Chapter 2

2. Am I not Your Majesty's Most Cherished Bedroom Furniture?

I was a Monarch of the Demon Realm. So, I deserved to be called Master or Monarch.

The title of Empress was only for my eldest sister, who ruled the highest floor of hell.

Even if they mistook me for a human, they wouldn't address me like royalty.

'Besides, it feels like they've been treating me like I've been unable to wake up for quite a while now.'

I covered my mouth to suppress the rising nausea, curling my body into a ball, but I was still focused on assessing the situation.

"Your Majesty the Empress?"

"Oh, my! Thank you, God!"

"Ah, thank goodness. Thank goodness...!"

It was then. Footsteps rushed in, and unfamiliar humans dressed as maids and servants crowded into the room.

They all looked deeply moved with tears in their eyes, but unfortunately, I didn't want to deal with a crowd of humans right now.

No. I was sick of humans.

I loved humans, and I was betrayed by humans.

Now, not even a handful of ashes of love for humans remained in my heart.

"Did you save me and heal me?"

A natural condescension flowed from my lips.

I was someone who lived in my castle, using thousands of demons as underlings. Ordering someone around was natural to me from birth.

But strangely enough, when I spoke imposingly, the humans looked very relieved with tears in their eyes.

Not afraid.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The royal knight, Sir Noert, caught you. But the shock was so great that you couldn't wake up for fifteen days... sniff."

An old man wiped his eyes.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be the chief manager.

'If I had my way, I'd kill every single human.'

If they had saved me using some miraculous means, I couldn't harm them.

According to Demon Realm law, if you were ever embarrassingly helped by someone, you couldn't harm the benefactor who helped you.

It was a kind law that reminded you not to forget the embarrassment for a long time.

'Right, that's why Magical Core wasn't generating just now.'

I tried to believe that.

Anxiety crawled up my ankles, but I ignored it.

"Do I resemble your Empress? Is that why you saved me?"

"...Yes?"

But when I said one more word, the crying humans all stopped their tears at once.

"Does this body resemble your Empress? Besides, caught me? I never fell."

I was stabbed to death.

I don't know for what reason or how these humans healed me. I'm so anxious I don't know what to do.

Whether it was because of frustration or the aching pain spreading throughout my body, I kept getting angry.

"Your... Majesty. Perhaps your memory... isn't intact?"

It was then.

The knight, who had been chattering annoyingly next to me since earlier, opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

"Memory? This body's memory is perfectly fine."

"But..."

The knight, who had tightly shut his mouth, jumped up and brought a mirror from somewhere.

"Have you perhaps forgotten yourself, Your Majesty?"

"What nonsense...!"

Instantly, I realized that my voice had changed slightly.

My husky, low, and dignified voice was now thin and about to fade away.

Tilting my head and looking down at my hand, I flinched.

It should definitely be a big, handsome, and magnificent hand, but what is this?

A smooth back of the hand without any joints, and a wrist so thin that it seemed difficult to even hold a book. The fingers were so slender that they looked like they would break if someone put even a little force on them.

Staring intently at the hand that didn't seem like my own, I pondered and shifted my gaze to the mirror, thinking, 'Could it be?'

'This is insane.'

The first thing that caught my eye was the blonde hair, as if sunlight had been painted with a brush.

The face reflected in the mirror was pale and white, but no one would dispute that she was an outstanding beauty.

Her eyes and mouth were large and refreshing, and her nose was sharp.

Despite her long illness, her reddish lips were even alluring at the corners, and her eyes were a beautiful ruby red.

However, the empty gaze, devoid of any vitality, made her look like a jewel doll rather than a living person.

'What's going on? Where did I go... and who is this human woman?'

Hurriedly, I searched for the Magical Core embedded in my soul, but I couldn't feel anything. The magic power that was once so strong that I couldn't control it was now gone without a trace.

"Ha!"

Mocking myself coldly, I started to laugh, shaking my whole body. It was so absurd that I laughed.

Yes, this was it.

The reality I had turned away from. I had felt something strange since earlier, but I had gritted my teeth and tried not to see it.

'My power, my magic, that I've been gathering for over a thousand years, has all disappeared. I've become a human... a human.'

Even though I had become the human I so desired, I was devastated.

This wasn't how I wanted to become a human.

Besides, now that I've been betrayed by Enrique, what good is it to be human?

If this is fate, it's cruel. It was such a terrible twist.

"Ugh, sniff...!"

Without realizing it, I clawed at my chest and struggled. My chest felt so tight that I couldn't breathe.

"Your Majesty! Please allow the doctor to examine you."

Anger rose up my esophagus, and I spat out blood. Not the black blood that was the evidence of a demon, but the red blood that flowed in a human body. Then, the knight looked at me desperately with a face as if he would die in my place right away.

Seeing him unable to dare to touch my body with even a finger and just being anxious, I felt a pang of heartache as I saw my past self reflected in him.

'I was foolish. I was stupid. I should have listened to my sisters earlier.'

I thought our love would be a little different.

But in the end, we were just another cliché love and common betrayal.

One of the countless stories in the human world.

My whole body trembled. Biting my lower lip tightly, I chewed on it until I tasted blood, despite the knight's dissuasion. I felt like I needed to do that to keep my sanity.

"Please... please, Your Highness. Rather, bite me. If I am dirty, I will give you a handkerchief. Please stop hurting your precious body..."

Then, the knight crumpled the bedsheets and approached me on his knees.

Looking closely at his gray eyes, which were flickering with anxiety, I realized that what was reflected in them was not me but the owner of this body.

In an instant, a scene flashed through my mind.

A crescent moon hanging on a high spire, a wailing knight, white toes fluttering as if dancing on a cold stone floor.

And a fall.

'The moment the soul left this body, my soul, which had been wandering in the abyss, took root. It was strongly drawn by something.'

Me. That I, of all people, would end up like this.

I had lost my mighty power and my strong body. I had no love, and I had no one to love.

Trapped.

"Heh, heh heh..."

At that miserable fact, I eventually screamed silently and fainted.

This body couldn't even cry as I pleased.

* * *

I regained consciousness in the dark night.

A night that was so familiar and cozy to me.

But the darkness I faced in a human body was not the affectionate feeling I knew.

"Your Majesty, have you awakened?"

As soon as I felt a presence, it was the knight from earlier.

Looking silently at the man's face, which had become haggard in the meantime, I slowly moved my lips.

"Derek, Sir?"

"...Yes, Your Majesty. Derek Noert. Your knight."

"...I see."

So, this is how it turned out.

I stared blankly at the ceiling while lying down.

I felt empty. But who was I?

I had never forgiven an enemy since I was born. I was at the forefront of trampling and ridiculing my male siblings who looked down on me as the youngest and tried to take my place.

My sisters couldn't stand it and tried to stop me.

I had only lost myself for a moment, being crazy in love.

"I just need to get it back."

I muttered quietly and tried to force strength into my arms and lift myself up.

"I, I will help you."

At that, the knight immediately approached and supported my back. And with one hand, he skillfully arranged the cushions so that I could lean on them.

He loves this body.

His attentive and devoted attitude made it impossible not to know, and I felt nauseous.

What was so great about that love? Why would he go so far for such cheap love?

"Your Majesty. How is your body?"

Soon, the knight knelt carefully in front of me.

I liked his extremely respectful attitude, but he was still just a human. And I had just resolved to no longer trust or give affection to humans at the same time as my death.

"If you're done, get out now."

At the order I spat out in a cracking voice, the knight looked like he was about to cry.

I was about to say something even harsher, but I hesitated. Strangely, I felt like I had done something wrong.

"Am I not Your Majesty's most cherished bedroom furniture?"

"..."

"How can you abandon me?"

The knight said something crazy and shed a tear.

He wasn't crying prettily, but really pitifully.

'Haa. Why are these guys all crying in front of me?'

Once, I was busy comforting my lover when he cried.

I was restless until Enrique showed me a shy smile again, and I tried to give him everything I could.

But all Enrique wanted was cream bread or sugar-coated cookies that he couldn't usually eat well.

At that time, I wanted to smash the world and hold him in my arms.

But I was now sick of tears.

"Stop crying. My head is ringing."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"You foolish thing, you're like a winter bear."

"If Your Majesty calls me a bear, then I am a bear."

"...Haa."

This steadfast knight wouldn't leave me no matter what I said.

"If you insist on becoming a servant, I will use you with my toes."

When I said that, the crazy knight smiled brightly.

It was a very familiar face, driven mad by love.