I Accidentally Became The Evil Princess Of This Empire

Jinny heard the distant chirping of birds. She yawned, rubbing her eyes groggily. Had she fallen asleep? Slowly, she opened her eyes—only to be met with an unfamiliar sight.

To her shock, she wasn't in the mansion.

"W-Where am I?" she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper.

Towering trees surrounded her, their thick foliage casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. A forest? But how? When did she even leave home? She racked her brain, trying to recall how she ended up in this place.

Then, it hit her.

Flashes of memory rushed through her mind. Her brothers—she had seen them staring at one of the mansion's paintings. Then, a sudden blinding light had engulfed everything, and—

She gasped.

This is impossible!

Had that mysterious light transported her here? No, that couldn't be. It had to be a dream. Desperate to wake up, she pinched her cheek.

"Ouch!"

Nothing changed. The trees, the cool breeze, the damp earth beneath her—it was all real. She wasn't dreaming.

Fear crept into her chest as she stood up. What if a wild animal appeared out of nowhere? What if something was lurking in the shadows? The uncertainty sent chills down her spine.

Just then, a sound reached her ears—the distant thunder of hooves pounding against the ground. Horses! People!

Hope flared within her. Maybe they could help!

She ran toward the noise, her heart pounding as fast as the approaching horses. But in her rush, she failed to notice the riders charging straight at her.

"Aahh!"

She barely had time to react before a horse nearly trampled her. Stumbling backward, she fell onto the ground, her breath hitching.

The mounted soldiers came to an abrupt halt. Fierce gazes bore down on her, their eyes sharp and unyielding. Their uniforms were stained with blood—had they just returned from battle?

"How dare you appear out of nowhere? Do you have a death wish?" one of the knights barked.

"I-I'm sorry…" Jinny stammered, her voice trembling.

The knights, clearly in a hurry, barely spared her another glance.

"Tsk. Leave her. We must report to His Majesty immediately!" the chief knight ordered.

With that, the soldiers prepared to move on—except for one.

A knight at the back of the formation halted in front of Jinny, his sharp gaze softening as he looked down at her.

"What are you doing?" another knight asked impatiently.

"She looks pitiful. She might be a victim of the war. I'll help her," the knight replied.

"Ha! Do whatever you want. Just don't fall behind," the other scoffed before galloping ahead with the rest.

The knight extended his hand toward Jinny, his voice gentle.

"Don't worry, you're safe now."

Her hands were still trembling, but she reached for his, allowing him to pull her up. He helped her onto his horse, and as they rode off, she released a shaky sigh of relief.

At least someone was willing to help.

But questions still plagued her mind.

A war? Was this place at war?

And more importantly… how had she ended up here?

.

.

Jinny remained silent throughout the journey, her mind swirling with unanswered questions. It wasn't until they arrived at an enormous palace—so massive and grand that it left her in awe—that she snapped out of her daze.

The knight who had helped her dismounted and called over a servant.

"You can stay with them for now," he said.

She hesitated before nodding. "T-Thank you."

She wanted to ask his name, but before she could, the other knights called for him. Without another word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the palace. Jinny could only watch as he left, her unspoken question lingering in the air.

"Where are you from?" a female servant asked, studying her curiously.

"Me?..." Jinny faltered. How was she supposed to answer that?

"I... I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "What is this place?"

The servants exchanged uneasy glances.

"Poor thing," an elderly woman murmured. "Have you lost your memories because of the war?"

"It must have been too traumatic for her," an old man added. "The shock likely left her confused."

"Can you at least remember your name?" a younger maid, who seemed to be around Jinny's age, asked gently.

Jinny swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-Yeah... I'm Jinny Fuentebella."

The old man frowned. "Fuentebella? I've never heard that family name before."

"Well, whatever your origins, you're safe here," the elderly woman assured her. "I'm Nelly, the head maid of the palace."

"And I'm Thomas," the old man said with a warm smile. "I'm the cook around here."

"I'm Nene," the younger maid chimed in. "I work as a palace maid, too."

Jinny managed a small smile. "Nice to meet you all."

"You must be exhausted after everything," Nelly said kindly. "Come, let me help you change into something more comfortable."

"Thank you," Jinny replied softly, following her down the hallway. Nene trailed behind, eager to help.

As they walked, Jinny tried to make sense of everything. "I don't remember how I got here," she confessed. "When I woke up, I was already in the forest. Then I heard horses approaching and saw the knights..."

Nelly glanced at her thoughtfully. "You must be from a foreign land. Your skin is far too fair—not something common among the commoners. You look just like a noblewoman."

"Maybe you are a noble lady!" Nene speculated. "Perhaps you were captured by the enemy and somehow escaped?"

Jinny bit her lip. "I... I don't know. I really don't remember."

Both Nelly and Nene exchanged sympathetic looks.

In their eyes, she was just another victim of the war—a young woman whose past had been erased by trauma.

.

When they arrived at the servants' quarters, the maids handed Jinny a set of clean clothes and guided her to take a bath. The warm water soothed her tense muscles, washing away the dirt and fatigue from her unexpected journey. Once she had changed, Nelly and the others sat her down and explained the situation.

"In exchange for staying here, you'll need to work as a servant and help with daily tasks," Nelly told her gently. "At least until your memories return."

Jinny nodded. It wasn't like she had any other choice.

They also told her about the war that had been plaguing the empire.

A foreign nation had declared war against them, but the real devastation came when several members of the ministry and noble houses betrayed the emperor, siding with the enemy. What should have been a short-lived conflict turned into a long and bloody war, one that had been raging for over a year.

Countless soldiers had died protecting the empire. Innocent civilians had been caught in the crossfire. And yet, despite all the sacrifices, the war showed no signs of ending.

To make matters worse, the emperor himself had fallen ill under a curse, leaving the empire vulnerable. If the former emperor had still been alive—if he hadn't perished on his ill-fated expedition—perhaps things would have been different. The regent, too, had gone missing, leaving the empire with no strong leadership.

....

Jinny took a deep breath, trying to process everything.

She still had no idea how to return to her world. But if she remembered correctly, her brothers had been engulfed by the same mysterious light from the painting.

If she had been transported here… then there was a chance her brothers were here too.

She had to believe that.

But how was she supposed to find them? Where would she even begin?

"Jinny, can you help me?" Nene's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Coming!" she called back, quickly making her way to help hang the freshly washed laundry outside.

As she worked, she noticed a group of knights returning from their patrol. Her heart leapt slightly when she spotted the knight who had saved her before. Without thinking, she hurried toward him.

"Uhm… Excuse me?" she said shyly.

The knight turned to her and smiled. "Oh, it's you. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, lowering her head slightly. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me the other day. I owe you my life." She bowed deeply.

The knight's smile softened. "No need for that. It's my duty to help those in need."

He was about to leave when Jinny hesitated before speaking again.

"B-By the way…"

He stopped and turned back to her. "Do you need something?"

"I… I just wanted to ask your name," she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The knight chuckled. "Ah, I'm Yehuda."

Jinny smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sir Yehuda. My name is Jin—"

Before she could finish, the other knights called for him.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Yehuda said quickly before running off to join his group.

Jinny watched as he disappeared with the rest of the knights. She pouted slightly but then smiled to herself.

At least now she knew his name.

Yehuda…