Chapter 3
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Pretending to Be Human is Hard Work Today Too
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Then Liribel came rushing over, waving her hands wildly.
"R-Really black magic! I heard that shadow magic is the basics for black magic users, but I never imagined it was actually true!"
"Um, excuse me..."
"Is it because it's nighttime that you can use it so easily? I heard you can use shadow magic endlessly at night...!"
"Liribel?"
"Ah! And you saved me with that magic!"
Liribel was so excited her face was flushed red, chattering away as if she couldn't even hear me calling her.
"Oh my gosh, you saved me. I'm so touched!"
This girl's a bit weird, isn't she?
Normally, people get scared when they see black magic, right?
There was definitely something off about Liribel's sense of normalcy.
In an effort to calm her excitement, I grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her into my embrace.
"P-Princess?"
"Stay still."
She squirmed in surprise, trying to pull away from my arms, but I had already extended my hand forward.
"You devil...!"
Just then, I spotted Hans charging toward us and Liribel, a dagger gripped in his opposite hand.
His gritted teeth revealed pure malice and urgency—he clearly intended to kill me again.
Only then did Liribel seem to realize Hans was targeting her, her body trembling with a jolt.
I patted her back reassuringly with my other hand to let her know it was okay, then drew up my mana.
Don't hold it against me.
This time, I aimed the shadow precisely.
I'd been open to talking it out earlier, but after everything that had happened, seeing he still wouldn't let go of his killing intent made that pointless.
I'm not planning on dying again for you.
"You...!"
Though it was my first time using shadow magic as a human, it felt as natural as if I'd wielded it for years. The shadow unfurled like a cloth, swallowing Hans whole.
"...!"
Hans vanished into the shadow without even a scream.
Crunch, crunch—the ominous sounds echoed from within. There was no need to check; his fate was sealed.
Once he was gone, only the dagger remained on the bedroom floor.
"H-Huh? Where did Butler Hans go?"
Liribel slipped out of my arms and looked around.
To change the subject, I picked up the dagger from the floor and said,
"Liribel, mind explaining what's going on? I'm still not entirely sure what happened."
"Ah, sure! Well, I came to the bedroom today to change the candles..."
Liribel stammered through the events before I woke up.
So I really did die, huh.
I unconsciously placed a hand on my chest.
My heart was beating vigorously now, unlike before. And inside, the mana from my demon days was swirling.
It wasn't at my peak strength, but it was far more than any human could handle.
But my soul is still demonic. If a priest ever finds out...
A horrific future of witch hunts flashed through my mind.
"Princess?"
"...It's nothing. So, what happened next?"
"Ah, yes. Then Butler Hans suddenly appeared and started looking for a stake. And then he confessed to killing you..."
I wasn't surprised that Hans was the assassin. After all, he wasn't the only one in the detached palace who wanted me dead. I'd long known the servants were in on it too.
The problem was the word "stake."
It was unfamiliar to Deyna, but as the demon Asmo-Dina, I knew it well.
It's a tool usually used by curse casters.
I recalled the method: place a stake or totem infused with malice near the target and channel the curse through it.
Thanks to my mana, all the poison accumulated in my body was neutralized. The curse would be the same.
Weak poisons or curses were nothing but sandcastles before overwhelming mana.
My long-illness-weakened stamina hadn't fully recovered yet, but whatever effect that stake had mentioned by Hans was surely gone from my body.
So there was no need to worry, but... his searching for it nagged at me.
Did someone steal the tool? Or is it still hidden somewhere in this room?
I regretted not keeping him alive a bit longer.
I was about to push aside my curiosity about the stake and ask about the situation outside when—
"Cough!"
A tickle in my throat made me cough violently.
Liribel's face drained of color as she screamed.
"B-Blood! Princess, you're bleeding!"
What came from my mouth wasn't spit, but black-tinged blood.
The sudden hemorrhage startled me too.
What the...? Is it because of the mana?
I hurriedly checked my body's condition. Fortunately, my soul was intact.
Instead, I felt mana clumping around my stomach and lungs.
Seems like backlash from overusing mana.
It was like muscle soreness the day after overexerting yourself—the first use of mana meant my body hadn't adapted yet.
Strong mana requires a body to match. If I ever fail to control it even once...
I imagined my body bursting like a balloon.
I can gradually increase usage to let my body adapt... but I can't abuse it.
I shook my head at the chilling thought.
"...Is it because you used black magic?"
"Something like that, but it's no big deal. My body's just not feeling great."
Liribel looked skeptical, like she didn't quite buy it.
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiped the corner of my mouth.
I tried to refuse and do it myself, but she insisted it was too much for me to handle alone and kept going.
After she spent a good while cleaning my mouth and clothes, I thanked her and pointed outside the bedroom.
"By the way, Liribel, isn't today Head Maid's shift?"
"She'll probably arrive in the morning. Dawn's breaking soon... so she'll be here any minute."
"Then when she gets in, tell her to come see me right away? I need to talk to her urgently."
Liribel seemed curious why the princess needed the head maid so early, but she must have figured it wasn't her place to pry. She nodded and left the bedroom.
I straightened my disheveled nightgown and sat in the chair in the corner of the room.
Not sleepy anymore, I pondered what to do next.
I have no clue where to even start. To uncover the assassination's mastermind, I need freedom to leave the detached palace, while hiding that I'm a demon...
Most were problems I couldn't solve right away, but a few leads came to mind.
First, I'll need the Emperor's permission.
My father, who abandoned me here. I needed the imperial rights he took away. Without them, a human life was impossible.
As I pieced together a concrete plan, morning broke, and the head maid arrived at the bedroom.
"...!"
The moment she saw me sitting in the chair, her eyes widened.
It was no wonder—she'd seen me half-dead last night, and now I looked perfectly fine.
I nodded toward the chair opposite me and said,
"Sit down, Head Maid Emma. We need to talk."
Head Maid Emma had been the servant looking after me for over a decade.
Her surprise was brief; she bowed politely and took a seat.
"Has your health recovered?"
"Something like that. Even you've never seen me looking this healthy, right?"
"I'm glad you're better."
Her expression was as rigid as a mask, which actually put me at ease.
A workaholic who never meddled in politics or factions, focused solely on her duties.
That was the trait of Emma, the head maid dispatched from the main palace.
She probably noticed there's an assassin in the detached palace. But since it's not her job, she didn't get involved.
A machine of a person, devoid of pity or contempt toward me.
Harshly put, she lacked humanity, but that very trait made her more trustworthy.
Considering when she was dispatched, she's the next safest after Liribel.
So she was perfect for the task ahead. Steeling my resolve, I spoke.
"Head Maid, the truth is, I almost got assassinated today."
"...I see."
"Not that interested, huh?"
Her eyebrow twitched slightly, but she responded calmly, without a hint of agitation.
"Guarding you isn't my duty. Shall I call the Royal Guard? Or perhaps summon the head butler."
That guy's a suspect too.
The head butler, overall manager of the detached palace, was one of the prime suspects. Handing it to him would just mean evidence destruction.
"No need. Pretend you didn't hear that. I'll find the evidence myself. Instead, I need you to go to the main palace."
"What business?"
"Just delivering a letter. As you know, I'm banned from entering the main palace. So you'll go in my place."
"What does it say...?"
I smiled brightly and said,
A special measure to overturn the Emperor's judgment that I had no value left.
It was simply...
"I want to place an ad for a fiancé."
"...Pardon?"
"I don't want to get married, but I need a husband now."
To wield the status of imperial family.
This time, even Emma couldn't hide her shock, her mouth agape.