Chapter 0 – Prologue

Moans were mingled with harsh, ragged breaths.

The dim bedroom was made significantly warm by a tantalizing heat.

Golden lights cast obscene shadows on the walls as a man and a woman could be seen deeply tangled in bed, moving in a sensual rhythm.

He pulled up his upper body and held his knees close to her hips, enclosing his palms around the woman’s ankles and spreading her legs wider…

Every time he crushed deep inside, the man visibly tensed up. His broad shoulders and muscles splintered with sweat, as if with oil.

His grip on the delicate ankles tightened. Like a weak bird whose neck was bitten by a fierce beast, the woman shook weakly and struggled to conform with the hot rush of pleasure.

“Ah…!”

Eugene shook her head from side to side and moaned. In a helpless state, she raised her hand and scratched the crumpled sheet at the side of her head.

As if he wouldn’t allow even a moment of lax, he filled her in a fast pace every time he came in.

Their joined bodies were getting hotter and hotter by the second. Despite her occasional protests, he wouldn’t budge even for just a little and, instead, continued his torturous exploit.

She was not used to such conduct. It was her second time to be with a man, but her first night with him was more sexual than what Eugene had imagined.

Her body was in a tight race—she could hardly breathe.

At first, she didn’t think there could be anything more. It turns out; she was mistaken—the man’s capabilities were still unknown to her.

He was an energetic man who surpassed Eugene’s expectations. Today he drove her incessantly as if to say that today, she yielded a lot before him.

When she thought she would finally faint, he loosened up a little, and she felt the unmistakable warm liquid drip from her folds…

She breathed out as fast as she could.

When she least expected it, he raised her ankle and kissed the soft skin of her calf, a surprisingly sweet gesture from a callous man.

A bluish glow reflected from his dark eyes, which slowly turned black.

Eugene’s eyes were half-opened, lazily gazing at the man who hadn’t yet moved from his position. The slow, circling caress the man made with his tongue irritated her — it made goosebumps erupt from several parts of her body.

With her leg still captured by him and her buttocks lifted slightly from the bed, the warm liquid poured out and flowed through her hip bone.

Every time he shoved, there was a sound of clashing flesh.

The sheets on her back were damp with her own sweat. She felt wet and limp like a sponge soaked in water.

As soon as she felt him slowly slipping out, Eugene sighed out of relief, thinking that the man had his fill and would then leave her to rest, only to be proved wrong the next second.

The man grabbed Eugene’s thighs and inserted his length once again without warning.

Immediately, Eugene’s stifled cries filled the room.

The prickly sensation of scratching at her inner walls struck her sharply. The leg he seized was perched upon his iliac bone, giving him more access.

Lowering his posture, he positioned his hand to the side of her face.

His lips came down on her and covered her lips. Licking, turning her head to the side, swallowing her lips completely, he pushed his tongue deep into her mouth.

The man, who had erect shaft pressed into her heat, surprisingly had a soft kiss, unlike the ferocious air of his lower abdomen. He soothed her sweetly inside her mouth and caressed her innermost thoughts with the tip of his tongue.

Eugene moved her lips as well, participating in the dance that only the two of them knew.

However, the affectionate kiss quickly turned nasty. His tongue rolled up and sucked hers, hard. At the same time, his shaft lodged below retreated for an inch and struck inside her like a stake.

“Mmpphh!”

Her shocked body trembled, holding his arm next to her face. Once again, Eugene was helplessly caught up in the wild dance of his tongue.

He coveted her persistently as if the world would end tomorrow. His desire struck her like a huge wave.

He began to move, a sure sign of a beginning. The movement of her folds, spreading to the limit, felt uncomfortable and pleasant at the same time.

A deep sense of pleasure ran from her lower abdomen to the top of her head.

“Ah!”

Her body shook violently. Eugene closed her eyes tightly,a groan emitted from her throat.

She couldn’t bear the sensation and became anxious that her whole body would shrivel up if she didn’t make a sound.

The scorching weather made her body feel more feverish. The man was no exception, either. Sweat from his neck dripped down his sculpted chest.

He bit her lips with eyes full of enthusiasm and licked her earlobes.

“Eugene.”

The whispering voice sounded thrilling, as if it was touching her very soul. She blinked her hot eyes open upon hearing the name.

Eugene.

It was her name.

Her body, which was shaken by all means, however, was not originally Eugene’s.

Chapter 1 – The Land of the Desert

Everything felt different and strange. It was scorching hot, and she could feel her forehead slick with sweat.

When Eugene squinted her eyes open, she found herself lying down and was greeted with an unfamiliar sight—sand scattered by the wind and the clear sky visible above her.

Where am I?

She willed herself to get up and buried her hands in the sand to support her upper body. Doing so, a handful of it which laid previously on her chests poured down.

Then, her eyes were filled with wonder as she looked at the strange place she was in. An even morbid expression flashed across her face when she saw the clothes she was wearing.

Lifting her arm, she looked awestruck at the back of her hand with loose sleeves surrounding it. The material of the gown was luxurious, but it wasn’t to her taste.

Am I dreaming? Eugene surmised, but the painful rays of the sun on her exposed skin told her otherwise.

Taking her eyes off her hand, she looked again at the scenery before her. The red sand blew in the wind—she could barely see where she was.

I’ve never been here before, but I’ve seen many similar landscapes in photos. Why am I in the desert?

An idea popped in her mind, and when she opened her mouth, finding it ridiculous, she heard nothing but her own laughter. She was too overwhelmed to make out a word.

Did she fly to the other side of the world?

The desperate nature of survival awakened, and her mind became clear. She rose slowly and looked around, her legs wobbling beneath her.

Everywhere she looked, it was a sandy, dull, and just dune. Standing confusedly, she began to walk. I don’t want to burn myself to death, she thought. As soon as possible, she needed to find some shelter.

Not long after she began to move, something made her stop her steps. Far away, something appeared to be moving. With crease on her forehead, she squinted her eyes to have a better look.

She was watching keenly to find out who the figures were, but when they started to change in direction and charge towards her at a brisk pace, she began to panic. On instinct, she stepped back, unwilling to narrow the distance between them!

She was on a frenzy, imagining the worst that could happen. Her face became thoroughly flushed when she thought they were armed soldiers rushing in the sandstorm.

She ran and ran, but the gown kept her slow. Besides, it was much harder to sprint on the sand.

It was not long when they came close to her just enough for Eugene to recognize them. The riders on horseback with grotesque forms of helmet stopped at a certain distance.

The man in the lead jumped off his horse. He was a stout-bodied foreigner with disarrayed thick brown hair. If anything, he looked European, so did the men behind her.

The man bent one knee on the ground and said.

“My queen.”

Eugene’s eyes, which had been hardened with fear, went wide open. His language was definitely not in Korean. But she could understand it perfectly.

Dumbfounded, she looked at him, blinking several times as the rush of sweat stung her eyes.

She didn’t know how to react. Noticing her unresponsiveness, the man spoke confusedly.

“I beg your pardon, Anika. Are you okay?”

Anika?

Eugene nodded slowly. It was the best she could do for now.

***

Soldiers patrolled along the walls built high on the desert. The red sun hung along the horizon, its sizzling rays on the brink of sunset stretched over the endless sand.

The fortress wall faces a desert on one side and a capital city on the other, where a kingdom was located. The desert facing the kingdom was called the “Dead Sea” because it was nearly impossible to tell its end.

There was no disarray in the soldiers patrolling on the wall at regular intervals. The kingdom of Hashi, ruled by the King of the desert, was famous for his strict military discipline.

The soldier, who habitually glanced over the Dead Sea, turned his head again upon seeing familiar figures approaching the kingdom walls.

The cloud of dust made from the strong hooves of horses mounted by men become more chaotic as the group run nearer and nearer the wall.

“His Majesty is coming back!”

The soldier’s cry was passed from one mouth to another and finally reached the people at the gate post.

“Open the gates!”

The vicinity of the gate quickly became busy. There was tension and excitement on the faces of the soldiers and civilians alike.

The vast stone gate was raised and opened by dozens of sturdy men who joined forces to lift it open. Among the soldiers, those of good physique and strength gathered at the wall and held the pulley handle connected to the gate.

It has been almost a month since the King left the castle. After a long trip, his subordinates welcomed him warmly, chanting his name even from a distance.

“One! Two! Pull!”

The stone gate was the sole entrance to the kingdom. It was held open only in specific periods of the year when the sun rose and on special occasions. The return of the King was a special exemption.

By the time the stone gate was almost up, the King and warriors reached the wall and ran inside without slowing down.

The straight road became clear immediately. The passers-by, who heard the news of the King’s return, quickly stepped aside to make way for him. Suddenly, their works were disturbed, but no one complained.

The King only brushed past the people who greeted him and cheered, but no one cared. On the contrary, everyone bowed to the retreating back of the King, who had already gone in split seconds, leaving only clouds of dust and sand on his trail.

“His Majesty is back!”

“He’s been out a little longer than usual, Isn’t he?”

“Now I’m going to sleep in peace. The drought will be over soon!”

“I wish I could live without an unfortunate accident this year.”

People who continued on their chores again spoke with a brighter dexterity

The King was both the ruler of the kingdom and their guardian. No one disagreed with this.

****

Everything happened so fast. In the next moment, Eugene found herself in a delicate chamber where her supposed attendants lead her into. All the way, she walked in a daze—everything surrounding her felt like in a dream.

The good thing was, people didn’t talk to her and kept their heads bowed down. Were they afraid of her that much?

Eugene sat stiffly on the sofa, nervously biting her lips. Her eyes were full of tiredness after not getting a good night’s sleep

“Jin Anika…” She now recounted the name of the role she must play from now on, the name felt strange to her lips.

Her real name was Eugene. Her last name was Yu and her first name was Jin, but most people around spelled her name as “Eugene”, making it more western-like.

Eugene was an ordinary woman turning 28 years old this year. A simple office worker in Park Bong’s office who was living on her own and striving hard to escape from a miserable life.

A great deal had happened in just a few days. She fell in love with the novel “Mahar,” which she created, and woke up into the body of someone else’s body! In all honesty she didn’t know what came to her, words just came out her and she just found herself writing the novel.

Novel, of which none of the ideas and concepts she didn’t know where exactly she got from.

Why Jin Anika? Why her of all the characters?

She lived in a different world and a different body overnight. Even so, she wasn’t entirely complaining because her previous life was so hard that she didn’t want to look back at it.

But there was a severe problem. Jin Anika was a villainess in the novel and the last character that would perish in the name of justice!

Mahar was a thoroughly socialized society. Thus the Queen of the Hashi Kingdom was at the top of the pyramid of identity.

What happened to Jin Anika in the novel? Eugene shivered visibly as she remembered the end of the novel.

Jin Anika, Queen of Hashi kingdom, became a public enemy and died from her husband’s blade.

Chapter 2 – A Twisted Woman (1)

Eugene got up and walked to the dressing table. In controlled breaths, she stared at the reflection in the mirror.

No way.

She drew her head closer and reached for the antique-looking mirror. In reaction, the woman in the mirror also reached out to meet Eugene by the palm of her hand.

Eugene blinked her eyes hard and frowned. She poked her lips from side to side and then stuck out her tongue. Sitting on the sofa, she tilted her head obliquely with one hand on her chin and the other on the sofa’s arms, brazing herself. The woman in the mirror did all the same things!

It was then that her body was blasted with shock, unfathomably severe that she couldn’t move a muscle and only stare long at her reflection. Her mind long understood it, but she refused to believe the bizarre thing that had happened to her until this very moment.

The woman in the mirror was long-haired. Her straight jet-black hair hung down to her waist, and her eyes were undeniably black, too—two dark pools full of mysteries staring back at her.

Eugene was accustomed to the appearance of different people as she grew up. Strictly speaking, Jin Anika’s appearance was different from that of Asians.

Her hair felt light and soft; it didn’t even feel attached to her scalp. Winding her fingers through a bunch of it, it felt like cascading waters slipping through her hold.

Eugene felt intimidated. Her eyes were disturbingly black as if they were soaked in ink. The color was so deep, she felt like drowning in it. The irises of the eyes were almost indistinguishable from the pupils—swallowed by the irrefutable black pupils.

Her frame was close to Westerners. However, her bones were slimmer, and her physique was a bit softer than ordinary Westerners. She looked like a mixed-race fairy in fantasy operas, using Westerners as a basic form.

Frankly, when she first saw her reflection in the mirror, her jaw dropped in an instant. It was not every day that she sees such beauty.

The overall appearance was exquisite—her slim, delicate limbs and spotless clear skin made her look innocent and pure while her naturally red lips created a sultry vibe. The improbable contrasting charms were in great harmony.

There’s no law that a villain shouldn’t be a beauty, but…

Eugene felt somewhat queer. The embarrassment of having imagined a vicious, mean woman to be as ugly as her soul and then embodying her, only to find out that she was eternally beautiful made her insides shrink.

It’s not so bad, she thought to herself. Her mind thought of worse characters that she could have possibly transmigrated into.

Much better than being a slave. So what if

she’s a villain? At least she’s beautiful and has a high profile.

With this thought, Eugene felt better little by little.

Jin Anika married the Fourth King and became Queen of the Hashi kingdom. In the long run, she met her miserable end in her husband’s hands.

Therefore, at this moment, Eugene was faced with a problem.

Her expression, which briefly brightened up, became forlorn again. “I don’t know the current progress in the novel!”

In any novel, the moment when a villain enters the spotlight is when she begins to commit an evil deed. But she was returned to the safety of her chamber with no fuss, so she assumed that Jin Anika hadn’t yet enacted several crimes following the plot.

“Anika,” Suddenly, a soft voice broke the silence.

Startled, Eugene turned to the door where the voice came from. A minute passed, and she still didn’t answer.

“Anika.” The voice which sounded cautious and nervous called her again.

“Anika, the king has returned.”

Eugene’s eyes went wide open.

***

The horse carrying the King passed another gate into the inner city wherein the castle was located. There, a lot of people had come out of their houses and been waiting for his arrival.

Kasser swung the reins of his horse around his hand and pulled it roughly as they neared the gate but, his horse named ‘Abu’ refused to slow down, and instead run in a pace faster than his owner wanted him to.

Abu, the mighty black horse was admonished by the King several times. The thing was, his horse loved to show off. As ridiculous as it sounds, Abu enjoyed the warmth and attention from the people’s welcome, so he ran faster than what the King’s hold on his reigns told him to.

Nearing the castle at a fast speed, Abu finally skidded his front hooves in fear of being reprimanded by his owner. It was not easy to suddenly stop with the built-up inertia.

There were times when he was scolded for disobeying orders and speeding up or changing direction in advance. And he would receive greater punishment if he hurt someone, so the horse drastically buried his hooves under the dirt to halt himself!

After desperate efforts, Abu managed to stop a few steps apart from the man who was standing at the front gate.

“Whoa!”

The watchmen breathed sighs of relief here and there. The sight of a mighty horse near them chilled them to their bones, but the man who was in a breathtaking distance from Abu’s hooves displayed a cool, unbothered exterior.

Chancellor Verus didn’t even blink his eyes in a startle. People around him, specifically the ladies, whimpered in admiration to him.

A horse’s hooves could cause serious injury. But he appeared nonchalant, showing off his laid back smile at the presence of the King.

Kasser came down from the horse and took off his helmet. A mass of messy vivid blue hair previously squeezed by his helmet was now in full view.

Everyone went down on their knees, for the King of the Hashi Kingdom had finally returned to his castle.