"Huh?"
After I gently comforted the little girl in my arms, she suddenly froze. She took a small step back to look up at my face, then let out a puzzled sound.
"You... you're not Amelia." The girl gazed at me with her bright blue eyes. After a slow blink, she spoke softly, "The scent... it's still Amelia's scent... but you're not her."
"...My name is Su Nan." I looked at her, gently biting my lip. After a brief pause, I replied, "As you said, I'm not Amelia. This body isn't mine either—I woke up like this yesterday morning."
"... "
Hearing my words, the girl froze slightly. Her little mouth opened as if to speak, but her lips only twitched before closing. Sadness washed over her face.
"So... Amelia, you've... gone ahead already."
After a moment of silence, she murmured.
"Anyway, could you... explain who you are first?"
I swallowed hard, staring at the girl. Though I had a vague guess, I needed confirmation.
"... My name is Lu." The girl startled at my question, then quickly composed herself. As she spoke slowly, her aura shifted—gone was the neighborhood little sister vibe, replaced by imperial majesty. "I am Lu, daughter of the late Demon Realm Emperor Yudian, and the current Demon Emperor!"
Lu locked eyes with me, her demeanor utterly transformed from the clingy child moments ago. For a split second, I felt she'd aged years. An unyielding authority radiated from her, freezing me in place. My knees nearly buckled with the instinct to kneel.
But after her introduction, Lu withdrew that imperial pressure. My body relaxed—but I realized I was drenched in cold sweat.
That feeling... pure biological instinct. Like a lowly creature bowing to a superior being.
"I've been trapped in the Human Realm for a thousand years," Lu said slowly. Her face twisted with fury as she finished, "And today... Amelia, you freed me from that cursed seal."
I frowned at her words.
"But... Your Majesty, I told you—I'm not Amelia. I'm Su Nan."
I spoke carefully, the title "Your Majesty" slipping out naturally, as if it were only right.
