CHAPTER 39…..
I had never once asked about “Queen Asteria” since waking up as Elysion.
She wasn’t my real mother to begin with, and besides…
Elysion’s birthday and her death day are way too close together.
Sometimes people blame a child if the mother dies during childbirth.
Dad didn’t seem like that type, but I didn’t want to touch an old wound.
Still, remembering the look of despair he had in front of the queen’s portrait made me wonder.
If he loved her that much, why would he send his wife away alone?
Lete closed her eyes and murmured in a low voice.
“…Yes, Your Highness. Lord Erebos can’t just travel to the borderlands easily. So Her Majesty the Queen would go and check in on things herself.”
“Mhm.”
“And the Queen was originally a knight. She was famous in the East for her shapeshifting ability.”
“Huh?”
A knight who could transform? That unexpected talent startled me.
Whether magic or divine power, the ability to change one’s form was extremely rare.
“In truth, everyone — even Lord Erebos — tried to talk her out of it. But…”
“I see. But, Lete, why doesn’t Dad hold a memorial on the day Mom died?”
“Ah…”
“Is it because of me?”
“No, Your Highness! It’s not that Lord Erebos hasn’t said anything because of that.”
“Then…?”
“That’s…!”
Lete’s lips parted as if to answer, but—
“Oh my, look at the time!”
She suddenly stood up with an exaggerated smile.
Beads of cold sweat glistened on her elegant face.
“It’s about the time you’d be hungry! Would you wait just a moment? I’ll go check on your snack for today!”
“…Alright. Thanks, Lete.”
I didn’t press her to stay.
If I’m asking her something so sensitive, it must be uncomfortable for her too.
I scribbled Asteria’s name absentmindedly on a piece of paper.
Did I see her in a dream…? And she was a knight.
Then she must have been very confident in her own abilities.
And demon women, even when pregnant, were far sturdier than humans.
They said their condition was hardly different from before pregnancy.
Even so, perhaps she couldn’t avoid a magic overload in the end.
…It’s something I’ll have to learn someday, but it weighs heavily on my heart.
Feeling restless, I paced the room.
That’s when someone peeked in from the doorway.
A dazzling blond boy in training clothes stood there shyly.
“Lord Sion.”
“Oh, Callion! Finished your spar?”
“Yes. Another draw today.”
“Oh…! Good work!”
I was secretly relieved they’d tied again.
If either Ares or Callion had beaten the other, I’d have to give big congratulations…
But why is it always a tie? You’d think there’d be a clear winner at least once.
Callion bowed, then looked at me directly.
His beautiful blue eyes sparkled like gems, filled with admiration.
“It still amazes me.”
“Hm? What does?”
“That I got to meet you again, my lady. Even if you are younger than before.”
“You’ll probably catch up in height soon enough! I’ll be looking up at you before long.”
Right now, it’s a bit humiliating that this older-sister-type has to crane her neck to look at you.
Just wait — things will go back to how they were!
…Probably!
Callion’s cheeks turned faintly red.
“Actually… I kind of like that you’re smaller now.”
“Eh?”
“It’s just… you’re so cute.”
“What? Who’s calling who cute here?”
“But! Even though you were beautiful before…”
He blushed harder, whispering—
“…now your expressions shine even more, and it’s adorable.”
“…Hey, blue-eyes…”
Oops. His bright, puppy-like eyes instantly cooled.
I glanced toward the door — Ares was standing there, glaring at Callion like he was ready to bite his head off.
“You. Outside. Now. I’ll kill you.”
“No thanks. Buzz off, you red mosquito.”
I gave Ares a serene, enlightened smile.
It’s lucky he backed off — otherwise I might’ve smacked him one myself.
“Ares, stop fighting and come here.”
Though honestly, that sulky face of his made me want to soothe him.
I wondered if he even realized he was the youngest here.
“Play nice, okay? Want me to pat your head?”
“Who’re you calling a kid!”
At that moment, Callion knelt down and looked up at me.
Then, like an eager puppy, he made his eyes sparkle.
“Lord Sion.”
“Yes?”
“I am a kid, so please pat my head.”
“Ah… Okay. You worked hard today, Callion.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Ares tilted his head and glared at Callion.
“He. Hehe? That sly little fox—”
“Hmph, if you’re jealous, why don’t you ask her too?”
Then Callion slyly pulled me into a hug, like a child clutching a favorite plushie.
The problem was Ares’s face turned beet red.
Red enough that I worried he might actually explode.
“You—! Let go of her!”
“You don’t even know Lady Sion’s favorite fruit.”
“I do! I totally do!”
What on earth was this about?
My favorite fruit?
Ares, still fuming, glanced at me nervously and stammered—
“St… strawberries.”
“Oh, yeah. I do like strawberries.”
“See?!”
“Lady Sion, how about cherries?”
“Ah… oh… now that you mention it…”
I hesitated at Callion’s bright smile.
…The truth was, cherries were my actual favorite, and every time I visited the Alcyone Palace, Callion and I would eat them together.
It was our only luxury, enjoyed just once a year during the annual festival.
Ares’s face twisted in the worst way.
Clatter.
From the doorway came the sound of something shattering.
Lete had dropped a plate, her face like the world had ended.
Strawberries rolled across the floor.
“Your Highness…”
“Lete! Are you okay?!”
“You… liked cherries more than strawberries…?”
“Lete, snap out of it!”
“I didn’t even know, and all this time I kept…!”
Please, in this chaos, don’t let the adults lose their minds on me.
But my hopes were dashed when Minte entered, adding to the confusion.
“Your Highness. The duke is here to see you.”
“What does he want now?”
“He’s begging for his life. Should I just throw him out?”
“…No, you can’t do that…”
Even if I found Drakon intimidating, he was still a duke.
Even if he was treated like some trivial nuisance.
Not a single day passes in this palace without trouble, huh.
The Drakon who appeared looked utterly frantic.
Strange, seeing a man who rode dragons wearing the expression of someone chased by evil spirits.
And clinging to someone barely a fifth of his own height, no less.
“Your Highness! Please, save me!”
Minte casually pushed him back by the shoulder.
“Please leave again.”
“Sir Epikus, don’t be so cold! I’m begging you!”
“Please don’t act like this toward Her Highness.”
“This is serious!”
Drakon’s eyes were bloodshot with desperation.
“My sisters are at the Hades Palace right now…!”
“…What did you just say?”
“They’ve just requested to visit the Perseus Palace next! Please stop them!”
Minte and Lete’s faces froze instantly.
Even Ares, standing behind me, muttered a curse under his breath.
“Ah, hell.”
“Ares? Where are you going?”
“Sion! Tell them I’m not here!”
He tried to bolt from the room, but Lete caught him by the collar.
“Lord Ares, mind your manners.”
“But Master Lete—!”
“They are former noble ladies and wives of distinguished families! They’ve come to pay respects to the princess!”
“Lete, I want to run away with the prince too.”
“Minte! Not you too!”
What on earth was going on here?
The adults were holding their heads, Ares was struggling to escape…
Callion and I just exchanged bewildered glances.
This is about Drakon’s sisters — Ares’s older sisters, right? I think I saw them during the birthday festival.
But I’d been so distracted by Talos and Armene at the time that my memory was fuzzy.
All I remembered was that all three were stunningly beautiful.
Still holding Ares and Minte in place, Lete turned to me.
“Your Highness, this isn’t something you can easily refuse. What will you do?”
“Uh… Hmm.”
In the Holy Kingdom, I’d only interacted with high society a handful of times a year.
High society… Even the name sounds terrifying.
But if I was going to live as a demon princess, I’d have to get used to it.
“Alright, I’ll meet them. If they want to come, they can.”
At my answer, Drakon, Ares, and Minte all buried their faces in their hands at once.
