Requiem of the Villainess

Chapter Six: Bloody Prince

Chapter Six: Bloody Prince

Upend                          Uproot

Challenge                   Question

Reveal                          Revolution

Turn reality on its head

Make a break in the circle of life

The world is not as it seems

All that glitters is not gold

And all that is spoken is not truth

Shatter the loop of Samsara

The endless cycle of death and rebirth

There is more to this realm than what we see

What we hear

What we are told

Cast off your preconceived notions

Embrace truth with your own eyes.

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Upon arrival at my childhood summer estate, I slept for three days straight. My body locked me in this state of rest to force me to heal, to recover from the beatings I had taken since this all started. During those three days of sleep, I had no dreams. I floated in the dark, dreamless void, embraced by the arms of the demon that had invaded my soul. He clutched me tight and held me there, coiled up in his grip, unable to escape even if I wanted to. I hadn't expected Asmodeus to become so possessive of me, a mere human host he inhabited. This feeling that emanated from him...I couldn't tell if it was love, lust, or obsession...but it was intense, and I could not flee from it.

The estate itself had seen better days. When we arrived, several windows had been smashed, the jagged edges of broken glass jutting out. The exterior had been sloppily painted with messages of crude profanity. It was safe to assume that the commoners around here weren't quite fond of me, likely thanks to my incident with Lilac...but I supposed I couldn't blame them. In their eyes, I was the wicked villainess, because that was the message that the nobility had portrayed for them. They couldn't feel my anger, the pain of my betrayal, my determination to strike back at those who had wronged me. I sacrificed my own soul in that pursuit, and no one but me would truly understand it. But if my goal truly was to one day become queen of this kingdom...how could I possibly persuade the people to follow me? Would I become the tyrant demon queen that the public was so intent on viewing me as?

We had an awkwardly quiet breakfast on the morning I had awoken fully. We ate pancakes that Isaac made with flour and sugar in the pantry that had likely long gone stale. The texture was flat and thin, and they had a slightly sour aftertaste that I couldn't quite explain. But aside from the unusual pancakes, I felt even more out of place sitting at the table, surrounded by three men that stared at me with blank gazes, as though expecting me to speak. I nervously chuckled. "Well uhh...is everyone having a good morning?"

Isaac spoke up. "Would you mind explaining exactly what it is we are all doing here? None of us even know the full story of what this is all about."

"He's got a point," Ryuji muttered, his voice muffled by the pancakes stuffed in his mouth. He certainly seemed to enjoy them at least- he had demolished three plates of them already. I supposed that pudgy gut wasn't just for show. When he gulped them down, he continued, "I will faithfully serve my Lady Lillian in whatever her goals may be...but uh, it would be nice to know what those goals are, ya know."