“No! I’m not going! I’m not!”
Liz ignored my protest and expertly finished dressing me as the maid.
“Today you’re really something else, Princess. One moment you were singing about how much you wanted to see the Lord, and now this.”
“Well, I do want to see him. But still….”
Of course I want to—he’s my ultimate favorite after all.
My username used to be “choichoikilkil” (my favorite is favorite, and Killian is Killian, okay?), for goodness’ sake.
But that was when I was a reader.
I never actually wanted to become Celestia and meet Killian. Really… it made me want to cry.
“He’s going to dislike it if he sees you acting like this.”
“To say you’d know that…!”
It wasn’t me! It isn’t me!
I couldn’t even voice these absurd denials.
“Aish… what to do, Liz? Huh?”
What will become of my karmic debt?! Agh!
I’d lowered my brows into the deepest frown and grabbed Liz’s skirt in desperation; she chuckled softly and said:
“What else can you do? If you’re truly sorry, you need to meet him in person and apologize. That’s impressive, Princess.”
“Really?”
Right.
“Yes. Apologize politely in person, and say you won’t do anything like this again.”
“Okay.”
Alright, I know… but…
Liz gave me a gratifying look, gazing at me softly.
“Shall we go, Princess?”
“Yes. Let’s go, Liz.”
Yes.
I’ll apologize and promise never to repeat this.
Putting aside all the accumulated death flags for a moment, I decided to simply enjoy this moment. I was actually going to meet my ultimate favorite, Killian, in person—after imagining it for so long!
“Princess Celestia Mond is here.”
At the attendant’s words, the reception room door opened.
Wow….
Insane…
Killian stood, holding a perfectly composed posture, hands folded gracefully. Despite hiding any displeasure behind a polite demeanor, there was an unmistakable barrier in his presence.
Perfection.
If I had to describe his face in one word? “Per’fect.”
If there is a god of beauty, it would be you.
I forced my awed expression down, and with dignified composure approached him.
“I greet your Highness, Celestia Mond, the only shining star of the Empire.”
“Prince, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for coming despite the impolite request.”
He seemed surprised by my mature demeanor—his eyes widened.
Eek!
Is it okay if I wear a swimsuit for a moment?
There’s a lake out there I want to dive into.
Silver hair and pale blue eyes—my favorite combination in person was absolutely intoxicating.
Seeing him still standing, I hurriedly gestured: my ultimate favorite’s legs must be numb.
“Please sit.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Neither of us spoke until warm tea was placed before us. I was busy admiring his gorgeous face—and Killian was likely trying to read my intentions. Or he just didn’t feel like talking.
Either way, I get it. Totally.
As the steam lifted off the teacup, I finally spoke.
“Prince, I want to apologize again.”
“You…?”
“I was unreasonably impulsive before, right?”
“No….”
“I promise nothing like this will happen again. I’m sorry.”
He tilted his head ever so slightly, looking at me without knowing what to say. It made sense—after all, I’m someone who’s lived two lives, accumulated 35 years of experience, and knows everything about the future. I changed my approach because I didn’t want to be on bad terms with my favorite—but from his perspective, it might look like mere caprice.
“You may leave now.”
Ok, great. I saw your face. That’s enough for me.
I’ll watch you from a distance from now on.
Swallowing the tears I couldn’t shed, I gave a calm smile—only then did Killian finally speak.
“Princess.”
“Yes?”
“May I… eat this?”
Oh! Right!
He’s obsessed with strawberry shortcake in the original setting.
It didn’t appear in the novel, but the author had posted a setting guide on social media; I hurriedly prepared it, and I’m so glad I did!
“Of course. Eat as much as you like, Prince.”
“Oh… thank you.”
“Let me move aside so you can eat comfortably?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Thank you. My favorite.
Thank you for letting me see you eat.
“If you want more, just ask.”
Killian nodded while nibbling with lips stained red like strawberries.
Ah.
My heart!
I mourned the absence of a phone—so I couldn’t take a picture—and recalled the novel’s content.
Killian, wait for me.
I’ll pave your path with flowers.
I’ll protect your happiness.
I’ll bring you the love you deserve.
That line, which I couldn’t even say, filled my mouth with sweet resolve.
*
“That was substantive and delightful time.”
After Killian demolished two slices of strawberry shortcake, I even sent the remaining cake over to him. Only then did I flop onto the bed, utterly full—not just in body, but in soul.
Apparently when you’re seven, fatigue hits easily, so I decided to indulge a bit of laziness.
“Even young, Killian is still Killian. He is who he is.”
Lost in the pure joy of meeting my favorite, I suddenly shot up in realization.
“I can’t just stay here!”
I needed to go see the root cause of Celestia’s downfall—the strawberry-doting Emperor. Emperor Robis Mond of the Salient Empire loved Celestia so much he poured all his power and wealth into her. He’s the ultimate doting father.
“No answer. There’s no answer. Instead of fixing his inability to set boundaries, everything just reinforces it.”
In my past life, I was a Taekwondo master responsible for teaching children discipline. Once I commented on a forum: “Give me a week; I can reform Celestia at my dojo.” The comment even made best-posts.
Anyway, I must hurry!
I waddled my short legs to the Emperor’s study. As I approached to knock, the door swung open first. Standing there was a man who looked like he had stretched Killian sideways—maybe to compensate for the missing 2% perfection. He tried to hide an envelope behind his back, then bowed and greeted me.
“I greet you, the shining star of the Empire, Princess Celestia.”
“Duke Märchen?”
“You… recognize me? What an honor!”
How could I not know?
Duke Norten Märchen. He was Killian’s so-called “father.” Ptooey! I remember how he tormented Killian under the guise of successor training!
Thinking of the suffering my favorite endured makes me want to stab a needle under this Duke’s fingernails—even a thousand would not be enough.
“Why are you here?” I asked curtly—seven-year-old Celestia isn’t great at poker face.
“His Majesty summoned me. I shall take my leave now, Princess.”
“Y-Yeah, sure. Goodbye.”
Although I tried not to show it, his gaze held a force that made me lower my tail. I’m still just a powerless child. I can’t afford to get on the wrong side of him and lose my head.
Still, for Killian’s sake, I must deal with that Duke quickly… I entered the study, wrestling with this impossible dilemma.
“Oh, my dear Tia. You came to see your father!”
“…Your Majesty?”
Still not fully synced with the Celestia identity, I hesitated over what to call him. Robis, that is—my father—scowled and shook a bell.
“You’re acting strangely, Tia. Call the palace doctor, quickly!”
“No! No, Dad! It’s not that!”
Apparently I had actually said Dad!?!
Thankfully, Robis quickly calmed and sat me on his knee.
“There you are, Tia. You startled me by acting weird like that.”
“I… now that I’m seven, I’ve decided to be more polite… I suppose.”
“Looks like we do need to call the palace doctor.”
I grabbed his hand to stop him from ringing the bell. Father Robis’ indulgent devotion was the main cause of Celestia’s ruin—yet I couldn’t scold him completely. I remembered how heartbroken he was to see her demise later.
Alright then—I’ll deal with him later.
I got straight to the point.
“Anyway, Dad! I came because, you know, about Prince Killian….”
“Yes, Tia. I already sent the marriage contract to Duke Märchen, so soon Prince Killian will become your fiancé. How do you like that gift from your father?”
ENTP energy? That’s some incredible initiative.
Wait, everything’s moving too fast.
Was that the document Märchen held earlier…?
Sigh.
“Tia? What’s wrong?”
“I was going to say it was fine.”
“Our Tia refusing something for herself!”
After pulling Emperor Robis down from calling the palace doctor, I trudged back to the palace room and collapsed on the floor. Exhausted down to my bones.
“Engagement to Killian? That’s a death flag if I’ve ever seen one!”
Absolutely no way. Absolutely!
In the novel, Killian suffers tremendous abuse from Duke Märchen. Because the Duke had no heirs, he sought royalty from a distant branch of his lineage and found Killian who looked just like him. But for some reason, the Duke’s rage flared every time he saw him, and the abuse—and gaslighting—continued from childhood.
Eventually, he used dark magic—a subjugation curse—so he could control Killian even as a Sword Master… the guy is every bit as villainous as Celestia.
The subjugation curse from black magic causes a person’s heart to stiffen and emotions to fade unless they obey the caster’s words.
Even if this was part of their narrative to build drama between Killian and Adelaide, I’m not having it.
That curse turned our sunshine male lead into a tortured soul.
Yes! Both sunshine and suffering can be addictive…
But the crucial point is, this engagement is the first step in Celestia and Duke Märchen’s plot to destroy Killian.
Aaaah! Seriously! Help me, please!
