I Couldn’t Afford to Buy Mana, so I Started Streaming

“Erichiton, I love it when someone pets me! Do it more, Princess!”

“I’m annoyed.”

“Erichiton is happy, woof! Please scratch my belly, woof!”

“I don’t want to scratch your belly. It might smell.”

“Woooo…!”

Erichiton pondered in the depths of despair.

‘Exactly! Where did my life go completely off the rails, sigh…’

Why does she have to imitate a silly puppy in front of that damn witch?

Looking back, it was all because of the events that unfolded that day.

*

“Not only will Crown Princess Niobe’s debutante be held this time, but they say the Crown Prince’s war achievements ceremony will take place at the same time?”

The young ladies of high society were gathered in groups, buzzing with excitement over a rare event that wouldn’t come again for fifty years.

“Is that all? Rumor has it that His Imperial Majesty will also hold the Crown Prince’s appointment ceremony together. This is truly the pinnacle of high society…!”

“Who knows when we’ll get to stand in a position like this again? I want to meet my destined partner and vow to be engaged on a day like today.”

“Does Lady Zakario have someone in mind?”

Their eyes, adorned with exquisite jewels, were all set on one person.

Lady Erichiton Zakario.

The girl, who was to be the centerpiece of the Empire’s high society, casually munched on some desserts.

“Well, you know. Love is something that disappears like these cookies once you swallow them. I think what’s important is the filling that doesn’t get chewed.”

Beeep-

Erichiton stuck out her tongue and pulled out a golden orb.

“Could it be a win, Lady Zakario?”

“Wow, I’m so jealous!”

“Huhee. I’ll dance a tune with the Empire’s little sun soon.”

No need to look far; in three years, high society would be dominated by the Zakario family.

For them, stability was paramount.

In a situation where the line of succession was clear, Crown Prince Jade was the prize that the dukedom could dare not touch.

Second Prince Feiran was a cousin that Erichiton utterly despised.

Having just completed her coming-of-age ceremony, the 14-year-old Erichiton perfectly knew where she belonged.

“I think Crown Prince Hiasen is illuminating this ballroom. I, too, wish to feel that light for a moment.”

A year younger than her, Hiasen.

Looking down at the still-boyish boy, she smiled.

‘He’s young but handsome. Is he the shy type?’

With significant dancing experience, Erichiton took the lead with Hiasen.

However, Hiasen’s gaze was fixed on the main entrance of the banquet hall from start to finish.

‘Who is he waiting for?’

Erichiton suddenly furrowed her brows.

Looking away from her to look for someone—if it weren’t for his royal status, she would have stomped him with her high heels.

It was around that time that the star of the banquet, Niobe, made her entrance.

Even Hiasen’s stiff face lit up.

‘Rumor has it he cherishes his biological sister dearly…’

Niobe, wearing a bright platinum dress, passed in front of them to greet the emperor.

Hiasen’s head didn’t turn.

‘No way…!’

Erichiton was astonished.

“Who is that girl following behind…?”

“She has the same golden hair, doesn’t she?”

“Oh my, she has a scar on her arm. How gruesome.”

The moment the existence of the Fourth Princess, known only to a select few in high society, was unveiled.

‘How can I be compared to that kind of girl…!’

Erichiton felt unbearable shame and anger.

Crack-

The hard candy in her mouth shattered.

“Lady Zakario.”

“Hmm? Wh-What is it, Lady Muzio?”

“Is it permissible for the lowly blood of a demon to set foot on this sacred ground?”

“Did you know?”

The secret that the Fourth Princess had demon blood flowed within her.

“Here’s a hint. This is the opportunity granted by His Imperial Majesty. What might it mean to not bother hiding it?”

Emperor Airogen was the child who would be the most pitiful person in the world at the mere mention of demons.

“It is reported that half-human, half-demon orphans have been seen in the border regions. Perhaps think about how His Majesty feels about that.”

“So someone wants to throw stones to shape public opinion? Why are you telling me this without directly stepping in?”

“Hehe, can I take it as a concession?”

It was just after Niobe’s greeting.

As the Fourth Princess was about to take a step forward.

Shuffle-

“Let’s skip the pleasantries.”

The emperor raised a hand to restrict the princess’s approach.

Nobles murmured.

Without any emotional response, Lady Muzio approached the princess standing in the corner and asked.

“Are you, oh noble Fourth Princess of the Empire? That scar—how did you get it?”

Smack-!

“Don’t touch my body.”

“Ugh!”

With a slap, Lady Muzio fell to the ground.

Erichiton kept an eye on the emperor the entire time.

He was resting his chin on his hand, watching the scene intently.

‘So, it really is the illegitimate child… I worried for nothing, thinking he had some special affection for her.’

After that, Erichiton acted without restraint.

She grabbed a glass full of water and rushed towards the princess.

“Lady Muzio! Are you okay? Just a moment, kyaaah-!”

Splash-!

Erichiton purposefully tripped over her dress, splashing water all over the Fourth Princess’s head.

Quickly steadying herself, she recited the lines she had prepared.

“I’ll dry it off quickly…! Just a moment, but you have horns on your head, is this an accessory…?”

“You damn girl from the start!”

“Oh my, such harsh words. You’re not yearning for demons, are you?”

Erichiton felt an unknown thrill.

Perhaps it was because her opponent was a blonde.

“The demon?”

“That girl really has horns on her head…!”

“She’s not just an illegitimate child but actually a demon?”

The surrounding nobles felt the same way.

Considering that there weren’t few who held grievances against royalty.

The Fourth Princess became a tool for them to express their legitimate rage.

That was the scheme of Emperor Airogen.

The next day, Erichiton received treasures from the emperor.

Everything Lady Muzio had told her had come true.

“Is there something else you wish, Erichiton Zakario?”

The emperor’s gaze pierced into her.

‘Hiasen is too weak. My place isn’t by his side. Higher… higher…’

She made the gamble of a lifetime.

“I heard rumors that Crown Prince sometimes holds our family in high regard… I would like to assist the royal family’s prosperity in return for that kindness.”

Raising an eyebrow, the emperor smiled.

“What do you think?”

“Lady Zakario doesn’t lack interest. For the sake of solidifying our nation, I will definitely consider it.”

“Hahaha! So it is! You two should meet properly.”

“Eh? Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

Erichiton felt like she was flying to the sky.

Even if the meeting doesn’t go well, simply having met Crown Prince Jade would raise her value immensely.

‘Of course, I should aim for the Empress, but…!’

Erichiton’s life plan flowed perfectly like this.

Soon, tragic news that the Fourth Princess went berserk and killed her Third Sister spread.

As Erichiton began her royal life, she continuously tormented the Fourth Princess to catch the emperor’s eye.

Estasha ran away to the academy and even dropped out, becoming completely untraceable after that.

Despite many ups and downs in between, Erichiton succeeded in marrying the Crown Prince after hard work.

At the age of 21, the prime of her life.

She was just a step away from becoming the highest flower in the Empire.

Her husband was cruelly murdered.

Seven years prior, by the illegitimate princess whom Erichiton splashed water on.

*

“Puhah! Hah… hah… hhehuuh.”

In front of me was Erichiton, panting heavily.

Fortunately, this time she wasn’t loosening her clothes but simply fluttering a plain T-shirt.

I grabbed her collar and headbutted her hard.

“Hey. Seriously?”

“Ugh!”

“Did you think I woke you up to watch some boring autobiography?”

“What do you…”

“How do I know about my mom? Where the hell did I meet her? Spit it out quickly!”

“Your grandma was burnt at the Acropolis ages ago! Why are you asking me about it, you crazy witch!”

“You really don’t know Seol-ah? No Seol-ah?”

“Seol-ah? Seol-ah…?”

“Do you remember?”

“I don’t know that cheesy name!”

How does this person stir up fury in me each time I see her?

‘Should I just annihilate her?’

I clenched my jaw, attempting to suppress my anger.

It can’t be done. Erichiton’s power is out of the standard.

Above all, I needed her for information about No Seol-ah.

“What’s going on?”

“What is?”

“The puppy curse has been lifted.”

“Want me to stick it back on?”

Erichiton suddenly stood and crouched in front of me.

“Witch, please, not that curse…”

“Hah…”

But a problem arose.

With the erosion removed, Erichiton’s memory wasn’t complete.

It seemed like a memory processing error, and even if I knew the issue, there was nothing I could do.

The most primitive solution.

Just turn the computer off and on again.

It truly felt despairingly bleak that this was the only option for now.

“Just one last reset. If it doesn’t work…”

“Wait aaaaaaah!”

In a dragged-out voice, Erichiton stopped me.

“Hmm?”

“Please, just not the puppy curse. That one, please…”

She knelt before me, begging earnestly.

And her question was.

“First, is this the afterlife?”

“This isn’t the afterlife.”

“Secondly, then what is this lamp-like thing?”

“Not a lamp; it’s called a DreamWave app that reconstructs memories you recall using AI…”

“?”

“Why even explain? You wouldn’t understand, stupid.”

As I sighed deeply, Erichiton flopped to the ground, covering her face with her hands.

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh? Even I could see that the person who’s to be my husband, the future great sun of the Empire, was brutally… dying…”

“Stop acting. Can you do anything well? You can’t even act. Lies? Nope.”

“Is that what you’re going to say to the person who you had killed alongside me?”

She stopped crying and glared at me.

“Me? You?”

“Ah, isn’t that right…?”

“Ultimately, it’s true I killed you on your request, but the context is slightly—”

“See? That is the truth! This place has to be hell! The Empress of Kaizen, I, Erichiton Zakario Kaizen. If only I could use this one life to trap that witch in hell…!”

“If only?”

“Waaah, save me! I don’t want to go to hell!”

“What am I supposed to do?”

My head just hurt.

There’s nothing harder to handle than a lady who’s mistaken about herself.

In that sense, I want to give endless praise to Lady Muzio.

How on earth did she endure the frustration of it all?

Barely fighting back drowsiness, I asked Erichiton.

“How much do you remember? You seem to recall my infiltration of the palace. After the Crown Prince’s funeral, you returned to the Zakario dukedom.”

“Uh? Hmmm… Ah! Right, that happened. Uh?”

“Is there no memory after that? Like, hordes of demon beasts running amok?”

“Umm…”

“Is there or isn’t there?!”

“Nothing! I’m trying hard to remember, why are you hounding me like this?!”

Seems like memory of the events has evaporated, so Erichiton probably assumed she died at the palace.

“There’s a solid misconception. Your husband was also killed because you asked me to, and you wanted to be killed by me too.”

“What do you mean by that, Princess?”

“And you never tormented me. Tsk, you think highly of yourself? What a miscalculation.”

On one hand, it felt a bit pained.

How much did she want to forget to erase the entire incident at the Zakario estate?

And her claim that she spent three years tormenting me was all lies.

She was the one who was always tormented while trying to mess with me.

“Hmmm. How did I die?”

She stared at me blankly, thinking and thinking again.

“Princess, do you know?”

“Died eating dog meat.”

“Seriously, the sense of humor of demons… Do you think that’s funny? How could you even think of such a cruel thought as eating a cute puppy…”

“Ugh, stop whining!”

It’s a continuous series of frustrations.

Is the memory of when I met Seol-ah contaminated by the erosion?

Then there’s no real hope.

Erosion had only been able to communicate in the imaginary world using a small part of the original self of Erichiton.

A mere non-living erosion itself couldn’t conduct a conversation.

Like asking a street rock where your mother is.

“I might as well sleep. Why do I keep doing useless things…”

I laid down on the sofa, covering my eyes with my arm.

I still hadn’t turned off the lights in the private room.

Because sleeping in virtual reality would leave me stiff the next morning.

I miss Seol-ah so much…

Sometimes, to forget the urge to see her, I’d forcibly think of her as a villain.

Like a psychopath who feels joy from watching their own child die in a capsule.

‘But I still want to see her. Even so…’

In the end, all this self-deception was futile.

Facing her resembles the complete contrast to the biological mother who abandoned me in my past life.

I felt parched like I was in a vast ocean.

“Witch, no, Princess. Are you crying?”

Erichiton crouched beside the sofa.

What a truly clueless lady.

“Why again? What are you curious about?”

“I’m just curious. That someone like you can shed tears.”

“If you’re not going to comfort me, then leave.”

“Hmm, I at least have to hear about it to tease or console you.”

What an oddball. The more I see her, the more I wonder if I’ll ever meet someone like her again.

“Erichiton.”

“Yes?”

“Time’s up… Goodbye…”

“Gwaaaaah! I don’t want to be a puppy!”

Seeing the Crown Princess suffering from the hunger of erosion was too pitiful.

I had no choice but to revert her back into a dog.

[DreamWave Recording]

[Here is a gift from the Fourth Princess.]

[What’s this? It’s a mutt without any lineage?]

[It’s a roundabout way of saying it lacks a background! Burn it to death right now!]

She was in a strange dream once again. Probably one of those dog dreams.

[Why burn it? It’s so cute! Bring this little puppy into my room. I’ll name it Asha. Just wait, Asha, one day you’ll crawl beneath my feet.]

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