I never thought I'd die like this.
Not in some glorious battle, not peacefully in my sleep at eighty years old. Nope. I died while sprinting across the street in broad daylight, clutching an armful of adult magazines like they were precious treasure.
The convenience store clerk had given me the most disgusted look as I paid. "Seriously? All of these?" she'd said, loud enough for the other customers to hear. My face had burned red, but I'd grabbed my shame-inducing purchase and bolted.
That's when I saw her—Truck-kun, gleaming silver in the afternoon sun, barreling toward the intersection at full speed.
I should have stopped. Should have waited for the light. But embarrassment makes you do stupid things, and I was drowning in it.
Truck-kun didn't even slow down.
The last thing I heard before the world went black was the driver yelling, "YOU DAMN PERVERT!"
Even in death, I couldn't escape the shame.
…And then I woke up.
But instead of hellfire or heaven's pearly gates, I found myself staring at an ornate silver-framed mirror with intricate elven runes carved along its edges. The room around me was massive—marble floors, silk curtains, and furniture that probably cost more than my old apartment's rent.
And the face looking back at me definitely wasn't mine.
Sharp, pointed ears peeked through silky silver hair that cascaded past my shoulders. My skin was flawless porcelain, without a single blemish or scar. My features were delicate yet strong, almost feminine but undeniably handsome. And my eyes... they glowed like emeralds caught in sunlight, with an otherworldly beauty that made my breath catch.
I was gorgeous. Devastatingly, unfairly, anime-protagonist gorgeous.
"Your Highness, you've awakened!" a maid exclaimed, rushing to my bedside.
She was young, maybe eighteen, with auburn hair tied in a neat bun and a uniform that was both modest and flattering. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her hands trembled as she adjusted the silk blanket over me. But there was something else in her expression—fear mixed with disgust.
"Thank the goddess you're safe," she continued nervously. "But please, Your Highness, promise me you won't... you won't climb the eastern balcony again to peek at the palace maids during their evening baths!"
"Eh?" I blurted out, my new voice smooth and melodic.
Wait. What?
Another maid—this one older, with graying hair and a stern expression—whispered harshly from the doorway. "Lower your voice, Clara. The Third Prince has clearly returned to his shameless ways. Look at that perverted grin."
I touched my face. Was I grinning? I didn't even realize.
"The poor princess will be mortified when she hears he's awake," the older maid continued. "Just yesterday he was caught hiding in the laundry room, sniffing the female servants' undergarments."
My jaw dropped.
Third Prince?
Shameless?
Undergarment sniffing?
The pieces clicked together like a horrible puzzle. I hadn't just reincarnated into some random fantasy world—I had taken over the body of an Elf Prince with the worst possible reputation. This guy was apparently the kingdom's most notorious pervert.
The maids continued whispering about "His Highness's disgusting habits" and "another scandal waiting to happen." Their words stung, but then something clicked in my mind.
Actually... this was perfect.
If everyone already thought I was hopeless trash, then I could use that reputation as the ultimate camouflage. No one would ever suspect that behind this perverted prince's antics was someone with actual brains and ambition. I could manipulate, scheme, and climb my way to power while everyone dismissed me as a harmless deviant.
A slow, calculating smile spread across my face.
"Don't worry," I said smoothly, testing my new voice and enjoying how melodic it sounded. "From now on, I'll be a very different kind of pervert."
Both maids gasped, their faces going pale.
"What... what do you mean by that, Your Highness?" Clara stammered.
I leaned back against the silk pillows, already plotting my next moves. The previous owner of this body had been a brute-force pervert—all action, no subtlety. But I would be different. I would be smart about it.
"You'll see," I said with a mysterious chuckle.
But first, I needed to confirm something important about my new body. Something any man would need to verify after a transmigration like this.
I reached under the blanket.
The maids screamed and fled from the room.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Well," I said to my empty chamber, "at least that part made the transition intact."
This new life was going to be very interesting indeed.