushing him off and walking past him before he could respond.

I could feel his anger radiating behind me. "Isabella, you are not serious."

"Dead serious, actually," I tossed back, not bothering to look at him. His footsteps followed me, and I knew I'd made him angrier than before. But I didn't care. He could be as mad as he wanted. I had bigger problems ahead.

As I entered the royal court, I had to remind myself not to look too impressed. The place was massive, with high vaulted ceilings painted in gold and silver.

Crystal chandeliers hung like stars from above, catching the light just right. The walls were decorated with portraits of old kings and queens, all watching over us with stern, judging eyes.

Long, velvet drapes framed tall windows that let in just enough sunlight to give the whole room an almost magical glow. And the people—oh, the people were dressed like they belonged in a movie. Silk, satin, jewels...everything sparkled.

My breath caught in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it down. I couldn't let anyone here know it was my first time in a place like this. Isabella, the perfect princess, would have been here a thousand times, after all.

The nobles whispered among themselves as I walked by, their eyes darting toward me, some curious, some suspicious.

No doubt they were wondering why Princess Isabella had bothered to show up today. She was known for staying out of court affairs, which made it harder for me. Now, I had to act like I belonged while keeping my mouth shut about how much I didn't belong there.

I moved to the side of the room, taking a spot where I could observe without drawing too much attention. All I needed to do was survive this, whatever that meant.

I wasn't here to make friends, and I wasn't here to get involved in royal politics. I just had to make it through the day without screwing up too badly.

"Princess Isabella," A voice said from behind me. I turned to see a nobleman with a smug look on his face. He bowed slightly, though it was more of a formality than anything respectful. "We didn't expect to see you in court today."

I smiled, though I could feel the system in the back of my head nudging me to say something smart. "I thought I'd shake things up a bit. Can't let you all have fun without me," I said, keeping my voice light. I wasn't sure if that was what Princess Isabella would have said, but it seemed to work. The man chuckled and walked away, clearly not expecting me to engage any further.

I let out a small sigh of relief, mentally patting myself on the back. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

As the court session continued, I stood there, nodding politely at the discussions that were happening. It was mostly nobles arguing about land, taxes, and who should have more power. Honestly, it was boring, but I couldn't let that show.

Every so often, I'd catch Prince Nicholas looking at me from across the room, his expression unreadable. He still didn't trust me, and I wasn't about to give him a reason to.

The system came into my head, interrupting my thoughts. 'Challenge complete: Survive in the Royal Court. Coins awarded: 500. Level up achieved. New mission available.'

I had to stop myself from grinning like an idiot. Somehow, I had survived without making a fool of myself or getting thrown out. I guess the system counted that as a win.

But before I could relax, there was another message. 'New mission: Gain the court's favor.'

I groaned internally. Of course, it couldn't just let me have this small victory. Now I had to win over these people? How was I supposed to do that when I barely knew how to act around them?

As the court session started to wrap up, I noticed a few nobles making their way toward meTheyey were interested in why Princess Isabella had decided to make an appearance today. One of the women, dressed in a gown that probably cost more than my entire apartment back home, gave me a polite smile.

"Princess Isabella, it's been a while since we've seen you at court. We were beginning to wonder if you were avoiding us," She said, her voice dripping with sweetness that I didn't trust for a second.

I returned her smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "Not avoiding, just...busy. You know how it is."

She nodded, though I could tell she didn't believe a word I said. "Of course. Perhaps you'll join us for tea sometime. We'd love to catch up."

"I'll consider it," I said, hoping that was enough to end the conversation.

As soon as they walked away, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Winning their favor was going to be harder than I thought.

Before I could dwell on it too much, Nicholas appeared beside me. "You're not fooling anyone, Isabella," He muttered, his voice low so no one else could hear. "I know what you're doing."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly am I doing, Nicholas?"

He glared at me, his jaw clenched. "You're trying to find a way out of this marriage. But let me make one thing clear—you're not going anywhere."

I shrugged, pretending his words didn't bother me. "We'll see about that."

Without waiting for his response, I walked away, my head held high. I had survived the royal court, and no matter what Nicholas or anyone else thought, I wasn't going to let them push me around. Not anymore.

As I left the court, the system popped up again. 'Mission progress: 10% complete.'

I smiled to myself. This might take a while, but I was ready for whatever came next. After all, if I could survive today, I could survive anything.

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