1st Kiss Was Intentional

“Lady Odette?”

The servant in front of the door, who is preparing to receive the emperor, recognizes me and looked surprised.

I scurry in, breathing hard. The sound of fanfare from behind is getting closer and closer.

‘Quickly, quickly!’

As if he noticed the situation, he quickly opens the door to help me get inside the ballroom. The huge door opens, and I jump in without fixing my disheveled hair and clothes. A spectacular and dazzling path stretches out before me as if shooting a spotlight.

Fortunately, the emperor has not arrived yet and the servants has not informed of him, so the people of the people in charge of the ball do not pay attention to the entrance. The knights and servants near the door are startled, but when they see me gasping for breath while tidying up my hair and clothes, they pretend not to see me as a late aristocrat.

Panting, I thought was going to die.

After finishing the arrangement in a hurry, I move to the innermost corner of the ballroom, taking a breath. The emperor will be here in a little while. I will try my best to stay out of his line of sight.

But where’s Yuri Sina?

I need to stay away from the heroine because I don’t want my throat to be cut like in the novel.

I turn my head around and scan the surroundings. There are groups of aristocrats chatting among themselves.

Where’s Yuri Sina? Where’s she?

Oh, there she is.

Sweet pink hair stands out everywhere.

It seems to be the heroine’s trait, but her beauty is so dazzling that she sparkles. Despite being the 31st concubine, a few people around her seem to be high-ranking aristocrats as well. Yuri Sina speaks to them with a graceful smile.

Hmm… Let’s think about this.

The novel that I’m in. which is a Fantasy G novel that I read three years ago, begins with the perfect heroine, Yuri Sina, who has everything, becoming a prisoner of the tyrant emperor.

As the kingdom of Yuri Sina was defeated by the emperor of the empire, who started numerous wars for the unification of the continent, she’s sent to the empire as a prisoner. As the only daughter, she dreams of becoming queen in the wake of her father’s death and is frustrated by her captivity, but she remains hopeful even though she became a prisoner.

Some concubines and nobles tease her with jealousy, but the emperor, who has fallen in love with her without being intimidated at all, overcame numerous hardships, and the two finally end up getting married.

Thanks to her, her kingdom, which was almost subjugated to become a defeated country, becomes independent with its culture and tradition intact. Her cousin takes the throne, and her beloved motherland survives forever.

However, the problem is that my poor memory doesn’t remember the details in between. Besides, there was another novel that I read around the same time. Therefore, the details are mixed up to the point of being confused.

I then grab a glass of champagne from one of the servers and make frequent strides to the corner table where there are a few people present.

I don’t know anymore. I’ll just live a long life as long as I don’t ruin the events of the original novel.

If I don’t bother Yuri Sina, I can play and eat in a corner of the palace like I do now.

It’s a bit sad that I can’t live freely due to being sold to the palace of a rich, old man just because I have a pretty face and low nobility.

Maybe I was invited to the ball to fill in the head count. At least I won’t have to make an appearance.

Even though I got an invitation from the emperor, no one’s looking for me. I’m guessing that thirty concubines are probably taking turns to be invited to the Imperial Ball.

I guess it’s my turn by chance.

In the original story, the 30th concubine Lydia appeared to bully the heroine Yuri Sina, but l have no intention of doing that! I sit in a small chair set up as a resting place and roll my eyes. Yuri Sina is today’s main character, so of course she will be in the spotlight, and the other concubines invited beside me is-

Oh, her.

The red-haired woman next to Yuri Sina, who is constantly talking to the nobles around her and sharing the spotlight. Her house must be pretty well off since her dress is much more colorful than mine, and the jewelry she wears is enough to blind anyone’s eyes.

‘You look pretty and sociable.’

There’s no end to the people with status higher than mine. Thank God. No one’s looking for me at this rate! I take a glass of champagne to my mouth in joy. The sweet scent of fruit pleasantly coils at the tip of my nose.

“Your majesty, the Emperor!”

It’s then from the entrance, there’s a tremendous fanfare and a loud cry of the servants are heard.

The aristocrats, who were conversing with the calm music, all bow to the entrance. The servants kneel on the floor altogether. I stand up a beat late because I have never experienced this before. The emperor’s footsteps on the marble floor are heavy. As I listen to the sound, I suddenly become curious about the male lead of this novel.

‘Now that you’ve seen the heroine, shouldn’t you also see the male lead? Maybe, l’ll never see him again after today! I’m going to live like a dead rat!’

I sneak my head up and glance around.

The emperor makes his way amongst the fanfare, the nobles, and the knights. He climbs the high platform at the front of the hall. The emperor doesn’t say a word, but when a knight in the silver armor, who seems to be the captain of the guard, gives a short signal, everyone immediately opens up and says hello.

“Your Majesty of the Great Harron Empire.”

“See you, Your Highness!”

‘Hmph, can I also look?’

Why, if this is like those historical dramas, then they wouldn’t be able to see the emperor’s face without permission. But here, people are looking at the emperor and saying hello.

Ha, I’m looking forward to it! If the heroine is already so shiny and pretty, how cool would the male lead be?

I raise my head with my heart fluttering.

‘But why? What’s that… What is that?’

The emperor, showing off his silver-haired, majestic sword, is seated on the golden seat, receiving the greetings of the nobles.

I couldn’t see the handsome appearance of the emperor, who I have been looking forward to, because he’s wearing an opaque white veil.

That’s weird.

I don’t think there’s a description like that in the novel. I search my memory hard. The heroine, Yuri Sina, is a beautiful woman with pale pink hair and blue eyes, and the male lead…

Oh, right!

I nod.

Yeah, the male lead in “Toward the Star” was definitely a handsome guy with a big mouth, but in the novel, he had only details such as his hair color and eye color. There was no description of his appearance.

The hero, who was the God of War and was characterized to have a cool charisma, should be mysterious because the author did not intentionally describe him. The lack of description is proof of the unrealistic and perfect beauty. That’s why some readers complained.

So, l don’t remember if he was wearing a veil when we first meet. Well, of course it’s a novel that’s unfolding right in front of me, right? Thinking so, I decide to ignore the emperor’s veil.

The hall, which the emperor entered, is filled with elegant and cheerful music. Standing at the foot of the high altar, Geppetto, the Imperial Chief of Staff, opens the golden scroll and calls out names one by one. While high- ranking aristocrats greet the emperor, others, who are awaiting their turn, begin to pair up and dance gracefully in a spacious ballroom.

Those who do not have the status to greet the emperor in person scatter here and there, enjoying refreshments or sitting at a table chatting. I got a little hungry, so I put cookies and scones on a silver plate and sit down at a small table. I place them on a table without any guests’ names.

A few people come up and ask, “May we sit with you?”

It seems that that they aren’t high ranking individuals since they didn’t greet the emperor. It’s better than being alone so I nod happily. Plus, it’s less noticeable to be with the crowd of my status than to mix with the high-ranking nobles.

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you. Nice to meet you. We are the eldest and second daughters of the Tarantella family. What about your ladyship?”

The cute young woman chats as she puts her cake down on the table. She seems to have overheard that it’s my first time being invited to a party at the Imperial Palace.

I put some champagne in my mouth and laugh awkwardly.

Ah, if I say concubine here, it’ll break the mood, right? I’ll just have to cover it up.

“Nice to meet you, I’m the only daughter of the Odette family.”

“Oh, yes! Are you from the capital? Excuse me, but we’ve just finished our debut, and we haven’t yet memorized the families in the capital.”

“Haha, what-?”

Half is right and half is wrong. A family from the countryside, but now lives in Imperial Palace. Perhaps this is the first name they heard, so they’ve mistaken me for a capital aristocrat.

I quickly stuff my mouth with a cookie before l answer.

Luckily, we begin to chat amongst ourselves about other things, forgetting the topic of my status, probably because they’re drunk from delight of attending their first ball at the Imperial Palace. I sigh with relief and glance at Yuri Sina and the emperor.

Several aristocrats go up the platform one by one to greet the emperor. Perhaps because the veiled emperor is sitting on the throne without moving, or maybe it’s his name, but he doesn’t look as scary as his name.

Of course, the aura that comes out of him is intimidating.

Most of the people who go up smiling with a desire to look good in front of him come down looking nervous. Unknowingly, they are all overcame by the emperor’s overwhelming energy.

Dozens of them.

A woman with red hair, the concubine, takes the podium. Then after her is Yuri Sina, who seems a little nervous, she slowly walks up the platform. The atmosphere is as calm and cheerful as anyone else’s, but all eyes are turned toward her and the emperor.

So, she is the princess.

Because this party is to welcome the princess. The emperor, who after winning the war, considered her to be important enough and brought her here to be his prisoner, aka his concubine!

“It was a very fierce war until the last close match, as the emperor, The God of War, participated in it himself, and fought for three nights without a break,” said people around him.

Well, that’s right. Listening to their chatter, I thought I’d read it in a novel, so my eyes glisten in anticipation.

Although Yuri Sina’s empire was completely defeated, the damage to the Harron Empire was also formidable. The interest of the people has been enormous toward a princess with such an interesting background, who enters as the 31st concubine.

Besides, it’s the first time that the heroine and the male lead of this novel meet, so how amazing it must be!

‘The cold-blooded emperor is in a very historic scene where he’ll fall in love with Yuri Sina at first sight.’

This is the first time I’m happy to be in the novel. My face becomes red from excitement as a bright smile appear on my lips. My heart also pounds loudly at the fact that I am the only one who knows the tremendous future of Yuri Sina and the emperor, the two main characters of the novel, while others do not.

‘Ah, I’m so excited! How the hell will that cold emperor fall in love with Yuri Sina?’

Yuri Sina greets gracefully in a clear voice. “Yuri Sina of the Kingdom of Perilland makes her first greeting to the Emperor of the Great Harron Empire.”

The sound of the instrument dims and the chatter of the people dies down, but her jade bead-like, dignified voice fills the hall.