1. “Give yourself to me.”
“Spend the night with me.”
At the suggestive words, the man’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
‘Who in their right mind wouldn’t fall for this right now?’
Rose smirked slyly. She was determined to seduce her favorite character, Arsen de Lafayette.
In the cozy room, the glow of the fireplace bathed the man’s skin in a golden hue. His wet clothes clung to his body, and soon he shrugged off his top. His sword fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
His broad shoulders and sturdy chest were like a magnificent, well-trained stallion. His sleek neck, taut chest, and lean waist exuded pure masculinity. His towering physique heated the room, and his figure was not just attractive but downright mesmerizing.
Rose gulped nervously, and Arsen frowned at the sight of her reaction.
“…Your Highness, you should be more careful with your words. Someone might misunderstand.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding.”
His black eyes, reminiscent of the night sea, wavered in confusion.
“It’s exactly what you think it means, Arsen.”
Rose pointed to the soft bed with her hand. Following her gesture, the man turned his head, his face momentarily lost in a daze as if dreaming. Rose immediately sprang up and lay seductively on the bed, fully intending to tempt him. She patted the empty spot beside her and, once again, firmly spoke.
“It’s cold, Arsen. Hold me like you did before.”
“……”
She even stretched out her arms in a gesture inviting him to embrace her. As she watched the dark shadow gradually fall over her, she couldn’t help but recall a moment from not long ago.
☆ ☆ ☆
A few days earlier
“What, what is this?!”
A woman screamed in shock, her face pale as if she’d seen a ghost. Her delicate, alabaster fingers twitched nervously.
“A-a hand… A moving hand!”
She had been reading a book in the car on her way home, chatting idly with her driver. But suddenly, a dump truck collided with her vehicle, sending it plunging into the harbor waters below.
She vividly remembered the icy sensation that consumed her, the rippling water tugging at her hair, and the suffocating cold spreading through her body. And then, her consciousness faded. At that moment, she knew she had died.
‘Then why am I still alive?!’
She stared at the mirror, touching her unfamiliar, pale pink hair. Its soft, peachy hue was ethereal, unlike any color she’d ever seen. The elegant chandelier light above only emphasized its noble beauty.
‘Wow. I’m stunning.’
She couldn’t help but gasp in admiration, captivated by her own reflection like Narcissus gazing into a pond. Initially, she thought it was all a dream, but the sensations were far too vivid to dismiss as unconscious delusions.
Despite remembering her death, she was alive and moving. And not just alive—but in the delicate, doll-like body of someone else!
‘Wait a minute, this place seems familiar…’
As she looked around, the surroundings reminded her of the world from a novel she had been reading before her accident. She stepped closer to the mirror and examined her face.
‘The symbol of the fairies—eyes like the sea.’
It was exactly how the royal family was described in The Immortal Emperor.
“No way!”
She gasped, drawing in a sharp breath. It didn’t take long to deduce her new identity:
Rose de Callon, the dim-witted youngest princess from the novel.
‘Oh my god! I’m going to die soon. And by my favorite character!’
Before her death, she had been obsessed with The Immortal Emperor, a fantasy novel she couldn’t put down. The reason? Arsen de Lafayette, one of the characters, was her ultimate favorite.
‘That face, that body, that personality! How could he fit my taste so perfectly?’
Arsen’s appearance, as described in the book, was breathtaking. A perfectly balanced physique, bronze skin, and an aura of rugged masculinity, topped with jet-black hair and eyes. He was the commander of the Imperial Knights and a marquis of the mighty Callon Empire. His unwavering loyalty to his lord only added to his irresistible charm.
‘The problem is, that very Arsen is the one who’s going to kill me.’
In the novel, the protagonist, Crown Prince Tanasis de Callon, ordered Arsen to eliminate Rose, the third princess. Without hesitation, Arsen carried out the order, cutting her down with a single strike.
It was unbelievable enough that she had been reincarnated in someone else’s body after dying. But to think she was now a character fated to die at the hands of her favorite?
“Hahaha…”
She let out a hollow, deranged laugh. Behind her, a maid cast a concerned glance but tried to slip away discreetly.
Rose called out to stop her.
“You there, what year is it?”
“It’s the year 676 of the Imperial Calendar.”
A quick calculation told her it was three years before her death.
‘Wait, so Tanasis hasn’t met Arsen yet?’
In the original story, Tanasis became crown prince and won Arsen’s loyalty. Right now, he was still the second prince.
‘Maybe I can win Arsen over before Tanasis does.’
She knew exactly why Arsen pledged his allegiance to Tanasis, and if she played her cards right, she could change the outcome.
‘If I succeed, I can avoid dying at my favorite’s hands.’
Dying again was not an option. Rose’s eyes sparkled with determination as she made up her mind.
‘I can’t just wait to die. I’ll approach Arsen first.’
By now, Arsen should be in the midst of his training. Rose turned to the maid and asked,
“Where’s the knights’ training ground?”
“Are you planning to go out, Your Highness?”
“Yes, take me there.”
“But Your Highness, you’ve only just recovered. Overexerting yourself—”
Rose brushed aside the maid’s concerns and strode confidently out the door. The maid, bewildered by the princess’s sudden assertiveness, hurried to guide her.
Upon reaching the training ground, Rose was met with the earthy scent of dirt, faint traces of livestock, and the musk of sweat. It wasn’t training hours, so the field was deserted. But she already had a good idea of where to find him.
‘I’ve only read about it, but it feels like I’ve seen it myself.’
The vividly described scenes from the novel unfolded before her eyes.
‘Here it is. He should show up any moment now.’
She crossed the empty field and headed toward the stable-side training area, where he often practiced alone.
There, Arsen de Lafayette—the character she adored above all—was honing his swordsmanship, just as she’d imagined.
Whish, whiish.
The sharp sound of a blade cutting through the air echoed. The man, his upper body exposed and jet-black hair flying in the wind, was incredibly alluring. Beads of sweat glistened on his bronze skin, evidence of rigorous training. With every swing of his sword, his taut muscles flexed as if demanding attention.
Wow. The novel couldn’t even capture half of this.
Seeing in person what she had only imagined brought an inexplicable thrill to Rose. Forgetting her dignity, she stared intently at his chiseled back. She felt as if she could die happy if she could touch that sturdy body just once.
At that moment, Arsen turned his head. Their eyes met, and her breath caught in her throat. His deep, mesmerizing gaze was utterly overwhelming.
“…Your Highness?”
His voice was as deep and resonant as the depths of a canyon. Startled, Rose quickly composed herself and smiled.
“Impressive. You’re certainly not the captain of the knights for nothing.”
“What brings you here?”
Arsen wiped the sweat from his chin as he approached. Each step emphasized his masculine figure.
Wow, what luck. I never thought I’d get to see this inverted triangle physique so close.
Rose couldn’t take her eyes off him, captivated as if she were admiring a masterpiece.
“I don’t even know where to look right now,” she muttered.
But her shameless gaze contradicted her words, greedily drinking in the sight of him. Her eyes traced the sweat dripping from his sharply-defined collarbone, down his chest, and further below to count the defined muscles on his abdomen. One, two, three… Oh my God, there are eight of them.
Then Arsen picked up a shirt draped over a stand. Rose watched with regret as he buttoned it up, her eyes lingering on every movement until he was fully dressed. Even after he had clothed himself, she wandered around the training grounds, unable to tear her gaze from him.
“I was thinking of learning swordsmanship,” she said, improvising an excuse.
“You, Your Highness?”
Suspicion flickered across his face as he glanced at her elegant dress.
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
It wasn’t strange for royalty to learn swordsmanship, but it was unusual for a royal to personally visit the knights’ training ground without prior arrangements.
“Summon someone from the imperial knights,” he replied curtly.
Arsen stored his sword back in its sheath, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.
Wait, was he always this cold?
Determined to build some rapport, Rose hurriedly reached out to grab him. But she overlooked one thing—the cumbersome hem of her dress.
In her haste to catch up, she stepped on her own dress. With a shrill scream, she felt her body tilt. A tearing sound rang out, followed by the sensation of falling. She braced herself for the pain and tightly shut her eyes.
But the expected impact never came.
After a moment of silence, she cautiously opened her eyes, only to be greeted by a sculpted plane of muscles.
Huh? What is this…?
In her hand, she held a scrap of torn fabric. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn’t fallen because Arsen had caught her. That sculpted plane was his chest!
Oh my God! I’m in my favorite character’s arms right now?!
Rose scrambled to get away, her face flushed.
“Th-thank you! I almost fell.”
Arsen stood frozen, his hands still poised as if to catch her again. Rose called his name in confusion.
“Arsen?”
Following her gaze, she saw the fabric in her hand, Arsen’s ripped tunic, and his devastated expression.
“…”
Oh no. Did I just strip my favorite character?!
The half-naked man gleamed under the sunlight, his body so dazzling that she almost couldn’t look away. When her gaze met his, she stammered out an apology.
“I’m s-so sorry!”
Arsen sighed heavily, looking down at his ruined clothing. He ran a hand roughly through his hair, the motion making him resemble a model in a sultry photoshoot.
“With your current attire, taking even a step would be difficult,” he remarked.
She had to admit her cumbersome dress wasn’t ideal for anything, let alone swordsmanship. Embarrassed, she nodded slightly.
“As I said, I was hoping you could train me in swordsmanship in the future.”
“I cannot instruct you, Your Highness,” he replied flatly.
“Why not?”
His firm rejection stung, and she instinctively asked why. At her persistence, his brow furrowed.
“I am not a member of the imperial knights.”
Realization dawned on her.
Oh, right. He hasn’t been appointed as the commander of the imperial knights yet.
“So, the Remigis Knights can’t instruct royalty?”
His footsteps halted abruptly.
“…”
“I wasn’t aware of any law stating only imperial knights could instruct members of the royal family,” she mused aloud.
He turned, his gaze wary, as if trying to decipher her intentions. Without a word, he stepped into the stable, leaving her behind. His actions screamed rejection.
No, this can’t happen!
Giving up wasn’t an option. She had three years left before her supposed death—far too short a time to leave things to fate. She needed to persuade him.
And he’s the only one who can help.
Rose hurriedly followed him, chattering as she went.
“Wait! I promise to take the training seriously from now on! Please just—”
Thud!
A dull impact sent her sprawling to the ground. Her vision spun.
“Ouch, ouch…”
She had collided with something—or someone.
“Oh no!”
Panicked voices filled the air. Dust rose all around her, and the pungent smell of animal feed hit her nose.
Cough, cough.
As the dust settled, she saw the scattered hay at her feet and realized she had been hit by a falling feed trough. It had toppled over as the stable boys carried it.
“Ugh, what’s this smell…”
The stable boys froze when they saw her face, their eyes widening in horror as they recognized the royal blue of her eyes.
“Your Highness! We’re so sorry! We didn’t see you!”
The young boys, barely older than fifteen, bowed repeatedly, trembling with fear.
Poor kids. It’s not their fault.
It was absurd to expect anyone to anticipate a member of the royal family wandering around unguarded in such a place. Besides, she hadn’t been paying attention either.
“It’s fine. It was my fault for not being careful,” she said, waving them off.
The boys exchanged bewildered glances. Just then, Arsen appeared, drawn by the commotion. His gaze met hers, taking in her disheveled state.
‘Oh, this is so embarrassing.’
• ● ○ ● •
Cough- New Novel.. Yayyy~
Ko-Fi :
