OBNVZ C2

Chapter 2

A crushed human head came rolling in, bouncing with dull thuds.

Someone’s head—severed from its body.

No…

The torso that had once belonged to someone flailed helplessly. A knight kicked it out of the room and slammed the door shut with a bang.

“Eek!”

“Aaah!”

The room descended into chaos.

I silently looked down at the head that had rolled and come to a stop near my feet.

“……”

It was a real human head.

Brown hair tangled messily across the face, a large chunk of flesh torn from the cheek. The eyes were still open—wide, unblinking—with strands of its own hair stuck in them.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.

It wasn’t as frightening as I had expected.

I’ve never been the timid type.

If I got scared over something like this, how would I survive what was to come?

Honestly, all I could think was, this is seriously ridiculous.

This isn’t some “All of Us Are Dead” scenario… what even is this? I’m not a high schooler—I’m a working adult. Please just send me home.

Still, staying too calm would look suspicious.

After glancing around, I let out a half-hearted scream.

“Kya… Kyaaak! This is so scary!”

Thankfully, no one paid attention to my terrible acting.

One of the knights who had remained behind quickly grabbed a tablecloth and covered the severed head.

“Are you alright?”

He asked kindly, probably thinking I was frozen in shock as I stared blankly.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Shall I bring you some warm water?”

“I’ll drink some if I need it. Thank you.”

Only after saying it did I realize that “thank you” didn’t quite suit a villainess—but whatever.

By now, everyone except me had huddled together. The supporting characters who had been sitting nearby had subtly shifted closer to the main group.

The only empty chair left—across from Yoo Jein—was quickly taken by Supporting Character 3, who plopped down heavily.

“Ugh… I’m gonna puke. What the hell is that…?”

For the record, he was the only male among the supporting cast.

As Supporting Characters 1 and 2 hesitated awkwardly, the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke sprang to their feet.

“Please, take this seat.”

“No, we couldn’t possibly—”

“It’s fine. I was about to stand anyway. Right, Praha?”

“Yeah.”

Despite the fact that the two highest-ranking individuals in the room were now standing, Supporting Character 3 didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Wasn’t he the Crown Prince’s cousin or something?

I could already see it.

This guy is going to be a massive pain in the neck.

From now on, your name is ‘Nuisance Guy.’

“Um… excuse me.”

Supporting Character 2, now seated in the Crown Prince’s chair, spoke with a deeply humbled expression—though her face was pale with fear.

“That head… I mean, the dead person. Who do you think it is? A servant wouldn’t suddenly go mad and charge into the room like that… Could it be an assassin sent by the Republic… or something like that?”

The Grand Duke nodded as if in agreement.

“If so, then it must have been one of our knights who severed the assassin’s head. The question is, why is there no one outside?”

A perfectly reasonable conclusion—for a world with no concept of zombies.

They couldn’t even imagine that it wasn’t an assassin, but a moving corpse.

Let alone that it could infect others.

I crossed my arms and quietly listened.

Let’s see what they come up with.

Let’s check their intelligence level.

“Assassin or not, the important thing is how an outsider even got onto this island.”

“That’s right. Only authorized individuals can come here. The only way in is through the Imperial Palace’s portal. That’s why we left all our maids and guards behind…”

“Could something have happened at the palace?”

Nope. The palace is perfectly fine.

The zombies didn’t come through the portal—they just started pouring out of thin air above the island.

“Where are the Imperial Knights who were supposed to protect us? At the very least, the servants?”

They’re all infected.

“What should we do? There are only two knights in this room. If someone really is attacking us…”

“Even counting all the knights who came to the island, there are fewer than ten, right?”

“Why is no one coming to us…?”

Because they’re all infected.

It was frustrating to know the answer and not be able to say it.

“Are you alright?”

A voice suddenly came from above me.

I looked up.

It was the Crown Prince.

His black hair had fallen slightly over his forehead during the earlier commotion. Beneath the neatly buttoned collar of his white shirt, his sharp neckline was visible.

A low, steady voice. A perfectly sculpted jaw. Calm, indifferent eyes that seemed to glow faintly.

If this had been my real world, I would have fallen in love without hesitation.

He’s so perfect… it’s almost horrifying.

Because if the future I knew remained unchanged, this very man would eventually kill Yusara—the version of me in this novel.

Still, Lady Yusara certainly had high standards.

Meeting the eyes of the male lead—who showed not a trace of affection toward me—I replied,

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look well.”

“I’m just tired.”

“At times like this, it’s best to stay close to others.”

“Oh.”

So he wasn’t worried about me.

He was telling me to move.

I held his expressionless gaze for a few seconds before standing.

As I got up, Nuisance Guy sank deeper into his chair, clearly determined not to give up his seat as the only man among those sitting.

Unbelievable.

Fine. I’m not going over there.

I simply leaned casually against a nearby table.

The Crown Prince, having moved me aside, immediately pulled away the tablecloth covering the head.

“Ugh…”

Ignoring Nuisance Guy’s gagging, he knelt down and carefully examined it.

“The neck was already severed,” he said.

“Pardon?”

“It was strange. The head came off even though my knight merely pushed him.”

When no one seemed to understand, the Crown Prince continued calmly,

“My knight did not use a weapon. He simply pushed the servant with his bare hands. Yet the head fell off. That means the neck had already been nearly severed before he even opened the door—so much so that the slightest touch separated it from the body.”

The Grand Duke frowned.

“In other words, the head was cut to that extent… and yet it still ran all the way here?”

“And even made sounds.”

“How does someone make noise with their neck cut?”

“I don’t know.”

“How fascinating,” the Grand Duke muttered, walking over.

“Excuse me.”

He gave me a charming smile as he passed and knelt beside the Crown Prince. The two of them examined the head side by side.

“Something bit into this. An animal?”

“The bite is too weak to be from an animal.”

They weren’t chosen as male leads just for their looks—they both had strong stomachs, too.

As they continued inspecting the severed head, I stayed still.

Don’t stand out. Absolutely, under no circumstances, stand out.

The Crown Prince rose and brushed off his knees.

“I can’t tell what it is.”

“In that case…”

“We’ll have to check outside.”

He spoke calmly, then turned to the knight guarding the door.

“Have you checked the situation outside?”

“Yes, Your Highness. The servant guarding the door and the knight patrolling the corridor are both gone. However…”

“However?”

“I believe I saw someone collapsed near the central staircase. They appeared to be a servant.”

At those words, my gaze instinctively shifted to the knight.

Does he realize?

That he just raised his own death flag?

In the novel, the story continues like this:

The two knights, acting on the Crown Prince’s orders, go out and bring back the servant collapsed in the hallway.

The servant, who appears to have died instantly from a stab to the heart, is missing one entire arm.

As they lay the body on the floor and examine whether it truly is a servant—and what weapon was used—the supposedly dead servant’s remaining hand twitches.

“He’s alive!”

The moment a knight urgently presses his ear to the servant’s chest—

The servant, now a zombie, lunges and attacks him.

Though people rush to pull it away, it’s already too late. The knight, bitten at a vital point, dies.

And shortly after, he too transforms.

In a room full of nobles, the loss of even one Imperial Knight—one of their strongest assets—throws everyone into a state of panic, while also teaching them about zombies.

At this moment, in the original story, it was me—Yusara—who opposed bringing the corpse into the room.

Of course, not logically.

“Why would you bring a corpse in here?! What if it starts moving like that head earlier?! Are you sure it’s really dead?! Check properly! No, don’t even check—just cut off its head and throw it somewhere!”

Selfish. Cruel.

But also the most effective solution.

Naturally, I was completely ignored.

And that was the key point.

Even if I objected, no one here would listen.

The story had to move forward.

That knight has to die for the plot to progress. I can’t stay here forever.

With complicated feelings, I looked at the knight.

He was young. At most, twenty-five.

The Crown Prince issued his command.

“Go and bring him. Move together. Do not touch him carelessly—confirm whether he is dead first.”

“And if he is already dead?”

“It doesn’t matter. Bring him regardless—corpse or not. Restrain him.”

The Crown Prince removed a thin silver cord from his wrist—something like a violin string—and tossed it to the nearest knight.

In the novel, he orders them to bind the corpse’s arms and mouth tightly with that cord.

Just in case.

The problem is—the zombie still manages to bite the knight, even as its mouth is sliced open by the sharp wire.

“Restrain him even if he’s dead?”

“With something like this, caution won’t hurt.”

The Crown Prince replied quietly and headed toward the door.

“Your Highness? Where are you going?”

“Someone has to guard the door while you’re out.”

“Your Highness, there’s no need for you to—! One of us can—”

“Then I’ll go out and check the body myself.”

“Your Highness! How could—!”

“I’ll go as well.”

The Grand Duke stepped in with a bright smile.

“Your Grace…”

He turned to the two distressed knights.

“It can’t be helped, can it? There are only the two of you here. Aside from you, only Praha and I can handle weapons. If you go out, it’s only right that we guard the door.”

“But—!”

“Don’t worry. We won’t lock you out while you’re gone.”

His tone was gentle, but firm.

The Crown Prince at least has a weapon. That one’s empty-handed and still fearless.

The two knights, now unexpectedly under the protection of such exalted figures, swallowed nervously.

The Crown Prince and Grand Duke took positions on either side of the door, exchanged a signal—

—and opened it.

The moment it opened, a headless corpse lying face-up came into view.

“Ugh.”

I’m getting tired of Nuisance Guy’s gagging.

Everyone swallowed hard as they stared outside.

Sure enough, in the distance, someone was slumped against the wall.

The two knights, swords in hand, began to approach cautiously.

One of them would die.

Die.

One of them—

“Wait!”

Ah… damn it.

So I’m going to stand out after all, Yusara…

[Imperial Villa – 2nd Floor, Secret Room]

• Yusara, Yoo Jein, Crown Prince, Grand Duke, Supporting Character 1, Supporting Character 2, Nuisance Guy, Imperial Knight 1, Imperial Knight 2 (alive)