Prologue
“You’re quite large.”
My father exclaimed in admiration. He showed no overt emotion, and I felt the same. This was the first time I had seen such a colossal beast.
Inside a cavern beneath the Ducal estate, my father and I were admiring a rare specimen brought from the imperial palace.
Contained within us was a gigantic creature.
It had gleaming, golden eyes and a lithe, muscular body.
Though it resembled a leopard, its size was beyond comparison. Its black fur was streaked entirely with a blood-like tint, and its agile body was scarred deeply and repeatedly, yet its innate grace could not be hidden.
Even at first glance, it was far from ordinary. But even greater secrets lay hidden.
‘Who in their right mind would consider this beast a crown prince?’
They would never dare to imagine. The creature was the living disgrace of the great Empire of Leoflon itself.
In that distant golden age, in the continental hub of Mundus, humans and countless other races once lived together in peace. Yet that only lasted a short while.
Humans began to shun the other races and eventually waged war, forcing them into barren lands.
After that, wars broke out among humans themselves.
In the end, one continent splintered into various empires and several small states. The few remaining of these other races hid in remote lands to elude human oppression. Those unlucky enough to be captured were sold off as expensive slaves or experimental subjects.
Even fearsome monsters were among these races.
Born in the form of a beast, these monsters harnessed elemental forces like light and darkness, water and fire. It has been passed down that only a tiny fraction of them with exceptional magical power can transform into humans.
And now, Leoflon stands as a formidable power among other empires. Thanks to the imperial family’s ability to wield elemental forces. They inherited the blood of the gods, earning the ardent praise and overwhelming support of the people. Yet, hidden deep within that power lay a profound secret.
“A truly pure beast. What a beautiful creature it is.”
My father, Duke Stacus Bennon, expressed dramatic admiration as he beheld the beast.
He was a renowned magus in the continent, obsessed with research. Rising from the rank of a Marquis to a Duke through magical experiments. He spared no expense in conducting any experiment he deemed worthy.
He experimented on humans, monsters, and even other races with souls. Gathering rare specimens of various non-humans to add to his collection was one of his most cherished hobbies.
He was among the few who truly knew the secrets of the Leoflon imperial family.
The power of the royals came from the bloodline of their ancestors. The first emperor intermingled with a mighty beast, and as a result, the blood of monsters has been passed down through the imperial line ever since. However, once in several generations, a serious side effect occurred.
‘A being born as a complete monster.’
In some generations, the beastly power would accumulate excessively, and such children were born with the very form of a beast.
To keep this secret, the child had to be hidden for at least a dozen years. Even if unnoticed, the probability of ever transforming into a human was very slim. The royal family was unwilling to bear such risks. Thus, a child born as a beast was either immediately killed or confined for life.
“Truly, what an exquisite race.”
My father could not withhold his praise.
The beast before us was a direct descendant of the emperor and empress. Imprisoned in the palace’s depths from birth, the empress who bore the beast soon died in confinement within a few short years.
My father made a deal with the emperor to acquire the deposed crown prince. That is, the beast. It was to be his collection, and a precious specimen for his rare experiments.
“Indeed, it is truly amazing.”
I echoed my father’s words, though inside I felt nauseated. I had no choice but to agree.
Floria Bennon, both a supporting character and a villainess in the book, was the daughter who revered her father, the magus.
‘Obey the flowers.’
After falling asleep reading the novel in the real world, I was possessed by Floria Bennon, the Duke’s daughter. And I found myself in her body when she was about four years old.
It wasn’t until a year later, after roughly that amount of time had passed, that I realized I was inside a book. There was no way out, and in the meantime, I continued to grow—witnessing all the brutal experiments taking place within the Bennon estate.
[Growl!]
A black predator emitted a menacing warning cry. Despite having been dragged here exhausting every bit of energy, its eyes still gleamed nervously. But it wasn’t an immediate danger.
The beast was not restrained merely by bars. A solid sealing collar was tightly fastened around its neck. Connected by a chain and fixed to the wall, it was one of the treasures of the royal family.
Containing ancient power, that collar was imbued with binding magic that could never be released without the owner’s permission.
“Damn… it’s so noisy. Make it sleep now. You can do that, right?”
It seemed that the one who was tired was my father. Adjusting his glasses, he passed along a troublesome task to me. Pretending to know nothing, I played the part of his blindly devoted daughter with a bright smile.
“Of course. After all, it was my strength that brought us here.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I gently closed my eyes. At that moment, a deep and sweet fragrance began to emanate from my body. That pinkish aura was the scent of lantana flowers—a sign that I was infused with the flora of a flower.
I was Floria, the mixed-blood who carried that heritage.
I could command a multitude of scents.
The scent I used now had the property of paralyzing the body and disorienting the mind. If released thickly and abundantly, even the mightiest beast would collapse instantly and lose consciousness.
[Gurgle…!]
Under the thickening aroma, the black leopard emitting its life force staggered. Even its once-vivid eyes gradually grew dim. I felt a pang of sorrow at the sight, yet I dared not show any sign of it.
“Let it sleep deeply until I return. That will make research so much easier.”
“I’ll let the fragrance seep into its heart.”
I gleamed like a loyal pet.
My father approached with evident satisfaction and patted my head. His wavy, pink hair cascaded loosely under his hand. Although chills ran down my spine all over, I endured it quietly.
“Indeed, you are such a useful daughter.”
Duke Bennon smiled contentedly. His touch was gentle—under different circumstances, it would have looked like that of a caring father-daughter duo. Yet I knew all too well how cruel he truly was.
‘In the end, I’m nothing more than another specimen in his collection.’
The Duke desired mixed-blood children—those born of the mingling of his blood with that of other races. He captured women of various non-human bloodlines to bear numerous mixed offspring. Yet they rarely lasted long. Many grew feeble and died, or were executed for their lack of power. Of the survivors, only a handful remained—and I was counted among that few.
“Then, do your best.”
He said his goodbyes and left through the door.
Inside the cavern, it was now just me and the enormous black leopard. If I were to fail in controlling the beast, I’d be torn to pieces. But that was an eventuality meant for the distant future of this tale.
“……”
I swallowed hard as I looked at the gigantic black leopard.
It wasn’t merely a beast, nor simply a wild animal. It was the male protagonist of this novel—an entity endowed with self-awareness and possessing the supreme power of a monarch among monsters.
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