episode_0001

When I was little, I was running around the palace corridors. The attendants followed me, unable to stop me from behind.

Instead of long, well-kept hair, I had a boy-level short cut; instead of a dress with frills, short shorts; scrapes here and there from running around so much. Who would look at this appearance and think I was the kingdom’s precious jewel, the princess?

As I dashed down the corridor, I saw a little boy and stopped running, waving my hand towards him.

‘Mikhail-!’

And when that child turned around…..

“Gasp!”

When I opened my eyes, instead of the ceiling of a carriage, I saw a white ceiling. Turning my eyes to the side, I saw a doctor, who seemed to have treated me, sitting in a chair, nodding off.

‘The carriage overturned…. and I lost consciousness just like that…. Ugh!’

As if to prove that the overturning accident wasn’t a hallucination, the head that had hit the wall throbbed and ached. Damn it, I really hit the wall hard.

Still, the fortunate thing was that I didn’t feel any particular external injuries other than a splitting headache. My hands moved perfectly fine, and my feet moved perfectly fine.

I carefully watched the doctor and felt my thigh. Thank goodness. Thankfully, the dagger was in my hand.

Killing the sound as much as possible, I slipped out of bed. I didn’t want to commit unnecessary murder, so I didn’t kill the doctor.

Thankfully, there was no one but me and the doctor in the hospital room. I held the dagger in a reverse grip and peeked my head out the door. Two guards immediately came into my view.

‘What on earth happened…. It’s not a prison, so I wasn’t captured by the protagonist….. Did we cross the border? What happened to Tatiana? Ah, damn it, my head hurts again and it’s a mess.’

Forcing myself to hold my aching head, I thought this and that while searching for a way out, but there was no exit visible except for the door guarded by the guards.

‘It’s hard to kill them and escape in this state… Should I just wait until someone else comes? Damn it, where on earth is this place….’

“Salute!”

‘Yikes!’

As the guards saluted someone approaching, I quickly pulled my head back. Thankfully, I wasn’t caught, but the sound of the shoes of the person who seemed to have received the guards’ salute began to get closer.

I have to hide. I rolled my eyeballs, searching for a place to hide. Under the bed? No, it’s too far. Behind the doctor? Are you crazy? Cabinet? I think I can get in there….

Step step

‘I have to hide quickly!’

I hurried and threw myself into the cabinet. As quickly and swiftly as possible. As if stepping using Kyung Gong, I settled into the cabinet without any significant noise.

Afraid that even the sound of my breath might be heard, I covered my mouth with my hand and focused on the sounds outside as much as possible. Thump thump- My heart, startled by the sudden situation, beat busily.

“Where did she go….”

A deep male voice was heard softly. It was a somewhat familiar sound. I definitely heard it somewhere…..

Step step

The man’s footsteps continued to be heard. The doctor also seemed to have woken up then, and gave a salute, but the man dismissed him and continued searching for someone (presumably me).

‘Please… please…. go quickly…..’

Step step

Thump thump thump thump thump-!

As the man walked past the cabinet I was in, my heart began to pound even harder, as if exploding, in response. My head also continued to ache, keeping tune with the sound of my heart in a duet.

“Found you.”

Clatter

Bright light poured in, and a man’s silhouette appeared before me. I knew him. He knew me too. Mikhail Raskaban. The protagonist of the world I was reincarnated into.

“Fuck.”

“You were hiding in there.”

As Mikhail grabbed my wrist and pulled, I dropped the dagger just like that and was embraced in Mikhail’s arms. Fuck, why is this bastard suddenly acting like this, it’s damn creepy. Did he eat something wrong?

“Let go! Let go!”

I struggled, but Mikhail grabbed both my wrists with one hand and carried me like a sack of potatoes, lifting me onto his back. Instantly, my body was lifted, and I was hoisted onto Mikhail’s shoulder.

‘Why is he doing this shit all of a sudden? What is it, what the hell-!!’

I kept shouting for him to let go, but Mikhail ignored my struggle as if watching some stray dog barking, and carried me away on his back.

‘Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuck-!!!’

Finally arriving at the conference hall, Mikhail put me down just like that. But instead of the rough handling one would use on a traitor, his touch was like handling a very precious treasure, which sent shivers down my spine.

Gathered in the conference hall were nobles who had sided with Mikhail and cooperated in beheading the King, my father. When Mikhail suddenly carried me in, they seemed very flustered and were murmuring amongst themselves.

‘Fuck, I can’t escape from here either.’

The exit was blocked by guards, and my body’s condition was such that my head ached terribly because it had been hanging down when Mikhail carried me on his back. Honestly, in this state, just maintaining consciousness was remarkable.

Mikhail put me down and sat in the empty seat in the very center. At that, the murmuring nobles shut up, and the room became silent in an instant.

“Deposed Princess Anastasia Romanova. You have countless crimes to answer for, including the crime of national collusion for daring to leak the nation’s secrets to another country, and the crime of luxury for indulging in extravagance while the people starved to death, thereby neglecting their starvation.”

Fuck, he’s spouting such utter nonsense. Crime of national collusion? Sending letters periodically to a close cousin just became leaking national secrets to another country. Crime of luxury? Fuck, did I buy dresses, did I buy jewelry? And besides, it’s been a good harvest for about the last 5 years, you liar!!

As I kept glaring at Mikhail without saying anything, Mikhail let out a small laugh and opened his mouth.

“Normally, it would be right to behead you and display it outside the castle, just like the deposed King Nikolai.”

‘Damn it….’

“However, the golden bloodline that forms within that body is precious beyond words. The value of the deposed princess, as the one with the last golden bloodline, is sufficient to keep her alive.”

At Mikhail’s sudden declaration, the nobles began to murmur again. Like the nobles, I looked at Mikhail with puzzled eyes. What the hell is his game?

“Therefore, I sentence the deposed princess to the punishment of mixing her golden bloodline with the new royal family that will be created. However, the deposed princess will not ascend to the position of Queen. Her status will be that of a royal slave, and her sole purpose is to provide the golden bloodline, and nothing more.”

Mikhail’s bombshell declaration. At that, the conference hall became noisy with the nobles’ backlash, as if hit by a bomb. It was probably because their calculations had gone awry. Of course, I, the person concerned, was equally stunned.

‘Mix the golden bloodline? So I have to bear an heir? So Mikhail and I will have to… bodies……’

Fuck! Goddamn it! Nausea surged up from within me.

“Don’t bullshit me, you fuck!!”

Thwack-!

The guard right behind me kicked my back. Without a moment to resist, I immediately slammed my face into the floor and kissed the floor. Damn it, it’s ringing my head, seriously. So, I’m on the level of a slave, not even a princess anymore, is that it?

“Your Highness Mikhail! This is preposterous! Even if she does not ascend to the position of Queen, how can you give that unprecedented villainess the right to bear an heir?”

Count Rochen’s angry roar shook the conference hall. Perhaps his original plan was to make his daughter Queen and become the next King’s maternal relative. But he seemed flustered by Mikhail’s unexpected bombshell declaration.

“Then is there anyone else with a bloodline capable of replacing the golden bloodline? The golden bloodline is the foundation that sustains the nation. Surely you haven’t forgotten that fact?”

At Mikhail’s retort, Count Rochen seemed unable to argue back and grit his teeth, backing away. Damn it, don’t give up. I don’t want to be slept with by that bastard!

I barely managed to lift my head and looked at Mikhail. At first glance, Mikhail seemed to have a neutral expression, but in my eyes, having seen that bastard for a long time, I knew. That son of a bitch is smiling right now. His right lip was slightly turned up.

“Wash the deposed princess and take her to a room. The punishment will be carried out starting today.”

“No-! No!! Just kill me! Kill me, you son of a bitch!!”

Slap-!

As I struggled and cursed, the guard who was escorting me slapped my cheek. He hit me so hard that the young flesh inside my cheek tore, and blood gushed out.

Cough!

‘Ffff…. uck….’

Due to the slap from the guard, my vision was shaking, and my head began to feel dizzy. I rolled my eyeballs upwards and glanced at Mikhail’s face. He still wore the smile that seemed neutral.

‘Damn…. bas…. tard….’

And my consciousness blurred again.

—

Mikhail smiled as he watched the princess being dragged away, completely limp. This cheeky princess had attempted to defect to the neighboring country when he wasn’t paying attention.

‘Did she think she could escape?’

Nevertheless, the princess was now in his hands. The princess would never escape again. This fact alone satisfied Mikhail.

Well, affection could be built gradually from now on.

Mikhail recalled the princess’s childhood appearance in his mind. In his childhood, when he had lost everything and was in despair, she was the one who extended the only hand of salvation.

Since then, driven by the sole desire to possess her, how many things had he plotted? Now, that was the end of it.

‘I want to see her quickly.’

Mikhail was greatly looking forward to the days he would spend with the princess from now on.