The First Princess's Bath
The moment the princess's eyes met Ian's, a strange voice called out from outside. "Your Highness, is everything all right?"
The instant Ian heard the word "princess" from beyond the door, he knew. I'm dead.
Just like how people supposedly recall their past right before death, old memories surged through Ian's mind in an instant. But before the flashback could fully begin, he was met with an unexpected situation.
Shh.
The naked woman looked at Ian and pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to stay quiet.
"……?"
Her unnervingly calm reaction made him wonder if she was a regressor too, but he decided to obey her for now. Seeing Ian cover his mouth with both hands, the woman pointed toward the corner. Go.
Ian nodded and carefully moved to the middle of the corner. Once he was there, she called out in a cold voice.
"It's nothing. Don't come in."
"……Understood."
A somewhat deflated voice answered from outside, and the presence quickly vanished.
Whether Ian was watching or not, the woman continued bathing as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Ian sat in the corner and watched her bathe. When the hazy steam cleared, a beautiful platinum-haired woman stood there.
Her body was voluptuous, as if blessed by a goddess, with elegant curves. Her appearance was close to the ideal beauty that would make any man's heart race, but—
Shit, shit.
Ian had no luxury to admire her figure.
What the hell is going on…?
Right before the fight with those three people, he thought he had seen some kind of "hand." He couldn't remember what happened after that, but strangely, his cheek felt numb.
Did someone pinch me…?
When he came to, he was here. Ian looked around and tried to figure out where he was.
This is obviously a bath, and the woman in front of me…
From what he'd heard, she seemed to be a princess. One of the most noble figures in the Empire. He wasn't sure exactly which princess, but it definitely wasn't Olivia von Lebeus, the heroine from the original story.
If it were Olivia, she would've already caused a scene.
The current Emperor had four children. First Princess Lumiela von Lebeus. Second Princess Olivia von Lebeus. Third Prince Alex von Lebeus. Fourth Princess Evangeline von Lebeus. Excluding Alex and Olivia, only two remained. Considering their ages, only one fit.
First Princess Lumiela.
Even knowing her identity didn't help him escape this situation. In the original story, the First Princess rarely appeared, so even her personality was unclear. The only thing he knew was her ability.
……How do I get out of this?
A mere commoner had seen a princess naked? Without question, it meant immediate execution. Lumiela was handling it calmly for now, so there was no immediate problem, but that wouldn't last long. Even if he somehow left the bath…
How the hell am I supposed to escape the Imperial Palace?
Between the imperial guards and the multiple layers of magical barriers, escaping the palace was nearly impossible. Yet staying here risked being mistaken for an assassin. In the end, he had no choice but to wait until the princess finished bathing.
Whoosh—
Her bath ended soon after, though it felt much longer. Tension filled the air. Lumiela glanced at Ian while drying herself, then left the room. Left alone, Ian carefully approached the door and listened.
—Outside……waiting.
—Under……stood.
The voices were too faint to make out clearly.
What are they saying?
Are they planning to capture and torture me?
While Ian was imagining the worst, Lumiela's voice called from outside.
"Come out."
Ian hesitated for a moment, but when she started counting—"Ten……nine, eight"—he immediately rushed out. The moment he emerged, Lumiela activated her Magic Eye.
"Stop."
At her Word Spirit, Ian's body instantly froze. Not from shock, but from an invisible force binding him in place.
Shit.
First Princess Lumiela.
As a direct descendant of the imperial bloodline, she too possessed a Magic Eye. However, unlike Olivia or Bianca, it was not a complete Magic Eye.
One of Lumiela's eyes glowed golden and bore a cross-shaped pattern. Though it was only half a Magic Eye, it still granted the unique ability of a Magic Eye.
Her power was simple: the ability to control any living intelligent being at will. It was essentially an absurd ability akin to hypnosis. Of course, there were various restrictions, but even so, it was enough to mark her as having the qualities of a supreme ruler.
Perhaps because of this special ability, Lumiela's emotions were quite detached from those of ordinary humans. At first glance she resembled Bianca, but the place where Lumiela had grown up was the "Imperial Palace"—a den of vipers filled with schemes and politics. In this place where all manner of power plays ran rampant, even a princess could never let her guard down.
Combined with her Magic Eye and her status as a princess, everyone in the palace was wary of her. They feared she might use her "ability" on them at any moment. Even her father, the Emperor, was cautious around Lumiela, which meant almost no one stayed near her.
After repeating this lonely existence, Lumiela's emotions had dried up completely. That was why she remained calm even in a situation that would have embarrassed or shamed any ordinary woman.
Lumiela had been slightly flustered at first, but seeing Ian's confused and frightened expression, she realized he hadn't entered on purpose.
He's young, and his emotions are written all over his face. He doesn't look like an assassin……but I can't be sure.
Several noble names flashed through her mind, but no matter how she compared them, she couldn't find any connection to the boy before her.
That didn't mean she could simply let him go. After sending all her attendants outside the room, Lumiela called Ian in. Contrary to his fears, she had no need to torture him. After all, everything would be revealed the moment he stood before her Magic Eye.
With a hint of curiosity, she gave him an order.
"Now, tell me who you are. What's your name?"
"……John."
For a moment, Lumiela tilted her head, but she continued questioning him.
"A rather common name. How did you infiltrate this place?"
"I was experimenting with spatial magic at the Magic Tower and accidentally teleported……"
"Wait."
Lumiela interrupted Ian and asked again, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"The Magic Eye isn't working on you. Who exactly are you?"
It was as if she had discovered something completely unexpected. Lumiela's curiosity only grew deeper.
Damn it. How did she notice?
For some reason, Lumiela's Magic Eye had no effect on him. Ian instinctively realized he could resist it, but he deliberately pretended to be under its influence.
Even if I escape from here, I'll be caught immediately. Buying time is the better option.
He answered her questions with a fake name and story that came to him on the spot, but she saw through him after just two sentences.
I should've picked a less common name.
Contrary to Ian's assumption, Lumiela hadn't caught his lie from the words themselves, but from his physical reaction—specifically, the movement of his pupils. When Ian fabricated his lie, his eyes moved naturally, and Lumiela noticed immediately. She had only permitted him to use his "mouth," so how could his eyes move freely? That contradiction allowed her to see through him at once.
Ian sighed and prepared to run.
I wish I had a sword. Too bad. I guess my only option is to get out and find Olivia somehow.
Regardless of anything else, if he told Olivia about the future, he might secure at least a slim chance of survival. Ian kicked off the ground and dashed toward the door. His reaction was swift. Even though the room was quite large, it shouldn't have been difficult to escape someone like Lumiela, who looked like she had no muscle at all.
But Ian was mistaken about one thing: the bodies of Magic Eye wielders were so powerful that they were practically a different species from ordinary humans.
Grab—
"I never said you could leave."
Lumiela caught up to him in an instant and seized his body.
"Kuhk!"
Ian struggled with all his might, but Lumiela pressed him down and refused to let go. Normally she would have struck his head without hesitation to subdue him, but she was afraid that if she misjudged her strength, she might kill him. So she had no choice but to wrap her arms around him.
Lumiela was genuinely intrigued by Ian right now and didn't want to kill him.
"You'll be caught immediately even if you run. You might as well stay here and keep me company a little longer. Who knows? I might even help you escape the palace."
"At least let go of me first……"
"No. You'll just run away again."
It had been a long time since she'd felt the warmth of another person. As Lumiela held Ian, she felt an inexplicable warmth. Of course, to Ian it was nothing but crushing pressure, and he felt like he was dying.
***
In a crumbling, dilapidated palace, Olivia spoke in a bright voice.
"In the distant past, they used to marry within the family to preserve the purity of their blood!"
"To maintain the imperial bloodline……I suppose there was no other choice?"
She blushed slightly and looked at the man with an embarrassed expression.
"……"
Thud—
The man struck the back of Olivia's neck without hesitation, knocking her unconscious.