IWBCAS 01

Chapter 1

The Saint Sneaks into the Imperial Palace Basement

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK….

Late at night, footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.

A person dressed completely in black from head to toe — even wearing a black mask — was running while nervously looking around.

She hugged a dull golden object tightly to her chest, making her look even more suspicious.

That suspicious person was Reina.

Suddenly, she saw a moving shadow and got scared.

“Ah! That scared me!!”

At her scream, a small animal squeaked and ran away fast.

“A… rat?”

Reina sighed in relief.

They say only experienced thieves can steal well…

“I’m going to die of stress. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Back in her old life as Cha Seonji, a Korean university student, she had never stolen anything — even when she had no money and had to starve.

‘But now, just a few days after I started my second life, I’m stealing?!’

And the thing she was stealing wasn’t normal.

It was the Holy Grail, a sacred item said to be made by the god of blacksmiths and given to the first human.

It was kept safely in the imperial palace’s basement. If she got caught, prison wouldn’t be enough — she’d probably be executed on the spot.

‘They’ll cut off my head for sure…’

Thinking about her huge crime made her heart pound with fear.

She had lived her life honestly, but now she was throwing it all away to steal the grail — and she had a reason.

Reina looked down at the Holy Grail in her arms.

“This is the real thing… the grail that can find saints?”

The dull, golden object buzzed quietly, as if answering.

‘What is it, a dog?’

From the moment she touched it, the grail started buzzing happily — like it was barking. Reina let out a deep sigh.

Of course.

As a saint detector, it worked way too well.

She couldn’t just leave it. If people found out she was a saint because of it, she would die, just like in the story.

‘Why couldn’t I have possessed a normal noble lady instead…?’

Reina sighed and remembered the first moment she woke up in this strange world.

Flashback

She remembered clearly that there had been a fire in her tiny apartment. She passed out from the smoke, and when she opened her eyes — she was in a strange place.

A new ceiling. New bed. Everything was unfamiliar.

And then she saw her hair.

Wavy, long, pink hair.

‘What kind of anime character hair is this…?’

She ran to the mirror and saw herself — big green eyes like summer leaves, a small pretty face…

She looked like a fallen angel!

‘Wait… this is exactly how the novel described Reina!’

Her shock got worse when a maid entered and said:

“Young Lady Reina, why are you staring at the mirror so early in the morning?”

‘Reina?! …No way. The Reina from that R-rated tragic novel?!’

“Iiiiiiek!!”

She screamed. The maid, Amy, dropped the washbasin in shock.

“Wh-what’s wrong, my lady?!”

Amy stared at her like she was crazy, but Reina didn’t care. She was frozen in panic.

People might say, “Isn’t being the main character great?”

“She’s a saint! She gets love and respect, and ends up with the male lead, right?”

Wrong. Completely wrong.

The novel was called “The Saint’s Secret Bed” — full of R-rated scenes and painful drama.

As the saint, Reina had the power to heal others… but only through warm bodily fluids.

That’s right. Bodily fluids.

The evil crown prince locked her in a temple and made her heal rich and powerful men in her bedroom.

The novel was full of spicy scenes every night.

It was fun to read. But living it?

No way!

And the ending? Horrible.

After using her, the crown prince sold her off to another country, where she was killed by assassins.

Her family was destroyed, her parents were murdered, and she died after being used as a sex tool.

In her past life, she had worked so hard — juggling jobs, school, and scholarships — never even dated.

She lived hoping to be happy one day.

‘And this is what I get?! No way!’

She locked herself in her room and thought hard for days.

‘I can’t live that kind of life.’

Her first plan: run far away and hide in a remote mountain village.

‘If I live somewhere quiet, they’ll never find me — not even with a grail or prophecy!’

She even packed a bag and prepared comfortable clothes and valuables to sell.

But after living a few days as a noble lady… she didn’t want to give it up.

“I’m hungry.”

“Your lunch is ready, my lady.”

“I want to wash.”

“Shall I draw you a warm bath?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Would you like me to sing a lullaby?”

Wow. This was the life of a noble girl?

Being fed, washed, and tucked into bed like a princess?

It felt like a reward buffet after her hard past life.

‘Wait… if I don’t run away, I get this every day?’

And the biggest difference from her old life?

She had parents.

Loving, warm parents who cared deeply about her.

Her mom brought porridge to her room every day, thinking she was sick.

“Reina, how are you feeling?”

She even fed her like a baby bird.

For the first time ever, Reina felt warm and loved.

Her father also cared deeply.

After work, he would always come looking for her.

“My Reina, let’s go to the festival! I’ll buy you the sapphire necklace you wanted.”

Looking at his kind face, Reina felt confused.

‘Why do they care about me so much…?’

In her past life, she had no one.

Now, she had something she never knew — a parent’s love.

‘If I run away, they’ll lose their daughter overnight.’

Realizing that, Reina quietly unpacked her bag.

‘Okay. Let’s try to have both — a happy noble life and a long, safe future!’

After thinking for days again, Reina got an idea.

‘This all started because of the Holy Grail, right?’

The prophecy revealed she was a saint — and the grail proved it.

‘If I destroy the grail… no one can find the saint.’

The novel had no plot, just scenes. But strangely, it explained the secret passage to the royal basement in great detail.

At the time, it felt weird. But now, she realized: maybe the author meant for someone to use it.

So she would.

High risk, high reward.

‘Just get through this one job safely.’

Reina held the grail tight and climbed a hidden ladder to a secret exit.

It opened into a quiet royal garden.

Only a few guards were around since it was late.

She hid in shadows, running every time it was clear.

‘Just get past the garden, and over the wall…’

But just when she started to relax, it happened.

She tripped on some tall grass and fell hard.

“Ugh!”

It hurt so much she almost cried, but she couldn’t make a sound.

‘Why does everything always go wrong?!’

She looked up and gasped.

There was a soft glow all around her.

“…The flowers are glowing…?”

White flowers in the garden were shining faintly in the moonlight.

Even though she was hurt and scared, the beauty gave her a strange kind of hope.

‘Maybe things will turn out okay.’

She brushed off her clothes and stood up…

Then — a deep voice came from behind her.

“A thief, rolling around in the palace garden? You’ve got guts.”

A cold, sharp voice that made her blood freeze.

She looked down…

A bright blue sword was already at her throat.