“Wake up.”
“Five more minutes...”
“I said, 'Get up, you lazy, contemptible maid!'
When I opened my heavy eyelids, I saw a familiar face.
Limia Salt, my half-sister and the dazzling jewel of the Salt Kingdom, was as beautiful as a lily in full bloom.
“Why is the princess here...?”
Obviously I'm here to correct you, you lazy idiot. How dare you, a mere illegitimate child, stretch your legs and sleep comfortably in my father's house?
If I were truly April Salt, I might have been hurt by the insults directed at my bloodline. But fortunately – or unfortunately – I was a 21st century Korean, far removed from notions of social hierarchy.
“Well, my blood is dirty, and yours is supposed to be liquid gold, I suppose.”
Feigning obedience, I quietly stuck my middle finger into my pocket and quickly got up.
“What do you need?”
Former ministers wonder why the volume of food and necessities imports will increase during the next quarter! Their talk is nonsense, and I almost died from a headache trying to understand!
wow!
A bunch of documents that Limia threw at me hit me and I fell to the ground.
Then I understood the situation. The Finance Minister must have discovered a flaw in the budget reports, so he looked for Limia.
“Okay...”
But for some reason, the words got stuck in my throat.
“Because the Claytan Empire plans to cut off exports to our kingdom in the second half of the year.”
She knew that countless citizens of the Salt Kingdom would suffer as a result.
But this is an event from the future described in the novel. To Limiya, this would seem like a baseless claim.
In addition, with Limia's ignorance, there was no guarantee that she would understand the sentence 'The empire plans to stop exports to the kingdom.'
“While reviewing last year’s reports, I thought there was insufficient preparation for a poor harvest, so...”
Do you think you are some kind of god?
Suddenly, Limia's face was right in front of me.
Her distorted expression was so close that my breathing became irregular as if my throat was constricted.
This is strange. Limia didn't use her facial muscles much for fear of wrinkles. Why do you express these expressions so freely now?
Just a simple addition to the overall scene. Did you think that your miserable life would change just because you became haunted by a novel?
“How… how did you know that?”
“Don’t worry, you are still destined to die from exhaustion in this life.”
jingle.
My heart sank upon hearing the sentence, which was like an ultimatum.
“Work like a slave, like an ant. Take solace in the proverb: Even a ragtag hole will one day see the light of the sun.”
"I am waiting!"
“You will remain confined to my office, drowning in mountains of papers, until you die sick and miserable.”
Whoosh.
With Limia's voice echoing as the final note, darkness surrounded me as if someone had turned off the lights.
Ah, I've been in this situation before.
In the end, she secretly convinced ministers to slightly increase food imports, and she got it done.
Although a similar incident had occurred previously, the location and conversation were different.
So, this had to be a dream.
Limia didn't know I was an immigrant and wasn't interested enough to visit my room at all.
“What a fucking nightmare...”
When I realized what was happening, my eyes suddenly opened.
“Oh my God, oh my God...”
Like someone waking up from a terrible nightmare, I sat up and took a deep breath.
My back was covered in cold sweat.
“Is it possible to die from overwork even after you move?”
There couldn't be a curse worse than this.
It seems that disturbed sleep has affected my dreams.
When I looked around, I noticed that the sun was already high in the sky.
“Oh!”
While I was trying to get up, I almost slipped on a book lying on the floor.
When I looked down, I found the crushed cover with the history of the Claytan Empire written on it in bold letters.
I seemed to fall asleep trying to read it, as every word was a powerful sedative.
“If I had read a picture book instead, maybe I would have had a better dream.”
After I washed my clothes in the bathroom, I took the meal I had left at the door and lay down comfortably to eat.
This room has become so familiar that it seems like the most wonderful of nests.
…It's already been three or four days of living like this.
Surprisingly, no one seemed interested in what I did here.
It was a complete contrast to my previous life, where every minute was meticulously planned, and I could barely sleep before dawn.
However, as the days passed, I sometimes felt the idea of giving in to boredom creep into my mind…
“It's just a luxury.”
Liam would come by to check on me every now and then. But since I did not try to escape or appear outside, he seemed puzzled by my behavior.
“Excuse me Liam...”
“If you are thinking of bribing or persuading me, don’t bother. I am completely loyal to the Grand Duke.”
“No, I was just going to say that there's no need for you to go out of your way to check on me.”
“So you're trying to lower my guard to escape? What a stupid plan.”
Liam, who revealed his name a few days after I was detained, had a surprisingly funny side.
To him, every action I took seemed like an elaborate plot to evade surveillance and escape.
Since I was not interested in clarifying his misconceptions, I eventually gave up trying to explain myself.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock
“It's Liam.”
Talk about the devil.
When she heard his calm voice again, she grumbled in slight annoyance.
“I told you I don't intend to run away.”
“I'm not here about this today.”
squeak.
The door, which looked like it would never open, opened, revealing Liam adjusting his glasses and pointing at me.
“The Grand Duke has summoned you.”
"I?"
"Yes."
That's right, you.
When I saw Liam standing there still, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of fear.
Could it be that my life in lenient confinement – or rather, this luxurious care for kidnapping victims – is about to end?
I felt my heart contracting with fear, so I reluctantly began to prepare myself.
* * *
And so here I am.
I was dragged in front of the Duke, and my beautiful holiday was suddenly interrupted. I could not raise my head. Or rather, I couldn't.
The first reason is the stifling pressure that weighs on me, and the second reason...
“Are you deaf to my words?”
“N-no...”
“Then why aren't you looking at me? April Salt, Second Princess of the Salt Kingdom.”
...The Duke's smile was sarcastic, full of sarcasm.
I was discovered faster than I thought.
I didn't expect to hide my identity forever. Whoever can infiltrate the royal palace of an entire kingdom and orchestrate a kidnapping will not be easily fooled by my flimsy lies.
I raised my trembling gaze to meet his. His elegantly curved eyes held a slight hint of kindness, enough to fool anyone.
His smile makes it even scarier...
I felt like prey trapped by a predator. I took a shuddering breath, then exhaled slowly.
To be precise... I didn't lie. I'm not officially a princess. As an illegitimate daughter, I was never officially recognized or treated as a member of the royal family.
The Duke's gaze became colder, I hurriedly swallowed my excuses, and quickly added:
“I'm sorry.”
But it wasn't like I had any other choice!
If they had realized that they had kidnapped a useless illegitimate child instead of Limia, the princess that the Crown Prince so desired, they would have been extremely angry.
If they had tried to negotiate with my father, King Berga, he would have flatly refused. To him, I was worthless. This will make the Duke even more angry.
In short, I only hid my identity to avoid provoking this terrifying man.
As I was trying to formulate a suitable explanation, the Duke opened his mouth first.
“Before that...”
With just those words, the previously bright atmosphere turned into a suffocating heaviness. The Duke's face, which had looked somewhat cheerful, turned expressionless, radiating such a majestic aura that it would not have been surprising if he had drawn a sword at that moment.
“How did you come up with that?”
...find out what?
That I will be kidnapped?
Sure, I had read the original novel, but even I didn't know that!
Still trapped in my choppy thoughts, I froze as his incessant questions continued.
“I noticed that SALT food imports increased significantly.”
“Huh?”
It's often overlooked, but its timing is suspicious. Lately, it seems that every policy supported by Princess Lemia is foiling the Crown Prince's plans.
Hahaha...hahaha...
I was damaged.
I quickly turned my gaze to the ground, avoiding his eyes at all costs, lest he pierce me. However, the Duke (unnecessarily) came down from his podium and approached me.
“It's like you know everything already.”
His measured steps echoed. The polished black tips of his shoes came into view, their shiny surface reflecting my distorted expression.
Was last night's nightmare actually a prophetic dream?
Honestly, I wasn't so oblivious as to not understand what the Duke meant. His accusations heightened my concerns about what he might uncover in his investigation.
Because of Limia's incompetence, there was no effective way to fill the gaps left by my actions.
“So,” he began.
In one smooth motion, the Duke tilted my chin upward with his fingers.
Yet, ironically, I found myself offering an embarrassed, submissive smile even in such a moment of humiliation.
“How did you discover the Empire’s plot, princess?”