Chapter 1

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Why did it come to this?

Even as night deepened, the imperial palace remained brilliantly lit, hosting a dazzling evening gathering. In a room away from the bustling hall, the marquess's daughter, Elise Tranchester, was dragged before the tyrannical emperor, her hands bound.

Elise, who had always lived with the motto of "being inconspicuous and not drawing attention," had been content to be a wallflower at tonight's gathering. Yet, she couldn't fathom why she was in this situation.

Confused, Elise squeezed her eyes shut behind her glasses and quietly despaired.

The emperor, on the other hand, sat with his legs crossed, resting his cheek on his hand, looking down at Elise with eyes that glinted like blood.

"Are you Elise Tranchester, the marquess's daughter?"

"...Yes."

The cruel emperor's reputation was well-known in the kingdom. He mercilessly eliminated those who stood in his way and executed those who displeased him as easily as breathing. No one who caught his eye had ever survived.

Elise, who had always lived a life of being inconspicuous and not causing trouble, had no idea what she had done to deserve this. She steeled herself for death and nodded obediently.

"Sign this."

The emperor approached Elise and thrust something at her.

(Sign? Is he asking me to sign a dangerous document?)

Elise swallowed hard. To be pressured into signing something with such arrogance—what kind of document could it be? She was afraid to even look. Human trafficking, prostitution, slave contracts... Unsettling words flashed through her mind.

"Hey, are you listening? Hurry up."

Urged by the emperor, Elise steeled herself, opened her eyes, and looked down at what the emperor held in his hand.

"Huh...?"

What she saw was something she was all too familiar with.

"Cold-Blooded Knight and the Princess's Secret Dance Lessons"

The cover, adorned with fancy fonts and floral illustrations, featured silhouettes of an embracing couple in a light pink hue.

"Um..."

The gaudy romance novel, so utterly mismatched with the emperor's sharp gaze, was thrust before Elise.

"???"

Elise's mind came to a complete halt.

No matter how many times she blinked, the book in front of her was undoubtedly the romance novel she wrote as a hobby.

Her restraints were removed, and she was handed a fancy quill. Standing in front of her own book, Elise was dumbfounded.

"Tch. What are you dawdling about? After this, you have to sign these too. Hurry up."

The emperor, who clicked his tongue, pointed to a bookshelf adorned with intricate carvings, filled with books.

From her debut novel written five years ago to her latest release, including short story collections she had anonymously contributed to and poetry collections published under a different name, all of Elise's works were there, each with three copies. Seeing the terrifying bookshelf that contained everything about her, Elise felt dizzy.

"You're swaying. Why are you so scared? Hey, I told you not to be too rough. Using restraints, what if her hands can't be used anymore? What will you do then?"

Seeing Elise's state, the emperor turned his anger on the knight who had brought her.

"I-I apologize, Your Majesty! I misunderstood the order to bring her here urgently and thought she was a criminal to be captured..."

"Do you want to die?"

The emperor, with a voice as cold as ice, threatened the knight, who was about to draw his sword. Elise, seeing this, hurriedly spoke up.

"A-ah! If you want me to sign, I will do as you say, Your Majesty! Please, let's handle this calmly..."

She didn't want to witness a decapitation right in front of her. The emperor, seemingly mollified by Elise's words, released his sword and turned back to her.

This time, he thrust the book at her again.

Elise, realizing that there was no point in trying to deceive him, signed the book with her pen name instead of her real name.

The book, now signed, was returned to the emperor.

"Hmph, not bad."

The emperor, who had snorted at the signature, started humming a tune. Elise, watching this, felt a wave of fear.

Could it be that he knew she was the author of those novels? To Elise, it was a secret she wanted to take to her grave.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she couldn't stop sweating.

"Display it."

A secretary, following the emperor's order, placed Elise's signed novel in a prominent spot on the bookshelf. The emperor, seeing this, smiled and turned back to Elise.

"Good, next."

The tyrant was not to be disobeyed. Defying him meant death. Suppressing her embarrassment to the limit, Elise, despite wanting to run away, signed all the dozens of books.

It was a torturous ordeal.

"So, when will the next part be released?"

The emperor, in a good mood, flipped through the latest novel and asked, leaving Elise feeling utterly confused and unsure how to respond.

"Um... actually, my father has asked me to focus on my bridal training, so I won't be able to write for a while."

"What?"

The emperor, who had been reading, looked up at an alarming speed, his veins bulging as he glared at the knight.

"Go and cut off the head of the Marquess Tranchester immediately."

"Wh-what!?"

Elise, hearing the emperor's command without a hint of hesitation, almost screamed.

"Y-Your Majesty, please wait! That's too much..."

"Your Majesty, surely it's not appropriate to behead the marquess without any reason," the secretary interjected, trying to persuade the emperor.

"Tch, what a hassle. Elise Tranchester."

"Yes."

Elise, who immediately responded to the emperor's gaze, resolved to do anything to prevent her father's head from being cut off.

The emperor, looking at Elise, issued his command.

"Then you will live in the palace from today. You are not allowed to leave."

"Wh-what...?"

"Jeffrey, prepare the Ruby Palace."

Ignoring Elise's confusion, the emperor instructed his secretary.

"B-but, Your Majesty, that place is meant for the empress..."

The temperature in the room dropped sharply as the emperor's secretary protested. A terrifying aura emanated from the emperor, causing everyone in the room to tremble.

"Surely it's not being used now. Are you defying my orders?"

"N-no! I will prepare it immediately."

The secretary, Jeffrey, bowed deeply and hurriedly left the room.

Left alone, Elise was faced with the emperor.

"Now you can write without any distractions. I'll eliminate any obstacles, so you can write as much as you want without worry."

The emperor's cold, handsome face, twisted into a smile, was as terrifying as a demon, and the pressure he exerted was overwhelming.

"Y-you mean I have to stay in the palace and write?"

Elise's voice trembled with confusion and fear.

"Exactly. If you can't write, consider both your life and your father's life forfeit."

The emperor, true to his reputation as a tyrant, nodded in satisfaction. Elise, a mere marquess's daughter, had no right to refuse.

And so, the ordinary and inconspicuous Elise Tranchester was confined to the palace, under the threat of the tyrannical emperor.