Chapter 1
“Hmm…”
The comforting embrace of a warm blanket, the bright sunlight streaming in, and a pleasant scent tickling her nose. Even in her slumber, Saydin wished fervently not to wake.
How long had it been since she’d had such a blissful dream? For “Saydin Herace,” who had endured constant humiliation for her near lack of magical power, such a moment was a first in her life.
But amidst her half-conscious state, her eyes fluttered open. A strange ceiling, one she had never seen before, filled her vision.
The ceiling, adorned with lavish gold and silver embellishments, was dazzling to the point of overwhelming.
It was then that something large and warm stirred beside her. The bed was so vast that she hadn’t even realized someone else was there. Saydin, now gazing blankly at the exposed back of that “someone” lying next to her, parted her lips slightly in shock.
Blinding sunlight. A clouded mind. An unfamiliar room. And the broad, muscular back of an unknown man.
There was only one possible explanation.
‘Did I possess someone again and get into trouble with some man?’
Her companion interrupted her absurd thoughts before she could delve any further. The man turned toward her, as though he had sensed she was awake.
The hazy fog clouding Saydin’s mind cleared instantly like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over her. Because the man lying next to her—the stranger—was him.
‘Luan?! Th-then we absolutely shouldn’t have done anything?!’ Saydin’s face went pale as the pieces clicked together.
In her previous life as Lee Su-ah, she had met an untimely end in a sudden accident. Now, she possessed Saydin Herace and carried the heavy burden of knowing this world’s secrets. She knew how the story ended in the novel The Flower of Despair.
And its ending was grim. The male lead, unable to control the divine power raging within him, exploded and died, leading the entire world to destruction.
‘Which means, Luan, you can’t be lying here with me! To avoid the bad ending, you need to be with the female lead!’
Just as her frantic thoughts overwhelmed her, Luan softly spoke to her.
“You’re awake, Princess.”
Saydin blinked, dumbfounded. Then, staring at the man’s bare chest so shamelessly filling her view, she stammered.
“W-why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
“Hmm? Does that matter?”
“Of course, it matters!”
Even amidst her flustered state, Saydin’s mind raced furiously. She finally managed to recall the events of the previous day.
Luan ended the empire’s civil war and crowned himself emperor. Then, he had launched an assault on her kingdom—obliterating an entire mountain range in the process! He then stormed the royal palace. The heads of her half-siblings, the king, and everyone else rolled around. And then… she had fainted.
‘Is this real?! Did all of this happen in just one day?’
As if unaware of her spiraling thoughts, Luan spoke gently.
“After you fainted, I brought you to my chambers to care for you.”
“Y-your chambers…?”
Saydin shuddered involuntarily. Just then, Luan, who had been reclining with his well-defined chest in full view, straightened his upper body. The movement revealed sculpted abs connected to his broad chest, and the sight made her squeeze her eyes shut.
‘N-no! How can even your abs be attractive?! Curse this ridiculously perfect male lead!’
“Aagh!”
“Princess? What’s wrong?”
Startled by Saydin suddenly clutching her chest and squeezing her eyes shut, Luan’s previously relaxed demeanor vanished as his eyes widened. Without hesitation, he threw off the covers. The gesture only exposed more of his impressively toned upper body, making Saydin cover her eyes with her hands and cry out.
“Wh-why are you taking your clothes off? And why is your body so good-looking?!”
As Saydin, with a face red like a beet, began rambling incoherently, Luan tilted his head quizzically.
‘Hmm.’ His sharp, serpent-like eyes, laced with a strange warmth, gleamed as he watched her reaction. Without realizing it, a faint smile tugged at his lips as he casually pulled the blanket down further. Saydin, still half-covering her face, caught the movement from the corner of her eye and immediately burst into an even greater fuss.
“Wait! You drag a strange woman into your bed! Then you strip down like it’s no big deal! And y-your body’s too good, and your face is unfairly handsome! Don’t you think someone might misunderstand? H-how can you be so shameless?! Your Majesty, I’m deeply disappointed!”
“I’m relieved, Princess.”
Luan’s solemn voice, made her snap. Peeking out from between her fingers, Saydin narrowed her eyes before shouting.
“Why?!”
Luan did his best to contain himself. She was just so endearing that he felt like he was about to burst into laughter.
“Because you used to like my face and still do.”
“….”
Seydin kept her mouth shut. She worried that careless words would expose her true feelings. The truth was, she did like him—his face, more specifically. Ever since the first time she saw the young Luan, when he was captured as a war prisoner by the Herace Kingdom.
“Ah. You also like my body now, right?”
“I most certainly do not!?”
Even though Luan hadn’t intended to tease, Saydin immediately denied his words, her face flushing red. It was as if his words had pierced her heart with pinpoint accuracy, making her feel as though she’d been jabbed in the chest.
Seeing her reddened cheeks, Luan smiled softly. But then, suddenly, his expression turned stern. A delicate expression, unsuited to his strong features, flickered across his face briefly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I apologize.”
“Mh?”
The words were completely unexpected. True, she was struggling to grasp the situation. Yet, given Luan was the one who had brought her unconscious body to the empire and laid her in his bed, it made his apology feel a bit… absurd.
Perhaps Saydin’s confused thoughts were visible on her face because Luan gave her a bittersweet smile and explained.
“While seizing the palace, I dared to ask for your help, Princess. Even though I wasn’t truly hurt. And because you used your healing power, it caused you to faint.”
Saydin, flustered, burst out,
“What??! You weren’t even actually hurt?!”
Indeed. Luan, who took down the palace, had only crouched over briefly. Seeing that, she couldn’t stop herself from rushing to him—just as she had as a child. Back then, he was just a boy, captive by the kingdom, who needed care and comfort.
And seeing how desperately she tried to heal him with powers that weren’t even effective…
Saydin’s eyes widened in surprise as he realized why she had fainted. Luan’s guilt increased as he witnessed her reaction. Consumed by the weight of his misdeeds, he tried to plead for redemption.
“I acted wrongly because I was greedily trying to gain your attention, Princess. Please, forgive me.”
“Hmm.”
Saydin furrowed her brow, her gaze fixed on Luan’s repentant figure. She tried to recall the exact situation before she fainted. After a moment, she spoke firmly.
“No.”
“Princess?”
“I clearly saw the cut on your finger. Sure, clutching your chest might have been an act, but the sword wound wasn’t a lie, was it? Why is it that, even now, Your Majesty can’t seem to tell the truth?”
“….”
“You were like this even back then. Whenever you got hurt, I told you to let me know. I said I’d help—I’d heal you, but you always refused to take off your clothes.”
Saydin sighed deeply.
Yes, dying after being hit by a bus a decade ago and waking up inside a tragic novel was pitiful, but so was Luan’s past.
As a child, he was dragged around the royal palace, used as a test subject under the guise of divine power research. Eventually, he was dragged to the room of the ostracized princess, who was mistreated for her lack of magical aptitude.
‘To think he ended up in my room, the lowest of the palace hierarchy, who was treated no better than a lab rat.’
Remembering those times filled Saydin’s heart with an ache she couldn’t shake.
‘Right. Even when I offered to heal him, he avoided me like I was some kind of threat. It hurt so much to see him like that.’
Reading about it in the novel and actually witnessing the tormented boy’s suffering firsthand were two entirely different things.
As memories of the past resurfaced, Saydin bit her lip, the emotions she had suppressed threatening to spill over. Without realizing it, she reached out and placed her hand gently on Luan’s bare forearm.
“So, don’t lie anymore. If Your Majesty’s hurt, I’ll heal you. Just like I did back then.”
“…I see.”
Luan placed his hand on Seydin’s warm hand and spoke softly.
“Thank you, Princess. As expected, you are truly wise.”
“That’s right.”
‘Uh-huh. I am~’ Saydin thought as she nodded firmly. After all, surviving in this mess of a world proved as much.
Seeing her earnestly nodding, Luan smiled slightly and said,
“It’s only right to be honest in front of the woman you like.”
“….”
“From now on, I’ll be straightforward about wanting your attention, Princess.”
“W-wait, Your Majesty—”
“While I’m at it, may I call you by your name, Princess? It’s been my lifelong wish.”
Luan spoke with deep longing, as though he were exposing his soul. His burning gaze, brimming with unrequited longing, made Saydin instinctively pull her knees closer together.
‘This is not the time! Stay sharp! Why are we sitting on a bed together? And why is he half-naked?! Aaarrgh!’
Something had gone very wrong. Saydin swallowed nervously. Sure, she might have been the lone survivor of this wretched kingdom, but this situation was too much to handle.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she flailed her hands wildly—her hand now firmly gripped in Luan’s—and stammered out,
“Hold on! I don’t know what kind of situation this is, but y-you absolutely cannot call me by my name! My education may be lacking, but I at least know that, according to imperial customs, unmarried adults cannot address each other so casually!”
“But it seems you don’t know the most important part.”
“…What part?”
“Under imperial custom, those who have promised to marry may call each other by their first names.”
