“Dad kidnapped the obsessed Duke.”
Episode 1.
Prologue
Life was not made up of things that could be understood.
Firstly, if it were made up of things that could be understood, it wouldn’t make sense that I, who had been inexplicably reincarnated into this absurd BL novel called “Cry, Your Majesty,” was living through this. Secondly, what my father, Heldebrandt Ferrite Bricesys, the Emperor, did didn’t make sense.
“Yvonne, I have a birthday present for you.”
The Emperor’s birthday present to me was not an object.
Shimmering black hair like obsidian, with ruby-red eyes that sparkled. Despite wearing a magical restraint that made it seem like he couldn’t see in front of him, his gaze was fixed directly on me.
“Oh, Father…?”
“How long are you going to call me Father? Can’t you call me more affectionately now?”
My father was the Emperor. Technically, he wasn’t even my biological father. Externally, he had brought the seed that sowed me, but I was his untainted adopted daughter.
The novel I reincarnated into was called “Cry, Your Majesty,” a crazy BL novel. It was the first and last BL novel I had ever encountered. Perhaps, even if I hadn’t died in a traffic accident, I wouldn’t have read another BL novel. The reason being, that novel was too explicit and disturbing, leaving me with such severe trauma that daily life became impossible.
It focused heavily on the relationship and dynamics between the Emperor, almost like a queen, and the obsessed Duke Leonhardt. It lacked much substance beyond that.
To the point that even when doing normal tasks, my face would flush at the thought of it?
Moreover, the idea that he had brought the seed was impossible. He loathed women intensely due to a past engagement, so the idea of him conceiving a child with another woman was impossible.
Therefore, even though there was only a three-year age difference, I was disguised as Yvonne, his daughter.
“Damn fortune tellers. They said our daughter can’t awaken because of that Leonhardt guy. So, I brought him.”
“Ah…”
“They say Leonhardt shouldn’t shine brighter than our daughter. So, make him grovel at your feet. Then, you’ll awaken.”
I was the only daughter of the Bricesys Emperor, unable to awaken.
Even though it was clear that Yurián couldn’t see anything due to the cold restraint around his neck, he seemed to hear something. Or maybe it was a reaction to my name.
The person known as Leonhardt was originally Yurián Leonhardt. He was the protagonist of “Cry, Your Majesty.” Not just a protagonist, but an obsessed Duke, a mad murderer Esper, and the lover of my father Heldebrandt, the Emperor. They eventually killed each other, ending as the protagonist of a mature 19+ novel.
Unfortunately, it happened on my birthday, marked with a heavy dead flag.
“Fortune tellers usually say anything. Since you talk a lot, there must be something to gain…”
Though my sweat was cold, the sight of Heldebrandt smiling made my spine chill, as if icicles were forming.
“Our daughter. Your father has gone to such lengths. You won’t fail to awaken, right?”
“Haha… N-no, of course not.”
So, Heldebrandt’s words meant this. He brought such an important Duke to the country, and if I couldn’t awaken this time either, it meant death.
“This father believes in his daughter. Our daughter’s mana is overflowing like this. Once you awaken, there will be no one more splendid than the princess.”
Unfortunately, I had no interest in being a splendid princess.
If I could survive each day, escaping from this ice-like palace wouldn’t be so bad.
“I won’t disappoint you.”
“Alright.”
The Emperor patted my shoulder and handed me the key. Then, he dragged Yurián out, and only then did I realize my legs were shaking, causing me to collapse.
* * *
It had been three years since I realized I was in a novel.
I used to be a working adult, pulling all-nighters and working late shifts. Unfortunately, the day I decided to drink too much during a company dinner and called a designated driver, it turned into a disaster.
Whether the designated driver was sleepy in the early morning or I fell asleep due to alcohol spreading while sprawled out, when I woke up to the honking sound, the accident had already occurred.
Without feeling any pain, I opened my eyes, and there I was, reincarnated as Princess Yvonne, wandering through a scene where I had fallen from the stairs.
“Ah…”
Yesterday was my birthday as Princess Yvonne.
It had been a long time since I gave up the hope of returning to reality when I opened my eyes. I was still in this royal family, an awakenedless princess, and the Emperor, who claimed to be my father, was actually not my real father.
The Emperor’s first claim that I was his real daughter was based on the magical power I possessed. He argued that with such a level of mana, I could surpass the Emperor. But what did that matter? Even if you have abundant energy, it’s useless if you can’t use it.
Secondly, we both had the same hair color. Both were silver-haired, and this pale silver hair was something that only appeared in the imperial family.
Lastly, if the Emperor said so, who could say otherwise?
“Your Highness, where shall we escort you?”
Upon leaving the bedroom, there were maids and servants following me as usual.
“Don’t follow me. It’s just going to be me and Ebony.”
“Yes.”
The person my father, the Emperor, had captured wasn’t just any subordinate. It was Duke Leonhardt, the protagonist of this damn novel. Moreover, he was the only Duke in the empire.
Soon, the entire empire would be turned upside down.
I couldn’t prevent receiving a person as a gift on my birthday because I hadn’t seen any mention of Yurián being captured as a birthday gift in the original work. Of course, I had only roughly read the middle to the end, so it was inevitable.
It was a mistake to read only the beginning.
The Emperor would pretend to be worried about him and make a show of looking for him diligently, but in reality, he would be enjoying having him imprisoned in the underground of the palace, where I stayed.
The imprisoned Duke was waiting for the day when he, a lowly Duke, would kneel under the feet of a fake daughter he scorned.
* * *
With only Ebony, my close maid, I headed to the kitchen.
“Your Highness, did you come for a special reason?”
“I came for ‘his’ meal.”
“Your Highness, personally?”
“Yes.”
This world was composed of the imperial family and a tiny fraction of nobles who possessed esper abilities. In my case, I had an excessive amount of mana but had not manifested any abilities yet, which was a problem.
My father, Heldebrandt Ferrite Bricesys, the Emperor, had the ability of hypnosis. He was a top-level esper with immense mana.
Since I, claiming to be the Emperor’s daughter, had a similar amount of mana, I was expected to be a top-level esper if I awakened any abilities.
If I awakened.
Yes, if I awakened.
However, the problem was, the original Yvonne, the Princess of Ferrite Bricesys, not only had not awakened but also lived with the burden of taking strong stabilizers.
“Here it is, Your Highness.”
After directing the servant to bring the food, I went down to the underground of my palace. I had to descend countless winding stairs to reach the underground building.
“Stay here.”
“But, Your Highness…”
Going alone to see Duke Leonhardt, imprisoned underground, meant following my father’s orders. I had no idea how this person was related to my awakening.
Moreover, if I did as my father said, I would surely die. 100%? No, 1,000%, 10,000% sure death.
“Quiet. Isn’t it something my father commanded me?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Since Ebony was the eyes of the Emperor, she was left at the door with the knights. I was still a princess, but I was using the palace used by past princesses and princes. They were all espers, and since they were espers, they lived with some side effects or flaws.
Espers needed stabilizers produced in the palace, so without special management, they were affiliated with the palace.
The protagonist of this novel, Leonhardt, also suffered from tremendous side effects.
He was struggling with the side effect that required him to see the blood of someone who had lost their life. Just showing a bit of blood should be enough, right?
Not at all. The intensity of side effects increased depending on the ability. In his case, along with outstanding physical abilities, an overwhelmingly severe mental side effect came together.
For example, if he was left on the battlefield while experiencing the side effect, after sweeping everything around, he would come to his senses and return alone, becoming a mad monster.
Creak, the door opened with a sound.
Inside, there was an esper-exclusive restraint collar around the neck. There were also bindings on the wrists and both thighs.
The problem was when the collar around the neck lit up in red. If it turned red, it meant the esper was trying to exert force to use their ability.
As soon as I entered, the dazzlingly sparkling eyes and the collar around the neck made me realize that my survival rate was not even in double digits.
