Chapter 1

“Show the foolish ones the majesty of the Raon Empire by marching to the Reibritton Kingdom!”

Duke Genoa Ivanstein bowed his head, hiding his twisted lips, and thought.

‘The old emperor has finally gone mad.’

From the moment rumors of the beautiful Reibritton princess reached the emperor’s ears, her fate was all but sealed. Even before the empress’s funeral ended, the emperor had chosen her as the new empress. It seemed the aging emperor’s mind couldn’t even conceive that the princess might dare to refuse.

The Reibritton Kingdom hastily sent a reply the day after the marriage proposal arrived.

The reply began by praising the greatness of the Raon Empire’s emperor and concluded with a humble refusal, stating that the princess was still too young to stand by the emperor’s side. The subsequent dazzling sentences made Reibritton’s response diplomatically perfect.

But it failed to smooth the emperor’s furrowed brow. Since that day, everyone knew that the emperor was trying to find fault with Reibritton, his eyes flashing red.

Then, a rumor from the Reibritton Kingdom crossed over to the Raon Empire. It was said that the princess had spoken thus even before the empire’s marriage proposal arrived:

“I would rather choose an honorable death than become the empress of an old emperor.”

It was truly unfortunate. However, even if the princess’s statement were true, it should have been treated as a baseless rumor to be laughed off and ignored.

But after hearing the rumor about the princess, the empire sent another marriage proposal to the Reibritton Kingdom without even questioning the truth of the rumor. This time, the marriage proposal turned into a threat. They demanded that Reibritton hand over the princess quietly so they could punish her for tarnishing the empire’s honor.

The Reibritton Kingdom responded by refuting it as a perfect falsehood and expressing their intention to resist the empire’s absurd threats to the end.

The empire’s dignity would be dragged through the mud due to the emperor’s filthy desires. But the honor and dignity of the empire meant nothing to Genoa, the Duke of Ivanstein.

“As Your Majesty wishes. I shall bring you the crown of the King of Reibritton.”

He only needed hot blood to warm his body.

The empire’s war hero soaked in blood, the beautiful proxy of judgment.

The immortal army led by Duke Genoa Ivanstein headed towards the Reibritton Kingdom.

* * *

“From now on, you will be Amelia Reibritton.”

Trembling hands fastened the last button. One step back, two steps back. Her final master, retreating, frowned at the sight of her servant wearing her dress. Unlike her pale face, her bloodshot eyes looked ready to burst. Outside, catapults were striking the castle walls, causing continuous vibrations.

“With this tiara on, no one will doubt you.”

Mel calmly received and put on the tiara her master handed her.

This tiara was something the princess had begged the King of Reibritton for three days and nights to obtain. It was such an extravagant item that it was said to have cost half a year’s budget of the kingdom.

Mel saw herself wearing the crown. In the mirror was reflected Mel’s image, now identical to the Reibritton princess. The princess was right. No one would dare doubt how similar the two looked.

Luxuriously curling black hair, skin as white as if ground pearls had been applied, lips tinted a pretty pale pink as if flower dye had been used, a round forehead and smoothly extending nose bridge exuded nobility. The feature that resembled the princess most was those green eyes reminiscent of emeralds.

“You really do look like me.”

The princess’s face, which had been scrutinizing Mel’s appearance, crumpled miserably.

The princess couldn’t help but be loved. The loveliness emanating from her beautiful appearance, refined tastes, and witty speech melted people’s hearts. Unsolvable problems succumbed before Amelia’s intelligence. Even difficult disputes easily regained peace with a few words from Amelia.

The kingdom’s scholars praised the princess’s wisdom, requesting that she teach the students of the royal school. Even those who didn’t believe in love craved affection from her.

“…I always knew it would suit you.”

The voice of praise, spoken through gritted teeth, dripped with hatred, as if she wanted to chew and swallow Mel. The princess looked ashamed that there was someone who could replace her.

The princess should have been irreplaceable by anyone. But Mel could.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

Mel answered politely in a voice devoid of inflection. But her master mercilessly slapped her cheek. The hand that struck her cheek was sharp. Mel straightened her habitually turned head and lowered her gaze.

“Why do you like it?”

“Because it’s an honor to even try on something too grand for me.”

A red handprint remained on Mel’s transparent skin as she answered mechanically. It’s unclear whether it was Mel’s answer or the red handprint that pleased the princess. The gaze of her master, who had been glaring at her, wanting to tear her to pieces, softened somewhat.

Just then, with a boom, a vibration shook the castle as the walls crumbled. Although the ground had been shaking as catapults hit the castle walls until now, it hadn’t been enough to make it difficult to maintain balance. It was now insufficient to just stand firm on tiptoes.

Mel and the princess’s gazes simultaneously turned to the window.

“The Reibritton palace…”

Under the red sky where black smoke was rising, the majestic and sturdy walls of the palace that had boasted their strength were collapsing one after another.

A rough hand grabbed her body as it was about to stagger from the shock that greatly shook the floor. The princess’s nails painfully dug into Mel’s tender flesh. The princess’s eyes, which were taking in the sight of her castle crumbling, finally burst a blood vessel. Her gaze towards Mel was as sharp as if stabbing with a knife.

“You were my shadow, weren’t you? So you should be able to deceive even the duke who’s gone mad with bloodlust?”

This was the reason why Mel could substitute for the princess. Whenever Amelia needed to show a benevolent and wise appearance as a princess, Mel had substituted for her.

Mel resembled Amelia so closely that it was difficult to distinguish between them. She was the ‘whipping girl’ prepared by the king for the young princess who showed no interest in education.

The king hoped that the princess would feel the shame of being beaten herself every time she saw a maid who looked exactly like her being whipped when she got a problem wrong. But although the princess was stupid, she was cunning enough to notice that Mel was smart enough to understand the lessons.

“I have always shown you mercy.”

The princess circled around Mel as though she was taking a light stroll in the garden.

“I let something as lowly as you taste what it’s like to be a princess.”

“……”

“So do you understand how grateful you should be for this grace?”

“Yes.”

Mel nodded without bothering to refute the princess’s words.

The princess sent Mel to boring intellectual gatherings, events to encourage the lower classes, parties to form connections with children of lower status, and other places she found difficult and didn’t want to attend. However, no one, not even the king who was the princess’s father, noticed that Mel was the princess’s maid.

“I wonder what face that old emperor will make when he realizes that what he started a war for is not me, but a lowly you?”

“……”

“Father will surely praise me when he learns how wisely I’ve deceived the emperor… Surely, surely he will.”

The princess muttered as if comforting herself.

The king had already abandoned the palace and fled. Leaving the princess locked up in the palace. This was no different from neatly handing the princess over to the empire’s grasp.

“So you understand how important your role is, don’t you?”

“……”

“Either die here as Amelia Reibritton, or deceive the old emperor.”

The master’s order fell like the blade of a guillotine. Mel couldn’t dare refuse.

“If you want to save even the life of your wretched mother.”

Mel was not in a position to make her own decisions about her life. She had never had choices before. As long as her mother’s safety was in the princess’s hands, Mel couldn’t resist even in the face of death.

Now only two of her knight guards and an old nanny remained by the princess’s side. Mel had to buy time at least until the princess safely escaped from the palace. Only then could she save her mother.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“Good!”

Having heard the answer she wanted, the princess put on the maid’s uniform Mel had been wearing. Outside the door, the princess’s nanny was stomping her feet and shouting.

“We must go now! If the back door gets blocked too, then…”

The princess smiled crookedly, looking very regretful. Then, with fierce eyes flashing, she grabbed Mel’s hair and pulled her close. Mel let herself be manhandled by the princess without resistance.

“Remember. I’d like you to die here, but even if you’re lucky enough to survive, I am Princess Amelia Reibritton.”

“……”

“A fake can never truly replace the real thing.”

After saying this, the princess released Mel.

She believed she could reclaim what was hers anytime. Even if rumors spread that the princess had died because Mel died here. After the war ended, when they saw that she was alive, the kingdom’s people would rather praise her as a wise princess who cleverly deceived the Raon Empire and Duke Ivanstein.

Thinking about what expression she would make then, the princess threw a satisfied smile.

“I hear Duke Ivanstein particularly hates slaves?”

The princess’s voice was excited, like a reader who had saved the ending of a long-awaited story.

“What will happen to our Mel? Being a slave that the duke so despises.”

Boom, once again the sound of a catapult’s boulder hitting the palace was heard. Now black dust was flowing into the room through the window.

The princess looked at Mel before leaving the room. Then she bent over greatly and burst into laughter. Ha, ha, ha. The princess’s laughter sounded louder than the sound of the palace crumbling.

“Poor Mel, please don’t get caught.”

The princess turned her back, laughing as if sobbing. The door slammed shut behind her. Now Mel was left alone in the crumbling palace.

“What a personality.”

Only after the princess disappeared did Mel take off the heavy crown and throw it away. With a clang, as the crown rolled on the floor, a boulder from the catapult hit near the princess’s room. The wall near the window collapsed, and bricks fell inward.

Mel threw herself forward. With the sound of her head hitting the floor, her vision went dark.

* * *