The Princess’ Smile: The Body-Double Bride Searches for Happiness with the Reclusive Prince

by Yuuri Seo, m/g (Illustrator), Jenny Murphy (Translator)

Is It Wrong To Seek The Happiness Someone Else Denied You?

Sara, a royal maid in the Kingdom of Saleilles, is ordered by the king to enter a political marriage with the eldest prince of their rival kingdom, Ferrier—but as the body-double of the real princess! But then Sara’s boyfriend cheats on her with the princess she considered a friend and turns on Sara completely! Utterly betrayed by those she trusted most, Sara hits rock bottom, heart shattered…

Farewell, Princess I used to love and respect. Farewell, my once-beloved boyfriend.

So Sara makes a decision—she will find happiness in Ferrier no matter what! But that all hinges on her husband-to-be…a reclusive, misanthropic prince who has a slightly difficult personality and is constantly wearing a mask. To make matters worse, rumors are spreading in Ferrier of a terrifying black beast on the prowl…

Can Sara ever hope to find happiness in these conditions?!

Genres: Light Novel, Romance, Fantasy, Manga

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2022

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, no clue when I read this one, as I didn’t realize I didn’t review it when I finished it.

It was ok, but as another review said, what are the ages of these characters?

The royals of the kingdom she married into were not NEARLY upset enough at having been lied to, like it was a non-issue to them, but it was kind of a big deal.

I had another thought about this book and it flew right out of my head, kind of like how this book is to me right now. I don’t recall much about it. It was a pleasant enough read to while away the time, but nothing to write home about. Nothing much to write a review about either it seems.

2, meh I’m not going to remember this in a few months but it wasn’t terrible, stars.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of light novels. Like, a stupid amount. This one, however, stands out as having one of the most satisfying denouements of all of them: the bad guys get what's coming to them, the good guys get what they've always deserved, there are no stupid misunderstandings or annoying rivals, and no innocent blood is spilled. Maybe it's not objectively a five, but it's good enough for me.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. I'm going to be honest. There are going to be spoilers here because a lot of my issues and praise of/with the book deal with specific stuff. Some of them don't really feel like spoilers because there's a lot here that's predictable, but I will discuss things that will be out and out spoilers. If you're wondering if I recommend this, I do. It's a fun read, albeit one that won't stand out like some of the others in the LN world with similar themes and storylines.

Spoilers abound from here on out.

My main issue here was that it didn't really devote itself to the political intrigue angle as much as it could or should have in some areas. The main focus here was fluffy romance, which it did pretty well all things considering. The timeline was also a bit weird here and there as well, as I wasn't too clear on the characters' ages at times when it came to the discussion of the past war. It made it seem like it was a long time ago, but then there were also mentions that it was done during the childhood of both the princess and the protagonist.

This made the age of the love interest a bit weird. He was old enough to fight during the war, but not too old to be the love interest? I think the war happened about 10-15 years prior to the book's start and I *think* that the FL is about 18. Was the love interest a child during the war? There was mention of him killing his mother when he was about 3 years old, so was he that age or close to it during the war? I tentatively pegged him at 20-30 years old at the book's start. If it was closer to 30 then the age difference would have been weird, but not unrealistic for political marriages. I would have just liked some discussion on that end.

Where the book really kind of fell apart was with the villains. I suppose the ex boyfriend could be considered one but he was pretty much brought up at the beginning and then dropped fairly quickly. He was mentioned from then on out, but mostly in a compare/contrast perspective here and there. The adoptive king's villainy was better fleshed out, but then they dispatched him very quickly towards the end, in favor of playing up the villainy of the princess. That's where I was kind of disappointed since her appearance kind of fizzled. They made her aware of everything that the king had done, but honestly... I think it would have been better to make her someone spoiled and unaware. That would have made the "but he killed my parents" thing have more of a punch, because then they could have had her do something like "Oh wow, I didn't know - but it's natural that he wants to protect me and give me what I want."

To be honest, I would have also preferred that they had either went hard into the political intrigue angle or just left it out. Instead of the murdered parents angle, have FL be the daughter of a concubine and the unloved half sister. The sister coveted the ex and the king, who gave the sister everything she wanted anyway, agreed to the switch. Then you could have the sister show up in the end, get humiliated, and then have the dad have to start putting his foot down in order to save face. Or just relegate her to an offhand mention at the end about how the sister was unhappy in her marriage, as the guy was just a social climber and the throne went to their brother since the ex wasn't of high enough standing to become king. That's just me though.

Overall though, the book was fine and I don't regret buying it. I would like to see more from the author, as I think they have a good writing style and I think that the issues will work themselves out over time.

[Trinity · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting concept, poor execution. Honestly not sure why I bothered to finish it. Maybe I was hoping the pay off would be worth it, but it ended up being a waste of time. The thing that annoyed me the most was that the characters were supposedly adults but didn’t speak as such.

[tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh 😳 my 💕

I liked the straight forward love story. And I would like another adaptation of the story as it progresses. So what I'm saying is it's a story for most age's

[Sammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much potential...wasted

This entire book, for me, was akin to a toddler trying on a pair of big boy pants that are three times his size. The author tried to take a children's fairy tale and edit it with the rules of an adult story and spectacularly failed.

The story had such a great premise. Sweet, loyal Cinderella gets shipped off to an enemy country to be a hostage bride in place of the actual princess who she considers to be her savior and master. It's a collection of tried and true stereotypes but classic favorites nonetheless. It should have been a recipe for success, but it wasn't.

It felt like the author didn't really stop to consider the characters and plot before putting it to pen and paper. There are a lot of descriptions that don't match their actions. Sara is said to be extroverted but she comes across as shy in speech and actions, and yet she also never hesitated when interacting with her new, stranger husband. It's actually kind of weird how she just took it in stride. Not in a martyr-like, optimistic, "I'll do my best way", but in a "this is normal" way. Prince Richard, a known recluse for lord knows how many years, also accepted her pretty darned easily. He's described as cowardly, self-tortured, and reclusive. Other than the mild, sudden bursts of anger, the occasional casual killing spree, he seems pretty normal to me. Quite sociable, in fact. And that's just the main couple.

All of the characters are quite superficially written, without much depth or consistency. Their bizarre acceptance of certain things throws me off. Why were they all so nice to Sara from the get-go? There wasn't a single character that voiced any doubt or caution. And yet, despite their nice, welcoming nature, no one batted an eye when they decided to, out of the blue, go gung ho into the enemy nation to force the King to abdicate "peacefully".

Another aspect that annoyed me quite a bit is how certain parts that were emphasized (too much) became complete non-issues in the end. How many times did the author mention that Hermine was Sara's savior? I don't remember but it was definitely too many times. And then, in the end, that relationship was severed so easily and without much fanfare. How many times did the author mention that people with Richard's ability were feared and unwelcome, and yet, in the end, he seamlessly became a hero for the country? And don't even get me started on Sara's identity. Why was no one the least bit upset about it? Sara wasn't even the least bit suspect after that? To either country? Why build up the hype if it's just going to fall flat like that?

Then there are the final moments of the book. I really don't understand why they brought Sara along to the battle. If they were infiltrating the castle secretly, her presence may have been useful, but they were quite blatantly demanding surrender. What could the enemy nation do, other than resist? What leader in their right mind, would actually surrender? Especially if that same leader is very the king that ruined a girl's life just to get her as body double (that they might use one day)? And then there was the face-off with Sara's ex-boyfriend. So childish!

Then there's the ending of our villains. It was so senseless. I think Sara should be a little more concerned that her husband thinks killing, violence and brute force are the first options. In terms of politics, this book is one of the worst. The author doesn't seem to understand human nature or political finesse at all. The story would've been better if it focused more on the romance which was okay. It's hard to go wrong with cute and fluffy.

The book leaves me a little bummed and baffled. It's such a waste. I wish the whole tale could be rewritten by someone better versed with politics.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better light novels I've read. Good world building with a variety of characters that understandably grow and evolve in their roles. Sara's life turns out very differently from what she imagined at many points in her life, but for all she went through, she may have gotten the best ending she could have hoped for. Prince Richard starts off dark and withdrawn, but turns out to be socially awkward (with good reason) and the kindest man Sara could have hoped for. It helps a lot that both of these characters are so earnest and honestly want to be happy together, otherwise the truth coming out could have gone horribly wrong.

[GinaS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantic

It was a great read! Loved how it ended, I wish there was another book going about Prince Richard’s adoptive brother the king. Everything was tied nicely at the end although i do wish that there was a part two about them being officially married and Prince Richard being a duke and how they trained mutants with abilities like Richard, it would have made a great read. But a great read overall and very sweet.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was pretty dumb overall. Suffers from the bad writing and illogical plot line that is shoehorned in because it seems funny or cool at that moment.

The prince’s secret was easy to guess, as was any other secret. No kidding that Hermine was terrible - the bf stealing scene was so cartoonishly villainous that it was pretty clear what was going to be revealed later.

[Mariela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a unique take on the Beauty and the Beast model. I really enjoyed the characters and I was glad that there wasn't a big drama with Sara revealing who she was. It was timed right and it worked out for her and Richard. I really enjoyed this!

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very light and fun read. I had a good time with it. Plot was pretty predictable (and I don't mean this in a negative way), and the two main characters were very wholesome and sweet with each other.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect amount of fluff and sweet romance I needed to pass this cold. I wish the political intrigue was explored a bit deeper, but the romance had me giggling and kicking my feet. Can’t wait to read more from the author!

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what you’re getting, and it does a good job.

[amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

So happy I purchased this book. This author is an amazing storyteller. Got me hooked the first few pages. ☺️

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaaaaaawwwww....... Sara’s true backstory is so sad!