Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Carius von Ribera.
He was the First Prince of the Ribera Empire, a figure most strongly mentioned as the leading candidate for the still-vacant position of Crown Prince.
True to Ribera blood, his splendid blond hair and blue eyes were dazzling. However, unlike the awkward image August had shown, Carius gave off the sense of maturity of a seasoned noble.
And beside him was a man who was glaring at me with killing intent, his expression cold as if he wanted to chew me up and swallow me whole.
He was inferior to Carius, but that one was also emitting an ominous presence. That guy was probably this prince, Darius.
“Darius, calm yourself. This is not a place to interrogate, but to hear the circumstances.”
“…Hmph.”
At Carius’s gentle words, he withdrew his killing intent with an annoyed expression.
Was he angry because his younger brother August had been beaten into a pulp by me?
“There’s no need to be so stiff. Are we not family?”
To an outsider, it would have looked like a truly harmonious display of brotherly affection. He gestured toward the sofa in front of him, and I sat there without saying a word.
“I heard there was a commotion. I had hoped that, setting aside our imperial blood, we could deepen our bonds as brothers, so this is rather disappointing.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Carius let out a faint sigh, as if he were genuinely regretful. From him, I could see none of the contempt that Darius or August directed at me.
‘Fuck, this is creepy.’
If I hadn’t known the original story, I never would have believed that this gentle-looking “good man” was the one who played the largest role in tormenting Leios.
What kind of emotions lurked behind the smile he showed me? How could a pubescent brat almost ten years younger than me in real life be so vicious?
Clack.
During my exchange with Carius, Darius roughly set down the teacup he had been drinking from. Then he looked at me with savage eyes brimming with unmistakable hostility.
“I won’t say it twice. Know your place.”
“…….”
It sounded like something a philosopher might say, but the killing intent embedded within it stabbed straight to the bone. If Carius was the mastermind who manipulated people from behind the scenes, Darius was the action-oriented type who moved directly.
He was the very person Leios had avoided the most.
Under that gaze, as if he were looking at trash, I lowered my head deeply and desperately swallowed the boiling turmoil inside me.
Strength went into the hands resting on my knees. My fingernails dug into my skin, and bluish veins bulged up on the backs of my hands.
But I had to endure it. I had just turned August into a bloody mess moments ago.
If I caused any more trouble here, I had no idea how the future might change.
“A filthy whore’s bloodline, daring to—”
“Darius.”
In a contemptuous tone, he spat out cruel words at me without hesitation.
Carius frowned slightly and called his name quietly, but Darius didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.
“Brother, this is something that must be made clear! How dare a bastard lay hands on the legitimate line! Isn’t he crawling up because you coddle him so much that he doesn’t know his place!”
“Hoo…….”
At his hardline words, Carius let out a deep sigh. Then, as if to say he didn’t know anymore, he shook his head and closed his mouth.
‘Well, would you look at that?’
As I watched the two of them, I didn’t miss the moment when Carius’s lips twitched and formed a fleeting smile at Darius’s enraged rant.
Had it gone exactly as intended? It was truly a nauseating sight.
“You.”
Darius stood up from his seat and pointed at me. Then, with that finger, he poked my glabella repeatedly while spewing all kinds of verbal abuse.
When I glanced around, the knights seated nearby either pretended not to see me or sneered with expressions that said it served me right.
This was, in the end, Leios’s position.
In this spacious room, among several people, there wasn’t a single one on his side.
Lonely. He was lonely.
Those were the words Leios, soaked in oppression and exclusion, had muttered to himself endlessly while alone. And only now could I painfully empathize with them.
Snap.
“……!”
I grabbed Darius’s finger that had been poking my brow.
Startled by my sudden action, he hurriedly tried to pull his hand back, but I didn’t let go of his finger.
“You bastard……!”
Just as Darius’s face twisted and a rough roar was about to burst out, I stood up as I was and took a step forward—
Thud!
I slammed my head straight into his face.
Bang!
Darius was pushed back by me and toppled onto the floor, falling flat on his back.
As he struggled up with a stunned expression, his face was a mess, smeared with blood flowing from his nose.
“……!”
The knights watching nearby, including Damian, gaped and turned into living statues. But perhaps because they were knights of the imperial family even so, they soon snapped out of it and rushed to his side, flustered as they wiped away the blood.
“…….”
Carius, too, could do nothing but gape in genuine shock.
Even Darius himself, the one involved, was the same, touching his own face with a dazed expression.
Savoring the pleasure of having shattered the sense of superiority that had covered their faces just moments ago, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry, I slipped…….”
And while I was at it, I wanted him to shut that mouth a bit too, haha.
I scratched my cheek with a deliberately apologetic expression and held out my hand.
“You little…….”
Blood flowing from Darius’s nose soaked the front of his clothes. But perhaps the shock of having been humiliated by me was too great; he was only gasping for breath.
“Are you all right, Your Highness!”
“…Let go!”
He shook off the hands of the knights supporting him. Then he snatched a white cloth someone cautiously offered, roughly wiped his nose with it, and threw it onto the floor.
“So, that’s how it is.”
His eyes gave off not just killing intent, but even a demonic aura. It was a cliché thing to say, but if gazes had sharpness, my body would already have been torn to shreds.
“I’ll make you regret being alive.”
After glaring at me once with blazing eyes as he spat out that curse, Darius turned away sharply, as if he didn’t want to exchange another word, and headed outside.
“…Oh dear, how scary.”
“…….”
Watching that, I couldn’t suppress the instinctive snide remark that slipped out.
The bomb had already exploded anyway—would pouring one more cup of oil on it really make much difference?
At those words, Darius’s steps faltered for a moment. But perhaps his pride wouldn’t allow him to look back; instead, he vented his anger by slamming the door as if to break it, then left the room.
“Hoo…….”
Carius, who had stepped back and observed the situation for a while, let out a sigh as he looked at us.
“Leios, it would be good for you to apologize to Darius later. When he’s angry, he’s very frightening.”
To anyone watching, he looked like he was deeply worried about a fight that had broken out between brothers.
Combined with his handsome appearance and expression, it truly evoked sympathy, but in contrast, the two eyes directed at me were tinged with a sneer, as if he found the current situation amusing.
“…….”
I figured there was no longer any need to stay here, so I turned my body as well.
My forehead, which I had slammed into Darius’s face, throbbed slightly, but since I had landed a good hit on that clueless punk, it was still a profitable deal.
‘Fuck it, shit. I don’t know anymore.’
Just because my body had changed and my environment had changed didn’t mean that the core inside me had changed as well.
After all, if the temperament I’d carried for twenty-eight years were to flip around so easily in such a short time, wouldn’t that render the life I’d lived until now meaningless?
‘Yeah, let’s go with my style.’
I was the type who charged in first and worried later.
I’d been like that back in my school days, before my head had fully hardened, and I’d been like that when I jumped into the writing industry after being discharged from the military.
Even if I regretted it, I’d live the life I damn well wanted.
Rather than getting cursed at and rolling around at rock bottom, lying flat on the ground, groveling, and watching others’ moods while waiting for my time was never in my nature.
‘I’ll show you clearly why the protagonists in novels were all madmen.’
What’s the worst that could happen—death? Dying here didn’t necessarily mean I’d die in reality, and even if I did, then that was simply as far as my life went.
Slide.
I gave Carius a small bow and left the room. I wasn’t Leios. I would live my life in a different way from him.
Having made that resolve, as if to prove my firm determination, I didn’t spare the closing door even a single glance.
…….
…….
…….
That aside, I didn’t know the way back…….
It had only been a few hours since I had grabbed a passing servant, ordered him with an arrogant expression to guide me, and returned to my palace.
When I got back to the room, it had been neatly cleaned up, despite having been in disarray due to the earlier commotion with August.
A lot had happened today.
In some ways, it felt like I’d spent a denser day than the entire week since arriving in this world.
I wanted nothing more than to throw everything aside and collapse into a soft bed, but if I stayed idle without any preparation, I had no idea what kind of retaliation might come.
“Let’s start by making a plan.”
I took out a bundle of parchment that amounted to nearly twenty sheets.
According to Parsi, it was high-grade parchment with some kind of preservation magic cast on it, so it wouldn’t be damaged even if you poured water on it or burned it with fire—but to me, it was just one of the many things lying around.
In that regard, I thought it was really fortunate that I’d possessed Leios. If I’d possessed some awkward extra or supporting character and been dropped into the middle of a war or the underworld, what would I have done? I could say with absolute confidence that I’d have been stripped of even my organs within an hour.
“Your Highness, what would you like to do about dinner?”
“Bring it as usual.”
While I was writing out my plan, I answered Parsi’s question with a small nod.
There was usually a separate place for meals, but I didn’t bother going there.
This was exactly why power was so nice—if I wanted something, it literally came true.
During the brief time before the meal was prepared, I picked up a pen adorned with ornate feathers and began envisioning my plans going forward.
Leios didn’t truly begin his activities until he left the imperial palace and entered the academy at seventeen.
Right now, the original story hadn’t even begun yet. Until winter ended and the year turned over, my options were bound to be quite limited.
At best, I could go around searching for hidden pieces concealed within the imperial palace.
That was why it was important to fasten the very first button properly from that point onward.
My trail within the palace was already as good as ruined.
“It’s late today, so shall I start tomorrow?”
Spending a day just setting up plans should be fine. I organized the palace side of things and roughly selected the people I’d need to recruit once I entered the academy.
They were originally meant to be the protagonist’s supporters, but I had my own survival to worry about.
‘If it comes down to it, I’ll make the protagonist my person too.’
Who cared about how the novel unfolded or what the story was supposed to be?
I had to survive first.
I was willing to restrain myself to some extent, but if things went sour, I fully intended to flip the whole board and take everything for myself.
If I stole all the fortuitous encounters of the protagonist and the other characters, wouldn’t I at least gain enough power to be discussed as the strongest in this world?
“I’ve brought the meal.”
At Parsi’s words, I put down my pen.
Since it was written in Hangul anyway, there was no risk of her understanding it.
I was slightly worried about it getting lost, but who would have the guts to take a prince’s belongings?
“It’s good.”
A luxurious meal was spread out before me—far too extravagant to be considered something prepared just for one person. Perhaps because there was so much, Parsi brought it in two trips.
Tender steak grilled from veal, all kinds of soups, and unknown seafoods glittered brilliantly, stimulating my appetite.
“Mmm…….”
There was one thing I’d realized since coming here.
A delicious meal, in and of itself, could become happiness.
For someone like me, who’d always been pressed for time and lived on convenience-store food and instant meals, it was nothing short of a whole new world.
I cut a generous piece of veal steak and stuffed it into my mouth, and sweet juices, as if honey had been added, overflowed richly. It was a supreme taste that made me want to leap up and shout, “Exquisite!”
“Does it suit your taste?”
“If this doesn’t suit my taste, I wouldn’t know what I should be eating.”
When I answered with a shrug, she covered her mouth and smiled.
“Ah, I’ll be going to the archives first thing tomorrow morning after breakfast, so please make the preparations.”
“Understood.”
After I finished the meal, she cleared the dishes and took them outside, then returned with a single plate.
A black chocolate sauce flowed down over golden pudding.
Even though I was already completely full, the appetizing sight made my hand automatically reach for a spoon.
“It’s dessert.”
I felt like I could now understand what my ex-girlfriend used to say—that women had a separate stomach for sweets.
The fist-sized pudding vanished in an instant.
Parsi excused herself, saying she’d be back shortly, and left with the plate, while I savored the lingering sensation on my tongue and picked up my pen once more.
Holding a pen like this in such an antique room really made it feel like I was a medieval noble.
Which, in reality, I was.
Left alone, the room grew silent, and only the scratchy sound of the pen tip echoed through the air.
I organized the list of people I needed to recruit and wrote down the identities of the villains who needed to be excluded.
Then, suddenly, I felt my vision blur.
‘Did I concentrate too much?’
It was something I sometimes experienced when writing all night and blood rushed to my head.
I thought about stretching and tried to stand up, but a sudden wave of weakness washed over my entire body, and I collapsed out of the chair.
“…Ugh.”
I barely managed to grab the edge of the armrest, but as if I were dehydrated, there wasn’t a shred of strength left in my body.
Realizing that something was seriously wrong from my labored breathing and the cold sweat pouring from my entire body, I hurriedly opened my mouth to call for someone, but even that came out as nothing more than a metallic rasp.
“…Your Highness?”
Then, like a single oasis blooming in the desert, someone opened the door and came in. But by then, my vision had already twisted, as if someone had squeezed my eyes.
All I could barely make out, from the faint voice reaching my ears, was that the figure was Parsi.
“Hrk.”
A metallic, bloody stench rose toward my nose and mouth. As a vivid crimson color spread in an instant, I realized I had coughed up blood.
“……!”
A sharp scream stabbed into my ears, but even that soon faded away.
In that situation, the only thing I could do—
[SYSTEM: You have been poisoned. If not detoxified within a set amount of time, your flesh will begin to rot from your hands and the tips of your feet. Rapid detoxification is strongly advised.]
—was glare at the status window that floated up in my fading vision.
…Would it kill you to tell me a bit sooner.