After the disastrous dinner, Rosa spent a lot of time thinking about her situation. Previously, she had always swept all these unpleasant topics to the side since a small, irrationally stupid part of her hoped that this whole situation might have been nothing more than a dream. But it was time to face this new, unpleasant reality and figure out what it was that she needed to do.
First I should probably compile all the things I know about this world.
Rosa wished she could have some pen and paper to write it all down, but obviously her nursery had none of those things. So instead, she decided to organize the information she knew in her head.
I am the youngest daughter of the Demon King and his designated heir.
My mother, the Demon Queen, is dead.
I have magical potential that hasn't been seen in five thousand years. Apparently.
Elves and dwarves are treated like slaves by the demons.
Rosa tried hard to think of other important things, but she realized that these were the only things that she knew for certain. The rest was nothing more than her own guesses or assumptions. She didn't even have a clue whether there were humans in this world.
There must be, but I've never seen one or heard anyone talk about them. Even the books that Faenor and Demon Man read never mentioned anything about humans. And I can't take anything written in these books at face value, since I don't know what's fiction and what's reality.
Rosa's conclusion was simple – she knew far too little about this world. She needed to learn more. But to do that, she had to acquire two of the most important skills – talking and reading. The thought of trying to understand the weird writing of this world made Rosa cringe. Letters looked difficult, and even after all the books she'd seen, she still hadn't picked up on a single letter. Rosa guessed that most likely the writing worked much like Japanese or Chinese where a letter could actually represent a whole word.
She probably wouldn't be able to easily learn the writing on her own, so her best course of action would be to start talking.
"M-Me neim is L-L-" she stuttered in her crib, trying to make her unruly tongue to cooperate. Rosa wasn't sure whether it was her undeveloped baby body that made it difficult to speak or the new language.
"I a-am Rosa," she said in human language and that turned out better albeit it sounded foreign with her new voice.
I shouldn't forget my native language. If I find a way back home, then I need to be able to speak it.
And so Rosa continued her talking practice late into the night. Mostly she spoke in English, because whenever she spoke the demon language, she often stuttered and pronounced words wrong. It frustrated her to no end, so after a few failed attempts, she called it a night and went to sleep.
***
Rosa diligently continued her talking practice for the next month, doing it whenever she was sure that nobody was around. It didn't take long for her to master the unruly baby tongue and speak English without much trouble. But the demon language… Well, let's just say that her pronunciation was not the best.
Why is this language so hard to pronounce? It's like they mixed German with French and Chinese. My tongue is going to twist in on itself.
It was going so badly that Rosa considered abandoning her efforts altogether.
Who am I going to talk to? Demon Man? The only thing I would tell him is probably a slurry of curses? Talking to Gunna and Faenor could be more productive… They probably wouldn't mind answering some of the questions I had…
In the end, Rosa sighed and continued practicing. She had to find a way out of this. A way back home where she could return to her art. Having already spent so much time without even sketching anything made Rosa worry that when she did have the chance to draw or paint, all of her skills would be gone.
Perhaps, I could ask Gunna to bring me some pencils or paints or crayons or whatever it is they have in this world. All the more reason to hurry with my practice.
"Me neim is L-L-Roza," she keeps repeating at the swirly-patterned ceiling above her. It was already late into the night, but despite the many attempts the words sounded wrong. They weren't as smooth as when others spoke, instead her speech reminded her of a jagged, rough stone wall.
I should call it a night today, since I'm not improving anyway. Tomorrow I'll try to repeat the words Gunna and Faenor say throughout the day.
With this thought, Rosa's eyelid slowly closed, tiredness beconning her into dreamland. Her breath became steady, her heartbeat – slow. A vague dream of the seaside began to form in her mind, when she heard the light sounds of the nursery door opening and closing.
Who is coming in this late? Gunna? Or Demon Man? Probably decided to watch me sleep or something creepy like that.
Rosa opened one eye to take a look at her late visitor. Her breath hitched as she saw a figure covered in black from head to toe, only their murderous eyes visible through the tiny slits. Their hand was raised high, a dagger in it.
They're about to kill me!
Rosa grabbed onto the crib's railing and with strength she didn't know her baby body had, dragged herself over the edge. She collided with the floor with a 'thud', and a pained grunt escaped her lips.
"You actually dodged that? Impressive for a baby, but I guess I should be expecting no less from the Demon King's daughter," they snarled out in a barely audible voice. It was unclear whether it was male or female, the voice was too gurgled.
The assailant slowly circled around the crib, dagger primed in their hand. Rosa scrambled away from them on all fours, trying to get away as far away as possible.
This can't be happening! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Somebody help me!
"Hahaha! There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! Even your daddy won't be able to save you, as you'll be long dead before he even realizes what is happening," the figure gloated with disgusting glee. They clearly didn't care about the consequences as long as they completed their mission.
Rosa crawled into the corner and looked straight at the figure. Death. It's like she was staring it straight in the eyes. Soft, muffled laughter came from underneath the mask.
No, I don't want to die! I want to live! Please, just let me melt into the shadows and disappear!
The dagger glinted as it was swung down straight at Rosa. She expected to feel pain, but instead of cutting her flesh, the dagger dug into the wooden floorboards.
"Wha-? Where did you go?" the intruder frantically looked around the room, searching for her left and right.
What just happened? Rosa wondered. She still felt herself being in the same corner, but the dagger didn't hit her. Something wasn't right. Her vision seemed to be perfect – she was able to see everything in the room, even the places where her vision shouldn't reach. And she felt incredibly light – as if floating in the air, except in a more solid way.
The attacker then stopped and focused on the corner where Rosa was. Then he laughed hysterically. It echoed through the quiet of the night like thunder during a clear day.
"To think that a baby less than a year old would be able to hide in the shadows. It's almost a shame to kill you," they cackled in pleasure. "But kill you I shall. I've never let anyone escape after all."
The intruder's blade got surrounded with purple, mist-like substance and then it turned somewhat translucent, ethereal. Like a shadow.
I have to run.
Rosa willed her body to move. She couldn't feel her body as such, but she felt herself moving along the nursery wall. The feeling was nauseating, but she pushed herself forward.
If I don't move, I'll be killed!
This desperate thought propelled her forward as the attacker began stabbing at the wall, following closely behind her.
Faster! Faster!
Rosa got to the door, but she had no form to open them with. However, there was a small crack underneath. She didn't understand how, but she felt like she could get through it. So she crawled under the door, and slid into the hallway outside, the intruder stabbing into the door right as she slipped out.
Two corpses of Rosa's guards laid in a puddle of their own blood. Rosa would have screamed if she had a mouth to scream with. But the intruder smashed the door open and launched themselves straight at Rosa.
She frantically moved through the dark shadows of the wall, going as fast as her form allowed her. There was no time to think or try to understand what she was doing, as every few seconds a dagger collided with the wall where she was less than a second ago.
If I stop, I die! I have to run.
Rosa propelled herself forward with all of her might. She could feel her core shake from exhaustion as she was slowly nearing her limit.
If I stop, I die! RUN! She turned a corner and melded into shadows below the staircase, moving down at a speed which her assailant couldn't match. She slid underneath the first door that she saw. Light footsteps continued to chase after her, keeping close no matter how much she twisted and turned.
I c-can't do this for much longer… But if I stop, I die. Rosa felt her being almost slipping apart from the exertion, but no matter how much it protested, she held onto the power with an iron grip.
"Dammit! This has dragged on too long. I need to end this now," the figure snarled from behind her, and Rosa felt the room instantly turn cold. The change was so sudden that she paused for a second. It was enough. A dagger flew straight at her and she saw a delightful glee in the murderer's eyes.
I'm going to die! Rosa thought as she desperately tried to move away from the weapon. The dagger hit the wall, and Rosa screamed in agony as it pierced her shoulder. She materialized out of the shadows, tears of pain and agony streaming down her little cheeks.
"Amazing! You dodged a death blow. To think that my most spectacular prey would be a baby. It is horrifying to think what you would be able to do as an adult," the intruder padded heavily as he came closer and closer to her.
Somebody, please… Rosa thought, death and cold spreading from her wound and slowly taking over her body.
"HELP!" she allowed herself to scream as loud as her little lungs could. The murderer paused, shocked by her sudden scream, and then went very still. A bloody blade came out from their chest – exactly where their heart should be.
They spat up a bunch of blood that seeped through the mask, coloring their clothes and the floor before them in a thick, crimson color.
"This death is too merciful for you," said the loud and clear voice of Alphegor. He pulled his sword out of the corpse, and threw it to the side like it was nothing more than a bag of trash. Then he ran to Rosa's side.
"Get a healer! Immediately! I'll kill you all if they're not here within three minutes!" his voice boomed menacingly, but his face was distraught with worry and fear as he looked over Rosa's injury.
"I-I…" Rosa muttered, tears streaming down her face and she reached her arm towards him. Alphegor grabbed her without hesitation and cradled her close.
"You'll be fine! You'll be fine! We'll get you healed in no time!" he muttered it like a mantra, but his face was panicked. Alphegor moved her clothes aside gently to look at her wound. His hand began to tremble and looked unsure of whether to remove the dagger or not.
"We're going to get this fixed," he said, a slight tremble in his voice as his grip on her tightened.
Rosa's vision blurred, she was unable to endure the pain any longer. But before her consciousness faded, she saw a single tear roll down Alphegor's face.
So demons do have feelings…
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Rosa woke up from a sharp pang of pain in her shoulder which slowly subsided into a gentle ache. When she finally gathered herself enough to open her eyes, she found herself cradled in Alphegor's embrace.
"You're awake," he exclaimed, relief washing over his face. His features seemed strained – a furrow in his brow, pursed lips forced into a bare smile, slightly scrunched nose and forehead. "Thank the Darkness that you're alright…"
Alphegor brought Rosa close and held her so gently as to not put any strain on her injured shoulder. It felt warm and comforting. Safe.
He saved me as soon as I called for help. Did he hear me or did he notice the ruckus caused by the intruder?
As she remembered their murderous eyes, she instinctively clung onto Alphegor's clothes. She smelled a light stench of blood coming from him, and almost recoiled.
No, he protected me. I am safe with him.
"Rest, child. I shall not leave your side," Alphegor said, and Rosa relaxed. She was so exhausted both physically and mentally that his comforting warmth and closeness lulled her back to sleep.
When Rosa woke up, she was surprised to find herself in a completely unfamiliar room. She sat up to look at the surroundings. Alphegor was sleeping right next to her on the left, while on the right there was a net installed by the bedposts.
Beyond it she saw a huge room – at least four of her nurseries could easily fit inside it. The bed alone was so large it probably wouldn't even fit inside Rosa's apartment. The bedsheets were made out of black silk with tasteful golden and red accents while the dark blue curtains were tied to the engraved wooden bed posts.
Two wooden dividers, one with a dark dragon motif on it and one with a mountain landscape, separated the bed from the rest of the room. The art style on them was rather simplistic but tasteful, choosing to remain more as a background element rather than something that caught your attention.
Beyond the dividers Rosa could see that one side of the room appeared more like a study with a desk, bookshelves and some sort of a weird, round apparatus in the corner. The other side of the room was more obscured, she could only peek at a part of a coffee table and what she thought to be a couch.
This must be Alphegor's private room. Why has he suddenly brought me here? Was it because of the attack?
Rosa looked at the sleeping demon. His face was contorted in a scowl, and his body appeared tense. Much to her discomfort, his upper torso was completely naked, showing well-defined muscles and perfectly smooth skin.
Even if this is your room, couldn't you wear pajamas or something?
But she shouldn't be complaining. Some of his genes no doubt had passed to her, so that meant she should be at least somewhat attractive. Or at least more attractive than she had been before.
The silence in the room stretched on and Rosa's mind flashed back to the horrid eyes of the murderer. His laugh echoed in her ears, and she moved her hand to touch where the dagger had struck her shoulder. There was a small bit of pain coming from it when she pressed down, but no more than from a regular bruise. She pushed her shirt to the side and saw that her skin had a reddish line on it with a bit of blue around it.
I must have been healed with magic. I couldn't have healed so quickly myself. Or could I? I'm not human anymore, so I suppose I can't rule out that possibility.
Rosa shook her head at this unpleasant thought. Her body might have been that of a demon, but her soul was definitely human. She had to find a way to her human body before somebody murdered her in this world. No doubt this would not be the last attempt on her life.
Why did I have to become the Demon King's daughter? If I were to be reborn in another world, couldn't I be a farmer's daughter? Or better yet – an artist's daughter.
Rosa sighed, and her body began trembling despite the room being warm. She didn't want to accept the unpleasant reality she was living in. She did not want assassins preying on her life or the envious gazes of her half-sisters or demon concubines. She just wanted to go back home – to the little apartment where she kept her painting supplies.
Suddenly Alphegor next to Rosa stirred, making her flinch in surprise. His eyes fluttered open, and his scowl softened.
"You woke up before me, Morrigan? How are you feeling?" he asked as he got up to a sitting position. Moving Rosa's shirt aside, just like she had before, he looked at her injury and grimaced when he saw the ugly mark. "Those healer's didn't do a good enough job. I should cut off their heads."
"No!" Rosa protested before she even realized what she was doing. The demon looked at her in shock while she stared back at him wide-eyed.
Keep calm, keep calm! It's not like you said any difficult words. While eight month old baby talking is certainly not normal, a simple word like 'no' shouldn't get you into trouble.
"Was that a real word I heard?" a wide grin appeared on Alphegor's face and he lifted Rosa up. "Say that again."
Rosa pondered for a second whether she should, cold sweat forming on her body.
"No…" she said with much less confidence, hoping that her repeating the same word won't make her seem too advanced.
If he figured out that I'm actually a human, then I have no doubt that my head would fly off my shoulders. Demons hate humans, that much I know for certain.
"Amazing! Despite being so small, you're already saying your first words. Not a single one of your twenty three sisters could do that," Alphegor said, his proud smile revealing longer than normal canines.
I have twenty three sisters? I didn't see that many girls at that 'family gathering'.
Rosa grimaced, unable to hide her disappointment. Seemed like demon men were much like some human men – unable to keep their hands to themselves.
"Why do you suddenly look so disappointed?"
"No," Rosa babbled in response and turned her head to the side.
"Heh, cheeky little one, aren't you?" he chuckled and then moved out of the bed with Rosa in his arms.
Alphegor walked past the large divider, and Rosa could take a proper look at the room. The right side was indeed a resting area with a couch, coffee table and a small wine cabinet. What she hadn't noticed before was that next to the large, round apparatus on the left side of the room, there was a large window. It was the first window she has seen since first coming to this world.
Rosa outstretched her hands towards it, and fidgeted, trying to indicate that she wanted to look outside.
"Want to take a look outside? I suppose there were no windows in your room. I hoped that it would keep assassin's at bay, but it seems like it was naive to believe that mere lack of windows could achieve that," Alphegor spoke, his expression turning cold. A shiver ran through Rosa's spine when he said the word 'assassins', and she was about to move closer to him. Then she realized that he was still mostly naked and abandoned the idea.
Alphegor went up to the window which was currently covered with curtains, and slowly pulled them apart. Rosa was eager to finally see the sun for the first time in eight months, but when the King opened the curtains, all she felt was disappointment.
"Take a good look, Morrigan. This is the Underworld, Demon Kingdom – the strongest kingdom in the whole world. None other can match our might!" he announced proudly and pointed towards the dark, dreary scenery outside.
There was no sky, there was no sun, there were no lush forests, green fields of grass or bright, blue seas. There was stone, darkness, deep endless ravines and fields of lava and fire. Instead of a vibrant garden with bright flowers, there was a murky garden with gray foliage and occasional thorny bush. Shimmering river water was replaced with a river of lava that destroyed everything in its path. The endless sky was absent, and the dark cave ceiling trapped underneath it like a cage. Rosa felt like a part of her had just been crushed.
"It must be a lot to take in at once, but I'm sure you'll learn more about your kingdom as you grow older. For now you need to focus on healing," Alphegor said, but Rosa could barely hear him.
I truly am in hell. There is no sunlight, no life, not even a gust of wind. It is only darkness and death and suffering.
***
Since that day, all of Rosa's baby things except for her crib were moved to Alphegor's room. Much to her chagrin, Rosa had to sleep next to Alphegor every night and she was constantly watched by somebody. Mostly by Alphegor himself.
The demon was reluctant to ever leave Rosa alone, even under the watchful eye of Gunna, and quite honestly she herself felt nervous whenever he was not around. While Rosa liked Gunna and she enjoyed when Faenor read books to her, she was constantly haunted by the visions of the murderous intruder. She looked at every corner, constantly looking out for any moving shadows.
"It's alright, Lady Morrigan. You are safe," Gunna soothed her during mealtime. But Rosa kept glancing behind the nanny to make sure nobody unknown was lurking behind her.
"To think that somebody would try to murder a child," Faenor appeared disgusted by the notion. He was waiting on the couch as the nanny fed Rosa. "It must be something only demons are able to do."
"Shush, Faenor! You'll get us into trouble."
"His Majesty," Faenor spat out the words as if they were poison, "is currently away from the castle, and the guards don't really care what slaves talk about as long as we don't confront them directly."
"Still – Lady Morrigan can hear you," the nanny glanced at Rosa a bit nervously, but she just cocked her head to the side and poked the floor, feigning interest in its wooden pattern.
"Lady Morrigan is a baby. A smart baby, but a baby nonetheless," Faenor said and pulled out a colorful book with a rainbow on the front cover.
You expect me to smile at that don't you?
Although currently Rosa was in no mood for stories, she forced herself to smile. It's better that she acted like nothing had happened – after all a real baby certainly wouldn't have understood anything.
If I were an actual baby, I'd already be dead. Rosa shuddered as she tried not to show her nervousness.
"See! She's just as eager for story time as always," Faenor said and picked Rosa up, setting her down on his knee as he always did.
"It would be nice if Lady Morrigan weren't affected. But even so, there will be more attempts on her life."
"Barbaric. If she'd been born an elf princess, nobody would ever even dare to think of killing her. Or any child for that matter."
"If she were a dwarf princess, then dwarves from all over the world would come to the capital to pay homage to her. And anyone lucky enough to see her would be blessed for life."
But I was born a demon princess, so instead of praise and worship, I get contempt, malice and countless assassination attempts.
Faenor began reading the colorful picture book, but Rosa couldn't find it in herself to enjoy it. The children's books had fulfilled their purpose at that point – to teach Rosa the demon language. Her baby body was developing, she could walk, she could talk (to an extent) and she could even blend into shadows in case of an emergency.
In all honesty, Rosa still had no idea how she managed to step into shadows and become a part of them. The whole experience was so jarring and unpleasant that she preferred not to think about it at all. But whether she liked it or not – without this power she most certainly would be dead.
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