There are a few things you don't want to happen when you've accidentally possessed a notorious villain in a royal romantic tragic murder game.
Number one: meet your future killer.
Number two: meet your future killer while he's still handsome and morally ambiguous.
The doors shut behind me with a thundering echo.
The throne room was nothing like I imagined — or maybe too much like I remembered.
It was gold and gaudy like something straight out of an over-the-top palace manhwa. This one shined in every sharp edge and there was a carved gold and black marble that reflected my illusion's towering figure back at me.
Or rather, his figure.
I looked powerful, dangerous. A Duke with the blood of rebels and demons.
No one would ever guess that behind the icy illusion was a panicking teenage girl who still cried during K-dramas and spent her time reading manhwas and watching anime.
My boots echoed like a countdown.
And then… there he was.
The Emperor.
In the game, players described him as the "Sun that never sets."
Now that I was seeing him in person, I understood why.
He was sitting like a bored god on his gold throne, one leg lazily slung over the other.
He wasn't just beautiful. He was... refined. Like someone carved from sunlight and secrets.
His hair gleamed like liquid gold, his eyes were a strange shade — warm brown one second, molten amber the next. And his smile… it looked soft, easy, like it could convince you to walk right into hell if he asked nicely enough.
And I was standing in front of him. The Duke of the North — the man fated to betray him, the one he kills.
He locked on me with a strange, unreadable intensity.
He looked amused. Or annoyed. Or both.
"Good morning, the Sun of the Empire that still burns as fiercely as ever. To what do I owe the honor of this sudden summons?" I said, bowing slightly and trying not to sound like a total fraud.
"Your Grace," he replied, his tone smooth, amused even. "It's been a while since you've visited the capital. I was beginning to think the snow had swallowed you whole."
Oh no no no. 'What should I do?, my brain is not braining anymore'
I panicked and my mouth started speaking: " Your Majesty's concern flatters me, but I assure you, I'm quite alive as you can see."
A knight gasped. Somewhere, someone dropped a quill.
Oh gods. What am I saying?!
But he only laughed — a low, dangerous sound that filled the hall.
"It seems so," he said softly.
I tried not to fidget, keeping my eyes fixed somewhere near his shoulder. He rose from his throne, descending the steps with slow, deliberate grace. Every move radiated control — the kind that made everyone else in the room hold their breath.
He stopped just a few feet away from me.
Close enough for me to see the faint shadow of amusement in his gaze.
And then he said, almost softly, "You look different today."
My heart nearly stopped, my entire soul left my body.
My illusion didn't flicker. The spell was perfect. But his gaze pierced through it anyway.
To mask my fear, I put on a small smile.
"Come to my office" he said and walked away.
I didn't breathe until the throne room doors slammed shut behind him.