* * *

Blink, blink.

The sound of my heavy eyelids opening was oddly distinct, as if it were echoing in the quiet.

Why is it so silent?

This overwhelming stillness…

Am I really dead?

Is this heaven?

Surely, a good-hearted citizen like me wouldn’t end up in hell.

But my delusion didn’t last long.

Beyond the large, familiar window on one side of the room, I saw moonlight pouring in from the night sky.

Ah. It’s quiet because it’s early morning.

I finally understood.

It was dawn, and I was still alive.

Feeling a strange stiffness in my back, I sluggishly lifted my heavy body from where it had been glued to the bed.

Now that I looked, two soft blankets were draped over me.

No wonder I’d felt heavy—it was because of the blankets.

Bathed in the pure white moonlight streaming into Baek Yigang’s bedroom, the familiar yet surreal atmosphere made it hard to grasp that I was truly alive.

“Yawn…”

As I rubbed my eyes and stretched, I became acutely aware of just how stiff my body felt.

It was as if I were moving a corpse.

So I stretched for the first time in a while, turning my neck side to side.

That’s when I noticed Baek Yigang, sleeping against the wall beside the bed.

“Wha—!”

Startled by his unexpected presence, I gasped involuntarily.

Wow… I didn’t think he’d be tucked into the corner, sleeping so quietly!

Since I couldn’t see him beside me, I just assumed he wasn’t here!

My heart nearly stopped!

Thump, thump!

My panicked heart raced furiously.

Okay, now I’m sure—I’m really alive.

But wow, he’s really out cold.

The Baek Yigang I used to know would’ve been sitting there working while I lazed around in bed.

As my mind slowly cleared, I began to notice my surroundings in greater detail.

And then… what’s all this?

The first thing that caught my eye was the pile of aromatic teas and a variety of herbs stacked in one corner of the room.

Though I wasn’t entirely sure what they all were, I could bet they were brought by Ian.

Among them were bundles of mysterious green plants and several murky-colored potion bottles.

But the most striking thing in the room was…

“What on earth did they feed me…?”

In a large bowl, a rainbow-colored liquid shimmered as it bubbled ominously.

How was it boiling without a fire?

Feeling unnerved, I swallowed hard.

At least I was still breathing, so it didn’t seem to be poison.

“How did I manage to survive drinking something like that?”

My hands still trembled slightly, though.

When I raised my left hand, I could feel the faint tremors in each finger joint.

Sadly, it seemed the poison hadn’t fully left my body yet.

---

If I had died here, I would have reset back to the beginning.

That thought alone gave me chills. Ha.

“But how am I still alive?”

If Piel used a reinforced Aquila, it would have been impossible for someone like me, with no poison immunity, to survive.

Even against a basic Aquila, my life would have been hanging by a thread, and with the enhanced version, there wouldn’t have been any hope.

No matter how skilled a wizard I am, I don’t have the resilience of princes who’ve built up poison resistance from a young age.

I can use magic, sure, but that has nothing to do with overcoming poison.

To make matters worse, Aquila isn’t black magic or anything—it’s just a poisonous herb.

Even sacred power can’t fully heal its effects.

Not even Ian would have been able to help.

He might have neutralized some of the poison, but completely extracting it?

That would have been impossible.

Then how?

“Did Baek Yigang step in?”

But if Baek Yigang had interfered, the palace wouldn’t have stayed quiet.

Besides, with Piel and their scheming eyes on me, they couldn’t have acted so blatantly.

Even if they tried, Philip, Anna, and Asel would have desperately stopped them.

Baek Yigang wasn’t the only one who had struggled so far for the throne.

“…So why am I still alive?”

I mean, being alive is great, of course!

But something feels off, like the pieces don’t quite fit.

There should have been no way out of this. How did I survive?

Well, whatever.

Since I’m alive, I might as well check the quest reward I’d forgotten about.

“System, what’s the reward for the ‘Suspicious Princess’s Request’ quest?”

With a cheerful ping, the system window appeared in the dark void, glowing a bright blue.

But then—

[SYSTEM ERROR! The reward for this quest has already been claimed. (Access denied)]

Huh? An error?

I didn’t expect this.

And it says the reward has already been claimed?!

What the hell does that mean?

I haven’t received anything!

As I stared blankly at the system window, dumbfounded, I noticed something strange.

Among the entirely blue text, the word ‘reward’ was glowing white.

With a sense of unease, I reached out and touched it.

[Reward: [Hidden] The Blessing of the Arthe Empire! The ultra-effective ‘Anything Will Save You’ Rainbow Tea! – Revives you automatically upon death.]

What…?

“What??”

The words burst out of me before I could stop them.

Reflexively, I turned to look at Baek Yigang, but thankfully, he was still asleep.

W-Wait. Does this mean I actually died once?

If the reward is marked as claimed, that means it’s been used…

“…Wow. Aquila is an even scarier poison than I thought. It actually managed to kill me in one go.”

So the stiffness I felt earlier when I woke up…

Was that because I had been an actual corpse for a moment?!

I didn’t expect the cause to be this terrifying!

Cold sweat trickled down my back like a waterfall, and I unconsciously wiped my forehead.

I had unknowingly faced death and come back to life by sheer luck, avoiding a reset thanks to… Rainbow Tea.

…Rainbow Tea?

Now that I think about it, earlier…

I turned my head sharply, and there it was—the distinctive, bubbling rainbow-colored liquid, still sitting there, showing off its bizarre presence.

“So… this thing was the quest reward? And it even saved my life?”

Judging by the description, it must have been a medicinal concoction sent by Delcia.

Of course, she couldn’t have actually created a resurrection potion.

The system must have arbitrarily added that effect.

“Is this really tea, though?”

What kind of tea boils by itself without any heat source?!

This is suspicious as hell!

And what was Baek Yigang thinking when he gave this to me?

Not that I’m in a position to complain since it saved my life, but… Its appearance still feels unsettling.

“Can I save this for later?”

Who knows when I might face another life-threatening situation?

Since I’m alive for now, I could store it somewhere safe…

But before I could finish the thought, the rainbow glow began to fade.

As if to say its effects wouldn’t last unless I drank it now.

“Tch.”

Fine, I’ll drink it. It did save my life, so it can’t be all bad… Right?

…Though I’m not sure how it’ll taste.

The rainbow looks pretty, so maybe it’ll taste decent too?

With no hesitation, I picked up the bowl and took a big gulp.

“…!”

Gulp. Cough. Gag. Cough cough!

The moment it touched my tongue, an intense, numbing sensation spread through my mouth.

I couldn’t stop coughing, tears streaming down my face.

This flavor…!

How does something so vile even exist?!

It was like every disaster in the world had been concentrated into one sip.

Delcia, what the hell did you put in this to make it taste like this?!

Tap, tap.

As I was coughing like my life depended on it, someone started patting my back gently.

“Ah, thank… huh?”

Wait a second!

In a room where only Baek Yigang and I were supposed to be, whose hand was this patting my back?!

Startled like a wild cat, I let out a short, sharp scream and twisted my body away.

I’m not scared of ghosts or anything! I’ve already died and come back, so bring it on—!

But despite my brave thoughts, I curled up into a ball, burying my face in the blanket and trembling.

“…Cheong Dowoon, it’s me.”

Still shivering, I barely registered the familiar voice calling my name.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

“Sniff… Huh? Baek Yigang? When did you wake up?”

At some point, Baek Yigang had moved beside me, looking down with an unreadable, heavy expression.

In response to my question, he spoke in a low voice.

“When you were coughing and crying.”

“I-I wasn’t crying…”

That’s just your misunderstanding, okay?

My tear ducts were just forcibly squeezed out of shock, that’s all.

Despite my firm denial, the corners of Baek Yigang’s previously rigid mouth curled up ever so slightly.

* * *