My name is Kuroti, the Dark Princess, guardian of the Undercity.

To be precise, Kuroti is the name of this body I now inhabit. Right now, I’m lost in her memories, which suddenly flooded my mind.

Most memory fragments were shattered and chaotic. But a tiny fraction emerged with a trace of clarity. Among them were slaughter, battle, struggle—and some spells that might be useful to me.

This body belongs to Princess Kuroti. Once recalled, these spells wouldn’t fade easily. I even felt I could use them now.

But why did I become Kuroti? Where did her consciousness go? And what happened to my original body?

The moment I touched that darkness in the memories, my head throbbed violently. Recalling more was impossible…

“Mmm…” An involuntary whimper escaped me, making me blush with shame. My awareness slowly returned.

“Huh?” Something soft filled my mouth, deliberately pushed deeper.

I slowly opened my eyes and turned away uncomfortably. But it reached for my lips again. As my vision cleared, what came into view was—a breast… no! A pacifier!

“Huh?!?!” I leaped from the bed, scrambling into a corner. White milk dripped from my mouth.

Before me sat Bessdaitiel, mature and buxom, on the bed’s edge. A blush spread across her brown face. But what truly made me want to slam my head against the wall was what she held: a baby bottle with a pacifier, clearly sucked on.

I wiped the milk from my mouth with my hand, face burning as I glared at her. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

Bessdaitiel wasn’t surprised. She spoke tenderly, “Your Highness, another nightmare? It was feeding time, and you wouldn’t wake. So I did as always…”

“Stop! ‘As always’? Since when?”

“Hehe, Princess, it’s just us. No need to hide. You can’t sleep without milk every day. And you must have it from a bottle, nestled in my arms.” Bessdaitiel blushed too, her expression radiating maternal warmth.

“Cut it out! I’m fifteen or sixteen—a girl with a healthy, age-appropriate figure! Being fed with a pacifier daily? If this got out, my reputation as the Dark Princess would shatter! The demons would overthrow me for incompetence! Kuroti, how many more weird habits do you have?!”

Seeing my distress, Bessdaitiel simply shifted closer and pulled me into her embrace, pressing me against her warm, ample chest.

“No need to be shy. Your Highness never had a mother. Even as a baby, you’d cling to your pacifier, laughing and calling for ‘Mama’.” She held me, gently patting my back.

“…” I leaned against her chest, speechless.

So this bloodthirsty, tyrannical Princess Kuroti had such a sad childhood. How desperately she must have longed for a mother to still need a bottle at nearly sixteen…

Kuroti, I don’t know where your consciousness is now. But though our lives are worlds apart, our childhoods echo. Perhaps I should treat this body with more kindness.

Just then, I felt Bessdaitiel fumbling with her buttons. She undid her maid uniform blouse, lowered one strap, exposing a smooth shoulder. “Your Highness, do you want the real thing again…”

“Ah?! No!!” I wriggled free and jumped to the floor. Facing the mirror, I fumbled with my messy braids, forcing my hands steady as I calmed. Then, sternly: “How long was I unconscious?”

“About two or three hours.”

“And Seth?”

“They’re waiting at the underground arena. But Your Highness, rest a little longer—”

“No. I’ll see them now.”