The first thing he felt was pain.
A jolt, sharp and burning, that ran up his spine. He gasped, eyes flying open. Cold marble met his cheek. A blade touched his throat.
He wasn't in his tiny apartment anymore.
No ceiling fan. No broken bulb. Just gold pillars, crimson banners, and fire-lit torches lining a massive throne hall.
At the far end sat a throne of black stone—twisted, jagged, and draped in dark silk.
Dozens of guards surrounded him, weapons drawn. Their faces were blank, expressions unreadable.
Then came the sound of heels.
She walked into view.
Long silver hair. Red eyes. Her robes shimmered. Every step was graceful.
"Rise," she said.
He didn't move—still stunned. A guard kicked him in the ribs.
He gasped and scrambled to his knees.
The woman gestured to a robed man beside her. "Begin the ritual."
The priest unrolled a scroll. Strange words spilled from his mouth—yet somehow, he understood every one.
[Binding Ritual Initiated]Subject: Unknown Male Contractor: Princess Asthia of the Ninth FlameSystem Type: Obedience Protocol→ Loyalty Required→ Resistance Detected→ Adjusting Compatibility... Success.
[System Installed]→ Obedience Mode: ON→ Punishment Trigger: 90% Disobedience→ Reward EXP: Enabled
The scroll vanished in a burst of golden ash.
A crushing weight dropped onto him. His arms trembled. His head lowered on its own.
Then—clarity.
[You are now bound to Princess Asthia.]Disobedience will result in pain.Obey to earn power.
Class: Bodyguard (Lv. 1)EXP: 0 / 100
She crouched in front of him, lifting his chin with a finger.
Her skin was warm. Her voice was soft. "You belong to me now," she said. "Serve well, and you'll live. Disobey… and I'll enjoy breaking you."
A flash appeared across his sight.
[New Command: Follow the Princess]
His legs moved. He couldn't stop them.
She turned. He followed.
The halls were wide and quiet. Stone dragons curled along the walls. Floating lights drifted above their heads. Servants bowed as they passed.
[Location Unlocked: Serpent Wing – Royal District][+5 EXP for Obedience][Skill Fragment: Threat Perception Lv. 0.1][Loyalty Sync: 3%]
Finally, they entered a velvet-lined chamber. Pillows, incense, and a hot bath. Everything was soft, rich, and too perfect.
She lounged across a chaise, watching him.
"Do you find me attractive?" she asked casually.
His mouth moved on its own.
"...Yes."
[Command Fulfilled: +10 EXP][Loyalty Sync: 5%]
The princess smiled.
"Good," she said. "A man guards what he wants. Remember that."
She turned to the window, hands clasped behind her back. Below, the empire stretched endlessly under a blood-orange sky.
Asthia turned from the window and walked past him with unhurried grace. Her fingers traced the rim of a golden basin as steam curled lazily from the water.
"You may wait outside," she said without looking back. "I don't need you watching me bathe."
He didn't speak. His legs moved again, obeying the silent pulse of the system. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
He stood still, just beyond the chamber—heart finally slowing.
And then it hit him.
A wave—sudden and overwhelming. Not pain. Not magic.
Memories.
They poured into him like water into a broken dam.
Faces. Names.
The boy's name was Reth. Nineteen. Born in the outer city. Low bloodline, no noble name—yet exceptional talent. Fast, sharp, and handsome enough to turn heads wherever he went.
Too proud for his own good.
The emperor's scouts had spotted him during a royal festival. Offered a position—bodyguard to the Ninth Flame Princess herself. A dream post. Wealth. Prestige. Power.
Reth refused.
He said he wouldn't bow to anyone. Not even royalty.
He was dragged off the streets by men in black armor a week later.
His memories after that were broken—flashes of chains, a dungeon, screaming. A room filled with incense. Runes. The ritual.
Then nothing.
Now, he was here. In Reth's body.
[Memory Assimilation: 67% Complete]
[Body Synchronization: Stable]
[System Notice]→ You possess 30% of original host's combat instincts→ Skill unlocked: Basic Sword Technique (Lv. 1)
He exhaled, leaning against the stone wall.
So the guy had talent. Pride, too much of it. Refused the best job he'd ever be offered—and it cost him everything.
Now this body was his.
And he had no choice but to do what Reth wouldn't.
Serve.
A soft chime blinked in his vision.
[Loyalty Sync: 6%][Title Pending: "Bound Blade"][Side Quest Unlocked: Survive 7 Days Without Triggering Punishment]
The door creaked open. Steam drifted out. Asthia emerged, dressed now in a dark robe tied with gold thread. Her hair was still damp, skin glowing faintly from the heat.
She glanced at him once, then walked ahead.
"Come."
He followed again, silent.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he had to.
And somewhere deep down, he knew—this palace, this empire, this woman… they were all dangerous.
But he also knew something else.
If Reth's pride got him chained, his own survival would come from submission… until he could figure out how to flip the game.
He had died—he was sure of it. He remembered the thud of his head hitting tile. The crack. The silence. And now this?
He followed in silence, but inside, his mind raced.
Transmigration. Reincarnation. System binding. Obedience protocol.
If someone had told him yesterday that this would happen, he'd have laughed. But now—he couldn't deny it. He had read enough webnovels, watched enough anime, consumed enough late-night isekai trash to recognize the pattern.
Dead on Earth. Woke up somewhere else. In someone else's body. A system slapped on. A princess with red eyes who might kill him for blinking wrong.
It was textbook.
The kind of story he used to escape real life.
And now he was inside one.
He swallowed, lips dry.