🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER 02
Instead of denying it, I flat-out admitted it, and the guy’s pupils trembled like a flag caught in a fierce wind.
“What did you just say?”
That’s what you get for poking a sleeping lion’s nose hair…
“The truth is, I think I have amnesia.”
“There’s such a disease in the Empire?”
“Uh-huh. When someone experiences a shock, they can lose their memories.”
No patient in the world can diagnose their own condition that accurately.
“Is it serious?”
I really thought he wouldn’t fall for it…
He flinched and quickly withdrew his hand from my forehead, stepping back. I stared into his frightened blue eyes and slowly nodded.
“…Of course it is.”
“Serious enough that I have to take responsibility?”
He swallowed hard and looked straight at me with trembling eyes. Then, as if my gaze made him uncomfortable, he began twitching awkwardly like a broken robot. He looked absolutely terrified.
Did I go too far with a kid?
“Hey, taking responsibility doesn’t have to be a big deal.”
“You just said you got some rare disease because of me. And you’re saying you don’t want anything in return?”
“Exactly. All I want is for you to say, ‘I’m sorry I knocked you over.’ That’s enough.”
“I’m sorry I knock—…”
Just when I thought we were about to reconcile, the boy suddenly glared at me with hostility.
“Wait a second. Why should I apologize?”
“Because you hurt me.”
“You’re trying to deceive royalty, aren’t you?”
As he trembled, I blinked deliberately and tilted my head.
“I really did lose my memory.”
“You think I’ll fall for that act again? You were trying to seduce me from the start! Even now, you’re pretending to have amnesia so you can follow me!”
I had been acting like a full-grown adult just a moment ago, but now I was so stunned I couldn’t even close my mouth. Me, seduce this little punk?
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Just then, I felt someone watching us. What is this weird sense, like I just got caught using my phone during class?
I glanced toward the window uncomfortably, but saw nothing.
“Why aren’t you answering me?!”
The boy, now fully irritated, pressed on with his interrogation. I muttered in a low voice, frowning.
“This is so ridiculous and unfair that it’s not even worth responding to.”
“If you’re so innocent, prove it. Prove you weren’t following me, and I won’t report your crime to my father.”
The arrogance on his face made my chest twist like tangled vines.
“As if. It’s all lies anyway, so of course you can’t prove it.”
His openly suspicious gaze really started to get on my nerves. I didn’t want a dream like this. It wasn’t even a sweet dream where I was hanging out with the adorable Roelin…
After scanning the hallway, I pointed toward the most familiar-looking room with my index finger.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You said to prove it, right? I was on my way to that room for a reason.”
Honestly, I just wanted to win the argument. Petty, I know.
When I brushed aside his hand and approached the door, his blue eyes wavered like a candle in the winter wind. Then, seemingly entranced, he followed me and grabbed my arm tightly.
“Th-there’s no r-room that way!”
This had to be one of Recanon’s tricks. There’s a door—how could there not be a room?
“Well, we’ll find out once I open it, won’t we?”
As I stubbornly reached for the doorknob, he began trembling with panic.
“Stop right there! T-That’s an order! Y-You mustn’t open that door!”
“Weren’t you the one who asked me to prove it?”
The boy—who had insisted he was Recanon—began trembling at the lips as I tightened my grip on the handle.
Suddenly, he clamped his hand over mine to stop me.
“You dare open that door?! His Majesty said anyone who enters without permission will not escape death!”
“Waaah! Waaah!”
Out of nowhere, the sound of a crying baby came from behind the door. Recanon, who had just been trying to intimidate me, froze in shock.
Click.
Despite his warning, the tightly shut door creaked open. I swear—it wasn’t my doing this time.
The room beyond the door was a lavish bedroom I knew all too well.
I’d seen it so often in the game that it felt as familiar as my own bedroom. No doubt about it—this was Roelin’s secret chamber.
Her official bedroom was marked by ornate designs on the door, but her secret room was different.
According to the game, this one was hidden at the end of an unused hallway and accessed through a plain, unremarkable door.
‘Could this be a coincidence?’
It was so stunning, I almost forgot it was a dream. The golden bed where Roelin lay had a sun emblem studded with green gems, and seeing it in person, its opulence was beyond words.
Even the game’s description of sunlight pouring through the large window had been an understatement.
‘It’s like God personally gave Roelin a spotlight!’
From every angle, this was way higher quality than the game I played. The feeling was surreal.
“Roelin!”
Recanon rushed past me and dashed into the room.
Just like the “Crying Princess” character in the game, Roelin sat inside, sobbing pitifully.
‘I could almost believe all of this is real…’
As I stood stunned, Recanon glared at me and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
“Where did she go?”
He looked around the room, clearly searching for someone, then shot me a deadly look.
His suspicious stare made me tense.
“Is there a problem?”
“This room was created to protect Roelin from assassins. It doesn’t make sense that there’s no guard stationed here. Also, didn’t you say you had ‘business’ in this room earlier?”
That’s when I instinctively realized—something was seriously wrong.
So the secret room existed to keep Roelin safe from assassins? I thought it was just a sign of her doting father’s overprotectiveness…
“Haha. I must’ve gotten the rooms mixed up.”
Sure, I really did want to see Roelin. But even in a dream, I had no intention of dying for the crime of attempting to assassinate the female lead.
I took a small step back, ready to run if necessary, and Recanon stepped toward me.
“Now that I think about it, the fact that you even knew about this room is suspicious.”
‘Okay, I admit it. That does sound sketchy. But this is just a dream, right? It’ll be fine… right?’
“I didn’t know it was the Princess’s room. I thought it was an unused space. Who’d guess that a room with no guards was a royal bedroom?”
“Unless you already took care of the guards.”
“How would a noble lady like me even do that? I’ve been with you this whole time.”
I really wanted to run in and hug Roelin, but… retreating seemed like the wiser move.
Nothing good could come from stirring up a hornet’s nest. That was my conclusion.
Recanon suddenly snapped.
“Where do you think you’re going? Get in here.”
“What?”
“We’ll find out what you’ve done—or haven’t done—by watching. So get in here and stay.”
I hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly stepped into the bedroom under his sharp gaze.
I’d only taken a few steps when I stopped in front of a full-length mirror on the right-hand wall.
‘What the—?! What is this? What happened to me?’
The reflection in the mirror wasn’t me. I mean, it was me, because I was moving, but… it wasn’t what I expected.
The pretty girl in the mirror had rose-pink hair and turquoise eyes, her baby fat not fully gone yet.
With her youthful face and a luxurious pink dress, she was clearly the daughter of Count Elufe Inperna, all dolled up.
‘Why am I dreaming about being her? Ugh, gross.’
Count Elufe Inperna’s daughter was the sole villainess and main obstacle to Roelin in both the original novel and the game.
She was the one who tried to assassinate Roelin with poison. I hated her character—no, everyone hated her.
“Regret it now? Did your family preemptively deal with the guards too?”
“Isn’t that jumping to conclusions?”
“With House Inperna, it’s not that far-fetched.”
As Recanon stared me down with suspicion, I let out a sigh and turned away, overwhelmed.
He wasn’t entirely wrong. Even I used to suspect Elufe Inperna every time something bad happened in the story.
“Can you stop imagining weird things? I’m confused enough as it is.”
Ugh. Kid, I just now found out I’m playing the villainess in my own dream.
“Isn’t causing misunderstandings your hobby anyway?”
Sure, that was Elufe’s image in the game. But still—my hobbies are my business.
“Accusing someone without proof isn’t fair.”
“Haah? The fact that you claimed to have business in this room is already suspicious. So no—I’m not falsely accusing you.”
