After deeply pondering it, I have to say that it's kind of funny that I'm only realizing it now... Is this really not a dream?
I sighed heavily, looking down at my dress stained with blood that had seeped from my neck. The bleeding had stopped, but every time I moved my neck, the wound stung a little.
I checked it in the mirror earlier, and it didn't look like a big wound.
Have I ever had a dream so long and vivid in my entire life? No matter how much I thought about it, the answer was still "no."
I sat down on the velvet chair where Kyle had been sitting earlier and slowly recalled the events leading to my death.
After finishing work..yeah, there was still an hour left until I could go home; when my co-worker came to me and said, "Miss Geum-ja, I need you to do this for me before you leave."
I almost ended up filming the movie 'The Kind Miss Geum-ja'.
Anyway, while crossing the street to go home after working overtime, a truck hit me, and I bounced off the ground with a loud thud. As the excruciating pain of my shattered bones overwhelmed me, I remembered every little regret in my life, and Kyle was the last one.
Was it because I had been thinking about him constantly lately that I ended up here? Maybe this is reincarnation? Or did I possess someone's body?
As I pondered over it, the door that had been firmly shut opened, and Kyle and Benji walked in. Kyle, who was as handsome as a painting, walked up to me with broad strides.
...He's so handsome!
I remembered my motto.
'It'll work out somehow.'
Yeah, I'll find a way somehow. Whether it's reincarnation or possession, what's important is that my life, which wasn't really that fun to begin with, has turned out well. Goodbye to the days of struggling with money, crying over rent, and working overtime alone. Goodbye to my horrible boss too. I'll love my ultimate bias.
'I really like Kyle so much.'
As I gazed at him while silently shedding tears, Kyle's face turned red again.
"You really... You have no shame."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"And I must have told you not to call my name so carelessly."
Strange, I really only said it in my head this time. Benji looked at Kyle with a puzzled expression and asked him, "Your Highness, what are you talking about right now?"
"Just now, Ging-ja said, 'I really like Kyle so much.'"
Did I do it again? No, I'm pretty sure I didn't this time, for real.
Benji's expression was no different from mine. His eyebrows twitched oddly as he tilted his head slightly to the side. Benji raised his right hand and scratched his head, then cautiously said to Kyle, "Your Highness, I didn't hear anything."
"What?"
Benji broke the awkward silence that had filled the room.
"Ha ha, I guess Your Highness was shocked by the perverted assassin to the point of hearing things."
Wait, hold on a second. Did Kyle actually hear what I said in my head?
It didn't seem like Kyle had heard everything I had said up to this point. Why can he hear some things and not others?
I watched Kyle closely and shouted in my mind, 'Kyle, you're handsome! I love you! And if possible, love me back! Passionately!'
As I watched Benji try to process the situation, Kyle hurriedly looked back at me.
Oh my, did he really hear me?
"I'm sorry, what did you say just now?"
"Did you hear something?"
Kyle took a step towards me.
"Just now, you said, Be, Be, Be... Benji. Did you really not hear anything?"
"......Yes, Your Highness."
"Ging Ging-ja."
".......Yes."
I didn't want to be called that, but I answered anyway.
"So you didn't say anything either? Is it really my hallucination?"
"I... I didn't say it out loud. I only said it with my heart."
As soon as Benji heard my words, he sprang forward and grabbed my neck.
"Did you put a spell on His Highness?"
"No,..., cough, no... No, I don't even know how to do that. Let go of me..."
While Benji was choking me, Kyle stepped back with a bewildered expression. Holding onto the bedpost, he slumped down onto the bed as if his legs had given out.
"...I can't believe I can hear someone else's voice in my head..."
Kyle covered his face with both hands.
"What in the world... Benji, what should I do?"
I wanted to calm down my panicked prince, but I didn't know what to do myself.
I never asked for this kind of telepathy!
"Just a moment, Kyle! ...Your Highness, I have something to tell you... I don't think you can hear all of my thoughts."
"How can you be so sure?"
Benji asked sharply, ready to kill me at any moment.
Well, because...
"If you heard all the thoughts I've had, then I would have been executed for mocking the Imperial family."
Kyle's mouth hung open in surprise.
'Gosh, it's so cute when he's surprised.'
Oops, be careful what I think.
Benji suspected that I might be a witch, so he couldn't untie me until his suspicions were cleared.
*********
"My arms hurt so much, I've been tied up all day."
"We'll do a simple test first, then we'll untie you."
Kyle, who spoke in an exhausted voice, brought a chair in front of me and sat down. Then he told me to think of something.
"Anything?"
"Yeah, just don't say it out loud."
Now I had to be careful what I thought because he might actually hear me. So I randomly thought of some words.
Security deposit, car insurance, life insurance, aww. Let's think of something cute. Rabbit, cat, dog, chick, bird, red-tailed hawk, kingmaker, Benji is bad, my throat hurts, do you have any bandages? I'm hungry, please give me some water. Why did I even get this useless superpower?
As I recalled words one by one, as they flowed out of my consciousness, Kyle just looked at me without any particular reaction.
His blue eyes resembled the sky staring at me.
'Kyle, you're cute. I want to keep you in my pocket.'
Kyle's eyes widened.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Oh no, I mean, nothing, Your Highness. Just wait a moment. Let me think of something else."
I was more surprised than he was.
Why did I say that? I should have said something more normal.
I tried to think of a more ordinary sentence.
'How was your breakfast today, Your Highness?'
"Did you hear that?"
"No."
Let's try again.
'Your Highness, did you have a good day today?'
"Did you hear that?"
"No. I'll move my hands if I hear you. Keep thinking until then."
"......Okay, but please don't get angry."
"......Just choose your thoughts wisely."
"How can I control my thoughts? Besides, I have to think randomly to see which ones get through and which ones don't."
"......Do as you please."
I cautiously recalled one of the sentences that Kyle had heard before. Maybe the one he heard this morning......
'Kyle, you're sexy.'
He looked embarrassed and moved his hand.
Oh, I shouldn't be thinking this way, but I can't stop... Kyle is too cute. What should I do?
'Kyle, you're handsome.'
Blink.
'I want to see Kyle in his pajamas. I only saw him once before passing out yesterday.'
...Blink.
Kyle's ears turned red. Why isn't there a camera here? Even a palace painter would do. I have to record this somehow.
'I want to see Your Highness in uniform, too.'
He didn't move.
' want to watch Kyle eat, even though I'm not eating, I feel like my stomach would be full just from watching.'
There was no movement.
'Your Highness, may your life always be filled with good things.'
Still, there was no movement.
Maybe I have to call out the name 'Kyle' to get through...but even that might not work.
Feeling frustrated I naturally frowned. Without clear instructions, my irritation surged. So I just said whatever came to mind.
'Kyle, you're the most dazzling and handsome person I've ever seen. All the people with subtle good looks can get lost. Explosive good looks with prominent features are the best. If the word 'handsome' could be made into a person, it would be you, not anyone else.'
Kyle's fingers trembled and moved.
Oh, he heard this time.
'Kyle, you're cute and adorable. Even if you put together all the fluffy things in the world, you'd still be the best. The greatest.'
'Kyle is so handsome, it's unrealistic. I thought you were a sculpture made by a God, but it turns out you were the god. God Kyle. Kyle the God. No, just God. From now on, whenever someone sneezes, I'll shout 'Kyle Bless You.' You are perfection itself. From now on, instead of saying 'perfect,' I'll say 'Kyleness.'"
'If being handsome is a sin, Kyle, you're a criminal mastermind.'
'My heart beats too fast every time I think of Kyle, but I thought I had arrhythmia and went to the hospital.'
'I'm sorry, I looked at your butt as you were leaving earlier. Kyle, your butt is so pretty.'
"Why were you looking at my butt!"
Kyle stood up, his face turning bright red.
"Did you look at His Highness's butt?"
Benji drew his sword again.
"No! I didn't look on purpose, I just happened to look at his back and it caught my eye... Uh, no, I'm sorry, Your Highness. That's not it... Um, did you hear what I just said?"
Based on his reaction, it seemed like he didn't hear any of it. It must be a random occasion.
Kyle slumped back into his chair, his legs giving out like they were made of jelly. After clearing his throat, he asked me:
"Ging-ja, what does 'Posthumous execution' mean?"
"......How did you even hear that...? Well, 'Posthumous execution' is one of the extreme forms of punishment ever recorded in ancient history, where they dug up a dead person's body from the ground and cut off their head..."
T.N. Posthumous execution is the ritual or ceremonial mutilation of an already dead body as a punishment. It is typically performed to show that even in death, one cannot escape justice.
Benji covered his mouth.
"Your highness, why did you ask that? Could it be that this person..."
"This Ging-ja said she would 'Posthumous execution' me."
"You punk!"
"Kyaaak!"
No, why are you swinging your sword instead of talking?
Just before Benji swung his sword, Kyle raised his hand and stopped him with a tired face.
"If being handsome is a sin, then I should be a criminal mastermind......"
Benji dropped the sword he was holding onto the ground.
Clang, clank--
The sound of the blade hitting the ground echoed. This knight had never dropped his sword before. How surprised he must have been.
Of course, earlier Kyle had the most surprised face.
But just now I was about to be stabbed, and unjustly treated which made tears well up.
"You...... You said you wouldn't get angry."
Tears burst out quickly, making the sadness from being tied up all day come out altogether.
"Isn't this too much? I, huh, hueng, I really didn't do anything, I mean, I did have some ridiculous thoughts, hueng, but I only thought because I was told to think, so why do you ask why I have such thoughts, hueng, what should I say, uung, the rope hurts too much, it feels like my blood is not circulating, uung, my fingers must have turned purple. Uung, what kind of nobleman are you? Uung, I didn't choose to come here. I just wanted to confess....."
As I poured out tears and spoke, Kyle handed me a handkerchief. I looked resentfully at the handkerchief and muttered to myself.
"What am I supposed to do with a handkerchief when my hands are tied?"
It seemed like he didn't hear it.
'Kyle, I'm tied up right now, how can you give me a handkerchief?'
He didn't seem to hear it again.
'Kyle, you super sexy mega bombshell? How could you give me a handkerchief when my hands are tied?'
"Oh."
Kyle nodded his head and turned to me, starting to untie the rope.
"Your Highness, what are you doing now......."
"If she were a real witch, she would have killed both of us even if her hands were tied. So if the rope was untied, it wouldn't make a difference."
The ropes on my hands gradually loosened, and once I poured out my emotions, tears no longer flowed.
"And,"
Before continuing his words, Kyle let out a long sigh.
"......After listening to her, it seems like she harbors no evil intent. ...She just looks a little ominous."
It's a relief that I only looked 'a little bit' ominous.
