Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

Sylvia could sense that something was off, but she never expected Timothy to move so fast.

It was almost as if he had planned it all along.

His movements were sharp, precise, and steady, leaving her no room to react.

Since she had let her guard down just moments ago, Sylvia found herself completely caught off guard.

With a swift motion, Timothy snatched the snow lotus from above her head, leaving her no chance to stop him.

"Damn it, my body…"

A flash of light enveloped her, and Sylvia realized she was losing control over her body, shrinking rapidly. Enjoy new chapters from empire

Moments later, as the light faded, she stared at her now tiny hands and feet, her voice sounding high-pitched and childlike.

She had shrunk again!

'If I hadn't let my guard down just now, there's no way Timothy could've taken the snow lotus from me, not with my strength!'

Regret filled her heart, but it was already too late.

With Timothy's height, there was no way she could reach the snow lotus, even if she jumped.

"Why did you take my snow lotus?!" Sylvia demanded, hopping up and down in frustration as she glared at Timothy.

Timothy, clearly prepared for this, smiled slightly. "Babe, didn't you say you wanted to challenge the haunted house? I took the snow lotus so you wouldn't have any magical boosts. I want to see if you can face your fears without them."

"That's… the reason?"

"Hmph, I don't believe you!" Sylvia was still skeptical. After all, she had just shown off her bravery as a goddess.

But just when she was finally getting a chance to shine, he had interrupted her.

Though she felt a bit resentful, the word "challenge" piqued her interest.

After all these years as an empress, she had always loved a good challenge.

No matter the form, she rarely turned down any opportunity to test herself.

She had embarrassed herself plenty of times when she shrank in the Netherworld, and both Timothy and her sister Erelyn seemed to think that whenever she got smaller, she became easier to bully.

"Wait a second… so that's why!" Suddenly, Sylvia realized why Timothy had shrunk her.

It wasn't about giving her a proper challenge at all!

This guy just wanted to take advantage of her smaller, more vulnerable state to mess with her!

He probably thought she'd act like some lovestruck girl, scared out of her mind and clinging to her boyfriend for comfort!

'Ha! So that's your plan, huh?'

Now that she had figured out Timothy's scheme, Sylvia felt a surge of excitement and a strange sense of confidence.

'Hmph, I didn't get scared at all earlier, so even if I'm smaller now, it won't make a difference.

Don't think shrinking me will change my courage.

Timothy, this time you're definitely going to lose!'

Having seen through Timothy's intentions, and with the experience of breezing through half the haunted house without any trouble, Sylvia was brimming with confidence.

To prove her fearlessness, she boldly took a step forward.

Even though her voice still had that childish, high-pitched tone, she lifted her chin proudly. "You want to test my courage? Hmph, just watch!"

With a confident huff, Sylvia strutted ahead of Timothy, her tiny body moving with exaggerated swagger, as if to show she wasn't afraid of anything.

Timothy followed behind her, smiling, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Huh… this feels weird."

The further they walked, the faster Sylvia moved, while Timothy seemed to slow down. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine.

The haunted house was just as dark as before, and the ghosts lurking in the shadows were only there to scare people—they couldn't actually do anything.

But for some reason, now that she was smaller, Sylvia's mindset seemed completely different from before.

Staring into the pitch-black path ahead, it felt like the darkness could swallow her whole at any moment.

Each footstep echoed loudly, the eerie silence making her heart race.

'Weird… why does something feel off?'

Sylvia shivered, her tiny body trembling slightly.

She could feel her heart pounding faster than usual, and her eyes darted around nervously. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the growing sense of fear bubbling up inside her.

'No way, it's just a little cold today. I'm definitely not scared!'

Sylvia kept trying to convince herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't calm the storm of emotions inside her.

Her heartbeat and breathing were speeding up, and she could feel it. The darkness ahead seemed like it could spit out a monster ready to devour her at any moment.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, Sylvia bolted in the opposite direction, running straight to Timothy's side.

Her slender arms wrapped tightly around his leg, and her wide-eyed, panicked expression made it clear she was seriously spooked.

Timothy, who had expected her to hold out a little longer, was surprised she caved so quickly.

Feeling her small, cold, trembling hands gripping his leg, Timothy couldn't help but chuckle. "Babe, are you scared already?"

"No way!"

Even though her heart was pounding like crazy, Sylvia wasn't about to admit defeat. She immediately shot back, not wanting to lose face.

"I'm just a little cold, that's all! I came over to warm up, nothing more. Yep, that's it!"

Trying to make her excuse sound convincing, Sylvia forced herself to let go of Timothy's pant leg, her tiny hands shaking as she did.

Steeling herself, she took a step forward.

But that one step triggered a trap.

Out of nowhere, a white robe dropped from above, hanging by a thick rope. The robe had a grotesque, twisted face painted on it, making it look like a terrifying hanged ghost.

The shock hit Sylvia with the same force as when she had once leveled an entire kingdom with a single sword strike.

At that moment, Sylvia, who had been barely holding back her fear, finally broke.

"This is so scary! How am I supposed to get through this place? Waaaah!"

Her voice trembled, and she was on the verge of tears as she threw herself into Timothy's arms.

Her big, watery eyes filled with tears, glistening from the overwhelming fear.

Looking at her pitiful expression, there wasn't a trace of the Holy Emperor's usual dignity left.