♡ Chapter 2 ♡
(The Hidden Disciple Hides His Power)
“Inform His Majesty of this news at once!”
“Physician, hurry this way!”
“Bring the soup for the Imperial Princess!”
A luxurious bedroom decorated with gold and jewels, and people in maid uniforms busily moving around.
No matter how I looked at it… this was not the place I had expected.
“Ugh… I feel dizzy…”
“Ah! Princess, you mustn’t get up yet. You just woke up after a week, so you need more rest!”
As I barely managed to lift my body from the bed, I staggered, and the maids quickly rushed over to support me.
“Ha… ah…”
I only took a breath, yet it felt like my ribs were broken… wait, are they really broken?
The vivid sensations throughout my body told me that I was very much alive. The pain was so sharp that I almost wanted to faint again.
At that moment, whether fortunate or unfortunate, the memories left in this new body began to merge quickly with my own.
‘Wow… this is the worst…’
As expected, this place was still inside the novel “The Secret Flower Garden of the Princess.”
Everything was a problem—but the most fatal one was—
‘Of all things… I ended up possessing the body of a princess so weak that she gets dizzy just from walking…?’
The owner of this body was Sierra Glacis, the second daughter of the Glacis Imperial Family. She was born extremely frail and was famous for being sickly since childhood.
She always had a lingering cough and fainted easily—it was basically her daily life.
In short… she was as fragile as a glass ornament.
Compared to my past self, Lusha—who was always strong and healthy—this was the complete opposite.
‘How did this even happen? Was there an error in the dimensional magic circle? …No, that’s impossible.’
I checked it countless times!
Right now, I wanted to activate the magic circle again immediately, but with this body…
‘Forget activating it… I might die just trying to draw it.’
…
Maybe I’d even die just trying to take out the paint.
Ah… I want to cry.
“Princess, this is warm vegetable soup. Would you please try to eat a little?”
At that moment, a maid carefully brought a spoon of soup to my lips.
From the memories, Sierra often skipped meals because she was sick, which made everyone worry. That was why everyone watching was swallowing nervously.
‘This body is already on the edge. If I don’t eat, I’ll really die.’
Feeling a strong survival instinct, I obediently accepted the soup.
After tasting it, I understood why Sierra didn’t like eating… but this wasn’t the time to care about taste.
‘This is five years after my previous life as Lusha ended.’
Absorbing Sierra’s memories helped, but since she had been bedridden her whole life, she barely knew anything about the outside world.
Still, she knew major events that made it into the news, so I could roughly understand the current situation.
‘Since Kanyak is the Tower Master, he must have safely completed the succession ceremony.’
Even after five years, the Magic Tower was still standing strong.
‘Looks like my choice was right after all.’
In the original story, not Kanyak but Rafael—who was supported by the Council—became the Tower Master. And just one year later, the Tower collapsed due to corruption and external pressure.
‘As long as Kanyak is the Tower Master, things will be easier. That child is kind and gentle…’
While organizing my thoughts, I finished the soup.
Everyone, including the physician, praised me endlessly. One maid even shed tears just because I finished a bowl of soup.
“…Excuse me, Delsi?”
“Yes, Princess!”
Delsi East, Sierra’s personal maid, had taken care of her for a long time. A kind girl.
‘Even if I don’t know everything yet, survival comes first.’
To survive, I had to fix this corpse-like body.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible with the medical knowledge of this era.
Which meant—
‘I need to go to the Magic Tower.’
Luckily, I had a good excuse.
“I need to visit the Magic Tower tomorrow morning. Can you prepare for it?”
“Pardon? B-but… are you sure you’re alright? You just woke up…”
Delsi hesitated, worried about my condition.
That was understandable—Sierra’s usual range of movement was only the palace courtyard.
“I recovered thanks to the potion made by the Magic Tower. I want to see how it’s made… and also praise the researchers.”
“Ah… I see! Then I will prepare the carriage so you can leave tomorrow!”
When I added that I would also receive this month’s medicine, the maids all nodded in agreement.
Of course, my real goal wasn’t the potion.
‘I need to retrieve my mana stones from the Magic Tower.’
Back when I was Lusha, I had hidden several high-purity mana stones around the Tower as emergency supplies.
To keep this dying body alive—even temporarily—I needed them.
I wanted to leave immediately, but it was too late at night, and I needed time to adjust to this weak body.
‘For now, I should focus on getting used to this fragile body…’
Just as I was about to tell everyone to leave—
“Shaaaaa!”
“My child, are you alright?!”
Bang!
The bedroom door burst open, and two men rushed in.
“The Emperor and the Crown Prince have arrived!”
…What? Who?!
“Sha, let me see! Are you really awake? How is your body? Are you dizzy? Can you breathe? Are your bones fine? Did you take your medicine?”
“Sierra, I heard you finished your soup. That’s wonderful!”
The two men were Sierra’s only family—the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
“Sha” seemed to be a nickname the Crown Prince, Ati Glacis, used for his younger sister.
‘…This princess is really loved.’
After fussing over me for a while, they finally calmed down when I told them they were being noisy.
“Sha, shall we take a walk tomorrow? If you get tired, I’ll carry you. There are many flowers blooming in my palace.”
Ati gently patted me as he spoke.
It was cute, but…
‘If I go for a walk, I might become the first princess in history to die during one.’
“Sorry. I need to go to the Magic Tower tomorrow.”
“…The Magic Tower? Why?”
“I want to see how the potions are made. I’ve never been there myself.”
Ati’s expression immediately hardened. The Emperor didn’t look much different.
“Then… how about sending someone else? It’s not a place for someone as precious as you to go.”
“But the Tower Master is kind and warm. I’m sure he’ll welcome me.”
Ati froze in shock.
‘What nonsense is our Sha saying…?’
It was written all over his face.
“I don’t know when I’ll be well enough to go out again. I want to go while I can.”
“Sierra… if that is your wish, then I will assign extra guards. Go safely. And if the Tower Master behaves improperly, report it immediately.”
The Emperor calmly gave permission.
“But Father! That man—there’s no way we can let Sha meet that demon—!”
“Ati.”
The Emperor silenced him.
‘They’re overprotective… Kanyak is actually very kind.’
I simply smiled and nodded.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
…
That was what I confidently said just yesterday.
“Pardon?”
At my blank question, the gatekeeper in front of the Magic Tower bowed again and repeated himself.
“Once the medicine is ready, it will be sent to the Princess Palace. Please return.”
…
‘From the very beginning… something has already gone wrong.’
