Chapter 4

“If that’s an Imperial carriage, could it be…?”

I slowly shifted my gaze toward the approaching carriage.

If the Second Prince, Fried, was inside, I’d finally get to see the original male lead in person.

Caw—!

The moment my feet touched the ground, the cry of a crow echoed through the air.

An ominous sign.

At the same time, reflected in the carriage window wasn’t the male lead’s dazzling blond hair—

But hair as black as a shadow.

“Your Highness Damian. We’ve arrived.”

The Imperial coachman bowed respectfully.

The instant I heard the name of the villain I’d sworn to avoid ever since realizing I’d transmigrated, my entire body stiffened.

Damian Ivelrn.

The First Prince, born to the Empress, whose extraordinary beauty had become legend after her untimely death.

Having inherited her appearance, Damian possessed jet-black hair and crimson eyes—the very image of a breathtakingly handsome man.

But behind that beauty lay a darkness no one knew.

As a child, he’d watched his mother wither away day after day inside the Imperial Palace after being unwillingly made Empress simply because she had caught the Emperor’s eye.

The trauma had left scars that would never fade.

She had been the daughter of a fallen noble house near the border.

Imagine how mercilessly the great aristocrats of the capital must have tormented a woman like her after she suddenly became Empress.

She had only ever known how to tend to her peaceful countryside estate and devote herself to nature and the Goddess.

That gentle woman eventually wasted away and died.

Damian wasn’t even five years old.

Growing up while watching that tragedy unfold, he became obsessed with obtaining enough power to protect his own life.

That power…

The position of Crown Prince.

And in the end, he even started a rebellion to obtain it.

Of all the people I least wanted to meet…

It had to be him.

Still, etiquette existed.

I couldn’t simply turn around and flee the moment I saw an Imperial carriage.

Especially not as a member of House Heron, whose family had served as loyal knights of the Imperial Family for generations.

Maintaining perfect decorum, I watched Damian step down from the carriage.

The breeze ruffled his slightly wavy black hair.

His crimson eyes were sharp and clear, showing not the slightest trace of drowsiness.

Damian gave the impression of a single ember that had survived inside a field reduced to ashes.

His tightly pressed lips radiated an unwavering determination to never abandon his goals.

For a brief moment…

His beauty almost made me forget he was the villain destined to plunge the Empire into rebellion.

No wonder several noble ladies had asked their fathers to arrange marriages with him.

If Damian himself hadn’t decided to avoid every woman until the struggle for the position of Crown Prince ended—simply to avoid unnecessary scandals—

He would probably already be married.

But appearance was only appearance.

His face was beautiful enough to make people forget to breathe.

His personality…

Was absolutely awful.

As if proving my memory correct, his cold voice rang out.

“You’re the daughter of House Heron?”

Perhaps because no one else was nearby…

There was unmistakable hostility in his tone.

“My apologies for greeting you so late, Your Highness.”

“I am Levy Heron.”

Damian let out a short laugh.

“So…”

“You weren’t late because the one stepping out of the carriage wasn’t the Second Prince you were hoping to see?”

…

Honestly…

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

I had been wondering what I’d do if I encountered Fried.

Damian was also highly accomplished in martial arts.

With eyesight as sharp as his, he had probably noticed the instant disappointment that flashed across my face when I realized the person before me wasn’t the original male lead but the final villain.

Besides…

There was another incident that made his conclusion perfectly reasonable.

Levy Heron once fainted after secretly staring at Fried during an Imperial ball.

Even before then, Levy had rarely attended Imperial events because of her poor health.

After that embarrassing incident, she used her illness as an excuse to avoid going out even more.

A defective knight who couldn’t even fulfill her family’s role had collapsed while trying to admire the prince she secretly loved.

The gossip among high society must have been merciless.

…Why am I the one feeling embarrassed?

In any case…

Because of that incident, Damian believed the heir of House Heron was hopelessly in love with Fried.

In fact…

On the day he launched his rebellion, when Levy stood before him defending the Imperial Palace, he had asked her this:

“Levy Heron.

Would you even die for Fried?”

From Damian’s perspective, it made perfect sense to be wary of me.

Thinking about it…

I probably looked exactly like countless other nobles.

People who claimed to serve the Imperial Family equally…

While secretly supporting Imperial Consort Iselda and her son, the Second Prince Fried, simply because they held overwhelming political influence.

Realizing that…

I could understand why Damian treated me so coldly.

But the current me had absolutely no intention of coveting the Second Prince.

If I wanted to avoid dying like a stray dog beneath the rebel army’s blades…

I had to make it clear to Damian that I wasn’t Fried’s ally.

I’d have to find the best way to do that eventually.

As for the current situation…

Right.

“Cough… cough.”

I forced out several fake coughs.

Fortunately, Levy Heron’s image as a sickly young lady made my terrible acting far more convincing.

“My apologies.”

“I was simply so excited to finally attend the Academy’s entrance ceremony that I failed to notice my surroundings.”

“Finally attending?”

“Yes.”

“My enrollment was postponed for a year because of my health.”

“…”

Damian fell silent.

Perhaps because his own mother had died young from illness…

For just a moment, he seemed to see her reflected in me.

Taking advantage of that pause, I continued.

“And…”

“This may sound rather foolish…”

“But I’ve spent so much time looking at the painting hanging in our estate…”

“…that it took me a moment to connect the child in that picture with the grown man standing before me.”

At that instant…

The same painting probably appeared in both our minds.

The late Empress smiling brightly.

Young Damian beside her.

My own mother…

Still healthy then.

Little me.

Several noblewomen of similar age.

Their children.

The Imperial painters had casually painted the scene of a lakeside picnic held years ago.

It wasn’t as though the painting captured some special memory shared only between Damian and me.

There had been far too many people present.

Even so…

After Damian reclaimed the Imperial Palace following his rebellion…

It had been the very first painting he searched for.

The novel never explained why.

But…

It was probably because that picnic had been the last happy memory he shared with his mother.

Her condition worsened rapidly afterward.

She passed away not long later.

Whatever the reason…

It was clearly precious to him.

And House Heron still possessed one of the original sketches from that picnic.

That was the second part of my plan.

I wasn’t trying to win his affection.

That would be impossible.

Damian guarded himself too thoroughly.

But no matter how cold he appeared…

He was still human.

Surely I could appeal to the emotions everyone possessed.

If he eventually began his rebellion…

Perhaps he’d hesitate before cutting me down in a single stroke.

And if I could also convince him that I wasn’t a lovesick follower of Fried…

But simply someone loyal to the Imperial Family as a whole…

That would be even better.

Just as I’d expected…

Recalling that memory of his mother softened Damian’s expression.

“You’ve got quite the talent for talking your way out of things.”

“After all these years…”

“Surely your childhood memories are hazy by now.”

“…”

“I wasn’t planning to punish a young lady simply because she lowered her head a little late after discovering the prince she adored wasn’t the one stepping out of the carriage.”

The frost in his voice had lessened.

Only slightly.

The subtle mockery remained.

Yes…

He really was the villain.

Seeing that he still believed I was the kind of noble lady who loved Fried so much she’d faint just from making eye contact with him…

I couldn’t help offering a timid defense.

“I only fainted that day because the ballroom was so crowded that I couldn’t breathe.”

“No need to make excuses.”

“It must have been quite the fever if House Heron’s sword collapsed like that.”

He smiled again, as if to show he was merely joking, then walked past me.

“Levy Heron.”

“I’ll remember that you entered the Academy this year.”

*

Although my encounter with Damian had been completely unexpected…

It seemed I’d somehow survived it.

I arrived at the cathedral where the entrance ceremony was being held and took my assigned seat.

A High Priest who had walked all the way from the Grand Temple to the Academy for the occasion spoke in a solemn voice.

“May the Goddess’s blessings be upon everyone gathered here.”

Folding my hands together like a devout believer, I listened to the prayer while secretly opening one eye to glance toward Damian.

Wow…

He really manages his public image perfectly.

The Damian sitting there now looked like an entirely different person from the man who had shown me his sharp tongue moments earlier after making sure no one else was around.

Even though his broad shoulders and muscular build clearly made his clothes uncomfortable…

His shirt was buttoned neatly all the way to the collar.

Anyone seeing him would believe he was the model of a pious believer.

Eyes gently closed.

Listening attentively to the High Priest’s sermon.

He looked as though an exceptionally talented sculptor had carved him from marble.

Even those who whispered that Damian had been born on the day demons descended upon the world…

Those who called him cursed…

Would have no choice but to remain silent while looking at his composed appearance.

Who would believe…

That such a noble-looking man is actually the obsessive secondary male lead in an adults-only novel—the most promiscuous and unrestrained one of them all?

The gentle, compassionate smile he showed before everyone…

Was completely different from the expression he’d worn when confronting someone he believed to be one of Fried’s supporters.

Seeing firsthand how perfectly Damian concealed his true personality beneath a flawless public image…

Only reinforced my decision.

It’s best to stay just friendly enough that he won’t kill me in one strike.

That didn’t mean I intended to become one of Fried’s closest followers, either.

My goal was simple.

Help Fried and the original heroine meet as quickly as possible…

Then quietly withdraw from all political conflict.

A neutral house like Heron would only end up bleeding if it became entangled in the fierce struggle between Imperial factions.

Completely unaware of the thoughts running through my head…

Damian looked toward the statue of the Goddess with a gentle smile.

“Goddess…”

“Grant us peace and blessings.”

Not a trace remained of the sarcastic tone he’d used when we were alone.

And yet…

That man pretending to be so pure is actually an absolute beast in bed.

He ends up using the heroine as a source of holy power, gradually becomes obsessed with her body… and then the novel spends well over a hundred pages describing exactly where that leads…

I don’t know who’ll end up stuck with someone so completely different behind closed doors…

But I already feel sorry for them.

What terrible sin must they have committed in their previous life?

At the time…

I had no idea.

That before long…

The one who would calm the lust consuming Damian…

By kissing him…

Would be me.