Royal's Substitute Bride: Fall Into Love Trap

In September, the autumn air was fresh as white clouds hovered the blue skies. The early morning sunshine sprinkled on the hurried pedestrians as if the sun was trying to greet them.

At this time, the red light was still glowing, so everyone was held up on both sidewalks.

Suddenly, a loud scream burst from the crowd. "Emily, from now on, you will be a freshman in senior high school. You can do this! Let's go!"

Everyone glanced at the source of the voice with contempt.

A slim young girl in a white school uniform had a schoolbag strapped to her back. She clenched her fists, stimulating all the positive energy she could carry.

'Oh my God! This is embarrassing.'

Realizing that she had attracted the attention of everyone on the street, Emily Jiang withdrew her arms dejectedly and held the straps of her schoolbag. She adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses, running down the pedestrian lane the moment the traffic light turned green.

After a few steps, seven or eight black Bugatti Veyrons zigzagged across the lane. The atmosphere around her tensed as the cars surrounded her. She pursed her lips. No matter where she moved, she couldn't find anywhere to escape to.

Ever since Emily Jiang was born, she had never offended anyone. In fact, she had always been a good student in the eyes of her teachers. She was also a good citizen according to her clean record.

What on earth was happening?

'I'm going to be late for class,' she thought.

"Get out of my way!" she roared adamantly. With her hands on her hips, Emily Jiang stomped forward.

Suddenly, the black doors opened and more than ten men in black suits and sunglasses walked out of the cars. All of them looked incredibly strong. In fact, even just one of them could beat her up in a second.

'Are they part of some mafia or something?' She didn't want to join the underworld.

"Miss Emily, please come with us." Two men stood by her sides. Each of them held her by the wrist.

"Who are you? Where are you taking me? I can sue you for kidnapping, you know!" With one hand on the car door, Emily struggled hard. Her feet were kicking up in the air as she tried her best to remove their hold.

'If you want to kidnap me, then I'll show you just how powerful I am! I can kick you so hard that you'll beg for mercy!' She had already reached level 8 in her Taekwondo, but no matter how much she kicked and punched, it didn't work.

"Are you all made of iron?" she gasped out, panting awkwardly. Her shoes were kicked across the pavements, but the two men still held her to the door.

"Miss Emily, please give in."

They pressed her head forward and placed her on the back seat.

"This is kidnapping!" Emily Jiang yelled restlessly. In a moment of desperation, she grabbed the hand of the man beside her and bit him hard. The man cried out in pain, retracting his hold.

She took the opportunity to open the door, but before she could escape, he lifted up her collar.

"You might as well give up by now. There's no way we will let you go." She was carried back to her seat pathetically.

"Drive." Soon, all of the cars left the intersection as if nothing had ever happened.

"How could you do this to me? What have I ever done to you?" Emily Jiang sobbed out. If she couldn't defeat them with her hands, then she could defeat them with her tears

"Miss Emily, we're just following orders. Please don't cry," the men explained helplessly, not wanting to hurt her.

However, Emily Jiang just continued to sob. Her cries became louder and louder. All the bodyguards were at a loss of what to do.

"Miss Emily, this is actually a good thing. Please don't cry."

"Really? Do you think this is a good thing? Tell me how!" As soon as she heard that this was a good thing, her eyes automatically lit up. She held her tears back as her hands grasped the corner of the bodyguard's clothes.

"You'll know when the time comes. You won't be disappointed."

"Fine. If it's not a good thing, then all of you are dead meat." She wagged her little finger at them threateningly. When they nodded, she sat quietly on the back seat to the men's relief.

After several turns, the car finally stopped at the gates of a luxurious villa.

The villa was designed as if it was one of the villas in Europe. Its golden tiles shone brightly under the sun as the waters from the fountains glistened under the light. She clenched the straps of her handbag and followed one of the men towards the hall.

An old man holding a crutch was sitting on a white sofa. He smiled lightly, waiting for her to come over.

As she got closer and closer, the old man finally saw Emily's face. Although her dark eyes were shrouded by a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, her paper white skin, tiny oval face, and pink cherry lips were exactly the same as his granddaughter's.

All the staff were whispering to each other as they stared at the young girl.

"You look so much like her," the old man exclaimed, chortling.

"Mr. Sam, Miss Emily is here."

After the man finished his report, he stepped aside and left Emily in the middle of the room. She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around.

Was there anything on her face? Why was everyone staring at her?

"Hey, old man, why did you kidnap me?" Emily demanded.

"Your name is Emily, right?" The old man tilted his head.

"Yes." "How did you know me? Do we know each other?" she asked cautiously.

"From now on, your name will be Shirley, not Emily. Do you understand?" the old man said condescendingly, not even bothering to answer her question.

"And why will I be called Shirley? I have my own name!" Emily crossed her arms, not really knowing what was going on. Countless questions haunted her mind.

"Luke, explain everything to her and send her to the Holy Sakura Noble School as soon as possible." The old man stood up and left the hall with his crutch. He walked upstairs, leaving a row of servants. Suddenly, a man stepped out from the row. He was none other than Luke Zhang, the butler.

"Here's the thing. The An Family is an extremely well-known family. Miss Shirley is supposed to participate in an engagement party with Mr. James, a royal member, but she ran away. Although we haven't found her yet, we found you."

"Just because we look exactly the same?" In an instant, Emily finally pieced everything together.

"Yes."

"What if I don't agree?" She didn't want to be engaged with a man she didn't know. Besides, she was far too young! How could she be engaged so quickly?

"How about you answer this call from your parents?" Luke Zhang smirked, handing her the phone.

She stared at that phone doubtfully, wondering why they called her here.

"Hello, is that Emi? We're your parents. You can stay at the An Family for a while. We're already going to Europe! It's the first time since we've gone abroad. You can be Miss Shirley for a while, okay? We haven't enjoyed our life ever since you were born. It's time you take one for the team, okay? We love you very much! Good bye, dear!"

Before Emily could say anything,

they already hung up.

"Miss Emily, your parents were already given a million dollars. Will you really let them give it back? Or will you just cooperate with us?" Luke Zhang said innocently.

"What? One million?" she shrieked. She didn't know whether or not she was actually their biological daughter. How could they sell her like this?

"Maybe more. It depends on them."

"Kill me already," Emily howled in outrage.

Today was a complete disaster.

"Maid, help Emily... Well, Miss Shirley, get dressed up."

"Yes, Mr. Luke." The servants hurried Emily into the dressing room.

Half an hour later.

As she was forced to take off her glasses, Emily put on a pair of contact lenses. She changed uniforms. Her black ponytail was loosened, letting her strands fall on her shoulders. The ends were slightly curled. She wore a pair of crystal heels, which completed the overall haughty temperament.

"Is this... Is this real?" she whispered. Emily couldn't even recognize herself.

After tidying herself up, she followed Luke Zhang into a Lincoln car. In the car, Luke Zhang had already informed her all the do's and don'ts of Shirley An's life. Honestly, it just bored her to death.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the golden gates of the Holy Sakura Noble School. "We're here, Miss Shirley," Luke Zhang said.

The Holy Sakura Noble School was the best aristocratic high school in Sakura Kingdom. It covered the largest area, had the best architecture, and held the most intelligent and talented students.

Before this, Emily had only attended an ordinary high school. She had never dreamed that she would enter such a school. It felt as if she could wake up at any minute.

"Miss Shirley, please wait for me here. I'll go through the enrollment procedures first," Luke Zhang said before heading to the administration building to file all the documents.

Emily stood by the gates of the glorious school. She was in complete awe.

'You're so lucky, Emily!' she thought as she gazed up at the golden gates. Her bright eyes glistened.

A sapphire Rolls Royce sports car passed by Emily, blowing up the hemline of her rose-red school dress. In fact, it almost even revealed her cartoon underpants.

Emily shrieked, hurriedly trying to protect her dress.

She stomped over to the car.

"Hey! How the hell do you even drive?" she yelled at the person in the car as her fist slammed against the window.

All of a sudden, the door opened and a tall man got off the car. His perfectly shaped eyebrows were raised and his scarlet eyes were blazing with anger. There was something about his features that seemed regal, and he exuded nothing but arrogance and dexterity.

She had never seen such a handsome man in her lifetime!

Emily found herself drawn to his eyes.

"Don't fall in love with me, Ugly, or you'll get yourself into trouble." The man leaned over and approached her. His handsome face was less than five centimeters away from hers.

Suddenly, she snapped back into reality.

"Who the hell are you calling ugly?" Emily's nails dug into her palm as she straightened her back, ready to give him a lesson.

"Who else would it be?" The man sneered. Then he turned and was about to leave.

"I'll show you real ugly!" Emily was already level 8 in her Taekwondo, and today, the boy would have a taste of her punches.

She grabbed the collar of his purple shirt and wanted to reel him over.

But before she could do so, he grabbed her arm and threw her up into the air. Her grip loosened around his collar as she flailed around in mid-air.

'Crap! I can't make a fool of myself!' Emily scanned the pavements for a safe place to land. She quickly found her balance and landed steadily. Without missing a beat, she stretched out one of her legs; she was aiming to kick him out of balance.

The fight had drawn a lot of attention in the campus. The moment they heard of the fight, they all rushed out to see what was happening.

'It's Prince James! We can finally see him now.' The girls stood in the hallway as they tried to get a better look of their crush. Swooning, they leaned against the wall.

"His Highness is really good at fighting!" "He's perfect!" The girls gazed at him as if they were drunk. Some of them even rushed out of their classrooms to wave at him crazily.

"You can do it!" they cheered. Their screams echoed across the field.

It had never occurred to James Ou that the girl he was faced with was good at fighting. In fact, if he hadn't received all kinds of professional training, he would've already lost.

In a few moves, he was finally able to press her against the car. Her face was flushed, and she panted.

"I shouldn't have called you ugly. I should've just called you a violent dragon. Well? Are you done?" James Ou sneered, gazing at the girl's humiliating posture with interest.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Emily spat out. "Let go of me!"

"If I let you go now, then what's the fun?"

"Bastard!" Emily tried to stomp her heels against his lower legs, but he had already predicted her movements.

He pulled her hard, making her fall into his arms. Before she could struggle against him, he kissed her hard on the lips.

His lips sent an electric shock over her entire system. It felt as if all her nerve endings were singing in celebration. His warm lips was enough for her to relax under his grip.

Her heart started to beat even more violently that she was afraid that it could jump out at any moment.

"Who the hell is that girl? How could she kiss our prince?" All of the girls glared at Emily with jealousy encroaching on their hearts.

Suddenly, blood rushed up Emily's face as she hurriedly shoved him away. Without giving him the time to say anything, she raised her hand and slapped him. Everyone gasped.

"How dare you?" James Ou roared, trying his best to restrain his anger. This girl was doomed for all eternity!

"You think one slap is enough? You deserve a thousand slaps for what you've done. That was my first kiss!" Emily wanted to slap him again. She had saved her first kiss for her future boyfriend, but it seemed she wouldn't be saving anything at this point because of the devil in front of her!

James Ou grabbed her wrist. He wanted to drag her to the headmaster's office. Not only was she late for class, but she even also mustered up the courage to slap him like this. How dare her!

"Let's see if your attitude would change once I drag you to the headmaster's office," he snapped.

Luke just came out of the headmaster's office. He had already gone through all the enrollment procedures, so Emily was now free to take her class. However, when he came to look for her, he was met with another situation.

"Your Highness, please show mercy," he murmured, bowing his head.

"Who are you?" James Ou glared at the ordinary man in front of him.

"Your Highness, I'm Luke, the butler of the An Family. The An Family will soon be your in-laws by marriage. The person you're holding is none other than your fiancee, Miss Shirley." Luke thought that the prince didn't even take a good look at the young lady when he was arranged to marry her. It was also said that the man was very reluctant to marry her.

"What? Her? Are you kidding me? Do you think she's good enough for me?" James Ou sneered, looking at Emily up and down.

She was nothing but average, and to top it all off, she even had a bad temper. There was no way that the girl in front of her would be his fiancee!

"Crap, she's Shirley An? She just came back from abroad, and she's going to be His Highness's fiancee!" The crowd gaped at the duo in front of them.

"Your Highness, I wouldn't dare lie."

"Luke, you're saying that this man is engaged to me?" Emily didn't expect that the man who would be marrying her would be so rude!

"Yes, Miss Shirley."

"I will never get engaged," the two of them said in unison. Without another word, they turned and walked separate ways, leaving Luke alone.

Luke furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what had just happened. All he did was file some papers, and now he returned to see that the marriage had failed! His master would surely murder him for this.

He had to rebuild James's impression of Emily. It would benefit the An Family if she was to marry the Prince of Sakura Kingdom.

"Miss Shirley, wait for me," Luke yelled, pushing through the crowd.

"I will never be engaged to such a boy!" Emily gritted her teeth.

"Well, can you give me a million now?" Luke pulled out his only trump card. He didn't believe that such a poor girl from the countryside would have that much money.

"I don't have that much money now. How about you give me a week to raise it?" she suggested. She didn't even have ten dollars with her, let alone a million!

"How about this? If you get to pay back the money, you can stop standing in for Miss Shirley. Of course, before that, you must cooperate with my arrangements."

The corners of his mouth inched up. Luke was sure that she wouldn't be able to give so much money. By the time she made so much, they would've already found Shirley. There was no need for Emily to stand in for her by then.

"You'd better keep your promise," Emily warned.

"Of course I will. I'm the most well-respected butler in the An Family. Why would I lie to you?"

"Pinkie swear!" Emily stretched out her pinkie and motioned him to do the same.

Luke burst into laughter. Although they looked the same, Emily was far too optimistic and kind-hearted. She was nothing like the cold and arrogant Shirley.

"Well?" Emily pouted in displeasure, afraid that he wouldn't keep to the end of his bargain.

"Let's do it." Luke stretched out his pinkie and swore to her.

"Luke, can I not wear heels in the future? My feet hurt." Emily held up her heels before stepping her bare feet onto the marble floor.

"But Miss Shirley likes wearing high heels the most."

"Your Miss has never been to this school, right? I don't think it's that big of a deal if I won't wear heels."

"That's right, but..."

"I'm going to class. See you after school." Emily rushed to the classroom with her heels in hand as she waved goodbye to Luke.

"Pay attention to your manners, Miss. You imp!" Luke groaned, patting his thigh helplessly.

Given that Emily came from the countryside, she didn't have the same manners or upbringing as Shirley. Transforming her would be incredibly difficult.

Looking at her admission card, Emily finally found her class.

'Class A, Grade One. That's it!'

She stopped at the door of the classroom and wore her heels. After tidying herself up, she pushed the door.

"Sir."

A sweet voice interrupted the teacher's lecture. Everyone turned their heads to see who it was.

'Isn't she the girl who fought with His Highness just then? She even kissed him and slapped him on the face! It's said that she's also his fiancee!'

'Why is she here? Is she part of our class?'

Some of the girls turned to look at James who was sitting in the last row. He bent over his desk and slept soundly.

He didn't even notice the ruckus happening in the classroom.

They didn't dare wake him up.

The teacher knew exactly who she was. The headmaster had just reported to him in person that the girl was an extremely important student in the school. She was Shirley, the daughter of the An Family, owner of one of the four top financial groups in Sakura Kingdom.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Shirley. Do come in."

The teacher shot her a flattering smile. Emily was not used to the way her teacher nodded and bowed at her. In the past, she wouldn't even dare breathe in front of them. Now, she was treated like a VIP.

"This is Shirley, the daughter of the An Financial Group. You are all part of the same class from now on, so take care of each other, okay?"

'What's the big deal? We're all daughters from prestigious financial groups and political tycoons.'

One of the girls rolled her eyes subtly, casting a scornful look at Emily.

"Where's my seat, Sir?" Emily looked around, frowning when she saw that there was no empty seats in the classroom.

"Miss Shirley, please sit next to His Highness for the time being. After class, I will inform the Property Management Department to prepare a new desk for you."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you." Emily beamed at the teacher. She quickly walked to the seat where the evil prince was asleep. She could put up with this for one class. It was no big deal.

"Let's continue our class. Miss Shirley, we usually begin a new term earlier than ordinary schools. You can ask a teacher or the class leader next to you to make up for all the classes you've missed in the past two days."

"I will." Emily tried her best to look prim and proper in front of all her classmates.

She walked slowly to the seat beside James. His thick eyelashes framed his eyes so perfectly, and his jawline was well-defined.

Honestly, if the boy was sleeping, he wasn't that annoying. His attitude was the only thing that broke his entire allure.

Curling her lips in displeasure, Emily sat on the chair and listened to the class quietly.

"She's so pretentious!" A coquettish girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at the sight of the newcomer.

"How dare she sit beside His Highness? She's doomed for sure." Some of the girls even snickered at her misfortune.

Although Emily heard everything, she simply lowered her head. There was no way she would embarrass herself again. To better establish herself in this school, she had to endure all of this.

She looked inside her backpack and resisted the urge to groan when she couldn't find any of her books. 'How am I going to study, Luke?'

"I can lend my book to you. There are notes written all over it. If you have the time, you can study all the previous contents." A gentle voice sounded beside her, and a neat book was placed on her desk. The handwriting scribbled on the pages were neat and unique.

"Thank you." When she turned, Emily found herself mesmerized by another handsome face in the campus.

The boy's white uniform was tidy. Strands of his dark hair fell around the sides of his ears, framing his warm face. A pair of dimples appeared on each side of his cheeks. They deepened when he smiled.

The boy in front of her was far different from the one sleeping beside her.

Emily resisted the urge to swoon. There were definitely perks in attending the Holy Sakura Noble School. Not only was she pushed into a world of jewelries and richest, but she was also introduced to handsome men.

"You're welcome. It's my pleasure." He then turned to share his desk mate's book.

"Our beloved class leader also helped her! Is she really that charming?" The girls in the front row gritted their teeth in annoyance.

Emily turned to the front page. There was a boy's name written at the corner of the page.

Oliver Qiao. What a pleasant name.

As the class droned on, the person next to Emily moved. He finally woke up.

"Violent dragon, why are you here?" His scarlet eyes squinted at her.

'This girl's so bold that she actually had the nerve to sit beside me!'

"Can't I sit here?" Emily rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if the classroom was his.

"Do you know whose seat you're sitting on now?" He motioned to her chair.

"Well, it's not yours." Not wanting to get into another argument, Emily turned her page and listened in on the lecture.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Emily still hadn't moved and James became even more irritated at the sight of her. Suddenly, he stood up from his chair, grabbed her collar, and shoved her onto the ground. Emily grunted.

"Your Highness, you're so cool!" The girls cheered. Seeing their competitor lying on the ground, they couldn't help but be ecstatic.

"Everything in this school is mine. You'd better not provoke me, or you won't be able to stay here. Remember the slap you've given me? One day, I'll pay you back." James sneered.

After saying those words, he kicked the chair that she had just sat on and left the classroom.

That was what she got for tolerating the damned devil over and over again! Emily gritted her teeth.

"Oh my God! His Highness is getting even more handsome every day!"

"Please, he was already the most handsome guy since junior high." Emily couldn't stand the gossip that reverberated across the classroom.

Rolling her eyes,

she struggled to stand up only to fall right back down on the ground.

"Ugh," she groaned out.

'It's the first day, and I already made a fool of myself!

Mother Earth, if you love me enough, could you not torture me so much already?'

As if Mother Earth had heard her cries, a warm hand reached out while his other arm wrapped around her slender waist. Oliver Qiao pulled her up.

"Are you okay?" His smile was blinding.

"I don't know how to thank you." Emily bowed her head, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. Her face was flushed after what had happened.

"Then invite me to lunch," Oliver Qiao offered bluntly.

Emily raised her head and grinned widely. Of course! How could she not have thought of this before. "That's a great idea!"

"It's really nice to meet you, Shirley. My name is Oliver Qiao, the class leader. You can ask me any questions about your studies in the future," he greeted her formally.

"I may have already read your name from the book you borrowed me. You have incredible handwriting," she complimented, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Shirley, has anyone ever told you that you look adorable when you smile?" he whispered in her ear.

Emily froze for a millisecond.

It felt as if she was floating in her own dreamscape!

All the humiliation she felt was gone. Thinking of having lunch with the handsome boy in front of her, she smiled.

The two of them walked to the student canteen as they talked and laughed.

The cafeteria was far different from any of those in ordinary schools. It was arranged neatly and elegantly, displaying the amount of money invested into such a place.

The two of them found a table by the window and sat down. On the table, there were two electronic tablets. They could order any food or dishes they liked by sliding the food onto the shopping cart. They would then take out a student card and swiped it in the menu. After hearing two beeps, the payment would be successful. Five minutes later, a waiter would be pushing the dining cart over that held all of their orders.

All these high-end ways of ordering were unknown to Emily. In her world, all she did was point at the dish she wanted and a canteen worker would put a spoonful on her stainless tray.

Sure enough, this school was truly different.

When she saw that Oliver Qiao finished ordering, she was actually at a loss of what to do.

"Didn't you invite me to lunch? Shouldn't you be the one to swipe your card?" he teased lightly.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm about to do." After thinking for a while, Emily suddenly remembered the golden card that Luke had given her before he left.

She took out the card and glanced at the engraved words that said 'Campus Card'. That was the one.

She handed it to him.

"Are you really okay with me swiping it?" His eyes glinted.

"Do it. Money's not a problem." Acting like a rich aristocrat, Emily waved her hand dismissively.

She stared at the way he swiped the card. Facing upward, the card was placed into the payment box. In two beeps, the payment was successful.

'That's so easy!'

In order not to embarrass herself, Emily imitated Oliver step by step.

'I'm a genius!' she thought after ordering successfully. She placed the card in her pocket and waited for her lunch.

Before long, a waitress had arrived with her cart. She placed their trays on the table with a sweet smile.

The aroma itself was tempting, and the colors were bright. The food looked incredibly appetizing. Emily swallowed and picked up her chopsticks. She was like a hungry wolf about to ravage her prey.

Bacon with green pepper, eggplant with meat, sweet and sour spareribs, crispy chicken legs... Her mouth watered.

She took a small careful bite. It was incredibly delicious. Back then, in her own school, the food in the cafeteria was a nightmare. In here, the food could even rival those in the restaurants!

Emily wolfed down the entire thing as if no one was around. She even forgot that there was a handsome boy sitting opposite her. He was staring at her with chopsticks as an awkward smile weaved into his surprised expression.

Emily reddened. She had forgotten that she was dining with someone else.