ISTV 46

If you’re really a prince, then change my surname. Change it!”

“A lunatic pretending to be a prince? Seriously?”

It was clear that if this kept going, things would turn ugly.

I quickly stepped toward Leon.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I’ve been waiting for you.”

When I came forward, Leon stretched his hand out behind him.

Standing there was Andrew, the Crown Prince’s exclusive attendant.

“Andrew, scissors.”

Everyone stared at Leon, baffled.

Andrew had the look of What kind of attendant carries scissors around? but Leon didn’t care in the slightest. He just smiled lightly.

“They said they’d change it, so we might as well cut it off.”

Leon’s gaze drifted toward the men’s lower bodies.

Only then did Andrew nod as if he understood.

His eyes gleamed menacingly.

“Who should I cut first?”

Come to think of it, Andrew’s nickname in his younger days was “Andrew the Severer.”

In Her Story, His Story (그여그), the person who kills me in the most varied ways is Jerimiel.

Using every sort of palace intrigue and bizarre strategy, he manages to kill me.

The person who kills me in the most just way is Hamun.

He at least lets me die in the most human manner possible, and makes sure it’s as painless as it can be.

And Leon? Leon kills me in the most overwhelming way.

If Jerimiel kills me with schemes and sorcery, and Hamun finishes me with sharp swordsmanship, then Leon’s concept is raising an army to hunt me down and annihilate me.

Wait— is this the point in time when his Absolute Authority trait awakens?

Right now, Leon is sixteen.

His Absolute Authority trait manifests when he’s seventeen.

‘Then right now his trait should be Young Tyrant.’

The Young Tyrant meets the heroine, Aileen, and grows into someone with Absolute Authority.

In other words, it means he “becomes a proper person after meeting the right woman”—and also means he isn’t a proper person yet.

If you rub him the wrong way now, you could end up in the afterlife.

‘And don’t forget, he also has the Endless Trouble Magnet trait.’

When that trait manifests next to the heroine, it results in all sorts of fun, charming events:

Like fairies suddenly appearing during an evening date to dance around them, or double rainbows forming in the sky, or Leon catching the heroine when she slips—only to fall down together in a romantic heap. (And the key is, it’s always romantic.)

‘But if that happens next to me…’

I’d probably crack my skull open and die during that “romantic fall.”

Wow. What a delightful setup.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“You’ve been waiting for me?”

Normally, he’d ask, How did you know I’d come here?, but Leon wasn’t normal.

“I figured as much.”

“But could you let them off?”

“They just said themselves they’d change it.”

—Not that kind of change, you lunatic!

“Impersonating royalty is a grave crime. But they acted out of loyalty to the Imperial Family, even if rudely. Forgiving them would only enhance Your Highness’s honor.”

“That’s true… but change it anyway. I’ll check.”

The two men went pale and stammered, “Y-yes, understood!”

Changing one’s family name wasn’t a simple matter for commoners in this world, but it was still better than physically changing one’s gender.

Leon strode confidently into the dining area.

Camellia spotted him and shot to her feet, so startled that the hand mirror she was holding slipped to the floor.

“Your Highness?”

“Lady Camellia. It’s been a while.”

Leon walked over and sat at our table.

“So this is the famous apple pie from this place?”

Chomp.

He bit into the pie without hesitation.

His cheek puffed out as he slowly savored it.

‘Ah…’

I almost got caught staring.

‘He’s a man, alright.’

Jerimiel and Hamun were handsome too, but they had only just passed their coming-of-age ceremonies and still had a boyish air.

They were closer to cute than cool.

But not Leon.

Tall, broad-shouldered, long-limbed.

Beneath his light, fitted training clothes, glimpses of a chiseled, sculpted body showed through— no, no, stop.

‘Beast idol type. Definite center position.’

A textbook tsundere male lead.

Short, neatly trimmed blond hair, fair skin, sharp eyes and jawline.

Golden eyes—the symbol of the royal family—looked my way.

“What are you doing, Lady?”

“I was admiring Your Highness’s face.”

“What?”

It was best to be honest with Leon.

He could instinctively tell if someone was being sincere or not.

That’s how he sorted flatterers from loyal retainers, and later gained Absolute Authority.

Camellia gaped at me, shocked.

“L-Lady Seyla?”

Apparently my words were far too forward for the Her Story, His Story world.

But Leon was even more shameless than me.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen such beauty?”

“I’d say you’re in the top three.”

“Not number one?”

“Not number one.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Leon could probably feel I was telling the truth.

Since my developer days, my favorite had always been Jerimiel.

I preferred the decadent, languid male lead to the obvious “main protagonist” type.

“Then who’s number one?”

“A private question, so no comment.”

“Hm.”

Leon took another big bite of pie.

It was already his fifth piece—only one remained.

“That’s my apple pie.”

“Look at my face and reconsider.”

“Sorry. Not enough to give up pie.”

Honestly, I wanted to say, Yes, yes, whatever you want, I’ll buy more, eat to your heart’s content, I’ll treat you.

It sounded ridiculous, but it was true.

That face alone was reason enough—and most ladies in the world probably felt the same way.

There were looks so stunning they surpassed personal preference entirely.

The problem was… Leon hated fangirls.

Not just disliked—he practically despised them.

And he had a slight… deviant streak—he liked people who pushed back, not those who obediently fawned over him.

So my survival instinct outweighed my fangirling.

Going too far could mean losing my head—literally.

‘Stay sharp. Build just enough favor.’

Leon burst out laughing.

“Normally, they’d just give it to me.”

“I guess I’m not normal.”

Then he rested his chin in his hands and said in a puppy-like, adorable tone,

“Give it to me.”

Whoa. Dangerous.

I almost caved.

“…No.”

“Please?”

“…Nope.”

“Didn’t think this wouldn’t work.”

Only one pie left in the shared plate.

Camellia pushed her own plate toward him, voice dripping with charm.

“Would you like mine, Your Highness?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

Leon brushed off her kindness without hesitation.

“I must eat this one.”

The last apple pie was now a matter of pride.

He picked it up.

“What if I don’t give it up?”

I pinched the other side of it with my fingers.

Sparks flew between us.

“Let go, Lady.”

“You first, Your Highness.”

“While I’m being nice.”

“I don’t like being mean either.”

Even as we bickered, my heart thumped nervously.

Partly because he was so handsome— but mostly because I was scared.

‘You’re doing fine. Hold your ground.’

As a veteran Her Story, His Story player, I was confident in my playstyle—but facing it in live action was a whole other level of tension.

‘Leon’s serious about dessert. I can work with that.’

“I baked fresh bread just for you. Every morning, I want to bake bread only for you.”

That was the concept.

[To the world, he’s a tyrant with Absolute Authority, but to me he’s a sweet pastry chef!]

Leon revered dessert, especially bread.

That trait delighted the bread-loving heroine endlessly.

In one route, Leon even gives up the throne to become the greatest pâtissier and marry her.

The more devoutly I treated bread, the more favor I’d win with him.

“Yield, Lady.”

“You yield, Your Highness.”

“No.”

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

We faced off for over five minutes before Andrew, unable to bear it, stepped in.

“Alright, alright, I’ll cut it in half for you both.”

Leon and I shouted in unison:

“That’s no way to treat the last apple pie!”

“That’s disrespectful to the final piece!”

Andrew looked between us with a sour face.

Leon and I locked eyes.

We felt a strange kinship.

“You’ve got a decent approach to life, Lady.”

“You too, Your Highness.”

Just as we were bonding, Andrew and Camellia seemed to find mutual sympathy.

“Are you two seriously this intense?”

“You’re this sincere about it?”

Camellia especially looked appalled.

Her face practically screamed, You’re the first person to ever treat His Highness this way!

“Your Highness. I wasn’t going to mention this because it sounds petty, but… did you even pay?”

“…”

“A Crown Prince dining and dashing? Unthinkable.”

In the end, Leon gave up the pie to me, and I got to eat the last piece.

I could feel his burning gaze.

And, for the record, I’m a bread fanatic too.

I don’t do designer bag launches, but bakery launches? That’s my everyday life.

I knew that feeling well—waiting three hours in line, only for the stock to run out right before your turn.

Ah… my heart softened.

—Want a bite?

I suddenly wondered how “Poomgyeok” would interpret that.