Surely There's One to the Princess' Taste (9 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1

[Imperial Prince Consort Selection Contest of the Aivem Empire]

A contest was held to find a spouse for the Empire’s princess, ‘Arlene Aivem’.

The opening ceremony of the tournament was about to begin shortly in the amphitheater.

The interior of the arena was already packed with spectators.

Choosing a royal consort through a contest—how astonishing!

Everyone was eagerly chatting about this extraordinary event.

“Is it really true that whoever wins this contest will marry Her Highness the Princess?”

“They say so, don’t they? It’s open to all, regardless of status! Anyone with talent can marry the Princess!”

“I heard the boy next door signed up for this contest too.”

“Oh dear, it’s not just that boy! Every young man in the Empire must’ve applied!”

This unprecedented contest had been the talk of the town for days.

Moreover, Princess Arlene was famously the Empire’s greatest beauty.

Thus, countless young men had gathered, hoping to marry her.

But this contest was by no means easy.

Tens of thousands had applied, yet most had been eliminated during the grueling preliminary rounds.

And now, finally, today—

The carefully selected contestants were about to make their first public appearance before the Empire’s citizens.

Soon after, the host stepped onto the stage.

His figure was magnified on the large magical display installed behind the stage.

Holding a microphone-shaped amplifying magic tool, the host shouted toward the audience.

“Citizens of the Empire, welcome! The Aivem Empire’s Prince Consort Selection Contest begins at last!”

“Wooaaah—!”

A thunderous cheer erupted from the stands.

The opening ceremony had commenced.

On stage, dazzling spectacles unfolded one after another.

Yet the audience’s attention was fixed elsewhere.

The contestants themselves were scheduled to perform the grand finale of the opening ceremony.

It was rumored that something extraordinary—kept utterly secret until now—awaited them.

What kind of performance could it be?

Since they were potential prince consorts, would they present refined classical music? Or perhaps a sword dance?

Moreover, an odd rumor had been circulating throughout the Empire.

It was said that ‘they’ had entered the contest.

It seemed utterly unbelievable.

Of all people, those individuals would never, ever participate in such an event.

Thus, the audience’s anticipation had reached its peak.

Everyone was impatient to see the contestants as soon as possible.

…Though, of course, not everyone shared that sentiment.

In a corner of the stands, someone sat with a deeply serious expression.

Prodia Duser, daughter of Count Duser.

A sharp-featured woman with long, straight black hair like the night sky.

While everyone else enjoyed the opening ceremony, only her expression remained grave.

‘It’s about time they showed up.’

Her violet eyes, fixed on the stage, betrayed a hint of impatience.

Because she wasn’t merely a spectator…

She was a producer.

Just then, the host raised his voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The moment has come to unveil the contestants’ joint performance—the grand finale of our opening ceremony!”

“Wooaah!”

The loudest cheer yet poured forth from the crowd.

The lights dimmed, and the entire arena fell into darkness.

The audience hushed.

Prodia, too, focused intently on the stage.

Blue spotlights brightly illuminated the stage.

Pop—

A beautiful melody flowed out as white mist blanketed the stage.

Gradually, the contestants began ascending onto the stage.

Thud.

Their faces appeared one by one, magnified on the giant screen behind them.

“……!”

The audience forgot even to breathe upon seeing those faces.

Indeed, just as the rumors claimed, they possessed astonishing beauty.

The contestants walked confidently to their assigned positions on stage.

A magnificent sight unfolded as handsome men, each with their own distinct charm, filled the stage.

But then—

When one particular face filled the screen, the audience froze in place.

“Th-that’s…!”

No one could believe their own eyes.

“It really is the eldest son of the Northern Grand Duke!”

And that wasn’t all.

“The Archmage of the Magic Tower is here too!”

The murmuring grew even louder.

“Wasn’t that man supposed to become the Southern Admiral?”

“And why’s the Guild Master’s heir here? A prince consort can’t even hold a profession!”

“E-even a Priest of the Grand Temple…!”

The rumors were true.

The audience fell into chaos.

At the same time, a bitter smile crept onto Prodia’s lips.

‘Yep, just as expected—total pandemonium.’

My contestant’s already drawing attention; that’s nothing but trouble. Now they’ll just attract unnecessary rivalry.

But look at my girl’s face.

Just then, her contestant flashed Prodia a bright, cheerful smile.

Immediately, delighted shrieks erupted from nearby women.

“Kyaaah! He just smiled at me, right?!”

“Is he even human? He’s way too handsome—!”

Prodia resigned herself to fate.

Well, the game’s already over from the moment they see his face.

With that kind of looks, how could he possibly avoid drawing attention?

Anyway, the audience still hadn’t recovered from their shock.

At that moment—

“Citizens of the Empire!”

“We humbly ask for your support—!”

Suddenly, the contestants bowed deeply toward the audience at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

The crowd sensed something odd.

These were men who might become the prince consort.

Why were they bowing so formally?

But as the contestants aligned themselves, the audience quickly quieted down.

After all, the performance was about to begin.

Everyone noticed they were all dressed impeccably in elegant blue uniforms—clearly preparing for a choir performance.

The audience focused on the stage once more.

But then—

Ding-ding, tra-la-ding~!

Unexpectedly, a cheerful, upbeat prelude suddenly played.

Huh?

Would the Imperial Household really use such a frivolous melody?

Moreover, the lyrics that followed also felt… somewhat odd.

[We don’t know what kind of man the Princess likes~]

“Huh…?”

[So we’ve all prepared everything we’ve got.]

And it didn’t end there.

Now the contestants began dancing in perfect unison to this unfamiliar, energetic, yet bizarre music.

“?!?”

It wasn’t a graceful sword dance or an elegant performance.

Numerous handsome men vigorously shook their bodies in rhythm with the beat.

Yet not a single movement was out of sync—it was a flawlessly precise group dance.

Well, it was certainly spectacular, but… still felt a bit strange?

While everyone else was bewildered, only Lady Prodia Duser remained calm.

Because she knew the secret behind this contest.

And now, the song was about to reach its climax.

The next lyrics immediately followed.

[Surely one of us must be her type~]

“?!”

[Among us, there’s got to be at least one who matches the Princess’s taste~!]

As everyone else stared in disbelief, only Prodia silently screamed inwardly.

‘What kind of prince consort selection contest is this?!’

[This is the timeline separator]

Prodia Duser.

She had remembered her past life ever since birth.

Of course, she understood the reason better than anyone else.

It was to atone for the sins of her previous life.

‘Sigh…’

Prodia recalled her past life.

Pyeon Sung-yeon, an entertainment producer from the Republic of Korea.

She had reached the height of her career after successfully producing the idol audition program ‘Produce After Work!’.

To maintain nationwide interest, devilish editing was essential.

Countless boys’ dreams had been crushed because of it—but she hadn’t cared.

“As long as the ratings were good.”

A producer who sacrificed contestants as offerings through malicious editing.

Someone who would stop at nothing to achieve profit.

That was exactly who Pyeon Sung-yeon had been.

Then, one day, she suddenly died of a heart attack.

Overwork had been the cause.

Soon, her soul was summoned before a god.

A completely white, empty space where nothing existed.

Her soul looked around, confused.

‘Where on earth is this?’

Just moments ago, she’d been at the broadcasting station—

Then, a faint figure appeared before her eyes.

‘Is that a person?’

Gradually, the mist cleared, revealing his form.

He radiated pure, brilliant whiteness.

Upon seeing his face, her words caught in her throat.

‘……!’

He was truly, impossibly perfect.

If one gathered all the beauty in the world and shaped it into a human form, it would look exactly like this.

So, without even realizing it, she thought:

‘Who even is this guy showing up after auditions are over? He’s totally center material.’

“You just thought, ‘That guy’s totally center material,’ didn’t you?”

“?!”

Seeing the beautiful being before her read her mind, she was utterly flustered.

“W-who are you?!”

He gave a faint smile.

“Me? I’m God.”

God?

“You’re dead.”

“……!”

Suddenly, it all came back to her.

She clearly remembered clutching her chest and collapsing onto the floor at the broadcasting station.

‘So I really died? Nooo—!’

She’d just made her audition program a hit, was about to be headhunted with a huge salary offer—and was riding high on success!

The being who claimed to be God clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Still thinking about that sinful program? You really haven’t come to your senses yet.”

“Huh…?”

“But that’s fine. When you’ve done wrong, you just need to accept your punishment.”

“?!”

As soon as those words left his mouth, God extended a finger toward her.

Immediately, chains of pure white light shot forth and bound her body.

“Uwaaah!”

No matter how hard she struggled, it was useless—the chains only dug deeper into her flesh.

She groaned in agony.

“G-guh… P-please spare me…!”

God slowly approached her.

“Now then, let’s pass judgment on the soul of the sinner, Pyeon Sung-yeon.”

God spoke with a cold expression.

“For the sin of wounding pure souls through devilish editing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, her vision blurred, and memories of her past life surfaced.

“……!”

She saw a contestant being publicly shamed after her maliciously edited footage aired.

She saw him suffering in pain.

Yet she herself had laughed, delighted by the high ratings.

“Th-this… I mean!”

She had to make some excuse.

But… what could she possibly say?

She’d known full well what she was doing—that child was meant to be the sacrificial lamb.

While she hesitated, God spoke to her once more.

“Originally, I intended to lock you in Hell’s Editing Room for a million years…”

What? Hell?

You expect me to edit for a million years?!

That’s literal hell—just throw me into fire instead!

God then gave her a slight smirk.

“But I’ve decided to show mercy and grant you one more chance.”

“A… chance?”

“Yes.”

With that, God flicked his fingers.

The chains of light binding her instantly dispersed.

She was alive.

Pyeon Sung-yeon quickly dropped to her knees before God.

“I’ll do anything! Just tell me what you wish, O God!”

If it meant avoiding editing hell, what wouldn’t she do?

But instead of answering, God simply waved a finger sideways.

Her soul began slowly fading into the air.

“……?!”

As she panicked, God smiled at her with gentle benevolence.

“Sinful soul, this time, use your producing skills to do some good.”

Producing… to do good?

Desperately, she cried out.

“O God, what exactly am I supposed to produce?!”

But she never heard God’s reply.

As her soul fragmented and scattered, her consciousness drifted further and further away.

And not long after—

Her new life began in a small cradle.