Kill The Empress (Reincarnated as the villainess)

Part Eight

It was the day of the exam and I sat there nervously in my assigned room, waiting for it to begin. My throat felt as if it swelled up and I could barely breath. Just then, I heard my stomach growl and I swiftly slid my hands over it in embarrassment. I had been too nervous to eat breakfast that morning, but now it was affecting me negatively.

"Psst." I hear someone from behind me and I slowly turn my head.

"Your highness!" I exclaim, still whispering so as not to disturb the teacher gathering the papers at the front of the large auditorium of a classroom. 

Heinry holds up a finger to his lip to silence me before pulling out a mini loaf of bread. "Here," he says and my eyes grow wide with gratitude. "Thank you," I say as I rip off a piece, but then he noticed my skeptical look.

"I knew you would skip breakfast." He said, while resting his chin against his fist, watching me eat. I roll my eyes at his words before he wipes a breadcrumb from my lip.

"You have some too." I give him the other half of the bread and he shakes his head at me. "Just as you know I didn't eat, I know that you're still hungry." I whispered to him.

"I already ate." He countered.

"Notice how I said the word 'still.' I can see you eyeing the bread so just take the rest."

He sighed as he gazed at me.

"You won't take no for an answer, will you?"

I shake my head at his question causing him to smile and reluctantly accept the loaf.

Not even two minutes later, the professor began passing out the tests. I held my breath as he reached in front of me and slid the collection of papers on my desk. I instantly picked up my pen and began, full of determination.

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"Oh..." I stared at the test results, my mouth agape. "What is it?" I heard a voice come from behind me and suddenly felt Heinry's head resting on my shoulder. "Hey, you passed!" He exclaimed as he read my paper. "I was the last to get accepted.." I sighed but the prince just shrugged. We were both in his library. We decided to meet and see our test results for the first time together.

'If I were the main character I wouldn't even have to study! Curse this stupid world!' In my mind I was shaking my fists, and Heinry laughed at my angry expression that I failed to hide.

"What are you thinking about, my genius duchess Edith?" He asked in amusement but I immediately shot him a glare.

"Show me your results." I demanded and he instantly held the paper behind his back. "Uhh, I'm at the bottom of the list too." He chuckled nervously. "Then, show me." I countered. "Uhhhh, no..?" He smiled but I reached my hand behind his back.

"Show me!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Heinry..!"

I reached for the paper that he held above his head until I pushed him against a wall. His arm slightly lowered out of shock and I slammed my hands around him on the wall to trap him in place. He gulped as our eyes locked, mine full of determination, his almost blushing along with the rest of his face.

I then slid my hands from the wall to the back of his neck. He surprisingly didn't fight me as I slowly pushed him into a lower position so he was barely taller than me.

"Edith.." His mouth almost appeared as if it was shaking as he spoke.

I stood as tall as I could on the tip of my feet so that our eyes were directly facing each other, no one was looking up, no one was looking down. I slowly raised my hands from his neck and inched them towards the paper. This caused me to lean forward, making my face inches from his. Then, just as he let his guard down, I snatched the paper from his hand and made a break for it, but he didn't chase me. "That's Duchess Edith Thornwood to you!" I yelled back at him as I vanished from his sight, running off to read what his rank was.

Unbeknownst to me, Heinry fell to the floor and ran his hands through his hair. "Calm down." He whispered to himself as he dropped his head onto his knees. It was almost as if you could see steam emitting off of the blushing prince.

The next day, I was in my room, laying down and overthinking again. "Hilda, it's not fair.." I started and she sighed as she pulled up a chair to listen to whatever was on my mind now. "What vexes you now?" She asked, uninterested. "The first thing I must say is that I do not appreciate your tone, Hilda, and secondly, I studied day and night for that test for months only to barely pass."

"Maybe you're incompetent." Hilda remarked and I gave her an ugly expression.

"Do remember who gives you your wages, Hilda."

"My apologies, duchess. Please continue."

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.."

"I was simply offering a solution." Hilda muttered but I payed her no mind.

"Yet, that scatterbrained crown prince passes with nearly full marks," I shoot up into a sitting position. "Come to think of it, I've never seen him study in the entirety that I have known him!"

I sighed at the unfairness of the novel, but I couldn't help but feel like I was just finding ways to deny my stupidity.

"Bingo"-Hilda probably

'Shut up!' I thought, but suddenly heard a knock at my door.

"It's your mother, my dearest Edith."

"Oh, I see her highness has graced us with her annual visit." Hilda said sarcastically. I haven't a clue when she got to be so bold, but I found it rather refreshing. 

Even though Hilda was right--my mother never finds time for me even though we live in the same manor--I still can't help but feel excited when she actually visits me. Maybe it's because I never met my real mother in my previous life so I'm oddly attached to this woman in hopes she will fill that void. Rather unorthodox, I would say.

"You may come in." I call out calmly and she gracefully opens the door before approaching me with her hands clasped together in excitement.

"What is it, mother?"

Her smile dropped for a moment and she looked at me with slight concern.

"Pray tell, you haven't forgotten have you?"

I started to tilt my head but her mouth resumed that same girlish smile. I cringed as her eyes lit up before me. "It's today, remember?" She almost melted me with her rays of enthusiasm.

"The ball!!!"