The Prince’s First Love Was Me Chapter 11

“The prince has dated plenty of women. I’m sure he’s moved things along pretty quickly with them, too. What difference would it make if his partner were a man, even if it’s you, big sis?”

“Ahem!”

My father seemed uncomfortable with the topic and busied himself clearing his throat and pretending to be distracted.

I played along with Lucy’s serious tone and gave her a fairly sincere answer.

“Wouldn’t there be some differences? It must be the prince’s first time with a man, too. Maybe he’ll feel nervous facing an unfamiliar world he’s never explored before…”

Even as I spoke, my voice trailed off because I wasn’t sure.

Would Aaron really feel nervous?

If anything, he seemed more like the type to get excited about a new challenge than to hesitate.

As I fell silent and lost myself in thought, my father sighed and rubbed his face with both hands.

“Dahlia. I trust you’ll handle this matter wisely, but remember that if your secret is discovered, you could be punished for deceiving the royal family.”

Oh, right. I hadn’t thought of that.

It was truly one disaster piled on top of another.

The enormous penalty for breaking the contract was already serious enough. Now there was the crime of deceiving the royal family, too.

“If we get caught, how severe would the punishment be?”

“I can’t say for certain, but some time ago, the second son of Baron Louisvis lied to His Royal Highness, claiming he was the son of a count. As a result, every member of his family was stripped of their titles.”

Everyone gathered around the table turned pale at once.

I groaned and pressed my lips tightly together.

The punishment for lying about one’s identity alone was severe. If they found out I had lied about my gender, I might face an even harsher punishment for making a fool of a royal.

And if my luck ran out, my entire family could be punished along with me.

“Haaah.”

This wasn’t what I wanted at all.

But it wasn’t as if I could back out of the contract now.

Lucy took my restless hand in hers and gently reassured me.

“It’s okay. We can use what you said earlier, can’t we? You said it would be faster for him to dump you than for him to discover you’re a woman.”

Inspired by Lucy’s words, I let out a small gasp.

Right! That was it!

“You mean I should make the prince break up with me?”

And so, the project known as Operation: Get Dumped by the Prince began.

Our meeting to come up with ways to get me dumped continued until dawn.

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

On a sunlit afternoon, Aaron was writing reviews as he savored the aromas and flavors of different wines in glasses on his desk.

They were sample wines sent by Jello, a wine trading company in which Aaron was the largest investor. The company planned to release them soon.

Based on his feedback, they would improve any shortcomings before distributing the wines to countless customers.

Aaron quickly scribbled his comments and checked the desk clock.

“I wonder if she’s finished by now.”

A smile spread across his lips as he thought of Ronnie.

His once-boring days had recently begun to grow interesting.

He wasn’t sure whether it was because he had started something new or because of the person involved, but it was a welcome change.

Lately, even dating young noblewomen and breaking up with them had become so tedious that it felt like a waste of time.

Without any real affection for his partners, everything about the relationships felt like a nuisance.

He had wondered whether meeting different women might make him feel something new, so he had dated one after another. But the result was always the same.

As a result, rumors had spread that he changed girlfriends every month.

‘In the end, things worked out rather well.’

Aaron gave a self-mocking smile as he wondered just how far his reputation could fall.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Highness. It’s Chris.”

“Come in.”

Chris entered the room and bowed.

Aaron glanced at him, slipped the review sheets into an envelope, sealed it, and stood up.

“I was just about to head out. Give these documents to the researcher and tell him I’ll stop by sometime soon.”

After handing the envelope to Chris, Aaron got ready to leave and stepped into the hallway.

Chris, who still had something to report, hurried to catch up with him.

“Miss Siena came by a little while ago.”

“I see.”

Aaron spotted Siena approaching from the far end of the hallway and stopped walking.

Her heels struck the floor with a sharp, angry rhythm that matched her twisted expression.

Siena was the young lady of the Count Olson family, whom Aaron had happened to meet at a bar he had visited alone in the past.

She had openly flirted with him while he was drinking by himself, so he had entertained her a few times. That was all there was to it.

Covered from head to toe in glittering jewelry, Siena approached Aaron with her red lips pressed tightly together.

“Leave her alone.”

Aaron spoke to the royal guards who were trying to block her.

Thanks to his order, Siena was able to stand in front of him without being stopped. She immediately furrowed her brows.

“What do you mean, suddenly telling me you don’t want to see me anymore?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“Why?”

“Your obsession was suffocating me at times.”

“My obsession? Are you confusing me with someone else? We’ve only met three times in the past month!”

Was it another woman?

Aaron rubbed his eyebrow, pretending to be distracted.

Since he had never paid much attention to any of the women he dated, he was starting to get them mixed up.

“Is there someone else?”

Aaron neither confirmed nor denied it.

His attitude only made Siena more certain of her suspicions.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll get rid of her soon enough anyway.”

With no sign that the argument would end anytime soon, Aaron let out a long sigh.

Meanwhile, Siena continued rambling on about all the reasons they should keep seeing each other.

Aaron slowly closed and reopened his eyes, looking exhausted.

Then he leaned forward and cut her off.

“I’m afraid that even if I break up with my current partner, I won’t be coming back to you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Aaron stared at Siena with eyes devoid of amusement.

“Because you’re not worth coming back to.”

Siena’s face turned bright red. She clenched her fists, trembling as she glared at him.

For a noblewoman who had spent her entire life trying to be loved by men, few things could be more humiliating than being insulted by an attractive man.

“If you understand, then go home.”

Aaron had neither the patience to put up with her tantrums nor the time to waste, so he walked past her without another glance.

“Wait! We haven’t finished talking!”

When Siena tried to chase after him, two guards decided they had had enough and stopped her from either side.

“How dare you lay your hands on me! Let go! I said, let go!”

Her shrill voice rang in their ears.

Siena was thrashing her arms around and putting up such a struggle that the guards were having a hard time restraining her.

If they left so much as a scratch on a count’s daughter, things could become troublesome.

“…You really are a nuisance to the very end.”

Aaron knew what a headache this was for the guards, so he turned around to say something to Siena. But before he could, she lost control of her anger and hurled her handbag at them.

One of the guards instinctively turned aside to dodge it. The bag picked up speed and flew past, grazing Aaron’s cheek.

The maids who witnessed the scene let out quiet screams.

At the same time, everyone present froze.

Aaron gave a dry chuckle and touched his stinging cheek. A little blood came away on his fingertips.

He nudged the palm-sized handbag lying on the floor with the toe of his shoe.

The bag jingled and twisted, revealing its colorful sequins.

The sequins were packed so tightly together that their sharp edges were obvious at a glance.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Royal Highness!”

Only then did Siena realize what had happened. Her face went pale as she hurriedly dropped to her knees.

Inflicting an injury on a member of the royal family was a serious crime, no matter how minor the injury might be.

And of all places, she had injured his face!

Siena trembled and shook her head over and over.

“I truly didn’t mean to! I was only trying to get away from the guards… Please, have mercy and forgive me just this once.”

Siena looked so terrified that the maids felt sorry for her.

She should have just gone home quietly.

Aaron strode toward her and looked down with a mocking expression.

“After making such a scene, you’re asking me to forgive you?”

Siena couldn’t bring herself to look up. She could only let her tears fall.

Aaron sighed irritably.

He was sick and tired of tears by now.

Why were there nothing but women crying and whining around him?

“Repeat after me.”

Siena raised her head, tears still clinging to her lashes.

Aaron tilted his head to one side and clearly enunciated each word she was supposed to repeat.

“I will never bother you again.”

“…”

“I will never come to your residence again.”

“…”

“I apologize to everyone here. I’m sorry for causing a disturbance.”

Siena squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fists, and dug her nails into the floor.

Seeing this, Aaron took the handbag a maid handed him and tossed it onto Siena’s lap.

“Do it. Unless you want your face scratched up just like mine.”

Siena stared blankly at the bag in front of her, then suddenly burst into loud sobs.

She couldn’t believe Aaron was humiliating her in front of everyone, even though they had once been lovers.

But she couldn’t keep clinging to her pride forever. She had to seize the chance Aaron was giving her.

“I will never… bother you…”

Sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe, Siena began dutifully repeating the words Aaron had said.

The guards watched the scene with secret satisfaction.

It was as if the spots where she had struck them with her flailing arms had magically healed.

After barely managing to complete her task, Siena collapsed face-first onto the floor and wailed, overwhelmed by unbearable humiliation.

Aaron smiled with satisfaction, roughly straightened his disheveled hair, and turned away.

“Make sure this doesn’t get out. I have no intention of making a big deal out of it.”

He was speaking to Chris, though his eyes remained fixed straight ahead.

The maids and guards understood what Aaron meant and bowed their heads in unison.

“Let’s go straight to the café. We’re late.”

“Your Highness.”

Aaron turned to Chris with a puzzled look.

“The wound is still bleeding.”

Chris took out a handkerchief and tried to press it against Aaron’s cheek, but Aaron leaned back to avoid it.

“Leave it. Let her see it.”

“Pardon? Who do you mean?”

There’s someone. Someone who’s crazy about my face.

With a smile on his lips, Aaron started walking again.

Just imagining the person who would surely make a huge fuss over his injury made his steps grow faster.