‘If it’s an imperial carriage, could it be…’
I slowly rolled my eyes.
If the Second Prince, Fred was inside, I would naturally have the chance to see the protagonist’s face.
Caw—
However, as soon as my feet hit the ground, I heard the sound of a crow cawing. It was an ominous sign.
At the same time, what I saw reflected in the carriage window wasn’t the protagonist’s dazzling blonde hair, but a shadow-like black hair.
“Your Highness Demian, we have arrived,” the imperial coachman respectfully announced.
Hearing the name of the villain I had sworn to be cautious of since realizing the possession made my entire body tense up.
Demian Evelon.
He was an incredible beauty, the first prince born of the empress who passed away at a young age.
Inheriting that beauty, Demian was a typical handsome man with black hair and red eyes, but he bore a shadow that others were unaware of.
Growing up while witnessing his mother, who became empress only because she caught the emperor’s eye, withering away in the palace was quite a trauma for him.
A fallen noblewoman from near the border had ascended to the position of empress, and one could only imagine how much the high nobility of the capital tormented her.
The empress, who could do nothing but care for her peaceful rural territory and worship nature and the gods, eventually withered away.
This was a story from when Demian was not even five years old.
Having witnessed his mother in such a state, he began to obsess over the power that could keep his life secure—the position of crown prince.
‘In the end, he even resorted to rebellion to obtain that power.’
Though I had come face to face with the last person I wanted to encounter, I couldn’t just dash away at the sight of the imperial carriage, especially since I was a member of the Heron family, who had long claimed to be loyal knights of the imperial family.
I watched with formality as Demian stepped down from the carriage.
His slightly curly black hair swayed in the wind. His red eyes were sharp, devoid of any languidness.
Demian looked like a living ember that refused to die amidst the blackened ruins.
From his tightly closed lips, I could sense his determination not to waver from his goals.
For a moment, his beauty made me forget the information that he was the villain who would incite rebellion.
‘I understand why some noble ladies asked their fathers to arrange a marriage with him.’
Had Demian not resolved not to associate with any woman until the competition for the crown prince was over, he might have already been married by now.
But beauty is just skin deep.
While the shell was breathtakingly beautiful, Demian’s true personality was quite the opposite.
A sharp voice suddenly broke through my recollections, confirming that the information I had remembered was indeed true.
“Are you the young lady of the Heron family?”
Perhaps it was because there was no one else around. There was a strange animosity in Demian’s voice as he called out to me.
“I apologize for my late greeting, Your Highness. I am Levy Heron.”
To my surprise, Demian smiled as if he found it amusing.
“Was your greeting late because you were expecting the second prince, but instead got me?”
To be honest, I had been worried about what I would do if I encountered Fred, so his statement wasn’t entirely wrong.
Demian was quite skilled in martial arts. With his keen observational skills, he could have easily caught the momentary disappointment that flashed across my face when I realized he was the villain rather than the male lead.
Moreover, there was an incident that provided a reasonable basis for his thoughts.
‘Levy Heron collapsed after secretly stealing a glance at Fred’s face during the royal ball.’
Having been physically weak, Levy had barely attended royal events once every few years, and after that day, she had increasingly used her health as an excuse to avoid outings.
A defective product who couldn’t even be a knight, fainting after catching the eye of the prince she had a crush on, she must have been mercilessly gossiped about in social circles.
‘Why do I feel so hot?’
Anyway, as a result, Demian learned that the heir of the Heron family had a crush on Fred.
In fact, on the day he was inciting rebellion, he had said something to Levy, who was blocking his way while defending the palace.
“Levy Heron. Are you willing to die for Fred?”
‘It makes sense for Demian to be wary of a woman who has a crush on his rival.’
Thinking about it, from Demian’s perspective, I probably didn’t seem all that different from other characters.
Outwardly, I appeared to pledge my loyalty equally to everyone in the imperial family, but in reality, I supported the powerful Empress Izelda and her son, the second prince Fred.
Once I reached this point in my thoughts, I could understand why Demian was being a bit prickly with me.
However, in this life, I had no intention of brazenly vying for the second prince’s favor.
To avoid being killed by the rebels, it was essential to clearly convey my intentions to Demian, who seemed to think of me as one of Fred’s close associates.
I would need to find a way to do that gradually, but for now, I needed to navigate the current situation… Yes.
“Cough, cough.”
I squeezed out some petty acting and coughed a few times.
Fortunately, the image of the sickly Levy Heron covered for my acting.
“I apologize. I was so excited at the thought of finally attending the academy’s entrance ceremony that I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings.”
“Finally entering?”
“Yes. I had delayed my admission by a year due to health issues.”
“…”
Having a sickly mother who passed away young, Demian momentarily held his tongue, perhaps seeing her in my appearance.
Seizing the momentum, I continued, recalling a painting I had found in the mansion after the possession.
“And this might sound a bit silly, but… perhaps because I’ve looked at the painting in the mansion for a long time, I couldn’t immediately connect it to your grown-up appearance.”
At that moment, a similar image must have been forming in both our minds.
The bright smile of Her Majesty the Empress and Demian.
Me and my mother, who was still healthy.
Noble ladies of similar ages and children around the same age.
The numerous paintings created by the palace artists depicted a picnic that took place by the lakeside one day.
There were so many characters in those paintings that it was somewhat embarrassing to call them memories specifically associated with Demian and me.
Nevertheless, that painting was the first item Demian sought out after he had been expelled from the palace and later returned after inciting rebellion.
The intimate details of the situation were not revealed in the novel, but perhaps that was because it was the last memory Demian shared with Her Majesty the Empress.
‘After that, her condition rapidly worsened, and she soon passed away.’
In any case, it was a precious memory for Demian, and our home also had one of the sketches depicting that day’s picnic.
That was my second plan.
I had no intention of gaining his affection in a rational way from this man, who maintained a compulsive abstinence to ascend to the throne.
Given how formidable his emotional walls were, it would be impossible.
However, since Demian was also human and not a robot, it might be possible to evoke the emotional threads that everyone possesses.
If Demian were to incite rebellion, I wanted to ensure that he couldn’t simply cut me down in an instant.
If possible, I also hoped to leave the impression that I was a neutral person loyal to the imperial family, not simply Fred’s knight who had a crush on him.
As expected, perhaps recalling the painting that held memories of his mother, Demian looked at me with a more relaxed expression.
“To bring up old stories, you must have a talent for evading things. It was your childhood, so your memories are probably hazy, right?”
“…”
“I’m not planning to punish a noble lady who loves Fred for bowing her head a little later out of disappointment.”
While the coldness that had been present in his voice had slightly dissipated, his words still carried an air of mocking. It was clear that he was indeed the villain.
It seemed he thought of me as the noble lady who was so infatuated with Fred that merely locking eyes with him would cause me to faint, prompting a timid excuse to slip out.
“That day, there were so many people that I was suffocated by the heat and fainted.”
“No need to make excuses. If you were really that hot, how could the sword of the imperial family have fallen so easily?”
He laughed lightly, as if to say it was a joke, and then brushed past me.
“Levy Heron. Remember that you entered as a new student this year.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I had an unexpected encounter with Damian, but I managed to get through it somehow.
I arrived at the venue for the entrance ceremony and took my designated seat.
The High Priest, who had walked from the main temple to the academy for this event, spoke in a solemn voice.
“May the blessings of the goddess be upon all of you gathered here.”
Listening to the Chancellor recite the prayer with my hands clasped together like a devout believer, I slyly opened one eye to glance at Demian.
“Wow, he really knows how to manage his image.”
The Demian now was entirely different from the one who had shown a prickly demeanor toward me earlier, confirming that there were no people around.
Despite the tightness of his clothes due to his broad shoulders and muscles, he had buttoned his shirt all the way to the top, presenting himself as a devout follower without a doubt.
His calm eyes were closed as he focused on the priest’s sermon, resembling a beautifully crafted piece from a skilled sculptor.
Those who had pointed fingers at Demian for being born on a day when demons roamed would now fall silent, observing his composed demeanor.
‘Who would believe that such a noble-looking person is the most promiscuous and obsessive supporting male character in a 19+ novel?’
His expressions were drastically different when he flashed a soft, benevolent smile in front of everyone compared to when he faced me, who was presumed to be a close confidante of Fred.
Realizing that Demian was someone who expertly concealed his prickly personality through perfect image management, I thought to myself once again.
Indeed, it was best to maintain only a suitable acquaintance with Demian, enough to avoid being killed by him.
But that didn’t mean I would stick to Fred, the original male lead, and become his closest confidante.
My goal was to quickly facilitate a meeting between Fred and the original female protagonist and then subtly withdraw from the political conflict.
A family like the Herons, maintaining neutrality, would risk bloodshed if entangled in a political landscape divided into distinct factions and power struggles.
Demian, who had no way of knowing what I was thinking as I looked at him, wore a benevolent smile while gazing at the statue of the goddess.
“O goddess, grant us peace and blessings.”
The mocking tone he had shown when we were alone earlier was completely erased from his demeanor.
How could someone who pretended to be so pure actually be a ridiculously skilled man, using the female lead as a battery for divine power, and eventually desire her body, leading to all sorts of things spanning 130 pages…
‘Whoever ends up associating with a two-faced person like him is truly unfortunate. Did they commit some sin in their past lives?’
At that moment, I had no idea.
That I would be the one to kiss him soon, to calm him down after he was possessed by a lustful demon.
