Chapter 2
He looked down at Yoidel with a face devoid of emotion.
His long, beautiful silver hair fell in front of her eyes, impossible to look away from.
“How, exactly, did you manage to make it all the way here?”
His tone was gentle.
His voice was cold.
His eyes were as clear and beautiful as an autumn sky, yet the light within them was colder than winter itself.
A straight nose.
Sharp, elegant eyes.
He possessed a beauty so perfect one might mistake him for the incarnation of beauty itself.
Yet standing in the middle of a lake of blood…
He looked more like a devil.
A devil so captivating that legends claimed it could steal away a person’s soul.
Just as she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him despite trembling in fear.
Blood stained not only his sword but his hands as well.
Droplets continued to fall from his fingers and blade, forming a crimson trail across the floor.
It was a sea of blood.
And beyond him…
Countless corpses.
As though he alone had survived a final battle, a mountain of bodies lay piled behind him.
“Have you lost your voice?”
The man smiled faintly.
It wasn’t the smile of someone genuinely amused.
Only half a smile.
Cold.
Empty.
Is this… killing intent?
Even though he clearly knew she couldn’t answer under the crushing pressure of his murderous aura, he asked the question anyway, almost teasingly.
Who… who is this person?
What’s wrong with him? He’s insane…
The novel Yoidel remembered had never featured a man like this.
Not a blood-soaked butcher.
Not a beautiful silver-haired man surrounded by corpses.
…No.
There was one.
A possibility flashed through her mind.
But it couldn’t be.
The person who had thrilled her while she read the novel…
There was no way the protagonist could be this madman.
He couldn’t be.
No matter what.
Yet…
The man’s clothing was that of an exceptionally high-ranking priest.
Pure white robes draped elegantly to the floor, embroidered with exquisite golden thread.
At first glance they seemed simple, but their intricate craftsmanship spoke of extraordinary status.
No one else she’d seen wore garments like these.
And then there was the massive sword in his hand.
Only one person in the Holy Kingdom had the right to wield that weapon.
It was the symbol of the Holy Emperor.
Which meant…
This man was…
The kind, compassionate protagonist.
Ulysses.
The ruler of the Holy Kingdom.
“…That’s impossible.”
“What is impossible?”
The words escaped before she realized it.
Startled, Yoidel hurriedly covered her mouth.
Too late.
He had already heard her.
Smiling coldly, the man spoke in a calm voice.
“You’re frightened.”
He gently moved the hand holding her chin, pulling hers away from her mouth.
His gaze settled on her cracked lips.
Then…
He pressed against one of the split wounds.
A sharp sting shot through her mouth.
Watching her flinch in surprise, he gave a small laugh.
“What a mess you’ve become.”
The moment his murderous aura disappeared, Yoidel scrambled to her feet and pressed herself against the bookshelf.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She pounded frantically on the rotating shelf that had brought her here.
It didn’t budge.
Not even slightly.
I ran because I didn’t want to die!
Don’t tell me I’m just going to die here instead!
She wanted to cry.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Nowhere left to run.
The cut on her lip that he’d touched continued to sting.
It was only a tiny paper-thin wound.
Yet the pain lingered.
Not a trace of sympathy appeared in his eyes.
Just as he’d called her before…
She was no more than a rat.
An insignificant object.
Wasn’t the protagonist supposed to be kind?
His lazy eyes.
His detached gaze.
Even his breathtaking appearance matched every description from the novel.
But…
He couldn’t be the hero.
The protagonist was supposed to be gentle.
The kind of person everyone admired.
…Could he secretly have a twin brother?
“How pitiful.”
After quietly watching her, he finally spoke again.
“If you’re trembling this much…”
“…How can I ask you anything, Lady Yoidel?”
“Y-You… know me?”
The moment she heard her name leave his lips…
Her heart dropped.
“Everyone in Palladium is under my authority.”
“How could I not know you?”
His voice remained calm and pleasant.
“And besides…”
“You’re hardly someone who could be forgotten.”
Although Ulysses’ face appeared serene, his eyes overflowed with contempt.
“The time for your execution has already passed.”
“And yet…”
“You seem remarkably alive.”
“W-Well…”
“Were you trying to escape?”
How did he know so much?
Yoidel was merely a novice priest.
Surely the Holy Emperor wouldn’t remember the execution of such an insignificant villain.
She desperately searched through her memories.
Why had Yoidel been sentenced to death?
The others had said she’d attempted to assassinate His Holiness.
Then…
Fragments of memory suddenly clicked together.
“I love you, Your Holiness!”
“You’re kind to everyone!”
“Please love me too!”
“Why does everyone hate me?!”
She heard herself screaming.
Fingernails digging so deeply into a carpet they nearly tore away.
Crying hysterically at someone’s feet.
Clawing desperately at a man’s ankle.
…It was him.
I tried to hurt this man.
Her eyes widened.
She was insane!
Yoidel wanted to burrow underground and spend the rest of her life hidden there.
What on earth did I do?!
“I’ll at least commend your persistence.”
What kind of life had the original Yoidel lived?
She searched deeper through the memories.
But every memory involving this man was equally horrifying.
Stealing his clothes while he bathed.
Collecting chairs he’d sat on.
Following him everywhere.
Attempting to kidnap him.
And finally…
Attacking him during a grand procession.
Oh my God.
These are… my memories?
Please tell me this isn’t real.
The memories kept surfacing one after another.
Each one felt as humiliating as though she’d committed those acts herself.
She wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Only now did she finally understand the disgust he’d shown her.
She’d wondered why Yoidel had been sentenced to death.
Now…
The more she remembered…
The more obvious it became.
She wasn’t just a stalker…
She was a complete pervert!
What am I supposed to do with this past?!
She wanted to tear her hair out.
To roll across the floor screaming.
Why had she inherited such unbelievable memories?
And why…
Of all people…
Had she become Yoidel?
She wanted to shout at the heavens.
This has to be a dream.
“It seems the ankle you grabbed a few days ago still aches.”
His quiet voice shattered her thoughts.
Though his tone remained gentle, every word dripped with unmistakable disdain.
Blood still dripped from the sword in his hand as he slowly approached.
Then…
He placed one hand against the wall behind her.
Every time his fingers came near, Yoidel instinctively flinched.
He softly brushed the back of her head.
Like comforting a frightened child.
Smiling with the face of an angel…
He whispered kindly into her ear.
“Don’t tremble.”
“I’ll kill you in a single stroke.”
Her entire body shook.
The room wasn’t cold.
Yet it felt as though all the warmth had left her body.
Tears welled uncontrollably in Yoidel’s eyes.
Looking directly into them…
He smiled.
“If you’re thinking of begging for your life…”
“Don’t.”
“It isn’t a particularly wise idea.”
How could someone smile so cruelly?
There wasn’t a shred of emotion in his eyes.
She already knew begging wouldn’t work.
Thinking back on it now…
It seemed laughable.
She had actually believed the protagonist might spare her.
Now that she’d seen his true nature…
She knew with painful certainty.
He would never let her live.
But…
Yoidel knew one thing.
One single thing.
The protagonist had one fatal weakness.
This is my last resort.
If she did this…
She’d be repeating the exact same behavior as the original Yoidel.
But if she didn’t act now—
As he raised his sword—
He would kill her.
Once she was dead…
Nothing else would matter.
She had only one choice.
Being thrown into this strange world…
Becoming a condemned prisoner…
She already felt as though she’d experienced every misfortune imaginable.
So even if one more terrible thing happened…
She had nothing left to lose.
Even failure cost her nothing.
If she was going to die either way…
She might as well try.
Yoidel clenched her fists so tightly her palms became slick with sweat.
She had escaped because she wanted to live.
She had even knocked out two innocent guards to do it.
So…
She had to survive.
She had to survive him.
“I’m sorry.”
The man smiled quietly after hearing her apology.
He had no need for apologies.
They meant nothing.
The only thing he wanted…
Was the life of the little rat standing before him.
Someone who had witnessed what shouldn’t have been seen had to disappear.
His icy blue eyes fixed upon her.
Slowly…
His sword rose.
Watching him, Yoidel steeled her resolve.
If…
If that method really works…
If this truly is the novel I read…
“I did warn you.”
“I said I’d be sorry.”
Yoidel grabbed him by the front of his robes with both hands and pulled him toward her with all her strength.
Their lips crashed together in a rough, desperate kiss.
