Who Made Me a Princess Volume 2 Review
Athy is still adjusting to being the pitiful princess of the book into which she’s been reincarnated. She knows the tragic fate that will befall her when she turns nine years old, but a chance encounter with her father (earlier than it’s supposed to happen) might raise her chance of survival above zero.
In the novel, Princess Athanasia is killed by her father, Emperor Claude. However, Athy is committed to avoiding that fate and with her knowledge of the story, realizes that the only way to survive is for Claude to fall for his only known child’s cuteness. Well, it can be quite embarrassing for Athy to behave and act cute, considering she remembers her past life as an adult. But she’s got to do what she must to survive. It seems though that her efforts are showing progress, at least according to what everyone tells her. Does Claude really care for Athy? She doesn’t think so as she still sees him as a cold-blooded daughter-killer. But her maid Lily and her guard Felix believe the Emperor is changing for the better.
Duke Alpheus makes his appearance in this volume. He’s the one who is secretly raising Jeannette, who in the book everyone believes to be Claude’s daughter, but Athy knows the truth. The Duke tries getting close to Athy, but she’s too smart for that. She’s going to have the upper hand on him, at least until she meets the Duke’s son, Ezekiel, the main male protagonist in the novel. Ezekiel has all the advantages that a hero might have: looks, intelligence and an attachment to the supposed female main character, Jeannette. Now Athy knows she needs to study more to surpass him and not let anyone get the better of her.
I’m enjoying how the story is progressing. In Volume 2 Athy is still a kid, but we get to learn more about her and her past. Now the readers know she has been reincarnated in the book, as it wasn’t clear in Volume 1 how Athy came to remember her past life. We also know that she was an orphan, so being reborn and having a family might disrupt the original survival plan that Athy created. She tries to just act cute and keep her feelings in check, but she can’t. She realises that there are people who truly care for her, and even Claude starts showing his feelings little by little. When she gets sick due to magic power that her young body can’t handle yet, he tries to get the best magician to heal her. When she’s about to fall, he dives to save her from hitting the ground. When he hears that she misses her mother, he sends her dreams to show what she looked like. Little by little, Athy is thawing his frozen heart—albeit unbeknown to her.
In this volume, we also get introduced to more characters who will become more relevant as the story progresses. The first is Duke Alpheus, whose plan is to raise Jeannette (the one supposed to be the Emperor’s secret daughter) and then reveal her to the world. What he wants from that, we don’t yet know, but probably to gain power in the emperor’s court. His son instead has a chance encounter with the princess, whom he mistakes for an angel. What will become of that, I also don’t yet know. Maybe he’ll fall for her instead of Jeannette. It’s too early in the story to tell. We can only assume and wish. Lucas also makes his first appearance. We don’t know yet who he is other than a magician, but he tricks the Emperor by looking like a kid, and when he saves Athy from the magic overload that made her sick, he becomes her companion. Not sure yet if it’s a positive thing or someone else that Athy needs to be wary of.
In both volumes of Who Made Me a Princess, we see Athy grow through her childhood years. She might look like a child, but her soul is way older. There is more happening in this volume compared to the previous one, and the colour palette used by the illustrator keep the story kawaii.
Who Made Me a Princess is written by PLUTUS and illustrated by SPOON. Seven Seas published the print edition in the English language with Lauren Na’s translation. Volume 3 is slated for release in November 2023.
