Monster Princess

Chapter 2

Translated by Schwarzel
Edited by Schwarzel

Monster Princess

Episode 2

I had a nightmare.

The setting is a glass greenhouse littered with dead birds’ bodies and empty cages.

A woman with long blonde hair woven in starlight hung down to the floor was crying silently with an expressionless face.

I couldn’t see her face in detail because of her long hair, but somehow she felt unfamiliar.

Woo, woo!

White, fine hands, which seem to have never done anything rough in their lives, grabbed the feathers of the black colored bird

Soon after, the piercing chirping of a bird spread throughout the greenhouse.

“Judith… … What I can’t have, neither can you.”

A mixture of hate and sorrow flowed from the blood-soaked red lips like a curse.

“So if I die without holding anything in this hand anyway…”

The woman painted a maddened smile on her beautiful face as she watched the bird struggling to escape her grasp.

“I would rather destroy this world so that no one can covet it.”

A red droplet fell like a teardrop under her chin, making it look like bloody tears were pouring out.

Finally, the woman’s face was seen head-on between the fluttering feathers.

It looked like me to a chilling extent.

***

“Ugh!”

I woke up with a strange breath that was not like a princess’.

“Have you woken up, princess?”

Like a meerkat, I stretched my neck and looked around hurriedly, feeling relieved that I am in a familiar bedroom.

Was it a dream?

It’s so vivid. It gave me goosebumps.

These days, I often dreamt of a blonde woman tormenting birds in the greenhouse, and while I took a nap, I saw it again.

“Marina.”

“Yes, princess. Do you want some cold honey water?”

Marina rushed up next to me as I called her in a dying voice under the blanket.

This situation has not been experienced for a year or two, so I pretended now.

I struggled to drink the honey water Marina gave me. I was under a blanket where cold magic was maintained, but my body that is like a ball of fire did not cool down.

“Princess…. If you be patient a little longer, you’ll get better soon.”

Marina comforted me sadly when she saw me who was weak.

It has already been about 10 days since I met with Chloe, one of my younger sisters, and had refreshments.

Just before that, I was seriously ill because of a fever and a vase, but already lying down like this again.

Oh, I’m dying. This useless body.

But this time, I was so sick because of my father, the emperor.

It’s been a while since I left my bed. but the day before yesterday, I had to use magic to make rain in the drought-stricken region of Finne.

“My father plans to eat all the bone marrow until I die.”

(tl/n: It’s like she’s saying her father wants to work her to the bone until she dies.)

“Don’t say that. It’s because you’re the best wizard in Kamulita.”

Marina now responded familiarly to my scathing remarks.

But an emperor who overworks his 14-year-old daughter like this. As a father, he is certainly not qualified.

Of course, I’m indeed the best wizard in our country.

I reflected on my excellence for a bit, but when I thought about what situation I am in now, my strength drained out of my body again.

Strong power comes with a price, so I often had to lie in bed because of my mighty power like now.

“How’s the child doing?”

“Do you mean the princess of the cold palace?”

The cold palace princess that Marina spoke of is Judith which she has seen last time.

The little child who was with Chloe.

Judith, the fourth princess, was born as a slave but was recognized as a daughter by her father because her black hair and golden eyes resembled the appearance of the first emperor.

But that’s all, and she was almost alone in the palace, living in a place called a cold palace without any interaction with others.

“It’s the same as usual. Except when learning the basics about being a member of the imperial family, it seems like her hobby was to read books quietly by herself.”

Marina looked strangely at me when I suddenly became interested in Judith.

It was understandable.

I used to ignore her as if she wasn’t there because I didn’t want to deal with a lowly slave.

The reason why I changed was because of a fever I had recently because of my chronic illness.

Then I went through a very strange thing that I couldn’t explain in any common sense.

It was a night when I was suffering from an extremely high fever that I thought my brain would melt. I still don’t know if I was asleep or fainted, but anyway, I lost consciousness, and when I woke up I was standing in a mysterious place.

Strangely, countless birdcages were hanging in the endless purple space in all directions, and something is sparkling inside that space like a brilliant star floating in the night sky.

I was overwhelmed by the mysterious sight.

The brilliantly sparkling cage blinked at me as if asking me to open it.

So I opened it.

I burst open the door of the most dazzling cage of all.

Then the bright light from the cage turned into a book with a golden cover and spread out in front of my eyes.

And… …

The life of another person, whom I had never known before, became a phrase and suddenly squeezed into my head.

「Twelve-year-old Judith Kamulita thought she would never be happy.」

No…

No.

It wasn’t someone I never knew until now.

A princess who came from a slave whose name doesn’t deserve even half the price of it.

The imperial shame. My half-sister who I have never even talked to properly before.

Coming out of the cage and in front of me was a book with Judith Kamulita as its main character.

Oddly enough, there was even a plausible title attached.

「The Shining World of Princess Judith.」

The content was just like a childish love story that Chloe used to read.

The story of the book, which mainly consists of the growth and romance of the heroine, Judith, gave me goosebumps.

Isn’t it obvious? No matter how concocted this story is, who… Who would want to know the love story of a person who shared blood with you in detail like this?

If there’s such a person, it would be a pervert.

Anyway, when I cut out the unnecessary pieces of information, the plot of the book could be explained in one sentence.

「Judith, the heroine who lived in a cold palace as an oppressed princess that came from a slave, overcomes adversity and hardships and seized both love and power.」

The hardship and ordeal included the bullying of the half-brothers who regarded her as an eyesore.

For a moment, I was surprised by the strange reflection of reality.

I was amazed at what followed.

In particular, it was stated in the book that it was me, Arbella, the first Imperial Princess, which interfered with the flower path of Judith.

「Arbella, the arrogant First Princess, was one of the noblest members of the Imperial Family, and never treated Judith, who was born from a slave, as a human being.」

「However, Judith, who had been humble, became the best wizard in the middle of the story, surpassing other princes and princesses, from then on, Arbella became anxious to remove her from her sight.」

It was only for a moment that I felt embarrassed, and gradually, my anger began to rise.

‘What? What is this?’

There’s a  degree of blasphemy against the Imperial Family, also, how dare you make me appear like this in a book?

Besides, Judith, who I have always looked down on, will later become a  wizard who surpasses me and take everything from me?

Kamulita, where I was born, has a magical power that succeeded the generation of the ancient kingdom of magic, especially the magical power of the imperial family.

And it was I who was born with an unrivaled magical power among the great imperial families.

But who the hell dares to write a book that mocks me like this!

At last, at the end of the book, my defeat to Judith was not enough, I even ended up with a terrible death, and my blood pressure rose and grabbed the back of my neck.

Afterward, I was so furious and tried to tear up the book in my hand.

But unfortunately, I woke up from my dream before I put my thoughts into practice. After that, as soon as my fever went down, I went out of the palace as if I had been possessed by something, and met Chloe and Judith.

‘That’s such a stupid book.’

Naturally, I was going to snort and ignore such a dream.

According to the contents of that slime poop book, the little child who I had not even cared about until now is the main character of this world, and I was a wicked woman who would be ruined by tormenting her.

But does that make sense?

But, strangely, I kept feeling uncomfortable. So I decided to check it out and observed everything.

(tl/n: this is different from the raws, but I couldn’t make a sense out of it so I typed it in this way that best suited the thought. However, if you know of a more suitable translation, feel free to tell me about it.)

However, after a few confirmations, I was rather troubled by extreme emotional anxiety.

The incidents in which the wicked maids ignored Judith and made her fall into a fountain, and the other princes and princesses poured sticky glue on Judith’s head were all done as written in the book.

When I recalled the past 10 days, my fever suddenly rose and I chewed on the ice Marina gave me.

“By the way, Marina, you should go check on her from time to time.”

“Yes, I will.”

Marina answered without saying a word as if she would do anything at my command. Soon after, a voice of hesitation flowed from her.

“But, princess… I think you’ve changed a bit recently.”

Marina’s sharp words made my stomach ache. Even if I pretended not to be, I seemed to be caught secretly paying attention to the contents of the strange book I saw in my dream.

But I answered back as if nothing has changed.

“I guess I’m going to die.”

“Don’t say that.”

Suddenly, my mind got mixed up again.

“I’m going to take a nap. Get out of here.”

So I let Marina out of the room and closed my eyes.