Chapter 2 – Fleeing from Death

Mrs. Merne hurriedly grabbed Levisia’s hand with a thrilled expression she couldn’t hide from her face. Even Pel, who makes sure Levisia wakes up on time, never reacted like this after finding her awake. Right when it was getting awkward, fortunately, Mrs. Merne calmed down and helped me up.

“You’re heading straight to the bathroom?”

“Yes.” 

When her foot hit the ground, she unknowingly shivered. It was as if her entire body was ready to plummet; Levisia couldn’t stand straight. Whether or not it was because she had been glued to the bed for two whole weeks, she didn’t know. Hot steam shrouded her face as her trembling legs entered the bathroom. It seemed that Pel had already prepared the bathwater. That was fast.

“Let me help,” Sheila insisted.

“No. I want to be alone.”

“Well, call me if you need anything.”

Sheila made sure Levisia  got to the bathtub, then she left the bathroom. It was only then Levisia  could finally gather her thoughts, alone. ‘First of all, if only that was really my previous life and not just a mere dream.’ It was certain that it wasn’t a mere assumption of her; it was too vivid to have been a dream. Levisia wrapped her arms around her knees tightly, trying to retrace the memories one by one. It was a damned fire that killed her in her previous life.

Goshitel was in flames, filled with acrid smoke; Levisia  died when she fell asleep, unable to escape in time. Perhaps in the midst of studying for an exam, she ended up falling into a deep slumber after she engrossed herself in a book. And of all the things, this is the world from the book Levisia was reading right before she died. That book was some sort of a fantasy novel. 

‘What was the title again? Return of… the King?’ 

It was a story of a man with a dark past. To give a rough plot, this man, at a young age, had lost his family and home, turning him into the prince of ruins whose ambition was to exact revenge on those who annihilated his country. She thought it was entertaining to read mainly due to the meticulous process of his revenge against his foes.

However, Levisia  couldn’t finish it because she died in her sleep.

Anyway, Kraiden, the empire Levisia was born in, was mentioned in the story while the man was plotting his revenge. However, no matter how much of a protagonist he was, it was not entirely possible to destroy this mighty empire easily. After his country was annihilated, the Kraiden Empire occupied half of the continent.

Despite all of this, Kraiden fell apart, and the reason was… the fight for succession.

The Kraiden Empire was in a bloodbath, reeling from the battle for succession. The hierarchy was in shambles. Even the top wasn’t in order; how could the bottom be any different? The cluttered empire was bound to collapse after the protagonist put his hands on it.

The cornerstone was the battle for Kraiden’s succession. Why? Because she’s the fifteenth empress of Kraiden!

Levisia White, also known as Levi White. That was her identity in this world — one of the nameless royal families of the House of Kraiden. Levisia is part of the royal family, but she couldn’t get to Kraiden castle. It wasn’t just her. None of the royal families can claim Kraiden. Because the past emperor and current emperor had, respectively, adopted more than twelve children.

How is this even possible? The emperor just keeps passing it down. But this complex circumstance of leaders is just the beginning. 

In the current royal family, there are a total of five verified prospects to become the successor. The strongest of the strongest, the one with the rightful succession and possessed the best abilities. They’re none other than the ones who would spoil Kraiden. And Levisia played a part in their succession battle, where she was killed.

She must not remain here. If she stays here, she is certain to meet her death in a fight for succession, or face a retaliation from the protagonist. Either way, it is best to live her days in peace and leave the palace without any notice.

Levisia clenched her fists and pledged, “Let’s get me out of this wretched family.”

However, Levisia would certainly encounter a problem when she leaves the palace. Even with the fact that she is the fifteenth princess out of thirty-eight, for now, Levisia is only a ‘royal princess.’ She needed a way to figure this out. Fortunately, without much thought, she thought of something.

“I have something to say.” On the very night, Levisia summoned Pel and Sheila to her room. The two sat together in silence.

“You can tell me in the morning,” suggested Pel. 

“Pel, how dare you talk like that to Your Highness.” Sheila slapped Pel on the shoulder, who frowned at her. There was a blatant distaste in the air. Sheila was the only person who could touch Pel. Her hand was so swift that he couldn’t dodge it. He looked at both of them with such a wary expression as though he didn’t want anything to do with them. He almost looked like a cat with its fur standing up.

“No, I’m sorry to make you work past your time.”

“Don’t be anxious, Your Highness. He’s worried that you might be overdoing yourself as you only just woke up today.”

Sheila is merely overreacting, she thought. But instead of saying her thoughts out loud, she simply shrugged her shoulders. “As I said, I apologize for calling you back in here right when you were supposed to rest, but I had no choice as I have something urgent to discuss with you.”

“So, what is it that you called us for?” Sheila asked; her tone was friendly. After taking a long, deep breath, Levisia said earnestly, “I’m going to leave the royal palace.”