Chapter 1 – Part 1 (Welcome. It’s your first time in the empire, right?)

Mail Fonz Vizeart was an ordinary duke’s daughter.

Being “ordinary” didn’t mean she wasn’t beautiful like some peerless beauty. Objectively speaking, Mail was indeed a beauty. Although she didn’t enjoy dressing up and usually kept her appearance simple, her facial features were remarkably attractive upon closer examination.

So why, with her noble status and stunning looks, was she considered an “ordinary” lady? It was simply to indicate that she lacked any special abilities or extraordinary powers that others might possess.

In other words, Mail had never experienced something like a prophetic dream—at least, not until now.

“If every stunning beauty ruined a nation, the continent would have already collapsed long ago!”

The Vizeart Duke’s office, located within the estate, was always open. The duke, who enjoyed listening and was eager for discussions, never blocked anyone from visiting him personally as long as they had business with him.

Today, the door was thrown open first by his only daughter, Mail. Striding quickly across the room, she abruptly blurted out the statement above.

The duke pondered for a moment.

‘What was this? A new trend in greetings among the younger generation?’

“That’s quite difficult, daughter. So, would you kindly tell me how I should respond?”

“…No, I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I meant to say.”

Mail lightly slapped her lips as if punishing herself. The thoughts she’d been mulling over on the way there had slipped out in a moment of frustration. She took a deep breath to collect herself.

“Father, I have a favor to ask.”

Mail had never had a prophetic dream before, so she couldn’t hastily declare that the dream she had wasn’t just a nonsensical one. In fact, if she considered the odds logically, there was a 90% chance that it was indeed a meaningless dream.

The likelihood that her dream wasn’t just nonsense but a rare prophetic one was probably at best 1%. Even that 1% might be an overestimation.

However, people don’t always follow the more probable outcome. Sometimes, even the slimmest of chances can drastically change one’s actions.

Especially when that slim chance depicts a future that could be painful and horrifying.

“Please, allow me to go to the Helvern Empire, with the princess.”

During her journey to this point, Mail had made up her mind. A brief moment of youth or the fate of a country. The choice was obvious.

* * *

There was a proverb Mail often thought of whenever she looked at her kingdom’s princess.

‘God doesn’t give everything to one person.’

The kingdom’s only princess, Riela, was beautiful. Not just any kind of beautiful, but a beauty so extraordinary that everyone in the nation, without exception, acknowledged her as the most stunning woman in the land.

Her flowing blonde hair looked as though it had been gilded with real gold, and her eyes, the same color, gleamed like finely cut gemstones. Her skin was whiter than a baby’s, and her body’s curves were so delicate and refined that everyone couldn’t help but praise Riela’s beauty.

The problem was, Riela wasn’t just beautiful on the outside.

Her brain was beautiful too.

Usually, when someone says someone has a “beautiful brain,” it’s a metaphor for intelligence. But in Riela’s case, it was more literal. Her brain was beautiful in the sense that it was clean, smooth, and unblemished—almost proudly so.

Regrettably, the kingdom’s only princess was known for having nothing in her head. This was such common knowledge that it had become a well-established fact.

Despite her lack of intelligence, Riela was still a princess. Whether ignorant or uneducated, she was the king’s beloved, precious daughter.

This meant that Riela could do anything she wanted, no matter what it was. When she desired something, she could obtain it. The only effort required was for her to sit in her seat, point at what she wanted, and say, “I want that.”

This time was no different.

“A selection contest for the empress is being held in the Helvern Empire.”

Recently, there had been news that caused a stir throughout the continent.

The Helvern Empire. Even those unfamiliar with the continent’s political landscape had at least heard its name, for it was a renowned and powerful nation. Its territory was vast, its military unmatched, and its finances strong with no debts. Its influence on trade was so significant that none of its neighboring countries dared to defy it. Helvern was always a subject of awe.

The empire had publicly announced its intention to seek candidates for the empress position.

If the continent wasn’t thrown into chaos over this, it would be stranger still. Even if the position had been for an incompetent, aging emperor’s second wife, many would have eagerly vied for it. But the emperor of Helvern was a young, unmarried, capable, and exceptionally handsome man.

Not even the most perfect romantic hero from a love story could measure up to him. Of course, these were all just rumors, so it couldn’t be taken at face value. Still, even if only a fraction of it were true, the emperor’s reputation was dazzling enough to turn heads.

Mail had heard rumors about the emperor. The social circles had been abuzz with the topic for a while, making it impossible for her not to have heard.

Even without the empress selection, the emperor of Helvern was already a frequent subject of conversation, and with the selection now in play, it became the talk of every gathering.

But this topic held little interest for Mail. Despite being in her late teens, an age where dreams and fantasies should have been plentiful, Mail had almost no illusions about princes.

While others were reading “Cinderella,” Mail had been engrossed in a far more grim title like “Cinderella’s Marriage Struggles, Palace Intrigue, and Sad Last Days.” It’s easy to imagine just how cynical and dry her outlook was.

In summary, Mail believed it was better for her peace of mind not to entertain foolish dreams. She was a bit of a realistic skeptic.

However, if the world were full of people like Mail, romance novels wouldn’t be flourishing—they would have gone bankrupt ages ago.

Most girls her age preferred chasing ideals rather than reality. The chances were slim, but not impossible. As long as there was a sliver of hope, the possibility remained. So why couldn’t it be her?

Amid this quiet hope and expectation, there was one person who confidently believed that the possibility was 100%.

That person was Riela.

Where her confidence came from, no one knew, but she believed as if it were already a given that the Empress’s seat was hers. Considering the fact that beauties from all over the world would flock as her competitors, it was hard to easily agree with such a belief.

However, as mentioned earlier, Riela was a princess. Who would dare reveal such inner feelings—those pessimistic thoughts—right in front of a beloved princess who monopolizes the king’s love?

When Riela declared, “I’m going to the Helvern Empire to participate in the Empress selection! Because it’s meant for me!” the nobles merely clapped enthusiastically, agreeing with her as if it were the most natural thing to do.

As for the king, there was no need to say more. He responded with, “Oh, my precious child!” and immediately set up the journey. Thus, Riela’s trip to the empire was decided smoothly, like a ship sailing with favorable winds.

Up until this point, Mail had no interest in Riela’s actions. Whether Riela participated in the Empress selection and returned home after being eliminated in the first round, or a miracle happened, and she became Empress, plunging the Helvern Empire into shock and terror, Mail thought it had nothing to do with her. And that thought would have continued unchanged if not for that wretched dream.

Mail had two dreams in one night. When she woke from the first nightmare, it was the dead of night. Though unpleasant and unsettling, she brushed it off as a meaningless dream and went back to sleep. Then came the second nightmare.

If the first nightmare showed the outcome, the second one seemed to reveal the cause.

“Are you really going?”

“I’ll be back.”

After a brief hug with the Duke, Mail boarded the carriage. She had packed her belongings but was traveling alone, without any attendants.

Since Mail was accompanying Riela as an attendant, not as a candidate for the selection, she couldn’t bring her own maid. Any small tasks during the journey would be handled by Riela’s maid.

The carriage moved slowly. They had sent word, so they would join up as soon as they arrived at the royal palace.

Mail leaned against the back of the carriage, lost in quiet thought. The scenery outside the window, to which she had cast a perfunctory glance, didn’t catch her attention. She was recalling the contents of her dream.

The country burns to the ground. Because of none other than Riela.

Mail organized the events of the dream in order. First, in the dream, Riela headed to the Helvern Empire to become Empress, just like now. There, she met the Emperor.

In the dream, the Emperor was, as rumors said, a strikingly handsome man, and Riela fell for him. But the problem was that the Emperor already had a lover.

Why he held an Empress selection despite having a lover was something she couldn’t understand even in the dream.

In any case, Riela learned that the Emperor had a lover, and, blinded by jealousy, she ended up poisoning her.

That was the start of the tragedy.