Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 1

TM has been completely translated on Patreon

Chapter 1

Translator: Yonnee

—

Anyone who owned a pair of eyes could agree that Albert Grey was a handsome man.

With gray hair that was a subtle shade between black and silver, and crimson eyes that were like rubies perfectly embedded upon his face—everyone would be captivated by him.

Further enhanced by his tanned complexion, his statuesque features made anyone think that he’s the word ‘beauty’ personified.

No matter who it was that passed by, they would stop in their tracks just to admire him.

But God wasn’t satisfied with his creation yet.

Having the skills that surpassed even a sword master, Albert’s entire body smouldered with muscles, so it was safe to say that even his body captured the hearts of many.

Everyone just knew that he would one day be king.

However, the current king, Rosteratu Grey, detested Albert.

Envious instead of proud, the current king hated the prince because Albert was not his son.

Why, you ask?

Rosteratu Grey was impotent.

This was an open secret amongst the people. This was why he brought in a suitable heir who had mixed royal blood, and that heir was Albert Grey.

Albert had no parents, no brothers and no power.

When he was brought into the palace, Rosteratu was relieved. Albert wouldn’t be able to gain more power than him.

But he was too complacent.

Albert grew up to become a great man.

Seized by an overwhelming sense of inferiority, Rosteratu framed Albert for a crime he did not do, and locked him up in the tower.

Inside the tower that was imbued with magic that confined him within, Albert was left alone with one maid. However, this was not for his convenience.

Rosteratu wanted to destroy Albert—to make him utterly miserable.

So he chose a lustful woman, who wasn’t shy about showing her desire for Albert, to become his maid.

The current king even gave her a magic wand to torment the prince.

The maid played with Albert to her satisfaction, and so she controlled him relentlessly with the wand just to fulfill her desires.

A kiss or a hug were easily coerced out of Albert. Everything went according to Rosteratu’s plans.

But Albert was not a fool. He gradually regained his strength, and one day, he succeeded in coaxing the maid to give him the wand.

Being the overpowered, munchkin character that he was, he knew how to handle mana, and he used the wand to contact his allies outside the tower. From then on, he quietly sharpened his blade of revenge.

After only one year of confinement, Albert eventually left the tower. Then, he exacted his revenge.

Can you guess what the first thing he did after he got out?

Ding ding ding! If you guessed it right, then you get a prize!

He lopped off the head of the impish maid then and there.

The maid died at once, not even having the chance to beg for her life. It was the rightfully futile death of a third-rate villain.

* * *

That’s right. The maid who died from getting her throat slit.

But why do you think I’m explaining this?

Rosé Artius, the maid who toyed with Albert Grey.

I reincarnated as her.

Once upon a time, I read a book that detailed Rosé Artius’ exact characterization and actions.

I read all about the first day she came to the tower as she greeted Albert…

…And even what they were doing right at this moment.

The breath that lingered on my lips disappeared as the stranger moved away.

I stared at the man who kissed me just now.

Under those dark eyebrows were half-lidded eyes that glinted with intellect, a certain elegance exuding from that gaze that no one would be able to look away from.

But those eyes that were as red as blood… made him look as if he wanted to devour me whole.

I was instantly bewitched. I couldn’t look away, as if there was an irresistible force coveting my gaze. He was just so handsome.

He was more handsome than any other celebrity I’d ever seen, with distinct features that made you think that he may just be a statue accurately created out of God’s image.

That’s why it was inevitable for me to gawk dazedly at him. I really wasn’t being absent-minded on purpose.

“Rosé, how long do we have to do this?”

I shuddered as the sweet voice whispered next to my ear. Only then did I come to my senses.

I laughed awkwardly to fill the silence. Ahaha, I really don’t know…

“I-I think we can stop now.”

At my words, Albert grinned. It was the soulless smile of a sales team member.

I couldn’t help but notice the smile because it reminded me of my own forced smile when I was at work.

Despite his soured mood, he was breathtakingly beautiful nonetheless.

“Then, can I see it now?”

“…Yes.”

He took the wand that I had been holding.

In the novel, the maid Rosé always asked for a kiss from Albert in exchange for letting him see the wand.

In short, at this very moment, I was digging my own grave.

…Damn it.

Immediately after I got reincarnated, I raised a death flag!

* * *

I finally pulled myself together, enough that I could stop looking at Albert’s face so I could sort everything out.

Before I transmigrated into this novel, I was an ordinary office worker named Yoo Jung-in.

I got into a bus accident when I was on my way to work, then when I woke up, I opened my eyes to this world.

The small but certain happiness I had in my ordinary life was my hobby of reading webnovels. Even though I couldn’t buy expensive things, I paid for novel chapters everyday for the sake of that small happiness.

This novel that I transmigrated into was one of the novels I had read before.

It was frustrating to see Albert suffering from the evil plots of side characters, but it became exciting the moment he left the tower and found the female lead, Seo Ina.

It was the novel that I was thinking about right before I died.

Was that why I came here?

Sure, I could roll with that. But there’s one big problem.

Because I had come to possess the body of an extra who was destined to die soon.

Rosé Artius was a depraved individual. Although her life wasn’t really given much detail because she had a small role, it was clear that she was someone who did everything just to capture Albert, who she fell in love with at first sight.

She somehow managed to strike a deal with Rosteratu and ended up being stuck alone with Albert in the tower.

Rosé might have been thrilled that she was locked up with the most attractive man in the world, but I, Yoo Jung-in, was not thrilled at all.

If I lived like Rosé, I’d surely die. And since I didn’t want to die any time soon after just getting a second shot at life, I shouln’t act like the original Rosé.

There’s a saying that went like: ‘Even if you’re rolling in sh*t, it’s still good to be alive.’

Albert Grey was incredibly handsome, and this fact was indisputable, but honestly… ‘Handsome’ was too weak of a word to describe him.

The mere sight of him really would mesmerize any person, and they’d surely want him to be theirs.

But no matter how beautiful he was, my life mattered a lot more, even at the cost of the story changing.

Plus, I was satisfied just looking at him.

Originally, my ideal types were more beautiful the farther they were from me. Because that way, I wouldn’t have to be hurt by unfulfilled expectations.

I tried to recall the first and last kiss Rosé had with Albert.

The memories swirled inside my mind like a blurry dream, and when I woke up here, they started disappearing.

I quickly grappled with the memories to remember how many days I had left to live with Albert.

…I could feel my gaze growing dark.

The crazy maid won a kiss from Albert just a week after being confined together. She really was greedy for him.

Should I be glad that she never went beyond that? But no, while Albert kissed me, I already knew what kind of person Rosé was.

And the more I thought about it, the more my headache got worse.

O, dear God. Why must you torment me so?

Albert wasn’t the only one who was suffering.

Another person was locked up with him in here, and that was me.

How the hell am I gonna live for a year in a place where there’s no wifi, no internet, no computer?? As a person from modern civilization, this is surely going to drive me insane.

t/n: hiya, yonnee here~ tower maid will now be continued in this website~ im still re-editing and re-checking the chapters as i go (to make everyone’s reader experience smoother, even if only a little) so the past chapters will all be posted over the course of a week or two. once the new (unreleased) chapter comes out, you can get a direct notification ping over at belle reservoir’s discord server!

additionally, please note that the chapters of this novel have now been split into halves but numbered normally to make things simple. this is to match the chapter numbering system of BR, but i’ll update as often as i can to compensate for the length