My Dark Prince

- Ugly girl! Fool, how are you! Ugly, please wake up!

Damn, what a headache. It feels like she's been hit with a bat, and more than once. What is going on?

- Ugly girl! - a soft, but rather high female voice sounded right above my ear, after which I felt my shoulders lifted, shaking slightly. Oh no... What are you doing?! Don't shake like that: I'll vomit! - Ugly girl! Fool, wake up!

What?.. What was my name? And if you consider that they are shaking me, then this stupid nickname is addressed to me. Slowly, with great difficulty, she opened her eyes and looked around. I never thought that just "looking" would hurt so much. The head was cracking.

- Oh, Ugly! Are you alive! Oh God, I'm so happy! the girl exclaimed, and before I could see her, she hung on my neck.

Whoa whoa, take it easy, girl. Why so much drama? We're not filming here. Why would I even be dead? By the way, who are you? And why is she crying so much on my shoulder?

Finally began to distinguish colors and contours. I noticed that the girl who insulted me, but at the same time sobbed and hugged, had long wavy hair of a bright sunny color, moreover, she had a surprisingly unusual dress that immediately caught my eye. Although I am not one of the last people, and I managed to see a lot in my life, I came across such an outfit only in films about medieval princesses, knights and noble ladies.

Hmm... Hot pink, embellished with mother-of-pearl beads. Beautiful ... I can already estimate the approximate market value of this outfit and, given my experience, I can immediately say that this is not a cheap fake. Moreover, handmade.

- Ah-ah-ah-ah! Fool-ah! the girl continued to sob, yelling in my ear.

What's wrong with her? Who are you? It's like a movie is being made. My secretary said something about filming, but weren't they going to shoot a basic commercial for corn flakes? Did they by any chance go over their estimated budget? It will be necessary to transfer it so that they follow it: I am not going to overpay for this gloss. Although the actors were chosen beautiful, you can't say anything ...

- Annabelle! a now male voice sounded from outside.

A young guy was running towards us, dressed in a turquoise tailcoat, at first glance, the eighteenth century. I would be very embarrassed by his snow-white and tight-fitting pants if this kid was not handsome. No, he's really handsome. Tall, lean, fit, well built, and obviously does a lot of exercise. What's more, he also had magnificent sunny hair that seemed golden and shone in the light of day. And the face... This face belonged to an angel, no less.

Damn it, kid, you've got a big future ahead of you with that kind of data. To pick up a good modeling agency, and a new star will enter the stage. Hmm ... Maybe offer him your services? There are connections, and I won't offend with a fee. Although, perhaps, he has already signed a contract with someone: such a nugget is not lying on the road.

And yet, it seems that they went beyond the planned budget. Okay, actors were invited, but in business it's like: the more beautiful the model, the more expensive. And, like, I was a little ruined ...

- Annabelle! he continued to shout, addressing the weeping girl. - Are you okay? Why are you crying?

O! So this blonde is Annabelle, right? Rare name. Unusual. More suitable for cute and naive heroines in cheap novels, which I love to read in the evenings. Zero logic, zero tension. Only emotions, passions and patterns. Exactly what is needed. Eh ... Now I would read a couple. Just to figure out how I ended up on the set? And where are we anyway? Wasn't the shooting planned in a mall? Judging by the scenery, we seem to have rented an entire golf course. All around is perfectly green grass, cut leaf to leaf, the sky is blue, the birds sing, the flowers smell - well, nonsense! How much will all this pleasure cost me?

"Annabelle, are you hurt?" - the handsome man asked worriedly, lightly hugging the girl by the shoulders and pushing her away from me.

"No..." the girl said tearfully. "But Ugly...

She called me that again. I wanted to speak on this subject, but I fell silent before I even started. As soon as I looked the girl in the face, I completely forgot what I wanted to say. In short, before me was an ardent example of unearthly beauty. A young girl who did not just leave the covers of glossy magazines, but from the paintings of the most skilled artists.

Her facial features are perfect. The skin is snow-white and, given the short distance between us, I did not notice a single flaw: no pores, no acne, not even elementary moles. The scarlet lips had a slightly puffy shape, resembling a bow. A neat nose is slightly upturned, thin graceful curves of the eyebrows and large eyes of an unrealistic amethyst color. In the light they sparkled like gems.

Lenses? And very high quality: they look like real ones. And this face ... I don't know who the make-up artist is, but he clearly has golden hands: he puts on makeup so gracefully that it's even imperceptible. And that's because I'm so close. Bravo! Ready for a standing ovation.

But again, the question rests on the budget. The more I look at this crying girl, the more I realize that everything looks too expensive.

And now I'm more and more wondering: is it really possible to shoot ads here? Something is wrong here.

"Annabelle," the blond handsome man said. - She is alright. See, she's alive. Stand back, I'll call the maids to take care of her.

"Frederick..." the girl said in confusion, turning towards the guy. - Your Mightiness...

What?.. Did I hear you right? "Frederick"? "Your Mightiness"? Is he an aristocrat? Yeah well, bullshit. Who calls a child "Frederick" these days? Wait, this girl's name is Annabelle, right?

Ha! It reminds me so much of one of the stupid plots of those cheap novels that I periodically buy and read. There was also the main character Annabelle and the main character Frederic. Moreover, their appearance is very similar to those heroes. So maybe they're making a movie based on a book? Come on, come on ... Those romances can only be liked by stupid housewives or teenage girls. And even then there are so many templates in them that it is worth opening a book, and you already know how it will end.

Although I really like these books.

Ah, what was there in this story? They are all the same type: you can't remember right away. I only know that Annabelle and Frederick will end up together. The main characters are. She is graceful, vulnerable, perfect. He is brave, strong and madly in love with her. Eh ... just from the memories of these books my pulse quickens and my face begins to glow with pleasure. I love these kind of templates. I love novels where, in fact, you don't even need to think: everything will be chewed and presented on a spoon anyway. You just need to enjoy.

Such novels are very relaxing. And if someone decides to film something like this... hmm... It should be interesting.

- Ugly girl! Why are you blushing so much? Your face... Ugly little sister! Annabelle exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders again.

By the way, yes. I remember that the main character had an older sister, whom everyone addressed by a nickname, and not by name. If I'm not mistaken, Ugly is a girl who has been sick since birth. She has some form of Down syndrome. She always smiles, practically does not speak, because she knows ten or fifteen words at the most, and plays a secondary role in the novel, which is needed there only to arouse pity or laughter in readers when she was weird.

True, scenes with her were rare. By the way, what was her name? The name was mentioned, but only once. Even parents addressed their daughter by the nickname "Ugly Girl". Hmm... a funny character, but not that important. After all, the main characters are much more interesting and ... Stop!

Why does this girl call "me" Ugly? Am I also in the movie? So, I don't remember signing any kind of cooperation agreement. This is clearly a prank. Probably my subordinate found out about my little hobby and decided to play a joke, and unsuccessfully. He hired actors, dragged him to the golf course, and now he has given the role. And the Ugly Ones.

All right, that's enough. It's time to end this spree. I still have to meet with a German company and agree on the supply of their products. Oh, what time is it? Have I overslept?

"Darling," she turned to the girl. - Be so kind as to leave.

"Huh...?" Annabelle burst out, after which she deviated and literally plopped down on her ass. Her eyes are rounded and look at me as if they saw a ghost.

Yes, what is there? The guy had exactly the same look. They were already the owners of snow-white skin, but they became even paler, although this seemed almost impossible. What is it with them?

And by the way, it seems to me or my voice sounded somehow different? Caught a cold? And ... I didn't understand: what happened to my hands? Why do they look so big? Fingers are like sausages. And under the nails ... Holy Virgin Mary! What's up with my nails? It feels like they are gnawed, broken, and even under the smallest ledge there are tons of black dirt. What a nightmare! This dirt is even in the smallest pores and cracks on the palms.

The palms are dry... they don't seem to know what hand cream is. And why are they so big? Have you been bitten by a swarm of bees? Wait a minute... Not just my arms... Now I noticed my legs and... the dress I was wearing.

Maid dress. Definitely a black maid dress with a white apron, and huge legs sticking out from under the skirt. What?! This is not my body!

She touched her face, trying to feel the familiar ovals and contours, but damn it! The first thing I felt was cheeks. Huge, soft cheeks.

Yes, this cannot be!

I looked around again, looking for something to look at. Anything. And then I noticed that not far from us - about twenty meters - a small river flowed. Like crazy, I jumped up and ran to the water.

"Ugly girl?" the girl was puzzled, but I didn't even look in her direction.

While I was running, I noticed that my body was large, heavy, and it was simply impossible to move as I was used to. Even from a couple of steps, shortness of breath already appeared and threw me into a fever. But I do not care.

Finally, having reached the reservoir, I fell to my knees and looked into the reflection of the slightly ribbed water surface. But what I saw there made me question my sanity.

"Oh... My... God..." I gasped, once again touching my own face, which was absolutely not mine.

I was born with brown hair and marsh-colored eyes. I cut my hair short, putting it in a modern hairstyle that suits the style of a business woman. A slender and strong body that could afford everything. Even my manicure looked perfect. At a time when I was almost forty, they could not even give me thirty: I looked great. But now... now... there is nothing.

In the reflection, a plump girl, whose age cannot be precisely determined, looked at me with a frightened look. Massive shoulders, thick cheeks, strewn with blackheads and pimples; greasy blond hair tied in a small bun at the back of the head, from which a dozen roosters stuck out; There was a savory wound on his forehead, from which blood flowed. So that's what hurts me ... The skin around the wound has already begun to turn blue and swell. But on top of everything else, I had exactly the same amethyst eyes as Annabelle.

"This... cannot be..." I said softly, feeling my whole body begin to shake. "What a... nightmare...?"

- Ugly girl! Ugly girl! shouted the girl and the boy who were hurrying towards me.

Ugly girl? Ugly girl?!

And then the puzzle in my head took shape. Annabelle... Frederic... Your Grace... Ugly... And that appearance... Mother of God, I'm in one of those cheap novels I've been reading recently! No... No, it's some kind of dream. A strange and abnormal dream. Am I... Ugly? What?..

She pinched her thick cheek with all her might and immediately cried out in pain.

No! It's impossible!

I... How can I be here? As?! This is a hallucination!

But the hallucination did not want to disappear, and the fat scary girl continued to look at me with a shocked look. In the end, even my strong-willed mind, accustomed to everything, could not stand it and cracked.

- Ah-ah-ah-ah! I screamed, succumbing to panic, and then lost consciousness, falling into the river.

Please, you can, when I wake up, this will not happen!

Please!

For as long as I can remember, I've always worked like hell. I gave up many entertainments, pleasures and principles of life for the sake of work. And I must say that I did it well. Even more than good. Work was everything to me: my child, my family, my life.

The problem was not that I loved my job so much, not at all. I just loved independence. Born into a low-income family, I was cut in finances from childhood. And while I enviously watched the neighborhood children who got everything they want from life, I had only to silently envy.

I hated this feeling.

Wanting so much, but in the end getting none of it just because the parents couldn't afford it. And no, the problem wasn't that they didn't earn enough or couldn't find a better job. They just didn't see it as necessary. Some certain minimum was enough for them to exist: that's what they were content with. And they did not even try to get something more from life. They believed that they did not need it, and could not imagine that this could be achieved. They believed that they were ordinary people and that this was ordinary life. Do not need anymore.

Some will say that this is correct. That's the way it should be. But I'll tell you what: I always considered them to be lazy.

I hated not being able to get what I wanted. I hated that nauseating feeling when you bind yourself internally and don't give free rein to desires, dreams, passions... All this has always been about money, or rather, its absence. Then, back in school time, as a teenager, I quickly understood the rules of this life: " If you want something, fight for it. If you want something done well, do it yourself. Trust but check. And then catch up and check again ."

Sounds simple, right?

However, in reality, it's not like that at all.

Ever since high school, I dreamed of independence. And not only independence from parents. I wanted freedom from lack of money, so as not to drag out my parents' old clothes that look like a bag on you, to eat the food that I like, and not buy cheap and discounted food, to travel, attend public events, live on full blast! I wanted all this, but I could not achieve anything just like that.

My parents had no acquaintances with strong connections. That is, it was simply not possible to break into people through acquaintances. Therefore, this path had to be punched independently.

First, I studied. Many. True or not, but I knocked out good grades for myself in order to enter the university for a budget place in the future. And I achieved it. Students usually choose professions that they like or those that will help them later get a job warmed by their parents. I chose what would definitely come in handy for me - economics, as well as accounting courses.

You can't find a more boring faculty, but I was infinitely grateful to him, because it was thanks to the knowledge gained that I was able to open my own business.

Now, remembering where I started, it's even funny. As if by a miracle, I fell into the hands of a huge building, which was planned to be demolished. At first, they wanted to turn it into a city hospital with a sanatorium at the same time, then rebuild it into a hotel, and later, when the building was almost completed, the construction company went bankrupt. Some kind of hype with crime and the building was left without owners. Empty, lonely, never completed. Moreover, the site on which it was located was completely unattractive. In short, money is wasted.

But after visiting the site a couple of times and evaluating it with my own eyes, I decided to take a chance and took part in the auction where the site with the building was being sold. He also had a bad reputation. To the point that ghosts roam there, killing the owners of the building. Agree, complete nonsense! I believe in only one thing - in what I can see and touch: money. Therefore, I did not doubt my choice and won the auction.

This multi-storey building, which was rebuilt and completed many times, became mine. What did I make of it? It's simple: a shopping mall.

It was difficult at first. The site was indeed in the wrong place, but there's nothing a good PR can't fix. At first, you just had to invest. I took loans, spent huge amounts on promotion, invited entrepreneurs to rent premises for a ridiculous amount. She acted at a loss to such an extent that sometimes she could not even eat anything. But, as I expected, it paid off.

I had to use the bad reputation of the building to my own advantage. And I deliberately spread rumors in the media that my mall was haunted. As soon as it spread in the city, there was no end to the visitors who like to tickle the nerves.

But that was only the beginning. Yes, by that time I already had two higher educations, but my studies did not end there. At the same time, I had to delve into the intricacies of the work of those who rented premises from me. The problem is simple: they did not trade. Their business burned out. And if their business went bust, it means they couldn't pay rent, they closed, and I suffered losses. This was beyond my means.

To prevent this, I studied the field of activity of every entrepreneur who rented a room from me and faced difficulties. Even if it was some small toilet paper shop. I studied everything I could get my hands on to understand the consumer market, what entrepreneurs have to offer, and what they can change to achieve their goal.

As a result, their success automatically became my success. And their profit is my profit. Moreover, for small business assistance services, I also charged some fees. But no one was against it.

Moreover, my mall has become a really popular place. Offers began to come not only from local entrepreneurs, but also from neighboring cities. Yes, and from neighboring countries too. Import, export, conclusion of contracts, negotiations, transactions - all this has become my permanent life. I did not have time to look back, as I had a reputation as an iron business woman who does not need anyone.

I am a woman, I am a man, I am both a boss and an employee ... I am for everyone. Staying at work for three or four nights in a row, interrupted by only a couple of hours of sleep, became something natural for me. I devoted myself to work and development of my business and did it better than anyone.

However, because of this, I could not afford the basic things that every person desires, such as a family, marriage, children, or even a lover. Yes, even an animal or a plant could not start, as she was rarely at home, and they would simply die. Couldn't afford anything. But was I unhappy? Absolutely not. I didn't think about it: I just didn't have time.

Although parents often brainwashed about this.

It was even funny. They constantly asked for money for their needs, as they considered it my direct duty, because I am their daughter, but at the same time they reproached me for working and behaving so rudely, like a man. Like, men do not like such women. Afraid. And they always set as an example my own younger sister, who has only cosmetics in her head.

She is unemployed, she changes men like gloves, and every time she breaks up with her next daddy, she runs to me in order to transfer from one neck to another. She cannot support herself and believes that she, with her beauty, is not created for work. According to her, these are stupid women working or men, and she was created in order to be beautiful. That's the whole logic.

I support the whole family, but still bad. I probably hid from this even more at work in order to get rid of unnecessary thoughts.

But there was something else that I madly loved and kept a secret from everyone - these are cheap love stories that you can buy at any kiosk. It was in them that I found peace for my consciousness.

Each plot was filled with a template on a template that drives the template. Predictable plots, overly dramatic scenes, sometimes a complete lack of logic and meaning, but that's what I liked about them. No need to strain your mind, to the last page to think who the killer is, to be loaded from combat scenes, fantastic twists or incredible adventures. Everything was simple, funny and romantic. That's all I needed.

I read them, somehow especially not even remembering the plot. In principle, they were almost all similar: all the main characters are dazzlingly beautiful and eventually remain together, and the villains are defeated.

You usually read such a book and for an hour or two you forget about what surrounds you, and after reading you forget and go on to work.

The beauty!

However, no one knew about this hobby of mine. I was determined to uphold my reputation as an iron lady. The subordinates often looked at me with bated breath, and that was for the best. I would not want anyone to be able to take advantage of the fact that I secretly read love stories in which, apart from romantic and dramatic scenes, there is nothing worthwhile.

This is my truth.

This is my reality.

Such is my life.

Anyway, there was...

Now let's get to reality. Or rather ... to what we have now.

To be honest, I went through all five stages of accepting the inevitable. In the beginning there was denial. I came to my senses and every time I saw an unfamiliar girl in the reflection again and again, and people I didn't know in general, I began to laugh hysterically, to assure that this was a dream, a hallucination, the result of processing, drugs: yes, anything, but not reality ! Later, she lost consciousness again, as her body temperature rose to the extreme.

Next came the anger.

I got angry, screamed, demanded to be released immediately, but, as it turns out, I was locked in some kind of damp closet without windows with one stinking bed and a cabinet in the corner. As I was told, this is my room, and since I behave strangely, it was decided to keep me in this booth.

To be honest, I tried to kick down the door and threatened to report everyone to the police. They don't even know who they're dealing with. Yes, my lawyer will make them pay me fines for life for this attitude! I won't leave it like this. I'll drive everyone to bankruptcy.

But then came the next stage - bargaining.

And then I promised everyone and everything millions, if only they would let me at least make one phone call. Why, I was ready to pay the lifetime interest from my business myself. Pay any price, no matter what, just to get out of this drawn-out prank. And unsuccessful. But no one contacted me.

And then the depression began, which lasted, according to my feelings, at least a week and a half. She was accompanied by constant temperature fluctuations, loss of consciousness, delirium in reality, hysterical laughter and memory lapses. In general, the whole bouquet in old age.

And in the end ... acceptance came.

The wounded head still hurt, but not enough to bother me. The temperature returned to normal, and the permanently closed position gave a chic space for reflection.

I must admit that during all this time I did receive visits from some personalities. This is my so-called sister, Annabelle, who always cried and felt sorry for me. She was always wailing: "Oh, my poor little sister! Oh, ugly! What about you? Next to her was the owner of the building - Frederick. And his words also sounded not very comforting:

"Annabelle, people like that don't live long. Take heart. You must be prepared for the worst.

- Oh no! the girl exclaimed, immediately starting to cry again. - My little sister!

And Frederick hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her.

Let's clarify - so, for show - this couple of doves did not even think of calling a doctor. Several maids came into the room while I was delirious and bandaged my wounded head to stop the bleeding: that's all the treatment.

Seriously, what is the Stone Age?

But okay... Let's get to that. Let me tell you what the hell I'm in.

Looks like I'm dead. Yes, yes, I understand how it sounds, but I simply have no other explanation. This body... is not mine. It's ugly, fat, uncomfortable, and smells bad. This is not my body. But this is only half the trouble: the most disgusting thing is that I ended up in the world of one of the stupid books about the medieval aristocracy that I read casually.

Honestly, I'm even surprised that I remembered it, although I still don't really remember the plot. It all started with names, trite phrases and images that fit the story.

It took me a long time to figure out what was what, and finally understand where I am. Luckily, I had plenty of time. Nobody interfered. You sit in this closet and think. The only one that is still available.

In the nightstand, I found some kind of notebook with scribbles that looked like a three-year-old was drawing, and a couple of stubs of wax colored pencils. But, as they say, the rich are the happy, so I used what I had.

I began to remember and write down the scheme in passing.

This world is the most banal. A sort of pink dream of housewives. The Middle Ages, knights in love with beautiful ladies and striving to achieve their recognition. And the ladies, who are always timid, defenseless, feminine, are literally the embodiment of grace and beauty.

There is one uniqueness here: all the main characters are fabulously beautiful, like Greek deities. Whereas the secondary characters are scary, ugly, stupid and dumb. From the very beginning, the author of the novel focuses on the fact that if a person is beautiful in body, then he is beautiful in soul, and it simply cannot be otherwise. The problem is that the people of this world also think. They literally worship beauty. Like a beautiful person can't be a villain.

But it's even funny. If these people were painted by an artist, then imagine that he would spend hours, days, weeks or even months on the main characters. I would draw every detail, every hair, every glare on their bodies. While the rest of the characters would not spend even five minutes.

And judging by what I see in the reflection, at the moment when this body was being painted, a large drop of paint accidentally fell on the paper, splashing in all directions and becoming a ball. The author chuckled and decided that it would do. And then a man came out of the fat spot.

Although I should note that the body belongs to a young girl. That's the irony: minus twenty years, but plus twenty-odd kilos, if not more ...

Well, back to history.

The bottom line is simple: there is a royal family in this world that has no direct heirs to the throne. But the king has a brother - the duke, who has not one, but two whole sons. It seems that the issue with the heir is resolved. One of the brothers, right? But no.

As it turned out, at least the duke had two sons, one of them with a defect. Let me explain that almost all aristocrats have blond hair of different shades and an unusual eye color. Blonde hair is like proof that you come from a noble family. If a commoner with blond hair is born unexpectedly, there is a high probability that he is an illegitimate child.

I already said that the author is a bit racist in this regard, no? But take note.

Be that as it may, in this world once in a generation, well, or approximately once in a hundred years, a boy is born with black hair, scarlet eyes and strong dark magic. And it is this child that everyone fears, since as soon as he is born, it immediately becomes clear that this is the next heir to the throne of the Demon King.

If a Demon King is born, then the world is in for a severe shock, and only the Demon King is able to cope with the surging disasters. He is a kind of salvation of the world, but at the same time his death ...

The problem is that for the last three generations, all the Demon Kings have gone insane at some point, and after saving the world, they themselves sought to destroy it. And in a rather brutal way. Kings have strong dark magic and are able to summon a powerful army of monsters to the battlefield. Animals, demons, any monsters and monsters of this world obey them. And that's what people are afraid of. In the end, there was always a hero who fought the Demon King and killed him.

Everyone is happy. Everyone is calm. Evil is defeated.

But the next Demon King was born again. And he was one of the duke's sons.

In a family of blondes, a boy was born with black hair, bloody eyes and strong dark energy. The Duchess, when she saw her child, fainted. At the same time, Frederick is his own twin brother.

The book said that they are very similar in face. In any case, in childhood.

And, although the future Demon King had his own castle and lands that were automatically transferred to him by right of inheritance, Frederick's brother refused to leave his parental home and tried to live with his family.

Even though they didn't really like him.

Later, a young beauty, Countess Annabelle, appeared in the duke's house, who visited their possessions with only one purpose - to visit her sister, Ugly, who worked here as a maid. So she began to see her brothers more often. And over the course of the story, both brothers fall in love with her. The confrontation and battle for the girl's heart begins.

It seems that he is hot and he is good - and this is the reader loves the most - and Annabelle rushes between them, lost in the choice.

But a tragedy occurred, after which the Demon King was expelled from the duke's house and accused of murder. It was then that he finally took over his possessions and took the post of the next Lord of Darkness.

Annabelle tried again and again to subdue the Demon King, praying that he would surrender and repent of his sins. However, these attempts only angered him more, and as a result, he also went crazy and decided to destroy the world.

Darkness is gathering over the country, changing day to night, horror is born in the hearts of the inhabitants, but we have a hero for this, namely Frederick. Not wanting to put up with this situation, he challenges his own brother to a duel and defeats him in a brutal single combat.