The first he knew was pain.
A stabbing, fiery shock that shot up his spine. He gasped, eyes wide open. Cold marble beneath his cheek. A knife against his throat.
He was not in his small apartment anymore.
No ceiling fan to spin lazily above. No broken bulb to illuminate the room. Only gold pillars, red banners, and torches aflame dancing along a huge throne hall.
On the other end of the hall sat a throne of dark stone—twisted, jagged, and covered in dark silk.
Scores of guards ringed him, blades out. Their faces were masks, expressions unreadable.
Then came the click of heels.
She entered sight.
Silver hair, long. Red eyes. Her robes glimmered. Every movement was a dance.
"Rise," she said.
He did not move—still dazed. A guard kicked him in the ribs.
He gasped and struggled to his knees.
The woman nodded to a robed man standing next to her. "Start the ritual."
The priest unwound a scroll.
dd words poured from his lips—yet somehow, he knew each one.
[Binding Ritual Initiated]
Subject: Unknown Male Contractor: Princess Asthia of the Ninth Flame
System Type: Obedience Protocol→ Loyalty Required→ Resistance Detected→ Adjusting Compatibility.
Success.
[System Installed]→ Obedience Mode: ON→ Punishment Trigger: 90% Disobedience→ Reward EXP:
Enabled
The scroll disappeared in a cloud 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 face was warm. Her voice was gentle. "You are mine now," she said. "Obey well, and you'll survive. Disobey… and I'll have fun breaking you."
A glint was before his eye.
[New Command: Obey the Princess]
His legs stirred. He couldn't halt them.
She went. He followed.
The corridors were broad and silent. Stone dragons coiled upon the walls. Drifting lights floated above them. Servants bowed as they walked.
[Location Unlocked: Serpent Wing – Royal District]
[+5 EXP for Obedience]
[Skill Fragment: Threat Perception Lv. 0.1]
[Loyalty Sync: 3%]
At last, they stepped into a velvet-lined room. Pillows, incense, and a warm bath. All was soft, rich, and overly perfect.
She reclined across a chaise, observing him.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked idly.
His lips worked of their own accord.
".Yes."
[Command Fulfilled: +10 EXP]
[Loyalty Sync: 5%]
The princess smiled.
"Good," she replied. "A man protects what he desires. Keep that in mind."
She walked to the window, fingers crossed behind her back. Below, the empire lay stretched out to infinity beneath a blood-orange sky.
Asthia turned from the window and passed by him with slow, unhurried movements. Her fingertips danced along the lip of a golden basin as steam wisped lazily up from the water.
"You can wait outside," she told him without turning around. "I don't need you to watch me bathe."
He didn't respond. His legs moved once again, responding to the invisible beat of the system. The door closed softly behind him.
He froze, just outside the chamber—heart finally calming.
And then it struck him.
A wave—sudden and overwhelming. Not magic. Not pain.
Memories.
They flooded into him like water into a broken dam.
Faces. Names.
The kid's name was Reth. Nineteen. Outer city born. Low blood, no noble surname—though amazing ability. Quick, bright, and good-looking enough to turn heads wherever he went.
Too cocky for his own good.
The emperor's spies had found him at a royal celebration. Made him an offer—bodyguard to the Ninth Flame Princess herself. A dream assignment. Wealth. Prestige. Power.
Reth turned it down.
He told them he would not bow to anyone. Not even royalty.
He was taken off the streets by men in black armor a week later.
His recollections after that were fragmented—glimpses of chains, a dungeon, screams. An incense-filled room. Runes. The ritual.
And then nothing.
Now, here he was. In Reth's body.
[Memory Assimilation: 67% Complete]
[Body Synchronization: Stable]
[System Notice]→ You have 30% of original host's combat instincts→ Skill unlocked: Basic Sword Technique (Lv. 1)
He let out a breath, resting against the stone wall.
So the man possessed ability. Pride, an excess of it. Turned down the greatest job he'd ever get—and lost everything.
Now this corpse was his.
And he had no other option but to do what Reth refused.
Serve.
A gentle ring flashed in his field of view.
[Loyalty Sync: 6%]
[Title Pending: "Bound Blade"]
[Side Quest Unlocked: Survive 7 Days Without Triggering Punishment]
The door groaned open. Steam wafted out. Asthia stepped out, now wearing a black robe with gold cord. Her hair was damp, skin softly aglow from heat.
She looked at him once, then proceeded ahead.
"Come."
He followed once more, in silence.
Not because he desired to.
Because he had to.
And somewhere in the depths of his mind, he knew—this palace, this empire, this woman… all of them were perilous.
But he knew something else.
If Reth's pride had gotten him bound, his own survival would be through capitulation… until he could reverse the game.
He had died—he was positive. He recalled the thud of his head on tile. The crack. The stillness. And now this?
He trailed silently, but in his head, his mind spun.
Transmigration. Reincarnation. System binding. Obedience protocol.
If someone had been telling him this yesterday, he would have laughed in their face. But now—he couldn't dispute it. He'd read enough webnovels, seen enough anime, devoured enough late-night isekai junk to know the formula.
Dead on Earth. Woke up somewhere other than where he was. In someone else's body. A system imposed. A princess with red eyes who could probably kill him for blinking out of turn.
It was textbook.
The type of story he used to get away from real life.
And now he was within one.
He swallowed, dry lips.