[ Prologue ]

Tyrant.

It was a term referring to Michael Sonnette, the emperor of the Devrant Empire.

As soon as he ascended the throne, the bloody winds that blew over the empire still did not stop.

“… In this situation, I ask for Your Majesty’s opinion.”

The new prime minister, Richard Park, barely finished speaking in a trembling voice.

It has only been a week since the predecessor’s neck was cut off because he dared to oppose the emperor. The newly-appointed prime minister could only freeze with fear.

The emperor did not think long. He opened his mouth, staring at Richard Park with a fierce look.

“Apples.”

The emperor closed his mouth right away, speaking only one word.

It was when Park was frozen, rolling his eyes.

The petite secretary spoke like quickfire. Even under the dim lighting, the shiny gold-eyed and bright red-haired secretary was impressive.

“Your Majesty’s orders are to investigate the Duke of Ruscarel.”

“Oh, I see.”

Park nodded and handed out a document to Michael.

“Your Majesty, It is an intelligence that they are plotting a border dispute in the kingdom of Tetun.”

The emperor skimmed through the documents at a rapid pace and paused to think.

“…”

What came out after silence was only one word this time.

“… Sea.”

The secretary rolled her eyes for a moment, then began to speak quickly again.

“He is telling us to reorganize the navy. If the kingdom of Tetun is in trouble, he orders you to prepare to sink the whole thing.”

Richard Park looked at the secretary with half-amazed eyes. Without Leticia Woods, the secretary, the empire might have already been destroyed.

***

“Your Highness.”

Michael Sonnette Devrant responded to the call of his only secretary, Leticia Woods. His eyes that resembled the color of the tropical sea shone through his disheveled blond hair.

He had an angelic face, but he was a man feared by the entire continent as well as the Devrant Empire.

“I have something to tell you.”

“…”

Silence.

But Leticia knew well that the silence meant to speak right away.

For the past ten years, she had been with Michael as a secretary.

While she was just a commoner, the only reason why she was able to become the emperor’s secretary was only because Michael could not speak properly.

It wasn’t that Michael couldn’t speak at all. He could say one or two simple words out loud.

But that was all.

It was not even words that intuitively formed the meaning, so most people did not fully understand the meaning and interpreted it in the wrong way.

That was Leticia’s job.

It was a difficult task, but it was not the only thing in the world that Leticia Woods could do.

Leticia’s role was the emperor’s mouth, so even words to execute someone came from her mouth.

But what she was going to say now felt harder than ever.

Leticia swallowed her dry saliva.

Usually, she would talk comfortably with Michael when they were alone, but now it was the time to be formal.

“I’m sorry to tell you this all of a sudden, but I would like to resign this year.”

“…”

A lot of emotions surfaced on Michael’s face.

Leticia tried to keep calm. She expected that response.

Ten years was by no means a short amount of time, and Leticia had worked beside Michael since he was only ten years old. No wonder Michael was surprised and upset.

Leticia quickly spoke.

“Therefore, we have to search for candidates and select the right people soon…!”

Leticia’s words were cut off in a hurry. It was because Michael pulled her towards him and embraced her waist.

“Your-Your Majesty?”

Leticia suddenly realized that she was in the secret place of the imperial palace.

As soon as she thought over Michael’s intentions, she felt a heat fanning near her ears.

“Please Leticia. Please stay by my side.”

“…!”

Leticia’s gold eyes widened with confusion.

Michael was talking. The correct words and the correct sentences that made sense to anyone if they heard him!

It wouldn’t be more surprising if the sky collapsed.

As she stumbled and fell, the emperor hugged Leticia.

[ Chapter 1 : A handsome boy in the dark ]

At the age of thirteen, Leticia Woods was the best daughter in town.

Everyone knew this.

Even at a young age, she took care of her sick grandmother and brother all day long on the behalf of her busy parents.

In return, Leticia was always praised.

“How nice of you, Leticia.”

“As expected, our daughter is the best.”

“How can Leticia be so thoughtful?”

Tough and arduous days ensued without a single day’s rest, but Leticia clung to those praises.

All the rewards given to her were sweet words.

***

‘It’s cold…’

Leticia tried to calm her uncontrollably trembling body.

However, the autumn rain fell mercilessly, and even the leafy branches did not completely block the raindrops. Even worse, the sky was getting darker and darker.

‘I can’t go back yet.’

She had only found three severan, a rare medicinal herb that was good for her grandmother’s disease.

‘If I don’t find at least ten, my grandmother and parents will be greatly disappointed.’

Hot tears began to gather around her eyes. What she hated more than her family dying was their disappointment in her.

Leticia wiped away her tears with her less wet forearms.

‘This is not the time. Let’s go dig. You can do that.’

But digging up rare herbs in the dreary forest was never easy.

In addition, there were many plants near the mountains where the shapes of the leaves and stems looked similar.

Even if a similar plant was found, it was not exactly known whether it was a severan until the roots were dug up.

The blue dusk had engulfed the sky. But Leticia kept climbing the mountain with her shaky hands.

Soon the dusk will thicken and the pitched-black darkness will completely engulf everything.

Today was the day of the full moon. If the moon emerged among the clouds, there would be no problem, but Leticia could see the dark clouds from far away.

The only comfort she had was the fact that the rain had already stopped.

‘Get a hold of yourself, Leticia. Mother and Father are also working for us until this hour.’

Leticia swallowed her dry saliva and pulled herself together.

Last fall, she could never forget when she only took seven roots of Severan.

No one was mad at Leticia or scolded her. She just had a serious conversation with her parents for three hours.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be sorry, Leticia. At your age, it would be natural to want to play or get distracted.’

‘But I didn’t play.’

‘We’re not trying to scold you. But keep this in mind.’

Her parents didn’t seem angry at all, but they just looked sad.

‘Severan may seem like a trivial plant, but it’s like a lifeline to your grandmother. If you don’t dig properly… your grandmother will die.’

Just thinking about that time made her feel suffocated.

Leticia bit her lips. It was easy to go down the mountain. Just walk down the slope.

It didn’t matter that it was dark and freezing to the bone. The only thing that mattered was the fact that she couldn’t dig more severan for her grandmother.

Leticia eagerly dug through the mud. The severan’s peculiarly soft roots were plentiful, but it was difficult to find solid roots.

She couldn’t go back until she found seven more. However, only two more were found in the rain.

Suddenly, she remembered what Paddington, her brother who was three-year-old older, said.

‘I heard bears come out often in the mountains these days. I’m glad I don’t have to go to the mountains.’

Leticia trembled.

When she was a baby, it was said that a bear had come down to the village and tore a family to death.

Fortunately, no one has died since then, but sightings have been heard from time to time.

Rustle.

Something moved in the dark.

Leticia jumped from her spot. She knocked the basket, but fortunately it didn’t spill the severan.

She paid attention to her surroundings without moving out of place. If a bear was nearby, it would have a distinct, terrible smell.

She sniffed her nose, but luckily, she only smelled wet grass and mud.

“I was surprised for no reason. It was just a bird.”

The moment she spoke out loud, Leticia was not even sure if it was a bird.

“Ahhh!”

Her sharp screams echoed in the dark. In the midst of screaming, Leticia stepped back, grabbing the basket of precious severan.

Something was creeping up to her through the darkness.

Leticia fell onto her buttocks. Just then, a bright full moon appeared between the gradually lifted dark clouds.

The pale moonlight fell before Leticia’s eyes.

“Uh…?”

A dazed voice came out of Leticia’s mouth. It was the eerie appearance of a boy, who looked three or four years younger than her.

But he was very handsome.

Of course, Leticia soon came to her senses. This was not the time to be mesmerized by the face of a new kid.

“Who are you?”

“…”

The boy kept his mouth shut as if he were scared and only rolled his eyes.

“Where are your parents?”

“…”

“Where is your house?”

“…”

As soon as she was about to get annoyed, a thought came into her mind.

‘By any chance, was he not able to speak?’

Maybe it was because he couldn’t hear sound at all.

“It’s dangerous to be here.”

Leticia spoke loudly and clearly, but the boy still looked at her with his handsome face.

Seeing that his eyes were shaking at her words, it was comforting that it was not because he could not hear sound itself.

‘You can’t speak, then.’

How did this mute boy end up alone in the mountains? Curiosity crept up, but there was no way to solve this.

Leticia looked alternatively at the frightened boy and the basket of five Severans.

At first, she gradually noticed the boy’s initially unnoticed attire.

The colorful embroidery and expensive-looking buttons that glowed in the moonlight were not the clothes that an ordinary son would wear.

‘A rich son?’

Her face grimaced.

What rich family would leave a mute boy all alone in the mountains.

An extremely natural judgement came to Leticia’s mind.

“Did you run away from home?”

Of course, there was no response.

Leticia sighed. She had to take this boy down the mountain right now.

She was worried about the fact that she had only found five roots of severan, but her parents always told her this.

‘Leticia, you are a strong girl, so you should always help those who are weak.’

That was why Leticia had to take care of her sick grandmother and her brother, who only knew how to study.

This boy was definitely weak so Leticia had to protect him.

‘I’ll just find fifteen roots tomorrow.’

Leticia grabbed the boy’s hand.

“You have to go down quickly. It’s dangerous here. There could be a bear.”

This was true.

Paddington’s story about bears frequenting the mountains these days came to mind again.

Her body stiffened.

Suddenly, the wind shook the branches and Leticia began to hear soft sounds coming from all directions. The sound of a heavy bear walking through the bushes slowly approached them.

Leticia grabbed the boy and began to quickly descend the mountain.

In Leticia’s mind, there was no room for Severan, her ill grandmother or her disappointed parents.

The only thought she had was to quickly escape the mountain with the boy.

Leticia and the boy were on their way down the rocky slope.

“Ouch!”

At the same time, as screams burst out of Leticia’s mouth, the two children rolled loudly down the slope.

The basket containing the severan also fell out of Leticia’s tender hand and disappeared into the darkness.

Covered in mud, Leticia burst into tears.

It was then when…

A little hand wiped the mud and tears from Leticia’s face with a soft handkerchief.

Leticia stared at the boy.

“…”

The boy’s moonlit blond hair shimmered like jewels and his big eyes darkened with worry.

“Huff, huff.”

Leticia’s laughter broke the silence.

The boy’s touch was clumsy and rough as if he had never cleaned anything in his life.

As expected, he was a rich boy who had been pampered since birth.

The boy’s hand stopped as he looked with a puzzled expression.

“Thank you.”

Leticia grasped the boy’s small hand, thanked him, and looked around.

“This is… Where are we?”

She couldn’t figure out where they were properly since they were completely off the path, but fortunately, the moonlight was shining brightly.

They were in a crevice made of three huge rocks.

Both sides were blocked by boulders, and they seemed to be at the bottom of a cliff.

Leticia gulped and approached a corner of fist-sized stones.

They were blocked on all sides, so they had to climb up to get out.

‘Maybe I can step on this and climb up.’

She began to climb the stones one by one.

“Below!”

The boy’s husky voice stood out.

Leticia hurriedly descended back down, surprised by the boy’s voice. She thought he could not speak.

A small hand pulled the hem of her dress.

“…?”

Curious at the boy’s actions, she moved towards him.

Dozens of rocks tumbled onto where she was just standing.

“…!”

Leticia’s stiff body was able to move after a considerable amount of time.

“Haa…”

She turned towards the boy, trying to calm her palpitating heart.

Now Leticia could easily read the boy’s expression. He looked at Leticia, his face filled with worry and relief.

Leticia hugged the boy’s body tightly.

Obviously, the boy’s expensive clothes were also covered in mud like Leticia’s.

“Thank you for warning me.”

“… Basket.”

“Yes, if it wasn’t for you, I would’ve disappeared like my basket.”

Leticia laughed hard. No, there were plenty of reasons for laughing. Didn’t she just survive a near-death crisis?

She was also happy that the boy could speak. Leticia had often seen children who began speaking late. This boy was just one of them.

“What is your name? I’m Leticia.”

“…”

The boy shut his mouth again.

“It’s okay if you don’t say anything.”

Leticia managed to quickly assess the situation.

In fact, whether she knew the boy’s name or not, the situation was that he was trapped in between some boulders.

It was best to wait rather than take any more risks.

Once it’s dawn, adults would be able to find them or they could find their way out.

Leticia heard the boy’s voice again.

“Danger.”

“Danger? What’s dangerous?”

Leticia’s eyes widened.

However, the boy only repeated the same word, frustrated.

“Danger!”

“Danger?”

Instead of answering, the boy hugged Leticia.

‘Ah.’

Leticia realized what the boy was saying. She hugged the boy a while ago and thanked him for letting her know that it was dangerous.

The boy was saying that because he wanted what Leticia had done to him.

As Leticia faced the boy and hugged him, she noticed one thing.

‘I’m shaking.’

It was naturally cold since they were soaked in rain and covered in mud.

At least he had a warm coat in preparation for night time, but the boy was also wearing clothes that looked expensive and thin.

Leticia took off her coat. The boy’s eyes widened as if surprised, but did not reject her coat.

“If it’s cold, you should say it’s cold.”

Leticia’s words were also trembling from the cold. The boy stared at Leticia, then opened his mouth again.

“Cerberus.”

“Cerberus?”

Leticia blinked. Cerberus was a three-headed monster.

‘Why do you say that all of a sudden?’

The boy took off his coat with an irritated face, perhaps frustrated.

“Don’t take it off. It’s cold…”

Leticia’s voice was cut off.

It was because the boy had poorly covered both of them with the coat.

It was enough for two children to wear because it was a coat from Paddington, who was three years older than her.

Leticia, holding onto her coat tightly, recalled the story of Cerberus; a monster with three heads and one body.

They looked like they had two heads with one body now.

“You’re quite smart, aren’t you?”

Suddenly, the boy looked at Leticia with wide eyes, perhaps surprised by her murmur.

“Morning.”

Leticia could understand that. The morning was the beginning of the day and dawn was about to break.

“Is this the first time you have heard such a word?”

The boy nodded a little.

Leticia began to get excited. The boy’s speech was similar to the speech used by her grandmother and Paddinton when they were grumpy.

“In this case, you have to die… What am I going to do if I live long? I have a granddaughter who is as thirsty as a field in a drought but she only takes care of me.”

‘I’m sorry. Here, drink some water, Grandma.”

“Didn’t you see me drink water a little while ago? No matter how much I drink, my throat still burns. Let’s see, it’s hard to move my arms, but the debt…”

“I’ll send it for you!”

Leticia tried to put up with it, but when both her grandmother and Paddington were angry, it was difficult to bear.

There were many times when she cried and confessed to her parents when they came back late at night after work. Whenever that happened, her parents comforted Leticia.

Her grandmother was sick and there were still years left for Paddington to become an adult and qualify for the Academy.

So Leticia had to quickly learn how to understand the sounds of her grandmother and Paddington when they would talk around and around in circles.

The way the boy spoke was also similar to the two, except it was not because he was grumpy.

There was a huge difference.

Leticia gripped her coat tighter. So did the boy.

It wasn’t that the clothes were thicker since they layered the coats together, but strangely enough, they felt intense warmth.

The two curled up like one body to survive the cold…

Until the morning came…

***

“Mr. Michael!”

Leticia’s eyes opened. She heard voices calling “Michael” from all sides. Looking up at the sky, she glanced at the pink-colored sky. It was finally dawn.

Leticia woke the boy, who was still sleeping.

The boy looked at Leticia with sleepy eyes and jerked in surprise at the sound of “Michael” again.

“Are they looking for you?”

“…”

“That’s right. You ran away from home, didn’t you?”

“…”

“Yes, I see…”

Leticia sighed. A rich, ten year-old boy who ran away from home.

Seeing that so many people were looking for this boy with a formal title, he may be a nobleman with a title.

“Are you a noble?”

“…”

As expected, there was silence, which probably confirmed her speculation.

Leticia jumped to her feet. It wasn’t the time to be like this. If a nobleman was injured on a mountain, the entire village could get angry.

“Here he is! Here you are!”

The footsteps rushed towards them.

“He’s here!”

Those who found Michael cheered and immediately pulled them up.

As one of them looked surprised at the sight of Leticia, they pulled her up and asked for her name. She replied, “Leticia Woods.”

“You were with Mr. Michael. Thank you very much.”

And that was the only bit of gratitude Leticia received.

In just a few seconds, Leticia was pushed aside by the crowd and was separated from Michael.

Men, who appeared to be noble guards, roamed around Michael and began to descend from the mountain.

Leticia diligently followed the crowd.

Under normal circumstances, Michael would be a nobleman who she could not even talk to, but she still wanted to share her final greeting.

Finally, the crowd reached the bottom of the mountain.

A dozen meters away was a parade of colorful carriages waiting to take Michael.

Leticia burst into tears. Pain, cold, and fatigue were something she could endure for another day or two.

However, that feeling of isolation was difficult to endure, especially when none of those people cared about her as she fell.

Leticia sank to the floor.

Even if she tried to say her last greeting, there was no way it would be delivered to Michael, who was completely surrounded by the crowd.

Leticia closed her eyes and buried her head in both hands. She didn’t want to see Michael leave the place.

But at this point, she was just trying to ignore the noise around her since she didn’t want to hear it.

“Leticia!”

The boy’s voice, which had been stuttering all night, stood out in Leticia’s ears.

“Leticia!”

Leticia’s golden eyes widened. Michael was looking at her so close that she could hear him panting.

Leticia blankly stared at Michael, not even thinking of getting off the damp, dirty floor.

She couldn’t figure out how this little boy had escaped so many people and appeared before her eyes.

“Leticia.”

“Michael.”

Leticia called out the boy’s name in a trembling voice.

Michael smiled visibly and hurriedly took something off his chest. He placed it in Leticia’s hand.

“…!”

Her hands trembled. It was the most expensive brooch Leticia had ever seen.

The brooch, which depicted a roaring lion, was adorned with brilliant jewels which glittered in the morning sun.

Seeing that it was more colourful than any other decoration on Michael’s clothes, it seemed to be a very valuable item to this noble.

Michael opened his mouth nervously as he covered Leticia’s hands with his own.

“… Tomb.”

“Tomb?”

Leticia asked blankly, before realizing what he meant. Those who were buried in the tomb are never seen.

Michael was telling her to hide the brooch.

If anyone found out he gave her this expensive-looking brooch, they would take it away from her.

Michael looked relieved once Leticia put the brooch in her apron pocket.

An indescribable emotion shot up in Leticia’s heart.

“Michael, don’t make it harder for us.”

A shadow of a huge saint towered over them and roughly tore Michael away from Leticia.

Leticia stared blankly as the crowd swallowed Michael again as they boarded all the colourful carriages in the process.

Perhaps the purpose of the crowd was to really take Michael, and in an instant, he got out of the mountain.

Only after a heavy silence fell when Leticia realized that she had not said goodbye.

“Goodbye. You have to live well.”

Even though she mumbled belatedly, those were words that would never reach Michael.

Leticia took out the brooch that was well-contained in her apron pocket.

‘If I tell my parents…’

With this brooch, she might be able to pay for Paddington’s tuition for the Academy of Civil Servants, which was a long time headache for their parents.

Besides, there’s no way she’d ever run into that strange noble again so if she sold it, he wouldn’t even notice.

But Leticia couldn’t tell anyone about the brooch this time…

Especially since she knew how Michael made up his mind to give her the brooch.

Leticia hid the brooch in her waistband.

It was time to walk to the house where no one came looking for her, unlike the young noble.

***

So a year has passed.

At the age of 14, Leticia’s situation has not changed.

Her grandmother was still sick, and her brother Paddington spent the whole day studying for exams, which will take place in a few years.

Her parents also left all the housework to Leticia.

“… Phew.”

Leticia wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead.

Mining for severan on a hot summer day was no easy task.

She envied Paddington and her grandmother since they were staying in a cool house, but she didn’t feel resentful as they were both in their own difficult situations.

‘All I have to do is dig it up quickly and get home early.’

Leticia continued to dig for severan.

How long has it been?

The sky quickly darkened and raindrops began to fall. Suddenly, it started pouring.

Fortunately, she had already found eleven roots of severan.

Leticia hastily began to descend from the mountain.

Rumble! Bang!

The sky flashed and the sky immediately shook. Her body trembled. Hearing thunder as soon as lightning struck meant that lightning had struck nearby.

Leticia pulled a brooch out of her waistband and squeezed it tightly. The only time she was not alone on this mountain was that night with Michael.

Therefore, holding the brooch made her feel as if she was holding Michael’s hand.

It was time to run.

The rain was so heavy that she couldn’t see what was in front of her, causing her to trip and roll down the mountain.

At the same time, she also saw several trees burning black because of the lightning. Her heart thumped at the thought that it could be her.

Leticia ran and ran without stopping.

However, all of Leticia’s efforts went into vain. The moment she reached the foot of the mountain, something struck her.

Leticia, who fell like a log, groaned in pain, but no one saw her.

How long has it been?

Something flashed into Leticia’s head as she struggled with the pain.

It was the face of her parents as they left the house this morning with the lunch box made by Leticia.

The next thing was last night, the memory of the bursting blisters on her feet.

Leticia suddenly realized it. She was watching her memories just before she would die.

Her life was short and monotonous so all the memories passed by in an instant.

‘I guess I’m really going to die…’

It was when Leticia had completely given up.

“…!”

An unbelievable memory stood out in her mind. She had already been killed by a monster she had never seen before.

‘It’s not a monster.’

Leticia had died in an accident. No, she had a different name to Leticia.

A different name, a different world, a different life…

Leticia saw the memory of her favourite novel in her previous life. The world of the novel was very much like the world of Leticia.

Memories played out as a passage from the novel illuminated. It was as if the rest of the novel was as important.

‘It’s Paddington!’

Discovering the passage about Paddington, Leticia realized that the novel was really the story of her own life.

To her dismay, Paddington appeared to be a common villain in the novel.

Although he succeeded in becoming a high-ranking civil servant after graduating from the Academy of Civil Servants, he became a vicious boss who disclosed bribes and blocked the female protagonist due to his insanity.

Soon after, a passage about Leticia popped up.

Leticia only lived doing housework until Paddington entered the Academy.

However, as soon as Paddington received a letter of acceptance, she immediately became the maid of the richest family in town. After all, they had to add all of their salaries to pay for Paddington’s tuition and their grandmother’s medicine.

But by the time Paddington graduated from the Academy, Leticia had already missed her opportunity for marriage.

However, being a maid was a lifelong job, and Leticia was good at housework, so she would have a satisfying life even if she wasn’t rich.

But she could’ve saved her money if it weren’t for her parents or Paddington using all sorts of excuses.

Innocent Leticia gave up all the money she had, saying, “If not family, then who would help you?”

Even in the novel, Paddington was briefly mentioned at Leticia’s funeral, though he didn’t even attend due to his excuse of being busy.

His poor sister had her life ruined all because of that pathetic rascal.

The memory was over in a flash.

When Leticia came to her senses, the rain was still pelting her face.

She staggered and lifted herself up. Surprisingly, her body was only stiff, and there was no pain or wounds felt.

However, there was no time to celebrate the avoidance of death or surviving without a scratch.

It was hard to bear the new and unfamiliar memories that were all in her head.

Leticia simply stood in the rain for a long time, with the rain pouring down so hard she could feel the pain.

The cold and the pain reminded her that this world was also real, not just a world in a novel.

Leticia closed her eyes. Hot tears mingled with cold rainwater and flowed downwards.

‘If only they were all fake…’

As Leticia stood in the rain, she prayed and prayed again that her own life would be nothing like that piece of paper made up by someone.

But in the end, she had no choice but to accept reality.

All of this was real, and Leticia knew that her beloved family would take advantage of her for life.

Drop.

A basket full of severan fell into the mud as her right arm relaxed.

Leticia reflexively tried to pick up the basket and froze as she bent down.

It was because of the severan that suddenly something came to mind.

The amount of severan needed for her grandmother’s medicine was about a hundred roots per month.

Leticia went out to dig severan every day without a break, so at least three hundred roots were brought home every month.

“Where did the rest of the severan go?”

It was a question she never thought about, but now that she thought about it, it did seem quite strange.

Severan was an expensive medicinal ingredient. Did they really keep it?

“No!” Leticia blurted.

‘I shouldn’t think like that.’

Guilt bloomed in Leticia’s chest. She rolled her small fists and struck her forehead.

She was suspicious of her parents.

Paddington was the only one who wronged her in the novel.

Although it also mentioned her parents were taking the money Leticia had saved, there could have been a really good reason. If anything, didn’t all of that happen in the future?

Leticia hesitated for a moment. She looked at the basket buried in the mud, before finally picking it up.

‘Let’s go home and talk to them.’

As soon as she entered the house, her grandmother, who slept in an armchair, raised her head and welcomed her.

“What about the severan?”

No, she only welcomed the severan.