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Chapter 02
His Majesty always treated those around him with flawless kindness, but I found myself doubting that image.
They say dreams reflect one’s subconscious, yet my subconscious could never create such a pure, impeccably kind man.
Convinced there had to be a hidden side to him, I began both fangirling over His Majesty and observing him at the same time.
And on the 13th day of my devotion, I finally witnessed His Majesty’s shady side.
That sight—His Majesty, expressionless, burning the flower I had given him!
Just like that flower blazing in the sacred power from His Majesty’s hand, my heart burned fiercely as well.
“A handsome man with a nasty personality and a split persona… I love it so much……”
As an aside, I thought it was all just a dream.
If I’d known it was reality, I would never have gotten involved—just watched from afar.
A bad-tempered, two-faced man in real life?
That’s extremely dangerous.
Anyway, I wanted to confirm whether His Majesty was truly just acting the part of a kind emperor.
After that, I noticed a few more suspicious things, but they were only circumstantial—no solid proof.
So on the 17th day, I just went ahead and asked.
Whether his personality was originally bad.
Without any fear.
“…What do you mean by that?”
His Majesty set down his teacup and asked with a smile.
To others, it would have looked like the same gentle smile as always—but I noticed.
The right eyebrow, lifted subtly about four-fifths of the way.
The eye shape curved in a smile, yet the blue eyes themselves not smiling at all.
This was clearly a sign that my words had deeply irritated him.
Damn. Even this side of him is insanely sexy.
Feeling my heart pounding wildly, I clasped my hands together.
“Well, I’ve seen a few things. Like how you frown deeply when you’re alone, or how you ‘accidentally’ dropped the dessert you got from the Duke Panderyon’s daughter into the fountain. Oh, right! I also heard you cursing the Marquis Randette the other day! ‘That unlucky bastard!’ Wow, that was seriously the best! Could you curse at me just once too?”
Lord Seikan. Please let me go back in time just once.
So I can knock that girl unconscious and shut her up.
His Majesty listened silently to my long list of eyewitness accounts, then crossed his arms and leaned back against the chair.
Long legs crossed as well.
It was a posture that completely disregarded imperial etiquette.
And yet, his beauty and imperial dignity didn’t fade in the slightest, so it was still an impressive sight……
He looked at me with the same cold expression he’d worn when he burned my flower.
‘Is he about to curse at me? Ugh, my heart’s racing. Such a vivid dream… My subconscious, you’re really… commendable.’
Cheeks flushed and heart pounding, I faced His Majesty as he wore a scornful smile cold enough to rival Siberian winter and said,
“That’s interesting.”
And at that moment, I felt that something had gone terribly wrong.
They say when a person—no, when an animal—senses a threat to its life, its mind snaps sharply awake, right?
It felt as though the killing intent radiating from His Majesty had turned into a blunt weapon and struck the back of my head.
In other words, I began to doubt the reality of this world I’d never once considered real.
“Ha, ha. You find it interesting, right? I was just joking for Your Majesty’s sake. Well then, I enjoyed our tea time. I just remembered I have something to do, so I’ll be going!”
Fortunately, His Majesty didn’t stop me as I fled in a panic.
He only watched, with the face of a predator toying with its prey.
Returning to my bedroom in the Prodinta Palace, I began to objectively assess my situation.
Until now, I’d believed the reason this dream had lasted so long was that I’d become comatose, or was still unconscious in the ICU.
After all, I remembered being hit by a truck.
‘But that killing intent earlier was real.’
No matter how vivid a dream was, it couldn’t convey that level of murderous pressure.
‘Is this… not a dream?’
Needing certainty, I tried everything imaginable to wake myself up.
I slammed my forehead against the wall, jumped off the second-floor balcony, even performed a return ritual alone on the summoning circle where I’d first appeared, avoiding people’s eyes.
But no matter what I did, nothing changed.
All I learned was that my body was unbelievably sturdy, since I never suffered more than superficial injuries.
The conclusion was simple: this is not a dream.
‘Then everything I’ve been doing all this time… was real……?’
A cold wave swept over me.
That was the first time I understood what it meant for the mind to go completely blank.
What had the past few weeks been like?
Surrounded by the beauties of Zendal—the imperial palace was a garden of flowers—I’d been busy pouring out my desires right in front of them.
Telling them they were beautiful, that I felt like I’d come to heaven—spouting every cringeworthy compliment imaginable.
Even to His Majesty—.
“Your Majesty, could you send me a finger heart just once? You just bring your thumb and index finger together like this and tap it to your lips!”
……No wonder His Majesty had looked like he’d bitten into something foul back then.
What did I say to the emperor of the empire?
Go die, me. Just die.
How could I ever show my face again?
Believing it was a dream, I’d done all that to real people……
More than the unbelievable fact that I’d been summoned as a saintess to another world, the shame of my actions here was driving me insane.
After two days and nights of kicking my blankets in agony, I reached a conclusion.
‘I’ll apologize.’
Three days later, I burst out of my room with a resolve to be reborn and went around apologizing to everyone in the palace I’d wronged.
Everyone generously forgave my mistakes—except one person.
“Well, I’m not sure whether someone with a bad personality like me can accept the saintess’s apology.”
The His Majesty I faced after realizing this was reality was terrifying beyond words.
Do you know that atmosphere—where black aura seems to billow ominously behind a smiling face?
And yet, why was my foolish heart still racing in that moment?
‘You idiot who’s obsessed with faces……!’
“In the world you came from, it seems a verbal apology is enough for forgiveness. But isn’t that just an apology for your own peace of mind?”
Ugh. He was right.
“Then…… I don’t really have anything to offer, but as a sign of apology, maybe I could grant about three of Your Majesty’s requests……?”
At my proposal, His Majesty’s eyebrow twitched with apparent displeasure.
“Three?”
“Five…….”
“Five?”
“Si…….”
“Si?”
“……Ten…….”
“Sounds good.”
Yes. I caved.
With His Majesty’s satisfied smile, our temporary superior–subordinate relationship was established.
And so, for a while, I became His Majesty’s genie.
Most of his wishes amounted to training a lapdog.
Like asking me to find items that were never lost in the first place.
‘His personality is really awful!’
He was clearly venting the stress of hiding that personality onto me.
But since I was the one seeking forgiveness, I endured all that training without complaint.
I thought I’d finally be free after fulfilling the tenth and final request—“Receive His Majesty’s escort at the imperial banquet” (he was obviously planning to watch me struggle with an unfamiliar dress and laugh internally).
But then—
“Months have passed and I’m still being pushed around…….”
In the end, I went along with His Majesty’s wishes again.
Another complete failure of resistance.
Lying face-down on my bed, I buried my face in the pillow.
Late at night, unless I pulled the emergency cord, no one would enter my room.
“……His Majesty’s face today was incredible too.”
With no one to interrupt me, His Majesty’s daytime appearance floated vividly in my mind.
A perfect beauty sculpted by the gods—Alend Khan Leodius.
The temperature difference when those innocent, jewel-like blue eyes shifted into a gaze that said he was superior to everyone.
The low, ill-tempered voice spilling from those twisted red lips.
The silhouette of his enraged muscles I’d glimpsed during the sudden downpour still lingered in my memory.
Hiding a body like that under that face—wasn’t that just unfair?
His personality is bad, yes…… truly bad, but…….
“Ugh~ He’s too handsome! Handsome is everything!”
Unable to contain my overflowing devotion, I hugged my pillow and rolled around on the bed.
I don’t want to be toyed with by His Majesty, but I want to look at that face for the rest of my life……
“But psychologically, I’m the subordinate here.”
Once established, a power imbalance doesn’t collapse so easily.
“There isn’t any way not to be pushed around, is there?”
“Hufferson. Is the door locked?”
“It is locked.”
“Then let’s head home. It’s hard for carriages to travel once the sun sets.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work today as well, Priest Raul.”
“You too. Let’s go.”
Only after the footsteps of Raul and Hufferson faded outside the building did I reveal myself in the corridor they’d left behind.
‘No more footsteps inside the building. Do the guards only patrol outside?’
Perfect.
Smiling, I looked at the door in front of me.
A massive iron padlock hung from the latch of the thick wooden door, whose surface was carved with ornate patterns.
The shackle was as thick as an adult’s finger—clearly impossible to break without a key.
‘But this isn’t my real objective.’
I turned the corner beside the door and walked down the corridor.
The secret passage I’d overheard about last time was this way.
At the end of the hall, I drew the sword from a knight’s armor on display and slid it into a crack in the wall.
“Just like they said—the wall slides back and a secret door appears.”
I opened the door and stepped inside.
What appeared before me was a small chapel owned by the imperial family.
Intricately carved marble pillars, murals painted with gold-infused pigments.
Everywhere my eyes landed was the height of splendor—but that wasn’t what mattered now.
I climbed onto the dais at the front of the chapel.
On the marble altar lay a transparent, square object.
A cube about the size of my palm.
I placed my hand on top of it.
With a low humming startup sound, the transparent cube darkened, and white letters surfaced on its face.
[Measuring the amount of holy power.]
