Chapter: 01
“Eldorado Crown Prince — Wipes Out the Friese Empire and Claims Victory. Who Is the ‘Annette’ He’s Searching For?”
The newspaper trembled in my hands.
The headline announced the Crown Prince’s overwhelming victory, but honestly, that wasn’t the surprising part.
The Crown Prince was an incredibly powerful awakened ability user.
What shocked me was the reason for the war.
It was all because he was looking for a woman named Annette.
Has he completely lost his mind?
According to the article…
The Crown Prince, who had never cared about war before, heard a rumor that the Friese Empire was hiding Annette and immediately swept the entire continent clean.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
Because…
The Annette that terrifying Crown Prince was searching for…
…was me!
But beneath that was another headline that was just as shocking.
“Next Tower Master Candidate Grand Duke Heinrich Places a Bounty of 5.8 Trillion Gold for His Older Sister, Who Went Missing in Childhood.”
“…What the hell.”
That was practically the annual budget of a massive empire.
“Who offers an entire nation’s budget as a bounty…?”
Who else?
The crazy Heinrich whom I had taken in and raised as my little brother when we were children.
And that wasn’t all.
Below that, I found an even more ridiculous article.
“Larva, the Merchant of Death, Declares War on Delphi: ‘You Touched the Bakery, So I’ll Exterminate Your Entire Bloodline.'”
He was going to wipe out an entire family…
…because someone messed with a bakery?
A bakery?
As the owner of that bakery…
I’d really like to stop you, Kyle.
Seriously, all three of them…
“…They’re completely insane.”
I muttered in exasperation.
Then—
Bang!
The door burst open with a deafening crash.
Startled, I turned around…
…and froze.
Standing where the door had once been, now serving as the new “door,” was a man about 190 centimeters tall.
His shoulders were so broad they filled the doorway completely.
Below his strong collarbones stretched an impressively muscular chest.
Why isn’t he wearing a shirt…?
Ignoring my silent question, he walked toward me with the graceful movements of a predator.
Moonlight streamed through the window, making his body look unreal.
A chest as solid as armor.
Countless scars.
A sharply defined abdomen split by perfectly sculpted muscles.
His entire presence felt savage—raw enough to be almost barbaric.
Stopping right in front of me, he gently lifted my chin with a long finger.
“So this is where you were, Annette.”
Only then did his face emerge beneath the moonlight.
Beneath jet-black hair darker than the empty night…
…were eyes as vividly crimson as fresh blood.
I whispered his name like a groan.
“Cisrain…”
He was the Crown Prince of this country.
Cisrain.
The very man I’d just read about in the newspaper.
As if answering my call, Cisrain smiled.
It was a smile overflowing with unmistakable madness.
He whispered,
“I thought I was going to lose my mind from missing you, Annette.”
Your Highness…
With all due respect, I think you’ve already gone quite insane.
Click.
A metallic sound echoed.
Something cold snapped around my wrist.
Damn it.
It was a shackle.
“If you ever want to run away again…”
His broad shoulders leaned closer.
Instinctively I inhaled, catching his rich masculine scent.
“…then cut off my wrist before you do.”
The crimson eyes gleamed brilliantly.
His own wrist wore the other half of the shackle connecting us.
Thump.
Thump.
My heart pounded wildly.
Then—
Whoosh.
A breeze suddenly swept through the room.
I turned toward the window.
A man was sitting casually on the windowsill.
Bathed in moonlight, a breathtakingly handsome man with brilliant silver hair.
“…Heinrich?”
“Noona.”
He leaped lightly into the room.
His noble violet eyes were just as beautiful as I remembered.
How did he find me?
The last time I’d seen him…
Those beautiful eyes had been overflowing with tears.
Now…
His gaze had matured.
The hands that had once been playful and affectionate had become unmistakably those of a grown man.
He approached me naturally, wrapped his arms around my waist like the eleven-year-old boy he once was, and buried his face against the back of my neck.
“I missed you.”
His warm whisper pierced straight into my heart.
“…Why didn’t you keep your promise?”
“You promised you’d never leave me behind, Noona.”
Every sorrowful word he spoke made my skin tingle.
“Heinrich…”
He lifted his head and gazed down at me before whispering beside my ear.
“Lying is a bad thing.”
His long violet eyes curved into an innocent…
…and cruel…
…smile.
“So what punishment should a naughty child receive?”
I stiffened.
Then…
A damp voice rose from near my feet.
“Master.”
“Ah!”
I nearly jumped.
Looking down, I found a handsome man kneeling on one knee before me.
When did you even get here, Kyle?!
The man had curly brown hair and forest-green eyes.
His glasses sat crookedly on his face.
Kyle wasn’t someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.
If I had to explain…
He was someone who was always hanging around me.
Kyle happened to be one of the regular customers at my bakery.
“Master… please.”
“…!”
Kyle, could you at least say bakery owner before calling me master?
If you shorten it like that, people are going to misunderstand!
He gently grasped my ankle with his large, beautiful hand…
…and kissed the top of my foot.
“Please stay by my side forever.”
“I beg you.”
Lowering his long eyelashes sadly, he whispered with reddened lips.
He looked endlessly obedient.
Like a timid young deer.
But…
You…
You are…
The murderous leader of the death information guild Larva!
Pretending to be obedient only when you’re with me doesn’t fool anyone.
I know exactly how terrifying you are.
How is it possible that not one of these three is sane?
Reality suddenly hit me.
The corners of my mouth twitched.
“Annette, you’ll never be able to remove these shackles until the day you die.”
“No…”
“Not even after death.”
“Noona, you know, right?”
“I love you.”
“…Forever…”
“Please…”
“Spend the rest of your life with me, Master.”
Surrounded by three obsessively devoted madmen clinging to me…
I stared blankly into space.
How did all three of them end up this completely insane?
I was suddenly very worried about my future with these obsessive male leads.
But before worrying about the future…
I first needed to look back at the past.
Because the reason all three of these obsessive lunatics had become so fixated on me…
…was definitely somewhere back there.
So…
I think everything began on that day.
That day.
The day I first met Cisrain.
Late one night, while everyone else was asleep…
I was hiding inside the kitchen.
It had already been a week.
For seven days, I’d been placing freshly baked cheese bread on the counter…
…waiting for Cisrain to appear.
Huh? There he is!
A tiny hand slowly reached out.
I quickly covered my mouth.
He finally showed up…
I’m so nervous.
The little hand found the bread…
…then disappeared like a busy squirrel carrying off its prize.
A moment later…
I heard tiny munching sounds from behind the kitchen counter.
He’s so adorable…!
My heart pounded uncontrollably.
This was the moment I’d finally meet him for the first time.
Until now…
He had only been a character from the novel.
The very symbol of obsession, madness, and dangerous allure.
The infamous obsessive male lead.
Though at the moment…
He was only an eleven-year-old boy.
I have to approach quietly.
Even though he was still a child…
He had already awakened his abilities and ranked among high-level Awakeners.
His senses were as sharp as a wild beast’s.
Munch.
When the chewing sounds drew closer…
I carefully leaned forward and revealed myself.
“Um… hello?”
“…”
Finally…
The boy looked up.
Messy black hair that looked like a chimney brush.
Beautiful crimson eyes hidden beneath long bangs.
His clothes and cheeks were stained with soot.
There was no doubt.
This boy…
…was Cisrain.
Ah…
He’s even…
Even cuter than I imagined!!!
I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming internally.
He’s like a dirty little wolf cub.
Afraid of startling him, I carefully held out my hand.
“My name is Annette. Let’s be frie—”
“…!”
Before I could finish…
The boy spun around like a startled wild animal and darted into the cabinet beneath the counter.
“Ah! Wait!”
I reached after him immediately…
But I was only a child too.
My arms weren’t long enough.
Damn it.
The little beast had already disappeared into a tiny tunnel hidden inside the cabinet.
Only the half-eaten piece of bread remained where he’d been.
“…You could’ve at least taken the bread.”
I muttered sadly.
He had to be hungry.
It had already been three months since Cisrain awakened his powers and shut himself away inside the mansion’s tunnel system.
People called this estate the Forest.
Children who awakened supernatural abilities often appeared there.
When Cisrain awakened…
He gained extraordinary hearing.
Sight.
Smell.
From that day onward…
Unable to bear the overwhelming noise, scents, and terrifying stimulation of the outside world…
The boy hid himself underground.
Originally, the mansion had been built over the settlement of a small race.
Secret emergency tunnels still remained beneath it.
Adults could never fit inside.
Even children usually got hopelessly lost in the maze.
No wonder no one had been able to find him.
A sigh escaped my lips.
“Only coming out at night to steal food…”
His situation was even worse than I’d expected.
And soon…
The Lady of the house was planning to catch him by placing animal traps at the tunnel entrance.
He’d seriously injure his ankle.
I have to save him.
He must be lonely.
He must be terrified.
Now that I’d seen him with my own eyes…
I couldn’t leave him alone any longer.
“Alright.”
“I can do this.”
But the next day…
Cisrain didn’t appear.
Even though I’d specially prepared delicious sausages.
Nor the day after.
Or the next.
For several days…
Not even a strand of his hair appeared.
Each day he went hungry made my heart ache even more.
Until…
Aah! He finally came back!
I spotted the familiar little hand carefully reaching for some oat bread.
This time…
His hand looked as cautious as a snail’s antennae.
So I stayed perfectly still and simply listened.
Thankfully…
I heard the soft rustling of him eating.
Stay quiet.
Please… just eat your fill.
I held my breath and waited.
It felt like secretly opening a can of food for a stray cat and quietly watching from afar while praying not to scare it away.
That day…
I missed my chance to speak to him.
Still…
Knowing he’d eaten until he was full filled me with relief.
For nearly another week…
I simply listened as Cisrain ate.
Every day I prepared something different.
Cheese bread.
Sausages.
Fruit.
Stew.
Salami.
Anything.
At least he needs to gain ten grams.
He was so frighteningly thin.
It was hard to believe this little stick would someday grow into a man nearly 190 centimeters tall.
Then one day…
I accidentally left the barley bread too close to the edge of the counter.
Tap…
Tap…
As usual, his searching hand reached out…
Then hesitated in confusion.
“Hehe.”
I accidentally laughed.
Then immediately panicked.
Fortunately…
The boy didn’t run away.
So I slowly stepped into view.
Even though I hadn’t spoken to him…
Surely he already knew I was here.
He could probably smell me.
As expected…
Cisrain looked at me without fleeing.
He simply tore off tiny pieces of bread and ate them.
He looked even thinner than before.
My heart ached.
“…”
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I approached him.
Like a giant trying not to frighten a delicate flower.
When I finally sat beside him…
We were about the same height.
For a long time…
I simply waited while he ate.
He cautiously watched me while silently nibbling his bread.
His cheeks puffed adorably every time he chewed.
My heart…
Finally…
I carefully asked,
“Hey… you’re Cisrain, aren’t you?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
His voice was hoarse from not speaking for so long.
Yet somehow…
It was unbelievably beautiful.
I blinked.
“…Why not?”
“Because I’m dirty.”
A dark shadow settled over his crimson eyes.
“If you talk to me…”
“…you’ll become dirty too.”
“…”
Ah…
My chest tightened painfully.
Just what kind of things had this little boy heard all his life…
…to say something like that?
He was only a child.
He should’ve been living happily without a single worry.
Then…
At least I could say something kind to him.
“No.”
“You’re not dirty at all.”
“One day you’ll become someone greater and more wonderful than anyone else.”
I deliberately smiled brightly at him.
“I believe that.”
“…”
Cisrain completely forgot about his bread.
He simply stared blankly at me.
Then…
His ears slowly turned bright red like ripe fruit.
He’s really such a pitiful, adorable little boy.
This precious child…
…would grow up to become that terrifying obsessive male lead?
I refuse to believe it, Author.
Isn’t that character development just a little too extreme?
Thinking about the adult Cisrain…
It wasn’t just a dark transformation.
It was like the poor kid had completely rotted inside.
This is dangerous.
Very dangerous.
At that moment…
I truly realized just how terrifying the novel I’d transmigrated into really was.
The novel I had transmigrated into was a dark BL story.
Its title was .
It was an incredibly brutal novel packed with every imaginable trigger warning—
coerced sexual relationships, imprisonment, kidnapping, violence, and countless other disturbing elements.
