“The princess… has no intention of going out, does she?”
Hearing that calm voice, I froze as a forkful of cake reached the middle of my mouth.
"…Sorry?"
The person talking to me was the man sitting on the other side of the table, and he looked like he stepped straight out of a classic painting.
His strikingly dark green eyes and jet-black hair were the mark of a world-class beauty that made me feel strangely humbled when our gazes met.
Even though I had become somewhat accustomed to him, the intimidating aura he exuded was still too overwhelming to confront directly.
This didn't bother him, and he spoke his mind anyway.
“How about we go out for a bit today?”
“...Excuse me?”
“They say that walking or doing some light exercise after eating is good for your health.”
To an outsider it may have seemed like a thoughtful proposal from a handsome man, but I had a slightly different opinion.
“As expected, today too...”
I swallowed my disappointment and put the fork down.
The man's gaze followed the movement of the crystal thorn, and settled on me.
I am a sinner after all. Just being invited to share a meal like this is unbearable.
I put on a deep apologetic expression, avoided his gaze, lowered my eyes and bit my lip.
Based on past experience, in situations like this, the best course of action is to play the pathetic victim.
“So... I think it's right that I spend my day thinking about my mistakes.”
If possible, I'd rather not go out tomorrow – or at least again, for that matter.
Do you realize that your “meditation” has now been going on for two weeks?
But the man – no, Duke Blair – responded with a very cold expression.
“Was it because you claimed it was too hot outside?”
“Ah… haha.”
To illustrate his point, yes, I thought it would be inconsiderate to make my companions suffer in the heat.
But in fact, as Blair suggested, it was just a pretext. I didn't want to go out.
Perhaps he knew this well, so he pressed on.
And the previous “meditation” was because you fell asleep while drawing your comics, right? You said you felt sorry for the painters.
“Oh…”
Please, stop pointing out painful truths.
Perhaps sensing my desperate pleas, the Duke remained silent but continued to attack me with his piercing gaze.
'Continuing, isn't it…'
There was an awkward silence between us. I turned my head to escape his sharp gaze.
But then, I couldn't help myself, so I made a lame excuse.
“…Since I dared to disrespect the comics you so kindly provided me by sitting on them with my undeserving self, I deserve to be punished, don’t I?”
For the first time, the Duke's lips twitched into something resembling a smile.
“If anyone hears this, they will think I was being harsh with you.”
“No, this is a misunderstanding. Haha.”
Although the little tug of war between us continued for days, I had no intention of giving up.
Hmm… The point is that I have very high moral standards. My conscience is not at rest until I am punished.
"and?"
“So… sharing the same space and even breathing the same air with Your Majesty seems like a sin in itself.”
"I continue."
The Duke crossed his arms, as if to indicate that he was enjoying my excuses.
There was a subtle but unmistakable determination in his demeanor, making it clear that he was determined to harass me.
Why does he insist on sending me abroad?
Wasn't I supposed to be a useless outcast?
When did he go from telling me to stay locked in my room to nagging me to come out for the sake of my health?
I couldn't understand why his cold eyes now held the nagging maternal concern.
Trapped by the strange pressure, I swallowed a sigh and began to move.
“Well... in that case...”
I suddenly stood up and moved my chair. An uncompromising gaze watched my every movement.
“Since I'm already choking with guilt, I, April Salt, will now return to my room.”
Before he could respond, I quickly got up.
This was the best strategy: escape while I could. There was no way he would follow me to my quiet, comfortable cell.
“Wait…”
I heard the Duke's voice behind me, but I pretended not to hear it and hurried away.
In my arms was a piece of sweet whipped cream cake.
'Surely, he wouldn't scold me for taking some cake, right?'
The cake was full of calories.
If I finished this, I might be able to last until tomorrow's lunch without eating anything else. This was my grand plan.
As long as I stay in bed, my calorie intake will drop to almost zero, and I won't even feel faint!
Fearing that the Duke would follow me, I hurriedly rushed to my room.
“Foo…”
Finally I returned to the comfortable darkness of my custom-made sanctuary covered with blackout curtains, and I felt calm in my heart.
As expected, I was anything but a homebody.
* * *
He was a pathetic, overworked office worker in his twenties, who died of exhaustion.
In short, I died a meaningless death, only to find myself reincarnated in a novel I had been reading that morning on my commute. So far, everything is cliche.
The problem? The Coercive Empress was a dark, obsessive romance about an insanely possessive crown prince and a tragic princess.
“Can’t I at least get some reincarnation privileges?”
Tears of frustration flowed.
In the story, the heroine of the story, Limia Salt, the treasure of the Salt Kingdom, was a stunningly beautiful girl who would have almost become queen had she been born a boy. She was deeply tempted by the bloodthirsty Crown Prince, Raiden.
But contrary to what was revealed in the novel, all of her achievements were based on the sacrifices of an unknown person.
That person was April Salt, the true tragic princess, who, being an illegitimate child, was not treated as a royal personage.
“And guess who I played? That’s right: April.”
In a word, I'm in trouble.
Limia, who was praised with all sorts of complimentary adjectives such as kind, wise, and virtuous, was in reality a person who lacked an ounce of compassion.
She would lock me in the office without eating until I finished piles of papers.
Even after the paperwork is done, my day isn't over yet.
April, I've been feeling very tired lately. I think my body is exhausted. Can you give me a massage tonight?
My exhausting day will end only after I do mental work during the day and personal work at night.
While other trans characters in novels often had the privileges of a dramatic hero, I had none of that.
Instead, I lived as a slave for three long months in a bad environment, or worse than the one in which I died due to overwork.
But then.
then…?
An unexpected opportunity for escape rang. Although calling it an escape might be a bit of an exaggeration.
“Shhh, stay calm, otherwise your pretty face might get hurt.”
Late one night, while stuck in the office dealing with Limia's pile of documents, I was suddenly silenced before I could respond to the sudden intrusion.
“Mmmmm! Mmm—!”
“We have secured Princess Lemia.”
In my panic, I clearly heard the voice of the man who was supposedly one of the kidnappers.
'Limia?'
What? No, you made a mistake in choosing the person!
I looked at the man, his eyes were wide.
The real Limia is relaxing in her room now after working me to death!
I'm not Limia - I'm her weary slave!
“Mmm!”
This is crazy!
The kidnappers moved silently, like well-trained professionals, making no unnecessary sound in the dark.
Who were they? Enemies jealous of the protagonist Limia? Or just ordinary criminals seeking ransom?
As tears threatened to fall, the man covering my mouth leaned in and whispered.
“If you don't sleep now, your beautiful skin will suffer, my princess.”
I'm going to lose my mind - this is completely unfair!
I tried to move my body to communicate somehow, but that only made things worse.
Stubborn princess, right? Drop it on the ground.
Before the rough edge of the hand struck the back of my neck, a thought struck me like lightning.
Up until this point, I had thought that the character I was transformed into was an unnamed extra who was never properly mentioned in the novel.
But April Salt, the illegitimate princess, is only mentioned briefly in the middle of the story.
That she was kidnapped instead of Limia was such a minor detail that it escaped my memory.
“Grand Duke Blair, who had arranged a deal with Raiden to hand over Princess Lemia, later realized that the target had been changed.”
“So it was April…”
Her life and fate remain unresolved until the end of the story.
In other words, she was a minor character who met an unfair and ambiguous end, with a 99.9% chance of never seeing the light of day again.
And this is the fate I was about to face now.