It Seems Like I Fell into a Reverse Harem Game

Chapter 2.1

He was a successful bureaucrat. As someone who came from a long line of rural nobility and without a single connection, he had entered the palace and had been granted the title of head librarian of the royal library. It was the highest position one could hold in the royal palace without connections. As the head librarian, he even oversaw special collections which only members of the royal family could access. But when it came down to it, it wasn’t an important job.

It wasn’t that that was the extent of his abilities. Rather, there was simply no way for him to rise through the ranks.

The elite nobility and their children, their extended relatives and their houses had become firmly established over hundreds of years. Because it was such a peaceful empire, the number of elite nobles only grew with the passage of time. And the government itself was filled with white-haired officials who never seemed to retire.

And so, he decided to be satisfied with the amount of success he’d had. He buried all of the talent that he would never use.

That might have been why.

Bit by bit, he began to be bored with his life. Since the royal library wasn’t open to just anyone, he was always alone. Every day was the same, and the days that flowed into one another were tiring him out.

Then, one spring day, it happened while he was taking a light nap in the corner of the library.  When he opened his eyes, there before him was a woman, blindingly bright in the sun, smiling at him with her chin resting in her hands.

“Who?”

She put her hands over his eyes. He felt them with his own and grasped onto them.

“Stay still and don’t open your eyes.”

When he gave a slight nod, her hands came away from his face. He wasn’t sure how long he was supposed to sit there with his eyes closed, but for some reason, he found he couldn’t disobey.

“….. It was nice meeting you, Robia Juran.”

When he heard her whisper his name, he was unable to resist the urge and opened his eyes.

But there was no one there. That was when he realized. He was in love.

It wasn’t long before he was able to find out the woman’s identity. The one and only princess of the empire.

He loved the princess with everything he had.

After courting her passionately, he was finally able to become her concubine.

During their first night together, he was beside himself with joy. But then, her naked body stretched out on the bed, the princess mumbled,

“I’m bored.”

She made him an offer.

“Do you want to try being nailed by my sex slave?”

“………”

“Or…… do it with another woman in front of me.”

He had refused, saying that he would only do it with her.

The princess never sought him out again after that. On the occasions when he sought her out first, she jeered at him and made him watch as she slept with other men.

Robia had never thought that he would be able to have the princess all to himself. But he had never imagined he would not have the tiniest piece of her heart.

Love had made him into an idealist without a plan, and then forced him to become a cool-headed realist.

He was the princess’s outdated, disposable plaything. One that she’d shoved into storage and would never take out again.

Her allowing him to be her concubine had been a cruel joke.

She dangled the possibility of becoming her concubine in front of those who salivated after it only to rip it away, and forced it on those who never wanted it. As for those who sought her love, she permitted them to be her concubine only in name.

It was that kind of joke.

The princess had enjoyed seeing him cling to her so earnestly. Then she’d become bored of it and forgotten about him. When that happened, there was nothing Robia could do anymore.

Resistance was futile, so he resigned himself to his fate.

He began seeing other women. He played around all night with women who loved him for the fleeting moments that they were tangled up in bed.

There were some who had been very satisfied, and had asked to continue their relationship. Others told him they loved him.

But the words always felt like a knife to the heart. Because they were words he would never hear from the princess. Because the princess would never say them to him.

And he too was unable to bringing himself to say them back to his partners.

He hated himself. It was when that self-hatred got to be so much that he didn’t know what to do with himself that he had met Yuriel.

Yuriel had said it was okay. That it was fine if he didn’t love himself.

So he was able to love her.

He believed that he loved her.

I felt someone’s touch on my face. I allowed the sensation to guide me out of my sleep. The temperature that was just right, the perfectly peaceful quiet, and the warmth of someone’s touch.

I slowly opened my eyes. The warmth that had enveloped my face quickly drew away, leaving me with a lingering feeling of disappointment.

“Did you sleep well?”

Delicate eyelashes blinked.

“Ah…., yes. Did you also have a good sleep, Your Highness?’

“Yep.”

It seemed that I’d fallen asleep like that last night.

Nadricka had been lying on his side facing me but now he wriggled out of the covers. I stayed where I was buried underneath them, and blinked.

Last night, I had completely let my guard down without meaning to and let myself lean on him. I didn’t know why I did that, but I must have gotten caught up in the moment.

I concluded that that was probably it and breathed in the morning air.

A day had passed. It was morning. I was still in this place.

“Here, please have some water.”

As I took the water from him, Nadricka sat down next to me and quietly inspected my face.

“I think your face is a little swollen.”

It seemed that I was tired. And I hadn’t even gotten that much sleep.

“Is that so?”

I patted this face that wasn’t mine with both hands. How should I know if this face was swollen or not? But I supposed it must be.

I heard a snort.

Automatically, I turned my head to look at Nadricka.

The sunlight made his blond hair sparkle, but what sparkled even more were his prettily smiling eyes.

I couldn’t look away for even one moment. His stunning violet eyes began to shake as if they were fearful of my gaze.

“……”

He was the only person in this place who’d been kind to me the entire time I had known them.

“………”

Wasn’t that good enough. I shouldn’t need to hide my interest in him. As I was thinking this, it happened.

Groowwwl.

“……..”

“Should I tell them to bring in breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

Feeling sheepish, I nodded my head. It was funny that I could feel hungry even in a moment like this. Nadrika gave me a bright smile and stood up.

Without even thinking about it, I grabbed his wrist.

“How about you?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you hungry too?”

“……..I am.”

“Then eat before you go.”

“Yes.”

I thought about how different he looked compared to when I first saw him. Back then, he had been crying in terror, but now his face looked bright. The princess had probably never seen him so peaceful. I stared at him without speaking.

Breakfast was ready within a few minutes. The food was delicious and my partner was quiet and pretty. There was no way I wouldn’t be satisfied. But there was one thing that was bothering me.

Whenever I picked up my cup, Nadricka would stealthily raise his. And every time I cut my meat, he would hurriedly pick up his knife and begin cutting his.

“Nadricka.”

“Y-yes.”

“Why are you copying me.”

“…….”

If he wanted to, he should have made sure not to get caught. He seemed like he thought he was being natural about it, but it was way too obvious.

It’s not like it was this was his first time eating food. So why do you keep following me like a duckling barely hatched from its egg?

“Don’t copy me.”

“…..Yes.”

He poked at his salad sullenly. Seeing his dejected expression, I sighed.

At the sound, he flinched. I tilted my head and observed him absentmindedly.

Under the collar of the shirt he had made sure to button up all the way, a red bruise caught my eye.

“Isn’t there something you haven’t been telling me?”

“Yes?”

Checking that the plates were all empty, I set down my silverware. Trying to read my mind, Nadricka set down his silverware as well.

“Did I hit you?”

“……..”

“Did I also keep you from getting treatment?”

I was planning on not getting involved if I could avoid it. I had tried to act as close as possible to the original princess so that people who knew her wouldn’t feel like something was off.

However, it wasn’t easy when it was like this. That is to say, it wasn’t easy when there were things in front of me that I could change if I only reached out my hand, or said just a few words.

“I’m talking about that wound on your throat. I’m asking you if I made you like that.”

Nadricka gave the tiniest nod.

“What about treatment?”

“I’m getting treatment.”

“Never lie to me. No matter what happens.”

“I’m telling the truth. I’m… getting treatment. And I would never do that. I would never do something like lie –.”

I rang the bell and called in a servant.

“Who is his personal physician?”

“Yes?”

“Your Highness.”

Nadricka opened his mouth to speak, a troubled look on his face.

“I… treat myself.”

“Why?”

The maid was the one who answered.

“It is customary for the property of the royal family to be managed so that no outside hands mishandle them, Your Highness.”

Property. Management.

I barely swallowed back the anger that instantly shot up to my throat.

Nadricka stared at me wordlessly as if he was trying to read my mind.

“I must have momentarily forgotten. Bring the medicine.”

“Yes?”

“Why. Am I also not allowed to touch him?”

“N-no, of course! I shall bring it immediately.”

The maid replied while bowing on the floor, and hurriedly left the room. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say a word until the maid had brought the medicine.

A couple of servants entered, quickly cleaned off the table and set down the medicine.  Seeing their high level of discipline, it appeared they were quite afraid of the princess.

Then again, in some situations fear was the greatest power.

But because it was a castle made of sand, power like that didn’t last. It was clear from this princess’s destined downfall.

In a slightly softer voice, I ordered them to leave the room.

I looked at Nadricka who was standing hesitantly, and asked,

“Do you not want to be treated?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why is your expression like that?”

His complexion revealed that he was troubled, but he made an effort to smile.

“It’s just that, because of someone like me…. you being upset.”

“……..”

“I just, I don’t feel good about that….”

Without a word, I took his wrist and pulled him close. He readily came to me.

“I think I said it before.”

“Yes?”

“I said that you can’t do this. Not for anyone.”

“……I.”

Nadricka made a tight fist. I felt him tremble slightly through my grip on his wrist.

“I, want to do it.”

“What?”

“I want to do it for you.…Can’t I?”

“…….”

I already knew. I wasn’t the one he was looking at. He was just being fooled by this shell.

And thought that the kindness I was showing in this moment was from the ‘princess.’ That’s why he was treating me this way. I had to remember that.

I loosened my grip on his wrist.

“You can’t.”

“……”

Nadricka smiled like someone who was used to getting hurt. Then as his smile faded, he lifted his hands and began to undo his buttons one by one.

I knew that I would have to see his bare skin if I was going to treat his wounds. But if you unbutton your shirt like that when we’re this close, with our eyes locked.

Without realizing it, I had taken half a step back. I casually turned around, opened the medicine box on the table and sifted through the contents.

Behind me, I heard the rustle of fabric past skin. And the sound of it falling onto the floor.

Trying my best to look unbothered, I held up something that looked like ointment.

“Is this it?”

“Yes.”

Long wounds and bruises stood out on skin that as white and soft as if it had never seen the light of the sun.

I hadn’t had the time to look closely back then but the wounds overlapped each other. In other words, he had been hit in the same places over and over again. The wounds were concentrated on his back and neck.

Nadricka turned around and knelt so that I would have a good view. I dipped my fingers in the ointment and slowly began applying it over his skin. Whenever the cold ointment touched his skin, Nadricka flinched.

Neither of us spoke.

“It’s done.”

“……”

Nadricka slowly turned his body back over to face me.

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

“……..”

It was my first time seeing this kind of smile from him. It was like a shadow had been cast over his pale cheeks.

“Your Highness.”

“Why?”

“I have some below too.”

As he said so, he slowly brought his hands to his belt buckle.

“Should I take it off? All of it?”

I was rendered speechless.

But right then, there was a knock on the door.

“Your Highness.”

It was the deep voice of a man.

I cleared my throat.

“What’s the matter?”

“His Majesty sent me. Could I come in for a moment?”

“No!”

“…….Yes. It is just that His Majesty would like to converse with you for a little while over luncheon.”

I met Nadricka’s eyes.

“Later.”

“…..”

“Let’s do the bottom later.”

As I said the words, I was struck with the realization. I was feeling disappointed right now.

He softly lifted my hand and lightly kissed the back of it. The movement of his eyes fluttering closed captured my eyes.  I felt my heart race.

“Yes.”

With a docile face, he submitted to me. Then he withdrew and slowly began buttoning his shirt up again. I saw his smooth back and waist bend.

I informed the servant outside my room.

“I understand. I shall prepare so wait for me.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I felt warmth shoot up to my face pointlessly, so I stood with my back to Nadricka.

I looked back on my relationship with Nadricka with fresh eyes. Honestly, since Nadricka was my concubine even if we did something more it shouldn’t be a problem…… No, this wasn’t the time….. And I’m not even the real princess….

Should I just attack him? It took only an instant for my desire to outpace my rationality.

Ding!

[Knight of the Border – 9]

Ten days from now, ‘Eclot Pacis’ will arrive at the imperial city. As soon as he arrives, he will try to find out who you are, the person with whom he has been exchanging letters all this time. Before then, become the princess’s personal maid and have a fateful first encounter with him, the princess’s second concubine.

Necessary affection level: 80 (Current affection level: Unknown.)

[Current progress]

Selection as personal maid 0/1

Fateful encounter 0/1

9 days 23:59:09 left.

It felt like my blood was running cold. I had almost forgotten.

I’m a fake. If I’m discovered, I will die. Even if I’m not, I will still die. This was no time to be distracted by a man.

All of the people here were loyal to the princess, not me.

Another concubine was trying to return.

So, this was something I’d only seen in the movies.

“Does the food suit your tastes?”

“Ah, yes.”

I was sitting at the end of a table that seemed to be at least three meters long. And at the end of those three meters was the emperor.

“What a relief! I called for you because it has been such a long time since we had a meal together like this.”

Could this really be put in the same category as having a meal ‘together’.

“Is that so.”

“It is wonderful seeing your face after so long.”

The emperor had red hair tinted with yellow like fall leaves, and because his face was so lean, his eye seemed to glitter. His long hair flowed over a black cape adorned with a gold insignia, and his eyes were clear blue like the princess’s.

His deep-set eyes had a sharpness and strength in them that made me think he resembled the princess. I wondered if it was a common trait of powerful individuals with a long family history.

But the expression he was making now was so far apart from his overall first impression that it was bizarre. Whenever our eyes met, the emperor would grin like an idiot. He looked like a fool with a few screws loose.

But the princess was his only blood relative. If he realized that a completely different person had taken over her shell then he could completely flip.

“I specially ordered for them to throw a feast! It was worth the effort.”

Of course, there was zero indication so far that he would.

“……Thank you.”

“I was always worried that you were picky. But how wonderful is it to see you eating well?”

He looked more pleased than anything.

I mean, it was only normal to be suspicious if someone was acting differently. But since they were siblings who barely saw each other despite living together, I supposed there was no way he could be sure.

“Of course! I shall send the head chef to your palace. If you like their cooking, I would be more than happy to give them to you.”

“No, it is fine even if you don’t -.”

“From now on, I will have them be responsible for all of your meals.”

….Does he even hear me? I had begun to doubt since a little while before. Could the table be any longer?

Despite that, the emperor continued to be all smiles quite obliviously.

“Ah, yes, I heard that he is returning.”

Although he was speaking as casually as if he was bringing up the weather, I felt instantly that he had been waiting and waiting to get to this, his real reason for calling me here. I couldn’t help it and began to feel nervous.

“Since he is returning home after having done a great military service, I was thinking of opening the largest and most lavish victory celebration for him. What is your opinion on the matter?”

He was talking about that man. ‘The second concubine.’ Eclot Pacis. Did that mean he was an important enough figure for the emperor to pay attention to him? It seemed that the situation was different from Nadricka.

“Well, I suppose so. He should be adequately rewarded according to the extent of his contribution.”

“Exactly so!”

Once again, the emperor seemed to jump with joy as he slammed his hand down on the table, startling me.

“Because you did not bring it up, I thought that you had forgotten about him.”

“How could I forget?”

“Of course, since you were also the one to chase him out into war.”

He was my concubine after all…. What?

“Indeed, if it had not been for the disagreement between you two, there would have been no war. Back when he first set off, no one anticipated his victory. It was too far and perilous a road.”

“…….”

Without my knowing, my mouth had dropped open in surprise before I quickly shut it closed. It wasn’t enough to obliterate a country in order to obtain a prince who’d rejected her, but she had started a whole war where she could send her concubine to his death just because their relationship was bad?

And that concubine was returning home in glory bearing news of victory.

To the original princess, it would have been incredibly insulting. She would not have been able to stand it.

What a piece of work. If you want to know how much power rots a person, let’s all stand up and look at the princess.

And now, that princess was me.

“Does not time pass quite quickly? Has it been five years now…. Looking back at the years, how differently I feel about everything.”

“Five years…”

“Yes, as he left for war soon after becoming your concubine. It has been almost exactly five years.”

Suddenly, I remembered the princess’s age. Since five years had passed, she would have been eighteen.

But age made no difference. She was still so wicked at that young age.

“And so I was thinking, Ria….”

Ria. His nickname for the princess dripped with affection.

She was like this, but it looked like he still cherished her. Although I wondered what he had been doing not helping her fix her habits until things got to this point.

Wasn’t this neglect? It was possible that he was the culprit who had encouraged her bad habits by letting her do whatever she wanted just because she was his only blood relative.

Or perhaps it was that she wouldn’t change no matter how hard he tried.

No matter what the answer was, it was useless to think of it now.

“When he returns this time, do you think you will be able to greet him graciously?”

“……”

The emperor was looking at me with serious eyes.

…..He was far away so I couldn’t be sure but anyways. The atmosphere had completely changed.

“I’m talking about the mercy you showed yesterday.”

Mercy.

In other people’s eyes, it seemed that’s what it had looked like.

“I don’t expect much. However, when I heard what happened yesterday, I wondered if you had had a change in attitude.”

I supposed you could call it a change in attitude. Since it was a different soul in her body.

“Show him some of that compassion. He is too talented to be wasted.”

Right then, I realized why the emperor was in such a good mood.

It was because the princess had changed.

And because it was something he had wished for so sincerely he didn’t want to think it was suspicious.

“I understand what you are trying to say.”

It was quite the ironic tragedy. The real princess was gone. But only now was she the person others wanted her to be.

I tried smiling at the emperor.

At the very least, I was going to live as the princess. I’ll promise you that. It’s the best way I can think to express my condolences towards you who have lost your only sister.

“But will he still want to stay my concubine?”

“What does that mean? As long as you do not personally dismiss him from the position, there is no way for him to do so.”

“……But he probably hates me.”

The emperor rubbed his chin with his thumb and tilted his head.

“You know him well too, do you not? What kind of person he is.”

So does that mean he hates me or not?

After hearing that I should know him well, there was no way I could ask for further clarification.

“On that note, you know that we entered into a treaty with the Rothschild Empire to the far east during this war. And that this temporary treaty is scheduled to expire at the end of this month.”

I idly let the emperor’s words go in one ear and out the other. I was sure this matter had nothing to do with me.

“As the defeated kingdom of Bourne has collapsed underneath the burden of massive war reparations, our two empires came to an internal decision to divide up the Bourne Kingdom between ourselves.”

“……..What is your point?”

“I am thinking of entrusting full authority over the matter to you.”

I tucked my hair behind my ear and after a long pause replied,

“…….I think I may have heard you wrong.”

“Do not worry too much, since Sir Pacis will be assisting you. This should also be a good opportunity to strengthen your relationship with him.”

Could you please not say that with such a contented smile on your face? Is he treating a negotiation between nations as an event to repair a couple’s relationship, or what?

“I don’t want to. Why should I?”

If I accepted, there was a possibility I might be discovered.

“You don’t need to find it too bothersome. You just do what you want during the negotiations.”

“It’s not that I find it bothersome – . “

“I remember you wanted to take a trip abroad to the east. You can take advantage of this opportunity and go. It is a good thing, no?”

I lost my words. It sounded like he was saying to take advantage of a territorial negotiation in order to go on vacation.

What was this person, even. How was the country not collapsing with him as the emperor? They say that a millionaire can hang on for years after going bankrupt. But this might be the last year for him.

“It doesn’t seem like that good of thing to me.”

“This will be a new and different breed of entertainment. The climate there is different from our country’s so it would be wise to prepare ahead of time.”

“…….”

I had begun to think that the pointlessly long table had been built expressly so that the emperor would only be able to hear what he wanted. Otherwise, how did it make sense for him to be so selective in his hearing? It was as if his ears were filled with cotton.

By the time I realized it, I was standing out in the middle of the empty hallway.

That man…. In the end, he had really pushed it onto me.

I didn’t have a single desire to return to my room. It was me, not Essen, who should have run away in the middle of the night.

“I want to go outside.”

“Where…”

Thinking that the voice that answered was a little shaky, I turned my head to look and spotted a white-faced maid. What exactly did this princess do when she went outside?

I sighed.

“I meant I wanted to go for a walk. So everyone may leave now…. Except for you.”

The maid I was pointing to swallowed courageously and took a step towards me.

“I shall escort you!”

…. It seemed she was a little too enthusiastic.

Ding!

As we were walking, the system window appeared.

You have discovered the note that Essen left in front of your room. ‘I’ll be waiting in the usual place.’ You were in the middle of looking for Robia. Who will you choose?

A. Essen

B. Robia

It was only yesterday that everything had happened, but it seemed she was quite the hard worker. Already she was looking for Robia.

“We have arrived, Your Highness.”

At those words, I looked away from the selection screen. The maid flung open the heavy door in one move. Instantly, the breeze swept in, carrying with it a refreshing and crisp scent.

I had been staying in my room all this time in order not to unnecessarily drop hints about my identity. The sunlight couldn’t feel any better on my skin.

Meanwhile, as though her concentration was faltering the maid’s footing was unfocused and haphazard. She could trip at any moment.

“Hey.”

“Yes!”

“You….”

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know her name.

“What is your name?”

“Yes?……It’s Daisy, Your Highness.”

“I see, Daisy. Are you maybe-.”

“Kyaa!”

Just like that, Daisy stepped on my hem of my dress and fell forward. I also stumbled before regaining my balance. Because the result matched my predictions so exactly, I couldn’t even be angry.

If I hadn’t caught myself, I would have fallen ungracefully fallen on top of Daisy. If it had been the original princess, Daisy would have been a dead woman.

Either way, it seemed that I had just barely kept my dignity as a princess. Daisy looked up at me.

“I- I- I- I apo- I apologize! Your Highness!”

“It’s alr-.”

“I- I- I- I’ll- I’ll compensate you! Compensation! Your Highness!”

Without giving me a chance to speak, Daisy walked over to me on her knees and clung onto my ankle. She was shedding tears like her tear ducts were malfunctioning.

“How about you let go first….”

Her grip was much stronger than I had imagined. I was unable to pull her off. Using her hands, Daisy tried to erase the conspicuous footprint she had left on my dress.

But the more that she rubbed at it, the more the mark spread out into an unsightly mess. It seemed Daisy realized there was nothing she could do because she quickly gave up and bowed her head to the ground.

“Please spare me, Your Highness!”

“…..Pfft.”

Daisy was so surprised by the sound of my laughter that she jerked her head up. Her eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of her head.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I felt embarrassed for laughing at someone so desperate, so I crouched down in front of her and looked her in the eyes. I used my fingers to sweep away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“I’ll spare you so stop crying.”

“What? Is this real? Th- Then… will you punish me?”

“No.”

I couldn’t help myself and started chuckling again. Because she was so sunny. She was the first person like this I’d met here. That might explain why I felt so refreshed.

“Does it hurt where you fell? Are you okay?”

“Yes? Oh, yes! I’m okay!”

Daisy quickly covered up the wound on her knee with both hands.

“Go back and get yourself treated. I can go by myself.”

“But-.”

“But?”

As I purposely hardened my face and repeated after her, Daisy stumbled backwards in panic.

“Th- Then I’ll call someone else.”

“You can’t.”

“Yes!”

Daisy scrambled away without looking back.

“…….”

After that, I was completely alone.

Although the chilly breeze slipped past my clothes, the feeling of cold seeping into my bones wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

The garden was peaceful. In between skinny trunks, I caught glimpses of evergreens desperately guarding their leaves. I slowly followed the path lined by the trees.

Feeling much better than before, I slipped off my heels and tossed them to the side without a second thought. I gathered my long, dragging skirts and lifted them up. The dirt that pushed up between my toes felt soft and ticklish.

Had the princess done anything like this before? I slowly started into a run.

The tip of my nose felt cold with the wind hitting my face. Just as I was thinking of letting out a satisfying yell, I saw it.

Someone was sitting with their back leaning against a massive tree that looked over two hundred years old. With the spotless gray sky behind them, both the tree and the man’s hair were tossing in the wind.

As if he had felt my presence, the man turned his head in my direction. Our eyes clashed.

It was Essen.

“Choose one, me or her, and stick to it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

Robia slowly woke from his slumber. His body felt heavy like it was underwater, and his head throbbed harder than ever before. Up until the moment he finally came to, the princess’s voice rang in his ears.

He felt around the nightstand and put on his glasses.

As he recalled the things he’d done yesterday one by one, he fell into a deep turmoil.

He had been so completely drunk that he wasn’t sure if he had been drinking the alcohol or the alcohol had been drinking him. Robia buried his head between his knees and scrubbed his face.

It seemed that the servants weren’t aware that the more drunk he was, the more unaffected he appeared. That’s why…

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Robia flinched. It was because he knew he had sinned.

Thinking it might be the princess’s summons, he hastily rose from his bed and threw on a robe.

And in front of his door was Yuriel.

“Robia, it’s me. Can I come in for a bit?”

“……”

Only then did Robia remember everything.

He had loved the women in front of him, and he had been betrayed last night. Robia drily contemplated the facts that should have left some kind of impression on him.

But even when he looked at the woman, he didn’t feel any anger. It was enough to make him question if he had ever loved her.

It felt like he had just awoken from a dream.

“….Come in.”

When he cracked open the door a little more, Yuriel immediately jumped into Robia’s arms. As he accepted her into his embrace like a habit, his thoughts were of another woman. He chewed on the fact that after yesterday, the princess would no longer have any feelings for him..

Even though it wasn’t like she had felt anything in the first place.

He let out a scornful laugh under his breath.

“I’m sorry! I was wrong. I realized it after I was put in that situation.”

“What did you realize?”

“……That I could never abandon you and leave here.”

The woman’s red eyes welled up with tears and looked up at Robia.

“Are you trying to say that you stayed for me?”

She nodded and he tenderly patted the woman’s head.

Lies.

“I’m so relieved that you don’t hate me. I really….”

Yuriel threw her arms around his neck. He leaned over for her

Unless the world had changed overnight, this couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t even remember why he had loved this woman. The only thing he was feeling was need.

“Robia?”

“What is it?”

Still tucked in his embrace, Yuriel whispered,

“I want to meet Her Highness.”

At Yuriel’s words, Robia realized what it was. The identity of this burning need. What this impulse to go throw himself at that woman’s feet was.

It was just like when he had first met the princess.

He wondered what the problem was this time. What exactly about the princess was tying him up so much.

He had thought he had finally escaped. He had thought he had forgotten.

He had tried to escape from this hell, but in the end, all Robia found was the unchanging truth.

“I’m begging you. Without you, there’s no way for me to meet her. “

“…..Alright. I’ll help you.”

He knew it now. The reason that he was able to love this woman, out of everyone else, without feeling guilty.

It was because Yuriel didn’t love him.

Just as he didn’t love her.

***

For a moment, I stared at him from afar.

It was only when Essen’s face twisted that I realized I was holding my skirts up to my thighs.

I lowered the hem of my dress and awkwardly smiled at him.

“……Hi.”

He whipped his head around as if he had seen something repulsive.

I stared at his back while thinking.

‘I’ll be waiting in the usual place.’

Yuriel, you chose Robia, didn’t you.

“……”

Without a word, Essen jumped up and began walking down the opposite side of the hill.

“W-Wait!”

I could just pretend I didn’t see him. Ours was a mutually uncomfortable relationship, nothing more.

“Where are you going?”

I chased after him. It was just as I had grabbed his wrist.

Suddenly, I was thrown by a strong force and fell on my butt onto the field.

“Goodness.”

I grabbed my stinging bottom and looked up at him. He seemed just as surprised because he was looking down at me stiffly.

“…..You shouldn’t have grabbed me.”

“You shouldn’t have left without saying hi.”

“Do we have the kind of relationship where we exchange greetings like that?”

“No, we don’t.”

When I grinned and reached out a hand, he gripped it, his jaw clenched.

He effortlessly pulled me to my feet. I brushed off the leaves on my skirts.

Ding!

Robia is suspicious about your reasons for wanting to meet Princess Yeldria. Sometimes, it may be advantageous to get the truth out.

A. Say you want to become her personal maid.

B. Say you want to beg forgiveness and get Robia.

C. Don’t say the reason.

Ultimately, this meant that the reason that Yuriel had gone to Robia wasn’t for his sake either. No matter how important the position of personal maid was, I couldn’t understand if it was necessary to be so cruel.

Then, I head Essen’s voice.

“You couldn’t possibly be thinking of reversing your decision from yesterday.”

He looked as if I would chase him out at any second.

It felt this real, so how was Yuriel able to continue seeing it as just a game? If I was able to do that too, would I have been able to kill Yuriel.

“Stay. However long you want. Until you yourself want to leave.”

“…….”

I clapped my hands.

“Since it’s like that, should we redefine our relationship from now on?”

“…….”

“You can’t be a ‘guest’ or a ‘captive’ or a ‘prisoner’ anymore.”

His mouth trembled. I saw him tense his jaw.

“What is the point when that is the reality?”

“Settle down in this country. I said that I would give you a position. You didn’t say to retract that offer.”

“Settle down? You cannot seriously think that’s possible-.”

“Isn’t that what you were trying to do by escaping?”

I splayed my fingers and stretched my hand towards Essen, palm up. He looked more than a little displeased by my smile.

“Pay up.”

“…….What?”

“Pay up and live here. If you don’t like that either, then this can be your workplace. Although that means you’ll have to find a place to live first.”

“You, do you even know what you’re saying right now?”

“Yeah.”

“What-“

“I’m saying that we no longer have anything between us from this point, that we’re back at the starting line. Of course, you’re not obligated to step over that line.”

“……..”

“I won’t deny everything that I’ve done up until this point. But you can’t kill me.”

I saw him clench his fist until it almost turned white.

“So just, bury it. Forget everything.”

I added, receding the smile from my face.

“Because I won’t forget, not even when I die.”

He stared at my face like he was trying to bore a hole in it. Like someone trying to uncover something.

“If you want to live with the person you love from now on, this will be good for-.”

“Is this all it was?”

He yelled, cutting me off savagely.

“…….”

Essen’s face crumpled like it was collapsing in on itself. His voice was rough enough to scrape his throat as it burst forth.

“It was only this much?”

Thick tears dripped onto the ground. I could see the bitterness and anger swelling up inside of him.

“Because of this!”

It was only then that I finally understood the meaning of his words. He was asking if I had pushed his homeland into ruin and mercilessly killed those who were precious to him for feelings that only ran this deep.

It was a heartbreaking question.

And it was one that I couldn’t answer.

In this palace where he was otherwise completely isolated, what had he thought while the princess toyed with him every night. She did it because she loved me too much. Clutching onto an explanation like that might have made him feel less wretched.

“……”

He must feel hollow. And resentful.

There was nothing to restrain him anymore, but there was also nowhere he could return to.

Right now, it probably wasn’t hatred for me, or love of Yuriel, that was flooding him, but sorrow. For the ones he’d sent ahead, for everything he had lost.

Essen wept wordlessly.

***

She’d almost fallen for it. Yuriel crooked her lips and smiled.

If it hadn’t been for the system window, she would have been completely fooled by his two-faced innocent act. Because when she had ardently confessed her love, Robia had looked like he understood, like he had fallen back in love with her.

“Not one time?”

She hadn’t heard the sound of his affection level rising even once.

Because of the previous incident, his affection level had completely reset. On top of that, his route was on the verge of termination. She had gone to him thinking she had nothing to lose but he had been cunning.

“Shit!”

Wasn’t this really such a shitty world? What was the point of having the system window when it didn’t even help. It was only useful for reading people’s mind at times like these.

And how long was she going to have to walk on eggshells while playing the servant? There’s no way! Me! This game’s MC!

Yuriel irritably bit her lip. Her perfect face twisted viciously.

“Isn’t it about time you accepted me now?”

Yuriel impatiently yelled into the air, tightening her fists.

That was when she saw.

A figure was walking her way from the end of the hall, head bowed. White blond hair and gentle features… That bitch’s concubine.

Yuriel smirked.

***

For a long time, we stood facing each other.

He had been holding back his tears for so long that now they flowed endlessly.

Finally, Essen asked,

“If I kill you, will I be at peace?”

You probably will. But I didn’t say anything. Because I didn’t want to die. I only watched him quietly.

Then, it happened. Essen furrowed his brows in confusion. His bloodshot red eyes focused on me.

And, his fingertips brushed the corners of my eyes.

“Why…..”

“…..”

“Why are you crying?”

Essen lifted his wet fingertips.

After hearing his words, I realized that I had been crying.

“You are…..”

“…..”

“Strange.”

“……”

“Why is it? You’re nothing like that woman.”

He said softly, in an imperceptibly rougher voice.

“……”

“I…. must have gone crazy.”

“…..”

“Answer me. Have I gone crazy?”

He coaxed me to tell the truth, his voice softening to a whisper.

“….I’m sorry.”

As I said the words, I realized that I shouldn’t have said them.

I couldn’t say them. But.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry….. I’m sorry.”

I was a mess as I cried, wiping away snot with the back of my hand.

“……Stop it.”

I gripped onto his shirt. Something hot clogged up my throat.

“I’m sorry…..”

“Stop. I said stop!”

He shouted and like a child, all I could do was cry and repeat the words.

Some of it was my sadness over my own miserable situation. A strange world. Strange people. I was scared. Afraid. Alone.

I felt that we were alike. Unfortunate people with no place to return.

If I’d only come to this place a little earlier, then at least you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t have to cry out of such anguish.

“Please, stop…..”

Essen grasped both my arms where I had been clutching his shirt. With difficulty, I swallowed back my tears.

I’m not here because I want to be either. I wanted to tell him everything and ask him to run away together. Even though I knew I couldn’t do that.

“Stop….”

Why were you sitting against a tree where I could see you?

Then, it happened.

“Essen? Where are you?”

It was Yuriel’s voice. Suddenly, I came back to senses.

Essen and I were awkwardly holding each other in a halfway crouch.

As Essen met my eyes, he took a step backward as if he’d only just realized the situation. My hands and arms were soon empty as they were released.

“Essen?”

Yuriel was approaching. With the hand I’d used to wipe my snot, I grabbed the lowest branch on the tree.

“What are you doing…”

With my back turned to Essen, I swiftly climbed up the tree. He knit his brows and looked up at me. He looked like he had a lot to say.

I met his eyes with my tear-stained ones. I brought my index finger to my lips.

“…….”

Essen looked back down. Facing away from me, Essen slowly wiped away the tear tracks from his face with his palms.

As he was doing that, I climbed up to a slightly thicker branch. I hid my body among the leaves. My heart was pounding like it was about to burst from my chest. I was almost afraid that they would be able to hear it down there.

But why had I hid?

Too late, I questioned my actions. In the moment, my head had been filled with the thought that I couldn’t be discovered. Because I had so defenselessly been myself, not the princess, in front of Essen.

When I sensed an unfamiliar presence, I curled up my body a little more.

“Yuriel.”

Yuriel found him standing tall underneath the tree. Yuriel walked over without hesitation and pulled Essen into her arms.

Essen lovingly and carefully supported her in his embrace more than anyone else. But he also looked a little awkward. It’s probably because of me.

While he had looked uneasy and unstable before, in Yuriel’s arms he seemed like he was finally regaining his calm. Oblivious to his state, Yuriel charged ahead with what she’d come to say.

“Sorry.”

“……”

“Did you wait long?”

“No.”

“What I wanted to apologize for was…”

“I know.”

“You know?”

Yuriel lifted her head and met his eyes.

“How do you know? Don’t lie when you don’t know.”

“Yuriel.”

“I’ll tell you when the time is right. Because you have the right. The reason I chose to stay instead of leaving.”

I couldn’t help myself and glanced down. The woman’s face held subdued glee. As if she was delighted to see the man so completely in the palm of her hand.

Yes, enjoy it. It’s not easy finding a man who likes you that much. It’s like he thinks he has multiple lives seeing as he’s always going on about giving it up. You’re all he cares about.

“So…. Wait for me.”

“Alright, I will.”

Without knowing it, I let out a snort before hurriedly covering both my nose and mouth. Even if Yuriel hadn’t heard, Essen probably did.

“Yuriel.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re all I need.”

He said quietly, like a spell, like a resolution to himself.

Ding!

Despite everything, he still chooses you! Congratulations, he has been reborn as your ally and loyal man who will never betray you. However, take heed! Excessive harassment may make him lose his feelings for you!

A. Say that it’s hard seeing him like this and ask to break up.

B. Thank him and have sex with him.

C. Immediately have sex with him.

D. Passionately have sex with him.

What? Do what now? Before that, what was up with those choices? This was insane.

I was so flabbergasted I was about to laugh.

You wouldn’t.

Would they really do it? With me here?

Even if she tried to do it, Essen would refuse knowing I was right above them.

He had to.

If he wasn’t a pervert.

….Suddenly, my confidence began evaporating. I remembered that these two weren’t trustworthy in the slightest.

Now that it had come to this point, I had to conclude for their own sakes that the best thing would be to break up.

It’s A. Choose A, Yuriel!

And Yuriel chose D.

I see how it is. You like passion, do you….

To the very end, this woman was resolved not to do anything that would help me.

Just like that, Yuriel grabbed Essen’s face with two hands and began to passionately suck on his lips. I hastily covered my eyes with both hands before carefully lowering them.

She had been groping his body but now she was slipping a hand into his shirt. The response was immediate. He drew in a deep breath and his body stiffened. I saw his shirt stretch tight and his muscles bulge.

Essen pulled her in by the waist hard. One hand reached down to grab her bottom.

“Mm. Here too…”

I went to cover my eyes again but instead covered my mouth, and watched as if in a trance.

Yuriel bit Essen’s earlobe, slid her hands over his chest and spread open his shirt.

“Wait.”

Essen faltered. That’s right! Remember your sense of decency!

But his weak refusal was thrown to the wind.

Yuriel swept the loose strands of her hair behind her ear and lowered her head to Essen’s chest.

“…..If someone sees.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Yuriel laughed, her eyes forming crescent moons.

“We don’t have to hide our relationship anymore, right?”

Yuriel’s face disappeared back between the folds of his shirt. For a fleeting moment, it felt like Essen quickly glanced up in my direction.

Is it my imagination?

Then as if he’d resolved himself, he pulled her in close with renewed determination.

He pulled off Yuriel’s maid uniform in one swift move. Was the maid uniform that easy to take off…… And so I had discovered Essen’s experience in an area that was useless to me. After that, things progressed quickly.

In the midst of all the fevered biting and sucking, the fact that I was hiding above them had long since faded into insignificance.

They were going at it like they actually wanted people to see. And I was the one suffering because of it.

It was all getting on my nerves so I turned over onto my back to look up at the sky. The branch shook dangerously, but it wasn’t enough to catch the attention of those who were shaking even more intensely below.

What am I doing right now.

I was looking up at the spotless sky and listening to something like the sound of clothes dropping, the sound of skin bumping and the intermittent sounds of those two damned people moaning.

Yes. I was truly having a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

***

Yuriel gasped and puzzled over the situation. It was because the person she was tangled up with was different from normal.

Normally, he wasn’t this urgent. He had always drawn things out and taken his time to…

But today he had been excited since the outset, his breathing was harsh.

As Yuriel let out a moan, Essen whispered in her ear,

“If you don’t lower your voice….. Everyone will hear you.”

“Hngh, I can’t, ah…..”

It was closer to a moan than words. Yuriel squeezed her eyes shut tight and continued to murmur.

“Ahh, mm, that feels good…..”

As if in response, Essen lowered his head to a place below her shoulders. He had been relentlessly biting and sucking for a while when he suddenly remembered the gaze that had been on him until just a moment ago.

Suddenly, the blood rushed to his brain. He took Yuriel even more wildly than before.

The two breezily departed from the scene of their groundbreaking feat, and a little while later, I was finally able to come down from the tree.

My mind blank, I just barely made it back to my room. Even though I had tried to escape in the middle a couple of times… since I had already hidden myself It was hard to judge when exactly was a good time to reveal my presence. Although it didn’t look like the two of them cared who saw them in the first place.

Outside the window, the sky was slowly being dyed red.

I’d only wanted to go for a walk, but instead I’d had a most precious experience. I was almost afraid what would happen the next time I went on a walk.

“….Nadricka?”

As I turned away from the window, I saw him. Nadricka was quietly kneeling some distance from me, next to the bed.

“What’s the matter?”

A shadow like the sky after sunset engulfed his face.

“Your Highness.”

He looked so unsettled that I rushed over to him. And I reached out a hand to bring him to his feet, but Nadricka grasped my ankle and bowed his head.

“…. What are you doing?”

“That woman touched me.”

When Nadricka raised his head again, his cheeks were wet with tears.

“That woman?”

I reflexively reached out a hand to wipe away his tears, but he flinched away from my touch and scrunched his body over.

“That woman, she…”

Even if you say that, I won’t understand.

Now that I thought about it, he believed I had lost my memories. Then why wasn’t he explaining himself?

Was it someone I had met recently?

One name immediately came to mind.

“Yuriel?”

Nadricka’s face darkened. I was right. Then, maybe, was Nadricka also a capturable target?

“… Did you sleep with her too?”

“No! I would never! It’s not like that!”

At my question, Nadricka’s body shook as if he were having a seizure. His tears scattered, sparkling where the light struck them.

Really, this man was even pretty while he was crying. It made me want to make him cry even more.

In any case, it seemed like it wasn’t that kind of relationship. Although I wasn’t sure if the capture just hadn’t started yet, or whether it was impossible in the first place.

“If it’s not that, are you saying that a mere servant dared to lay her hands on my concubine?”

Nadricka began to stammer out his reply as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

“I… everyone knows that even if I’m sexually harassed I won’t be able to tell you…. So everyone-.”

Did he just say. Everyone.

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why haven’t you been able to tell me until now?”

Nadricka stuttered out a reply.

“Because…. Because if I did, Your Highness would have killed me.”

Did that mean she would have thrown him away because he had been touched by another. The princess’s logic always exceeded my expectations. Then again, her worldview was such that not even a criminal would be able to keep up with her.

He looked up at me in desperation. His eyes caged by fear and signaling an earnest desire  for forgiveness and salvation.

In the end, I asked the question whose answer I most wanted to hear.

“Did you think that I wouldn’t kill you if you told me now?”

He replied then in a whisper, his voice thin and powerless.

“…. Yes.”

Like he said, the princess and I were different. At the very least I couldn’t easily kill people.

I knew that if I wanted to survive I had to erase myself and take on the guise of the princess. But a part of me had wanted to receive reassurance that ‘I’ was still here. I was afraid. Because there was nothing here to prove I had ever existed.

“Your Highness.”

Nadricka’s hand was covered in a cold sweat as he anxiously clung onto my ankle. His voice tumbled out, almost a sob.

“I am your highness’s. Aren’t I?”

His eyes were begging me not to say no.

You’re right, you are ‘Her Highness’s’. But, you’re not mine.

I gave him a small smile, but no reply.

“That woman… where did she touch you.”

“T-that….”

Without missing a beat I lowered my head, grabbed his chin, and kissed him. The sound of skin meeting skin then falling apart was audibly loud. Even I knew it had been an incredibly impulsive thing to do.

“……..”

His eyes opened wide. It must’ve been quite a shock because his lips parted slightly.

“Here?”

“Ah, I…”

Nadricka swallowed noisily. His eyes were no longer intent on analyzing my true intentions, and instead sparkled with a different emotion. He replied,

“I… I am not sure where.”

“Is that right?”

“That… if you do that more….. Then I think I might be able to remember.”

He wanted it. A little more. Something.

And I was, to my surprise, angry.

Even though he and I weren’t bound by anything. Had I become accustomed to his treatment of me.

Whatever the reason, I was truly furious. At the fact that someone had treated this man in that way. That they had dared lay their hands on him. Whoever it may be. Even if that someone was the princess.

“Where do you want me to do it for you?”

So asking, I knelt on one knee before him and met his eyes. I pulled his wrist to put his hand on my shoulder. And without missing a beat I lifted his face and kissed his ear and neck.

Nadricka shuddered and swallowed visibly. He clumsily brought up his arms to wrap them around my neck. I moved up again so that we were eye to eye. Just as we had tilted our faces and gotten close enough to feel each other’s breath, it happened.

“Your Highness.”

Someone was knocking on the door.

“My apologies. The young lord of Levanon suddenly-”

Before they could finish what they were saying, the door burst open. At first I furrowed my brow but then I gave Nadricka an easy smile and used my sleeve to dab at his eyes. The nape of his neck tasted like tears.

“My apologies, Your Highness! Hurry and drag him out! Now!”

I slowly stood up. Some naked man stumbled into the room and fell.

“What is the problem?”

The guards who had followed him in quickly seized him and knelt him before me.

“He was asking to see Your Highness so we tried to send him back peacefully, but even we couldn’t predict that he would suddenly run in…. We failed you. Please, punish us.”

“Enough. Take him and leave.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The hands that gripped the man and stood him up were not gentle.

“You! Who do you think you are!”

The man shook off the guards and fell in front of me again. Of course, he was immediately recaptured.

“Your Highness! Will you really continue to ignore me like this! Aren’t I your most favored concubine!”

“I don’t remember taking in a concubine like you.”

“Did you not say you would soon grant me the title!”

The princess had a habit of promising titles and using that as a pretext to drag men into bed.

“Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. Remove him.”

“Yes!”

“Your Highness! You can’t do this! No! There’s no way! You bastards! Who do you think I am! As soon as I become Her Highness’s concubine the first thing I’ll do is make sure your heads fly! Release me! Your Highness! Your Highness!”

“It wouldn’t do for my dignity as a princess to send him back so easily. Hold him overnight and release him in the morning.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The servants bowed out of the room, and the door closed again.

I could hear the sound of the man crying as he was being dragged away from the other side of the door.

…….Tch.

When they stood before me, everyone cried. As if they’d agreed to it beforehand.

It was probably the mark left by the princess.

I didn’t want to compliment it as some magnificent accomplishment. Since to her, ruining someone would have been all too easy.

In fact, it was a problem precisely because it was so easy. To hurt people.

Looking at it another way, a life where people laughed or cried with a wave of my hand was burdensome and nothing more.

I sighed, a little tired of it all. As I turned back around, I saw Nadricka standing politely.

I shot him a small smile as I approached him, smoothly bringing my arms around his neck. Nadricka awkwardly leaned over for me. I casually began caressing the back of his head.

A few moments later, I felt him soften and relax his weight into me. Stacked in my embrace, he shyly rubbed his cheek against me. The corners of my lips twitched up but I took care not to show it.

“Do you think that you shouldn’t be touched by others because you belong to me?”

“……”

“You belong to yourself.”

I had never expected to fall into this world beyond my imagination and be delivering such cheesy lines. Nevertheless, I was being sincere.

“You can do what you want, how you want.”

“But…”

Nadricka mumbled while snuggling deep into my arms.

“Whatever Your Highness doesn’t like, I don’t like either.”

The way his voice died a little at the end was so adorable that I almost couldn’t hold myself back. I had to make an effort not to squeeze him any tighter.

“I see.”

I quietly kissed the top of his head. Then I took a half step back. I gazed into his eyes which were a little fearful as though he were burdened by doubt. I said,

“Giving orders and having you follow them, I don’t want that.”

“……”

“I wish you could be a little more carefree and happy.”

“……”

Seeing his confused expression, the laughter snuck out from me before I realized it.

” What I’m trying to say is, whatever you don’t like I don’t like either.”

At those words, a smile slowly filled his face.  A smile like a flower in full bloom.

I sent Nadricka back. A day passed. It was time for me to show off my power as the princess. I didn’t want to keep playing it safe.

I asked for tea. The tea was flavorful. It tasted so good that I could imagine myself becoming a tea enthusiast despite having had zero interest in it before.

However, I slowly put down my tea cup. The maid who was waiting on me poured tea into my empty cup. I gazed up at her.

“How long have you been in this palace?”

Her face betrayed her bewilderment at my sudden question. Along with a hint of fear.

“It has been four years, Your Highness.”

“You’ve been here for quite a while.”

“….”

“I wonder if that’s why you thought you could look down on me.”

“Pardon?”

I sank back into my chair and tapped the armrests with my fingertips. As the silence continued, the maid’s complexion grew more ashen.

“You see, Your Highness! I was, what I mean to say is I was just -“

“Guards.”

The door flew open and around 15 armed guards burst into the room.

They lined up in a semicircle around the maid and me. With their visors down, it was impossible to read their expressions.

The maid’s hand that still held the teapot trembled. Because of that, tea leaked out and dripped onto the carpet. I became absorbed by the wet spots on the carpet. But finally, I lifted my gaze to meet the maid’s.

“There is something I want you to do for me. Will you do it?”

“Y-Your Highness! Please spare my life!”

Collapsed flat on the floor before me, the maid bowed her head.

********

In this world, or at least in this country, there was no detention center capable of holding a large number of criminals. Serious offenders were immediately executed while lesser offenders were temporarily detained in an empty holding cell before being whipped or tortured.

In other words, the royal family did not see the need to let criminals live any longer than was necessary. Since that also cost money.

As long as I had a reasonable enough excuse, I could have the heads of those who had sexually harassed my concubine mounted on the wall within a day.

Is that really what I wanted? I spent the night grappling with the question of their punishment.

“We have brought everyone.”

I sat on the dais at the end of the hall. In the large, open space before me maids, servants, and attendants knelt in rows. I saw Yuriel arrive very last.

When I promised her that I’d spare her life, that maid had confessed everything she knew. There were around 30 names. It seemed that the palace culture of sexually harassing the powerless had deep roots.

Their crimes were clear. However, I couldn’t say they alone were responsible.

They had probably followed the example set by their master, the ‘princess’.

It was easier because it was the palace of the ‘princess’ who had looked down on others and had made a habit of dragging people into her bed to harass them regardless of social status. Evil had flourished because silence and active encouragement were the norm.

“…..”

I didn’t speak a word to the servants, who had been brought here without being told why. I only stared at them. Not even the sound of someone swallowing could be heard in the hall.

Then the only door connecting to the outside closed with a final, heavy thud.

And before it, three armed guards stood guard. The rest of the guards flanked those who were kneeling, standing watchfully over them.

Once again, the claustrophobic silence took hold.

The gears whirred as the servants slowly assessed their predicament. And then they discovered the familiar faces around them.

Because the palace was so large, many of them worked in different wings and would normally never cross paths, but recognition dawned on their faces nevertheless. They did say that the ties between people who had done bad things together were stronger.

One by one, expressions of despair, fear, disbelief and shock began popping up among them. They had realized who exactly had been gathered here.

Despite this, I said nothing.

Right then, a young servant was unable to take it and burst into tears. I saw the person next to them clamp their hand over his mouth as if they were going to smother him.

One of the royal guards moved to check the time and approached to whisper into my ear. At that moment, another pair of guards came out from the curtain behind me, dragging the maid who had confessed.

Whimpers and sharp intakes of breath sounded from all around me. The silence was gradually crumbling.

I deliberately raised my hand. The guards surged forward at my signal. Instead of the swords at their hips, they lifted onto their shoulders the axes which they had been bracing on the floor.

Panicked screams echoed throughout the hall.

“Your Highness!”

“Please spare me! Your Highness!”

I propped my elbow on the armrest and rested my face in my hand. And I dropped my raised hand.

The guards were disciplined as they rushed at the first row of kneeled servants and dragged them forward one at a time. Those immediately behind them broke lines in terror and retreated backward.

The air was filled with weeping. A few even tried to make a run for the closed door before they were caught by other guards.

With that, the hall descended into chaos.

The royal guard by my side shouted,

“Your wrists! Put them out!”

“Ahh! Aah! No! You can’t do this, Your Highness! Your Highness! Please! Please! Your Highness!”

“Please spare me! I beg of you, spare…!”

The axes whooshed through the air as they were brought back towards the ceiling.

I once again lifted my hand.

At the same time, the axes slammed down, the blades embedding into the marble floor.

“Eek!”

“Uh, uhh…. huu, huuh?”

Their wrists were safe. They frantically scrambled out of the grip of the guards then slowly appraised the situation. Hope blossomed on their faces.

The guards had wrestled their axes out again and were now looking toward me. The eyes of everyone in the hall were focused on me. I smiled brightly and lowered my hand before gesturing with my chin to the area behind the curtain.

The guards didn’t hesitate before dragging the servants, still bound, beyond the curtain one at a time.

“Your Highness! I, I was wrong! Please spare me! Your Highness! No! N-No!”

“I don’t want to die! I said I don’t want to die! Let go of me! Let go!”

“Your Highness! Your Highness! This is unfair! Please, please! No! Your Highness!”

They threw their whole bodies into struggling, desperate not to be taken beyond the curtain. Seeing that sight, I felt worse than I had expected.

Luckily, I had woken up in the princess’s body, but what if it had been the opposite? If I had been one of them.

Sexual harassment was a serious offense, but if I took their lives then it wouldn’t be justice but something I’d been able to do because of the disproportionate power my status afforded me.

But I didn’t let them know what I was thinking.

Even after they had disappeared behind the curtain, their screams continued for a while. But then with the sound of something heavy falling, they fell silent. It was deathly quiet beyond the curtain.

Those remaining in the hall became aware of the sudden quiet and forgot to breathe. Soon, they too began to sob loudly, screaming for forgiveness.

I stood up from my seat. I left the hall.

The servants were trapped in the hall with the expressionless guards. Fear would slowly eat them up.

In truth, I had no plans of killing them. And there was no use giving a light punishment.

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So I had made up my mind to take the more difficult path.

As this had happened inside my palace, I was determined to return the servants to how they were, with my own hands.

I couldn’t only have the good parts of being the princess. Since I had used the princess’s authority and status, it was only right for me to take the burden of her sins as well.

At least for now. That is, if I wanted to live as the ‘princess’.