Through a Princess' Eyes.
That was the title of the novel series I found myself inside all those years ago. It was a fairly common story, all things considered. It used all the same tropes and clichés as other stories, but it held a special place in my heart as the first series I read alongside my mother. Every couple of years, we would reread it from start to finish, reliving our favorite moments together. I would always be thankful to my mother for that. If it wasn't for her, I might have forgotten all the important things that would impact my life as Theophania. Even if I had forgotten some of the finer details over the years, I was still familiar with the grander themes which governed my new world.
Cycles played an important role in Theophania's story. Cycles of abuse, of reincarnation, of revenge, but most importantly a cycle of war.
Every time a Demon King was slain, a new one would be born within the following decade. As a result, a new Saintess and a new Hero had to be chosen to fight him. The Saintess and Hero were blessed by different Gods every time, but the Demon King was always chosen by Asgoloth, the God of Darkness. The same soul was sent down again and again to fight the same battle against different foes. It was a little heartbreaking to think about, even if the Demon King was the one to kill the original Theophania. I couldn't really blame him for that, anyway. Even I, as a Saintess, was bound to my role.
And, unlike Theophania, I planned on playing it properly.
That was why I didn't scream like she did when the person who opened the carriage door had horns growing from his head. This was my first time seeing a demon in the flesh. Aside from his horns and his pointed ears, he didn't look all that different from a human. I was sure anyone else who looked at him saw a kindly old man like any other.
He smiled at me, revealing pointed teeth not unlike a shark's. "Welcome, Your Highness. Please, allow me to escort you."
I took his offered hand without hesitation. "Thank you."
After almost four days stuck in a carriage with Frederick, I would take any hand that would free me from his company. It felt like I became a child again whenever we spoke. I didn't like it. Or him, for that matter. The sooner I put distance between us, the better.
"I am Roan," the demon escorting me said softly. "Head Butler of the Duke's estate." Truth.
The Duke's estate was run by a demon? Well, then. Wasn't that interesting? Just how far had the Demon King's forces infiltrated? Theophania was a timid child who never learned how to look up after a lifetime of watching people's shoes, so she only noticed one or two demons while living in the palace and immediately reported them to her father . As Roan led me into my uncle's grand manor, I spotted many more than that. They were dressed as servants and acted like them, too, but I was loathe to trust that appearance.
"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?"
I smiled in response to Roan's concerned expression. "Not at all. I've simply never seen a place as lavish as this."
I wasn't lying. When I looked over the marble staircases and vibrant tapestries, all I could think about was how expensive it all had to be.
Roan coughed into a gloved fist. "Ah, I see. Well, I am sure you will become accustomed to such things soon, Your Highness." He was probably right, though I wasn't sure how I felt about that. "Please, follow me to your room. I will have the maids prepare a bath for you." Truth.
How kind. So far, nothing he said rang hollow. I turned to look over my shoulder and was surprised to see that neither my uncle nor my cousin had followed me in. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and Roan looked at me with confusion.
"Your Highness?"
"Where did they go?" I looked him in the eye, careful to keep my growing panic from my voice. "My uncle and Frederick, where are they?"
Aiyah~, this was so scary. The decisions I made so far were all carefully calculated to ensure my survival, but they could just as easily be my undoing. Frederick had already proved himself to be my brother's confidant, so it wasn't impossible that my uncle was also secretly a member of the Royal Faction. The more I changed, the less confident I was. Perhaps, it would have been better to follow the novels' plot for a little bit. Now, I had no idea how things would proceed.
"Apologies, Your Highness," Roan said with a stiff bow. "I do not know." Truth. "Shall I send someone to find out?"
I looked back at the large doors, biting my lip as I considered what might be keeping them. They couldn't possibly be plotting against me, already, right? "No," I said after a long moment. "It's fine. Please continue."
"As you say, Your Highness."
I was led down an excessively large and ornate hallway. I curled my lip at the wealth on display. Starving orphans were sent to the monastery every year to ease the burdens of the kingdom's orphanages. Many of the paladins I knew were once orphans themselves, Ser Valerian included. At the very least, such children got to choose which God they were dedicated to. Alítheia wasn't the most popular Goddess in Acan, but we still got our share of mouths to feed every year.
How many of those children could be fed using only a tenth of my uncle's wealth? A fifth?
It was nauseating to think about.
"This will be your suite during your stay with us, Your Highness." Roan opened one of the many doors in the hallway. "A maid has been assigned to attend to your comfort." Truth.
The maid in question was also a demon. Her horns were curled tightly on the sides of her head like a sheep's, and her face was round and kind. I smiled at her before looking at the room my uncle had set aside for me. It was just as obnoxious as the rest of his home with unnecessary gold filigrees on everything. I managed to hold back my sneer, but it was a near thing.
"Your bath is this way, Your Highness." Truth.
Aiyah~, was she going to follow me in? The thought of someone helping me bathe made me incredibly uncomfortable, but I supposed that was the norm for people of my rank. Ew.
"It's alright," I tried to dissuade her. "I can do it on my own."
"I can't allow that, Your Highness." Truth.
Ugh. I looked away and bit my lip in a show of hesitance. "It's just...I've never had anyone help me before." I thought of the paladins' training ground at the monastery to force a blush into my cheeks and shyly looked down. "Can you let me do it on my own, just this once?"
For a moment, I thought she might take the bait. "Don't worry, Your Highness," she said with a sudden fire in her dark eyes. "You won't ever have to suffer such humiliation, again—not while I'm here!" Truth.
What? Was a demon really saying such things to the Saintess of all people? I was destined to bring about the death of the Demon King—or vise versa, but I didn't want to think about that. Also, why was she so sincere? It didn't make any sense.
"Your Highness?" The demon maid looked up at me with obvious concern. "Is there something wrong?"
Aside from your insistence on bathing a grown woman? Yes, actually, thank you so much for asking.
I kept my thoughts to myself and smiled at the shorter woman. "What is your name?"
She seemed surprised by the question, but she recovered quickly. "My name is Taylor, Your Highness," she said with a curtsy. Truth. Again with the truth.
I was starting to think I may have been...a little racist. Again, the original Theophania's biases were coloring my perception of the world around me. The Demon King was my enemy, but that didn't mean all demons necessarily posed a threat to my safety. I looked at Taylor for a long time, afraid to blink lest my stigmata somehow fail me. She kept her head lowered, waiting for me to let her raise it.
Very well, then. If she wanted to serve me, then I would allow it. If she betrayed me, then I wasn't without resources to deal with her.
"Thank you, Taylor," I said finally. "I'll be in your care from now on."
The maid—my maid—returned my smile easily. "It is an honor, Your Highness."
She wasted no time guiding me into the extravagant bathroom. The tub looked like it could hold ten of me and I wondered if maybe Taylor was planning to drown me. It would certainly be possible in a tub that size. Taylor was the only servant in my suite with me, too. Was the Duke trying not to overwhelm his poor, sheltered niece, or was he cutting corners since I would soon leave his care? Regardless, a one person audience was best for the show I was about to put on.
I swept my dark hair over my shoulder and stood still as Taylor unfastened the button at the nape of my neck. The white fabric fell away from my back and she gasped loudly.
I was glad she couldn't see my smile, since it would completely offset the timid voice I used to speak with her. "I'm sorry," I said with a hunch of my shoulders. "I know they're hideous."
The scars on my back weren't fresh, but they weren't exactly old, either. Most of them dated back to before I became Theophania. She had a weaker personality than I ever did and was the victim of a lot of anti-Royal sentiment. Even after I came into the picture, I wasn't able to avoid the worst of Theophania's abusers.
"Oh, Your Highness," Taylor said with audibly restrained tears. "I'm so sorry." Truth.
So far, so good.