The Prince’s First Love Was Me – Chapter 4

Author: Asternkm

Chris Jeffery?

I frowned as I tried to remember where I had heard that name before.

Where was it? I felt like I was close to remembering, but…

“I am Prince Aaron Day Redmayne’s aide and personal secretary. We are currently heading to His Highness’s private residence, where, as you will soon see, there will be not only the people gathered here, but also…”

“Wait. Hold on a second.”

I held up my palm to stop him, overwhelmed by all the new information pouring out before I had a chance to process any of it.

“You’re Chris Jeffery? Redmayne, as in Prince Aaron’s aide?”

“Yes.”

“Then… are we in the Kingdom of Triagen?”

“That is correct.”

“Oh my god.”

Seriously. Oh my god.

I covered my mouth with both hands to keep myself from bursting out laughing.

The moment I realized one thing, all the information connected to it came rushing into my mind like a rising tide.

I was inside the story of The Prince Is Gay, the very first BL novel I had ever read. It had become incredibly popular through word of mouth and held the number-one spot on the serial fiction platform for months.

To briefly explain the original story, it was a mutual-healing love story between Aaron Day Redmayne, the first of the two princes of the Kingdom of Triagen, and Paul, an ordinary man whom Aaron fell in love with.

Of course, that was the one-line summary. If you dug deeper, things weren’t quite so simple.

Five years ago, Aaron had attended negotiations with another country in place of the bedridden king. He got provoked into making a mistake that gave the other country an excuse to start a war.

The war ended in victory, but afterward, Aaron developed trauma over having caused so many deaths. He abandoned all official duties related to the royal family and began going down the wrong path.

He was constantly making bets and switching from one woman to another. Aaron deliberately threw himself into scandals in an attempt to make the royal family give up on him.

But when the royal elders stopped reacting to his usual misdeeds, he started looking for something even more scandalous.

And what he chose was…

Homosexuality.

‘So that’s why I’m being summoned to Aaron’s private residence right now? This is seriously shocking.’

Later, Aaron gathered around ten handsome and popular men at his residence, choosing them based on the rumors circulating about them.

He intended to pick one of them as his male lover. After all, getting involved with someone famous would cause a much bigger stir than getting involved with an ordinary person.

And so, among the men summoned, Aaron proposed a fake relationship to Paul, the beautiful, feminine-looking man he found the most attractive…

The two would eventually fall deeply in love, but once members of the royal family discovered their relationship, they would be pressured into breaking up. The story ended with Aaron marrying a princess from another country.

In other words, a SAD. ENDING.

—This author is doing it again.

—Just read up to chapter 70, seriously. After that, it’s all about them breaking up.

—How can they break up when their love is this heartbreaking? 😭😭😭 Did the author really have to do this?

—The author built up the main couple’s relationship so well, only to give us this infuriating ending.

—I still don’t get it… Why did they break up???

Since the novel had been so popular, readers had protested the ending in droves. But the author never changed it and didn’t even write a single side story.

I was one of those readers who had been so furious about the breakup ending that I became obsessed with giving them a happy ending, even if it was only through fanfiction.

So perhaps the reason I had come to this world was to give the love story of Aaron and Paul, the couple doomed to a sad ending, the happy ending they deserved.

‘Then I’ll do exactly that! In this life, I’ll make absolutely sure those two end up together!’

Now I finally understood why I hadn’t known who I was when I first possessed this body.

Dahlia Lopez had never even been mentioned in the original novel. She was a completely insignificant extra.

Of course, all the people around her would seem unfamiliar to me, too.

Originally, I wasn’t supposed to appear in the story at all. But after unintentionally becoming popular as Ronnie over the past week, it seemed I had become one of the supporting characters invited to the fake-relationship audition(?).

Which meant that in just a little while, I’d get to see Aaron in person.

“…Phew.”

I wondered what he looked like.

I remembered the author had devoted several pages to describing his appearance alone.

Was this what it felt like to finally get tickets to a concert after being a fan of an idol for years?

Suddenly, I felt like my heart was about to burst.

And I wondered how cute Paul would be in person.

He was small and petite, and everything he did made people want to protect him. Readers had even nicknamed him the “pink squirrel.”

“Heheh.”

I giggled to myself, then suddenly went serious, then fidgeted like a pony with a fire under its tail.

The pink-haired young man sitting in the carriage with me watched my strange behavior with curious eyes.

When I felt his gaze and suddenly lifted my head, the pink-haired young man opened his eyes wide and hurriedly turned away.

‘Hehehe. The way he blushes so easily reminds me of our Paul…’

Then I noticed his pink hair, violet eyes, and rosy cheeks, one after another.

I sucked in a sharp breath and pointed straight at him.

“You!”

The pink squirrel we all wanted to see happy, our beloved Paul Baker, was right in front of my eyes.

How had I not recognized him right away?

His unusual hair and eye color were practically screaming, “The main character is right here!”

“You’re Paul Baker, right? Don’t you work as a waiter at the restaurant across the bridge?”

Paul looked even cuter in person than I had imagined.

He had a gentle face and round eyes. His pale skin contrasted with his light pink cheeks, and even the little hairs sticking up from static electricity were adorable.

‘How is it even possible for a grown man to be this cute?!’

Excited, I beamed at him and rattled off all the things I knew about him. As I went on, Paul’s face grew paler and paler.

I should have stopped after a reasonable amount of information, but the moment I recognized Paul, all the familiarity I’d built up with him in my mind came bursting out.

Once I started talking, I just couldn’t stop.

“I heard women confess their feelings to you almost every day! Wow. Of course, it must be overwhelming for you, but I can totally understand how those women feel. Honestly, how could anyone leave someone as cute as you alone? I should just kidnap you and bring you to my house… Do you like braised pork? Anyway, I think it’s just human instinct, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Chris, who had been listening quietly, gave a low cough.

Only then did I sheepishly swallow the rest of my words and let out an awkward laugh.

“Sorry. I was just happy to meet you.”

After I apologized, Paul fidgeted with his lips, looking uncomfortable, before cautiously asking,

“…How do you know me?”

Oh my goodness.

Hearing Paul’s voice for the first time completely disarmed me, and I broke into a huge, silly grin.

I already knew from the descriptions that he was a good singer, but I never imagined his speaking voice would be this sweet, too.

He sounded just like a nightingale.

Just then, the light caught the moisture gathering in Paul’s clear, innocent eyes, making it sparkle.

Seeing him look as if he were about to burst into tears made my mind go hazy all over again.

‘Oh, you poor thing! Were you scared? A strange old lady just dug up every last detail about you, so you got frightened, huh?!’

I desperately forced the corners of my mouth down and met Paul’s wary gaze.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from people. Didn’t you know? You’re really famous in the plaza. I’ve been wanting to get to know you, so I’m glad I ran into you here. We’re around the same age, so feel free to drop the formalities! Let’s hang out again!”

I flashed him a grin and held out my hand for a handshake.

“I work in the plaza, too. At the white café across from the fountain. Come visit sometime. I’ll give you tons of free stuff.”

Even if Toby wouldn’t let me, I’d bake some bread myself and give it to you, so please come visit. Okay? Promise?

Faced with my eager gaze, Paul hesitated before taking my hand.

I gave his hand a light shake with a big, goofy smile. Only then did a faint smile spread across Paul’s lips, too.

“What’s your name?”

“Me? Ro—”

I was about to answer without thinking, but then I glanced at Chris.

After today, I probably wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone connected to the royal family, so there was no need to reveal my real name here.

I could explain things to Paul later. For now, I’d just blurt out the first name that came to mind.

“…Liam Nixon.”

Somehow, the name sounded far too manly for my appearance, like someone who would do anything to protect his family.

“Liam, then.”

Paul repeated my name with his small lips and nodded.

For the rest of the ride, our conversation mostly consisted of me asking questions and Paul answering them.

By the time he had completely let down his guard around me, the carriage had arrived at Aaron’s private residence.

“Wow.”

I let out an exclamation as soon as I stepped down.

A large number of men were already gathered in front of the mansion, waiting with tense expressions.

Judging by the order of arrival, it seemed we were the last ones there.

Since the audition was open only to people whose popularity had already been proven, every single man there was tall, handsome, and incredibly good-looking.

Good grief. It’s a whole garden of flowers out here. Where am I even supposed to look?

“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here.”

Chris stepped forward and bowed politely to the men, who had been murmuring among themselves.

The area fell silent in an instant.

“His Highness has invited you here to show his appreciation for your efforts. He simply wishes to meet you, so you may exchange brief greetings with him and then leave. If you wish, we can also serve you a meal before you go.”

Wow, that line is exactly the same as in the novel.

Well, it’s not like he could tell us the truth.

His Highness is planning to start a scandal with another man, and he’s choosing one of you to play the role.

If they told us that outright, everyone would run away.

Of course, there might be some people who would willingly take the chance to gain the royal family’s favor and power.

“This way, please.”

I stuck close to Paul as I followed the dozen or so men into the magnificent mansion.

The dining room must have been near the central hall, because the moment we entered, the delicious smell of food filled the air.

Since this was where a prince lived, the food had to be better than what you’d find at most buffets, right?

I found myself peeking toward the source of the smell as I climbed the stairs.

At last, Chris stopped in front of a massive door, straightened his clothes, and knocked.

“It’s Chris.”