A Queen’s Awakening and a Prince’s Desperation

I dreamt of things from a very, very long time ago.

Back then, that annoying person hadn’t arrived yet. Father’s only children were Eli and I, Hizeta. I was so afraid of interacting with others, and Eli would always stand in front of me.

When did it start… when Eli stopped shielding me?

And when did I begin… to yearn so desperately for human connection that I became utterly flamboyant?

Ah, yes. My younger self, hidden in the shadows, watched the noblewomen dance gracefully, and thus yearned for the same beauty to manifest within me.

But I was merely a laughable clown, discarded just like that—

Hizeta opened her eyes.

The sunlight was dazzling.

She glanced to her side, only to be met with a sight that sent a jolt through her heart, causing her entire body to tremble.

Ophelia sat by the window.

Her expression was melancholic, her red eyes fixed on the scenery outside the window. In her right hand, she held a rose, placing it beneath her lips as if to kiss it.

‘She… hadn’t been punished?’

The bed she lay in was warm, carrying a faint fragrance. Ophelia turned her head, her gaze falling upon Hizeta.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and Ophelia’s eyes held the softness of spring. Hizeta’s heart pounded wildly; she suddenly understood the true meaning of beauty.

Ophelia—

She sat bathed in sunlight.

To see the Queen once was to be forever captivated; in a single glance, Hizeta felt as though her heart had been ensnared by an obsession.

****

Ophelia had allowed Hizeta to sleep in her bed. She herself had awoken in the early hours of the morning, finding Marta already in the garden, pruning flowers. Noticing Ophelia’s idleness, Marta thoughtfully brought her a rose.

‘Roses shouldn’t be in season right now, should they?’

‘Never mind. In a world of swords and magic, nothing is truly surprising.’

Moreover, Marta, for some reason, seemed unusually radiant. She presented the flower to Ophelia as if a male lead in an idol drama were offering a rose to his female counterpart.

“Queen, this flower truly complements your beauty! Please accept it!”

‘Oh, how embarrassing. Despite having been here for an unknown length of time, Ophelia still hadn’t grown accustomed to her own appearance. She even hesitated to touch her own body too much.’

‘Because… it would become strange… What if, after indulging in the feeling of being a girl, she couldn’t turn back into a boy? This was poison… even a little taste was forbidden, wasn’t it?’

This was how she constantly cautioned herself.

Despite these thoughts, she shyly accepted the rose. After all, she had nothing to do at the moment, and after receiving the flower, she simply gazed blankly at the rising sun in the sky.

‘How had things become so peaceful?’

Marta’s Nurturing Value was full, Emily’s was only five points shy, and Vina’s couldn’t be measured for some reason. But it didn’t matter; the Starry Sky God’s would have to progress slowly.

The only obvious female lead left was the Empress of the neighboring empire.

‘She remembered the Empress as having white hair and gray eyes, with a somewhat sadistic (TL Note: ‘dòu S’ or ‘do S’ is Japanese slang for sadist, often used in a playful or character-defining context in web novels.) personality…? The Empress’s empire seemed to have always been at odds with the kingdom, and nurturing someone with her personality would surely be difficult…’

‘She had already nurtured the easy female leads; the difficult ones were still waving at her from afar… It was truly troublesome. And her social anxiety was also annoying. Before, she didn’t want to talk, so it didn’t matter, but now she wanted to talk but couldn’t, which was extremely frustrating.’

‘Was there any way to cure this?’

‘Vina? No, no, that wouldn’t work. She seemed to wish Ophelia would just be a pretty vase. While there was nothing wrong with being a vase, Ophelia still wanted to overcome her social anxiety…’

‘Emily? She could ask her later for advice.’

‘Marta? Forget it. She’d probably just say to leave everything to her, that it wasn’t necessary.’

As she was lost in thought, a stir came from beside her. Hizeta moved.

‘Oh, right! Hizeta! She was clearly a social butterfly (TL Note: ‘shè niú’ is Chinese slang for someone who is very outgoing and good at socializing), a woman who could even strip someone’s clothes in public! All she had to do was make Hizeta sincerely apologize to Marta, get her personality back on track, and then asking Hizeta for advice would surely be a great idea!’

‘As for the King saying Hizeta was shy around strangers, that must be false, haha. How could Hizeta be shy? It was obviously fake news.’

[Hizeta Nurturing Value: 0]

“???”

“Isn’t she a female villain? And just an early-stage villain, the kind with no real substance! Why does she have a Nurturing Value now too?”

[This unit does not know… However, this unit has a hypothesis.]

[Ophelia, what if your encounter made her a protagonist? What if you changed destiny…]

Ophelia’s mouth fell open.

She suddenly recalled Vina’s words from last night.

“Is it possible that you are the protagonist of this story?”

‘Me? The protagonist of the story?’

‘Impossible,’ she thought, dismissing the idea after careful consideration. ‘After all, what kind of protagonist was innocent, incapable of scheming, and suffered from social anxiety? Something must be wrong!’

She took a deep breath.

Regardless, nurturing Hizeta was now a necessity. Forcing herself to gather her spirits, she opened her mouth to greet her.

****

“Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! You’ve ruined everything!” Eli furiously vented his anger in the room.

“My supporters have dwindled so much! I’m practically an empty shell! Your idiotic scheme has doomed me forever!” He pointed at Luca’s nose, unleashing a torrent of abuse.

Luca shook his head.

“Prince, please remember one thing: all failures are merely preludes to success. All that matters is who laughs last.”

“Continue to wait and hold hope along the path of failure, and in the end, with this body’s blood and tears, you will be forged into steel through a hundred refinements.”

Eli shot him a fierce glare.

“Then tell me, what do we do now? We’re out of options!”

“There is still a way,” Luca said unhurriedly.

He had spent much of last night in deep thought.

The reason the opponent could make a move that completely cornered him was because they had discovered his existence and thus anticipated his actions. Therefore, he simply needed to change his own modus operandi.

All that mattered was winning.

If people didn’t win, it was because they were unwilling to change themselves for the sake of “winning,” Luca had always believed this.

‘Therefore, I must break through my moral bottom line, break through my conscience. If you understand me, then I shall change myself.’

“Do you remember the Empress of the Northern Empire?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“The Empress? What about her?” Eli frowned.

“It’s quite simple, Prince. You send me to the Empire, where I will meet the Empress. I will feign surrender, allowing her to invade the kingdom.”

“I will devise strategies for her. I do not believe the kingdom possesses the strength to resist my schemes and military tactics. Then, you will seize military power, and at that point, I will deliberately create an opening, allowing you to defeat the imperial forces.”

“In this way, you will win the hearts of the army and gain military authority. Once you possess military power, the royal throne will be nothing more than a plaything in your hands.”

“Allow me to meet the Empress and incite her to launch an invasion against the kingdom. Only then will we have the military power necessary to break this stalemate.”

“What do you think?”

Eli hesitated, feeling a tremor of doubt.

“Th-this isn’t rebellion, is it? This…”

Luca veiled his gaze.

“What if the throne is passed to Vina? Have you considered that? Vina despises you, after all…”

“Prince, allow me to undertake this diplomatic mission and bring the Empress into the game. We have both passed the point of no return.”