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CHAPTER 21
. The Worst Blasphemy (2):
My heart skipped a beat.
Why is this boy so good at startling people?
Ares scowled fiercely.
“That guy, why was he staring at you like that?”
“Ares, obviously! He was saying hi to me—”
“If he’s a prince from the defeated nation, he should lower his eyes.”
“……”
“What’s he thinking, eyeing our princess?”
I silently looked up at the greenhouse ceiling for a moment.
I wondered if Nana or Sister Epikus could fix this kid’s way of speaking.
‘Maybe they can’t.’
With a resigned sigh, I stepped up onto the chair.
“It’s fine, Ares… Let’s just go back toge—ow!”
“Hey, your hair’s caught on the rose.”
My head was suddenly yanked back, and tears welled up.
Ares untangled my hair, then tucked something behind my left ear.
“Ares, what are you doing? What is this?”
“The rose that caught your hair. No thorns.”
Ares crossed his arms and looked at me for a moment.
Then he gave a big smile.
“Those blue eyes of yours.”
“What about Prince Halcyon?”
“Even he’s got eyes, apparently.”
“…What are you talking about…”
“Enough whining, Sion. I’ll carry you back.”
This kid says the most ridiculous things, seriously.
But before I could say anything to stop him, I was already in his arms.
“Waaah!”
“Master!”
Lette cried out in surprise, but Ares just grinned smugly.
“It’s your birthday, so I’m doing something special.”
“…Hah! At least say ‘happy birthday’!”
“This is the happy birthday gesture. Hey, Sion. I’m running now!”
“Eek!”
“Oh my gosh, both of you, stop it right now!”
Lette sighed in exasperation, but the gloomy feeling from earlier melted away like snow.
As Ares ran, only the sound of our laughter echoed in my ears.
That evening.
Even as we entered the banquet hall, I kept a clear head.
‘Right, let’s observe a bit longer. There’s no need to talk to the people from the Holy Kingdom right away.’
First of all, my current appearance is completely different from my past life—horns to toes.
Who would look at a demon princess and say, “Excuse me, weren’t you that Saintess who died in the war?”
‘Yeah. No one in their right mind would.’
Plus, I had suppressed my divine power.
So much so that even a priest with sharp sensory abilities couldn’t detect it even up close.
‘Still, something feels off.’
Even if they’re being diplomatic toward the losing side, why did so many priests come?
And the fact that Talos himself moved…
It felt like there was more going on beneath the surface.
‘I need to hold on until I figure it out.’
With that thought, I gathered my courage and stood beside the Demon King.
‘Let’s just watch Dracon and Minte dance for now.’
They were both undeniably stunning—like a picture-perfect couple.
But when Dracon took Minte’s hand, he smiled way too proudly.
“…Pfft.”
I hadn’t forgotten what that man did, but it was still hilarious.
That confident grin—wasn’t it exactly the same as the one Ares had earlier?
“Elysion, don’t you want to try dancing?”
“Uh, what?”
The Demon King gently brushed a strand of hair that had escaped from under my tiara.
But I shook my head. I couldn’t picture it.
‘Even if I’ve grown a bit, I’m still just a little kid.’
How could I possibly dance among those elegant people in this short, chubby body?
“When I grow up! For now… I’m fine.”
“Even if I just hold you and stand there, that’s dancing too.”
“Uh, um… later! Later, I’ll learn properly…!”
I almost blurted out, “When I grow up and learn properly, I’ll have my first dance with Dad.”
When I trailed off, the Demon King looked disappointed.
Just then, the delegation from the Holy Kingdom approached again.
“Glory to the Master and Heir of the Great Tartarus. I, a humble servant of Halcyon, greet you—Second High Priest Talos.”
Talos appeared with Prince Deucalion and a young priestess.
I instinctively shrank back, and irritation flared within me.
‘What a joke. Who does this guy think he is, hogging the greetings instead of the prince?’
Traditionally, a member of royalty should do the talking. But he blatantly stole the moment.
That arrogant jerk.
“Thank you for coming a long way, Prince. And Priest.”
The Demon King gave a curt reply, his face cold like winter wind.
As the prince lifted his head, his eyes met mine.
The doll-like boy’s face began to show signs of life.
But once again, Talos’s smooth voice intruded.
“We humbly beg forgiveness for failing to introduce a certain guest earlier.”
“Besides the prince and priests, who else came?”
“There was someone difficult to introduce immediately due to circumstances… Please, come forward.”
The girl I thought was a priestess stepped forward.
She looked to be in her early teens, with black hair.
Her deep black eyes and gentle smile gave the impression of a kind personality.
She wore a silver circlet set with blue gems.
‘She looks like a rabbit. But that circlet…’
Wasn’t that a silver circlet with lapis lazuli—the headpiece of a Saintess?
And that white ceremonial robe—it was identical to what I used to wear at events.
‘Wait.’
Something felt very wrong.
“This is the new Saintess of the Holy Kingdom. She is the 14th to be appointed.”
“Happy birthday, Princess Elysion.”
The black-haired girl bowed with a familiar smile.
That expression—it was unmistakable.
The graceful smile that understood and forgave everything.
The fake smile I had to wear until the day I died.
It was a smile molded by the temple.
“As the 14th Saintess of Halcyon, I offer blessings to the Master and Heir of Tartarus.”
But to appoint a 14th Saintess, the former—me—would have to pass on her divine power.
And I never did that before I died.
That power still resided within me.
‘…No way.’
Is this… a historic act of blasphemy happening right in front of my eyes?
The girl hadn’t even raised her voice.
Yet her words echoed through every corner of the banquet hall.
‘Of course, the demon nobles were annoyed earlier too, but they held back for diplomacy.’
Now their faces turned blank.
And then, they began whispering furiously under their breath.
“Did she just say she’s the Saintess?”
“The one who was supposedly in the last battle—”
“That would’ve been the former Saintess, right?”
“Even so! What were they thinking bringing her here?”
Everyone looked completely dumbfounded.
And I was just as horrified.
How could there be a 14th Saintess when I, the 13th, never passed on my power?
‘This girl is a fake. The priests must be using her for their own goals.’
I didn’t know why they were propping up this “14th,” or whether she was in on it…
‘But now I’m really pissed!’
After all they put me through, they bring in some fake?
For over a decade, they drilled into me that the title of Saintess was sacred.
And now they themselves were mocking the gods by creating a false one.
‘I’ve been tortured by guilt this whole time!’
I stared straight at Talos and clenched my teeth.
‘Please, let that bastard feel divine wrath first!’
The Demon King rose slowly, shielding me behind him.
“Humans of Halcyon never fail to astonish.”
The air around us instantly turned cold with murderous intent.
Even Talos flinched at the pressure.
“There is only one reason we brought you here without turning you into a mockery.”
“Oh Erebus.”
“You said—with your own mouths—you would confess what Halcyon’s trash did to my wife.”
I looked up at the Demon King in shock.
What the humans of the Holy Kingdom did to the Demon Queen.
Everyone treated me kindly, but clammed up the moment I asked about it.
‘Did they really commit a sin? Are we revealing it here today?’
That’s when Talos subtly pushed Calion forward.
When I realized his intent, I froze.
‘That… that wretched man!’
He hogged all the greetings, but now he was dumping the responsibility on a kid?
