Scritch. Scritch.
The soft sound of chalk grinding against stone filled the room.
Only after carving the final symbol into the floor did I finally straighten my back.
"Giselle."
"Yes, Your Grace."
At my call, my loyal maid answered immediately.
I offered her a small smile before striking a match.
Fwoosh!
The painstakingly completed magic circle burst into flames.
Feeling the scorching heat wash over my face, I slowly closed my eyes.
"I will become a queen."
My future had been decided from the moment I was born.
The heir to the weakest nation blessed with the most coveted lands.
"You who desire to claim my soul..."
The future Grand Duchess destined to suffer as powerful empires fought over her country.
Idir Hubert.
Or, as people mockingly called me—
The Shrimp Princess.
I was sick and tired of the ridicule and pity that had followed me all my life.
I would shatter the fate that had been laid out before me.
And I would have my revenge.
"Answer my wish."
The moment I recited the final incantation, I scattered a crimson liquid into the fire.
Droplets of blood split apart in the flames, releasing a metallic scent before being consumed in an instant.
Slowly, the fire died away.
Silence swallowed the room.
A suffocating silence.
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The sound of a clock's second hand announced that time had begun moving again.
"...Your Grace."
"...What."
"I believe it failed again."
"...I know."
Pouting, I flipped through the ancient tome.
Another failure.
I crossed out the ritual instructions with an irritated scribble.
At this point, I'd lost count of how many times I'd failed.
"Haa..."
Letting out a deep sigh, I shoved my feet into my hunting boots.
There was no point wasting time sulking.
It would be far more productive to gather the next set of ingredients.
"Your Grace, I've been meaning to ask."
While helping me with my boots, Giselle pointed toward my chest.
"What exactly is that thing hanging around your neck?"
At her question, I grasped the small angel statue dangling from a chain around my neck.
Honestly, it was rather tacky for a necklace.
"They said it comes with an angel's blessing."
Giselle's brow twitched slightly.
"Wouldn't it be faster to ally yourself with a powerful noble house willing to support you?"
"No."
I shook my head firmly and stepped out of the Grand Ducal Castle.
An alliance with another house would only buy temporary survival.
What I wanted was something entirely different.
I wanted to transform the Grand Duchy I would one day inherit into a kingdom.
No—
Into a great power so mighty that no nation on the continent would dare threaten it.
"Giselle, I want to become the queen of a great nation through my own strength."
"Does summoning a demon and wishing for help count as your own strength?"
"Summoning it is my ability."
I shrugged without shame.
This counts as effort too.
As depressing as it was, this country had no future unless it borrowed power from somewhere—even if that power came from demons.
If I inherit the succession rights in times like these, the outcome is obvious.
Keeping a firm grip on the reins, I recalled one memory from the past.
That night had been beautiful.
Countless shooting stars had fallen across a milky-white sky, as if the heavens themselves had bestowed a blessing.
"Idir. On the day this nation reaches one hundred years of history, I will entrust this throne to you."
That promise had meant everything to me.
Because that day was...
"Your Grace! Watch your footing!"
The moment Giselle shouted her warning, my horse reared onto its hind legs.
A dagger flashed through the air.
Thrown by Giselle, it struck the ground like lightning.
Startled, I looked down.
A black lizard writhed on the forest floor, letting out its final cry.
"That gave me a fright."
I muttered calmly and looked around.
It seemed we had already reached our destination.
This time, I'll definitely succeed.
At this point, I wanted to see what one of these arrogant demons actually looked like.
Without hesitation, I picked up the dead lizard and stuffed it into a sack.
And it was right after I had so mercilessly acquired my sacrifice.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
A scream echoed through the forest.
"Giselle."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Giselle instantly drew her sword.
As if announcing its presence, another scream rang out.
"Let's go check."
Once we'd detected something suspicious, ignoring it wasn't an option.
At the very least, I wanted to know which fool had wandered into this place.
The closer we got to the source of the screams, the louder the commotion became.
"...you idiot!"
Someone's furious shout carried through the trees.
Infighting?
Speculating about the situation, I urged my horse forward.
Then I pushed through the bushes.
"...A bear?"
A gigantic black figure crouched in the undergrowth.
"No. A person."
Looking closer, it was a man.
He wasn't moving.
At first glance, he appeared dead.
I pointed toward the flattened bushes nearby.
"Giselle. Track down whoever ran away and bring them back."
"Understood."
After giving the order, I jumped down from my horse.
"Hm? Not dead after all."
A closer inspection revealed that he was still breathing.
Though he looks like he's about to die.
His condition was terrible.
When I pulled back his robe, blood oozed from a gruesome wound.
He looked moments away from death.
"Hmm."
I crouched down and examined him carefully.
Signs of hurried interference were everywhere.
The most noticeable clue was the awkwardly torn ornament that had once adorned his shoulder.
Looks like someone was desperate to hide his identity.
The sloppy disguise almost made me laugh.
His clothes had been deliberately dirtied.
His face had been smeared with grime.
Anything that could reveal who he was had been removed.
Whoever had done it must have acted the moment they realized we were approaching.
A smart decision.
Unfortunately...
You can't fool me.
I knew exactly who this man was.
I'd first met him at a banquet in the Adorif Empire.
Back then, he had been impeccably dressed in military uniform.
He had politely escorted me through the event—
And then cut a man in half in the middle of the ballroom.
"The task you assigned has been completed."
The knight, drenched in blood, knelt before his master without even disturbing his breathing.
I would never forget that calm, low voice.
Dejan Voislav Nemanic.
The man known throughout the continent as the Immortal of Adorif.
That was the moment he had become permanently etched into my memory.
"So..."
I stared down at him.
"Do I kill him, or save him?"
My mind began calculating immediately.
What problems would arise if this man died within my borders?
And what future awaited me if I saved him and sent him back alive?
Which option was better?
Which was worse?
While I weighed the possibilities, Giselle returned.
"Your Grace. I've captured the suspicious individual."
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The bound figure struggled desperately in Giselle's grasp.
Seeing him settled my decision.
"Giselle. We'll take this man too."
"This one?"
"Yes."
There's a lot to gain from him.
Dejan Voislav Nemanic was loyal to a degree that bordered on having no self at all.
At the same time, he was the empire's strongest bulwark on the frontier.
A monster who loved the battlefield.
"I'm getting bored. Would it be possible to step outside for a moment?"
"Regulations forbid it."
Yet the man I had actually met was nothing like the rumors.
He had been astonishingly polite.
Refined.
Elegant.
"That's why I'm asking."
"... "
"You can simply come along and keep watch over me, can't you?"
"...Only for a moment."
And surprisingly reasonable.
If I make him owe me a debt, I'm sure it'll prove useful someday.
Most importantly—
His very existence prevented wars from breaking out.
"Can we even get him onto a horse? He's unbelievably heavy."
I tugged on Dejan's sleeve and strained with all my strength.
"I'll handle it."
Giselle stepped forward and expertly hoisted him upright.
Then—
His hand twitched.
"Giselle!"
Instinctively, I reached out toward her.
But Dejan moved faster.
He seized Giselle by the collar.
"Ugh!"
She was hurled into a tree trunk and let out a pained groan.
"Sir Nemanic! What do you think you're doing?!"
I shouted angrily.
Slowly, his head turned toward me.
Our eyes met.
No.
Something was wrong.
There was no focus in his gaze.
No reason.
No sanity.
Whatever state he was in, he was clearly not himself.
"Hey."
"..."
The knight of a foreign empire growled low in his throat.
Like a starving beast.
Step by step, he approached me.
"Dejan Voislav Nemanic."
Backing away, I felt along my side until my fingers found the dagger hidden beneath my clothes.
A weapon like this could never defeat a man known as the strongest warrior on the continent.
A man they called immortal.
But I'm not going to stand here and let him kill me.
My eyes flicked toward his abdomen.
Blood was still dripping steadily from the wound.
Looks like I'll have to abandon my original plan.
Dealing with the aftermath would be troublesome, but being attacked by him would be worse.
Immortal or not, stabbing an existing wound should kill him eventually.
Holding my breath, I waited for the perfect opportunity.
Closer.
Closer.
I let him approach until he was within arm's reach.
Then—
His massive hand suddenly filled my vision.
And just as quickly, it swung away from me.
THUD!
"Huh?"
To my astonishment, Dejan hadn't attacked me.
He had attacked himself.
BOOM!
He smashed his own face with his fist.
Then slammed his forehead into the tree trunk beside him.
And immediately lost consciousness.
"...Oh my?"
I blinked.
"...Well, that's one way to solve the problem."