TPHO 02

CHAPTER 02

. “After Dying from Overwork, I Became a Princess of the Enemy Nation (2)”:

Just a moment ago, Minte and Lete had been fussing—now they were holding me and kneeling before that man.

“Your Highness Erebus. How could the Epikus sisters dare to speak falsely?”

“Princess Elysion has truly opened her eyes.”

Lete, who had been holding me, gently lifted me up.

My mouth hung open in shock.

‘Erebus?!’

There’s no way I wouldn’t know that name.

Even if I didn’t know the name—anyone would recognize this man by his appearance.

Pale skin and dark blue hair.

His irises glowed gold, yet his pupils were a deep, endless red.

He looked like a figure from mythology sculpted in marble and brought to life.

But more than anything—on either side of his head were black horns.

That image brought to mind the myths of demons I had studied before.

“The demons, who stand in complete opposition to us, who worship divine power.”

Among them, the royal family of Tartarus—the House of Erebus—were said to have bound the primordial darkness to the sky.

As proof that they had created the night in this world, they bore a golden moon in their eyes.

And upon ascending the throne, the king takes the name of the royal house: Erebus.

The reason the knights I healed had to return to the battlefield was now standing right in front of me.

“You’ve really awakened… Elysion.”

The man’s voice trembled, as did the fingers reaching toward me.

He was supposed to be the cold, ruthless Demon King praised for never shedding a tear.

And yet, the hands that held me were unbearably warm.

“My one and only daughter…”

There was nothing but genuine, overwhelming love in that voice.

Behind me, I heard Minte and Lete sobbing quietly.

‘What the hell is going on?!’

The person responsible for my death by overwork was now calling me his daughter?

And what’s more, I had horns growing from the sides of my head.

…I definitely died as a saintess.

So why, upon opening my eyes, am I a demon?

* * *

‘What is this? Where am I?!’

Even though I cried out in human speech, all that came out of my mouth was the desperate wailing of a baby.

“Waaaah! Ah! Aaaa!”

When I collapsed in the Temple of Charon, I had been twenty years old.

And now, not only had I become a newborn—I seemed to be a princess of the enemy nation.

‘And why is it so loud in here this morning?’

I squirmed in the maid’s arms as she changed my clothes.

How many people did it take just to dress one baby in a robe?

Thanks to a mirror one of the maids held up, I saw myself clearly.

Platinum-blond hair in tight curls, turquoise eyes surrounding golden irises.

A baby with adorable little black horns.

Completely different from my original appearance—dark brown hair and silver-gray eyes.

‘My entire race is different!’

“Waaahhh!”

I flailed in fear.

But even as I squirmed, the maids just looked on with teary eyes.

“Oh my goodness! She’s so strong!”

“She’s going to grow up big and healthy, no doubt.”

“We were so worried she wouldn’t wake up…”

At that moment, a woman with violet hair entered the room.

“Oh dear, Princess. You mustn’t fuss so much.”

“Waa! Waah!”

Ah, I know her!

She was one of the twin demon maids I had seen when I first woke up.

Beautiful women with deep violet hair and black eyes.

‘This calmer one must be Lete, then?’

The ponytailed one, Minte, was nowhere to be seen.

It was hard even to turn my head in this baby body.

Lete picked me up with a smile.

“The princess must be excited today. And no wonder—it’s a very celebratory day.”

“Waah… Wa?”

‘A celebration? Among demons?!’

My tiny heart began pounding with a terrible sense of foreboding.

Lete smiled brightly at my babbling.

“Today is the day we celebrate our victory in war.”

“Wha…?!”

“You must be so happy, Princess! As soon as you woke up, this great blessing followed!”

Lete chattered cheerfully as she carried me outside.

The attendants followed us with beaming faces.

But inside my head, it was pure chaos.

‘Victory day?! Wait—does that mean the Holy Kingdom lost? Then…?!’

What happened to the Temple of Charon, the place I was protecting?

‘What happened to everyone there?!’

The moment I stepped outside, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

In the vast gardens, a massive crowd of demons had gathered.

It reminded me of the crowds that came to receive blessings at the central temple in the capital.

But this time, the hero of the day was Demon King Erebus.

He wore a pale black ceremonial robe adorned with shining gold embroidery.

‘Even if he wore a potato sack, people would only look at him.’

The presence of just one Demon King made the entire crowd fall utterly silent.

“Citizens of Tartarus, my beloved people.”

As Erebus opened his mouth, his deep and calm voice rang out.

Compared to the emperor of the Holy Kingdom, it was almost too stark a contrast.

“We have endured much sorrow. We lost Queen Asteria, and even the heir was on the brink of death.”

He spoke with deep composure.

And yet, he knew exactly how to stir human hearts.

I found myself overcome with emotion, clutching my baby robe tightly.

But what he said next left my jaw hanging open.

“All of this is the result of the vile schemes of Halcyon’s humans—those wretched beasts.”

‘What?! He’s blaming the humans of the Holy Kingdom?!’

What nonsense is that?

Emperor Alcyone had claimed the war was just a border skirmish that escalated.

‘Why would he link that to the death of the demon queen?’

Cries of outrage broke out among the demons.

Some wept into handkerchiefs, others shouted curses at the Holy Kingdom.

The flames of hatred flared high before my very eyes.

But as Erebus spoke again, silence returned in an instant.

“Fortunately… our heir has awakened.”

At that exact moment, Lete stepped forward holding me toward Erebus.

As sunlight hit my face, gasps of awe rose from the crowd.

An adorable baby, a princess who resembled the queen, the future Demon King.

They showered me with praise—but none of it belonged to me.

Even the gaze of the Demon King, so full of longing and affection, made me shudder.

Because to me, it felt like the cold edge of a guillotine.

Lifting me high for all to see, he declared:

“This is my only child, Elysion. There will be no other heir but her!”

Hiccup.

I let out a hiccup without meaning to.

Now I knew how a rabbit feels when its escape is blocked by a monster.

“The accursed Charon region is completely destroyed. And the High Saintess of Halcyon who stood in our way—!”

At those words, I instinctively looked down at the crowd in horror.

Just now—

When he mentioned the “High Saintess,” I had seen their faces clearly.

They were filled with hatred and rage.

The reason the Charon region had held out so long, despite the demon army’s relentless attacks… was because of the High Saintess.

Because of me.

I must’ve caused the demon knights enormous losses too.

‘If I were in my original form, they’d probably have torn me to pieces!’

Without meaning to, I began to tremble.

Erebus seemed to think it was because I was cold.

He held me tighter and raised his voice.

“That woman is gone as well. From now on, Halcyon will pay tribute to Tartarus. This war—is our victory!”

“Hooray!!”

Thunderous cheers and applause broke out.

But none of it registered in my mind.

‘The Holy Kingdom… lost? Tribute? That means we’re the defeated nation…?’

It didn’t seem like we were completely destroyed.

But we would no longer be called a Holy Empire.

‘And the people I swore to protect…’

They had now become second-class citizens.

If they were still alive, that is.

Even in the midst of the celebration, Erebus turned and quickly approached Lete.

The oppressive air around him had vanished.

Now he held me like a piece of delicate crystal, helpless and unsure.

“Lady Epikus, I was too greedy. She’s trembling like this…”

“It’s probably because she’s just woken up. Let’s take her inside first.”

People let out sounds of deep disappointment as the baby princess was taken away.

Were these really the same people whose faces twisted in hatred at the mention of the Holy Kingdom’s Saintess just moments ago?

The disconnect gave me chills.

They handed me a bottle, and I drank from it without protest.

But even in Lete’s arms, I was still shaking.

‘I need to run. They’ll find out for sure. Because…’

This baby’s body still holds all of my divine power.