The surroundings were pitch black; I couldn't feel any of my emotions. I didn't know if my eyes were open or closed. Up and down kept shifting endlessly—sometimes it felt like I was falling, other times like I was gliding. I had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity to me. I thought I'd go mad if this went on any longer. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't speak.
Then, something changed. I felt myself moving somewhere, though I couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly, sunlight hit my eyelids, and I started crying.
WAHHH
It had been a long time since I last cried, and for some reason, I couldn't stop. My lungs felt as if they were filled with fire, and because of the sunlight in my eyes, all I could see was yellow.
"You've given birth to a princess, my lady."
I heard a voice. It wasn't in my native language; it was probably one of the languages spoken in the Human Empire. It seemed my many travels and language lessons had finally paid off.
I turned my head toward the voice, and with clumsiness that felt like it was my first time, I opened my eyes. There, staring back at me, was a pair of brown eyes. I felt myself moving again, and soon, I saw a woman with long, sky-blue hair and white eyes that looked devoid of malice. Normally, white eyes would give me an eerie sense of blindness, but her gaze seemed flawless. On her head were horn-like structures resembling a crown that stretched toward the sky. They were so regal that I couldn't look away from them for a while. If I wasn't mistaken, they were dragon horns.
"Hello, my dear. I'm your mother. What a clever and sweet little girl you are," she said with a gentle smile. "When your brother was born, he woke up the entire castle."
I couldn't fully grasp what was happening. Wasn't I dead? Who were these people—or rather, this human and dragon? They couldn't possibly have saved me from that situation! I was sure I had died.
At that moment, I caught sight of two tiny baby hands. Instinctively, I moved them.
'T-these are my hands? Why are they so tiny?! And why does my body feel so small? And what about this person looking at me like I'm her own child? I don't understand anything!!'
Just then, the door to the room burst open. Although I couldn't turn my neck much, I managed to glance toward the door. In doing so, I got a good look at the room. It was as large as the event hall in the castle, which I had always thought was enormous! And this was just a bedroom! Not only that, but everywhere I looked, there were luxurious furnishings, curtains, and decorations. Just thinking about their cost made my head ache.
Shifting my attention to the door, I saw a man with golden hair that looked like silk and a pair of purple eyes more powerful than the rarest gemstone staring at me. Even though he was just standing there, I could feel his strength and nobility with my very soul.
'Why does this man seem so familiar?'
"You've done it, Agathe. You've given birth to our second child," he said with a kind smile.
"Of course I did, Arthur. Did you think a mighty dragon like me wouldn't be able to give birth to our daughter?"
"Of course not, my dear. It's just that the castle seemed on the verge of collapse. I'm pretty sure I heard that one of the towers fell."
The dragon, whom I now assumed was named Agathe, blushed.
"I just got a little excited, all right?! If there's anyone to blame, it's the tower that couldn't withstand even a fraction of my power!"
The man chuckled. "Well, what's done is done. Have you thought of a name for her? According to our agreement, I'd name the child if it was a boy, and you'd name her if it was a girl."
Although Agathe seemed to have plenty to say, she chose not to argue further.
"Yes… I had a very different name in mind, but when I look at her, only one name comes to mind. Let's name her 'Angelica.' What do you think? Is it beautiful?" she asked with a sweet expression.
"Yes, it's very beautiful. She looks just like an angel. So it's decided—our third princess will be named Lillian Angelica Leveith."
But I couldn't focus on their conversation anymore. I was on the verge of losing my mind.
'Did he just say Arthur?! And a blue dragon named Agathe! That—those are the names of the Human Emperor and his third consort!'
My headache intensified so much that my small body couldn't handle it, and I passed out, with everyone thinking I had simply fallen asleep.
But before I blacked out, I had figured it all out. Somehow, for reasons I couldn't understand, I had died and been reborn as the first daughter of the Human Emperor and his third consort…
****
The Human Continent was home to three different countries: the Ulvia Empire, the Frizt Kingdom, and the Aldas Kingdom. Just 100 years ago, there were more than ten countries, but Emperor Arthur managed to unite all of them under his rule, except for two. Ulsar Arthur Leveith, the only Seventh Evolution level human, defeated everyone who opposed him with his individual strength and the army he had worked so hard to build.
Beloved for his justice and kindness, even in the lands he conquered, no one could stand in his way, and within a short 80 years, he had added 65% of the Human Continent to his empire. Just as it seemed he was about to conquer the entire continent, he retreated to his capital and halted his expansion. Everyone wondered why he didn't go all the way…
Although loved by the people for both his power and personality, Arthur fell in love with Agathe, whom he encountered during a battle. Agathe, being a dragon, loved two things above all else… power and wealth! After convincing two empresses, the couple married.
Though Arthur was an emperor, he was very humble. He was someone who deeply loved his family and wives, doing everything to avoid hurting them. There was even a rumor that the reason Arthur stopped his conquests was because he wanted to spend more time with his family! The empresses knew about this, and they accepted it. In fact, that was the only reason… Yes!! It definitely wasn't because Agathe, who was at the Sixth Evolution level, was a walking apocalypse!! Actually, when the empresses first saw Agathe, they had to make a great effort not to faint. Had it not been for her immense pride and the fact that she would soon be part of their family, they would likely have collapsed right there.
Their marriage shook the entire world. Though Arthur was human, he was incredibly powerful thanks to the blessing of the Goddess of Light. Agathe, despite being at the Sixth Evolution level, was strong enough to defeat beings at the Seventh Evolution level. This was highly abnormal! As one advanced in evolutionary levels, the gap between them grew exponentially. For example, a First Evolution level being could defeat a Second Evolution level being by using stronger bloodlines, proximity, items, and techniques. But as you progressed, these advantages only worked if the two were in the same tier. For instance, at the Fifth Evolution level, one could use mana outside their body. This allowed them to greatly enhance their items and use their proximity to the utmost degree. So, beings with higher mana quality and capacity gained significant advantages.
But Agathe, through her long battles and training, had pushed the quality of her mana beyond its limits, and thanks to her dragon body, she had nearly unlimited mana capacity!
Both empresses, aware of Agathe's immense strength, accepted her not only out of fear but also because they would gain a strong ally in future potential wars. At first, they were hesitant, but since they all loved Arthur, they began to grow closer. Thanks to Arthur's influence, they all understood and respected each other. This created a relationship where they all looked out for one another like sisters. Undoubtedly, this was the kind of relationship every man dreams of…
***
My eyes slowly started to open, and I was faced with a ceiling I had never seen before. It seemed that after I fell asleep (or passed out), they had washed and dressed me. If I taste the milk in my mouth, I can tell that my mother must have breastfed me.
'Mother, haah... I've never had a family before. My name has literally reversed. I used to have the name of the Demon Queen, and now I have a name with "angel" in it. It seems like I now have a mother, a father, and even a sibling... It's so strange. Really, really strange. Why did I suddenly become the princess of the Ulvia Empire?? I'm sure I've heard a few things about being reborn, but I thought it was all nonsense. Anyway, I can't stress about things I don't know the answers to. I need to think about what I should do now.'
I started looking around. My mother was asleep in the bed next to mine. It seemed like my father had decided to sleep with her today. After looking around a bit more, I started to feel bored. It was hard to do anything with my baby body, especially when I wasn't used to it yet.
'Wait, my new body?'
Since there wasn't much I could do, I decided to focus on my own body. Thanks to a skill I had learned in my past life, I could see the details of my body. In fact, the reason I could use my mana externally was because of this ability. It allowed me to see my mana channels, and after much effort, I had learned how to move the mana in these channels as I wished. If I trained every day, I could improve my mana channels, thereby increasing my capacity and quality.
When I used the skill, I almost screamed. Apparently, my parents had given me some beautiful gifts!!! I had a pair of horns that had just started to sprout from my head, a pair of wings embedded in my back, and a tiny dragon tail at my waist.
'Hehehe, so cute!!'
But it wasn't just because they were cute. In the future, this small tail would turn into the most powerful spear, the wings embedded in my back would grow large enough to cover the sky, and my horns would stand tall toward the heavens as symbols of nobility.
Wiping away the drool from my dreams, I started to go deeper into my thoughts. It seemed that because of my parents' strength, my mana channels, bloodline, and even my affinities were incredibly strong. Although I couldn't feel their exact levels, I was sure they were much better than anything I had experienced in my past life.
'T-This... This is ridiculous!'
And then I discovered something that almost made me scream...