The Dangerous Honeymoon Diary of the Fake Empress

As the blunt fist came flying at my face.

Whoosh–

A wind powerful enough to lift a person’s body swept past me, and at the same time, the three people who were holding me down were sent flying into the distance.

‘What? Did the situation end with a single gust of wind?’

As I wondered where the wind had come from, a pair of darkened eyes, engulfed in a violet glow, came into view. They shimmered like a storm, filled with mana.

‘Did the prince use magic?’

Since my second life, I had known that he was a skilled magician. After I proved my loyalty to him, he freely wielded his magic in front of me.

In my first life, however, he had never cast a single spell in my presence. He believed me to be his enemy.

But now, why? In essence, the situation was no different from my first life. Currently, I could only be seen as an enemy to him. So why?

I met his gaze demanding an answer. His lips were tightly sealed, his gaze icy, and his face completely devoid of any semblance of an idiot.

‘You shouldn’t have done that. Why did you stop acting like a fool…….?’

Worried that someone might have seen, I looked back. Fortunately, the young men lay unconscious on the floor, as if they had fainted.

‘Thank God, they’re not …… there’s still one left!’

I tensed my body, sensing an approaching presence. What if he had witnessed Jeremy’s magic? As I turned around, captivated by a sense of foreboding, it happened.

‘It’s Retin.’

It was Retin, running towards us, his hair whipping around.

‘C’mon, you’re late!’

I looked at Retin with a frustrated stare.

He seemed surprised, as if he didn’t expect me to notice his presence. But judging by the fact that he didn’t slow down, he was definitely aiming for my neck.

Well, I understand. As a spy for Ain, it’s no wonder that witnessing Jeremy’s magic so blatantly would be a more urgent situation for Retin. The best course of action for now would be to be unconscious and buy some time.

‘In that case, let him hit me.’

I chose to let Retin hit me and take my consciousness. Being beaten by Retin would be…… incredibly humiliating for me, but I’d be helping Jeremy, so what do I care?

‘Come on, hit me.’

I kept my eyes closed without dodging Retin’s attack. As I stood there resignedly, a dull pain passed through the back of my neck. At the same time, my consciousness faded, and my vision turned black.

* * *

‘Retin, you bastard.’

The back of my neck throbbed with pain. I just needed to be hit enough to lose consciousness. Why does this bastard Retin have such ill feelings towards me? It only made me more resentful, thinking that I was hit by Retin, who was my greatest rival in my past life.

The only good thing was that I had monstrous stamina. The blow would have knocked a normal person out for a day, but I was able to recover quickly.

However, Retin, unaware that I was awake, roughly placed me on the bed. It felt as if he was throwing a sack of potatoes rather than a human being.

‘Could you be a bit gentler when putting me down? ’

As I silently fumed and grumbled in my mind, I heard Retin’s voice.

“Now there is only one spy left. Please use it, Your Highness.”

I maintained the pretense of being unconscious and listened to their conversation.

“Mmh.”

I don’t think they even realized I was listening. As soon as I strained my ears, there was an eerie silence.

What are they doing exactly? I was debating whether to open my eyes because I was so curious.

“Is the memory erasure complete?”

“Yeah. She’ll probably only remember jumping off the terrace.”

“What about Perdell’s group?”

“They’ll only remember until I cast the spell.”

A memory-wiping spell? So that’s what you used on me.

Since he was exposed as a magician, memory erasure magic seemed like the answer in this situation. With this magic, you can erase part or all of the target’s memories.

But there’s a problem…

‘Why didn’t the memories disappear at all?’

The vivid memories of kicking Perdell’s ass and when he used his magic were still there.

My eyelids must have twitched in surprise at the vivid memory. Recognizing this, Retin suppressed his presence, and at the same time, heavy silence filled the space.

‘Well, time to get up.’

I opened my eyes slowly, leaving behind a lingering unease.

“Ugh, my head…”

“Bride! Are you okay?” Jeremy asked with a worried face. Then he wiped away his tears and wrapped his arms around the back of my neck… 

“……!”

Ugh. I almost died of heart palpitations.

I pulled away from Jeremy’s body to save myself, but then reconsidered.

‘Nah. I’ll just take a heart attack.’

In my wicked desire to snuggle up before dying, I buried my chin on his shoulder. Exactly. My choice was right.

‘So nice… Sniff, sniff, look at the wonderful fragrance coming from the prince.’

As I rested my chin on his shoulder, a fragrant scent rose from his wavy silver hair. It felt soothing somehow, so I took a deep breath, but this time I also sensed a hint of a metallic scent.

Huh? What is this smell? Curious, I took an even deeper breath. Then I felt my nostrils being blocked as if something was stuck.

Snort!

A sound like a pig squeal echoed through the room. Not a cute, honeyed sound, but a pig’s grunt.

‘Did that sound just come from my nose?’

Embarrassed, I lowered my head, and crimson blood dropped under my chin.

“Eh? Bride, your nose is bleeding!”

“……Uh-huh. Nosebleed.”

This was no ordinary nosebleed from being tired or picking your nose.

If I were to name it, it would be called a “Fangirl Nosebleed” or “Dokko.” 

(T/N: “Dokko” is a term used to describe a phenomenon where fangirls experience nosebleeds due to excitement or heightened emotions when they are in the presence of their favorite person or character. It is a slang term derived from the words “dok” (nose) and “ko” (blood) in Korean.)

This was a common phenomenon among fangirls, who, with a certain probability (99%), will have a faster heartbeat and end up with a nosebleed when they are close to their favorite person.

‘Wow……. This doesn’t seem to get better no matter how many times I regress.’

It seemed like this wouldn’t be fixed even if I went back a million times. I couldn’t help it; I was too devoted to the prince. It was the destiny of a fangirl who made her favorite character her husband.

“Please use my handkerchief.”

Since it was something familiar to me, I casually wiped away the nosebleed, but Retin behind me offered his handkerchief.

‘Whoa…… Retin.’

I looked at it with a puzzled expression, then smiled brightly as I accepted the handkerchief. Filled with a grateful heart, I wiped my nose, which had experienced a nosebleed, vigorously with the pristine handkerchief.

“……?”

When I handed him the handkerchief, stained with spots here and there, his expression wrinkled up.

The way his eyes alternated between the handkerchief and me, it was as if I could hear him swearing fiercely in my ear.

But Retin’s misfortune was my happiness! If I kept looking at Retin’s wrinkled face, I felt like I would burst out laughing with delight, so I started to control myself and entered into acting mode.

“Ugh, my head… Why am I lying on the bed?”

I grabbed my head with both hands and frowned. Pretending to be dizzy, I relaxed my body, and Jeremy supported me.

“Do you… remember anything?”

“I jumped off the terrace into the garden and…… I don’t remember anything after that,” I replied, recalling the conversation I overheard. 

Since I was told that I wouldn’t remember anything except for jumping from the terrace, if I said this, they wouldn’t ask further.

As I suspected, Retin nodded quickly in agreement.

“You jumped off that high, so no wonder you don’t remember.”

He didn’t even think that the memory-erasing magic didn’t work because he wholeheartedly believed in Jeremy’s magic. While inwardly relieved, I was about to answer when Jeremy asked a sharp question.

“Bride, but why did you jump from the terrace?”

“That’s…….”

I blushed shyly and lowered my head. It was to play the role of the ‘Spy Fox’ I was so devoted to, in order to win the favor of the Crown Prince.

“To protect the prince.”

Jeremy would probably know that I am a fake princess, so he wouldn’t simply believe that I jumped to protect him. He would probably think that it was just an act to gain his favor. It would be better if he thought of me as a deceitful spy who was full of lies.

It was a little sad, but I can’t help it. The last thing I need is to be found out by Ain, as I was in my second life. I need to be seen as an enemy to Jeremy to the end.

‘So, go ahead and suspect me.’

With an empty heart, I waited for Jeremy’s response. Surprisingly, he remained silent.

“…….”

A slight tremor was visible in his slightly widened, amethyst-colored eyes. It was a subtle but definitely not insignificant tremor.

“To protect me……?”

After a moment of silence, Jeremy spoke up. Then, he listened attentively to my words as if he were listening to an important story.

Hmm, this isn’t right. Why does he seem to believe my words? Maybe I should explain the situation in more detail, recalling that moment…..

“Yes. I was looking down at the garden from the terrace, and those despicable %#&@ scum were bothering the Crown Prince…..”

When I recalled that moment, I felt a little angry.

‘Why on earth am I swearing when the prince is listening to me like that…….?! But still, those b*stards – what a bunch of trash.’

With a repentant heart, I clasped my hands together and brought them to my mouth. Then, I opened my eyes as clearly as possible and looked at him.

“I have no idea how to swear, haha, I think I just got carried away.”

Hmm? I felt a cold gaze from somewhere. When I turned my head, Retin was looking at me with a disapproving expression.

“What is the matter, Sir Retin?”

“Nothing, please continue.”

He suppressed his laughter and gestured for me to continue with his hand. That gesture, it definitely seemed mocking. After giving him a sidelong glance, I spoke again.

“Anyway, even if my actions seemed a bit excessive, I would do the same even if I could turn back time. For my beloved prince.”

“Because you love me?”

“Yes. I love you.”

I answered without a moment’s hesitation. With this, wouldn’t Jeremy think of me as a big liar and a cunning fox? With anticipation in my eyes, I waited for Jeremy’s next reaction.

But…

“…..Did you get hurt when you jumped?” Instead of looking at me suspiciously, Jeremy shifted his gaze towards my feet.

“Huh?”

Surprised by the concern on his face, I became a bit flustered. This isn’t right. He wouldn’t believe my words about loving him… right?

As I blankly stared at Jeremy, he reached out towards my ankle.

“You jumped from the second floor, so your ankle might be strained.”

Not only was I surprised by the cautious touch on top of the blanket, but I also became concerned that he genuinely believed my words.

‘This is strange. Even in my second life, he didn’t easily believe me. Ah, could it be part of his acting as a fool?’

It seemed likely. He was an intelligent person, so I couldn’t imagine him actually believing me.

‘Yes, this is part of his foolish acting.’

Finding a sense of ease, I leisurely observed Jeremy’s worried expression. I knew he was faking it, but somehow, I felt a little greedy.

‘I want to see more of your concerned face…….’

As I shifted my eyes down, I brought my hand towards my ankle.

“In truth, it feels… a little painful and also not painful.”

I slightly pouted my lips and pretended to be in pain. In response, Jeremy gently touched my ankle with a worried expression. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes became teary…..

If I could, I’d summon a painter right now! I wanted to preserve this scene as a painting. However, I was quickly awakened from my fantasy by Retin’s fact-checking bombardment.

“You seem perfectly fine?”

“…….”

I couldn’t argue with Retin, my ankle looked too good to be true as I pulled back the duvet and exposed it. I couldn’t even lie anymore. But unlike Retin, who was sarcastic, Jeremy still looked worried.

“If it hurts later, we’ll call a healer.”

“Yes, my prince.”

“And…… Thank you. For running to me without a second thought.” As Jeremy observed my expression for a moment, he softly smiled. “And for saying that you love me.”

With slightly lowered and shy eyelashes, a gentle smile adorned his rosy lips. Caught up in the moment, I momentarily forgot that it was all an act and opened my mouth in a daze.