Chapter 1: The Hero’s Choice
– The Hero Defeated the Demon King!!
The newspaper that arrived this morning had the headline blazoned across the front in bold letters.
“Finally, freedom…!”
I couldn’t contain the emotions surging deep within my chest.
The hero’s defeat of the Demon King was a signal that the original story of this novel’s world would not unfold as it was meant to.
I had been transmigrated into a romance tragedy novel called The Hero Doesn’t Dream, and I was stuck in the body of the mad princess’s butler.
Thankfully, I had transmigrated at a point before the princess went mad.
Through eight years of devoted care, the princess didn’t lose her sanity, and as a result, the empire didn’t fall to ruin as it did in the original story.
Now, the world had found peace, and the threat of the Demon King was gone.
What I had to do next was clear.
“I’ll live for myself.”
For eight years, I had sacrificed my life for the sake of this world.
In the mornings, I tended to the princess, ensuring she wouldn’t go mad.
In the afternoons, I guided the hero, telling her where to go and where to find opportunities to grow stronger.
My average sleep time? Two hours a day.
Living like that had left my body and mind in tatters.
If someone asked me what my dream was, I’d beg to lie in bed for just six hours.
I can rest now, can’t I?
The princess’s butler and mysterious benefactor can quit, right?
With that thought, I began planning my escape from the empire.
Carefully, so no one would notice.
Outside the palace, the streets roared with cheers that shook the ground.
– Wooo! It’s the hero’s party!!
– Hero, please look at me!!
– The Saintess noticed me!!!
The hero’s party had returned to the capital, and the city buzzed with excitement, welcoming them back.
The hero’s party consisted of four members, all women.
If things had gone according to the original story, the Saintess would be stealing bread in the slums, the elf would have been exiled from the World Tree and nearly sold into slavery, and the mage would be locked in the Magic Tower, researching spells.
But because I told the hero where to find them, they had all joined her party before their tragedies could unfold.
– Look over there…! It’s the hero…!
The crowd cheered at the hero’s appearance, and she stood calmly, radiating presence within her party.
That was the hero. The one who defeated the Demon King.
‘She’s grown a lot.’
When I first met her, she was a 13-year-old kid, so I suppose it’s only natural she’d grown this much.
After seven years, she had matured beautifully and achieved incredible growth.
Especially in the chest area. She was wielding some serious assets.
‘At this rate…’
It would take a while for the hero’s procession to reach the palace.
I couldn’t stay away any longer, so I pulled my hood up and headed back to the palace.
“…”
Unaware that the hero had been watching me.
Upon arriving at the palace, I headed straight for the princess’s office.
“Princess Aria, may I enter?”
“…”
No sound came from inside the office.
In times like these, it was usually safe to just go in.
– Creak…
The office was quiet even after I entered, and the reason became clear when I looked at the desk.
“…”
A woman with silver-white hair was slumped over the desk, her head resting on it.
Wait, what?
“Please wake up, Princess.”
She was fast asleep, snoring softly.
“Huh… wha…? Leni, I wasn’t sleeping…”
“Just dozing off for a bit…”
She was always a heavy sleeper, so this was nothing new.
If you asked people if the princess almost went mad, they’d laugh it off.
That was all thanks to my guidance.
“You need to prepare. The hero will soon arrive at the palace.”
“Ugh… what a hassle…”
Aria grumbled, looking reluctant to move, but she got up from her chair with a resigned expression.
Her face still looked half-asleep, but after a few seconds, the haze in her violet eyes cleared, and she regained her sharpness.
“Leni, I fought off the urge to sleep again.”
Aria puffed out her chest, proudly explaining her achievement.
In moments like these, there was only one thing she wanted.
“Well done, Princess.”
– Pat, pat.
Aria tilted her silver hair toward me, clearly wanting more head pats.
“Mmm…”
She was like a cat, wasn’t she? More cat than princess.
After a few minutes of patting, she nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright. Let’s go get ready.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Satisfied with the head pats, Aria walked out of the office with a haughty stride.
I called for the maids to prepare her bath and began my own preparations to greet the hero—and to escape.
Today, with the crowds as cover, was the perfect day for my plan.
“Soon…”
Humming to myself, I moved with a spring in my step, anticipating my freedom.
Unaware that my plan was about to fall apart.
Preparing Princess Aria for a formal event took quite a while.
She bathed, scented with flowers from the west, and barely made it to the event on time.
“The Second Princess, Aria, enters!”
The court jester, serving as the emcee, announced her arrival.
“…”
Despite her entrance, the crowd’s reaction was lukewarm.
– Whisper, whisper.
They murmured among themselves, speaking in hushed tones so others wouldn’t hear.
It was obvious what they were saying. Mocking her as the “half-blood princess.”
Princess Aria, born out of wedlock, was shunned by noble society.
No matter how talented she was in magic, her status as the emperor’s illegitimate child drowned out her worth.
‘No wonder she’d start a bloodbath.’
Did they know? If it weren’t for me, their blood would’ve been spilled by now. The nobles should be thanking me.
Look at our princess, standing unfazed by their whispers.
How well she’s grown. All thanks to meeting a great caretaker like me.
Aria needed a place to be recognized for her worth.
I gave her that place.
She learned to define her own value and stopped caring so much about others’ gazes.
“Tch, who let her in here?”
From the side, the Second Prince, Hendrik Eustia, started picking a fight with Aria.
He clicked his tongue, openly criticizing her, but she wasn’t one to back down.
“Leni, it’s noisy over there. Who is that?”
Aria frowned, genuinely annoyed by the noise.
Hendrik’s face flushed red at her response.
“You lowly wretch…!”
Forgetting the formality of the occasion, Hendrik was about to let his anger loose.
“Hendrik.”
A chilling voice cut through, freezing even Hendrik in his tracks.
“Compose yourself. People are watching.”
The deep, icy voice belonged to Emperor Ientenas.
He stared straight at me before sitting on his throne, not sparing Aria a glance.
That was Aria’s current standing.
“The hero and her party enter the palace!!”
The jester’s shout was met with roaring cheers.
The stark contrast to Aria’s entrance hit hard.
The crowd went wild for the hero and her party, some even clutching their foreheads and collapsing in excitement.
Probably all part of the show.
The hero and her party walked through the aisle, flanked by nobles shouting their praises.
As they drew closer, the atmosphere grew more intense, and my heart swelled with pride.
‘Is this really the hero I raised…?’
She hadn’t stood out in the crowd, but up close, she was undeniably beautiful.
With long, raven-black hair, the hero was a beauty by anyone’s standards, drawing gasps from the crowd.
– Zzzt.
“Leni, focus.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I didn’t know what she meant by focus, but I followed Aria’s order.
It would be the last one I’d hear from her, after all.
‘Still, I should say goodbye.’
As I thought this, the hero’s party knelt before the emperor, showing their respect.
They recounted how they defeated the Demon King, and the crowd went wild for their epic tale.
The bards’ songs only added to the moment.
“Hero, is there anything you desire?”
The time for rewards had come.
The crowd leaned in, more focused than they were for the hero’s story.
What would the hero ask for? I was curious too.
“If you desire it, I’ll grant anything. Money? I’ll give you enough to live in luxury for life!”
The emperor’s bold declaration made the hero’s party’s eyes gleam.
Money, huh? A predictable ending, then.
Or so I thought.
The hero scanned the room, searching for someone.
Our eyes met—her red eyes locked onto mine—and for the first time today, she smiled.
“I want you.”
Huh?
Her slender finger was pointing at me.
This wasn’t supposed to happen…
The hero, as her reward for defeating the Demon King, had chosen Leni—Princess Aria’s butler, Leni.