Chapter 16
“Why is he surprised?”
No, even his surprised expression is so handsome it’s dazzling, but somehow… it makes me uneasy.
It feels like the moment I possessed this body, I caused three major deviations from the original story at once. Huh? Why am I suddenly nervous?
Watching the Crown Prince’s startled face, I secretly clenched and unclenched my fists.
“In the original story, he wouldn’t have any connection with Erina…”
There’s no hidden setting or secret twist here, right? That damned author!
I muttered a string of curses at the author in my head. But regardless, the Crown Prince’s astonished gaze lingered on me briefly before he turned his attention elsewhere.
“I didn’t expect to meet you here, Captain of the Royal Guard.”
“It’s an honor to see Your Highness.”
Gwen bowed politely in greeting. The Crown Prince gave a slight nod and continued in a composed tone.
“I didn’t think I’d encounter someone who impressed me at the previous welcome ceremony in such an unexpected place, but it’s not a bad meeting.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“You seem to be accompanied.”
Feeling his gaze shift toward me, I quickly lowered my head again.
“This is my younger sister, Erina.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace, Crown Prince Shurandis. I am Erina Marvas.”
I held my dress lightly and bowed, keeping proper etiquette. Perhaps thanks to possessing Erina, my body moved automatically in situations requiring decorum. It wasn’t conscious—it felt instinctive, like muscle memory.
“The pleasure is mine, Lady Marvas. I’ve heard much about you, but rumors can never convey everything.”
His soft voice made me lift my head, and our eyes met.
“…Wow.”
I’d already been overwhelmed by his beauty, but this was something else. The power of his faint smile, laced with goodwill, was astonishing.
In the novel, the Crown Prince—Shurandis, a wyrm who had not left the earth—was described as:
His silver hair shone like moonlight, and his deep gray eyes flickered with a mysterious radiance. Anyone who looked at him even once could tell he was no ordinary human, his presence unparalleled.
It matched the description perfectly. The combination of silver hair and gray eyes might be common enough in novels, but Crown Prince Shurandis was different.
A mysterious glow seemed to ripple across him, like a rainbow on the surface of a soap bubble—or as if he emitted light himself.
I couldn’t think of a better way to describe him.
“When Russell used the Dragon’s Eye, his pupils became slit like a reptile’s, but Shurandis’s are normal… yet he feels completely different…”
One thing was certain: Shurandis was not human. Even someone unaware that he was a wyrm would recognize a fundamental difference, like the distinction between a cat and a dog. He looked fully human—but he wasn’t.
The Crown Prince’s gaze fell on me. Not just casually—it felt as if he was carefully examining something.
“…What?”
It felt almost expectant… or was that just my imagination?
Before I could analyze further, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“My apologies. You are so beautiful that I couldn’t help but look.”
“Th-Thank you for saying so, Your Highness.”
I could tell he was trying to diffuse the awkward moment smoothly, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly pleased.
‘Of course. Erina is beautiful.’
Even a villainess needs beauty to fit a romance-fantasy story! And Erina’s looks—though slightly overconfident—are genuinely admirable.
“You haven’t awakened yet, have you…”
“Oh, yes. I haven’t reached the age for the Awakening Ceremony.”
His sudden comment about Awakening made me freeze.
‘Right, he’s a wyrm.’
He had never left the earth, and though humans may awaken, the Crown Prince is a wyrm. Just possessing the power of a wyrm could elevate a commoner to nobility, so his Dragon’s Eye would surely perceive things differently.
Perhaps, through his eyes, he could already see which path I—Erina—would take in awakening.
Or maybe he was just curious, since Gwen and Russell had awakened before seventeen, and I was an exception.
“My apologies if this is a rude question.”
“Not at all, Your Highness. It is true that I have not awakened yet.”
Though my response could be interpreted as rude, it was natural—I simply hadn’t reached the age for the ceremony.
I nodded lightly, dismissing his comment. After all…
‘He’s handsome, so I forgive him.’
A beautiful face is an asset. Better to enjoy it a little longer than get angry.
But the Crown Prince seemed to interpret my reaction differently. With a genuine apologetic expression, he spoke:
“It was not my intention, but I apologize for my rudeness. May I have the chance to make amends?”
I was dumbfounded.
‘Wait… he’s a wyrm.’
The position of Crown Prince is reserved for a wyrm. Who could object if a wyrm were rude to a mere human?
And in the original story, he had never acted like this toward Erina.
‘There was almost no scene with just Shurandis and Erina…’
I was confused. Extremely confused. Even though three characters had already caused deviations from the original story, I still couldn’t get used to these situations.
Why even have the original story? Just send me to another dimension if that’s the case!
‘This is such a gap!’
I muttered another curse at the author and quickly opened my mouth. I couldn’t endure the murmurs of onlookers as the Crown Prince, a wyrm, continued to apologize to a mere noblewoman.
“Not at all, Your Highness. Your words are far from rude. No one would dare think so.”
“But…”
“On the contrary, I am honored that you spoke to me.”
Without even thinking, I bowed reflexively. His handsome face cleared my mind, but first, I needed to survive this encounter! A potential male lead’s attention—my stress level went through the roof!
‘You helped the heroine awaken!’
So just think of yourself as the sister of the Captain of the Royal Guard and move on!
But since possessing this body, things never went the way I hoped.
“I see… then I have no choice.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes curved smoothly, his gray irises gleaming brilliantly.
“I admire your spirit. By the name of Shurandis, I shall grant you my aid, once, should you request it.”
The words shocked me, Gwen, and the surrounding crowd.
“Y-You’ll aid us in the name of a wyrm?”
“Oh my…!!”
I stared, stunned. Pledging by the name of a wyrm? That’s practically a sacred vow!
‘You’ve only done that for the heroine before!’
Whether he knew my internal panic or not, the Crown Prince tilted his head with a sly smile.
“I am a human-born wyrm. I have not left the earth, so I am not fully a wyrm. Unlike your expectations… I am rather capricious.”
…Are you kidding me? Even the male lead candidate is having a personality deviation?!
Helping me even once is good, but…!!
‘Give me back the Shurandis I know!!’
God, damn you, author! Since I possessed this body, deviations are everywhere! What did I do to you?!
“Thank you for your grace, Your Highness.”
Gwen spoke for me, as I was too flustered to form words. Hearing her voice helped me regain my composure.
“T-Thank you, Your Highness.”
I hurriedly bowed, and a faint laugh tickled my ears… He’s smiling? Shurandis?
I looked up to confirm, and indeed, his gray eyes held a trace of amusement.
“May fortune always be with you.”
With that brief statement, he moved. The crowd parted almost as if by command—a magnificent sight.
As Shurandis walked, something emerged from the shadows. Human-like, but not human. A blend of reptile and human form.
‘So that’s the wyrm’s seed.’
It should have looked grotesque, yet it didn’t. It felt sacred, even.
<The one whose potential lies dormant. I await the day we meet.>
At that moment, a buzzing voice echoed in my mind.
‘…The Crown Prince?’
It sounded like he was speaking to me through his wyrm power. Why go to such lengths?
‘It’s as if he regrets not being able to converse more…’
But that couldn’t be. In the original story, Erina and Crown Prince Shurandis barely interacted.
