2. The Princess

"Your Imperial Highness, you clearly decided to execute Count Haeil...."

"That's true. Why did I do that?"

The Imperial Princess answered the minister distractedly while looking out the window.

Originally, she intended to kill him.

Imperial Princess Bella thought of Haeil.

Her hand clenched on its own. Haeil Cartis. Just thinking about him made her angry. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Since she was a child, she had sworn that she would kill that bastard Haeil, that she would kill him while inflicting every pain that existed in the world.

That was why, now that she held absolute power, she had summoned him to the Imperial Palace.

He was a guy famous for being trash from the start. His parents were exceptional, so they just neglected him, but once his parents died, there was no reason to leave him be.

She thought she would finally achieve her long-held goal. She thought she would achieve her revenge.

But when she faced him, she felt as if her heart had stopped.

Imperial Princess Bella grabbed her head.

Why on earth?

Why is it like this? She hated that bastard Haeil. She had to take revenge. She had been waiting only for that moment. But why?

Questions filled her mind. At the same time, the emotions from that time surged up.

Seeing Haeil hurt. It just hurt. She didn't even know where it hurt. It felt like she had found something precious she had forgotten long ago. She was anxious because it felt like that precious thing might disappear again.

"No, no!"

Imperial Princess Bella slammed her desk with a kwang.

That bastard Haeil is precious to me?

No, that can't be.

The events of that day were still vivid in Imperial Princess Bella's memory.

"You... why on earth...?"

The room covered in blood.

And the sword held in Haeil's hand.

"Ah... Imperial Princess-nim...."

Haeil said, smiling just as he always did. With the same smile from when they played in the garden together and he would gift her flowers.

"It's all for you, Imperial Princess-nim."

Imperial Princess Bella opened her eyes.

"Right, I must have been too exhausted."

She had never forgotten that moment for a single second. Since then, she had sworn to kill Haeil without fail.

But the anger toward that bastard Haeil was disappearing? That couldn't be.

"I will go see Haeil Cartis."

At those words, the attendants moved busily.

That feeling back then was clearly just because she was tired.

That's why she had felt that strange feeling at that moment. Yes, that's it.

Imperial Princess Bella left her room.

"Haa...."

The room I was guided to was luxurious.

The servants had prepared everything, and meals came on time. The room was overflowing with flashy furniture, and the food was delicious.

'Well, it's the Imperial Palace, so it would be weird if it wasn't good.'

There was only one downside.

"I apologize. Please stay in the room until there is an order from Imperial Princess-nim."

I can't leave.

I tried making a fuss and begging in my own way, but they said I couldn't leave.

I eventually gave up and lay on the bed in a state of resignation.

It was really annoying that the bed was so fluffy, making me feel good because I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment.

"Haa...."

Putting aside the fact that I entered the game I was playing, the future is bleak.

According to the original plot, the protagonist who escaped from prison should contact the revolutionary army and overthrow the empire. But overthrowing it isn't the end.

'I also have to deal with those Demon God Cult bastards.'

Demon God Cult. The bastards who want to resurrect the Demon God and create a new world.

I thought it was just a metaphor. So, when I first played, I joined hands with these guys and successfully pulled off a rebellion together.

But these guys saying they wanted to create a new world wasn't a metaphor; it was for real.

The moment the empire fell, the Demon God popped out, and the world was destroyed just like that. That was the ending of my first playthrough.

Demon God Resurrection Ending.

'Back then, I really....'

I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even speak. I mean, who would have known that "Let's really resurrect the Demon God and reset the world!" was serious?

From the next playthrough onwards, I played without even looking at those Demon God Cult bastards, but when left alone, they resurrected it on their own and destroyed the continent.

In the end, there was only one way. Fight the empire while also dealing with the Demon God Cult.

It was absolute hell, and I had to retry many times, but there was one redeeming factor.

The fact that the empire also hates the Demon God Cult beyond measure and wants to erase them from this world.

In the past, the Demon God Cult bastards once committed a terrorist attack on the Imperial Family. The Emperor was safe, but it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a major incident where all of the Emperor's children except for one died. Naturally, the empire was turned upside down, and the Demon God Cult became a target for extermination in the empire.

'The problem is that the one who survived is Bella, the current Imperial Princess.'

Perhaps because of that incident, Imperial Princess Bella is serious about beating up those Demon God Cult bastards.

'The problem is that those Demon God Cult bastards hide well.'

There are many Demon God Cult bastards hiding in the Imperial Palace right now. At the very least, to survive, I have to kill the Demon God Cult bastards, even if I don't deal with the empire.

'But in this state....'

I'm trapped in the Imperial Palace and can't do anything.

If the Imperial Princess gets in a bad mood and orders my execution, it wouldn't be strange if I died tomorrow.

"Should I go to prison or something...."

If I go to prison, there is an escape route. I've seen it so many times I could explain it with my eyes closed.

But how do I go to prison?

Should I throw a fucking tantrum to get sent to prison?

"...That's not bad?"

Wouldn't a prison with a possibility of escape be better than being locked up here, where I'm only called a guest?

'Should I go to prison?'

No. What I saw was a game, but am I supposed to dig that dog hole, squeeze my body in, and do all sorts of things?

No, I still have to do it. Am I going to die here being treated like a toy by that crazy Imperial Princess Bella?

All sorts of thoughts are popping into my head. Whether to just wait here quietly. Or do something.

While I was in such confusion, the door opened.

I was startled and looked toward the door, and a maid entered the room with tea and refreshments.

"Here are the refreshments. They were sent by Imperial Princess-nim, so please enjoy them."

I let out a sigh of relief as I looked at the maid who had suddenly entered.

'Well, I thought they were suddenly coming to drag me away.'

The maid poured the tea and held it out to me.

'But that crazy bitch of an Imperial Princess is even taking care of my tea?'

In my memory, this shouldn't be happening.

I looked at the tea the maid handed me, feeling suspicious.

But something is strange.

In the game, dangerous attacks or dangerous items would have a red marker appear on them.

There were red markers on things like bombs that explode suddenly or poison.

I looked down at the tea. A red marker was very clearly visible there.

I took my eyes off the tea and looked at the maid.

She had an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.

"Sent by Imperial Princess-nim?"

"Yes. She said it is a gift for Count Haeil."

At those words, I picked up the tea and approached the maid.

As I approached, the maid made a flustered expression.

"Is it really true that Her Imperial Highness sent this?"

"Yes, yes, it is true."

I looked at the maid who was answering while cowering as if scared.

The Demon God Cult bastards are very thorough. They are so thorough that there are almost no symbols that reveal they are part of the Demon God Cult. On top of that, they say their lives belong to the Demon God, so martyrdom is a given, and no matter how strong the torture is, they barely spit out any information.

In short, rooting out who is part of the Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠God Cult is a very difficult task.

'But I have a way.'

The Demon God Cult bastards receive something called baptism. According to them, it's accepting the power of the Demon God to create a mark of a retainer, and thanks to that, a very faint, indelible mark remains that cannot be erased.

I looked into the maid's eyes. The maid tried to avoid my gaze, but I couldn't let her do that. I grabbed the maid's face and made eye contact.

"Count Haeil, this...!"

"Stay still."

At my cold words, the maid's body stiffened. Only now could I look straight into the maid's eyes.

"As expected...."

One side of the maid's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left eye. Deep in the pupil, there was a very small 'x' mark. You have to look closely to see it, but looking at it like this, it's certain. Unlike the color of the existing pupil, it was a black and red 'x' mark.

'It's the Demon God Cult.'

I looked at the maid who was trembling as if terrified. Even in this situation, she's acting. I felt it in the game too, but it's really tiresome. Those Demon God Cult bastards. They act until the very end.

"Her Imperial Highness bestowed this upon me?"

"Yes, yes! Bestowed by Her Imperial Highness...."

Bullshit.

I was suspicious when they said the Imperial Princess gave it, but it was the Demon God Cult's doing.

'I don't know why they are targeting me, though.'

I'm not a pushover who would fall for this even after seeing something like this.

"You...."

Kwang-!

Just as I was about to say something while still holding the maid's face, the door burst open violently.

I turned my gaze to where the door had opened. And my whole body had no choice but to stiffen.

"You are truly consistent."

Dark red hair, and eyes even redder than that. Those eyes are looking at me clearly.

"You can't hide that trashy nature of yours."

Imperial Princess Bella was standing in front of the door, looking at me.