Surviving As A Fake Princess - Chapter 1 – First Night Of The Mask

Chapter 1 – First Night Of The Mask

A black mask covered half of my face.

At its ends hung jewels that appeared to be simple decorations, but they were by no means ordinary. All of the jewels were talismans imbued with high amounts of magic.

I grabbed one of them, forcibly pulling it out, and it broke after exploding mana.

Clash!

With a clear sound, the talisman disappeared into thin air and in its place, magic activated.

Whoops!

The strong magic made the wind blow, fluttering the strands of my hair and the hem of my dress.

I became a completely different person after my hair and dress calmed down.

The platinum blonde hair I was proud of turned short and black.

No matter what type of mask is worn, the fundamental appearance cannot be changed. But the magic was able to change my original face so much that I couldn’t even recall it.

My skin became darker, and I looked three to four years older. No matter who I meet, my identity will never be revealed.

As I got out of the carriage, the guard, Sir Gustin, looked at me in amazement.

“Prin…cess?”

I smiled and nodded my head. This is me. And I didn’t forget to warn him in a low voice, “Don’t say my title when we are inside.”

My voice was also completely different from usual.

Inside the back alley on a quiet night.

It was not a party-oriented space when only one escort knight entered with his identity hidden.

“Thirty million rubits!”

“Thirty-five million rubits!”

“Thirty-seven million rubits!”

“Thirty-seven million rubits came out! Any more?!”

The place I went to was the worst in the black market – the secret slave auction! V

* * * * *

I entered the auction house late, but the face of the masked servant changed when I showed him my invitation and the paper with the seal.

“This way…”

He seated me in an empty front row of the auction house in a very respectful manner.

The servant offered a free drink but I shook my head and refused. I had to get my act together.

The slave-dealer, the host, went on the stage to boost the excitement of the crowd inside the auction hall.

“Now everyone, it’s finally the highlight! Tonight, we’ll show you the best of our products!”

Customers who flocked to buy slaves had twinkling eyes in anticipation.

Those eyes were full of intense desire.

They try to buy slaves illegally even while wearing masks and hiding their identities. It would be stranger if they wait for and buy high-class slaves with clear eyes.

‘Ah, of course, I am waiting with very pure and clear eyes.’

The host lifted his arms and pointed inwards, “Now, let me show you the most important product of the day!”

When the red curtains were lifted, a boy chained on his legs and arms was dragged on stage.

He barely covered his harsh treatment towards the slave.

He was bowing so I couldn’t see his face properly, and his body was so thin. There were deep cuts beyond minor scratches on his arms and legs as well as on his side.

I could feel the disappointment of those who had their eyes lit up with anticipation for the description of ‘the most important product’.

But before they could express their dissatisfaction, the host’s voice rang out loudly.

“Can’t we just show off the best stuff? It goes without saying that we need a show worthy of a highlight!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a muscular gladiator appeared from the other side.

The atmosphere of everyone around me said ‘That’s it!’. Everyone decided to label the gladiator as the ‘most important product’ rather than the thin, dwarf boy who they dragged out first.

‘I know very well that’s not the case, but….’

At that moment, the host’s words rang out with tremendous cheers.

“Which one will win! Let’s make a simple bet! Those who bet on the winning side will share the money of those who bet on the losing side! You can get it back for as much as you’ve paid!”

Laughter spread. Everyone thought that the muscular gladiator would win in this frivolous bet, while the host shouted and clapped his hands.

“Now! This gladiator here is a fighter who recently won nine consecutive victories in the Underground Arena! If you want to pay this lonely gladiator, raise your hand and shout the amount of money!“

Someone raised their hand with a slight chuckle.

“One hundred thousand rubits!”

Starting with him, everyone started betting money as a joke.

The amount each person netted wasn’t that large, but it was quite a lot after gathering it all.

“You bet a total of 10 million and fifty rubits!”

It was time to bet on that boy.

“…….”

Of course, no one raised their hand or said the amount.

“15 million rubits!”

… So, except for me.

“…….”

“…….”

A quiet silence filled the auction house for a moment.

The host seemed embarrassed by my attitude of betting a large sum of money at once than all the people here.

“Ah, uhm, excuse me…… Are you really saying that you are going to bet 15 million rubits on this filthy boy?”

Looking at him, he seemed worried about me losing my bet on that boy, but I know very well I wouldn’t.

While the host felt frustrated, I smiled and nodded at him.

“Yes, I am betting 15 million rubits on that kid.”

At that moment, the host’s eyes trembled, while his expression cursed ‘Damn it!’

But he’s unable to reveal it.

And today, the main event of the auction, which was a duel between the gladiator and the boy, began.

Bang!

The gladiator slammed hard on the floor but the boy rolled sideways dodging the attack. I could hear someone sitting beside me click his tongue.

“You‘re a damn good guy!”

Anyone could see that the boy was desperate to save his own life.

But in fact, it wasn’t. I knew very well.

When I look at him, I saw his red eyes like burning flames.

The corners of his lips were pulled up. At that moment, the boy who just continuously walked back earlier, moved completely different from his earlier tired and hurt look.

He quickly slid lightly between the gladiator’s legs, pulled back and rose like a spring.

It was followed by a surprise. Just before the gladiator turned around in bewilderment, the boy moved one step ahead. He jumped on the floor them struck the gladiator on its back.

Stomp!

The chains that bound the boy’s hands became a weapon. He wrapped a chain around the gladiator’s thick neck and began to pull it from both sides.

“Kwaaaak!!”

A painful scream began to echo from the gladiator’s mouth.

He shook his arms wildly, struggling to get away from the boy. But the boy held on.

He didn’t even let go of the two hands strangling the neck of the gladiator, and the winner of the intense, bloody fight was immediately decided.

“Grrrrr… !”

The strangled gladiator rolled his eyes and passed out.

Just before the gladiator fell, the boy quickly descended to the floor.

All eyes were focused on the boy, and I saw his face more clearly.

I could hear people near me holding their breaths.

“…….”

For a moment, there was silence in the auction house.

The boy with rebellious red eyes had a fine appearance like a stone statue of an angel. His slim face and pointed nose looked young, and even though his face was light-toned, his pale red lips were eye-catching.

What caught everyone’s eyes above all else was the bright red eyes that looked like they had rubies in each of them.

The host burst into laughter. This opportunity could not be missed.

“Haha! Every one of you saw it well! This boy is the highlight of today’s auction!”

Everyone realized who ‘the most important product’ the host talked about tonight was. A sincere chatter of admiration rang out of the auction hall.

“Indeed… !”

“Is it really useful this time?”

The host smiled as he pointed at me, “This is the winner of the bet! You have a great eye! When the auction is over, all the money bet on the gladiators will go to this person!”

Earlier, it seemed like he was embarrassed by my correct stance but now, he quickly changed his attitude.

‘Well, maybe 10 million rubits is not a big deal.’

It wasn’t the auction house’s money anyway.

The host raised his voice, “Let me introduce you this product! As you can see, he’s still young, but he’s got some pretty good fighting skills! He’s very useful!”

In fact, the boy defeated the giant that was approximately one and a half times bigger than him.

“And what about the beauty! He struggled a bit to not hurt his face! Is such a thing possible?”

Everyone nodded unconsciously.

He was such a beauty. The description increased the quality of the product.

“This product is a child brought from the Ruslan Empire. Everyone knows what happened to the throne in the Empire a while ago, right?”

It was a battle between the 3rd prince of the former Empress and the 4th prince of the current Empress. In that battle, the 4th prince won, so the 3rd prince and his mother’s family were smashed into pieces.

“I cannot disclose to you his exact name, but he’s a direct descendant of a long established noble family that was exterminated due to treason.”

Words of admiration once again rang inside the hall.

He was well aware of the needs of the guests.

Nobles weren’t the only people inside this place; there were such people with an inferiority complex who took slaves of fallen noble families to torment them.

“He also came from a noble family that is connected to the imperial family. I’ve got enough of them!”

My brows frowned.

It’s not enough to call a person a commodity, so they call it collectible value.

Gustin, my righteous escort, who stood behind my back, felt angry.

‘We’re gonna have to start cleaning up this place tomorrow.’

Knowing the information I needed for today, I let it go.

Now that there’s no reason to leave this garbage dump alone, we have to clean it up.

I’ll leave Sir Gustin to take care of it, and for that very reason, I brought him here. After the host finished the explanation, he began to move to start the auction in earnest.

At that time, the boy who stared at the people fell helplessly.

“Oh?”

Surprised by the unexpected situation, I got up from my seat and took a couple of steps closer to him. I have no time to feel the panic of Sir Gustin behind me.

At that moment, the body of the boy who collapsed weakly, suddenly approached me. I then felt a strong force holding me one after another.

Stomp!

The feel of a cold chain wrapped around my neck.

“Huh?”

When I came to my senses, the boy had already held me hostage and Sir Gustin screamed.

“Pri- Lady!”

* * *

The inside of the auction house instantly became a mess.

The boy put the screams and commotion to rest. “Quiet! Do you want to see this woman with a broken neck?!“

The sound of the chains clashing wasn’t enough to threaten them, but everyone here in this auction house already saw how dangerous his black magic could be.

He would be able to break my thin neck easily.

The boy’s request was simple.

“Remove all the restraints on me, get me out of this auction house, and let me go so I can run away. Then, I will let her go safely outside the capital.”

The host called the guards of the auction house with a contemplative face, but the boy only threatened to shake the chain around my neck.

“…….”

“…….”

The situation was where no one can easily move.

It was none other than me who broke it.

“Hey.”

I called the boy and tapped his cheek with my fingertips.

“What?”

A look of embarrassment crossed the boy’s face at my carefree attitude that did not suit the situation.

It wasn’t just the boy but also Sir Gustin, who looked at me with bewilderment, searching for a chance to save me.

If a slender girl held hostage behaved like me, anyone would think so.

‘Have you gone crazy because you’re scared?‘

But that wasn’t the case, and only I knew.

The boy’s red eyes stared into my face as I wanted to.

At that moment, I took off one of the decorations from the brooch I held. It was then smashed into pieces and the magic fluctuated inside.

It was another talisman imbued with high magic.

And the magic engraved on this talisman is –

‘It’s lightning magic!‘

Except for me, the caster, of course, it was magic that was delicately crafted to subdue anyone who came into contact with me.

The effect was certain because it was made for me by Alpheus, the master of the Magic Tower.

Scratch!!

An electric current ran through his body. It was not life-threatening, but it would make him unable to even lift a finger for several hours.

“Urgh!”

The boy was quickly subdued and I easily get out of his hold.

The auction house escorts from all directions took down the boy and pressed him down.

His fiery eyes still stared at me in this miserable situation – eyes that do not falter. Eyes that have the power to burn down this auction house, the empire, or even the whole continent.

I smiled brightly, greeting him inwardly, and called out his name that no one knew.

‘Don’t worry, Sieghart.’ Because I will save you.

‘I wish you all the best,’ A greeting that should never be heard by anyone in this world, ‘The original male lead-ssi.’