tyrant chapter 1

The oppressively dazzling crystal chandelier. The unfamiliar furniture, like stepping into an antique shop. But the most unsettling thing was the people surrounding her.

“Your Highness, please allow us to dress you.”

The woman, the head maid, wailed every single morning. Behind her stood the maids, holding heavy-looking dresses. To hear the head maid’s cries, one would think she was standing here in nothing but her undergarments, but she was simply wearing a silk slip nightgown. Of course, looking at the maids around her, she understood how improper her attire was. Especially considering the head maid’s high-necked, fully covered dress, the impropriety was abundantly clear.

“But it’s such a bother.”

She had woken up inside the novel Morning in the Storm. It was just a lighthearted romance fantasy she’d read, but the setting was anything but light. The most serious problem was that she was now ‘Fiogen’.

Fiogen, Princess Fiogen Lorecia.

The demure and quiet Princess Fiogen was an unnoticed extra in this story. Yet, her existence in the novel served a distinct purpose. This story only truly began with Princess Fiogen Lorecia’s death at the hands of the empire’s tyrannical Prince Karta Helseiro. Because of her small, albeit crucial, role, there was next to nothing known about Princess Fiogen Lorecia.

All the royals of the Baoradrem Kingdom were killed by Karta Helseiro.

In the end, Princess Fiogen Lorecia’s life existed solely for this single sentence. As someone who had already experienced death once, everything felt futile. The wailing head maid, the maids nervously clutching the dresses – all were destined to exit the stage with the arrival of Karta Helseiro.

“Your Highness, if you are seen in such attire, I will most certainly face a pay cut.”

Looking at the head maid desperately trying to persuade her, she was reminded of her former self. The head maid was strikingly similar to how she must have appeared to customers back when she was working part-time. Working, studying – she’d been so busy that she hadn’t even had time for dating. She’d finally become a civil servant, only to die in a traffic accident on her very first day of work.

Waking up inside a novel felt utterly absurd. For days, rage kept her awake at night. All the things she wanted to do, to eat, to have… she’d endured and sacrificed for everything, only to die so pointlessly. Her past life had been a constant frustration, and this life was a constant cacophony.

She’d thought a stable job would unlock everything, but fate had dealt her a cruel blow. Even now, reincarnated as a princess of the Baoradrem Kingdom, nothing much had changed. Despite being a princess with access to everything, fate was once again preparing to blindside her.

This time, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Weren’t virgin ghosts said to be the most violent? She had no intention of living a straight-laced life this time around. The thought of the impending blow from fate made her teeth grind in anticipation.

“Your Highness, please, with a generous heart, allow us to dress you.”

Even seeing the head maid on her knees, wailing, evoked no particular emotion.

“Please…”

If she could endure this preordained death, it was thanks to the pipe connected to this beautiful glass bottle. Putting the antique pipe to her lips, she inhaled and exhaled the sweet, bitter smoke. In moments like this, when her mind was blank, even death seemed bearable.

Inside the jewel-encrusted glass bottle was a liquid that shimmered brighter than the gems themselves. It was supposed to have a calming effect, like a sedative. There was a time when she’d loathed alcohol and cigarettes, but now she realized their insignificance. Good health didn’t guarantee a long life, especially not in this novel where Princess Fiogen Lorecia was destined to die by Prince Karta Helseiro’s sword. Thinking that way, it didn’t matter how she died. Dying under the influence of the drug was a chance for a painless end. She wanted to die, but she didn’t want to suffer. Something like that.

“From time immemorial, a woman’s beauty has been considered a virtue, Your Highness. Please, allow us to bestow this virtue upon you.”

Could the head maid, knowing her fate, still uphold a woman’s beauty and virtue? Even if she accumulated a million virtues, Fiogen would only be remembered in this novel as ‘the princess who died by Prince Karta Helseiro’s sword.’ That was her predetermined fate. Thinking about it, even the heavy crown was just a picture on a cake she could never taste. Her life here was truly fleeting.

“A woman’s beauty is the inherent grace she possesses. Put away that heavy, cumbersome dress. It only hides my true beauty.”

In the novel, Fiogen died wearing a dress adorned with glittering jewels. Karta Helseiro had chased the fleeing Princess Fiogen Lorecia relentlessly before raising his sword. Even though her fate was sealed, she didn’t want to wear the dress. If she was going to die anyway, she had no desire to run. This wasn’t a place where struggling to survive would change anything.

“Honestly, this is annoying.”

The so-called tyrant hadn’t shown up yet. He should have appeared by now, sword in hand. Waiting for death was truly tedious and bothersome. The head maid’s daily wailing, the jewel-encrusted glass bottle – she was starting to get used to them, almost fond of them. And she absolutely loathed getting attached.