The so-called [forbidden books]—
Books that are prohibited from reading, possessing, or studying. Merely being found in possession of one is enough to be convicted of a felony, yet their prices skyrocket on the black market.
"Forbidden books, huh? I like these things that aren't allowed," Alhaitham remarked with amusement, accepting the book from his sister.
The tome still carried the warmth of her touch and the faint scent of perfume, but his hands flipped through the pages without hesitation.
For a future ruler of the world, nothing was truly forbidden.
The title of the book was Diabolos vs. The Three Heroes. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple fairy tale—
A story about the great demon, Diabolos, who nearly destroyed the world in ancient times but was ultimately defeated by three heroes from different races: humans, elves, and orcs.
But Alhaitham immediately sensed something odd.
"This is a fairy tale?"
This exact story existed in countless other books, available in public libraries and even sold in market stalls. The title had never been hidden from the world.
Yet—
Since this particular edition was stored within the royal forbidden archives, it could only mean one thing.
This was no ordinary fairy tale.
It was a piece of history.
"Fascinating... So this isn't just a legend, but an actual event that someone deliberately erased from history?"
Alhaitham's crimson eyes flickered with intrigue as he skimmed through the last page.
There, he found something different from the commonly known version of the story.
[The three heroes defeated the demon, but before his death, Diabolos placed a curse upon them. Their descendants would be twisted into monsters, their bodies rotting and their magic running wild, as if possessed by demons.]
Alhaitham narrowed his eyes.
This description closely resembled a well-known phenomenon in the kingdom—Demonic Possession.
Among the populace, there were occasional cases where children between five and ten years old would suddenly fall into madness. Their bodies would warp, their skin would crack open as if decaying, and their magic would spiral out of control, often leading to destruction before they ultimately perished.
These children were labeled cursed—born with a defect that made them unworthy of life.
But now, this book suggested a different truth.
"Demonic Possession… isn't a disease."
It was a curse—a remnant of the ancient war against Diabolos.
Someone had rewritten history.
Someone had concealed the truth.
Alhaitham slowly closed the book, then tossed it onto his desk with a soft thud.
"I see…" he murmured.
If the content in this book was real, then a great conspiracy lay hidden within the foundation of the kingdom itself.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
A smirk tugged at his lips as he made a decision.
From now on, whenever I take a 'walk' and encounter someone with Demonic Possession… I will save them.
A Nightly Stroll
The sun had long since set, and the sky outside the castle was painted in hues of deep indigo.
"Sister, do you want to have dinner at my place tonight?" Alhaitham asked, stretching lazily.
"Of course! Ah Haitham, your dishes are always amazing!"
"Haha, as long as you enjoy them."
In truth, he had merely brought over recipes from his past life. Among the 13,810 books he had read before, at least a few of them had been cookbooks.
---
After a satisfying meal, Ayato waved goodbye and took her carriage back to her palace.
"Tonight's golden shrimp balls were incredible. Rem, your skills have improved again."
"Don't flatter me too much, Your Highness. But… I'm glad you liked them."
The blue-haired maid smiled modestly, though a hint of pride glowed in her crimson eyes.
"Your Highness, would you like me to prepare the bath—"
"Later. I'm going for a walk."
"...Again?"
Rem and Ram sighed simultaneously.
They both knew that once Alhaitham decided to take a "walk," there was no stopping him.
And occasionally, during these strolls, he would bring home a girl.
"You're not going to pick up another woman, are you?"
A lazy, sultry voice interrupted their thoughts.
The maids turned away, already knowing who it was.
A woman had appeared out of nowhere.
She had long, wavy green hair, golden eyes, and a queenly beauty that was both captivating and dangerous. Her figure was exquisite—boasting just the right balance of elegance and seduction.
Her presence carried an aura of mystery, an air of forbidden charm that made it impossible to ignore her existence.
In short—
A witch.
"C.C., you just woke up? If you keep sleeping during the day, you'll mess up your internal clock," Alhaitham remarked, his gaze flickering toward her.
"Because I'm a willful woman," the witch replied, completely unapologetic.
She picked up a slice of pizza from the leftovers on the dining table, biting into it without hesitation.
"Why do you look so proud of that?" Alhaitham sighed.
This woman—C.C.—had been his problem for the past two years.
They had first met when he stumbled upon her in a forest while on one of his "walks."
At the time, she had been hunted down.
Her secret had been exposed—the secret of her immortality.
Those who had discovered it sought to devour her flesh and drink her blood, believing they could obtain eternal life for themselves.
Unfortunately for them, Alhaitham killed them all.
Because an immortal being like her was a time bomb waiting to detonate. If left unchecked, she could easily ignite a world war.
Originally, he had intended to kill her—to erase this source of conflict from existence.
But there was one small problem.
She couldn't die.
Instead, she cursed him with Geass—a power as terrifying as it was absolute.
"You're such a dangerous woman," Alhaitham muttered, watching as C.C. casually took another bite of pizza.
"If I had left you alone, the world would have erupted in chaos over you. That would have been… very annoying."
Thus, he brought her back to his castle.
It was the only logical choice.
If people discovered there was an immortal witch living in the kingdom, every army in the world would eventually march here to take her.
And letting her roam free was even worse.
Her Geass curse—the ability to bestow immense power upon others—was a recipe for disaster.
Because Geass was the curse of a king.
To wield it was to bear the burden of absolute power.
And mortals were not fit to be kings.
If she granted it to the wrong people, the world would drown in war, madness, and bloodshed.
That was unacceptable.
Because this world… belonged to Alhaitham.
And only he could rule it.
His crimson eyes gleamed with arrogance as he leaned back in his chair.
"There is only one king in this world—me."
He reached out, brushing a stray strand of green hair from C.C.'s face.
"Anyone else who dares to claim that title… is merely overestimating themselves."
C.C. chuckled, tilting her head as she looked at him with amusement.
"You really are something else, aren't you?"
Alhaitham smirked.
"Of course."
Because this world belonged to him.
And he alone was fit to bear its crown.