Chapter 0

Prologue

Oh, my head feels heavy.

She had no idea what the hell was going on. Her head was throbbing as if she were drunk, and her body was so stiff and sore that she doubted if somebody had beaten her somewhere.

Someone was pressing her body. Annoyance rose over to the things that had marred her sweet morning.

She eventually forced herself to open her eyes, groaned, and stared blankly at the ceiling. The unfamiliar surroundings made her regain her senses swiftly.

Where am I?

It was a strange place. Although it was clearly her style, it was something she had never seen before. As soon as she realized she couldn’t recognize it, her body tightened with anxiety.

Something was pressing her down. And this isn’t her room, either.

She carefully lowered her head, and only then did she find out what was crushing her. It was the arm of a man with fine muscles.

She was lying in bed with a man, not wearing a single thread.

Before she could even think about who the person was, she tried to recall what the hell she had done last night, but nothing came to her as if a wall had blocked her memory.

It was then. A deep-toned voice shook her half-awake senses, causing her to flinch.

“Sleep more.”

It was a voice she’d never heard before. Goosebumps flared up over her in an instant. At that moment, the arm pressing outside the blanket suddenly slid inside and hugged her tightly. Although the man’s body temperature touching her back was warm, she continued to shiver.

Then, she heard that voice again.

“Why are you awake already?”

“…….”

“Sleep more. Aren’t you tired?”

She took a long breath. No, I’m not like that. Apart from the guy casually hugging her naked body, this is not like that!

“Who are you?”

She gulped and asked carefully. The man, on the other hand, smiled lightly, perhaps because he found her question amusing. And soon, his lips—whatever they were—brushed up in her neck.

“Who do you think?”

“…….”

“Or, who do you want it to be?”

The question sounded like a whisper of a beast. It was a tone that seemed to grab her by the throat.

After asking in such a threatening voice, the man stayed silent for a while. Soon after, his lips moved away from her neck, and a sweet voice rang out once more.

“If you’re awake, can you show me your face?”

“…….”

“Are you the surprisingly shy type?”

Uggh, why am I feeling this way?

Clearly, this man isn’t her type.

In fact, she was itching to kick off the blanket and get out of bed right away. She wished she could grab his neck and scream about what was happening, but she couldn’t act rashly when she didn’t know who the opponent was. So she quietly lifted herself up. Her stomach tightened, and she felt a lump in her throat. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she was about to suffocate, but she forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor and look at the man.

And…

“…….”

Okay, cancel what I just said. I take back that he wasn’t my type.

She didn’t know what the hell she did last night, but oh my, she’s really amazing. Oh my god, how did she sleep with this guy?

The man narrowed his eyes, exuding a languid atmosphere like a leopard. Black hair strewed across the pillow, golden eyes gazing directly at me. Why does his nose look like it’s been sculpted? And oh my God, look at his lips. He seems like a good kisser.

She lowered her gaze and locked eyes with the man, completely forgetting how to breathe.

Then, the corner of his lips rose up and opened his mouth.

“Why are you staring?”

The phrase “you’re so handsome” came dangerously close to escaping her mouth—fortunately, she quickly reins it in. Then she took a deep breath and carefully opened her mouth.

“Because you’re so handsome.”

…… No, I told you to keep it in. This snout!

The man paused at her reply, then reached out and hugged her stomach again.

Oh, my God, look at those thick arms! Ophelia, you haven’t wasted 18 years of your life!

The arms that had been holding her stomach tightened and drew her back onto the bed. Suddenly, the man got up and climbed up on top of her with his gaze fixed on her.

“Then keep looking.”

“Huh?”

“Keep looking. Today, tomorrow, or for the rest of our lives.”

“…….”

“If you like this face, I’ll live it as it is for the rest of our life, so don’t go anywhere, don’t look for other bastards, just stay here.”

“…….”

“Stay next to me.”

After he finished speaking, he kissed my forehead. With a strange feeling tickling my insides, I forgot how to breathe and just lay down blankly for a brief moment.

Something is seriously wrong here. She has never seen this man before.

Unlike her, who was puzzled, the man acted as if he had known her for a long time. So she just stared into his golden eyes, blankly.

Oh, wait a minute… gold?

She’s pretty sure she heard it somewhere. A person with golden eyes…… Who was it, exactly? She frowned and pondered for a moment. But could not find an answer, so she eventually returned her eyes to the man’s face again.

It’s also important how she ended up spending the night with this man, but before that, there’s something she has to check.

With the man’s pensive stares at her, she asks quietly.

“…who are you?”

The man contorted his face at her question. Whoa, that expression on that face is frighteningly attractive. While waiting for his answer with so much admiration, he replied.

“Stop playing around.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“…….”

The man refrained from expressing his displeasure with her question. And took a deep breath.

“Yeah, you’re you after all,”

“Me….?”

“That’s right. You’re a cruel woman. I forgot that you’re not the type of person who would surrender her heart to a man after a night with him.”

………… Why do you sound so pitiful? Anyone who hears it will think I’m the world’s evilest woman.

The man mumbled and rose to his feet. Her eyes nearly dropped open at the sight of his muscular upper torso spread out in front of her in an instant, and she barely suppressed her instincts and asked him tenaciously.

“Who are you?”

“This is not funny, Ophelia.”

He responded with a distorted expression. However, Ophelia was serious. And, he must answer her question!

But, unlike her impatience, the man appeared to be genuinely unaware of why she was asking. And with each word she uttered, his expression steadily hardened.

She eventually yelled at him out of frustration.

“No, I’m not kidding. Who exactly are you?”

“If it’s something you don’t want to take responsibility for, just say you didn’t like it. Don’t make fun of me like that.”

“I’m not making fun of you! I’m asking who you are?”

“Did I really do you that bad? Bad enough that you want to lose your memory?”

“What—what did you mean?”

She stuttered in response to his ferocious gaze. No, why is he staring at her like that? Did she stifle his pride in any way?

He frowned and continued, completely ignoring her question.

“So, those cubs are better than me? How good are they? Did they do it ’til morning? Which bastard is the best? Phillips? Tristan? Or Ed?”

“Who are they?”

“Your paramours.”

……what?

She blinked blankly.

“Can you say it again?”

“Why do you hate those bastards now? Is it time to change?”

Paramours? Is it the kind of paramour that you carry around as your lover?

……why would she have that?

She blinks, trying to appear as innocent as possible, before opening her mouth.

“W-why would… I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

“…….”

“I—I am not that kind of woman.”

“Not that kind of woman?”

“I only date one person at a time…….”

She drew out her index finger and tried to emphasize that she, like a pine tree, would only date one person at a time, but it was futile. Even if she said it in a dying voice, it did not appear to convince the man in the slightest.

She cast a quick glance at him and then took a look around. She had no recollection of yesterday’s events as if she had lost her memory. Why is she here in the first place?

As she turned her head again, her eyes met the man. His golden eyes were shining very strangely. He was as ferocious as a wild beast, yet in a split second, he looked her in the eye with gentleness.

She met his gaze and opened her mouth.

“Uh, anyway, please explain why I’m here.”

“Why? Do I have to tell you why you’re in your own home?”

“Oh, look at this guy. How did this become my home? My home is the Imperial Palace.”

“…….”

The man’s face grew even worse. What’s wrong? Can’t she even say where she lives now?

She gulped deeply. She was worried he would attack her, and so she immediately prepared to defend herself. However, his eyes were filled with even more complex emotions than hostility for some reason.

Then, a rich male voice was heard.

“Do you remember what happened last night?”