From a very young age, I, being a half–beast kin and the daughter of a concubine, was always treated badly.
I used to watch my mother being humiliated day after day — insulted, beaten, and used by my father as nothing more than an object of pleasure. She was never treated like a person, just a tool for his desires.
Of course, it hurt. Watching her cry silently every night, watching her hide her pain behind forced smiles… it hurt more than I can describe. But at some point, I don't even remember when, something inside me began to twist. The pain and humiliation that broke her — it started to make me feel something different. Something I shouldn't have felt.
It was as if I wanted to be in her place. I wanted to feel the same helplessness… to be treated like her. The pain began to mix with pleasure — a strange sense of belonging, of being where I was meant to be.
After my mother took her own life, I thought it was finally my turn. My chance to live the kind of life I had always desired — one of surrender and humiliation.
To make that happen, I made a reckless decision. I decided to overthrow the throne. But instead of planning everything carefully, I walked straight into General Spheric's office and told him about a rough plan to start a rebellion. I thought he would arrest me immediately, throw me into the dungeons, call me a traitor, and I'll be treatd like the lowest of the low.
I imagined it — being chained, insulted, treated as nothing but a plaything.
How wonderful that would be?
But I didn't realize that my mother's desperate desire for luck before her death had carved something special inside me — a unique skill called "Winner."
Instead of arresting me or killing me, the general looked at me and said that he had been waiting for this kind of opportunity his whole life.
And then, everything changed.
Through a series of strange coincidences, betrayals, and victories, I climbed to the top. One by one, my siblings were gone, and somehow, I became the new queen.
My own strength played a part, yes, but I knew it was my unique skill that guided me. Every choice, every risk — it all went in my favor. The world itself bent to make me win.
But even then… becoming a queen was never what I wanted. It was the opposite of what I dreamed of. I didn't want to rule others. I wanted someone to rule me.
Yet now that I was here, at the top, how could I lower myself? I couldn't just kneel before anyone weaker than me. My pride wouldn't allow it.
So, I thought of a way to make my dream come true — a way to submit completely, without losing the pride of a queen.
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"Whoever defeats me will get to hold this leash — and become my owner!" Victoria announced loudly from the stage, her voice filled with excitement and madness.
Her smile widened, and her heart raced as the words left her mouth. "Yes… this is it," she thought, trembling slightly with joy. "I finally said it. I am a queen. It's only natural for a queen to give herself to her king. Whoever defeats me will be my king — my one and only owner."
Her silver eyes gleamed with a strange light as she looked at the silent crowd. Everyone's faces were pale and full of shock. The air felt heavy, uncomfortable — no one knew how to react.
Victoria clapped her hands softly and smiled as if nothing strange had happened. "Don't worry, nothing will happen tonight. You can still enjoy the party! The challenge will begin tomorrow!"
The guests glanced at each other, whispering nervously.
"And of course," Victoria continued with a grin, "there will be some rules. First — the challenger must fight alone. Second — if the challenger fails to defeat me, they will die."
Her voice was calm, but her words sent a cold chill across the room.
Victoria knew exactly what she was doing. These rules weren't just to make the challenge fair — they were meant to stop weaklings from wasting her time.
Victoria spread her arms wide, her silver hair shining under the warm lights of the hall. "Of course, one last thing," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm bisexual. So this isn't just an opportunity for men — women are welcome too! I couldn't care less about gender!"
Scarlett, who had just finished sipping her fruit juice, ended up choking on it in surprise. She coughed and quickly used magic to clean up the small mess that splashed on her dress.
She had no idea how powerful Victoria really was, but she knew very well how strong Vesilisa and Arthur were. She looked toward the two holy knights, curious to see if they were thinking about challenging Victoria — or maybe even claiming her.
To her surprise, Vesilisa turned to Arthur with a teasing smile. "What do you think? Want to give it a try tomorrow? Maybe it's finally time for you to get married!"
Arthur sighed and adjusted his glasses, his expression cold as ever. "She isn't my type. I prefer girls of average height — feminine, gentle, and with better manners. She doesn't match any of that."
Vesilisa blinked, then laughed softly. "Wow, I didn't know being tall was a red flag! Well, I'm straight anyway, so I'm out. Let's go — it's time to leave this party before something even crazier happens."
Arthur gave a small nod, and the two of them walked toward the stage to bid farewell to Queen Victoria before leaving.
Scarlett watched them go from her seat, her sharp ears easily catching every word they said. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Well, that's good, I guess," she muttered under her breath.
But before she could relax for too long, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. Scarlett almost jumped in surprise, only to see Aoto grinning beside her.
"So," he said with a playful smile, "what do you think? Want to give it a try? If you don't, the holy knights might take her instead!"
Scarlett groaned and looked away. "Don't say their names. It pisses me off just hearing them," she muttered.
Her gaze shifted to Victoria, who was still standing on the stage, smiling proudly at the shocked crowd. Scarlett shook her head. "As for her, I'll pass. I already have enough problems," she said, pointing toward Lunatic and Reiza, who were standing a little further away, glaring in her direction.
Aoto followed her gaze, then looked back at Scarlett's annoyed face and smirked. "Ohhh, I see. You've started your own harem too, huh? I can give you some advice if you want!"
Scarlett quickly shook her head and even made an X with her hands. "No thanks! I was actually planning to talk to you about it, but now I don't want to. You should also drop your stupid harem dream and just settle down with Ingrassia already!"
She said that with full honesty. Managing three love interests was already chaos for her. Only she knew how hard it was to keep her daily life balanced — not to mention that Irish still didn't know about Lunatic and Reiza. If she ever found out, Scarlett could only imagine the disaster that would follow.
But Aoto only put a hand on his face and started laughing like a dramatic villain from a play. "Fufufu! You're telling an isekai hero not to build a harem? How ridiculous! If my best friend is building one, then I'll build one a hundred times bigger!"
Scarlett stared at him with a blank, disappointed expression before sighing loudly. "Okay, forget about the harem. What about you? Are you going to challenge her tomorrow?"
Aoto froze for a second, then shook his head so fast it almost looked funny. "What if I lose? I can't take that kind of risk! What would happen to my forty-four girlfriends?"
Scarlett smirked and leaned closer. "Forty-four innocent girls who probably have no idea how bad you really are."
"Whatever, whatever!" Aoto waved his hands in an uncaring way, pretending not to hear her. "Anyway, I should go see Ingrassia again. She's probably waiting for me."
After a few minutes, Scarlett reunited with Seiira, Xao, Lunatic, and Reiza near the side of the hall. The bright lights had begun to dim, and most guests were already leaving, their laughter echoing faintly through the grand room.
Lunatic crossed her arms and looked at Scarlett with narrowed eyes. "You're not planning to challenge her, are you?" she asked seriously.
Reiza turned her head too, her sharp eyes showing the same thought. "She copied our ogre tradition in such a disgusting way," she said in an irritated tone.
It was true — among the ogres and oni, there was an ancient tradition where a warrior could win the right to marry a woman by defeating her in combat. It was considered a sacred custom, full of pride and respect. But what Victoria had done tonight twisted that idea into something completely different — something that made it feel shameful.
Scarlett quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I'm not planning anything like that. I'm already satisfied with my life," she said firmly, cutting off the topic before it could continue. "Let's just act like we didn't hear anything and go say goodbye. The sooner we leave, the better."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Together, they walked toward the exit, where Victoria was standing and personally bidding farewell to each guest as they left.
When Scarlett's group reached her, they all smiled politely and bowed slightly.
Victoria's silver eyes met Scarlett's, and she smiled. "You're one of the three people who defeated the demon king. I have high hopes for you," she said in a playful tone, giving Scarlett a teasing wink.
Lunatic's lips twitched the moment she saw that. Her face darkened slightly, and she muttered in her mind, "I actually thought she was a decent woman… but it seems her mind's already corrupted by these humans."
Scarlett pretended not to notice anything and simply returned a polite smile before leading her group out of the banquet hall.
Outside, the cool night air greeted them. The two moons hung high in the sky, glowing softly over the quiet streets of the kingdom. Their carriage waited nearby, its lanterns flickering gently in the darkness.
Scarlett let out a deep sigh of relief as she walked toward it. The night had been long and strange, but at least everything had gone smoothly in the end. Aside from Victoria's odd behavior and Aoto's loss to Vesilisa, there hadn't been any serious trouble.
No one had bothered her. Chiyoko hadn't caused any forced conversation, and none of the guests had tried anything weird. For once, things had ended without chaos — which was rare for Scarlett.
They climbed into the carriage together. The moment the wheels started rolling, Seiira, who was sitting beside Scarlett, dozed off almost instantly. Her head gently rested against Scarlett's shoulder, her soft breathing calm and peaceful. Scarlett smiled faintly, adjusting her position so Seiira could rest comfortably.
Outside the window, the lights of Victoria's kingdom sparkled under the night sky. The streets were quiet now, filled only with the distant sound of music fading away.
But inside Scarlett's mind, one question refused to leave her thoughts.
She looked out at the stars and thought deeply, "From what I've seen so far, Vesilisa and Arthur seems far stronger than average demon king. Then how come no demon king was defeated for the past ten thousand years? Something isn't adding up."