Chapter 1
“Selena lost her parents when she was young. She was mistreated by her stepmother and siblings.”
Selena hummed a song as she worked hard cleaning the kitchen floor with a rag.
Cinderella rides a pumpkin carriage to the ball with the help of a fairy, but Selena had no fairy to help her.
Mumbling quietly, Selena hummed again in a sadder tone.
“Siba. Siba. Ai si-ba. Poor Selena.”
She put extra stress on the words ‘si’ and ‘ba’ as she sang, then threw down the rag.
“Si! Ba. Si! Ba. Ai si-ba. This sucks, I can’t do it.”
Despite her smiling face, she muttered rough curses and kicked over a pile of clothes.
The clothes tumbled down. Watching them fall, Selena laughed bitterly.
What would change by venting like this?
Her eyes moved to the mirror beside her.
Her red hair was messy and curly. Her blue eyes looked dull, like muddy water. Selena’s reflection was not pretty.
“With this look, even if a fairy helps me go to the ball, the prince won’t fall for me at first sight.”
“Ah, that’s how it is for a useless side character.”
Sighing wouldn’t change anything.
Selena was just a side character with no role and no one even remembered her name.
Clatter, bang!
“What’s that?”
Startled by the loud noise outside, Selena quickly ran out.
‘Is it a monster attack? Or some kind of accident?’
But outside, there were no monsters or accidents.
“A pumpkin carriage? No, it’s not really a pumpkin.”
It was a big black carriage decorated with gold and jewels. It looked very expensive.
The carriage was too big even for six horses to pull.
It stopped right in front of Selena’s house.
A suspicious man dressed in a black hat, robe, and mask got off the horse and opened the carriage door.
When Selena saw who got out, her mouth opened in surprise.
“It’s a fairy.”
The one who got out was definitely a fairy.
Even in the dark without light, his white hair shone brightly.
His red eyes were beautiful, like a mix of rose and ruby.
His white skin was cold like moonlight.
If a fairy in a fairy tale were a man, he would look just like this, Selena thought.
“But why does he look so familiar?”
The fairy-like man smiled brightly.
The moon was in the sky, but it seemed like light was shining behind him.
“Selena.”
The man reached out his hand. Selena reached out too, like she was hypnotized.
He naturally brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it softly and coldly.
Is this how it feels to be enchanted by a fairy?
Selena didn’t say anything and blinked blankly. Her face felt hot.
Blushing in front of a man she just met.
‘What can I do? He’s exactly my ideal type.’
After the short kiss, the man smiled like a crescent moon. He moved his lips that still held Selena’s warmth.
“I missed you, Selena.”
A cold wind blew and brushed against Selena’s skin. She was only wearing a thin cloth and barely came to her senses from the freezing cold.
‘What was I thinking? Reaching out my hand to a man I don’t even know.’
“Who are you?”
She became alert.
A man she saw for the first time kissed her hand and called her name. This was not normal.
Selena held tightly to the door handle behind her, ready to lock the door if the man did anything dangerous.
The man’s eyebrows twisted strangely.
“Don’t you know who I am?”
“I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as you.”
‘I’ve never hung out with rich kids like you either.’
She swallowed the last part because it sounded too rude.
The man looked less angry after hearing her words. His face softened.
Looking at his changing mood, Selena thought,
He must be crazy.
Crazy?
Yeah, crazy reminds me of someone.
Someone who doesn’t look like him at all. Maybe he had plastic surgery.
“Are you Evan?”
“Evan…?”
For a moment, a murderous look flashed across the man’s face.
His gentle eyes turned sharp.
His soft smile tightened.
His eyes were cold like blades.
The man who smiled like a fairy earlier suddenly changed and stepped closer.
“Who’s that?”
He looked like he would harm her depending on her answer.
‘Yep, he really is crazy!’
Selena ran inside quickly and locked the door.
You can’t judge a person by looks alone. I almost got into serious trouble by trusting someone just because he looked good.
Creak.
Huh? What was that sound?
Crunch, crunch.
Sounds of something breaking.
Before she knew it, the door hinge where Selena held the handle slowly opened.
“Uh, hey, you’re not supposed to open the door like that…”
The man came inside as if he was used to it.
His red eyes slowly looked over Selena. It was not the bright smile from before, but a sticky look full of obsession and desire.
Selena ran to the kitchen to avoid him.
‘A weapon! I need a weapon.’
She grabbed a frying pan from the neatly hung kitchen tools with both hands and lifted it.
Unlike her desperate moves, the man walked toward her calmly, like he was taking a stroll.
He came close and tilted his head.
“Why are you scared?”
‘Wouldn’t anyone be scared if some crazy man broke into their house?’
But she couldn’t say that.
The man was now right in front of her. Selena closed her eyes tightly and swung the frying pan.
The pan swung through the air and stopped as if caught by something.
She squinted and checked the frying pan.
A thin finger was pressing on it. The pan crumpled like paper.
“Uh, what?!”
Selena was shocked.
‘How can he be so strong? Is he even human?’
The man twisted his wrist lightly and the pan separated from the handle. Only the short handle stayed in Selena’s hand.
The wall blocked her way, so she couldn’t run.
The man who trapped her spoke.
“Tell me. Who is Evan?”
Selena felt like a mouse caught by a predator.
Who was Evan?
Evan was a man who followed and bothered Selena.
She didn’t like his face or personality, so she rejected him many times.
But Evan thought her refusals were just shyness.
Dealing with someone who didn’t understand ‘no’ had been hard for Selena.
“Selena.”
The man called her name softly, urging her to answer.
He smelled familiar.
A fresh mint and soft soap scent, refreshing and nice.
‘Wait. That hair color too. His eyes are different, but maybe…’
“…Rio?”
She called the name from her fading memory.
The man paused, then smiled brightly like when they first met.
“Yeah.”
“Really? You’re Rio?”
“Yeah, Selly.”
The man, Rio, called her nickname.
Wow, that little kid had grown so much.
“So, Selly.”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of guy is that Evan you mentioned?”
Rio smiled affectionately, like when Selena remembered him as a child.
He seemed like he wouldn’t move until he heard about Evan.
He was still as persistent as when they were kids.
“By the way, Rio, how did you find out I’m here?”
Even though Selena tried to change the subject, Rio happily answered.
“I told the royal wizards to find you. They said they couldn’t do it, but when I threatened to behead one every day, they found you quickly.”
Ah, using the royal wizards…
No, wait.
“What royal wizards? Weren’t you supposed to be a priest?”
Selena asked in surprise. Rio looked at her like she said something strange. He blinked slowly and smiled faintly.
“I became something similar.”
“Similar? Like a high priest?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Rio didn’t answer but took something out from his chest. A fancy brooch with a red jewel surrounded by gold and clear gems.
Selena knew what it was.
A symbol only the emperor of the empire could have.
“Why do you have this?”
“Because it’s mine.”
“…What?”
“If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
Selena shook her head quickly.
Why did he talk about the emperor’s symbol like it was a cheap accessory?
More importantly…
Why did the male lead, who was supposed to become a high priest and protect people and be with the female lead, become an emperor—a tyrant?
