TITLE: HAPPY EVER AFTER.
PROLOGUE: THE SONG OF ASKAR.
The Song of Askar is a dramatic romance novel.
It is a story about the beautiful daughter of a countryside lord who falls in love with the crown prince who had been banished to the outskirts of the empire by his stepmother, The Empress.
Overcoming all manners of obstacles, they eventually become emperor and empress. A HAPPY ENDING FOR THE STAR CROSSED LOVERS.
The backdrop to the main characters' story, The empire of fairspren and the small neighbouring kingdom of Garten.
And here in the Castle of Garten, lives Peony, the youngest daughter of the King.
PEONY: (*narrating the story*) That's me, or should i say, the character in THE SONG OF ASKAR that i reincarnated into.
*Peony, in her room, just woke up and is on her bed*
ONE OF THE MAIDS : Some warm Chamomile tea for you, your highness!
PEONY: (*Narrating the story*) Whats more, the novel has already come to an end, meaning that it's main characters have already married and on the imperial throne.
PEONY: (To the maid*) Do i have to drink this everyday?
MAID : It's good for your health, My lady.
PEONY: (*explaining*)
And since im already past the ending, I don't have to worry about messing up the original story, plus im not a villian so i don't have to worry about the retribution either, and the best part is that im not some duke's of baron's daughter, IM A PRINCESS!
I've been blessed with beautiful looks and blonde hairs and all the tasty food i can eat! And not only that but also beautiful shoes and accessories.
Garten might be a small kingdom but princess still gets whatever she wants, moreover......
*Peony joining her father, her two brothers for the breakfast.*
FATHER: Oh! Thank you sweetheart for joining us.
BROTHER 1 : How are you feeling today?
PEONY: (*Narrating the story*)
As you can see, after the novel's happy ending, everyone's happy in the world of THE SONG OF ASKAR, except for one person, MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER.
BROTHER 2: ....And that would mean the crown prince, No, the Grand Duke, has been banished to the north after fighting his own brother for the imperial throne.
BROTHER 1: Strictly speaking, he was given the lordship of the north province, but he's basically been exiled. Who would even want to rule over such hospitable lands. I'd rather face execution (death) than live somewhere like that.
BROTHER 2: Haha, absolutely.
*Both of them laughing and discussing about the Grand duke (peony's love)*
*Hearing all that, makes peony furious but after all whatever said was true.*
PEONY: (In background)
The person currently being discussed about is my favourite character in the book, THE SONG OF ASKAR. That's right, my favourite character isn't the hero of the story who in the end fails to win the heroine's love. His name is
RICHT DE FAIRSPREN.
Or, as he is now known,
RICHT DE STERN.
Black hair, black eyes, tall with broad shoulders and the occasional flashes of that seductive smile.... He's exactly my type. Unlike the hero, he's outwardly gruff to the point of rudeness but secretly kind and caring.
I'll always remember gripping the book tightly, while reading the part where Richt, worried about the heroine, searches for her at night only to find her sharing tender (kiss) moment with the hero. Or the scene where he receives a hand embroidered handkerchief as a gift from the heroine, only a gruff reply in return and giddily staring at it every night like a love struck boy.
On top of all that, in place of hero, who couldn't take sides due to his political position as crown prince, Richt cussed out the nobles, who were bullying the heroine, showing off his cool and FEARLESS PERSONALITY.
In other words, he's an ASSHOLE with a HEART OF GOLD.
But in the final act of the novel, he makes a desperate attempt to win the heroine, by attacking the hero, his brother, The newly crowned Emperor.
After his defeat, Richt is banished to the cold, barren duchy of STERN.
And that was the novel ending for Richt, my favourite character.
FATHER: It was probably an act of mercy on the emperor's part to stay the executioner's hand, despite his brother's attempt to usurp the throne. Leon and Lahern, As brothers, you must never fight over the throne like that.
PEONY: The Duchy of Stern, is it cold over there?
LEON (Brother 1): It's worse than you think, it's a duchy in name but not many live there due to the cold. There's barely anything to live on.
Peony there's no need for you to worry about a place like that.
LAHERN (Brother 2): We'll make sure you're always warm and taken care of here in GARTEN.
(Oh, peony's backstory is that she's quite weak and frail, whose prone to falling ill at the slightest exertion.)
LEON: Btw, how is your cold?
PEONY: It's almost cleared, thank you for asking.
LAHERN: ALMOST!? So you're not back to full health yet. (Says with concern)
LEON: Who forced peony to attend tea time in such a state? (In aggression)
LAHERN: It was you who wanted to show peony the beautiful roses in bloom.
LEON: stop twisting my words! What i said was that peony is much more beautiful than those roses.
LAHERN: Well, you're not wrong there.
LEON: OF COURSE!
PEONY: (They're so over protective) There's no need to worry! I feel so much better, Thanks to all your concern and care. And it's such a delightfully Sunny day after all!
*Peony looks at the sky blooming with the shiny rays of the sun*
PEONY: It's tragic that the grand duke of stern will be enduring the cold on a sunny day like this.
LEON: I suppose so, had he not challenged his brother for the throne, he would've continued to enjoy the lavish lifestyle in the capital.
*Leon piercing the strawberry, on the cake with the fork and taking a bite*
PEONY: (to herself*) Strawberry cake, It was richt's favourite dessert, He always had a sweet tooth. It's probably hard in the cold and barren Duchy of Stern for people to find sweets. Let alone strawberry cake.
Poor Richt, if i were by his side, i would be able to make him happy for the rest of his life.
FATHER: Haha, for the princess of a kingdom to be concerned about an exiled duke, Stern should indeed count his blessings.
LEON: Haha, i agree Father, our princess Peony is far too kind for her own good sometimes. We must keep her safe in Garten forever!
PEONY: (Thinking*) PRINCESS! That's right, I'm the princess of Garten. The beautiful princess of a small and wealthy kingdom. As for Richt? Tho he was born into the imperial family, he's now merely a duke in exile.
That meanss!!...... That means......!!...
That means......! I'm in a prime position to win him over!
*Peony slams the table and stands up*
PEONY: FATHER!!!
FATHER: What troubles you Peony? Such a serious look on your face.
*Peony joins both the hands and squeezes her fingers into one another, about to make a request to her father*
PEONY: I'm going to marry the GRAND DUKE OF STERN!
