╔══ 𓆩♡𓆪 ══╗
"Aurianna, what the hell did I say about playing with commoners? You should know the difference between commoners and nobles!" Amber, Aurianna's mother, bellowed, her voice laced with fury. She swung a whip made of light, striking Aurianna's cheek.
Aurianna crumpled to the ground, her body trembling. She clutched her cheek, feeling the sting as it slowly healed.
"But, Mother, the noble girls are boring. I like having fun with the commoners more…" Aurianna's voice wavered, her eyes brimming with tears. She met her mother's gaze, only to be met with cold contempt.
"Useless as always. You better be a Saintess, because I can't stand a useless daughter like you," Amber spat.
"Moth…" Aurianna's voice faltered. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand. "I'm sorry."
"You better hope that rose mark on your neck is the real Saintess Mark. I have important matters to deal with. Get changed, you're filthy," Amber commanded, her heels clicking harshly as she walked away down the hall of the main palace.
Aurianna's bright expression darkened, her eyes hardening. 'Annoying old hag,' she thought bitterly. 'Useless knights as well,' she added, clicking her tongue.
"Can you please escort me to my room?" Aurianna's voice softened, her expression shifting to one of innocence as she addressed a nearby knight.
"Of course, Princess," the knight replied, offering a cold smile as he escorted her to her room.
Once inside, Aurianna rushed to her bed, burying her face in her pillow. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she bit her lip. "I don't have magic, so what?! Why can't you love me, Mother? I hate this family. I'm so tired. I just want to be loved," she sobbed, clutching her pillow tightly.
"Princess, are you alright?" A trembling rabbit maid appeared at the door.
"Silence, demi-human! Who gave you the right to speak to me?" Aurianna snapped, her frustration boiling over. The maid recoiled, cowering in fear. Aurianna took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
"I-I'm so sorry!" the maid stammered, bowing deeply.
"Tch," Aurianna clicked her tongue. She eyed the maid for a moment before sighing. "Stop trembling. I shall not harm you. But would you like freedom?"
The rabbit maid looked up, meeting Aurianna's gentle gaze. "I wouldn't dare dream of freedom!" she whispered, trembling even more.
Aurianna sighed again. "How annoying. Your kind are all the same. To be prisoners instead of fighting for your rights. It's utterly annoying."
𓆪
"What does the princess want a new batch of slaves for?" a knight asked as he noticed a group of new demi-human slaves being led by a female knight. "What happened to the old batch?"
"She frees her slaves. Such an innocent girl, but I'm sure she knows by now that everyone she sets free is eventually caught and killed," the female knight said with a cruel smile.
"Poor child, too kind for her own good," the male knight sighed before continuing down the hall.
𓆪
"How is the battle at the borders?" King Girsal asked his advisor Chu, who stood by his side.
"As you anticipated, they attempted a sneak attack on our military base. We overpowered them entirely," Chu reported with a subtle smile. "We wiped out their force."
"Your Majesty, now that we've threatened them with the demon prisoners, they seem extremely agitated. Their leader is a good strategist, one that makes me tremble, but he can't compare to Your Majesty," Chu stated calmly.
"Excellent. Let them come. That failure really thinks he can outwit me in a strategy war? He should have chosen the normal war designed by the god of war. Now, you shall regret going against me, demon king!"
As promised, three days later, Aurianna was escorted by knights to Momo's mansion within the palace. Upon arrival, she was led to a large, beautiful garden where floating creatures danced among the flowers.
"Aunt Momo, what are you doing?!" Aurianna giggled as she entered and saw Momo twirling around with a teapot and teacup.
"I'm trying to learn a new dance, Aurianna," Momo said, stopping abruptly and blushing heavily when she realized she had an audience.
"Aunty, can you teach me? Your dancing was so cute!" Aurianna giggled, attempting to mimic Momo but moving awkwardly.
"If you want, I can spend the whole day teaching you how to dance," Momo offered, bending down and giving Aurianna a warm smile.
"I'd love that!" Aurianna declared, her innocent smile lighting up her face.
𓆪
Life was peaceful, and as always, Aurianna was seen playing with her friends in the grassy parks of the kingdom, with knights watching from a distance. Suddenly, Aurianna felt a tingly sensation, causing her to stop playing and get up. A strange feeling gripped her heart.
"We need to run," Aurianna said, panic evident in her voice.
"What's wrong, Aurianna?" a girl asked, noticing Aurianna's trembling.
"Something…" Aurianna mumbled, her eyes widening as she looked up.
Cries pierced the air as the sky was suddenly covered by a bright black light, destroying everything in its path.
After a while of being knocked out, Aurianna slowly awoke to find the area around her engulfed in flames. "What is happening? Everyone…!?" she gasped, seeing the lifeless bodies scattered around her, realizing she was the only survivor.
Witnessing the gruesome scene, Aurianna couldn't help but vomit, coughing hysterically.
"Princess, if you don't move, you'll die! So, Princess, run away—ackk!" a nearby knight gasped his last words as a demon woman with sharp claws impaled him.
"Demons! What are they doing here?" Aurianna wondered in terror. Demons bore a resemblance to humans, but their skin came in various colors, and they had unique features like horns and extremely sharp teeth. The most distinguishing feature was their black sclera and slit pupils.
Aurianna hastily scrambled to her feet, watching in horror as the people around her were slaughtered by all types of demons. The knights who emerged from the shadows to defend her were swiftly torn to pieces.
"I don't want to die!" a knight screamed, trying to flee, but his head was crushed by a demon who landed on him with an evil grin.
"Humans are so annoying. Karma sure is a bitch, huh? You killed my people, so this is payback!" the demon man yelled angrily, stomping on the dead knight's body until it turned into a gruesome paste.
Aurianna stood paralyzed with fear, tears streaming down her face. Her blue eyes flickered with desperation. 'Why are demons in Sandeph? How is this possible?!' she wondered frantically.
"Oh, a noble of Sandeph? One of the disgusting humans who enslaves my people. I'll make sure to break every single one of your bones for my people and the demi-humans your country has killed!" a demon woman chuckled with an evil grin, revealing her shark-like teeth as she approached Aurianna.
"No, no, I, I won't hurt…" Aurianna tried to speak, but fear paralyzed her. She vomited again, coughing hysterically as the scent of blood and smoke filled her nostrils.
"Seriously? The human princess is quite a pathetic thing," the demon woman in armor laughed, smacking Aurianna on the head, though not heavily.
'Someone, anyone, please save me. I don't want to die!' Aurianna cried inwardly, looking around desperately for help. But those hiding immediately looked away, causing the harsh reality to dawn on her—no one would save her.
'Why the hell are those commoners just hiding and watching? Am I not the princess of this country? They should do everything in their power to protect my life, for I am Aurianna Vanluad!' Aurianna's eyes suddenly glowed. The nearby people's eyes became dazed, and they rushed toward the demons, only to be mercilessly slaughtered.
"Run away, Princess Aurianna!" they all yelled in unison, charging at the demons with makeshift weapons.
"Thank you, everyone," Aurianna managed to say, getting up and running away, feeling relieved. She didn't once look back, a strange smile spreading on her tear-streaked face.
'I don't know what happened for them to suddenly act like that, but I'll live no matter what, for their sakes!' she thought determinedly. 'I must head to the palace. Where's my father? My siblings?'
As she ran, she saw people being slaughtered everywhere, making her tremble. The fear of being next kept her moving.
"Caught you!" a voice snarled. Aurianna felt a sharp pain as she was pierced through the gut and thrown aside, crashing into a building.
"Ack, ah, ah!" Aurianna's eyes darted around, searching for her attacker. A humanoid insect demon loomed over her, staring down with contempt and disgust.
"I thought I had killed all the humans in this area, but it seems one is left," the demon woman snickered.
"Oh, look at that brave look in your eyes," the demon woman sneered, fixating on Aurianna's blue eyes. Suddenly, the demon's eyes became dazed. "Now that I think about it, you're quite the beauty. Why don't I keep you as a pet, the same way humans do to demons?" she asked with a crazed smile.
"But that face of yours is a problem. What if others want to take you away from me?" she mused, picking Aurianna up with her claws, causing Aurianna's wounds to open up even more.
'Those eyes, just like those times,' Aurianna's mind raced, remembering how people acted insane whenever they came in contact with her.
"Hey, human, talk, will you? Aww, look at how much you're bleeding. I can't bear to watch such a darling in pain, so I'll relieve you from this suffering by eating you so that we become one!" the demon woman declared.
'I don't want to die. I don't want to die!' Aurianna thought frantically, her heart pounding in her chest.