Since it was a color she rarely wore, Seraphina was delighted that Princess Eva had chosen to present herself in such a way.
The peridot earrings and the amethyst necklace made her look even more dazzling.
Despite wearing an excessive amount of jewelry and heavy makeup, Princess Eva’s beauty remained undiminished that day—she stood out effortlessly, unfazed by the embellishments.
“Sera, shall I show you around my palace?”
“Of course! I’d love to!”
Princess Eva led Seraphina through the palace gardens, which, like their owner, were flawlessly maintained.
She even took Seraphina to the royal banquet hall, which was empty at the time. Later, in her dressing room, she found a pearl necklace and placed it around Seraphina’s neck herself.
Seraphina felt as if she were dreaming, overwhelmed by the sense of being someone truly special to Eva.
How incredible it was for the person she had always admired to cherish her so deeply!
After wandering through the palace and creating precious memories, Eva guided Seraphina back to the reception room.
“Sera, there’s something I want to show you when we get to the reception room.”
“Huh?”
They stood alone in the hallway after dismissing the attendants. At the door of the reception room, Eva leaned in and whispered,
“Haven’t you ever felt strangely drawn to me, more than to anyone else? Didn’t you feel like you were going crazy because of how much you liked me?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Do you know why?”
“Ah… Because you are perfect, Princess…”
“Haven’t you ever thought I was… unusual? I’m just too perfect, aren’t I?”
“I just…”
Seraphina blinked, unable to comprehend what Eva was implying. Seeing this, Eva chuckled as if she found it amusing.
“Sera, I’m going to tell you my secret.”
“A secret?”
“Yes, my true identity.”
“As expected, Princess Eva, you are someone truly special! Ah, I always believed you were extraordinary….”
Overcome with emotion, Seraphina grasped Eva’s hands. It was a highly improper act, but in that moment, she was too entranced to care.
“You are a god, aren’t you? I have always believed so. I never once doubted that you were my deity….”
“Ah, Sera. I’m sorry, but I am not a god. I am something else….”
With a soft smile, Princess Eva lowered her gaze and said,
“I am an artificial being.”
“Huh?”
“I am an artificial human, created by Princess Eva herself. I consumed her… and then I began imitating a real person.”
“W-What…?”
When faced with something too shocking, the brain often struggles to process it.
“The reason you are so drawn to me is because I made slight modifications to ensure your brain releases dopamine whenever you see me. Ah, but don’t worry—I haven’t tampered with anything else in your mind.”
As Seraphina remained unable to fully grasp her words, Eva pushed open the door.
“The god of this world is someone else.”
When Seraphina stepped into the reception room, led by Eva’s hand, her eyes landed on a woman tied up with ropes.
The woman had exotic features, likely from the Eastern Continent, and was struggling against her bindings. She seemed slightly older than them, though it was difficult to judge the age of someone from the East.
But more importantly…
Why was someone from the Eastern Continent tied up in the princess’s reception room?
“What… is this?”
“Sera, this is the god of this world.”
Eva approached the bound woman and, as if singing, announced.
“Let me introduce you to the god of this world—Maria!”
“You crazy woman…!”
The woman, Maria, glared at Eva with furious eyes.
“What the hell do you plan to do with me? Why did you kidnap me?!”
“Yes, we should explain that to our dear Sera as well.”
Princess Eva still wore a serene smile as she gazed at Seraphina.
“Seraphina, I told you before, didn’t I? That I would create a new society where ability, not status, determines one’s place.”
“Y-Yes…”
“But after thinking about it, I’ve realized something—humans are far too weak and foolish. Even if they work together, all they do is fight and create conflict. This society is bound to fall into ruin.”
Seraphina remained silent.
“So, to ensure progress, I’ve come up with a brilliant idea! I will select only the useful humans to survive and transplant their brains into automatons!”
“W-What?”
“Of course, even they wouldn’t be enough to fully sustain society, so I’ll fill in the gaps with artificial humans. That way, only the elite will remain, and this society will achieve limitless progress.”
Seraphina was left speechless, her mouth slightly open. Maria, on the other hand, widened her eyes in anger and shouted.
“Are you insane?! Humans would never let you get away with such a plan! No matter how superior you think you are, you can’t possibly win against all of humanity!”
“But I’m not alone. The automatons are on my side.”
Princess Eva responded confidently.
“Automatons have already spread throughout the continent, and they are all under my control. They will obey my commands. If resistance becomes too strong… well, I could always start by dropping a bomb.”
“What?!”
“Eliminating all of humanity with a bomb and replacing them entirely with artificial beings… doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”
Seeing Eva’s fanaticism, Maria seemed to change her approach, shifting toward persuasion.
“But humans are necessary for this world. It was humans who built and advanced this society to where it is now.”
“That’s such a human-centered way of thinking. Why shouldn’t automatons rule the world instead?”
“Because automatons are not natural beings! That would go against the very order of nature!”
Seraphina watched their exchange in a daze, unable to react.
“Fine, I acknowledge that you’re powerful. I have no intention of erasing you, so why don’t we try to resolve this through dialogue?”
“Ah, my Creator.”
Princess Eva gently stroked Maria’s head.
“Stop this and just talk to me—”
“You never actually intended to have a conversation with me, did you?”
The moment Princess Eva spoke those words, a brilliant light burst forth from Maria.
“Ahh!”
It was a light so bright that it seemed as if it could engulf the entire world. If a god were to descend upon this land, would their radiance look like this? Startled, Seraphina instinctively crouched down.
As Maria emitted the light, the ropes that had bound her vanished. However, she was left gasping for breath, clearly exhausted.
“Hah… ha… My power has weakened considerably.”
“My Creator, will you surrender now?”
“Even so… I can still take you down.”
Maria spoke resolutely, conjuring a sword of light and swinging it toward Princess Eva. But then—
“…Ah.”
What Seraphina saw next was something she had never expected.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Princess Eva plunged her hand straight into Maria’s chest and ripped out her heart.
Maria collapsed to the ground, her eyes still open in shock. Without hesitation, Princess Eva swallowed the heart whole.
What followed was an unspeakable horror.
She stripped the flesh clean, devoured the organs, and in the end, even crunched on the bones.
In mere moments, Princess Eva had finished her meal, leaving not even a single strand of hair behind. A metallic scent of blood emanated from her crimson dress.
With fresh blood still staining her cheek, she turned to me with a bright, clear smile.
“Sera, congratulate me. I just devoured the god of this world.”
“Y-You….”
“Now, I am the god of this world.”
The next day, Seraphina Viviana fled from this world.
***
“This is insane….”
As my memories returned, the brutal and horrific images flooding my mind made me clutch my head in agony.
The Princess Eva standing before me looked more terrifying than any monster or demon.
No, she wasn’t a god.
She was something that sought to become a god but could never truly be one.
She was a monster that devoured a god.
As I trembled uncontrollably, Aurora turned to me and cried out.
“Seraphina, did you remember? Tell me—did Maria really die?!”
“A-Aurora…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Instead, I simply nodded, confirming that what Princess Eva had said was true.
Aurora’s eyes welled up with tears.
She wasn’t the only one shaken—so was I.
After all, I had just witnessed direct and undeniable proof of Seongryeong’s death.
I staggered where I stood, barely able to keep my balance. At that moment, Aurora’s gaze hardened with determination.
“You… you killed Maria?!”
Aurora sprang up from her seat and lunged at Princess Eva. But, of course, there was no way she could harm her.
“I told you, I devoured a god. With divine power in my hands, I can become anything in this world.”
Before our eyes, her form began to shift.
She became me.
Then Simone.
Then Raffaelo, Ghieuspe, Arkhangelo… and finally, Aurora.
Crash!
In the blink of an eye, Eva—now mirroring Aurora’s exact appearance—swung her hand and sent Aurora flying into the wall.
“Aurora!”
Eva tilted her head and smiled.
“No matter how strong you are, you can never defeat yourself.”
