What should I do if the hero is resurrected in the Monster Girl Encyclopedia?

Chapter 150 The Princess and the Prince (Part 1)
"I think this story should begin in this tone."

Long, long ago, in a small country that few people remember now, there lived a princess who was imprisoned in a high tower.

The princess committed a very, very serious crime, and was sentenced to a lifetime banishment from the tower. Unless a prince who truly loves her climbs the tower and takes her away.

"Ah, if only there were a prince! That way, I could escape this boring tower and experience the life of a normal person!"

Thinking this, she began to speak.

"...I never thought that way. Why did you fabricate my inner monologue?"

Orpheus's voice shattered the fairytale atmosphere. She perched on the ornate yet cold stone couch, her slender tail tip gently tapping the bed surface with a soft sound.

She was dressed in the luxurious attire befitting a princess, with layers of lace and frills adorning the hem of her skirt, and the slightly cinched waist making her already slender and supple waist appear even more delicate.

The flowing fabric almost completely covered most of her snake-like body, yet it also omitted parts that should have been properly concealed.

For example, a hill that is almost entirely white, tied with a single pure white lace ribbon, and covered in snow.

With just a gentle pull, you can witness a sizable avalanche.

"And I'm not a princess... This is your demon realm? How perverse."

"In order to no longer hesitate when she meets the prince, the princess asks a kind godmother who happens to be passing by to help her complete the prince's image."

Because the princess only knew about the prince described in ancient books, if the prince were really alive today, he would certainly be very different from the one described in the books.

Moreover, perhaps... the princess's past sins have also hurt the prince's heart, and she wants to know how to make amends and regain her place in his heart.

That's right.

This absurd and childish fairy tale play is the result of Orpheus's plea to Hyolitta.

While Mirad was away, Orpheus slipped out of his cell and found Hyolitta and Loran lying in front of the magic mirror that was showing the king's new decrees, entangled with each other and trying to pinch each other's noses with their toes.

After being stared at for a long time, the two mischievous children finally realized the other's presence. They coughed and separated, only to see Orpheus kneeling on the ground.

Luo Gen cried out, saying repeatedly, "No, sister, really no, I don't hate you that much, why are you bowing so deeply?" and jumped aside, leaving only Hiolita sitting in front of her.

This was the first time in Hiolitta's life that she had ever been earnestly requested by a once proud and stubborn demon king with a blank expression.

She looked into those misty, snake-like eyes... For a girl like that to lower herself to find her, she wondered how much determination it must have taken to take that first step.

Oh dear, even though the other party was the culprit who personally pushed Lady Mirad to hell and cast the Eye of Sloth upon her... how could she bear to refuse a lovely girl who yearns for love, faces her true feelings, and is not lacking in demonic instincts?

Thus, the play in front of us came about.

This is a fantastical, fictional world created by the young king of the Demon Realm, the Star Chaser.

Guided by the narrator—that is, herself—she can visualize her impression of Mirad, which also allows Orpheus to rediscover and get to know Mirad.

"Clop clop clop... The prince arrives with his horse. He comes to the bottom of the tower, looks up at this enormous tower, what will he say?"

Beneath the tower, the faint sound of hooves could be heard. The sound was weak, but it made Orpheus move and peer through the narrow window to look down.

…His head couldn't stick out.

She pondered for a moment and abandoned the idea of ​​brute force. Before entering the Demon Realm, Lilim had instructed her to act convincingly, so it was unlikely that a human princess would break down a wall just to see a prince... right?

So Orpheus turned and let his snake hair pass through the narrow window, which was about the thickness of a wrist, to see who the prince who was rushing down below was.

With blond hair and blue eyes, he smiled naturally, looking a bit silly. Even though there was a horse, he didn't ride it, but simply led the other person slowly... the kind of person who would make those around him lower their guard.

This type of person usually gains widespread trust within the community, and she was convinced of this from the beginning... as long as she gained his trust, her identity would be endorsed.

……

...Just how many stupid and irreversible things did she do?

However, the figure below the tower was exactly the same as Mirad from over a thousand years ago in her memory. But without a doubt, it was just a fictional creation. Medusa glanced at it only briefly before losing interest, yawning as she withdrew from the narrow window.

"...That's not my prince. Maybe there was one, but because of me, he's gone."

"The princess didn't pay attention to what the prince said, because she knew that her prince had been hurt very, very deeply and would never show such an innocent and naive smile again."

"While she was asleep, the prince had been walking his own path for a very, very long time, so long that even the princess felt somewhat unfamiliar with him."

She knew that the prince had started his journey because of her, and that he was still the prince she loved and missed without a doubt. But there was no place for her in his journey, and that emptiness terrified her. She desperately wanted to fill that emptiness and catch up with the prince again.

"Yes. The princess already knows that the prince no longer belongs to her alone."

The blond prince beneath the tower neither called out the princess's name again, nor did he attempt to climb the towering prison.

He simply spread out a blanket on the grass at the foot of the tower, sat down leisurely, and a few girls appeared beside him.

Orpheus once again used her snake hair to peer out of the window, this time observing more closely.

That's not an illusion.

The girl with short, gray-white hair leaned unceremoniously on the prince's shoulder, laughing and saying something, and even snatched a piece of grilled meat from his hand.

A girl with fiery gold and red twin tails sat opposite him, humming a song as she roasted raw meat with flames emanating from her fingertips. She then stuffed a piece into the prince's mouth; though it was scalding hot, the prince chewed and swallowed it, giving her a thumbs-up. The petite ram-horned demon pityingly offered him a bottle of ice water. Lilim and the tall elf fought fiercely over a piece of roasted meat, while the prince simply watched with a gentle yet helpless expression, letting them bicker and occasionally shaking his head.

Look, he's doing very well.

He has new companions... a new lover.

They would also take care of him, make him laugh, and share his worries.

They may not be lovers yet, but with these girls' persistent pursuit, they could probably break through even the heavens, let alone a prince with a heart of stone. Before long, he will surely accept these lovely girls in the same way he accepted her back then.

...And she hadn't even been able to take care of him, make him laugh, or share his sorrows.

She withdrew her probing gaze and settled back onto the cold bed. Her luxurious clothes now felt like shackles, and her leaden heart, which had only recently begun to beat, was now being gnawed at by an even sharper emotion.

"Loneliness. The fear of abandonment."

"She committed a crime and was imprisoned in the tower—a fitting punishment. But why, when she resolved to atone and make amends, did she find that the person she longed to embrace was already beyond her reach?"

"This is the princess's deepest fear."

"...I told you, don't try to figure out my thoughts or actions."

Orpheus hugged his snake body, leaning against the wall.

She came wanting to understand Mirad better, to see him through the eyes of others; she was prepared to accept all of this. So why did Lilim have to show her all this, and why did she feel so lost when she saw that he no longer rejoiced solely for her?

The name of this feeling is...

"Possessiveness. The princess discovered her possessiveness towards the prince. She didn't actually dislike the girls and could accept them continuing to stay by his side and share his love with her."

"But, but... there's only one thing she doesn't want to share. Even with Baphomet, who was once a fellow crown prince, she doesn't want to let even a tiny bit slip through her fingers."

“His pain, his frustration, his depression. These things originated from me... so they should belong to me. I don’t want to share them with those girls.”

That's not something they should be able to share.

That's something only I can share.

"The princess seemed to understand where the nameless lust that had been burning within her these past few days had come from."

"She should be the one bearing the prince's wrath."

"She should be the one bearing the prince's resentment."

"She should be the one bearing the prince's resentment."

"However, the prince could not grasp the point and was unwilling to share his anger, resentment, and bitterness with her."

"But Princess, is all you want merely to share his pain? Do you think the prince only wants a vessel to dump his anger and resentment?"

Orpheus tightened her grip on her snake tail. She didn't answer, because she didn't know the answer either.

"The prince found someone with whom he could share his joy. He could always find himself laughing unconsciously when he was with that younger man."

"The prince found someone to share his sorrow. With his close friend Baphomet by his side, he found solace in the grief of his life and work."

"Princess, what place do you have left in his world?"

Beneath the tower, the impromptu barbecue feast seemed to be drawing to a close. The gray-haired girl said something, and the prince nodded, beginning to pack up the utensils. Baphomet, the ram's horn, led the horses; they were about to leave.

"The story is almost over, Princess."

The prince packed his bags and prepared to continue his journey with his companions. He did not look back, nor did he glance at the tower again.

"So, what are you going to do, sir...?"

Orpheus raised his head, and for the first time, a flame ignited in his eternally unchanging, ice-cold, pure white snake eyes.

"...I am not a princess. The princess died a very, very long time ago."

She slid off the couch, tearing her magnificent dress apart without mercy; even the intricate lace and frills could not restrain her.

Wearing only a corset and a short lace strap at the chest, Orpheus walked toward the narrow window without hesitation.

The solid stone wall was as fragile as paper in her eyes.

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a slight cracking sound. For the first time, sunlight streamed unobstructed into the dark cell.

"Yes. You are not a princess, Ophiuchus."

"You are the Demon King! You are the Demon King who is determined to retrieve the hero who defeated you! Though clumsy and ignorant, you are still the Demon King. A Demon King cannot be bound by a prison cell!"

"And what about you? What is your relationship with him? And what place have you found beside him?"

Before leaping off the tower, the Demon King silently chanted to the empty wall.

(End of this chapter)