Chapter 2
“So, you’re Sonetine.”
That alone was explanation enough to reveal the woman’s identity.
A young lady with a small, pale face and ash-blonde hair braided sparsely.
This was Sonetine—the last princess of Izaris. The only Sonetine remaining in the world.
Claude was secretly surprised. She looked exactly like what he had imagined a Sonetine would look like.
Just as he was about to unconsciously admire her otherworldly beauty, the princess, who had been staring at him intently all along, moved her small lips first.
“Are you really Claude?”
It was as if a thin sheet of glass in his mind shattered, and he became fully alert.
She had addressed him not by title or surname, but by name.
Claude was momentarily flustered, but he quickly composed himself, rose, and knelt on one knee before her.
“All the wonders of the world come from Izaris.”
His hand, wrapped in white gloves, was extended politely.
For a knight, asking permission to kiss the back of a lady’s hand is the highest form of respect.
The princess tilted her head in curiosity, and only after a pause did she murmur, “Ah… you want my hand?” and lightly placed her own atop his.
“Well, now.”
It wasn’t a charity offering, yet somehow Claude felt a faint joy. The indifferent tap of a cat’s nose on the back of his hand might have felt just as satisfying.
“Your hands are so small.”
With a gentle kiss, Claude measured the princess’s hand.
He immediately concluded that the bloody prints discovered in the forest were not from her palms.
“It is an honor to meet the bloodline of the Archmage. I am Claude Devonshire, Paladin of Valorant. While Your Highness was away, I have been protecting Izaris. The Emperor of Valorant has been concerned about the situation here.”
Though he chose the mild term “protecting,” the reality was closer to unauthorized intrusion. Claude deliberately used neutral language.
“The Emperor says that unoccupied lands must quickly be reinforced with troops. Please understand that my presence here is not of my own volition.”
In other words, he revealed the truth: his greedy emperor’s nature, fully laid bare.
Whether or not she understood, the princess blinked her clear eyes, still seeming a bit dazed.
Izaris—a land of magic ruled by mages since ancient times.
This small city-state, famed as the birthplace of magical civilization, had self-destructed due to the previous king’s mistakes—not from foreign invasion.
Rumor had it that the so-called Mad Mage King had violated divine prohibitions and was cursed, though no one truly knew if that was true.
The only undeniable fact was that monsters symbolizing the curse ran rampant in the Black Forest at the kingdom’s heart.
“And his daughter.”
Precisely, the princess who had fled to survive during that cursed past.
“…Princess?”
Claude began to feel slightly uneasy under her unwavering gaze.
Her observing eyes were full of surprise and admiration.
‘I expected hatred or disgust, didn’t I?’
He had not prepared for this kind of reception.
Even though he had come into this leaderless land and acted as governor without invitation, she wasn’t reacting with anger. From her perspective, he was an invader—but not one met with the anticipated hostility.
“If I have made any mistakes…”
“Are you really Claude?”
“Yes, I am truly Claude.”
Her use of his first name, as if greeting an old friend, left him flustered again.
“Do you happen to know me?”
She could not be so uninhibited otherwise. By the worst-case logic, he was a thief and a plunderer.
“It’s not that. I’m just a little glad to see you.”
“Glad…?”
Claude was truly dumbfounded. Even his smooth voice faltered.
How could she say she was glad to see him, without any trace of dislike, hatred, or disgust?
He had even imagined, in the worst scenario, being doused with juice from the table in response.
Yet Taeri’s eyes shone sincerely.
To her, it was as if a statue she had admired had come to life, spoke to her, and even allowed a hand-kiss.
And Claude Devonshire—the protagonist of the game she had manipulated at the monitor just hours ago—was sitting right in front of her.
As a main character, he was handsome and well-built, dressed in his white paladin uniform contrasting with black hair.
His cold gray eyes perfectly complemented his flawless aura.
‘All heroes in stories are brokenly overpowered. A suspiciously handsome, perfect, icy protagonist.’
But beneath the calm exterior, he had boyish qualities.
Even seemingly perfect, he harbored weaknesses he could never reveal—weaknesses Taeri had already observed in the game.
‘He seems like a model student but is actually a tsundere. I can’t believe I’m sitting here drinking tea with a tsundere protagonist. Madness, absolute madness.’
She suddenly remembered her own situation.
Though this world wasn’t real, the man before her had a tangible presence here.
But what about herself?
‘I don’t even exist in this world. What do I do?’
In The Black Forest of Izaris, the princess of Izaris did not exist.
Though the region was part of the game, the story began with Claude, the Valorant knight, as the protagonist.
He would come to Izaris, defeat the monsters of the Black Forest, lift the curse, and complete the story as a hero. The game focused on overcoming high-difficulty battles, giving players a sense of accomplishment.
Monsters appeared in grotesque forms, but there was no reason for the princess to exist in the game.
Yet here she was. People called her princess or Sonetine, recognizing her from when she had fled the kingdom during the Great Curse.
‘The princess they risked their lives to save—that’s me?’
Still, could she truly claim she was that princess? Taeri tilted her head slightly.
“Um… you know, Claude.”
The man, not yet fully freed from the shock of her warm greeting, raised his brows at the familiar address.
“Call me Governor.”
“Ah, alright. As you like, Governor.”
‘As you like’? She casually said it, while his mind raced with thoughts.
Claude carefully replied beneath his calm exterior:
“Governor will suffice. Speak freely. I don’t wish to be a ruffian who insults the princess.”
She nodded in agreement.
“I will.”
“You seemed about to say something earlier.”
“Yes. Do you happen to know my name?”
“….”
Just as he thought he had collected himself, she probed further, causing Claude to rub his temples.
“I’m afraid I do not.”
“I thought so.”
“Why are you curious?”
“Here, everyone just calls me Princess or Sonetine.”
If people were friendly, they said Princess; if hostile, Sonetine. She knew it was the royal surname, but no one spoke of the princess’s name.
Hearing Claude’s answer, Taeri was certain: the character she had possessed had never existed in the game, nor was she scheduled to exist.
So, she had no name.
Nothing was predetermined about the character of the princess.
‘Well… maybe that’s a bit of a relief.’
It might make it easier to find a way back without disrupting the game’s fixed storyline. After all, once Claude defeats the final boss dragon, the ending equals her return.
Sighing at her absurd circumstances, Taeri let out several heavy breaths.
‘The one who thrives in a game gets ruined by a game, huh.’
A world-class professional gamer, multi-millionaire, eSports Olympic gold medalist. Yet, a casual game had thrown her into this strange world.
Though she had no loved ones or family left, she wasn’t ready to accept the ending here.
“I should have at least drafted a will for charity…”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Anyway, thank you for answering.”
Despite the absurdity, Taeri downed her juice in frustration.
Claude, on the other hand, hadn’t even touched his glass, his expression complicated. He had already found the princess suspicious, and now she was asking even stranger questions.
Of course he didn’t know. How could he know her name… wait, why was it obvious that he wouldn’t know?
Then suddenly, his thoughts stopped as if tripping over a stone.
He realized he knew nothing—not her name, nor even the faintest detail about her. He had assumed that was natural, but why was it natural?
