Episode 1
Blind & Beast
In a grand mansion where I should’ve been living comfortably within my powerful family’s protection, I was instead walking a tightrope that could snap at any moment.
Since I woke up in this body, this was the biggest crisis I’d faced yet—worse than losing my sight when I was ten.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside, under the warm orange lights, the room felt cozy. It was a high, secluded chamber with only a large bed and carpet inside.
Steam rose in front of me. The man who had me sitting on his lap stirred a spoon in a bowl of soup.
Because of how big he was compared to me, moments like this made me feel like a child. Of course, I’d always dreamed of a peaceful, lazy life—but not one where a strange man fed me like a baby.
I tilted my unfocused eyes up toward the ceiling, pretending not to notice his muscular chest or abs under the tunic.
But I couldn’t ignore the spoon that touched my chin.
“…I’m fine,” I said stiffly.
My face wouldn’t relax; I was too tense.
Hearing my weak voice, the man’s eyes flashed sharply beneath his messy bangs.
Deoki.
That was the name he’d told me—but it was probably fake. After all, he was an assassin sent to kill me.
I had no idea why he kept me alive—or why he was feeding me.
When I still refused to eat, Deoki slammed the bowl down with an annoyed sound. His expression grew darker.
I quickly tried to slide off his lap, but his arm tightened around my waist, and a low voice rumbled above me.
“Not as good as the food at the Duke’s mansion, huh? I know you’re a picky little noble lady.”
“I’m not being picky,” I said quietly. “My stomach just feels a little sick.”
“Yeah, right.”
Deoki smirked, looking down at me.
“You’re just rebelling—trying to say you don’t want to be locked up here.”
I turned my head away from his close face.
“It’s true I feel trapped… It’s been over a week since I’ve had fresh air.”
“Just wait until the snow stops.”
“And after that?”
“…”
“Will you kill me then? Or trade me to my father for ransom?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he suddenly lifted me up and laid me down on the bed—then lay beside me, trapping me in his arms.
My body froze. His deep voice brushed my ear.
“You sure talk a lot.”
Like a man holding a doll, he pulled me closer and turned onto his side. Silence stretched before he spoke again.
“Remember this, young lady. The only reason you’re still alive is because of those damn eyes of yours.”
He spoke as if reminding himself.
I heard his quiet breath close to my ear.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“Everyone who’s seen my face… has died.”
Hearing his chilling tone, I swallowed hard and glanced toward the mask lying in the corner of the room.
Everyone thought I was blind because of my cloudy eyes—but I wasn’t completely blind.
One eye was nearly useless, but the other could still see.
He must never find out that I can see.
Did he have a complex about his looks?
He always wore that mask and refused to show his face.
But from what I’d seen, he wasn’t ugly—far from it. He was so striking he could’ve passed for a nobleman.
The empty black eyes and emotionless face just made him look eerie—like a ghost.
Maybe he hid his face to keep his identity secret. He was an assassin, after all.
I looked at the rough, calloused hand resting against my side. Those hands had probably taken many lives. My back went cold.
This is just a story, I reminded myself. Even if I die, it’s just an early exit from a novel.
Still, I couldn’t shake the fear.
Who had sent this assassin after me?
The second prince? The king? The Longbeville family? Or maybe the Bahal merchant group? Even the ex-queen must hate our family.
Just thinking about it made me sigh.
Father, seriously… how did you make so many enemies?
When I groaned and held my head, I felt Deoki’s arm loosen.
Was he asleep? Should I try to escape?
My heart raced. Of course, escaping from a tower like this was nearly impossible—but still, I waited for a chance.
Before I could move, though, his hand suddenly slid toward my ribs.
“Eek!”
I quickly grabbed his hand to stop it from going higher. His solid body pressed against my back made me tense up even more.
In the end, my escape attempt failed again. Another sleepless night passed.
***
It’s been ten years since I reincarnated into the novel “The Tyrant’s Flower.”
The male lead, born to a lowly mother, struggled endlessly to prove himself worthy of the throne. When he finally became king, he turned into a brutal tyrant.
And the one scheming behind the scenes to overthrow him—was my father, Duke Mermandi.
It would’ve been fine if he were just a typical villain, but my father bought a dancer and sent her to seduce the king.
As you might guess, that dancer turned out to be the female lead.
Naturally, our entire family was destroyed by the male lead in the end—and I, as his daughter, died with them.
All I wanted was a lazy, peaceful life…
I wasn’t even an important character, but because I knew the future, I tried everything to prevent the Duke’s downfall.
I twisted the story’s events—but somehow ended up locked in a tower, trapped in an assassin’s arms.
***
I remembered the day I was kidnapped.
I’d heard maids whispering outside my door.
“This is such a hassle. Let’s just drop off the food and go.”
“Huh? But…”
“She can’t see us anyway. It’s fine. Lily, you go serve her.”
Seven years ago, on the night of my birthday banquet—
In the original story, my second brother was supposed to die from poisoning. To stop that, I drank his glass myself and lost my sight.
The culprit had been the second prince, half-brother of the male lead, trying to destroy our family.
I had thought about smashing the glass or knocking it away, but in that moment, drinking it myself was the only option.
I survived—but lost sight in one eye. The family doctor mistakenly thought I had gone completely blind, and I didn’t correct him.
I thought that maybe, if I acted blind, my father would stop some of his evil deeds.
In the original story, Duke Mermandi caused endless trouble trying to marry me off for political gain.
So I decided to pretend to be blind—to make him give up on using me.
It’s been seven years since then. My father and three brothers, worried about another “accident,” kept me locked away and left my care entirely to the maids.
It was overprotection in name—but really, they were just hiding the family’s shame.
Then one day—
Knock, knock.
“Lady, your meal is here.”
At the timid sound of knocking, I lifted my head.
