Chapter 002
I, Dana Lipeon, was a princess of the Empire.
As the second princess and the fourth child of the Emperor, my rank was somewhat ambiguous. Being a woman, I was far removed from the line of succession—a blessed birthright that should have allowed me to live my life like a flower in a greenhouse.
That is, if I hadn’t been born with these cursed eyes.
“It’s a curse! A curse has fallen upon her!”
From birth, I possessed deep indigo hair and golden eyes. These traits were the polar opposite of the platinum blonde hair and blue eyes that symbolized the Imperial family. Because of this, priests and royals alike pointed fingers at me, calling my birth a cursed omen.
If it had only been my unusual appearance, the persecution might have ended quickly. However, my childhood followed with a series of misfortunes, as if I truly were struck by a divine curse.
‘Did you hear? The Princess’s wet nurse hanged herself!’
‘A chandelier fell during her debutante ball…’
‘Her playmate was found in the garden lake! It was a depth a child could never reach!’
‘With such continuous misfortune, she must truly be the reincarnation of a demon!’
An inexplicable darkness always loomed around me. At first, I tried to make excuses, claiming it wasn’t my fault, but I stopped around the age of ten. One by one, the attendants who listened to my story either died or left my side, unable to overcome their fear. Eventually, when the playmate I used to share my heart with died, I became unable to even cry.
It seemed the curse even gnawed at my health; I grew more haggard by the day. Finally, before I even reached adulthood, the curse robbed me of my freedom to walk. By the time rumors about me had spread to every corner of the Empire, my father… the Emperor, abandoned me.
“How unsightly. Never show your face before me again.”
He sent me to a detached palace far from the main palace under the guise of “recuperation.” In truth, it was no different from imprisonment. The Emperor who threw me away, the Empress who treated me as a non-existent child, and my siblings who turned a blind eye. I was left behind by all of them, living alone in the detached palace.
‘What a horrific life.’
Whenever I had to attend Imperial events in a wheelchair, I was ignored like a weed in a wall and forced to endure insulting remarks. As this cycle repeated, even the servants of the detached palace began to look down on me. I wondered if it would be better to die quickly; by the time I became an adult, even my will to live had vanished.
‘It seems everyone wants me to die sooner.’
At some point, I noticed there was poison in my meals. Based on my observations over ten years, the culprit was obvious. I felt a brief sting of betrayal, but it passed quickly. I silently accepted the sweet poison hidden beneath various spices.
‘If I don’t eat it, I’ll starve to death anyway, so there’s no other way.’
Time passed until the day came when I couldn’t even leave my bed, let alone go outside.
‘This is really the end.’
I felt the poison in my meal was stronger than before. It seemed those who wished for my death had finally decided on my cause of passing.
“…I will eat well.”
I swallowed my anger and resentment along with the meal. Afterward, I put on my cleanest nightgown, applied fragrant oils to my hair for the first time in a long while, and lay down in bed. I prayed devoutly before sleeping, hoping that whoever cleaned up my corpse wouldn’t be cursed.
I closed my eyes and cast my fading consciousness toward the distant marsh of death. Just as I thought this wretched, hopeless life was finally ending…
[Really?]
I heard a whisper.
[Do you truly have no regrets?]
The dying me… no, the dead me, obviously couldn’t answer. But a voice began to represent my feelings as it pleased.
[I hate this. For a human who deserves happiness to die so miserably—it’s too horrific. Besides, to give up so helplessly… that’s not like you.]
The voice spoke with a peculiar chuckle.
[It shouldn’t end like this, Dana. You, me, we… we don’t want this conclusion. Actually, you want to live more, don’t you? You want to be happy?]
‘Is there anyone who actually wants to die?’
It was a question that didn’t even need an answer.
[I want to live more. I don’t want to give up on being human. I like humans.]
It was a nonsensical conversation. The voice seemed to be responding to the cries of my soul, yet it changed the subject at its own whim. The way it spoke was strange, too—like a being from another world who had just learned the human language.
[So, let’s take one more chance. It’s okay, I’m here.]
Was it going to help me? Or was it going to take over my body?
Just as I thought I didn’t want that, the voice answered audaciously again.
[No, you misunderstood. Since you and I are one, this isn’t “helping.”]
Then what on earth is it?
[You’re simply remembering. The memories of when you were me. When the human Dana was the demon Asmo-Dina. The time when you were a demon who loved humans.]
In that moment, I opened my eyes.
* * *
“…!”
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt a gritty sensation, as if sand had been thrown into them. I blinked desperately to force out tears, only to realize late that a change had occurred in my stiff body.
‘My God, it doesn’t hurt?’
My stomach, which always felt like I had swallowed thorns; my lungs and throat, which struggled with every breath; and my limbs, which felt heavy like lead weights—they were all light. It had been so long since I felt no pain that this sensation actually felt strange.
My joy was short-lived as I grew dizzy from the hundreds of years of memories flooding my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut again.
‘Asmo-Dina.’
The name of the voice that spoke to me at the threshold of death… no, my name from the past. Only then did I realize these were memories of a previous life.
The daughter of the Demon King, the vanguard leader of the Demon Realm who seized victory in dozens of wars, and the heretic among demons who loved humans.
‘Good grief, I really was the reincarnation of a demon.’
The “delusion” of being a demon’s reincarnation, which I had tried so hard to deny as a false rumor, had become reality. I was disoriented by the sudden downpour of past memories. It wasn’t that my sense of self was shaken—our personalities were quite similar.
The problem was the sheer volume of information. It felt like I had been forced to memorize hundreds of books at once. In particular, her peculiar tastes were an issue.
‘The past me liked humans an awful lot.’
Perhaps because I was a heretic born in a Demon Realm devoid of individualism, I adored human stories. Heroic sagas, romances that transcended status, artists overcoming adversity… I had even heard jokes that I might end up marrying a human.
It was a past that didn’t fit Dana’s life, which had been defined by human betrayal. But since both were “me,” the emotions of Asmo-Dina, who loved humans, mixed with Dana’s unpleasant experiences, making me feel nauseous. It was a complex mess of loving yet wanting to hate.
Just as I was trying to suppress the past emotions and calm my heart…
“…I said!”
“Argh!”
A grating noise disturbed my ears.
‘Is someone in the bedroom?’
I wanted to focus on organizing my memories, but the noise was too loud to ignore. No matter how much of a neglected princess I was, what were they doing in someone’s bedroom? Finally, unable to hold back my anger, I spoke.
“So noisy.”
The words I uttered for the first time in a while came out smoother and easier than I expected. I was quite happy that it didn’t hurt my chest to speak, but I didn’t show it as I pushed myself up. I wanted to see with my own eyes what was causing such a racket.
“What is all this racket in someone else’s bedroom?”
Then, I was faced with an unexpected situation. A familiar man and woman were entangled. One was Hans, an attendant I occasionally saw outside the window, and the other was Lilibel, the maid who cleaned my room.
‘Is this… a romantic drama? Probably not.’
Seeing Lilibel struggling while being held by the collar and Hans radiating murderous intent, it didn’t seem like a situation that could be taken lightly.
“No… No way! I definitely killed you!”
Then, Hans began to babble incomprehensible words. My mind was still a mess, so I couldn’t understand him easily. I waved my hand and spoke.
“I don’t know exactly what the situation is… but why don’t you start by letting go of that girl’s collar?”
“You really were in league with her!”
But my words only seemed to provoke Hans further, as he swung his dagger toward Lilibel. Shocked by the sight, I reflexively thrust my right hand forward. It was an unconscious act, but the demonic power dwelling in my body faithfully carried out its master’s will.
[Shadow.]
It felt as if my past voice echoed from behind my back. At that moment, the shadows on the bedroom floor transformed into spikes and pierced Hans’s arm.
“AAAAARGH!”
Hans rolled on the floor. While I stared at him in a daze, the freed Lilibel looked at me with a bewildered expression and spoke.
“B-Black magic?”
‘Oops.’
If I had to use it, I should have used something less conspicuous! I tried to hurry and make an excuse, but Lilibel was faster.
“Wow, that’s totally cool!”
It was a look of pure admiration, exactly like a little boy who had just caught his first stag beetle. Startled by the unexpected reaction, I blinked blankly.
