At the very top floor of the Magic Tower, nestled in the outskirts far from the capital of the Ludenza Empire…
What should have been a quaint and well-maintained space looked like it had been bombed. It was a complete disaster.
A dark brown bookshelf had collapsed in two, and the books once neatly arranged within were now torn to shreds and scattered everywhere.
“……”
A silver-haired girl, Ethel, stood frozen, unable to hide the dazed look on her face as her trembling eyes took in the chaos around her.
‘What on earth just happened…?’
Ethel struggled to stay conscious. That’s when she finally noticed the strong arms wrapped around her.
She tried to wiggle free by twisting her body slightly, but the solid frame holding her—like an immovable wall—didn’t budge an inch. It was as if her tiny movements weren’t even noticed.
“Cough, cough!”
She let out a clumsy, fake cough.
At last, the gaze turned toward her, and a low voice echoed in her ear.
“Magician, are you alright?”
Dark blue eyes, like they had been dipped in the ocean, looked down at her with concern.
“Ah…”
Ethel could do nothing but stare back at the man’s face, forgetting to even respond.
He looked as if all the light and beauty in the world had been gathered into one person.
[The Sleeping Prince Awaits the Saintess’s Kiss]
That was the title of the novel I had been transmigrated into. At first, I thought I’d lost my mind from reading too many fantasy romance novels, but no—it was real. I had become someone else.
Ridiculously enough, my death in the real world had been from overwork.
Too much work, too few people. I spent my days buried in assignments. Even the strategy report I had been skimming before I collapsed was still vivid in my mind.
“Seriously? I died working?!”
Reading romance-fantasy (rofan) novels was my only hobby to relieve stress. Sometimes, I’d stay up all night binging stories and joke about transmigrating one day…
But to actually get transmigrated? Just like that?
“That’s not fair! My team leader gets all the credit while I die at my desk!”
If I had to transmigrate, why not as a noble? Or a princess?! There were so many roles that came with luxury and power!
But no—of course not. I woke up as one of the weakest characters imaginable: a poor commoner girl named Ethel who was bullied to the point of falling down the stairs.
“I thought transmigration came with free dresses and delicious food!”
Luckily, I recognized the situation right away—it was from a novel I’d been reading recently. The original owner of this body, Ethel, was a survivor of a village destroyed by dark mages called the “Apostles” four years ago.
She was later found and adopted into the Magic Tower by its master, Melize. In that sense, she was lucky.
“The problem is, aside from that lucky rescue, this girl’s got nothing going for her.”
Despite opposition from the Tower’s elders, Melize insisted on bringing Ethel to the tower, for reasons unknown.
Though she became a member of the Tower thanks to Melize’s stubbornness, Ethel’s magical power was so faint, it couldn’t even be categorized.
Most mages were labeled by their elemental affinity—fire, water, etc.—but Ethel’s magic was so weak, it didn’t even qualify.
To make things worse, the favoritism shown by the Tower Master made Ethel the target of endless bullying.
And things only got worse when Ethel was assigned to care for the male lead—Prince Licht.
She ended up injured due to the bullying. That’s when I woke up as her.
“Seriously, can’t I catch a break even in a fantasy world?”
Ethel, in the original novel, was the kind of sweet, quiet background character who never complained, even when bullied—just so she wouldn’t worry her guardian, the Tower Master.
I sighed bitterly and looked at the man sleeping inside the glass coffin.
He was Licht Glacies Ludenza, the First Prince of the Ludenza Empire.
If not for the curse, he would have soon been named crown prince. The ultimate golden spoon. The main character of the novel.
With outstanding swordsmanship and powerful fire magic, he was known as a magic swordsman of unrivaled skill. But after an attack by the dark mage leader, Deus, he fell under a curse of eternal sleep.
I started reading this novel specifically because of that tragic prince in a glass coffin.
“It’s just a setup to make the female lead’s entrance more dramatic.”
The emperor, devastated by his son’s condition, entrusted Licht’s care to Duke Melize, master of the Magic Tower and the empire’s top mage. She was the only one capable of protecting him from future attacks.
And with a scheming empress who wanted her own son to be heir, keeping Licht in the palace was too dangerous.
That’s how Ethel ended up caring for him—because she was a powerless, politically neutral commoner mage.
“Well, and probably because she was a kind, earnest girl too.”
Ethel was responsible for checking on the prince three times a day.
The first time she saw him sleeping inside the glass coffin, she fell in love at first sight.
To a naïve girl like Ethel, his beauty must’ve seemed like a divine vision.
Yeah, falling for a sleeping guy is… a bit much. But still, Ethel was never a villain or used by one. Just a lovesick, innocent extra.
Then one day, the heroine—Saintess Sepina—shows up. A shrine maiden from a remote temple, Sepina becomes a saint blessed by the god Merdemia and arrives at the tower to awaken the prince.
She kisses him through the glass, and the curse breaks—just like Sleeping Beauty.
“Why it had to be a kiss, I don’t know, but anyway.”
Ethel, watching from the sidelines, quietly ends her one-sided love.
Ah, what a faint, pitiful extra character!
But hey, at least I wasn’t a villain.
If I had been, I’d be sweating bullets trying to avoid a bad ending.
Instead, all I had to do was keep tending to the prince until the saintess arrives and breaks the curse. Not bad, right?
It’s already been over a month since I transmigrated.
The story says the saintess shows up “three years after the prince falls into his cursed sleep.”
I arrived around the two-and-a-half-year mark. So if I hold out for another six months, I’ll get to witness that iconic scene myself!
And once the male and female leads reunite, they’ll take care of the villains.
“Which means—I’ll be free!”
After that scene, Ethel completely disappears from the narrative. So the rest of her life is mine to shape.
And she’s only 18! There’s so much ahead!
“No idea if this world has work-life balance, but…”
I was determined to live a peaceful life—moderate work, warm meals.
“Alright, let’s get to it.”
I nodded and pulled out my notebook from my apron pocket.
Even if I was mentally grumbling, I still had to file my daily reports.
It was a routine Ethel had kept up diligently, and somehow my body remembered the schedule even during my first days here.
Melize, who was often away chasing down the dark mage Deus, checked Ethel’s reports every time she returned to the tower.
And in case of emergencies, I had a magical communicator hanging around my neck to contact her.
My checklist included three things:
First, check the preservation magic on the coffin and ensure there were no cracks or damage.
Second, check the state of the barrier protecting the room.
Third, inspect the prince himself.
I placed a hand on the glass.
“August 2nd, 7:30 a.m. No cracks, temperature and humidity stable.”
Then I examined the barrier. By placing a finger on the core near the door, I could feel for any unusual magical waves. It wasn’t too difficult thanks to Ethel’s memory.
“Barrier’s stable. No sign of intrusion.”
All good! Now the last step…
I awkwardly turned toward the glass coffin.
Even after doing this for over a month, I still hadn’t gotten used to it.
“Hmm.”
He was so still that sometimes I wondered if I was staring at a person or a perfectly sculpted painting.
Flawless pale skin, yet a sharp jawline that gave off strength. Jet-black hair, immaculately styled like it had just been trimmed.
Most likely, he looked exactly as he did the day he was placed here.
“Yeah… with a face like that, I can see how she’d fall in love instantly.”
But I wasn’t a teenage girl raised in a tower, nor the type to fall for unreachable love.
I tucked my notebook away and stood up. Time to head back to my room.
As I walked to the door, I turned back once to look at him.
He was fast asleep. Unmoving. Unfeeling.
And yet… somehow, I felt sorry for him.
“Still… it won’t be long now.”
Yes, the male lead’s path was guaranteed to be smooth and full of light. I didn’t need to worry.
I clenched my fist in determination and cheered him on.
“Fighting!
