Chapter 1
“Selena~ lost her parents when she was young. Her stepmother and~ siblings~ treated her badly.”
Selena hummed a song while scrubbing the kitchen floor diligently.
Cinderella had a fairy to help her ride the pumpkin carriage to the ball, but Selena had no fairy to assist her.
Muttering softly to herself, she resumed humming the song in a slightly melancholic tone.
“Shii~ ba. Shii~ ba. Ai shiba. Poor Selena.”
Emphasizing the syllables “shi” and “ba” more than usual, Selena finally threw down the mop.
“Shi! Ba. Shi! Ba. Ai shiba. This sucks, I can’t do this.”
Despite the gentle smile on her face, Selena muttered rough curses and kicked over the pile of clothes.
The clothes tumbled down in a heap. Watching the mess, Selena let out a hollow laugh.
Would venting like this really change anything?
Her gaze drifted to the mirror beside her.
Her red hair, slightly wavy and untamed, stuck out in every direction. Her blue eyes had a dull, muddy hue, as if mixed with dirt. Selena’s reflection was far from beautiful.
“At this rate, even if a fairy helped me go to the ball, the prince wouldn’t fall for me at first sight.”
“Ugh, that’s what happens when you’re just a minor character with no role.”
A sigh wouldn’t change anything.
Selena was nothing more than a minor character with no assigned role, whose name wouldn’t even be remembered.
Clatter, clatter! Bang! Crash!
‘What’s that?’
Startled by the commotion outside, Selena rushed out of the house.
‘A monster attack? Or maybe some kind of accident?’
Outside, there was neither a monster nor an accident.
‘A pumpkin carriage? No, that’s not a pumpkin…’
A lavish carriage adorned with golden decorations and dangling jewels—a carriage that clearly looked expensive.
No, it was too large to even be called a carriage.
A massive black carriage, which looked like even six horses would struggle to pull, stopped right in front of Selena’s house.
A suspicious man in a black hat, robe, and even a mask—completely hiding himself—descended from the horse and opened the carriage door.
Selena unconsciously opened her mouth as she saw who was stepping out.
‘A fairy.’
The figure was undeniably a fairy.
Even in the pitch-black darkness without a single light, his white hair shone dazzlingly.
His red eyes were as beautiful as if made with a spoonful of rose and a piece of ruby.
His skin was white and cold like moonlight, as if touching him would freeze your hand.
Selena thought: If a fairy in a story were male, he would look just like that.
‘But why does he seem vaguely familiar?’
The fairy-like man smiled brightly.
Even though the moon hung high in the sky, it seemed as if light radiated from behind him.
“Selena.”
The man reached out his hand. Hypnotized, Selena extended hers.
He brought her hand to his lips naturally. His cold, soft lips glided over the back of her hand.
Is this what it feels like to be enchanted by a fairy?
Selena couldn’t speak, blinking dumbly. Her face was burning.
Blushing in front of a man she didn’t even know…
‘Well, what can I do? He’s exactly my type.’
After a brief kiss, the man’s eyes curved like a crescent moon. He lifted his lips, which still held the warmth of Selena’s hand.
“I’ve missed you, Selena.”
A cold wind blew across her skin. Wearing only a thin cloth that didn’t suit the weather, Selena shivered and regained her senses.
‘What was I thinking? Reaching out to a stranger like that…’
“Who… are you?”
Once she came to her senses, caution returned.
A man she had never seen before had kissed her hand and called her name. This was far from normal.
Selena grabbed the door handle tightly, ready to lock herself inside if he tried anything.
The man’s eyebrows twitched, distorting his previously bright, fairy-like expression.
“Don’t you know who I am?”
“I’ve never met anyone as handsome as you in my life.”
And I’ve never associated with some rich-looking heir like you either…
Even so, she swallowed the rest of her words, thinking it would be rude to speak so bluntly to a stranger.
The man, who seemed irritated, immediately softened his expression at Selena’s words. Seeing his gentle face, she thought:
He’s definitely insane.
Insane?
Yes… only one person comes to mind.
Though their faces were nothing alike. Maybe he had cosmetic surgery.
“Are you… Evan?”
“Evan…?”
For a moment, a murderous gleam flashed across the man’s face.
The soft eyes had sharpened, the gentle smile frozen.
His gaze was icy, as if it could cut through anything.
Could this really be the same fairy-like man who had smiled at her before?
The man stepped forward decisively.
“Who is he?”
Depending on her answer, he seemed ready to harm her immediately.
‘Yep, definitely insane!’
Selena ran back inside, locking the door.
You shouldn’t judge people by their looks. Almost got herself killed just by being mesmerized.
Creak.
Huh? What’s that sound?
Crack, crack.
Somewhere, something was breaking.
As she thought this, the hinge side of the door she was holding—where it shouldn’t have opened—slowly slid ajar.
“…Hey, that’s not how you open a door…”
The man entered as if this were routine.
His red eyes swept over Selena with slow intensity. This wasn’t the dazzling smile she first saw—it was full of sticky obsession and desire.
Selena ran to the kitchen to escape.
Weapons! I need a weapon!
Among the neatly arranged kitchen tools, Selena gripped a frying pan tightly in both hands.
But unlike the desperate Selena, the man’s steps toward her were leisurely, as if on a stroll.
He tilted his head, puzzled at her fear.
“Why are you scared?”
Wouldn’t you be scared if some crazy guy broke into your house?
She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
He approached closer. Selena squeezed her eyes shut and swung the frying pan.
The pan sliced through the air but seemed to hit something invisible.
Squinting, she looked—thin fingers held the pan down, flattening it like paper.
“W-what?!”
Selena froze.
How is he that strong? Is he even human?
With a flick of his wrist, the pan separated from the handle. Only the short grip remained in Selena’s hands.
Blocked by the wall behind her, she had nowhere to run. The man cornering her said:
“Tell me. Who’s Evan?”
Selena felt like a mouse facing a predator.
Evan was the man who had been pestering her endlessly.
She had rejected him multiple times; he misinterpreted her refusals as shyness.
Dealing with him had been exhausting.
“Selena.”
He called her name gently, urging an answer.
From his close presence came a familiar scent: refreshing mint mixed with soft soap, clean and pleasant.
Wait… that hair color… the eyes are different, but it must be…
“…Rio?”
She called the name remaining faintly in her memory.
He paused for a moment, then returned the radiant smile he had when they first met.
“Yes.”
“Really? You’re Rio?”
“Yes. Selli.”
He used her childhood nickname.
She thought: Wow, that little boy has grown so much…
“So, Selli.”
“Yes.”
“What kind of guy is that Evan you mentioned?”
Rio smiled adorably, like the boy Selena remembered.
He wouldn’t move until he heard about Evan from her mouth.
His persistent personality hadn’t changed.
“More importantly, Rio… how did you even find me here?”
Even though she tried to divert the question, Rio willingly answered.
“I had the royal wizards track you down. They said it was impossible, but when I threatened to behead one a day, they found you immediately.”
Ah, using royal wizards…
No.
“What royal wizards? Rio, didn’t you become a priest?”
Selena asked in surprise. Rio looked at her as if to say, What are you talking about?
He blinked slowly and then smiled faintly.
“Well… something like that, I guess.”
“Something like that? Oh, an archpriest?”
“No.”
“A high priest?”
“No.”
“Then what are you?”
Instead of answering, Rio pulled something from his chest: a brooch with a red gem at the center, surrounded by gold and clear jewels.
Selena knew what it was:
A symbol reserved only for the Emperor of the Empire.
“Why do you have this?”
“It’s mine.”
“…Yours?”
“If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
Selena quickly shook her head.
He offered an imperial symbol as if handing over a 500-won trinket from the street.
No, that wasn’t the real problem.
Why did the male lead, who was supposed to save people as a priest and end up with the heroine, become the Emperor—and a tyrant at that?
