Chapter 1

When she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

That was a lie.

When she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar execution platform.

And it seemed to be greeting her.

“Hello. I’m the execution scaffold, and your neck is about to be tied to me.”

Just like that.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

No matter how hard she pounded on the iron bars, it was useless. The strangers outside merely looked at her as though she were an annoying nuisance.

“Thirty minutes remain until your execution, Lady Yoidel. May the blessings of God be with you in your next life.”

“I keep telling you, I’m not Yoidel!”

“Pretending you’ve lost your memory won’t reduce your sentence. Please, be quiet!”

“We cannot release you, but if there’s a final meal you’d like, tell us. His Holiness has granted you at least that much mercy.”

“To show kindness to such a heinous criminal… Ah, truly, His Holiness is worthy of the Sacred Throne.”

The contempt in their voices nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back.

“It’s all a misunderstanding! I really didn’t attack His Holiness! Because I’m—”

“Ha, that excuse again?”

The judges, who had likely heard that tearful plea hundreds of times before, shook their heads firmly. Their eyes were as cold as towering walls of ice.

“Everyone begs for their life just before an execution.”

“Exactly! Then you understand how I feel!”

“Life and death are fated. You should humbly accept the course of life.”

As if offering prayers before an ancestral altar, they folded their hands in solemn devotion before turning their backs without hesitation.

“Do I seriously look like I’m reflecting on my life? Hey! Wait! Don’t go!”

“There isn’t much time left. May blessings be with you.”

Clang!

The iron door slammed shut.

She was left alone in the darkness.

Utterly alone.

“I really amn’t Yoidel… What am I supposed to do…?”

She stared at the shackles around her wrists as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was frustrated, wronged, and unable to explain herself. It was enough to drive anyone insane.

All she’d done was go to sleep like normal.

How had things ended up like this?

She had one hobby.

Reading fantasy novels before bed.

The novel she’d recently finished was no exception.

It told the story of a kind, compassionate male protagonist blessed with both extraordinary abilities and breathtaking looks.

A fantasy without romance.

The hero ruled the Holy Kingdom of Palladium.

Stepping into that magical world through its pages had always filled her with excitement and joy.

Watching him overcome impossible odds with his incredible powers had made her heart race.

Yes.

That had all been wonderful.

But who said she wanted to be thrown into the story?

And as the villain, no less!

I’m… Yoidel?

Among the countless villains, the extra named Yoidel was particularly unusual.

She was a stalker who loved the Holy Emperor to an unhealthy degree.

And…

She was actually a woman who had lived her entire life disguised as a man.

That secret wasn’t revealed until after her execution.

“I don’t want to die…”

“I’m scared.”

Yoidel crouched in the corner of the cell and stared into a puddle of water.

Sunlight streamed through the tiny window overlooking the distant execution platform, reflecting her appearance.

Brilliant pink hair.

Crimson eyes as poisonous as venom.

It was exactly how Yoidel had been described in the novel.

If I could just meet the male lead… maybe he’d listen to me.

If this truly was the world of the novel she’d read…

If she could somehow meet its protagonist…

She could at least beg for mercy.

He was the ruler of this Holy Kingdom.

A man described as warm, compassionate light itself.

Wouldn’t he at least hear her out?

…No.

Who would help someone who tried to kill them?

He’d probably think she was insane.

After all, she had been imprisoned for attempting to assassinate the Holy Emperor himself.

Just what had the original Yoidel done?

Thirty minutes remained.

Every passing second brought death closer.

She didn’t have time to keep thinking.

At this rate…

She was really going to die.

“Ah!”

Yoidel suddenly remembered what they’d said earlier.

A single act of mercy.

She immediately began hammering on the bars again.

“I’ve decided what I want to eat.”

“…Yes?”

“If execution can’t be avoided… then I’ll accept it.”

“But please let me have my last meal.”

It was a lie.

She had absolutely no intention of accepting that fate.

She simply needed a brief moment of carelessness…

A tiny opening.

Just enough to escape.

“Hurry and prepare it. We don’t have much time.”

Yoidel made up her mind.

If she was going to die anyway…

Then she’d rather die trying to escape.

Creeeak—

A few minutes later, the prison door groaned open with the sound of rusted metal.

A guard entered carrying a tray.

Something immediately felt off.

Just moments ago she’d been screaming nonstop.

Why was it suddenly so quiet?

The instant the guard realized something was wrong—

Thud!

A black blur shot upward and slammed directly into his jaw.

“Ugh!”

Crash!

The tray and dishes shattered across the floor.

Standing amid the chaos, breathing heavily, was none other than Yoidel.

“Huff… huff… whew…”

He’s… completely unconscious, right?

Clutching her pounding heart, she cautiously waved a foot in front of the fallen guard’s face.

He didn’t move.

“Oh no… I actually did it.”

Her voice trembled.

Half from fear.

Half from the overwhelming joy that escape might actually be possible.

She grabbed the guard’s sword and cut the rope binding her wrists.

Then she pressed a finger beneath his nose.

Thankfully, he was still breathing.

He’d merely fainted.

“I’m so, so sorry. I truly am.”

“But… I really want to live.”

“I hope you recover soon!”

She repeatedly bowed in apology to the unconscious man.

This was the first time she’d ever hurt another person.

She’d always been so timid she’d never even stepped on an ant.

Yet here she was…

Knocking someone unconscious.

She could hardly believe she’d done it.

But when your own life was on the line…

Even desperate choices became possible.

Though she sincerely apologized from the bottom of her heart…

She didn’t regret knocking him out.

She wanted to live.

Desperately.

Realizing just how strong her survival instinct really was, Yoidel stepped into the prison corridor.

Outside was every bit as dark and damp as the inside.

“How did you escape?!”

Bang!

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Yoidel instinctively shoved the heavy iron door open with all her strength.

It struck another guard squarely.

He collapsed instantly.

The massive iron door was more than capable of nearly killing someone.

“I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry!”

Horrified that she’d now knocked out two people, she apologized over and over.

Then she dragged both unconscious guards into the hallway and laid them neatly side by side.

Anyone seeing them might mistake them for a loving couple peacefully sleeping together.

“There…”

“This way someone will find you quickly.”

Feeling strangely proud of herself, she wiped away the sweat on her forehead.

She sincerely hoped neither of them suffered memory loss or any lasting injuries.

Then…

She turned around.

And ran.

She had no idea where she was going.

So she headed toward the light.

Anywhere that wasn’t this pitch-black prison.

That’s it.

Just keep running forward.

She whispered the words to herself as she sprinted silently on all fours like a frightened animal.

Sweat poured from her body like rain.

Her vision blurred.

To make matters worse, priests dressed in white robes appeared throughout the corridors.

With every passing moment, it became harder to believe this was just a dream.

Whenever she approached crowded areas, she flattened herself against the walls and crept along on tiptoe.

Yet she felt as though even the sound of her breathing…

Even the pounding of her heart…

Would give her away.

“Novice Priest Yoidel has escaped! Catch her!”

“She’s over there!”

The prison erupted into chaos.

Someone had discovered her escape.

No.

She couldn’t give up now.

Forcing her weakening legs to keep moving, Yoidel followed the light.

When she reached a dead end, she climbed down into an underground waterway.

Just as the foul stench became unbearable…

She spotted brilliant sunlight ahead.

An exit.

Thump.

She pushed open the door.

A dazzling sight unfolded before her.

It was an entirely different world.

The ceiling soared so high that twenty people standing on each other’s shoulders couldn’t reach it.

Above stretched a gigantic glass dome.

The castle was so vast she couldn’t see where it ended.

Majestic.

Sacred.

Overflowing with dignity.

If the treasure palace from a fairy tale truly existed…

It would surely look like this.

Is this… the Holy Palace?

The Holy Palace stood at the heart of the Grand Temple of the Holy Kingdom.

The place where the novel’s protagonist spent most of his time.

“I heard something over there! Search!”

“Huh? But that area is…”

She didn’t even have time to admire it.

The voices searching for her were already close.

She had to run.

Without thinking, she rushed down the nearest staircase.

Pain oozed from the cuts on her hands and legs, bringing tears to her eyes.

But she couldn’t cry yet.

Biting her lip until it bled, she kept running.

Eventually…

She reached a room lined with towering bookshelves.

A library?

She hurried inside and looked around.

Dozens of towering shelves intertwined like a maze.

If she hid there…

Surely they wouldn’t find her easily.

“Haa…”

Fortunately, it seemed no one had followed her this far.

She took another step deeper into the library.

Then—

“Ah! Kyaa!”

Her long robe caught beneath her foot.

Thud!

She crashed into a bookshelf.

Rumble…

The shelf beneath her hands emitted a deep mechanical groan.

Slowly…

It began to rotate.

The floor turned with it.

Round and round…

When it completed its rotation…

A hidden chamber revealed itself.

The moment she saw it…

An ancient, eerie aura washed over her—as though countless ages had passed in an instant.

Before her stood another immense library.

Or rather…

A secret office disguised as one.

And inside…

There was a man.

A silver-haired man as beautiful as an angel.

…Blood?

The man stood proudly as though he were the master of this frigid place.

Behind him…

Lay dozens upon dozens of corpses.

Humans.

Demonic beasts.

Bodies piled into a grotesque mountain.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She hadn’t been strangled…

Yet the overwhelming pressure made it impossible to breathe.

Why…

Of all places…

Had she ended up here?

She’d fled death…

Only to stumble into something even more terrifying.

Her arms trembled uncontrollably.

She couldn’t even push herself up from the floor.

As she lay frozen in suffocating fear—

“So.”

“There was a little mouse hiding here.”

A low, gentle voice echoed through the room.

The distant man slowly approached her.

His movements were graceful.

Elegant.

Beautiful.

And utterly terrifying.

With a casual flick of his sword, he scattered the droplets of blood into the air.

They weren’t his blood.

His expression showed only annoyance, as though the splattered blood had dirtied him.

Yet his blade was still stained crimson.

“Did you see?”

He let out a quiet sigh before speaking softly.

“I asked…”

“Did you see?”

“W-What? N-No…”

“I didn’t see… a-anything…”

“…Didn’t see what, exactly?”

Now she could clearly see his face.

It was as sharp and flawless as though someone had sculpted it after the moon itself.

Then…

His eyes curved into a beautiful smile.

He was impossibly handsome.

He bent down.

Lightly grasped her chin.

And looked directly into her eyes.

The smile remained.

But the warmth vanished.

His gaze turned ice-cold.

“You saw.”