1. The Princess Must Die
“The princess born in the Kingdom of Astrea shall bring about the end of the world.”
That was the prophecy.
It had been delivered centuries ago.
And since then, no princess had lived past the age of five.
At first, there were those who didn’t believe it.
But when famine, disasters, and wars followed the birth of every princess, the royal family eventually established an unspoken law:
The princess must die.
Whether by fortune or misfortune, whenever a princess was conceived, she was miscarried.
If born, she would not live long.
And if she happened to survive past her first birthday, the royal family would “take care of it.”
But my parents defied that rule.
“If you allow the princess to live, disaster will come. You know this, Prince Quillian!
Famine and disaster occur whether or not there’s a princess. That’s no reason to kill a child.
Even so, all the princesses were born with wicked temperaments and grew into villainesses!
The longest any of them lived was five years.
You’re being presumptuous. And if that were true, my queen and I will raise her right.”
And so, I survived.
I lived a life many times longer than any previous princess.
I even had the miracle of reaching adulthood.
But my parents were wrong.
The princess must have died.
If she had, this never would have happened.
“There she is! It’s the Demon King—Princess Seraphina!”
The world burned red before my eyes.
The sky above the battlefield stretched endlessly in crimson.
The sunset poured like rain, staining even the earth in the same hue.
The ground soaked with flame and blood.
It had once been a beautiful forest, but now only blazing fire remained.
It was the fire I had summoned.
—
“Kill the Demon King—urk!”
With just a flick of my finger, a magic arrow pierced the chest of the soldier rushing toward me.
The same happened to the ones that followed.
Bodies piled up endlessly at my feet.
There was no misunderstanding here. This was all my fault.
They had come only to defeat the Demon King who sought to destroy the world.
They had stepped onto this battlefield with justice in their hearts.
Where did it all go wrong?
Some might blame my father—King Quillian of Astrea.
He had always been known for his cold nature, but after marrying my mother, he softened as if he’d become a different man.
And after my brother and I were born, he became an even more virtuous ruler.
But that peace did not last.
It ended with my mother’s death.
After her sudden passing, my father returned to his former, merciless self.
No—he became even worse.
“Your Majesty, this is all because you let the princess live! If she had died, the queen would have—urk…!”
All those who insisted on killing me had their tongues or heads removed.
With my mother gone, the leash restraining my father snapped.
“Seraphina is the treasure of Lucia and me. Anyone who harms my daughter—shall die.”
My father became a tyrant after my mother’s death.
He punished those who mistreated me with severe cruelty, and drowned me in luxury.
Fairy tales tell of princesses who grow up kind and just despite being loved by tyrants.
I was not one of them.
At first, I felt gratitude and guilt for my father’s actions.
But as time went on, I came to expect it.
I began to demand more and more.
“Daddy, I want cake. A really, really big one!”
“Of course. I’ll bring you one as big as the castle.”
Sweets and pastries.
“Father, I want the blue pearl necklace passed down in the Duke’s family.”
“Very well. I’ll get it for you.”
Jewels and lavish gifts.
“Father, I heard there’s a beautiful forest in the neighboring kingdom. I want it.”
“Then that kingdom is yours.”
Even nations.
Whatever I wanted, my father gave it to me.
At first, I felt hesitation.
But something inside me whispered softly:
“You want more, don’t you? Of course you do. You’re a princess. It’s all yours. Everything belongs to you.”
It was like a hunger.
I couldn’t tell where my will ended and the Demon King’s began.
Yet the words still came from my lips.
My father went to war for me, and the powerful Kingdom of Astrea rapidly expanded its territory.
And the world could no longer tolerate our tyranny.
The nations united and declared war on Astrea.
Even as a great power, Astrea could not match the might of the Allied Forces.
Most predicted their victory.
They didn’t know I existed.
“Kill the princess! Kill her and the path will open!”
Their screams echoed as they charged toward me.
Hundreds—thousands—rushed in, but numbers meant nothing to me.
With a single blink, a meteor appeared in the sky.
BOOM!
It was the power of the Demon King’s seed—embedded inside me.
Each act of evil I committed fed that seed. And eventually, it bloomed.
The Demon King’s seed gave me endless magic—but also cursed me.
Bit by bit, my will faded. I moved only as the seed commanded.
When my nanny, who raised me after my mother’s death, begged me to stop—
I wanted to listen.
But the words that came from my mouth were the opposite:
“You dare command me? How arrogant. You must pay for your crime.”
I—no, the seed—killed her.
I tried to stop it, but it was as if I were possessed.
Violence, destruction, greed—it all controlled me.
The larger the seed grew, the more my will disappeared.
It was too late to stop, too late for regrets.
“King Quillian and Prince Johan are dead! Astrean soldiers, surrender!”
I turned toward the sound—and saw two familiar figures.
Their beautiful faces were covered in ash.
My father. My brother.
The two people who loved me, even when the world hated me.
Their bodies were hung high on the castle wall.
“Serra, if the world hates you, we will love you even more.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry.
But my body remained still.
It felt like I was trapped in a glass coffin, watching everything happen from within.
Even now, the Demon King’s seed longed for the world.
“Surrender now, and you will be spared and returned to your homelands!”
At that call, the Astrean soldiers lost their will.
They knew this war was meaningless.
Most laid down their arms and surrendered.
Standing alone on the hill, I was the only one left.
“Kill the Demon King Seraphina!”
They screamed, charging toward me.
The earth trembled beneath their feet—filled with rage, hatred, and vengeance.
Blood-soaked blades aimed for my throat.
Magic spells rained from the skies above.
But the Demon King’s seed felt no fear.
It annihilated every enemy in its path.
BOOM!
The seed summoned all its magic for one final strike.
The earth turned redder than the sky. Screams peaked—and then faded.
I didn’t want to see anymore.
I didn’t know how many had died in that moment.
I wanted to close my eyes, but the seed wouldn’t let me.
Everything was burning.
And not just here.
I had lost count of how many cities I had set ablaze. How many lives I had taken.
But the Demon King’s seed wasn’t satisfied.
If it couldn’t have the world, it would destroy it.
I had tried—thousands, tens of thousands of times—to stop it.
But it was hopeless. The more evil I committed, the stronger the seed became.
Only now, after countless battles, my magic was nearly depleted.
Even an endless well runs dry after killing tens of thousands.
“Ah… ngh…”
I forced my lips to move. A voice barely escaped.
Since becoming the Demon King, I hadn’t spoken of my own will.
Now, weakened by the lack of magic, my will was slowly returning.
But I hadn’t fully regained control.
My eyes remained dry, unable to cry.
This was my only chance. I could act—just a little.
If anyone could end this, it was him.
As I staggered forward, I saw the face I’d been searching for.
His silver hair gleamed like holy light. His white uniform matched him perfectly.
Those brilliant blue eyes looked right at me.
Cassiel Rune Ertman.
Heir to the Holy Kingdom.
A paladin who wielded powerful holy magic and swordsmanship.
He had nearly stopped me more than once.
His divine power was poison to the Demon King.
The closer he came, the weaker the seed grew.
Sensing danger, the seed tried to flee.
But I used every last ounce of strength to resist.
If not now—I’ll never be able to die.
“Cassiel… Ertman…”
I forced out his name.
The seed tried to choke my throat, but I screamed—spitting blood.
“Kill me… please…!”
Please. I beg you.
Kill me.
Don’t let me destroy this world anymore.
Please— end it here.
