Before I knew it, all the servants and maids had vanished from the room, and the heavy doors had been shut for quite some time.
Roxidean, who had kept his eyes closed for a moment, slowly opened them and frowned. Taken by surprise, I let out an annoyed, sleepy huff.
"Hey, come here and look at this."
I didn't want to, but my body moved involuntarily. It didn't feel unnatural; it seemed like the old Charlize would have reacted with the same irritation while still obeying.
*"Hey, Ji-hoo Yoon! Ji-hoo! Big problem! Get over here right now!"*
The memory of my actual older brother, Ji-hoon, flashed in my mind as I approached Roxidean.
"Draw the curtains."
"Turn off the lights."
'Wait... this feeling of déjà vu!'
"Oh, and bring me some refreshments. Do it yourself."
*"Hey, cook some ramen. Two servings, but make it enough for three."*
'Why is this tyrant acting exactly like my dead brother, Ji-hoon?!'
The level of synchronization was nearly 100%. It was uncanny.
"What are you doing? I said draw the curtains."
'Are all older brothers in the world exactly the same to their younger sisters? Is there really no such thing as a kind, caring brother?'
From what I remembered of the novel, Roxidean was supposed to be a doting brother—at least until Charlize nearly killed the heroine. It was so absurd that I rubbed my face, my mouth moving on its own before I could stop it.
"Do it yourself."
I froze. 'Wait, did I really just say that?'
"You?" Roxidean asked, his voice low.
"Yeah. You don't have hands?"
"Eh? You’ve certainly grown a spine, haven't you?"
It seemed Charlize had always rebelled in her own way, so perhaps my outburst wasn't a total giveaway. But looking at Roxidean, I kept seeing Ji-hoon's face overlapping with his.
Roxidean snorted at my ridiculous expression. "Acting like a rebellious teenager again? Is it because you haven't seen me in a while? Is that it?"
'Is this guy really the male lead? He’s acting like a third-rate bully.'
The romantic image of the novel I once loved was shattering before my eyes. And that was my mistake—I had relaxed for a moment, forgetting that this man was a literal tyrant.
Roxidean's eyes suddenly darkened. "Kuh... ugh... Right. Now."
A strange golden light flickered in his deep red eyes.
'Wait... wait... no way!'
In the book, the tyrant Roxidean suffered from a mysterious madness. Sometimes he lost all control and went on a rampage, which was why he was feared as a monster. I had completely forgotten that for a second.
*Whoosh!*
A strong wind suddenly whipped through the room. Before I could even step back, Roxidean was pointing a drawn sword at me, his face devoid of all emotion.
'Crazy! Give me back my romance! Where did the handsome, caring brother go?!'
If there was one perk to being Charlize, I thought this would be it, but I was wrong. The moment Roxidean raised his hand, I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed the first thing that came to mind.
"Oh, Mother! Help me!"
*CRASH!*
At the sound of the impact, I peeked one eye open. Roxidean was slumped against the far wall. He was a master swordsman and managed to regain his balance quickly, but he was no longer looking at me with those cold eyes.
'What... what happened? My necklace?'
To my shock, the necklace around my neck was glowing with a brilliant golden light. Another memory surfaced.
*"My daughter, my son. You two must get along, or your mother will be very angry. Especially you, Roxidean! Take good care of your sister!"*
It was Charlize's mother, the former Empress. In the memory, she was smiling widely, her hair as red as the Duke's.
*"If your brother ever bothers you, just call for your mother. I’ll give him a good scolding and make him behave."*
In the settling dust, Roxidean slowly stood up. He was still holding his sword, and I involuntarily held my breath.
'Did I just send the Emperor flying? Is this the power of the necklace?'
I was terrified he would strike again, but Roxidean suddenly dropped his sword. It hit the floor with a loud *clatter*. He rushed toward me, his face filled with shock.
"Oh no! What have I done?! Liz, are you okay?!"
'...Huh?'
"I'm sorry! Your brother was wrong! I’ve done something terrible!"
The fierce, wild man from moments ago had completely transformed. He looked genuinely distressed as he held my shoulders, his expression as sullen as a kicked puppy. He was like a tiger trying to act like a kitten, hiding his massive claws and looking at me with pity. My jaw nearly hit the floor.
"...Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty? Why are you being so formal? Come on, call me 'Brother' like you used to."
"..."
'Does this guy have a split personality or something?'
Just as I was starting to lose my mind, Roxidean's face twitched. In an instant, his expression returned to the fierce one he had when he first arrived. No, it was even more terrifying now.
"Hey, you little brat! What did you just do?!"
"..."
"Ah, my madness..."
'I have no idea what’s going on anymore.'
Roxidean looked at me and raised his hand. I thought for sure he was going to hit me this time, so I closed my eyes again.
"Ugh! Mom! Help!"
Silence returned to the room. When I opened my eyes...
"Hey, did I scare you? Sorry. I was just trying to... uh, pat your face."
'This is insane.' He was back to being the "polite" brother again.
"Mom?" I whispered.
"..."
'I can't believe it. If I shout "Mom," does he just snap out of it?' I didn't know why it worked, but it clearly did.
"Oh man, this is sickening! I want to vomit!"
"Are you... Mom?"
"Oh, sorry. Liz."
Watching Roxidean’s personality flip-flop so rapidly was exhausting. I just wanted my money back, but instead, I was dealing with this. It felt like a massive, annoying "bonus" task I had to complete before I could even get to my real goal: the fiancé.
* * *
'What on earth am I supposed to do with him?'
It felt like his mood was shifting in real-time, and I was stuck in the middle. Whenever I shouted "Mom," he would become doting, only to snap back into his tyrannical self seconds later.
"Hey, can't you just sit still?"
"Hah! You'd probably hit me if you could, wouldn't you?"
"What? When I... ugh..."
"Um..."
"Oh, damn it! No, no!"
Eventually, Roxidean let go of me and turned away.
"Noah."
As soon as he muttered the name, the space behind him seemed to tear open as if cut by a knife. A figure stepped out of the black void.
"My God..."
A very handsome man appeared, his forehead damp with sweat. He surveyed the messy room and sighed with weary anticipation.
"...Did you finally try to kill your only living relative in one of your fits, Your Majesty?"
"Shut up."
The newcomer was striking, with delicate features, pale blue hair, and an elegant jawline. His gray eyes were deep and cool, like a piece of the ocean.
Noah. The second male lead.
"I'm a bit late. What’s the damage?"
Compared to Roxidean, Noah felt much softer, though his expression was so refined it was almost feminine. At the same time, he radiated a certain coldness.
"I heard you've been doing 'well'!"
His ash-gray eyes flicked toward me for a second before returning to Roxidean.
"Aside from Your Majesty, the Princess is the only other member of the imperial bloodline. In our current situation, do you have any idea what would happen if even one of you disappeared?"
Noah Chendais. The emperor's right-hand man and guardian knight. And I knew he had a massive secret role to play in the original book.
'I didn't expect to meet him so soon. There was a huge twist involving him later in the novel...'
"Didn't you come here today to greet the Princess after her long absence and discuss her engagement?" Noah asked. "So why is the floor destroyed and your sword drawn, Your Majesty?"
"Shut up," Roxidean muttered, covering his ears. "It’s fine. The madness has subsided."
"Is that so? Well, that is... very important."
Noah turned to me with a dead-serious expression.
"You're right. The key was the Princess all along..."