Chapter – 03
After returning from the Duchy of Berwen to the imperial capital,
I pressed my fingers to my forehead while looking at the pile of letters pouring in.
“One side is from the military, and the other is invitations.”
The rough letters congratulated me on becoming a Sword Master and talked about how I would be the next supreme commander of the army, and so on.
“As expected. It is the social season.”
The other letters, written in elegant handwriting, were invitations saying it would be an honor if I attended their balls.
Normally, they wouldn’t even send me invitations. They know I never go.
“Since the rumor about the ‘crazy princess,’ there seem to be even more invitations.”
There had been quiet talk that I was a possible groom candidate chosen by the emperor for the princess.
So people naturally assumed the princess and I would end up together.
But then the princess suddenly went “crazy,” so people probably thought, ‘What if?’ and sent invitations with a bit of hope.
“They’re all wrong.”
I’m a woman.
“Duke, preparations to enter the palace are complete.”
“Alright.”
I put on my jacket over my shirt and looked into the mirror.
The person reflected there was me.
A handsome young man with ash-gray hair and silver-gray eyes.
“It’s all thanks to dark magic.”
Smiling slightly, I ran my hand through my short hair.
A woman living as a man. There would be no marriage or love in my life.
All I wanted now was to stretch out on a bed and sleep properly.
“Haa.”
I looked at the large, soft bed that matched a duke’s status.
What’s the point of having a bed like that when I never have time to lie down?
So once again today, I turned my back on the bed and headed out.
And then—
“Salutations to Hilen’s Shield! Congratulations on reaching the peak of swordsmanship, Duke!”
The moment I entered the palace, I was greeted loudly by the knights.
After greeting knights nonstop, I finally arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace in the afternoon.
There, I heard all the stories about the so-called “crazy princess.”
“So what is the princess’s nickname now?” I asked.
“…Light-year.”
“….”
For a moment, I thought I misheard.
I tried to keep a straight face, but my cheeks twitched.
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. She’s my friend’s younger sister.
“If you want to laugh, you can,” Resius said.
That was all it took. I ended up clutching my stomach and laughing.
Calling the gentle, delicate Princess Rosaline Light-year?
That word didn’t suit her at all.
“From what I hear, it’s not really madness, but…”
Her way of thinking seemed more open-minded. It was just shocking behavior for people of this era.
“Sorry.”
Did I laugh too much?
Feeling awkward, I apologized.
“…It’s fine.”
Resius cleared his throat and turned his head.
His ears were red. Was it hot?
“So this is what the princess keeps saying?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
The paper he handed me was filled with the continent’s common language.
It seemed someone had written down what the princess said exactly as it sounded.
“She says this a lot in particular.”
“What does she say?”
“‘Shi—.’”
Pfft!
I spit out the tea I was drinking.
It was a swear word I knew all too well.
Clear Korean.
My native language from my past life.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I was just shocked.”
I took the handkerchief Resius offered and wiped the tea away, thinking.
“Is it a coincidence?”
Maybe a word with a similar sound existed here too.
As I folded the slightly damp handkerchief, I scanned the paper.
“‘Send me home.’”
“‘There are so damn many things I’m not allowed to do.’”
“‘They’re pretty, though.’”
“‘I want chicken. Not this soup—chickeennn!’”
As I read the lines out loud—
“Lewin. How do you understand this?”
Resius’s expression hardened slightly as he took back the handkerchief.
I wanted to answer, but…
“Where is the princess right now?”
“She should be in the palace. She knocked out a marchioness and was ordered to reflect by His Majesty.”
First, I needed to understand the situation.
A princess who speaks Korean. What on earth was going on?
“I want to see the princess immediately. Is that possible?”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
Seeing how serious I was, Resius also became serious.
“Inform the princess’s palace that the Duke of Berwen urgently requests a visit.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As soon as the knight left, I stood up and pushed my chair back.
“You’re going too?” I asked, surprised, seeing Resius stand as well.
“Lewin. It would look stranger if you met Rosaline alone.”
He fidgeted with the folded handkerchief in his hand.
I couldn’t see his eyes since his head was lowered.
“You two aren’t five or six years old anymore.”
He spoke in a low voice, then lifted his head and smiled brightly.
“At your age, meeting alone would cause rumors.”
That made sense.
When we were children, I’d seen the princess a few times when she was a baby or a toddler, following Resius around.
But after that, not often. I was busy, and relationships between men and women here were very strict.
Even how close you could stand depended on your relationship status.
Still—
“You’re busy. And His Majesty hasn’t been well lately.”
I need to meet the princess alone.
“You should study. That’s how you become a great ruler.”
I pressed Resius’s broader-than-before shoulders and made him sit.
“A great ruler… Right. A great ruler.”
For a moment, the expression on his face cracked.
“What was that just now?”
I blinked, and as usual, he was smiling at me kindly.
Did I imagine it?
“I can’t go against your orders.”
Resius lifted the handkerchief he was holding and pressed it to my cheek.
Somehow, with the handkerchief between us, it looked like he was holding my chin.
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“Lewin.”
I could feel the heat of his hand through the cloth.
The soft fabric slowly wiped along my jawline and lips.
“There was still some moisture.”
Resius relaxed his sharp gaze and smiled.
Huh? I’m pretty sure I wiped it all off.
“I’ll go alone. Okay?”
Resius had never refused my requests, and today was no different.
So I went to the princess’s palace.
I set out confidently, but meeting the princess was not easy.
“I’m sorry, Duke. Please wait a moment.”
Lady Roxon, the princess’s maid, looked nervous and fidgeted.
What was going on?
“No, it’s my fault for coming unannounced.”
I bowed politely.
“Um, my lady…”
A palace servant approached the blushing maid and whispered to her.
It was a voice too quiet for normal people to hear.
But to a Sword Master like me, it was perfectly clear.
“The princess has disappeared.”
“Ah…!”
The Duke of the empire was standing right here, and the princess was missing…
Lady Roxon grabbed her forehead and staggered in shock.
This was probably the greatest crisis she’d faced in her life.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
I supported her, acting with knightly courtesy.
“You’re unwell. I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
“Y-yes…”
Her face growing redder, she nodded faintly.
“Thank you for escorting me, Duke.”
After we arrived, she bowed quickly and fled in embarrassment.
And so—
“Hm.”
I was left alone in the corridor near the infirmary.
“I probably won’t come here again.”
I often visited the central areas where the emperor and crown prince stayed, but not these outer sections.
“My plan to see the princess is ruined. Since I’m here, maybe I’ll take a walk.”
With that thought, I walked near the outer garden.
Thud! Thud!
Bushes shook as I heard the sound of something being kicked.
“Why won’t this come off? What is it even made of?”
I froze at the familiar language.
The princess?
Scrape, scrape—
The sound of metal being filed echoed, followed by more thuds.
“What on earth is she doing?”
I slowly pushed aside the bushes and saw the princess grinding away at iron bars with a knife.
Several knives with dulled blades lay beside her.
“Ah! Finally! I think it’s almost done!”
One section of the thick iron bars was nearly cut through.
This wasn’t work done in one day. She’d been doing this for a long time.
Wow. Her persistence was impressive.
“And now that I look…”
She was dressed plainly, not like a princess at all. Beside her was a backpack as big as a travel bag.
“She’s running away. This is definitely running away.”
Should I stop her as the Duke of Berwen?
Or should I overlook the rebellion of my friend’s little sister?
I hesitated briefly.
But not for long.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah. Damn it.”
She was bound to get caught anyway.
And I had plenty to ask her.
“Damn it my ass—!”
She spun around angrily, then froze in shock.
The knife in her hand swung toward me.
“Y-you—what are you?!”
“I am the Duke of Berwen, Princess.”
I greeted her properly, but she backed away, waving the knife.
Awkward, I lowered my hand.
“No, not that. What you said earlier.”
She switched smoothly into the continent’s common language.
“That?”
“Yes! Why are you speaking like that, in that tone?”
I rubbed my chin.
How should I explain this?
“I remember my past life. That was my native language—Korean.”
Her expression turned strange. She dropped the knife in shock.
“Past life…?”
“Yes.”
“So you were reborn here?”
“Yes. I died in a traffic accident, opened my eyes, and I was a baby. So I thought, ‘Ah, I was reborn.’”
That was the logical conclusion.
Die, be born again in another world—reincarnation.
Then what about the princess?
Did she almost die and regain past memories?
While I was thinking—
“That’s strange…”
The princess’s face, dirty like charcoal, turned serious.
“I possessed a character inside a book.”
“…What?”
This time, I was shocked.
“I possessed a villain who gets beheaded by an obsessive male lead.”
I blinked in disbelief.
This world was inside a book?
“Want to hear something even more shocking?”
She spoke while looking at my stunned face.
“This world is about to be destroyed.”
