Writing Prompt Engagement Break Event

[Venusaur26]

You know those scenes where the prince calls off his engagement with the villainess of an Otome Game or generic romance fantasy novel?

This time the MC is reincarnated as said prince instead as the villainess in the middle of the engagement break event. After looking around, at the heroine and then at the villainess, remembering the event came from a game/novel, instead of calling off the engagement he decides to give the villainess one last chance.

What will happen next with this turn of events?

 

[UYScuti]

The event that only he knows about will not happen. Since you haven’t told us what the event is, we are free to make up anything, right?

The Prince decides to give the villainess a second chance because, in the book, the Heroine has hideously long toenails. One night while they were sleeping, she rolled over and slit his Achilles tendon. He tumbled out of the bed and clenched his ankle. The Heroine panics and jumps off the bed to help, but she tripped on the bed sheet and landed on him. Sadly, her big toenail stabbed the Prince in the femoral artery. The Prince stares into the Heroine's eyes as he bleeds out, wishing he could do it all over.

The new reincarnated Prince decides to avoid that fate.

 

[Succubiome]

The Villainess acted more and more tense all evening, and the Heroine seemed more and more uneasy and expectant as well, if not to the same extent... she had been saying a few things about how the Villainess wasn't such a bad person and the like recently when they spent time together.

It was towards the end of the evening, when the Villainess walked up to the two of them, and curtseyed. "Could I speak with you two? Alone?"

The Prince glanced to the Heroine, who nodded slightly. He smiled back at the Villainess. "Of course."

The three of them adjourned to a nearby chamber. The Prince sat down regally, and gestured regally to the other couch, which the Villainess sat down in. The Heroine stood there awkwardly for a moment, until the Villainess gestured her closer, and she sat down next to her. "Now, what is it that you wished to speak of?"

The Villainess was silent for a long moment. "I had... how to they put it... a prophetic dream that you would cast me aside today. I'm not complaining, mind you, but all of my other... predictions turned out right."

The Prince blinked a few times. "Perhaps you could say... dreams of another life persuaded me not to."

The Heroine cleared her throat. "You know, this reminds me of the third volume of Castle Hearts."

They all were in silence for a long moment.

The Villainess tossed back her glass of wine and shook her head. "Seriously!? You two played it too? You're such nerds!"

"You're one to talk," said the Prince airily, but then grinned.

The heroine scratched the side of her head. "So, I don't know about the whole engagement thing... but I do desperately want to run Dracoliches and Demesnes, and no one around here even gets the basic concept. Maybe that's too nerdy for you, though...."

The other two turned their heads as one.

---

"This affair that the Prince and his fiance is having with that... commoner is quite unseemly, my daughter." The Baron shook his head. "You've been with them... tell me all the details."

The Maidservant cleared her throat. "They... they roped me into their lurid game...."

The Baron smirked. "And...?"

"I don't get it! I don't get it at all! I had to pretend to be an elf for hours... and not even in a lewd way! I think they were onto me, otherwise they wouldn't have teased me so!" The Maidservant started to cry ugly tears. "I have to go back next week because we're going to pretend to explore a cave... I really don't understand... I don't understand at all...."

The Baron furrowed his brow. "Perhaps it's too esoteric a coded language for someone who was just on the streets until recently. Very well. I shall go and question them myself."

"No! You'll be drawn into their madness!" The Maidservant shook her head. "There's a strange camraderie between them, and they speak strange words I had never heard before... well, they were quite friendly, however...."

The Baron stood up, the light casting a dramatic shadow behind him. "I will not allow this kingdom to be swayed by perversion!"

---

"Of course you're welcome to join! Roll these three dice, six times!"

The Baron's fingers trembled as he picked up the dice. What occult ritual was this? But he couldn't refuse a direct order of the Prince....

He rolled once.

The Villainess looked over at the dice he had rolled with interest. Ever since the ball the other day, she had started dressing more ostentatiously, wearing bold and strange makeup, and it was hard to know where to look. "Oh, a three? That's bad. A 3 in Strength means your character is very weak."

A single tear ran down the Baron's face as he raised his hand towards the heavens, fingers curved as if attempting to grasp some impossible dream, now out of his reach. "How have I failed... without even starting!?"

 

[Piisfun]

The prince suddenly "realized" that the heroine "was an agent of an enemy nation looking to overthrow the country from the inside."

And so, with that claim, and no way to defend herself, the heroine was sentenced to death.
Everyone was far too distracted to pay attention to the prince trying to make amends with his restored fiancé.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Blinks alot, looks around. Reads the room. Looks back to the villainess.

"Wait a minute... I'm getting ahead of myself. Who do you have to represent you?"

"What?" The villainess looks confused.

"Represent you. You can't go to trial representing yourself. He who is their own lawyer has a fool for a client, as they say."

"I'm innocent!"

The prince nods, "And I have accepted your plea." He gestured to himself, "Look, I simply can't ignore this. Just because you are engaged to me doesn't mean I can just sweep these accusations under the rug. The evidence is quite persuasive... Oh wait. You thought I was passing JUDGEMENT?"

Everyone looks around, confused.

The prince laughs, "Oh... oh my. I'm so sorry. I didn't explain, this is the PRE-TRIAL. Not the trial. I'm sorry. No. I'm just ANNOUNCING that charges are going to be brought against you. Furthermore, I am going to have to recuse myself from the proceedings."

The heroine looks confused, "Wait, what?"

The prince turns to the Heroine, "Well, yes. I can't very well be the judge for my own fiance, can I? I mean, what an incredible conflict of interest! Nobody would take any judgment from me seriously. No. I'm going to have to find someone to be the judge. A neutral third party, maybe someone from another country entirely." He gestured to the villainess, "And you have to be made aware of the evidence against you and have time to properly form a defense. I mean, what sort of ruler just, JUMPS someone out of nowhere, announces they are on trial, then expects them to defend themselves without even having time to review the evidence?" He snorted, "A Hot-headed lunatic, that's what!"

Everyone in the room just gaped at the prince who was well-known for being a hot-headed lunatic.

The prince nodded slowly, "So, I have stated the charges against you, I will have my assistant provide you with copies of all statements and evidence to be used against you. We'll need some time to organize things, so two weeks should be plenty of time to find someone to be the judge in this matter, and for you to get legal representation, of course." He nodded and stroked his own chin in thought, "Yes. let us meet here in two weeks. We'll bring in the witnesses so they can be interviewed and cross-examined and..."

The prince paused and then shook his head slightly before he continued, "For the record, I really didn't wish to do this, but I simply cannot ignore what I've been told. I don't know how you could be innocent, but I certainly hope to be proven wrong. Of course, I hope you don't flee the country or any such nonsense as I would take that as an admission of guilt." he spread his arms wide, "I'm afraid that the rules on this sort of thing are clear and my hands are tied. This matter is now out of my hands. All I can say is, may justice prevail, whatever form it may take."

He turned to his assistant who had been stunned into silence, "I'm afraid I've simply lost any desire to partake in frivolity. Please summon the carriage, I shall be retiring for the evening, effective immediately."