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CHAPTER 2 — "The Palace of the Idiot Prince"
Ana woke up with a cold sensation against the back of her neck.
At first, she thought she was still underwater, trapped in that heavy silence that crushes your ears as you sink. She tried to breathe—but this time, the air filled her lungs without burning them. She blinked several times until the light of an enormous golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling stabbed straight into her eyes.
A chandelier?
Who, in the twenty-first cen—?
She sat up abruptly, and her entire body protested as if it had just been thrown into an industrial washing machine. Her hair was still stuck to her face like seaweed, but something was different. Even wet, it shimmered softly under the warm light, and her skin looked more alive—almost as if the dull tones of exhaustion had been completely erased.
The magical treatment she had received while unconscious—hours before waking up—had not only dried her and changed her clothes, but revitalized her appearance as well. Her brown eyes shone with an unexpected clarity, and her face, though still slightly gaunt with faint shadows of fatigue, looked far less defeated.
She was wearing a long cream-colored silk robe embroidered with golden thread. The fabric brushed gently against her skin, giving her a delicate, almost ethereal appearance, enhanced by the subtle glow of lingering magic.
"…What the hell?" she whispered, touching the sleeves as if that might somehow make sense of everything.
The place was… far too luxurious to be real.
Technically, it looked like the bedroom of a princess from a historical fantasy romance novel: dark blue velvet curtains draping from the ceiling, hand-carved columns, carpets so soft they sank beneath her bare feet, marble tables, and enormous vases filled with freshly cut flowers in every corner. The air smelled of floral tea and something faintly reminiscent of burned jasmine.
But the most unsettling thing wasn't the palace itself.
It was that she—someone who had literally been fighting for her life in the ocean ten minutes ago—was completely dry from the neck down, dressed in new clothes, and looked refreshed. Only her hair remained wet, proof that this reality was not a dream.
"Wait…" she said aloud, stiffening. "Who changed my clothes?"
A familiar voice sounded behind her, casual and irritating all at once.
"Your personal maids changed you. I assigned them. Nice to meet you. I'm Leo."
Ana clenched her teeth before turning around.
There he was—the same idiot furry who had shoved her into the ocean. Half human, half wolf, black-speckled ears, glowing golden eyes, and a smile that screamed I have no sense of self-preservation. Even in his relaxed posture, he radiated a subtle aura of power.
She pointed at him.
"You miserable dog! Why did you push me into the sea, you damn psychopath?!"
Leo tilted his head as if he genuinely couldn't understand why she was upset, which only made it worse.
"Oh, come on. Why are you so angry? I did you a favor. You were going to jump anyway."
He said it with a hopeful, almost proud expression, like he was expecting a thank you for ruining my life and almost killing me.
Ana puffed her cheeks in indignation, noticing at the same time how her own face—though still showing signs of fatigue—had regained a faint healthy glow thanks to the magic. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and rage, and her eyes sharpened with fury.
"You—! Forget it! I was going to say it, but I changed my mind. Do you lack basic reasoning or what?! Do you seriously have more ears than brain?!"
Leo, mildly offended but still infuriatingly calm, replied with ease:
"I knew it, I'm not stupid. But the life you were going to have in that world was miserable. That's why I sent you to mine. You should be grateful."
Ana stared at him as if seriously considering throwing him off a balcony. Her gaze—sharper and more alert thanks to the recovery magic—contrasted with the lingering exhaustion in her body.
"And why do you think you know that?"
Leo straightened proudly, fully in his element.
"My dear, in case you didn't know, I am the prince of this nation, a prodigy mage with spatial magic and the ability to see the future. And in the future I saw… your life was a disaster, ungrateful miss."
She blinked several times.
"So that's why the teleportation?"
"Yes," he replied, striking a dramatic pose. "Though I currently have no powers. I crossed from one dimension to another, so I need about six months to fully recover. I'll pretend I'm ill with a mana blockage—and you'll help me."
Ana opened her mouth, both incredulous and furious.
"How exactly am I supposed to help the person who kidnapped me? And how could I even do that, you stupid furry?!"
Leo clicked his tongue, as if he had expected that response.
"In my nation, there's a plague that slowly kills wolfmen of all coexisting species. It starts with gradual loss of power, then fever and constant dizziness, followed by bodily stiffness until paralysis… and finally death, when the heart stops."
Ana frowned, her features marked by both fatigue and the lingering effects of the recovery magic.
"And what does that have to do with me? I'm just a normal person you kidnapped."
The prince shook his head.
"You are the legendary healer. And with my help, you will wield your full power. I saw it in my visions—you are the salvation for this."
Ana studied him closely. He didn't seem to be lying. In fact, he seemed too honest for his own good. His eyes shone with determination, and despite his exhausted body, the residual magic made his movements fluid—almost graceful.
"If it's so deadly, why doesn't it affect you?"
Leo smiled arrogantly.
"Because I'm royalty. My genes are superior. This disease is ignored by everyone because it doesn't affect the nobility—only commoners. But commoners make up most of the population, and they're people just like us. If I can do something to save them, I will."
Ana was surprised.
Oh. So the miserable dog is actually a good ruler? she thought.
Strange.
There was a hint of nobility in him… well hidden beneath his overwhelming idiocy.
She was just starting to admire him a little—until Leo added:
"By the way, you call me stupid dog, but you also look like one with that wet hair. And the way you get all worked up arguing with me, you're basically soaked. Honestly, 'wet bitch' fits you better than 'wet dog', don't you think?"
Ana blinked.
Admiration: canceled.
Canceled completely.
Then Leo leaned closer, tilting his head with a grin.
"Oh, and don't be so surprised when I call you by your full name: Anastasia River."
Ana froze. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"W-what? How do you know that?"
Leo waved a hand casually.
"I checked your belongings. Some of your papers had your… official name written on them."
Ana let out a dry laugh, shaking her head.
"Honestly… everyone's always called me Ana. It's easier. More comfortable. Even here, in this strange world, it feels natural to keep that name. I never liked 'Anastasia'. It's the name they gave me at the orphanage—the name the government assigns to a girl abandoned at a gas station. To me, that name always meant abandonment… cruelty. But Ana? That's what everyone there called me, even the staff. Simple. Safe. My real name in my small world. And now… I guess it stuck."
Leo looked pleased.
"Then Ana it is. Makes things easier for me."
Ana rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath.
"Even here… I have to deal with idiots."
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