The seven dwarves exchanged awkward glances, unsure how to explain the situation to the prince.

“Your Highness, it’s nothing important,” one of them said, attempting to pull Prince Henry away.

But Henry simply grabbed a chair, sat down, and stared intently at the woman inside the crystal coffin.

“She’s absolutely stunning. Can I just admire her for a little longer?”

The dwarves had no choice but to let him be while they went to clean up the dishes.

Prince Henry kept his gaze locked on the Queen, utterly captivated by her beauty. She was far more enchanting than his fiancée back in the Western Asia Kingdom.

—ThatCinderellawith her four oddly shaped feet, who constantly dodged him in fear that he’d discover her secret.

“I mean… if I just kiss her once… just one little kiss… it should be fine, right?”

The only witnesses were two tiny hamsters nibbling on fruit on the windowsill. The door was only slightly ajar, leaving just a small gap.

Gathering his courage, he quietly lifted the crystal coffin’s lid and leaned down toward the Queen’s lips.

Then—

“Oh my god, are you a necrophile?” a voice suddenly blurted out.

“Absolutely! What kind of person is intodead women?” a second voice chimed in.

“See? Itoldyou he’d do it! You didn’t believe me!” a third voice gloated.

“Fine, fine, I lost the bet. I’ll do the chores today,” a fourth voice grumbled.

“This is insane!”

“Human interests are beyond our understanding!”

The last two voices sighed in unison.

Henry whirled around in shock—only to seeall seven dwarvescrammed at the doorway, watching him with expressions ranging from smug to horrified.

“AHHHHHH! You scared me half to death!”

Crash!

Startled, Prince Henry lost his balance and fell backward, slamming into the crystal coffin.

He then buried his face in his hands and wailed,

“I’mdoomed!My life isover!I’ll never live this down!”

“Now the whole world will think the second prince of the Western Asia Kingdom is a necrophile!”

Henry burst into tears.

His attendants rushed in, trying to console their distraught prince.

“There, there, Your Highness, it’s alright,” Rhine said, appearing behind him at some unknown point. “For the sake of your brother Eric, Aurora and I won’t tell anyone.” ⱤἈＮȰ𝖇ƐŜ

Henry flinched. “Wait—you twoare here?!”

Aurora, who had arrived with Rhine, pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

“Are youreallyEric’s brother? How is hesomuch more mature than you?”

—At this point, the magic of theFalse Loveperfume had already been dispelled by Rhine. Aurora had returned to her true appearance in everyone’s eyes.

Henry’s jaw dropped. “AHHHHHH!”

He staggered back, eyes darting between them.

“Grand Magician Rhine?! And hispretty assistant—when did you two get here?!”

Rhine shrugged.

“We’ve been watching since you entered the room. Remember the two hamsters on the windowsill? That was us.”

Henry turned pale.

“So you saw me about to kiss a dead body?! AHHHHHH! My reputation, my life, myeverythingis ruined!”

His vision went dark, and he collapsed.

Rhine chuckled.

He had been wondering how Prince Henry would end up involved in this story, given thatSnow Whitehad never actually been poisoned in this timeline.

In the end, fate had chosen to drag him into the tale in this ridiculous way.

"A prince waking a sleeping beauty with a kiss… where have I heard that before?"Rhine mused.

"If you lived long enough, I bet the original story had you waking up Sleeping Beauty Aurora the same way, too."

Just then, the crystal coffinshook.

“…Huh? I think I just had a really long nap,” the Queen murmured, rubbing her forehead groggily.

Dazed, she slowly sat up inside the crystal coffin.

When Prince Henry had crashed into it, the poisoned apple had dislodged from her throat.

Now, she was awake.

Her memory was scattered, but she vaguely recalled dressing as an old peddler woman, crossing the mountains, and arriving at this forest.

“What happened after that? Ugh, my head hurts…”

She turned her gaze and immediately locked eyes with Rhine and Aurora.

Cold reality struck her like a bucket of ice water.

“Wait… Itriedto kill them, didn’t I?”

“But Ifailed—my magic had no effect on them…”

“My disguise is gone! I’m back to my true form! No, no, no—my identity is exposed! And these two kids must bepowerfulfigures!”

Panic flooded her thoughts.

She hastily covered her face, trying to hide from Henry, the attendants, and the dwarves.

—Which was utterly pointless.

Henry and the dwarves hadstared at her for hourswhile she was unconscious. Even if she were burned to ashes, they’d still recognize her.

But in her freshly woken state, she wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

Scrambling out of the coffin, the Queen bolted out the door—stumbling past everyone in the cottage—before running into the forest toward the capital.

“…Whowasthat?” one of Henry’s attendants scratched his head.

“She kinda looks like the Queen of the White Kingdom,” another muttered.

“No way. Maybe she just looks similar?”

“I mean… the Queenisknown for being a diligent ruler. Maybe she was undercover, checking on the common folk, and took a nap here?”

“…That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Wow, the Queen issodown-to-earth.”

“…Unlike our dear Prince Henry.”

“…Hush! Don’t let him hear you!”

Meanwhile, as the Queen fled into the forest, Rhine and Aurora silently followed her.

This left Prince Henry staring blankly at the open doorway.

“…Wait. That woman in the crystal coffin wasalive?”

Henry blinked.

“…So she was justsleepinginside the coffin? That’s… anoddhobby.”

Then—

A horrifying realization dawned on him.

He let out abloodcurdling scream.

“Oh no.Shesaw me kiss her! Thecorpseherself saw it!!!”

“My life, my honor—IT’S ALL OVER!”

Henry clutched his chest. His vision darkened.

And he fainted.

“Your Highness! Are you alright?!”

His attendants rushed to his side, pulling out a bottle of smelling salts and waving it under his nose.

Henry groggily opened his eyes, regaining a shred of his senses.

He turned to his attendants.

“…That woman clearly had refined features. She wasn’t a commoner—probably a noble or someone from a wealthy household. Do you have any idea who she might be?”

Henry had already made up his mind.

As soon as he returned to the city, he wouldfind her familyand bribe them into silence.

Hecould notlet the story of "Prince Henry kissing a sleeping woman in a coffin" get out.

It wasn’t justhisreputation at stake—it was theentire Western Asia Kingdom’s!

“Yeah, yeah, that’s it,” Henry reassured himself. “As long as I spend enough money, this problem will disappear.”

His attendants exchanged uneasy glances.

Then, one of them hesitantly spoke.

“…She’s the Queen of the White Kingdom.”

“TheactualQueen. The leader of the kingdom’s reforms.”

“She was probably just resting here during a secret royal inspection.”

Henry’s pupils shrank.

The world spun.

And for thethirdtime that day—

He fainted.

“Your Highness! Wake up!”

His attendants panicked.

Meanwhile, in the forest—

The Queen whistled sharply, and within moments, a flying broomstick swooped down to her side, hovering in midair.

She climbed onto it.

“Take me to the capital—fast.”

Her mind raced.

“How long have I been missing? The King must be worried sick. He’s probably sent the entire army looking for me.”

“What about the kingdom? What if rebels took this chance to rise up?”

“Did the Magic Mirror despair at my disappearance?”

Riding her broomstick, she let the wind whip through her hair.

Then—

An idea struck her.

“Hah! Why not justsummonthe Slave Master and have her teleport me back?”

She grinned, pulling out a handheld mirror.

“Slave Master, you free? Come here and help me out.”

The mirror rippled.

On the other side, the Witch of the East stared in stunned disbelief.

*"I was just about to kill you—and you’re calling me?!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com