Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Your Majesty, there is no war.”

“It’s been only two months since the war was over. Though you want to start a war again.”

“Then, what are you going to do about the people’s resentment?”

“How will you pay for the money we need for the war?”

I stared blankly at those who were eagerly expressing their opinions.

‘Where is this? Who are those people?’

Today was my high school graduation, and I was going on a trip with my parents.

‘Where are Mom and Dad?’

As I looked around to try to find my parents, I saw a man sitting in a golden chair. His sharp eyes, the slender jawline, and his impression made everyone nervous. In addition, the green eyes, which can be seen under the fine silver hair, were indifferent and desolate, so it would be quite difficult to face him.

“Your Majesty.”

A blonde-haired man sitting right under the high ledge quietly called him.

‘Your Majesty?’

Are you saying that the silver-haired man is the emperor? What is he talking about?

At that moment, a scene passed like lightning in my head. A dump truck was interrupted by a sudden lane change, father’s surprised voice, and the screams of mother.

…And the enormous shock and terrible pain that followed.

I closed my eyes tightly at the feeling of suffocation, as though someone was choking me. A family trip to celebrate college enrollment… How did this happen?

That was the last memory of my life that I cried out desperately while looking at the back of my parents that were stained with blood.

“I need money.”

It was the low and cold voice of a man called the emperor who broke my train of thoughts. When I carefully opened my eyes, I saw him twisting the tail of his mouth.

“I conquered the Gemina Kingdom two months ago, so I can use the treasury money for the war. What’s the problem?”

“Don’t you bring the subjugated Gemina Kingdom into ruins? It costs money to rebuild it.”

The blue-haired middle-aged man answered with a stiff face.

“Lord Otien, have you forgotten that Gemina’s treasures came into our hands? That is a large amount of money. So don’t say painful things.”

Despite the emperor’s words and sarcasm, there was no change in the face of the man called Lord Otien.

“If we don’t have money, then we have more reason to go to war. We have land, we have labor, we have money. Why stop the good things?”

As the emperor’s face turned cold, those who had gathered began to glance at each other.

‘What, why is the atmosphere like this? What is that person doing?’ I glanced at the emperor without realizing. The atmosphere he exudes was so bloody that my flesh trembled.

“Don’t the people get killed and injured in war? Can’t you hear them cry?”

Another man appealed as if he was frustrated.

“There was always a burden on the forefront. We always win, and the number of casualties is far less than that of our opponents. What’s more successful than war?”

“Your Majesty’s achievements deserve praise, but don’t you know that no war is better than war?”

“Don’t I know? …Ha.”

The emperor laughed in vain, stunned.

“Count Nolan, are you trying to teach me now?”

His words hardened the bodies of those who had gathered there.

‘Where the hell are we, anyway?’

Moreover, such a choking situation. I couldn’t bear listening to it any longer, so I tried to speak carefully to the emperor.

‘Excuse me? Hello?’

However, he was staring horribly at only those in front of him as though he couldn’t hear me. ‘Excuse me? Can’t you hear me?’

That moment.

Suddenly, he turned his head towards me.

“What do you think? They are very conceited. They dare to teach me.”

‘That scared me. Why are you asking me?’ As soon as he saw me, his expression, which had been hit by the north wind, quickly became warm. Even a friendly voice flowed out of his mouth, which had uttered a drowsy venom.

‘Are, are you crazy?’

While I was flustered, the emperor once again gently asked, reaching for me with his hand.

“What should I do? What would you like to do?”

‘Uh, huh? Why are you approaching me?’ I instinctively leaned back in fear of an unknown reason.

At that moment.

‘What, what’s wrong?’

I thought I was moving backward, but the distance between the emperor was getting closer, rather than widening.

I took a desperate step back.

But still, the body didn’t move, and his hand came closer.

‘What, what is it! I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t even know where this is!’

I couldn’t stand the horror anymore and shouted desperately with my eyes closed.

‘Strange.’

I felt something touching me, but I couldn’t feel anything else over time.

‘What?’

Wanting to know what was going on, I slowly opened my eyes after I gathered my courage.

‘Ugh!’ When I saw the emperor’s face right in front of my nose, I thought I was fainting. He rubbed my head with a lazy look.

‘Wait. You’re touching my head? But why can’t I feel anything?’

Feeling that something is horribly wrong, though I’m not entirely sure. However, the biggest problem right now was that my body wasn’t moving. Not only that, but it was also strange that I couldn’t feel anything.

Anxiety climbed up my spine.

The emperor, who had been fiddling with my hair, suddenly tilted his head and put his mouth in my ear. I was frightened. Still, I couldn’t get away from him.

“Is that so? You have the same idea.”

I didn’t say anything?

The emperor nodded his head as if hearing my answer and backed away. I couldn’t figure out why he was doing it, so I glanced at the people around him, and everyone was shutting their eyes tightly in a sense of tension.

Slowly rising from his seat, the emperor suddenly pulled out the sword he had placed next to his chair.

‘Hey, why pull out the sword?! Please calm down!’

I tried to reach for him, but my body didn’t move.

‘What, what the hell is this? I thought I wasn’t dead? But why is there someone who wants to dance swords in front of me!’ I wanted to run away right away though my body wouldn’t move. It was seriously killing me.

The emperor took his sword and approached the man who last spoke, not me.

I watched his behavior nervously.

The man was embarrassed and eagerly glanced at the man called Lord Otien to save him. Then, when he saw the emperor approaching, he bit his lips tightly. When only the sound of the tip of the sword scratching the marble floor was ringing, a blond man stood up and intercepted the emperor.

“Your Majesty, please show your mercy.”

The emperor paused and stared at the blonde man indifferently.

“Mason, get out of the way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

‘Mason? Is it that Mason?’

My eyes widened at the name.

‘Why does that name come out here?’

Again, I looked closely at the blonde man. Blonde, smart and serious-looking handsome man.

‘Oh my God.’

Recognizing him, I muttered powerlessly.

I know Mason.

Isn’t it the male lead of the romantic fantasy novel ‘Love Blooms in the Ruins’ that I’m a fan of? Only then, I realized who the man called, the emperor was.

Declan, a friend, and tyrant of the male lead.

‘Hah, does this make sense? You’re dead, but your eyes are open in the novel?’

Am I dreaming? If not, am I in a coma and wandering in my unconsciousness? As I thought of all the possibilities, my head was spinning.

Meanwhile, Emperor Declan was aiming his sword at the neck of the last speaker.

“Count Nolan, you, who had never been out to war and held a sword, dare to speak about war? That’s not even funny.”

Count Nolan couldn’t move, worrying one wrong move, and the blade would cut his neck. Yet he was looking straight at him as if he would not lose to Declan.

“If you’re thinking of teaching me war, go out to the battlefield and cut off the enemy’s throat. Then, you can tell me.”

I reflexively closed my eyes with the sword raising, cutting through the air.

I don’t want to see the scene where someone’s neck is flying!

“Or maybe you’ll have to be prepared to give your life.”

When I opened my eyes to see if it was all over, I saw Declan moving his sword.

‘Is he alive?’

At first glance, there was a red strip of blood on the neck of Count Nolan. As Count Nolan stared back at Declan’s body that turned around, his body trembled.

“Have you forgotten what happened a year ago already? How did I get to the Emperor’s position? Don’t test my patience.”

Declan spoke to his ministers.

I struggled to calm down and thought of the contents of the novel. Let’s see… If it had been a year since Declan became emperor, it would be the first half of the novel.

The story begins when he ascends as the emperor.

‘Then, what kind of person did I possess?’

If this wasn’t a dream and I really came into the novel, I would have possessed one of the characters in the novel. Still, was there a person who couldn’t move their body and couldn’t feel touch?

If the tyrant Declan is friendly, it is to only one existence…

‘No, no way. Perhaps?’

“Chloe, let’s go for tea. I prepared you a bunch of cookies you like.”

As I faced him, smiling like an angel, I fell in despair.

Chloe Staufen.

Declan’s one and only younger sister, and the princess of this country. The tyrant, Declan, loves and cares for her.

If I heard it right this far, I possessed a gold spoon… So, that wasn’t the problem.

‘But if Declan has been emperor for a year, then Chloe is already dead!’

Then, who is now called Chloe?

It’s what Declan gave as a gift for Chloe’s seventh birthday.

It was a ball-jointed bisque doll with blonde and purple eyes, made by the best doll company on the continent. Declan named this doll after his sister after Chloe’s death and always carried it with him wherever he went.

‘So, everyone in the novel said that he was crazy when they saw Declan. Because he treated a doll like a living person.’

Well, in the end, he lost his temper and went crazy, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

But why? Why does it have to be me!

When I came into the novel, at least let me possess living things.

‘What is this, a doll, a doll! How do you do something with inanimate objects that are only fifty centimeters tall!’ Eventually, I couldn’t stand the frustration and cried out.

‘Sigh. What should I do in the future?’

I was depressed because I couldn’t see anything ahead of me.

“Chloe, I prepared tea time in the greenhouse today. Your favorite lilies will be in full bloom, and it would look very pretty.”

As I stared at the expectant Declan’s face in the distance, I opened my eyes wide at a sudden thought.

‘Oh right! He is eventually killed by the male lead!’