Chapter 1: Princess… Your Highness? Me?

Lin Peng felt a splitting headache, a hangover-like drowsiness making his thoughts a muddy mess.

The only memory that remained was of a rainy night on a neon-lit street, and a speeding truck rushing toward him, getting up close and personal...

At the thought, a tremor from the depths of his soul jolted him upright. He clutched his chest and gasped for air.

“Ha... ha...”

“Did I get hit by a truck...?”

The unconscious murmur soon made Lin Peng realize something was wrong.

“Huh? My... my voice is...”

Lin Peng's eyes widened. He noticed it wasn't just his voice—the sensation at his fingertips felt strange too.

How could a guy have this kind of curve on his chest?

'Not sure... let me squeeze again...'

“Eee?!~♡”

A tingling numbness like an electric shock stiffened Lin Peng's entire body. What made it even more awkward was the girlish sound he'd just unconsciously let out...

'Hiss... could it be...'

Lin Peng swallowed hard and lowered his hand.

Even though he already had a hunch.

But what if he was wrong?

He felt again... and grabbed nothing but air.

Lin Peng sucked in a sharp breath, leaned back in a tactical retreat, and lay down again.

It was gone.

His proud dragon was gone...

No, now it should be her...

Staring at the dark purple crystal chandelier on the ceiling, Lin Peng started brainstorming and pondering life.

Then Lin Peng saw the chandelier open its eyes and speak in a human voice.

“You are awake?”

“?!”

Lin Peng's eyes widened in terror.

'What the hell did she just see?'

The lamp was talking!

“Hmm, you seem to be in good condition.”

The crystal chandelier studied her for a moment, as if confirming something, then closed its eyes again and fell silent.

But Lin Peng's mind was far from calm. This scene defied common sense and scared her half to death.

“That thing just now... what was it...”

People always fear the unknown and instinctively want to flee—that's a biological survival instinct.

Lin Peng was just like that now. She realized there was no time to mourn her lost proud dragon. The place she was in was too creepy! She had to find a way out!

She quickly turned over and got off the bed, looking around for the room's exit.

Fortunately, the door was quite conspicuous. Lin Peng rushed over.

But when she opened it, she saw a muscular goat-headed monster standing on each side of the entrance.

Lin Peng had to tilt her head up just to see their heads.

Her current height only reached their waists!

Their bulging biceps twitched—holy crap, they looked almost as big as her head! One punch and she'd be paste for sure!

Seeming to hear the door open, both goat-headed monsters turned their heads at the same time, lowering them to stare at her with two pairs of brownish-yellow pupils. The pressure was overwhelming.

Lin Peng's legs trembled, and she forced a strained smile. “S-Sorry... I'm interrupting...”

She silently retreated back into the room, closing the door behind her.

Once the door shut, Lin Peng's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

“What kind of hellhole is this...”

Lin Peng was on the verge of tears.

Though she had vaguely guessed she might have been transported to another world, everything she'd seen and heard up to now made it clear she'd ended up somewhere extremely dangerous.

“Is this hell...”

“No, this is the Demon King's Castle.”

The crystal chandelier on the ceiling had opened its eyes again at some point, looking at her.

Lin Peng was startled once more, and especially when she heard the name of the place, her vision went dark.

“The Demon King's Castle...”

No wonder there were so many monsters...

Wait, since this was the Demon King's Castle, did that mean the Demon King lived here too?

Then what was she?

A snack raised by the monsters?

Or was she a monster herself?

At that thought, Lin Peng shrank back against the corner, trembling.

The crystal chandelier continued speaking on its own. “Yes, so there's no need to be nervous, Princess. I've already informed the Demon King of your awakening. The Demon King cares about you very much, and she will come to see you soon.”

“Princess... Your Highness? Me?”

Lin Peng caught the key word from the other's words, blinked, and pointed at herself.

The chandelier said matter-of-factly, “You are a being personally created by the Demon King. We monsters naturally address you as Her Highness the Princess.”

“!!!”

So she wasn't monster food!

She was the Demon King's daughter, a noble identity!

Lin Peng breathed a sigh of relief.

'I was just scaring myself...'

After learning her identity as the Demon King's daughter, Lin Peng's courage grew. Not only did she dare to meet the chandelier's eye, but she also started examining it again.

Honestly, a lamp with a single eerie purple eye opening out of nowhere was indeed creepy and frightening. But only that one eye was scary. Once she knew it wasn't hostile, it wasn't so bad.

Lin Peng ventured to ask, “Um, may I ask a bold question? What is the gender of our Demon King?”

“The Demon King is an elegant, noble, and beautiful woman—the idol adored by all us monsters. Of course, you are also beautiful. You have inherited many of her traits.”

“Is the Demon King very strong?”

“As long as her opponent isn't a god, the Demon King is invincible. Not long ago, the strongest party of heroes sent by the human kingdom was wiped out effortlessly by the Demon King, and she even captured two prisoners alive.”

The eye on the chandelier answered almost every question Lin Peng had. Though its tone betrayed no emotion, Lin Peng could feel the deep reverence it held for the Demon King.

“Whoa... that strong, huh...”

Lin Peng sighed and felt a bit more settled.

Even though she had been transported to the villain's side, the Demon King was powerful enough to easily take out even the strongest hero party—there was no question about combat capability.

She might have inexplicably gained a mother, but in a strange new world, having a powerful backer was reassuring.

“Then, is there a mirror in this room? I want to see what I look like now.”

So far, Lin Peng couldn't find any monster features on herself. Aside from being shorter than before the transport and having turned into a girl, everything she could see with her own eyes was still ordinary human. So Lin Peng wondered if her head had turned into a monster's.

Since it was the Demon King, needless to say, she must be a monster herself—how else could she lead all the demons? And since she was the Demon King's daughter, she must be an ugly monster too.

“There used to be a magic mirror in this room, but it was removed by the Demon King. If you need a mirror, Princess, please wait a moment. I'll go find one for you.”

The eye on the chandelier closed again, and the room fell silent. But soon the peace was broken. A sinister dark purple vortex appeared on the ceiling, and a full-length mirror dropped from the vortex, landing in front of Lin Peng.