Chapter 1: Transmigration
My name is Alics.
A 23-year-old man. Jobless. Unremarkable.
If someone had to describe my life in one sentence, that would be enough.
That night, like many others, I was lying on my bed scrolling through the Yamepo novel platform, trying to distract myself from reality. That's when I found that novel.
A typical fantasy story.
A powerless puppet emperor rises against fate, defeats a terrifying female general, takes back his kingdom, and builds a harem of beautiful women.
There were magic systems, kingdoms, conspiracies—everything a reader could want. In this world, strength ruled above all, and martial arts determined one's fate.
At first, I read it casually.
Then I got hooked.
And then… I couldn't stop thinking about her.
The villainess.
She wasn't even the main character. Not even close.
But she stayed in my mind long after I finished reading.
Born into a prestigious general's family, she should have lived a glorious life.
Instead, she was cursed from birth.
White hair.
Ruby-red eyes.
To others, those weren't traits of beauty—they were signs of a monster.
People feared her.
Avoided her.
Whispered behind her back.
Her father was always away at the border, fighting wars. Her mother… was present, but distant. Cold. Unloving.
No one ever truly cared for her.
No one ever tried to understand her.
Except for one thing—she had talent.
Overwhelming talent in martial arts.
The kind of talent that made even seasoned warriors tremble.
But talent alone couldn't fill the emptiness inside her.
Growing up in isolation twisted her thoughts.
If people feared her… then she would give them a reason.
If strength was the only thing the world respected… then she would become the strongest.
On the night the emperor died, she made her move.
She rebelled.
Killed every prince.
Every single one—
Except one.
The weakest among them.
She kept him alive and turned him into a puppet emperor.
From the shadows, she ruled the entire empire.
A hidden sovereign feared by all.
And yet…
In the end, she died.
Killed by that same puppet emperor—who became the true protagonist of the story.
When I finished reading, I didn't feel excitement.
I felt… empty.
"…What a sad ending."
I didn't even realize when my eyes closed.
---
When I opened them again—
Everything had changed.
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar.
Luxurious.
Carved with intricate patterns I had never seen before.
"…Where am I?"
I sat up abruptly.
My body felt lighter… smaller.
My heart began to race.
Then the memories came.
Not mine.
But someone else's.
Fragments. Images. Names.
And then—
A realization that made my blood run cold.
"…No way."
I rushed toward the mirror.
A young boy stared back at me.
Refined clothes. Noble features.
And eyes filled with panic.
"I…"
My voice trembled.
"I'm inside the novel?"
Not just anyone.
The Fourth Prince.
One of the princes destined to die.
Killed during the villainess's rebellion.
"…This is a joke, right?"
But it wasn't.
Everything felt real.
Too real.
I clenched my fists.
"Think… think…"
In the original story, the massacre of the princes hadn't happened yet.
That meant—
"There's still time."
Right now, the villainess wasn't the terrifying general yet.
She was just a young girl.
Unknown.
Unnoticed.
Hated.
A small hope sparked inside me.
"If I can meet her before everything changes…"
If I can be kind to her.
If I can become someone she doesn't want to kill—
"…then maybe I can survive."
I had no ambition to become emperor.
No desire for power.
And definitely no intention of becoming a puppet.
"I just want to live."
That was all.