《Royal Princess of Blood》


 Prologue

    Warm thick fluid of crimson flowed down my arm as I clutched the bullet hole on my shoulder, trying to hold off the bleeding. I heard gunshots coming from behind me. I must flee. This operation was a bust, dammit!


    I can¡¯t believe I failed, shit!


    Fortunately enough, I managed to escape before they could corner me. I left quite a lot of bloodshed in my escape, as expected of my skills! But damn, I couldn¡¯t even kill my target, what a blunder.


    I turned towards a small alley, hoping to at least lose the ones who were chasing me. My long and unkempt black hair rattled as I ran desperately. I grip the pistol in my hands in preparation for what may greet me once I leave this alley.


    My beautiful brow wrinkled when I heard the sound of a vehicle coming my way. Its headlight began to lit the road before me. There were no allies here, I am alone, therefore, this fast vehicle could only be an enemy.


    Sure enough, the car stopped as soon as I stepped out of the alley. They opened the doors of their car, but before they could come out, I aimed my weapon at them. I instantly had one in my sights and pulled the trigger, a loud roar from my weapon rang out. I shot him cleanly in the head and his assault rifle fell to the ground.


    I quickly shifted the aim to the second man and shot. But two more emerged from the backseat of the car, so I stepped back and took cover behind the wall. Their guns shot numerous bullets towards where I was situated.


    Dammit, enemies will also come from my back at any second.


    There were also the ones that were chasing me from behind, I expected that they would appear from where I just went through.


    Aaah, this is the end.


    How could everything end this way?


    I began to worry about my life. My desire to have a carefree life, and my regrets came to my mind.


    My life had always felt like it was in shackles, always bounded, unable to do what I wanted. Only do the things I was ordered. I was always envious of normal people. Casually walking down the street, without fearing for anything.


    Eat by the street stalls, go shopping, laugh with other people. Hell, I am even envious of those that were able to go to school. Not because they were able to go to school until they graduate from college, but because they got to live a carefree life.


    What a miserable turn of events¡­


    Well, if this was how it was going to end, let¡¯s end it with a bang! I ain¡¯t gonna mope around in the face of death. If I was going to die, I¡¯ll do it on my own terms. At least, I got to do what I wanted this time.


    I listened to the rapid fire of my enemies. Then they stopped, they must be advancing towards me. Good, at least I get to catch them in surprise.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    I heard a loud voice from the other end of the alley. They were the ones that were chasing after me. Instantly, upon hearing that one man¡¯s shout, I stepped forward and extended my weapon with a dagger in my hand. I always had daggers strapped to my thighs during missions.


    With my dark mission outfit which was made for the purpose of flexible movement, I moved swiftly. The two men looked surprised for a split second that I suddenly emerged from my cover.


    However, with that opening, I pulled the trigger of my weapon, hitting him on the neck. Due to the pressure, I missed the head. But that was fine, that still meant death. Before anything else, I also instantly threw my sharp dagger towards the other guy.


    I hit his chest, causing him to stagger, I quickly shifted my weapon towards him and open fired two times.


    ¡°?!¡±


    But he also managed to open fire, though with utterly poor accuracy due to him being hit, he still managed to hit me by the side of the stomach. I grimaced in pain as I covered it with my free hand.


    But there was no time to rest, enemies were coming from behind. I immediately opened fire towards then as I rushed towards the car the enemies used.  Regrettably, I only managed to down one. And worst of all, I ran out of bullets.


    No time to reload. So I entered the car, but as I did so, I caught a glimpse of incoming vehicles from a distance.


    I got on the car seat and stepped on the accelerator.


    Wait, I might be able to escape. Hah! Jokes on you, you bastards!¡±


    My car moved fast, but the enemies were already hot on my tail. They fired at me, so I had to duck, unable to look what would be ahead. But that was fine, it should be a clean road since I managed to catch a glimpse of it.


    I was heading straight to the bridge. Pieces of glass from the window came flying inside as countless hails of bullets rained towards me.


    Shit, couldn¡¯t they be gentle to a pretty girl like me? Damn!


    I may have sounded sarcastic, but I was serious. I was only able to think of such things since I have always been in danger almost my entire life. So, this situation was nothing to be so depressed about.


    I have hope that I can live.


    But that hope was taken when an explosion erupted right behind the car I was driving. I panicked for a moment then took a peak.


    A fucking grenade launcher?! Bullshit!


    I tried not to drive in a straight line, I managed to dodge twice. Thankfully.


    The bridge was within reach, a river vigorously flowing underneath it. I was reaching the center of the bridge, but at that moment, an explosion came in front of me. In reflex, I turned the wheel, but instead of staying on the road, my car went to the edge of the bridge.


    There was where I fell.


    The cold dark water, with no light since it was night, greeted me. I held my breath and tried to open the door. Although it was rough. The river here was indeed troublesome.


    But I still managed to open it and came outside with difficulty on the way. The wounds throbbed as the strong current carried my body. It was difficult to swim in this kind of current.


    But at this rate, I might be able to escape and survive. Truth be told, I also planned to dive into the river if all else fails.


    I¡¯m a genius right?


    Now, here I go praying I won¡¯t drown. I swam with all my strength towards the surface. When I reached above, I looked around. The strong current really helped since I saw no enemies around.


    That being said, I felt very cold and weak. I was losing a lot of blood. I swam quickly to the river bank.


    I barely managed to hold unto the concrete, but I still managed to climb up. I collapsed on the floor, extremely tired.


    My precious hands shivered, no it wasn¡¯t just my hands, it was my entire body. Blood began to form a small puddle on the floor. I don¡¯t like this, not at all. The pain, the blood, the cold, this feeling, I don¡¯t like it.


    I need immediate medical attention¡­


    I forced myself to stand up, body shaking while doing so. My body felt heavy, it was unpleasant. Not anything else here was pleasant. I legit felt I was dying.


    No, I may be literally dying.


    But I had hope. I lifted my feet, slowly moving forward. I was somewhat familiar with this location, but any medical facilities here were totally not close. In other words it was impossible to reach one.


    Maybe some person will come across me and help me.


    Yes, if someone came, I might be saved.


    As a short time passed, a vehicle with its headlights on, came towards me. A faint smile curled on my lips.


    The vehicle stopped and its doors opened.


    ¡°How miserable you look.¡±


    A man¡¯s voice. It was familiar, and the smile on my lips grew a bit wider. The man about his mid twenties had blonde hair and blue eyes. This man was beautiful and could charm just about any woman who he came across.


    Of course I felt nothing, I was never infatuated by this man. The same thing applies to the same gender as mine. I can¡¯t feel anything special towards even females, and also men. What? Could this mean I am a monster? No way, I¡¯m human. Perhaps that was just the way I am.


    The man flashed me a charming smile.


    I walked closer to him and shrugged.


    ¡°...Indeed. I¡¯m a m-miserable beautiful twenty-year old girl, and v-vulnerable. So, what are you standing a-around for, help me here.¡±


    This was one of my colleagues, therefore, I could feel all relaxed.


    ¡°Ah, how d-did you find me anyway?¡±


    The man slowly approached me.


    ¡°The tracker.¡±


    ¡°... Of course.¡±


    Somewhere embedded in my arm, I had a tracker. All members of the organization had them. However¡­


    ¡°How come you have access to a tracker¡¯s location?¡±


    ¡°Before the operation, I was, well, you could say promoted.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I frowned as I watched him. ¡°Why are you still standing, I¡¯m d-dying here, I¡¯m using all my strength just to stand up, where¡¯s the first aid?¡±


    He heaved a deep sigh before moving his hand to his back.


    ¡°You were seen, you know. You exposed your face, and even caused all that trouble.¡±


    I grew tense upon hearing his words.


    ¡°... So what?¡±


    ¡°You have exposed the operation, and look at you, dying, in the middle of a street.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    I glared at him, having an idea where this was leading.


    ¡°...¡±


    My gaze downcast, I took a deep breath.


    So this is where it ends, huh.


    Trying to fight back was pointless. I was wounded and weak. I didn¡¯t even have any kind of weapon in hand. I couldn¡¯t fight back here. It seems this was where I will meet my end. The organization often does this, so it didn¡¯t come as a lot of shock.


    They always discard those who no longer had any uses or had failed miserably.


    And, here I will be thrown away. Abandoned. Disposed of.


    I returned my gaze towards the man. We had worked together for a long time. A few years. But he didn¡¯t show any kind of sympathy as he was about to kill me. I guess that was what to be expected. There were just people that didn¡¯t have a heart.


    They can kill easily like having a tea party, they feel nothing about it. Taking one¡¯s life was trivial, even if they had worked together for a long time. I suppose I¡¯m the same way as him.


    I glared at him.


    ¡°Go ahead t-then. But don¡¯t think I won¡¯t fight back.¡±


    He smiled at me as though amused.


    ¡°Hm, you¡¯ll die of blood loss anyway. But, it appears it would take time, so I¡¯ll end it here.¡±


    A dagger in his hand, he prepared to throw it. It would seem he didn¡¯t want to face me head on. Of course it was not because I could potentially hurt him, I¡¯m way passed that. That was because he didn¡¯t want to get dirty due to my blood.


    ¡°You¡¯re an ugly man, you k-know that?¡±


    I said to him as I rushed my feet forward. If I could hit him, I might get satisfied. But, the dagger had already pierced my heart before I knew it.


    I collapsed on my knees. I clutched the dagger stuck to my chest, but I had no strength left to pull it out.


    I feel sleepy.


    ¡°You¡¯re a hard girl to kill.¡±


    I smiled at him as my life was slowly draining away.


    ¡°...Just... the way things are.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, so don¡¯t bear any grudges towards me in the afterlife.¡±


    Of course, there will be no grudges. I knew this could potentially happen to me at some point. But, I had regrets. I had a lot of regrets.


    I didn¡¯t want to die yet, but I was already dying. No hope escaping from its grasp. No, perhaps dying would be a blessing from this life.


    I said my final words.


    ¡°Have a good life, my friend.¡±


    Even if he killed me, we were still colleagues once. And we were raised in the same organization. Thus, despite how we treated each other now, we still had respect for each other. We still somewhat have a relationship. And the word I could think of to describe it was ¡®friendship¡¯, or perhaps ¡®kinship¡¯?


    ¡°Friend? Yes. We¡¯re friends aren¡¯t we?¡± A faint smile appeared on his face. ¡°I hope something good will happen to you, if souls do exist and end up somewhere... Farewell, our angel.¡±


    That was the moment my life faded away. My corpse lay on the cold hard street, with a dead heart full of regret.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


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 Chapter 1: A Pure Princess (Part 1)

    ¡°Good lord, please save the princess.¡±


    ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°This is the worst!¡±


    It was noisy.


    What the hell? Can¡¯t I even have a good quiet death? Shit.


    They sounded like they were panicking, which was strange.


    Wait? There was no one around where we were.


    The place was eerily quiet, and I remembered it clearly. No, I think that was not the issue here. The main issue here was¡­


    Why the hell am I laying down on something soft?


    I was laying down on something soft, like a proper bed, facing up, I feel. Which was strange, I died on the street. No, did I manage to survive somehow? Maybe, when he left me, someone found me and I still had some sort of pulse.


    This could mean a lot of things though. He had mistaken me to be dead. And most of all! This could also mean I¡¯m free! I couldn¡¯t feel more happy. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be? Hahaha!


    My face twitches due to the positive emotions I was feeling inside.


    ¡°The princess! The princess moved!¡±


    I heard a woman¡¯s voice. She sounded relieved as she raised her voice.


    I wonder what princess they were talking about.


    Was there even something as princesses during this generation? Oh wait, there were. Well not where I was.


    Maybe someone had the name ¡®princess¡¯? A certain country does use that word as a literal name.


    Or maybe, by some strange fate, a princess ran away and encountered an accident, thus we ended up in the same room. Good, she could be useful if that was the case. Maybe if I go all friendly with her, she would treat me nicely. Maybe she could take me somewhere. I mean, princesses were wealthy girls, so helping someone who was kind as me would be no big deal.


    ¡°Physician, she¡¯s still closing her eyes, please make sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with my younger sister.¡±


    Hm? Wait, why the hell is someone touching the side of my face.


    Must be a mistake, there must be a timing coincidence. Someone just happened to check up on me at the same time.


    It was then I noticed something was amiss. I had no wounds on the head. Which was again strange. I was supposed to have a bullet wound on the shoulder and on the stomach. Wait, I was also stabbed on the heart. I supposed to have died. Could it be perhaps I was tougher than I thought? Pfft, of course not. A stab to the heart was a sure death.


    ¡°The healing spell healed her head in time, so it should be alright.¡±


    A man¡¯s voice reached my delicate ears.


    Hm? What did this guy just say? Healing spell? Hey hey, what the hell is going on?


    I was utterly confused. Was something weird going on? This guy was totally an adult, not some kid playing around and saying stuff like spells.


    ¡°Princess, can you open your eyes?¡±


    I was becoming more confused than before. That voice, it just whispered to me after all.


    Me? Princess?


    Was this some kind of joke?


    Completely confused, I opened my eyes. Oh boy, what greeted my eyes only made me think I lost my mind.


    What is this? Some kind of cosplay?


    I have heard that term and saw what they were, so that was what first came to me.


    I saw people who were wearing strange clothes, clothes that were definitely out of their time. A woman somewhere in her mid-thirties with silver hair and bluish eyes stared at me wearing a white dress, emblazoned with plenty of intricate patterns with lines dyed of yellow. Her hair was tied up neatly in a bun. But that was not the big deal here, the clothes were. They were not modern designed. No one would wear something like that. In any case, her outfit just didn¡¯t sit well with the current time.


    There was a young man with golden blonde hair and purple eyes also staring down at me, he was perhaps in his late teens. He wore a white and gold long coat with of course clothing underneath it. Trousers and boots, by his neck tied an ascot. As extravagant and expensive looking as the aforementioned woman. Again, weird.


    They both looked like they came from a time when swords still existed and used as a weapon.


    There were also a couple of maids at the back. How did I know they were maids you might ask? Well, they were wearing black and white dresses, which totally looked like they were worn by maids.


    And beside me was a plain looking middle aged man, although his clothes still looked expensive. Could this person be the physician they were talking about?


    Woah wait.


    If that¡¯s the case, didn¡¯t that make me the ¡°Princess¡±?


    Oh my, I may be beautiful sure. And being called a princess sure is nice. But who are these weirdos? What the hell? Huh?


    Only then I noticed the room I was in. The ceiling was high, a small chandelier hung down unto it. White walls with beautiful decorations. Extravagant looking lamps were also there embedded on the walls. Well, the room sure was nice, but that was not what I was worrying about right now.


    This is way out of its timeline.


    Modern architecture didn¡¯t look like this at all. This looked somewhere around medieval times.


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    The woman from before leaned closer to me.


    What did she just call me?


    ¡°... Estelia?¡±


    A puzzled look formed on my face.


    ¡°Estel? Are you okay?¡±


    The young man, seemingly sensing my confusion, called out to me. I ignored him and pondered. My mind was in complete disarray.


    Aaah! What the hell is going on?


    I don¡¯t have enough free world experience to come to an acceptable conclusion. I have always had a limited life. Every action I take must have restrictions. In other words, I was always focused on the task given to me. Not enough free time to go around.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Haaaaah!¡±¡±¡±


    Everyone in the room gasped in my question. I would have given them credit since it looked genuine. Hm, but since it looked genuine, then it could be. They were legit surprised. Then panic ensued on them.


    ¡°Physician! My daughter! What happened?! She just asked who we are! Could it be?!¡± The woman asked as her eyes rattled around.


    ¡°My dear sister? No¡­¡± The young man looked away in dismay.


    Ah, sorry, I asked in the spur of the moment. I should calm down for a moment.


    ¡°She fell down the stairs that hard?¡± The physician muttered as he covered his mouth.


    I glanced at the maids, they disturbingly looked distressed.


    Hm, wait did he just say fell down the stairs? I did? Wait, who am I?¡±


    I looked at my hands and touched them. They were pale as ice, I looked like I never left shelter at all, and never even felt the warm touch of sunlight. I shifted my eyes towards my long straight hair. They were white, no, ¡°platinum¡± would be the appropriate word to describe it.


    I¡¯m not me while I''m me at the same time?


    That was the only thing I can conclude at the moment. I¡¯m a different person. And this was a totally different place.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Just then, a surging pain erupted within my head. I clutched my head, it felt like my head would explode at any moment. The people around me panicked as they saw the pained expression on my face. My head was like going to burst out!


    Then, it came the feeling of something being injected into my brain. I was overwhelmed. I see. I remember. I feel.


    These were¡­ memories.


    I am...


    ¡°Estelia Vernisia Wisteria.¡±


    ¡°You remember?!¡±


    I looked at the woman who exclaimed in joy. This woman was my mother.


    ¡°Mother Meliya.¡±


    Meliya Helvinia Wisteria, the queen, and my mother.


    ¡°Aaaah, you remember! Thank goodness.¡±


    She suddenly moved closer to me and¡­ my eyes widened and my body turned stiff. I didn¡¯t know how to react to this.


    She¡­ wrapped her arms around me. She was hugging me. It was warm. It was comfy. A foreign feeling and moment for me. Was it always this pleasant? Was this what normal people feel when they hugged each other?


    I didn¡¯t know the answer. But, I was feeling it.


    This was¡­ wonderful.


    No!


    I shook my head, shaking off this ridiculous feeling. This was a feeling that was not to be accepted. These emotions were prohibited! These kinds of emotions only beget weakness. I have seen many people die and fail during my assasination missions due to emotions. Due to attachments!


    There was even a time when my target was a female. She was what supposed to be my only target, but a man came taking the bullet. Ridiculous. Self sacrifice.


    There was also a time when a fellow agent went into an infiltration mission. She needed to pretend to be their ally as we gathered information. However, when time came for execution, she fucking hesitated to kill a single man. How unbelievable.


    Emotions are hindrances. Attachments are absolutely forbidden.


    Dreams were nice, but these kinds of emotions were not needed. They would only get in the way.


    I will not get attached because of this short empty moment.


    Plus, I am not Estelia. I am¡­


    This was a foreign body. Not mine. Therefore, I have no relationship with these people, only this body. I have no attachment towards them.


    I took a deep breath and began acting.


    ¡°Mother, please let go. You¡¯re suffocating me.¡±


    Acting was an essential skill and had a lot of uses depending on the mission given. Therefore, acting was easy. I was also trained hard for this.


    When she heard my sweet gentle voice, which could calm any soul, the woman ¡ª or rather, my mother ¡ª apologized as she slowly let go.


    ¡°Sorry, I thought you have lost your memories.¡±


    I formed a beautiful and pure smile, my eyes turned tender. I ought to speak gently. As was how the original Estelia was.


    ¡°To be honest, my memories slipped my mind for a moment. But thankfully, it returned shortly after. Did I scare you? I apologize.¡±


    I bowed my head and formed a troubled expression. Well, I looked like I was about to cry.


    ¡°N-No. It can¡¯t be helped that you acted that way first, so you do not need to cry.¡±


    Mother frantically waved her hand as she consoled me.


    ¡°Sister? Do you remember me?¡±


    The young man moved in front. A bright smile beaming on his lips. He was quite handsome, if I do say so myself. As expected of royalty, I suppose. But no way my heart would flutter. Plus, he was supposedly to be my brother, so no no. Let¡¯s not take a weird turn. Well, it¡¯s not like I would have any special feelings for anybody else.


    ¡°Brother Estevan.¡±


    I said innocently to him. His eyes brightened as she looked at me who appeared like a pure lamb that must be protected at all cost.


    He was Estevan Verziniel Wisteria, my brother.


    ¡°My dear sister remembers me! That¡¯s great! You really scared me there.¡±


    ¡°I did fall from the stairs. I-I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ I am very clumsy. It¡¯s m-my fault.¡±


    I deliberately stammered in my words which only enhanced my pure and innocent performance. Well, I should say it should be closely similar to how Estelia originally acted. But maybe I acted more innocently compared to her.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t say that. I like the way you are now.¡±


    I smiled at my brother. I have two brothers, this one was the second eldest. The eldest was currently missing for some reason. If I remember correctly, he was out on a diplomatic errand. By the way, I¡¯m the youngest and the only girl in the family. Well well, this would work to my advantage.


    Who wouldn¡¯t protect their cute youngest sister?


    I¡¯m currently sixteen years old, but that¡¯s still young for me. I definitely need protecting. What, don¡¯t tell me no one would protect this pure, vulnerable and fragile girl, that is me? Nonsense.


    ¡°You seemed to be fine now, your Highness.¡±


    I looked at the one who spoke to me, this man was the palace physician. Who could also cast healing magic.


    Eh? Magic?


    Magic huh. I heard a lot about that back in my old life. They came from fantasy stories, but now in this world, they seemed to be real. But Estelia only had little knowledge about it, not only about magic but also about everything else. Hell, she barely knew anything about the outside world.


    Not helpful.


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± I responded to him as I slowly raised my body up. ¡°I feel fine. I think I can even walk around now.¡±


    ¡°Please rest for a while, moving around is still risky.¡±


    The physician said to me. I would have done so if these people were not around. Well, Estelia did have an emergency and was sent to here ¡ª my room. And her family panicked and quickly came to her ¡ª or rather me.


    Agh, I still have trouble differentiating.


    ¡°In that case, I will take a rest for a while.¡±


    I laid back down on the bed and closed my eyes, hoping that everyone would leave. That would give me at least a quiet space to think.


    ¡°Yes, rest well, my daughter.¡±


    Meliya caressed my forehead, it was a gentle touch. But I thought nothing of such a thing. I just hope they just leave me alone, I needed to cope up with everything that was happening.


    Mother then continued.


    ¡°Just ring the bell and Mera will assist you, okay?¡±


    I looked at the handbell placed on top of the table beside my bed. I¡¯m interested in trying it, but not now.


    The people around me one by one left.


    ¡°Estel my dear sister, take care~.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes brother.¡±


    The last one to leave was a maid, she bowed before taking her leave and closing the door. I waited for about a couple of minutes, making sure that everyone truly left. That being said, the maids must be in the other room, waiting for my call. But that was fine.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


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 Chapter 2: A Pure Princess (Part 2)

    I left the bed and stood up, I did a bit of stretching and there sounded a bit of cracking. But it was satisfying nonetheless. My first objective was the mirror. I did have memories of how I look, but I still wanted to see it personally.


    Once I looked at the mirror, a gasp escaped my lips.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    I touched my cheek with my delicate and slender fingers. To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed by what I saw in the mirror. Even though it was my face, I still can¡¯t believe it immediately.


    I have a delicate and sweet pale face, I looked so fragile. My long silky hair straightly flowed down, it was of beautiful platinum, they glimmered like a pile of treasure amidst the infiltrating light. My crimson eyes were like blood, but beautiful to look at, I can even look so pure with those eyes of mine if I willed it to.


    I was extremely beautiful. World class. I could charm any man with a single wink with this appearance. Hell, I think I might fall in love with myself if I stared for too long. Just kidding.


    But seriously, many would go mad just to have this beauty. Now I think I understand why this girl, Estelia, was a sheltered princess.


    With this beauty, going outside would be utterly dangerous. This would be a target of many. But hey, I¡¯m not complaining. This was perfect. In any case, I can imagine I can do a lot of things I wasn¡¯t able to do in my former life.


    Freedom.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    This reminded me of something as I looked at myself.


    Estelia.


    This girl¡­ had already died.


    I could tell from the memory. I remember the same sensation when I was dying, Estelia felt the same. She fell high from the stairs, she rolled around as she descended. The most damage she received was to her head.


    As delicate, meek, and fragile as she was, I suppose she couldn¡¯t last long and died before anyone could tend to her. Her last moments were the last of her memories, and then I came.


    What a tragic fate. Dying from falling down the stairs.


    For me, it was indeed tragic. She could have at least died in a different way, like having your final stand. But, well, this girl was different from me, so yeah¡­ maybe her kind of death was normal.


    Should I say something?


    Hm.


    ¡°Rest in peace, Estelia. I will put your body to good use.¡±


    I whispered to the air, perhaps she could hear me or something. I walked away from the mirror and walked over to the window.


    I smiled. The view here was magnificent. According to the memories, I am around the rear of the palace, and I should say, I am way up, third floor. I could see a few houses from here. In the far distance, several mountains covered by green forest towered.


    Judging from everything I have gathered. I am in a world where it was still in a medieval age. But since magic exists ¡ª which I¡¯m looking forward to seeing by the way ¡ª a lot may differ from my knowledge.


    ¡°I want to go out.¡±


    I said I wanted to rest, and they said I need to rest, but I feel fine. Seriously. But it would be strange that I would go out when I just said I would rest.


    Fine, I¡¯ll wait.


    I quietly stared at the view.


    By the way, this body barely had any muscles. It would be a struggle to fight in this. But I don¡¯t want to ravish my perfect and beautiful form with muscles. Back in my old life, I only made my muscles around average so I wouldn¡¯t ruin my hourglass figure, a good appearance was essential. An attractive body and appearance had its uses during missions.


    So what I¡¯m planning to do was workout this body for just a little. Enough to easily lift a dagger. I¡¯m not expecting to find a pistol here, so yeah, I¡¯m going to work so I can wield a dagger.


    I looked at my hands and fingers.


    But these are beautiful hands. I don¡¯t want to damage them¡­


    Well, I was the princess now, so perhaps I have no need to fight anymore. Someone would protect me anyway.


    I need to think about this carefully.


    For the preservation of my absolute beauty. And most importantly, my life.


    I stared outside for several minutes like an idiot. During missions, patience was important to have. But for some reason, I¡¯m struggling to keep my patience.


    Ah! Dammit! Let me out of here already.


    I looked at the handbell. I squinted my eyes in my desire to use it. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be interested in having a servant come at your beckon? I sure am interested.


    I reached out for the bell. They said the maid would assist me, so I would have her assist me with going around the palace. Experiencing them yourself was completely different from remembering from another¡¯s memories.


    I shook the bell and a sound loudly rang out. A short moment later, knocks came from the door before opening. A maid entered the room.


    ¡°Milady, you called.¡±


    This was the girl who bowed to me earlier. She had blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were dark green and her skin was light brown.


    She was seventeen years old. If the memories were right, this girl was of nobility. However, her family was situated far away from the capital. Might as well say they were situated in a remote territory. Her father was also a mere baron.


    She is very far away from home.


    Her and Estelia had a friendly relationship. But they weren¡¯t always together though since the maids were rotated. She was not my personal maid, but one of the maids that were commonly assigned to be my attendant.


    I returned to my act as a pure princess.


    ¡°Um, I want to go out.¡±


    ¡°Go out¡­? But milady, you are still recuperating, are you not?¡±


    I flashed a bright smile.


    ¡°But I feel completely fine though. I imagine that I can even run around now with no problem at all.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    I happily walked towards her with slightly prancing steps. I took her hands and squeezed them.


    ¡°Even if something does happen, you will be by my side, am I wrong?¡±


    I tilted my head with a bit of pout on my cheeks. Since I was close to her, I could see her blushing cheeks.


    See? Even my beauty works on women.


    The maid, Mera, stared at me for a moment before taking a long deep breath.


    ¡°I understand, milady. But, please take it easy and be careful.¡±


    I giggled adorably as I went out of the room.


    ¡°I will~.¡±


    I walked in the corridor. This place truly looked like a home of royalty. The walls were clean, decorations were luxurious, maids were also around cleaning. They would stop their work and bow to me.


    There sure are a lot of rooms here.


    Indeed, as I walked around the palace corridors, I came across several rooms. Those rooms were occasionally used for guests. But the most used for that were the rooms on the second floor.


    There was not much to do here, so my goal was to go outside. I realized too late that I was walking with rush paces, and Mera was trying to catch up to me. I stopped in my tracks as I waited for her to catch up with an amused smile on my face.


    Oops, I shouldn''t smile like that. Happy smile, happy smile.


    I changed the way I smiled.


    ¡°Mera, Mera. Let¡¯s go outside quickly.¡±


    I said as though impatient. Mera¡¯s eyebrows went up.


    ¡°Milady, you should take it easy. Didn¡¯t you say you would do so?¡±


    I covered my mouth with my hand and gave an apologetic look.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Mera sighed.


    ¡°But, if milady wants to come outside, then we will.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I held her hands and leaned closer. I could see her gulp from her throat.


    ¡°Y-You have no need to thank me, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Is that so? But I want to.¡±


    Mera looked like she was taken aback by my words. Did I act too much? Isn¡¯t this how Estelia normally acted? All innocent, pure, and quite possibly naive? Well, I just need to act close to what she was.


    The reason? I don¡¯t want anyone to be shocked by the sudden change. They might become suspicious of me. That would complicate things. Therefore, I will slowly do things. What must be remembered was that I have no intention of acting like this girl was supposed to be forever. I can¡¯t pretend for the rest of my life. There will be no freedom in that regard.


    I at least want to act the way I wanted. While only acting like Estelia a little bit. But at this current time, I¡¯m going to do it slowly.


    Judging from how everything went, I¡¯m still close to how Estelia was. Therefore I wasn¡¯t that worried.


    I¡¯ll be gentle. Like sex for the first time.


    ...Okay I shouldn¡¯t say something like that with this pure face.


    I let go of her hand and went forward, though slowing down my steps.


    Then, as I reached a certain point, I halted.


    I glared down.


    Ah, my murderer.


    What laid before me was the one who killed Estelia. In other words¡­ the stairs.


    I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re not taking my life.


    As I was about to step forward, Mera moved in front of me.


    ¡°Milady!¡±


    I was startled by her somewhat loud voice. I saw fear in her eyes.


    ¡°Please, let me hold your hand as you go down.¡±


    She offered me her hand.


    Oh? Is she perhaps scared for my safety?


    I could see her concerns were genuine though. Seeing this, a smile emerged from my pretty face.


    ¡°Then, I will take your offer.¡±


    I took her hand, like a princess accepting the offer of her prince ¡ª or was it knight? I¡¯m not sure which one.


    She slowly led me down the stairs. She was extremely careful, so our speed was terribly slow. But I was quite entertained watching her.


    ¡°Mera, you don¡¯t have to be this concerned, you know?¡±


    ¡°Milady, I can¡¯t let the same thing happen again.¡±


    ¡°Were you scared?¡±


    She looked at me with surprised eyes.


    ¡°Were you scared for me?¡±


    I was referring to the moment Estelia fell down the stairs. Mera wasn¡¯t there when it happened, no other maids were there during the fall. Estelia was only seen the moment her body went still it seems. So I was curious if Mera was truly scared as Estelia almost died. Well, technically she did die, but for Mera, she didn¡¯t.


    Mera averted her eyes away.


    ¡°Y-Yes. Yes I was.¡±


    I was a bit surprised by her answer. It sounded like it came from the heart. Her eyes even shared that feeling. I couldn¡¯t tell if the other maids would think and feel this way. But Mera was truly concerned about Estelia.


    She isn¡¯t concerned about me, but to Estelia.


    That was what I felt.


    But I am Estelia now. Still, I didn¡¯t know how to take in all this. Therefore, I threw away the needless thoughts. What they think didn¡¯t matter much to me personally.


    ¡°Thank you, Mera.¡±


    Mera stared at me, seemingly lost of what to say in response for a moment.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Not at all, milady.¡±


    Then we reached the second floor. It was then I became wary. What was I wary for? It was my family. I currently don''t have the time to entertain them. I wanted to entertain myself.


    ¡°I wonder where Brother Estevan is?¡±


    ¡°Lord Estevan is currently in the courtyard, training.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Ain¡¯t that nice.


    ¡°And mother?¡±


    ¡°I recall she went to the studies. Perhaps to read books?¡±


    ¡°She must be reading some novels.¡±


    Mother Meliya loved reading stories, so that must be it. If I recall correctly, she loves reading romance stories?


    Well, at least they won¡¯t be disturbing me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the garden.¡±


    I recalled from the memories that it was a wonderful place. Therefore, I wanted to go there first.

 Chapter 3: A Pure Princess (Part 3)

    My eyes went wide and my mouth left agape. I stared at the garden before me. Numerous flowers sprouted on the ground, blooming in various colors. Pink, yellow, red, blue, purple, and white. There were also bushes decorated with tiny flowers.


    Not only that, but this place was huge. I couldn¡¯t believe it that they actually made a garden this large. But that was not the main attraction here.


    The most eye-catching were the wisterias. It stole my breath the first time I saw them firsthand. A lot of them were scattered about. Their purple color beautified the scene, somehow making it magical to behold.


    I excitedly entered the garden and crouched down before a pink flower. I plucked one and moved it closer to my nose and smelled it. I often saw people smell flowers and also on TV shows I caught a glimpse of. I tried smelling some flowers once, but it didn¡¯t smell that good. I just copied what people did when there were flowers, also curious what flowers would smell like since people seem to enjoy sniffing them.


    Well, I can¡¯t say I was satisfied with the smell the first times I smelled flowers. In any case, not that great.


    But, when I smelled this flower, I was awestruck. A pleasant fragrance came to my nose. This almost smelled like perfume. Were all flowers in this world smell this good?


    ¡°Milady! You shouldn¡¯t pluck flowers in the garden.¡±


    I suddenly heard Mera¡¯s panicked voice beside me.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I seemed to have been caught in the moment and picked up a flower without thinking anything else. I looked at the flower in my hand. It was too late now that I had plucked it.


    I stood up and looked at Mera with a concerned face.


    ¡°I already plucked it off¡­¡±


    Mera also had a troubled expression. I couldn¡¯t just throw it around here, someone would still discover it. It may become one of those wasted and thrown away flowers. The gardener might get, well, angry. Well, I was not that worried about that person, I was more worried about my parents. They might scold me, that would be bothersome.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I had an idea. I fixed back my hair, then placed the pink flower on my ear. With the flower on the side of my head, I smiled and waved my hand.


    ¡°What do you think, Mera?¡±


    I said so as I spun around, the skirt of my dress fluttered in the air.


    I displayed myself to Mera with a beautiful flower decorating my hair. I must have looked stunning, I can already tell it from the stunned expression from Mera. I was quite amused by this.


    ¡°Mera?¡±


    ¡°U-Um, yes! You look wonderful, milady!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Hihihi.¡±


    I chuckled as I turned around to look around the garden once more. Since I can¡¯t just pull off a flower, I only lowered myself to smell the flowers. To my surprise, all of these flowers smelled wonderful, as I got closer to the center, I could already faintly smell their fragrance in the air.


    Each different colored flower even had different aromas.


    Then I reached a wisteria cluster. I could smell them.


    Does every flower here smell this good?


    I touched a wisteria. Which reminded me that my surname was wisteria. It was clearly based on the flower. I recalled the origin of this kingdom from Estelia¡¯s memories.


    There were basically two lovers. They loved flowers heartily. Thus, they planted different kinds of flowers by their home. But the most that caught their attention were the westerias. Captivated by their beauty as every flower illuminated under the moonlight, they fell in love with the flowers. And thus, they had their family name after the flower. Then in the flow of time, people gathered and the kingdom slowly formed.


    Quite a sweet story, I think?


    But that was legit the origin of this kingdom named Wisteria.


    By the way, the wisteria here glow during the night. It was quite the beautiful sight in the memories.


    Aaah, I should definitely see that during the night.


    I decided to go out the night later.


    I stared at the wisteria.


    How wonderful.


    The smell and the beauty. The peace and serenity.


    I began to adore this place and this scene. These flowers. How could the world keep something hidden from me for such a long time...?


    I felt something strange within my heart. Something that came from the realization that there were things like this that I had never experienced my entire life. It was a heavy realization. But, somehow, it made me happy to finally experience a glimpse of it.


    ¡°Milady?¡±


    Mera called out to me from behind in a somewhat concerned tone. I turned around and saw her worried eyes. Did she sense my emotion somehow? Not good. I can¡¯t just openly expose my emotions like that. That was a mistake.


    ¡°Ah, yes. This place is indeed wonderful, like always. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    I smiled, erasing the emotions I just felt.


    ¡°... Yes, it¡¯s wonderful.¡±


    She looked baffled. But I didn¡¯t think much of it. I am just going to move on.


    ¡°Say, let¡¯s take a look around.¡±


    I continued walking amidst the beautiful garden. Petals of flowers fell and flew in the air in the gentle wind. A serene moment for me. It was like the flowers were celebrating the day my freedom was granted.

 Chapter 4: A Pure Princess (Part 4)

    Mera and I went back to the entrance of the garden, being done with my errand.


    ¡°That was a great trip.¡±


    I said cheerfully as I thought of what I should do next.


    ¡°Ah! Let¡¯s go to my brother!¡±


    If they were training, then there would certainly be weapons. Yes, weapons!


    ¡°You still have plenty of energy left it seems, milady. Considering what happened earlier in the morning.¡±


    She must be referring to the time I fell down the stairs earlier this morning.


    ¡°If you have energy to spare, might as well use it.¡±


    I stepped forward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to my brother.¡±


    We went around the palace towards our destination. The place was big of course, with tall walls right by the outside. There were quite a lot of guards walking around, wearing their armor. Perhaps that was supposed to be expected. But it seems they were only plain soldiers, I have yet to encounter a knight.


    Maybe there were a lot of places where my brother was having his training. I expect there should be a lot of men there. I smiled playfully internally.


    Should I play with their hearts? I think I¡¯ll do it.


    If the knights were of good character, and if they were to see me as an innocent and defenseless girl, they would protect me with all their heart if we had a friendly relationship.


    They will be useful meatshields.


    Yes, I¡¯ll be a sheltered princess worthy of protecting.


    Some young soldiers passed by and halted in their tracks. Their eyes wide and mouth agape as they stared at me, captivation evident in their eyes. There was even a delay of their bow when I walked past them.


    I guess the flower by my ear boosted my attractiveness.


    But of course being super attractive had its downsides. However, if I could at least train this body a bit and have a weapon, I should be fine.


    I¡¯ll cut their excaliburs if I have to.


    But to be honest, this beauty of mine was terrifying, wasn¡¯t it? I mean, this level of beauty that puts other utterly beautiful women to shame should be illegal.


    My old appearance could only level about more than half of it.


    But oh well. At least this appearance was mine now.


    Not for long, we arrived at the courtyard. I could hear the shouts of men as they delivered their strikes to the strawmen, and some to their sparring partner. Some men wore their knights armor which had the color set of dark bluish and white. I should say, the design of their armor was cool.


    It has style.


    Then, amidst all that, I saw my brother, Estevan, having a spar with a young knight. They were not wearing their armor, but rather plain clothing. Sweat beaded their brows and wet their hair. They breathed heavily as they grew tired from their activities.


    I glanced at Mera, whose eyes were uneasy as she looked all around. A playful smile crept up on my face, of course masked in a sweet smile.


    ¡°If I may ask, Mera.¡±


    ¡°... Milady?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a lot of good looking young lads around, isn¡¯t it? So, which one do you think you prefer?¡±


    She looked shocked by my question.


    ¡°M-Milady, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Hm~... What do you say to the young man sparring with my brother?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Um,¡± she looked towards what I was pointing at. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°What is the matter? Come on, this is our little secret conversation.¡±


    I recall in my past life that girls always do this kind of thing in their youth. Talking about crushes and such. So, I sort of wanted to try that. How would that feel? What would it be like? Though I doubt I could feel attracted to anyone, perhaps the conversation would be interesting.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Mera looked like she was hesitating, but then began to speak. ¡°... I think he looks handsome. Yes, he looks quite charming.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Does the mere sight of him send your heart aflutter?¡±


    Mera frantically looked at me.


    ¡°Uh, no¡­ He may look charming, but it wouldn¡¯t make me feel love immediately. It would only be something that is¡­ attracting to the eyes. And I do not know him, so I don¡¯t feel anything special.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Is he your type?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    ¡°Think so? You don¡¯t sound sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what I would like.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I was a bit disappointed. This didn¡¯t end up like I imagined. You know, girls yelping, blushing, something like that. Mera did not seem to be one of those types of girls. Oh well...


    ¡°What about you milady?¡±


    I was taken aback for a bit when Mera asked me. I didn¡¯t expect this.


    Oh? Finally striking a conversation back? Well well, that¡¯s good,


    I had a delighted smile as I answered her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. A lot of them are quite good looking, but nothing that would stroke my maiden¡¯s heart.¡±


    I peered around.


    ¡°Hm, wait. Wouldn¡¯t one be so lucky if a princess like me looked favorably at them?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think they would be so happy that their life would be fulfilled if they realize that,¡± she confidently said with a proud smile.


    ¡°I can imagine that. But¡­ I guess my dear brother is the most handsome of them all. Then I think the type of man I like would be someone like my brother!¡±


    ¡°M-Milady¡­¡± Mera blinked in surprise. ¡°I-Is that allowed? I mean in this type of conversation, those from the family wouldn¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Then, I have nothing. There are a lot of handsome men there but, I doubt my heart would react to any of them, or anyone in that matter.¡±


    But then again, my brother had intense beauty as a man, so that was great. But that was just the preference of looks. To be honest, this reminded me of that guy who killed me.


    These damn pretty boys.


    ¡°Of course, only those worthy of you can win your heart, milady.¡±


    I blankly looked at Mera after hearing that strange remark.


    ¡°No one can win my heart, Mera.¡±


    ¡°... Y-Your highness?¡±


    Mera¡¯s guard broke down when she heard my straight reply, her eyes wide.


    I smiled and took a step forward, ignoring her puzzlement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go greet my brother.¡±


    I said so, like a cute young girl eager to speak with her dearest brother.

 Chapter 5: A Pure Princess (Part 5)

    We entered the courtyard as I pulled Mera by the hand. Several gazes immediately shifted to focus on us, causing Mera to become uneasy. They were all the eyes of men, and we were the only two women here, so I suppose it was to be expected she would be this way.


    There were supposed to be a few female knights here. Where were they? Not here it seems.


    The knights who saw me immediately stood up straight.


    ¡°Her highness, the Princess!¡±


    One of the knights shouted, instantly catching the attention of the others that hadn¡¯t yet realized I was here. They all halted their activities and kneeled on one knee with their heads bowed. I was taken aback by this to be honest.


    I acted all flustered as I held out my hands with a little wave.


    ¡°Uh, please rise. You can ignore me and continue with your work. Don¡¯t let me bother you.¡±


    The knights complied and stood up. They returned to their work, back to training and swinging their swords, using their spears, and so on, or that was what was supposed to happen. But they seemed unable to focus. What could the reason be?


    Ah yes! It was me!


    But something like this should be expected. Aside from my beauty, I was also the Princess.


    ¡°Estelia, my dear sister!¡±


    I heard my brother¡¯s happy voice, then I saw him walking towards me. A bright smile beamed on his face, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he beheld me.


    ¡°Brother!¡± My loud sweet voice echoed in the courtyard.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be resting?¡±


    ¡°... I feel fine already. Besides, I have Mera by my side. It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Estevan furrowed his brows.


    ¡°But even so¡­ is it not difficult to walk around after you just literally fell from the stairs?¡±


    Gasps of surprise escaped from the lips of the knights the moment they heard what happened to me. I smiled internally. Dear sweet brother of mine, you might have unintentionally helped me.


    ¡°... Yes¡­ I was hurt at first, it was painful, it hurt the most when I fell, blood coming out¡ª¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s already over. There is no need to think about it.¡±


    I averted my eyes away, seemingly about to break into tears as I remember the pain I went through. I caught glimpses of worried and concerned gazes directed at me from the knights. When I met some of their gazes as I looked at them, I flinched and looked down, avoiding their eyes.


    I appeared so vulnerable and weak that they were looking at me with sympathy. Just the reaction I desired from them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to help you immediately. I¡¯m such a useless brother. I should have kept my sister from any harm.¡±


    Estevan had a pained expression on his face, he must have felt truly guilty.


    ¡°N-No! Don¡¯t blame yourself brother,¡± I took a step forward, my ever so pure eyes were wide open as the corners were becoming damp. ¡°It¡¯s my own fault. It¡¯s because I¡¯m clumsy.¡±


    ¡°Estel¡­¡±


    ¡°B-But don¡¯t worry, brother. I¡¯ll work hard to become a clumsy girl no more!¡±


    ¡°Estel, you don¡¯t have to do that, you¡¯re perfect the way you are.¡±


    He gazed at me with eyes filled with passion which shocked me because of the amount of intensity it had. How could such a brother feel this much towards his sister? This perhaps goes to show just how much he cared.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a nuisance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a nuisance¡­¡±


    I stayed silent for a while, seemingly unconvinced by his words. But then shortly resigned and responded to him.


    ¡°Okay¡­ But I¡¯ll make an effort towards self improvement¡­ So, let me borrow your sword.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He was dumbfounded by my request.


    Perhaps you were wondering why I asked such a thing. Well, I require a weapon. I am not quite fond of swords since daggers were much better, but a sword was still a weapon.


    I want to try such a weapon. Might consider using it.


    ¡°My sword? Wait, why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I want to try holding one.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a lady, dear sister. There is no need to use one.¡±


    ¡°I only want to try holding one, not swing it. I¡¯m curious to how it feels. Please?¡±


    He looked at me, then to the sword as he contemplated. He seemed to make up his mind, and with the support of my insistence, he presented the hilt to me.


    ¡°Be careful, okay? Also, it¡¯s heavy, so watch out for that.¡±


    With a nod, I reached out for the hilt. It was a bit exciting to try it out. The sword was on the longer side, a long sword, perhaps it was called.


    As I saw earlier, this was indeed a two handed sword, so I held it with both my hands. Of course not that I didn¡¯t know that long swords were to be held with two hands.


    The moment he let go, my muscles tensed up as my arms received the weight of the sword. I kept lifting the sword.


    Damn.


    It was heavy, not to my taste, and not the preferred weight that I would like to use as a weapon. I adjusted my posture so I could carry it more properly, I also adjusted my grip. It had become better. The sword in my hand was pointed forward, so I raised it up.


    ¡°Careful now.¡±


    I heard my brother¡¯s voice, I only nodded as I focused on the sword.


    ¡°Can I swing it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Just swing it forward, right? It¡¯s not harmful.¡±


    ¡°...I guess.¡±


    I tightened my grip, then I swung forward, slashing the empty air. However, with the amount of strength I have, the force of the swing with the motion of the sword carried me with it as the sword struck the ground.


    Dammit.


    This was not good at all. With muscle training I could do it better. That said, I don¡¯t like swords, they''re too long and slow. Daggers would be much better, lighter, and faster. Well this was all based on what I was used to.


    I raised the sword again. This was a bit tiring already, since I disliked it, it would be pointless to force myself to go on. But I¡¯ll think about using the sword in the future, it might become useful.


    However, can I swing it again? Brother would allow it, right?


    Without asking him for permission, I swung again with a better stance and better footing, I stopped the blade before it touched the ground. It was a struggle in the arms. This body was not built for this.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Estel!¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± I chuckled. ¡°But, this is enough for me...¡±


    I can¡¯t properly use it. This was a failed attempt to obtain a weapon. Well, not like they would allow me to train with the sword.


    But, I really need to increase my muscles.


    ¡°Brother, you can have your sword back.¡±


    I offered the sword to him as I let the blade touch the ground.


    ¡°Hehehe, how does it feel to lift a sword?¡± he asked as he received the sword.


    ¡°It was a good experience.¡±


    I massaged the muscles on my arms. My poor precious feeble muscles, they must be shocked. I feel a bit numb though.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes, I¡¯m completely fine.¡±


    As I looked at my brother, I noticed a young man behind him. He flinched when he met my gaze. He was the young man I pointed to Mera earlier, and my brother¡¯s sparring partner.


    He had brown hair and black eyes, with his skin a bit tanned due to being bathed in sunlight most of the time during training. He must be around my age.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    I called out to him with a wave of my hand and a precious smile.


    ¡°Uh-Eh-Uh¡­¡±


    He was stuttering around as he tried to respond. My brother saw this and grinned.


    He pulled him forward and introduced him.


    ¡°This guy is Alan Welford. Fourth son of Count Welford. Come on, say hi to my sister or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah, um¡­ G-Good afternoon, your highness.¡±


    I giggled inside, how amusing his bashfulness was.


    ¡°Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Alan.¡±


    I said as I curtsied. With the elegant curtsy and the flower by my ear which boosted my beauty, it had quite the impact on the young man.


    ¡°Is training going pretty well?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Y-Yes your highness.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! I¡¯m sure with hard work, you can become incredibly strong in the future. Let¡¯s do our best to improve ourselves, Sir Alan.¡±


    His eyes went wide, not only was he captivated by my beauty but was also entranced by my words. I lump us together, our, I said to him. My words meant that we would improve together. As young as this man was, I imagine this would have a considerable effect on his impression towards me.


    ¡°Y-Yes, certainly!¡±


    ¡°Perfect. Ah, I have interrupted your sparring session. Please brother, you can return to your work, pay me no heed.¡±


    I ought to not keep disturbing them and the other knights. Talking or interacting too much while they were working would only bring me the opposite of what I was intending to do. I must not become annoying. Therefore, I must take it slowly. These people looked serious in their job, so I must be careful not to overdo it or do anything unnecessary that would bother them too much.


    I have planted the seeds, thus I only need to cultivate them.


    If Estelia wasn¡¯t somewhat antisocial and introverted in the first place and interacted with the knights even for just a little, I might have gotten to expend less effort and use less time. However, that was not the case, thus, I have no choice but to act.


    ¡°But sister¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡± I pouted a little as I stared forcefully at him.


    ¡°Fine¡­ Let¡¯s go Alan.¡±


    I waved at them goodbye. Of course, I also waved at Alan as he glanced back at me a couple of times. When they left me, I looked around. They were working hard. This reminded me of the early times in the organization.


    The training of the knights here were incomparable to what I¡¯ve been through. It was hell and painful, if I might say. They trained me hard when I was still a little girl, along with others. We would be often ordered to fight to the death. Not a day went by that I didn¡¯t have any wounds or bruises.


    I even had plenty of broken bones. But, thanks to my excellent performances, I was not disposed of. Nevertheless, it was a painful experience. And how I was glad when I was freed from the training facility.


    Doing missions was much better compared to that.


    As I scouted the area, a knight caught my eyes. He was a middle aged man, black haired, brown eyes and brown complexion. He was muscular and a long scar by the side of his face, showing the long years of servitude as a knight and hinting what he went through. But that wasn¡¯t what attracted my eyes. It was the dagger in his hand.


    When I looked closer, there were also a few more daggers by the table next to him. I became excited.


    Daggers!


    ¡°Mera, come.¡±


    I beckoned Mera to follow me.


    ¡°M-Milady, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°There.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Update: Did some rewriting in this chapter.

 Chapter 6: A Pure Princess (Part 6)

    I approached, and the middle aged knight turned to me with surprised eyes. When I got closer, he genuflected before me.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    ¡°Um, you may rise, knight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness,¡± he said as she stood back up.


    ¡°W-What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Elson Metrial, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Sir Elson, what an honor it is to make your acquaintance.¡±


    He looked quite confused as to why I approached him.


    ¡°Likewise, your highness.¡±


    I walked towards the table where the beautiful daggers were placed. Okay, not exactly beautiful since they were somewhat plain. But they were daggers nonetheless.


    ¡°You¡¯re training with daggers.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But I also use a sword.¡±


    I smiled broadly.


    ¡°Of course, it is always better to have a secondary weapon, isn¡¯t that right? Sir Elson?¡±


    His eyes went wide for a moment, surprised by my words. Then he spoke again with a smile. He must be delighted by what I said.


    ¡°Indeed, your highness. If I lose the sword, I can use my daggers.¡±


    ¡°Not only daggers can be used on melee, you can also throw them at your enemies.¡±


    ¡°...Yes indeed.¡±


    ¡°Can I touch one?¡±


    I asked him for permission to take a hold of one. I shouldn¡¯t just take one, it was his weapons after all. Plus, this fits well with my character.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous, your highness? You might wound your fingers.¡±


    ¡°I will be careful.¡±


    He shifted his eyes towards my brother. He must be worried about what would happen if I got hurt. And my brother had a big role in that worry of his.


    ¡°You have no need to worry about my brother. So may I?¡±


    ¡°... Very well. But please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I took a dagger by the handle. A sense of relief and comfort instantly came surging into me. I touched the blade with my other hand, gently stroking it.


    Ah, daggers.


    I felt much better than before the moment I got hold of the dagger. I felt safer, you might say. We were taught how to handle daggers, and I loved using them. The hardness of the blade was wonderful. The weight was satisfying.


    The deadliness was amazing.


    Now at the moment I was holding a dagger, I couldn¡¯t be more comfortable. However, it was heavier than what I was used to. The muscles of this body were too low. However, something like this was still manageable.


    I have experienced several weights in my lifetime. I could still execute someone with it. I could also throw it, but I expect accuracy will leave more to be desired. But I only need to adjust myself.


    But how wonderful it was to hold a dagger. I was in bliss.


    I raised my eyes and saw a few knights also practicing their daggers, and some were throwing them at some target. But they were way off the bullseye. How disappointing, they must still be novices in this department.


    I returned my eyes to the dagger in my hand. I sort of wanted to throw it. Throwing it at a living corpse would be more satisfying, but of course I couldn¡¯t do that. A target practice would suffice.


    I held the blade of the dagger with my slender fingers on one hand. The weight was more than what I was used to, but it was fine. This was indeed manageable.


    ¡°Your highness, it¡¯s dangerous to hold it there.¡±


    I heard the concerned voice of Elson which I paid no heed to. I had a desire. Longing. Blood.


    My whole life I have spilled blood. I may have wanted freedom, but executing was engraved deep into me. Taking the life of my enemies was what made my life.


    Execution. Assassination. Murder.


    I lived for that.


    It was my purpose. I embraced it.


    As I was lost in thought of my life, I tossed and flipped the dagger. It spun in the air, and as it descended, I caught it between my fingers by the flats. My fingers were unwounded, the blade was back to where they were.


    ¡°...Milady?¡±


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    Their calls brought me back to my senses. I turned my eyes towards them with wide eyes. Then I frantically returned my eyes to the dagger in my hand. Of course these were just acts of mine.


    ¡°Oh? Would you look at that, Sir Elson. I did it. What a lucky one.¡±


    I said energetically towards him. He saw how I spun the dagger in the air along with Mera, but I just said it was a lucky shot.


    ¡°Milady. That was dangerous.¡±


    Mera approached me as she took the dagger away from my hand and placed it back on the table. She checked my fingers for any damages.


    ¡°Are you hurt somewhere?¡±


    ¡°... No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    Seeing how concerned everyone was for me, I¡¯m terrified to think if I bled.


    ¡°You worry too much, Mera.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ getting wounded is bad, milady.¡±


    I smiled. She looked quite adorable.


    ¡°Yes, wounds are bad to have, ah¡­¡± I turned to Elson. ¡°Can I keep one?¡±


    Elson froze, being unprepared hearing my question. Why would a princess like me want a dagger? Such a question might have appeared in his head.


    ¡°...Huh? Your highness¡­ um, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    He looked hesitant to answer. Given it was a blade, it would be bad for a princess to keep one. But I also asked him, a princess, so his mind must be in a mess as to what and how to respond.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, milady. Not allowed.¡±


    But it was Mera who firmly turned down my request.


    I pouted with puffed cheeks. It was regretful that I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring one. I guess that was to be expected. Should I ask help from my brother? No, from the way he treated me, he wouldn¡¯t let me have one, everyone here was too protective towards me.


    I was troubled on how to do this. I was more comfortable to have a weapon beside me.


    What a headache.


    I groaned inside. I was dispirited.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    The plan of stealing one sneakily came to mind, but I immediately dismissed it. I can¡¯t trick anyone with this many people around, plus they were knights ¡ª fighters. I¡¯ll be an idiot if I try to snatch one.


    ¡°At least let me try¡ª-¡±


    Nope. Bad idea.


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    I was about to try throwing one at a target, but no. I might get a bullseye or closer. It would be weird they see me do that. I could try missing miserably on purpose. But where¡¯s the satisfaction in that?


    I¡¯ll just come back to my room.


    ¡°Then¡­ keep up the good work, dear knights. I¡¯ll be cheering you on as you strive for greatness and strength.¡±


    I said like a sweet young girl before walking away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going. Let¡¯s return, Mera.¡±


    On the way, I noticed the eyes of the knights lit up after hearing my words, seemingly more motivated than before. But it appears that it was more effective towards the younger knights who were just about my age. Even so, that was fine, I imagine I still had some effect towards the older ones.

 Chapter 7: Asking Permission to Go Out (Part 1)

    I collapsed on the bed. The softness instantly brought comfort to me.


    ¡°What a tragedy¡­¡±


    I need a plan to obtain a dagger. For the sake of my sanity.


    Should I get a knife in the kitchen?


    No!


    Kitchen knives sucks! They¡¯re fit for slicing meat and vegetables, not for killing. Should I sneak in the knight¡¯s armory or something? There should be weapons there and of course definitely daggers.


    But there will definitely be guards. They may even be knights. And I can¡¯t exactly sneak around with this dress, and I don¡¯t have any other decent clothes for mobility. Therefore, complete stealth was a no.


    There was the option of knocking out guards. But that would be foolish to do in the palace grounds. They might think there was an enemy. And worse if they discover me.


    Not only that, I¡¯m not confident I could take out any guard with no fatal weapon. I¡¯m weak after all. Might as well put a label of fragile on my forehead.


    I sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking a lot on my first day here, huh.¡±


    Well, thinking was better than not. In any situation, you must think, especially when in a predicament. It was strictly taught to us and engraved into our mind. If in a dire situation, find a way to make amends.


    At any rate, the only option here was to obtain a dagger somehow without anyone knowing. Then bring them to my room and train here slowly. It doesn¡¯t have to be intensive since I would only be increasing my muscles a little bit, and I¡¯m already skilled in using daggers.


    Then, if I can¡¯t obtain daggers here, I¡¯ll get it from the outside. Therefore, I just need to get outside the palace. Perhaps if this was the medieval age, I would need to find a blacksmith.


    Wait, this was the palace, perhaps there was a palace smith or something. Ah, but they wouldn¡¯t let me have a weapon. So that was already in the drain.


    I need to find a way out.


    Although, one problem. I have no idea about the exact layout of the capital. I didn¡¯t even know where one place was, let alone a blacksmith shop. Therefore, I will need a guide.


    Who could be the guide?


    Mera?


    Nope, no way. She would not let me leave the palace. And they wouldn¡¯t assign a maid with me outside without any combat experience. My brother could be an option, I¡¯m sure he would protect me.


    Oh, Alan should do it. I mean I did him good. I have remarkable skills to express my charms after all. I can see from his eyes that he was captivated by me, so I imagine he would guard me.


    But, sneaking out of the palace was a no go. So, going through the front gates was the only option. Even if I bring Alan with me, they would check my identity no doubt. So I must go out officially with permission.


    I¡¯ll ask mother, I wonder if my father would be there later this dinner.


    Where was he anyway? He wasn¡¯t in my room after I fell down the stairs.


    I heaved a sigh again in exasperation. Come on, I¡¯m troubled since I couldn¡¯t obtain a precious weapon.


    I grabbed a pillow and hugged it within my arms as I lay on the bed.


    It¡¯s soft.


    I hugged it tighter. It was calming. I didn¡¯t have a lot of chances to experience something like this in my past life.


    Should I eat cookies?


    I raised my body from the bed with the pillow in my arms. My hair was already messy so I fixed it. Then, I had an idea.


    A playful grin appeared on my face.


    Should I tease Mera?


    Playing the heart of men was one thing, but playing the heart of women was very entertaining. Although, I don¡¯t expect them to fall in love, but rather be flustered.


    I returned laying down on my bed. I turned to the side facing the door while hugging the pillow. I fixed my posture and the position of my legs. I have confidence this would work, especially considering my beauty.


    I rung the handbell loudly. Then shortly, Mera came into my room.


    ¡°Milady, you ¡ª c-called¡­¡±


    She stopped in her tracks as she stared at me dumbfounded. I slowly shifted to my soft facial expression, like a vulnerable maiden. She quietly stared at me with wide eyes, I could see a slight flush on her cheeks before she regained her composure.


    ¡°Mera.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, milady?¡±


    ¡°I request cookies. Please have the chef make them and please bring the cookies to me. I¡¯m¡­ hungry.¡±


    I moved my gaze downwards as though embarrassed to admit that. Truth be told, I¡¯m curious about what I looked like at the moment. I wish I had a mirror in front of me.


    ¡°Understood. I will bring the sweets.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then she left the room.


    When time passed, I was already sitting on the bed when a knock came from the door.


    ¡°Milady, I¡¯m entering, bringing the cookies you requested.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Enter!¡±


    She entered and with her was a steel tray with a large plate of cookies. My eyes shone upon seeing the amount of sweets about to be presented to me. Hey, not everyday you can eat sweets, okay?


    She placed the plates on the round table by the corner of my room. I approached and sat on the chair.


    ¡°Many thanks, Mera.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, milady. Excuse me.¡±


    I nodded to her then she left the room.


    I immediately grabbed a cookie and bit into it.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    It was delicious. Although not as great as back in my old world since the ones I tasted were exceedingly delicious. I¡¯ll give this seven out of ten. But there sure was a lot, I won¡¯t be able to eat all of this in one sitting, but oh well¡­ I¡¯ll just cover it if I can¡¯t eat it all and eat them later.


    But damn, eating sweets sure was nice.


    But not too much. Diabetes is a bitch.

 Chapter 8: Asking Permission to Go Out (Part 2)

    It was late in the afternoon, almost sunset. I sat by the window, admiring the view, too bad I won¡¯t be able see the sunset from here. With my elbow on the side of the chair, I placed my palm on the cheek.


    ¡°Aaaaah, this is the life.¡±


    Everything was great as time went on. Peaceful, no one to bother me. I didn¡¯t have to obey any command. They can¡¯t just go ¡®Hey you! You¡¯re going to England! Kill this guy!¡¯ or something like that.


    I expect now that nothing would interrupt me during my sleep. Oh! And I might no longer need to be traumatized by my alarm. I can sleep all I want. I¡¯m a delicate princess after all.


    But, it sure would be nice to go out. I can¡¯t just stay here for the rest of my life. That couldn¡¯t be called life if I stay here like a prisoner.


    But this sure was nice.


    I can just laze out in this room. To be honest, I already feel like I¡¯m getting lazy. I can already imagine my future days. With servants, I can just ring the bell, and they¡¯ll come serve me and give me what I want. Plus, I¡¯m royalty, so basically I¡¯m rich, I can buy many things!


    But¡­ what was the point in being rich if I can¡¯t even go out spending it.


    ¡°Haaaah, I really should find a way to go out.¡±


    The only option I have was to openly say it to my family. Then hope they would agree. If needed, I¡¯ll just drag Estevan into it.


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    I heard a loud voice from the other side of the wall, somewhere in the hallway. It was a manly voice. Then I heard loud stomps hitting the floor on the other side.


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    Then the door slammed open.


    ¡°Keh!¡±


    I can¡¯t believe I uttered such a disgraceful sound. Who could blame me?! A large man just slammed the door open without any warning. My door no less. What a surprising violence, goodness.


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    That¡¯s¡­


    I recognized the man as he rushed forward towards me. His steps were loud as ever as his face was flustered.


    ¡°F-Father?!¡±


    He held my shoulders with his large hands.


    ¡°I heard what happened!¡±


    Yes, this was my father.


    Leodoule Erestro Wisteria. He was a man in his thirties. Large, because of him being a fighter himself, using the sword. He had rough blonde short hair, short beard, and violet eyes. Currently, he was wearing formal clothes, a coat with an ascot on his neck, clean trousers and boots.


    ¡°Are you okay now? Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Ah- Eh. I am fine.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. And please don¡¯t grip on my shoulders too hard father, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, my apologies.¡±


    He removed his hand on my slender shoulders. Come now, I¡¯m a fragile being, no one should touch me roughly like that. I might break like a piece of glass.


    ¡°Deary!¡±


    I heard my mother¡¯s voice from the door. She was breathing heavily a bit. She must have been chasing father.


    ¡°I already told you she¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to lash out like that.¡±


    ¡°But still, I can¡¯t just calm down knowing my daughter was hurt.¡±


    Mother Meliya sighed as though giving up.


    Ah yes, by the way, my peace just went up in smoke.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± I called out to my mother. ¡°Father is just worried about me, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°My daughter¡­¡± Father looked at me as though I was a saint.


    Yes yes, might as well call me a saint.


    ¡°By the way father, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°I was checking the defense of the capital. A king ought to check it out himself to make sure people don¡¯t slack off. People tend to be when there is nothing to do.¡±


    Yes, like me for instance.


    ¡°Amazing, how incredible my father is, truly!¡±


    ¡°You think so? I¡¯m glad to hear that, come give daddy a great big hug.¡±


    ¡°Ngh!¡±


    I turned stiff as he suddenly brought me into a hug. His body was a big rough and hard compared to Mother Meliya. But¡­ Why was it that I can feel the same thing I felt when I was first hugged?


    The warmth of¡­ what kind of warmth was this? I have no idea. I couldn¡¯t recognize what I never had in the first place. But I could feel my heart turning soft.


    No no no!


    No! I will not be swayed!


    Attachment only creates shackles. A hindrance!


    I felt irritation deep into my heart as I tried to reject the feelings coming into me. I don¡¯t want this to go on. Thus, I spoke to Leodoule.


    ¡°F-Father, too tight, can¡¯t breathe.¡±


    Father gasped as he frantically backed away.


    ¡°Sorry. You¡¯re fine, right?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, father.¡±


    ¡°Good good. Let¡¯s have dinner later, okay?¡±


    I nodded my head.


    ¡°Yes. Oh, I have a request, but I¡¯ll tell later during dinner.¡±


    My father and mother blinked in astonishment after they heard what I just said. This in turn only made me all confused. I recalled all of Estelia¡¯s memories. There was no inconsistency in what I just said. Strange.


    Was I missing something?


    ¡°What? Why are you surprised?¡± I asked innocently.


    ¡°Well, this is the first time you have something to request, during dinner where we all are present at that.¡±


    Really? I slightly panicked. Indeed, Estelia always has what she needed, therefore, she barely had any need to request something. However, there was always a first time for everything. Then what could they be so surprised about?


    Well, it seems they were surprised because it was the first? Or was it because it was rare for Estelia to ask for something. Well, it doesn''t matter that much.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­ But will you listen?¡±


    I looked at my father with pleading eyes. Like a puppy waiting to be petted.


    His eyes wavered as he looked at me.


    ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡±


    Now here¡¯s hoping it will end well.

 Chapter 9: Asking Permission to Go Out (Part 3)

    A faint clink resounded from my porcelain plate as I used a table knife to slice a part of a juicy meat. I pierced my fork through it and put the meat in my mouth. The juicy meat clouded my tongue.


    It was good.


    I also scooped some vegetables, it was also good. The food was surprisingly well seasoned. I guess that was to be expected in the palace where royals live. I thought food from the middle ages were bleak, but I guess the same thing doesn¡¯t apply here.


    I¡¯m just thankful that the food here was delicious. Otherwise I would go insane if all food were bad. Part of a good life was eating delicious cuisines after all.


    The room I was currently in was quite luxurious. This dining room was clean, the utensils were fine, the plates were shining, and the cloth covering the table was fixed and designed well. Bright giant chandeliers hung high up on the ceiling.


    Maids and manservants were positioned by the corners. I felt like some kind of a bigshot now. I like it.


    Mother was sitting beside me, my brother Estevan on my opposite side, and my father on the honorable seat.


    They saw my smile as I ate the food, and it also influenced their mood. I was genuinely happy to eat good food. Well, the food from my past life was great, but here, it was good enough for me. I was not one to complain.


    ¡°That¡¯s right dear,¡± my mother called out to father. ¡°How is the situation outside the walls?¡±


    My father drank a bit of wine from his goblet before speaking.


    ¡°I assigned more soldiers to watch over the forest by the north. A few monsters emerged recently and caused some casualties.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    My leisure movement stopped when I heard the word monster. I wondered if they truly meant monster as in monster that looks horrid. Estelia never saw one of course, only heard it. But judging from that, they were very dangerous. Well, good thing I won¡¯t be facing those creatures, whatever they were.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sending knights tomorrow to cull some monsters.¡±


    ¡°Will you be coming with them?¡± Mother asked with concern.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But dear! You¡¯re a king, risking your life is just too much.¡±


    ¡°A king must lead, Meliya.¡±


    Father spoke sternly and unwavering. He was quite brave, wasn¡¯t he? But if he perishes, that would be troublesome for me. But, I heard he was very strong, according to the memories that is. Plus, he had been doing it for years, so it should be fine. I hope.


    But still, Mother couldn¡¯t help but feel worried for her husband.


    ¡°The knights will be more than enough to handle them.¡±


    ¡°Meliya¡­ do not worry too much, the monsters there aren¡¯t very strong. I can take care of them myself.¡±


    I don¡¯t know about that, father. Complacency and carelessness kills. And sometimes, things just go wrong.


    But hey, who was I to stop him, mother even couldn¡¯t. I could try though, but I¡¯m not going to. It would be very difficult. But, well, he had been doing it for a long time, so, I think it was fine. Again, I hope.


    But if he perishes, well, nothing I can do. Just have the eldest brother have the throne then. But I couldn¡¯t deny there might be problems that would come, but I expect it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to fix. And I wouldn¡¯t be the one fixing most of it, soooo¡­.


    Ah, the kingdom¡¯s decline should be taken into consideration.


    But whatever, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when it comes. I have confidence he¡¯ll come back anyways.


    Mother heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with you. Estevan, tell the knight order to ensure the king¡¯s safety above all else.¡±


    ¡°Of course, mother.¡±


    Hm, I wonder if brother will be coming with them this time. If he would, I would be greatly troubled. He could prove to be extremely useful after all. If father dies, and then the eldest dies since he was currently out of the country, then Estevan will inherit the throne. But if he dies too¡­ shit.


    Becoming queen was cool and all but¡­ I have no idea about anything like that.


    I groaned inside. Best to be optimistic.


    ¡°B-Brother,¡± I called out to him with eyes full of fear and worry. ¡°Are you coming with them?¡±


    Brother¡¯s mouth was agape when he received my question.


    ¡°Could it be¡­¡­. is my dear sister worried about me?!¡±


    He suddenly stood up as though in shock.


    ¡°W-Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I¡¯m always worried about you, you know¡­ And of course to the rest of our family.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he smiled. ¡°It just always surprises me for you to directly tell me you are worried about my wellbeing. And it¡¯s just wonderful as always.¡±


    He sat back down.


    ¡°Worry not, my dear sister. I am not coming along. Can¡¯t have two royals in danger.¡±


    I looked at him with great relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that is a relief¡­¡±


    ¡°Daughter¡­ What about daddy? Aren¡¯t you worried about me¡­?¡±


    I turned to look at my father whose eyes were pleading for my worry.


    ¡°Of course I am worried, father. But even if I express it¡­ you wouldn¡¯t change your mind.¡±


    ¡°B-But, I would want to at least hear it.¡±


    ¡°Only if you change your decision, I think I might have.¡±


    ¡°Noooooo.¡±


    He hung his head as though his spirit had left him. To be honest, he looked pitiful right now. So, I decided to be a bit kinder.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, father. I will pray for your safe return. You will never leave my mind.¡±


    His head jolted up as he stared at me with a wide smile.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I will come back as fast as I can!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    Mother nodded several times beside me as I returned to my meal. This was a bizarre experience for me. This was the first time dining with a family. But it wasn¡¯t all that bad. So far, it was entertaining.


    ¡°By the way, any news from Eleden?¡± Father asked.


    Eleden Venzura Wisteria, he was my eldest brother.


    ¡°For a while, nothing yet.¡±


    Estevan was the one to answer.


    ¡°I see¡­ I hope the endeavor of establishing a friendly and cooperative relationship with the Myra Kingdom is going well.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it is going flawlessly. We don¡¯t have any feud with them,¡±


    Myra Kingdom. I heard it was a kingdom somewhere within the northwest. It has been four weeks since Eleden left, so it had been a while.


    Next they talked about a few trivial things to each other until the topic came back to me when my brother mentioned I went to the knights¡¯ training grounds.


    Father looked at me surprised the moment he heard that.


    ¡°Why did coming to the training grounds come to your mind?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°... Well, I was only curious. And¡­ I barely even met or saw those who serve to protect us and the kingdom, so I decided to see them.¡±


    I smiled brightly as I answered.


    ¡°Did¡­ Did someone look weirdly at you?¡±


    Father narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his brows as she stared at me, waiting for an answer. He looked a bit strict right there. And I knew what he meant by weird¡­ but I am going to act like I had no idea. Like a clueless girl that I should be.


    ¡°Why? What do you mean by weirdly? I mean¡­ they are our knights, so I don¡¯t think there was anything weird the way they looked at me¡­¡±


    I tilted my head with bafflement evident on my facial expression.


    ¡°Um. Yes, they are our soldiers¡­ Forget I asked.¡±


    Father looked away, seemingly still bothered. Estevan had an amused smile on his face as he watched father.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, Estel also tried to hold a sword.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    Mother and Father reacted with surprise. Um, I felt like I was going to receive a scolding here.


    Brother, you¡¯re not helping.


    ¡°She said she was curious. Of course she couldn¡¯t lift it,¡± he chuckled. ¡°To be honest, she looked adorable.¡±


    ¡°B-Brother!¡±


    I blushed as I puffed my cheeks.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    Even though he said that, chuckles still escaped his lips. I wasn¡¯t bashful to this in contrast to my expression, I was only a bit bothered by it. It was unnecessary to tell Father Leodoule what happened. Now I was worried that he would prohibit me from holding a weapon again.


    Mother looked at me.


    ¡°Good thing there wasn¡¯t any accident.¡±


    ¡°...Um, yes.¡±


    ¡°Hm, from the things that happened earlier, was your request had something to do with that?¡± Father asked.


    Good, he brought it up. Well, he must be precisely thinking that my request had to do with weapons or perhaps swords. Funnily enough, it was about obtaining a weapon. But of course I¡¯m not going to mention that. From my experience today, and the memories, they wouldn¡¯t let me have a weapon, so I would just request something that had nothing to do with it and still obtain precious daggers.


    ¡°N-No, it has nothing to do about that.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, what is your request, my daughter.¡±


    I hesitated as I looked at their eyes which was full of anticipation.


    ¡°I¡­ I request that you let me out of the palace walls.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My words were met with silence. I was genuinely confused. I mean, I¡¯m sixteen for crying out loud, I¡¯m old enough to at least go around on my own. Well, I suppose I couldn¡¯t casually walk around since I¡¯m royalty. But still, having a guard would suffice.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s dangerous for you, dear,¡± my mother said. ¡°Not all people are kind out there.¡±


    I know what they were trying to say. My intense beauty that would charm all men was the problem. It would only bring danger. I might even get kidnapped.


    ¡°And, you¡¯re royalty, and the princess,¡± Father added.


    I expected I would face opposition, so I already thought up some proposition.


    ¡°If it helps, then have Brother guard me.¡±


    ¡°Me¡­?¡±


    He looked confused, but for some reason a smile crept on his face. However, father still seemed hesitant, so I continued.


    ¡°And I will be hiding my identity. So me going around the city will be a secret.¡±


    ¡°... That could work.¡±


    Yes, it will work! Now I just need a little push. Pure and innocent Princess time!


    My pleading eyes aimed at Father, my hand clasped together, I spoke like a proper gentle and naive girl.


    ¡°Please, Father, let me. I¡­ I want to see the outside.¡±


    Father looked worriedly at me, then to my Mother, who only sighed as though giving up. He pondered as he went silent.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    I could feel my smile creeping up as I heard those words.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    However¡­?


    ¡°It can¡¯t be tomorrow, you have tutor lessons tomorrow, then the next day, then the day after that.¡±


    Huh?!


    I recalled the contents of Estelia¡¯s memories. And my heart sank. That was right, ever since she turned sixteen, father and mother had a tutor teach her things again. I said again because this already happened when she was around nine years old.


    So in other words, the lessons will be some sort of refreshers. These sessions happen three days a week.


    Dammit, and it has to be the next three days?


    I have a few worries about going to the learning sessions, and it had nothing to do with my delayed plans. But it was something else more concerning.


    At any rate, I couldn¡¯t escape this. Then I have no choice.


    These learning sessions might prove entertaining, I hope.


    ¡°I understand, father. Then after three days I can only go on with my request?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    At least it would be happening three days after.


    I hope nothing goes wrong.


    Shortly after, we finished our dinner. I was about to go out of the room when Brother went up beside me.


    ¡°Allow me to take you to your room.¡±


    He offered to me, I have no reason to refuse, so I agreed. As we were about to climb up the stairs, he begged me to be careful and offered his hand. Everyone here looked like they were utterly traumatized by what happened to me.


    Look what you''ve done Mr. Stairs.


    Since it was night time, there were barely any servants working around, and on the way to my room, we didn¡¯t encounter anyone. When we reached the door of my room, Brother called out to me.


    ¡°Estel.¡±


    When I looked at him, there was the lack of his usual smile.


    ¡°You seemed to be doing perfectly fine. That¡¯s great.¡±


    I tilted my head in puzzlement as to why he was talking about this. But he continued on, and now with his usual bright smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he reached out for my hands and squeezed them. ¡°I will protect you when we go out in the city. I won¡¯t let any harm come to you.¡±


    He was looking passionately at me with his beautiful eyes. I sense deep sincerity from him.


    ¡°Yes, thank you¡­¡±


    He softly stroked my cheek which caused a bit of surprise from me. Then he moved closer.


    No, we can''t, we''re siblings¡­. I¡¯m your sister...


    I thought in my mind. I wasn¡¯t flustered or anything, I felt nothing inside.


    However, what happened next was out of my expectations.


    ¡°I was really scared.¡±


    He was hugging me tight, with both arms wrapped around me. My eyes went wide, my body turned loose. His embrace was comfortable. I felt¡­ safe.


    How many times had this happened just today alone?


    This warmth I always feel from them.


    ¡°If something happened to you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself.¡±


    I had nothing to say.


    Was this always what normal people felt?


    Was this how Estelia always felt?


    From the bottom of my heart, there was a faint sense of envy.


    What a wonderful life you led, Estelia.


    Yes, it truly was. I felt myself resign to these feelings.


    But¡­ But¡­ But¡­


    This feeling was still foreign for me. All my life, I never felt anything special. It was not because I wanted to, but because I couldn¡¯t. My life was completely different from the norm.


    And this sudden change, I find difficult to accept and adapt to.


    Not only that, I was also wary of these¡­ feelings.


    But¡­


    I bit my lip.


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to hug him back. I couldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t understand myself.


    I forced myself to speak.


    ¡°Brother¡­ Sorry I scared you. Don¡¯t worry, no harm will come to me.¡±


    Harm will definitely come eventually. It always comes. And in any form. I only said it to ease him up.


    He slowly moved back as he removed his arms from me.


    ¡°... Okay¡­¡± he said. ¡°But still be careful.¡±


    ¡°Of course, brother. I don¡¯t like getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You know, I feel like you changed a bit.¡±


    I became alarmed.


    Did I mess up?


    ¡°But that change I felt today wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± he extended his hand forward and tapped on my forehead twice. ¡°Maybe the bump on the head did something, hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    He was laughing loud, tears damp the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. Anyways, have a good night, dear sister.¡±


    He waved his hand as he walked away.


    I touched the door knob, but before I turned it, I heaved a long sigh after a long deep breath.

 Chapter 10: Mera Sylvares

    Mera Sylvares, the second oldest child, and one of the two daughters of Baron Sylvares. Currently serving as a maid in the royal palace and had been for four years. She was still fairly young when she was sent here.


    But it didn¡¯t matter, if it was for her family, she would go so far as the royal capitol and serve as a maid. Her household was declining, and her father¡¯s status as a baron was under threat. They were becoming poorer, and the territory was declining. They didn¡¯t even have any decent connections.


    Thus, she took it upon herself to become a maid in the palace. Training was not easy, but she still went through it. With now that she was a royal maid, her family now had the backing of the crown. It somehow made their position secure.


    There were trying times being a maid, especially when there were guests around to serve. But being a maid, hard work was only to be expected. At least she was lucky that her superiors were kind. In fact, the entire royal family was, unlike a lot of nobles.


    Then, it was during her time as a maid did she meet the princess. Estelia Vernisia Wisteria. A girl with beautiful hair of platinum and eyes of hypnotizing crimson. Skin pale as snow, and smile bright as the sun.


    She was quite worried and a bit scared the first time she was assigned as her attendant for a short time. She was a princess after all. But that was not all there was to it.


    The princess was delicate, timid, and gentle. She was a fragile being. And her family was very protective of her. Mera was worried that she might cause a mess and accidentally do something bad towards the princess.


    But her worries were unfounded. The princess was surprisingly well behaved. She did not have much to request. In fact, Mera had less work compared to other maids every time she attended the princess.


    As time went on, Mera began to think that Princess Estelia was the purest of all existence. A treasure that must be protected, kept away from all danger. And whose purity must be preserved at all costs.


    Then, eventually, they became close, they were able to talk normally. Almost like friends. However, there was always that distance between them. Mera wasn¡¯t the cause of that, but the princess herself. Mera couldn¡¯t understand why.


    But she still served the princess proudly.


    Then, the accident happened. She didn¡¯t know what happened at first, but when she saw it, the princess was already on the bottom of the stairs. Bruises, head wounded, blood began to stain the floor. Her heart sank as she saw that terrible and terrifying scene.


    She could feel her tears flowing down her cheeks as the princess was quickly being treated.


    But she couldn¡¯t be more overjoyed when the princess once again opened her eyes.


    ***


    At the moment, Mera was leading the princess to the baths. It was early in the morning. Princess Estelia¡¯s eyes were still half close, that was understandable since it was still early in the morning, she must still be sleepy. However, she had to wake and clean up.


    Today was her etiquette lesson. She had heard that the princess had already gone through that, but she was to take it again. The princess was already graceful though, Mera couldn¡¯t understand why they have to make her go through it again.


    Mera had also gone through the same thing since she was to serve as a palace maid. Therefore, learning proper etiquette was crucial. And the instructor was somewhat strict, she was a fellow maid. She would rather not go through that again. She still couldn¡¯t forget how many times she was scolded.


    Perhaps that¡¯s just how it is with royalty. Must perfect etiquette.


    The way one presents and delivers themselves was important in aristocracy. And the king¡¯s family must be the top of the hierarchy, thus, the way they move must be of the highest class.


    They have arrived at the bath. It was a wide pool within a luxurious large chamber. Faint steam emitting from it. It was warmed up by ¡°Heat Stones¡±, because it was early morning, it was expected to be cold. And the princess shouldn¡¯t endure something like that. She must have a leisurely time.


    Mera untied Princess Estelia¡¯s clothes and carefully undressed her. In the process, she was greeted by the princess¡¯ skin as white as snow, incredibly smooth looking and flawless. Every time she saw this, her heart would always beat fast.


    Her movement stopped for a moment. She was often a bit flustered by this. The princess had the form of any woman could dream of.


    ¡°Mera?¡±


    Mera jolted up as the princess softly called her name when she stopped. She had her sweet and innocent smile, which only made Mera more flustered.


    ¡°Y-Yes, milady. My apologies.¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect she would act this way. She was more flustered than usual.


    She realized the reason for that.


    It was because of what happened yesterday. The time when they were together.


    The princess was the same as she always was. Perfectly as she was.


    But, there was a bit of change. It felt like the princess was more open than before.


    Her words when she told her that she wanted to go out, with Mera by her side. It somehow stayed in her mind. Then, while going down the stairs.


    It felt like the distance between them that always existed had shortened.


    Mera saw a satisfied smile from the princess as she walked towards the bath and slowly lowered down.


    Mera could feel a sense of peace from her as she closed her eyes with a wide smile on her face. It was like she was so relaxed, like she had been relieved of something heavy. Mera had also noticed the same thing the day before.


    It was when they went to visit the garden. The princess just suddenly plucked a flower and sniffed it, as though she was curious. Not only that, the moment she saw the garden, it was like it was the first time she saw it.


    The princess looked extremely happy. Happier than before.


    Mera was baffled and astonished the moment she saw that moment.


    But then when the princess began touching the wisterias, Mera felt some sort of melancholy emanating from her.


    Mera couldn¡¯t understand it. But she wanted to.


    Mera left the bath and stood at the door. She was to wait until the princess was finished.


    ¡°Princess¡­¡± She murmured.


    She won¡¯t be serving the princess tomorrow. What a shame, she somewhat wanted some more time with her. Especially with all the small changes she noticed.


    After the princess fell from the stairs, there had been indeed some changes. Though only slightly.


    It was like the princess became more open. Was it because she nearly experienced death?


    Near death experiences often change people because they realize something.


    Maybe that was what happened to Princess Estelia.


    Mera placed a hand on her chest then inhaled sharply.


    She was happy that the princess was still with her. Maybe someday, they could become true friends.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Friends? That''s how my grandparents started! Hahaha, just a little bit of humor.


    It sure is nice to be back to your comfortable zone. This chapter is written in third person, which I will do on every side character. I was originally, and prefer, third person, but I wanted to try writing in first person. Thus, with noticing there was a competition, this novel came.


    If you have the time, please check out my other work "Embracing Tears". It''s my main series. It might make you emotional or something. Thanks in advance!


    Also, we''re gonna go deeper into the plot a couple of chapters after. What fate lies for our dear MC...?

 Chapter 11: The Troubled Hidden Assassin (Part 1)

    I heaved a long exhale as I savored the satisfaction when I submerge myself in the warm bath. I couldn¡¯t be more satisfied. There was also a pleasant fragrance from the water which was almost reminiscent of soap.


    Perhaps this water had some cleansing stuff mixed in. Also, did I mention how big this pool is? I mean, damn, I feel like a true big time boss of a mafia or something. No, wait, I am royalty, so it was only to be expected to have this kind of thing. That being said, I already knew this existed from Estelia¡¯s memories. But it was different when experiencing it personally.


    I wet my hair carefully.


    I am starting to love my hair more. They looked more valuable than jewels to be honest. Again, my treasurable existence itself felt like it was illegal.


    I scooped some water and washed my shoulders, then caressing my snow pale skin. It was smooth as always, every part of my body was flawless, without any kind of scratches or scars. I was surprised since this body fell off the stairs. But I guess this healing spell did some wonders.


    I looked down at my bosom. I was satisfied with this, truth be told. Just average. Not too big, not too small. This was perfect enough. Too big, and it will be terribly and undesirably troublesome. Too small¡­ Well, if that happened, I would have to wish my seduction skills good luck and hope my target doesn¡¯t mind flat.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, being small is not a bad thing. What matters is the person. And there are just others out there that don''t mind such things, I think. I just heard some people say something like that, okay?!


    It¡¯s just that, during assasination missions, a decent figure was crucial.


    At any rate, I was very satisfied with this body.


    I thought about yesterday, and I agonized about the fact that I missed the glow of the wisterias under the moonlight. It somehow slipped my mind. Last night, my mind was occupied and was processing everything that happened.


    There were just too many things that occurred which I was not used to. Which came as a shock and confusion to me. It just further supported that this palace just like Estelia so much.


    I scooped water and washed my face gently. The warmth of the water touched my face. I deemed it would not burn my skin, so I was not worried.


    The events of yesterday came into my mind again.


    Why am I bothered by this?


    Ridiculous.


    My innocent persona melted away as I stared at my reflection on the water. My usual curled smile became straight, my eyes that were once pure turned cold. My crimson eyes seemed to turn deadly yet indifferent.


    I was glaring at myself.


    I have begun to realize that this palace, everything that was happening, and that was just a single day, was affecting me already. Ridiculous. Unacceptable.


    Ever since I was conscious of everything, even the beginning of my memories, when I was but a very young child, we have been raised and taught not to feel. Not to be clouded by emotions and attachments. For the sake of efficiency. So that the weapons were to be sharp as always. Unhindering. Unthinking.


    And I agree.


    I only longed for freedom. Not the nuisance called emotions and attachments. Happiness, sadness, anger, fury, yes, such emotions were acceptable. But emotions towards others were not.


    I stood up and surveyed the room.


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    I left the pool and reached out for the towel, wiping the water off my body.


    I returned to the act of a pure princess, a smile formed on my face, and my cold eyes turned warm.


    ¡°Mera.¡±


    I called out to my maid. She entered, seemingly surprised a little. Well, maybe that was because I finished earlier than expected. I was not the type to linger long in a bath anyway.


    She led me to the dressing room, there my dress, undergarments, and boots were already prepared. She must have brought them here before I went to bathe.


    She helped me dress up.


    I was still weirded up by this. Being helped with dressing and undressing. But I¡¯ll adapt in time. It was not like I was embarrassed to begin with. I have complete confidence in my body. I could feel that Mera would even pass out if I try to play around and seduce her, even though she was a woman.


    Want to try?


    That would have been fun, but alas. I have matters to attend to.


    I sat down on a chair and Mera neatly fixed and stylized my hair. She was somewhat enthusiastic about it, it seems.


    ¡°There, milady. All done.¡±


    I stood up elegantly after she said it was done.


    After leaving the bath, I went straight to the dining room to have dinner. When I arrived, there was only my mother and brother there. I recalled that my father was supposed to go to the forest where monsters were.


    He must have assembled the knights early in the morning then set out.


    I hope everything will go well. For the purpose of me not being troubled.


    ¡°Good morning, dear mother and brother.¡±


    I greeted them as I walked towards a seat and sat down beside my mother.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Great morning, sister!¡±


    A servant served me breakfast and I delicately ate.


    ¡°Your instructor should be arriving in two hours.¡±


    Mother spoke to me. My first lesson in the three day weekly classes was etiquette. Even though I believe I was elegant and regal enough, thanks to my experience in the organization, I figured that learning proper etiquette here will be crucial for the future. So I didn¡¯t mind it that much.


    Not like I have any much of a choice. Even so, I was still annoyed that my tour of the outside was delayed because of such things.


    At any rate, etiquette lessons shouldn¡¯t be too hard.


    Just then, I remembered something from Estelia¡¯s memories. The things that I will be practicing.


    Dancing¡­


    I groaned internally. Yes, formal dancing. Based on the memories, the dance was somewhat different from my old life that I knew of that was used in formal events.


    But that was not all that problem there was. I was more into music. As for dancing, not so much.


    Dammit.


    I can¡¯t believe I even thought that etiquette lessons were going to be easy.

 Chapter 12: The Troubled Hidden Assassin (Part 2)

    And my worries couldn¡¯t be more founded. Before that, let me tell you what happened.


    My instructor was a woman around her thirties. She was seemingly kind when we greeted each other. However, judging from the memories, this one was quite strict.


    And the memories were not wrong at all. Even the slightest mistake, she was able to spot it, like a sharp sniper. She even scolded me that during our greetings, I didn¡¯t use the traditional formal noble greeting. My memories did have that, but that wasn¡¯t mine and I didn¡¯t experience it, and since I didn¡¯t think it would be that important, I well... greeted her formally in my own way. Plus, she didn¡¯t even say to greet that way last time she taught Estelia.


    By the way, the instructor was also an aristocrat, bearing the status of a Marquess. She was the lady of their household, and was asked by Father to teach me. Their family was apparently close with ours.


    Actually, this instructor of mine was quite scary, well for others it would be. But not really that scary for me. Compared to the organization on which you make a small mistake they would slap you on the face hard, this was on a much brighter side.


    Then when we were working about the way I walked, I was confident in that regard. Oh boy, I was perfect¡­ though that was what I expected.


    ¡°You have improved compared the last time we met. However, you have yet to reach perfection.¡±


    Yup, that''s what she said. Years of assassination training wasted. I was quite hurt to be honest.


    She placed a book on top of my head and had me walk around the hall several times. I would start again if it fell. Well, as it was expected of me, it did not fall. But she was not yet satisfied, so I walked straighter than a straight pole.


    My hips swayed hypnotizingly. I delicately clasp my hands before my belly, movement so graceful, and a facial expression so regal. We were at it for who knows how long, I think around an hour or more? Although I didn¡¯t think much of how long it would take, so I didn¡¯t count.


    It took a long time since she had me repeat it several times even though I was already doing fine. She must have wanted my performance to be impeccable.


    She was surprised though that I was able to do well in that short time frame. Estelia was not that enthusiastic about improvement here, and only provided a small effort for development. Therefore, progress took a lot of time. However, I was used to learning and practice. Therefore, I was able to follow and improve in a short time.


    That was even though it was my first time being taught here. The only thing I had were memories, and memories alone. They were not muscle memories or something like that, but only akin to images, you could say. So I could only remember how the movement goes. That being said, I did have my regal skills from assassinations which helped a lot. Gracefulness was useful in some missions after all. In short, I was already familiar with this type of thing, so I did not need much improvement.


    Then, after that, we had a short break.


    After that break, we had language lessons. Manner of speaking, formalities, like that. Not that much noteworthy or hard.


    Then dining etiquette. Be graceful and neat. There were a lot of restrictions. But I guess that was to be expected during formal events, or banquets, or something similar in nature. She had me show her how to dine like a proper royal. The memories of Estelia were a lot of help.


    Thankfully, she gave me a passing remark.


    Everything was going swimmingly well.


    Then after a short break, it was time for dancing.


    I groaned painfully.


    First let me explain okay? I know how to dance from my past life. However, that was not entirely applicable here. Sure I do have Estelia¡¯s memories, but then again, I didn¡¯t have any muscle memories here. I can only remember images of the dance. How the movement goes, something like that.


    And recalling it was not the same as memorizing it. Thus, well¡­ I guess you might have expected it¡­ I suck.


    ¡°Princess! Do it properly.¡±


    I was being shouted at by my instructor.


    ¡°What has happened to you, Estelia?¡±


    I had my head lowered as I visibly flinched. I was that bad to the point that she was making her frustration show.


    ¡°It appeared like we had returned to the beginning! Care to give an explanation? Why have we returned to square one?¡±


    How cruel! It was not back to square one, at least.


    ¡°I¡­ I have no excuse, Madame Eleanore.¡±


    It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t fond of dancing that I was bad at it¡­ okay maybe that was one of the reasons. But ¡ª But come on!


    I glanced up at Marquess Eleanore Moira Yveno, my instructor. She had golden hair and beautiful peach eyes. She had three words in her name, like us in the royal family. Because they were a high ranking aristocrat family, they were granted a name between the first and surname. And the title of Marquess or Marquis was just below the King. Oh yes, the royal family are the ones to grant the name in the middle.


    In addition, after marriage, the former surname of the woman would be erased and changed into her husband¡¯s. Which means, unlike the world where I came from, they don¡¯t have such things as middle names in the form of the old surname of the wife, therefore, the children also wouldn¡¯t inherit the former surname of their mother.


    Eleanore massaged her temples.


    ¡°Why have I been teaching you for a long time?¡±


    I pursed my lips as I gripped my arm.


    ¡°You should have been familiar with it in the first place since it was taught to you when you were still a young child. Then why are you struggling with having a partner?¡±


    Okay! How long are you gonna keep beating me up?!


    Sorry okay! Sorry I suck!


    ¡°Mother, maybe we can take it slow for the time being?¡±


    I directed a grateful and hopeful superficial look to the young man beside me. He was two years older than me, he had a charming face, golden hair and bluish eyes. He beamed a smile which would captivate ladies who were easily fallen or fooled.


    Eleanore let out an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Jalen,¡± she uttered his name as she contemplated. ¡°... Very well. To your poses.¡±


    I should also mention the other why I was failing other than the fact that I suck at dancing and not quite fond of it. You see, last dancing sessions were solo, meaning I didn¡¯t, or rather Estelia, didn¡¯t have a partner. This was the first session to have a partner, and what Eleanore brought was none other than his son, Jalen Moira Yveno.


    We faced each other. Eleanore picked up a string instrument, a vynelin. It resembles a violin, strings and bow, while the musician would play it by their shoulder, basically a violin. She had only brought it twice, so this was my first time seeing it personally.


    ¡°I shall be playing the music slowly.¡±


    She said as a slow and gentle music spread throughout the hall.


    I looked at Jalen with concerned expressions. I also had a thought, he was smiling all while, ever since this began. I was sure it wasn¡¯t because he was amused by me. I bet this guy was happy she had to dance with me. And have a chance to touch me. I am confident about that conjecture.


    Good thing Estelia wasn¡¯t here doing this now. I imagine she would be uneasy.


    I extended my hand as he extended his. With our palm touching, we revolved, and stepped back, the footwork was a bit complicated since we have to be in sync, or else we would step on each other. But since it was slowed down, I was barely managing.


    But, I would almost trip occasionally which I imagine prompted Eleanore to grimace.


    Of course my brain was at its full speed, trying to recall what was next. And it was the footwork was what I was having fucking difficulties with.


    In addition, syncing with my partner was also the part I was struggling hard.


    He pulled me towards him, his hand behind my waist as his body pressed into me, while my hand was by the side of his shoulder. Our other hand raised just about shoulder level as they clasped each other. Our face was completely close so that I could hear his breathing.


    I sort of wanted to play him around, but Estelia must be silent for the time being.


    With a turn, he let go of me. I was delayed for a bit since I momentarily forgot this was what was next.


    This was the part where the lady would dance solo on the dance floor. My hands waved with magnificent grace as I beautifully spun around slowly. Of course I was not to focus only on the gracefulness of the hands, but also the movements of my feet and legs. I was exceedingly graceful overall¡­ or that was what supposed to be if I knew this dance very well.


    I know I must be around just a little above average. I could catched the disappointed glare of Eleanore from the corner of my eye.


    Then after the solo, the gentleman, Jalen returned to me and I catched his offered hand. After some movements, while holding each other¡¯s hand, our arms extended, distancing ourselves. Then with a quick pull, I returned to him with a spin as let my body fall and let him catch me. I looked up at his eyes as he looked at mine.


    My breathing was rough since this body didn¡¯t have much stamina.


    After a short stare down, he carefully carried me up. We faced Eleanore, he bowed deeply and I curtsied.


    Eleanore sighed, apparently not satisfied. But Jalen was still all smiles as he turned to look at me.


    ¡°That was a better performance compared before, your highness.¡±


    I timidly stepped back as my eyes went around, as though trying to come up with a response.


    ¡°This was only possible due to your suggestion of slowing the dance¡­ You have my thanks, Jalen.¡±


    ¡°Please think nothing of it. We improve in due time, I am sure you will perfect the dance ¡°Fluttering Petals¡±.¡±


    Fluttering Petals, it was apparently the name of the dance.


    I grinned widely within my heart, impressed by what this man was trying to do.


    He¡¯s trying to get on my good sides it seems. I see.


    He wanted to win this maiden¡¯s heart.


    Good luck on that.


    I could see through his motives, and I could also get a grasp on what he was thinking about me. Since I was a meek lady, he must be thinking that I was an easy target. If he complimented me, and tried to give the impression that I could rely on him, he must have thought that I would fall for him. It may not be for an instant, but at least it would happen slowly.


    I stole a glance at Eleanore with my innocent gaze.


    Was this perhaps also a scheme of that woman?


    Having your family enter into the royal family circle, that would be quite an achievement. It would undoubtedly reap incredible benefits for their family. It was comical actually, that they were targeting me because I was the one who appeared so vulnerable.


    That being said, I didn¡¯t have that impression from Eleanore. So I must be wrong that she was scheming something like it. For all I know, this could be Jalen¡¯s personal plans. Perhaps driven by the merits he would receive, or by his manly instinct. But then again, it could be both.


    But I shouldn¡¯t be thinking much about this. I would do very well to prioritize my dancing skills.


    Shit. Screw dancing.


    ¡°After a short break, we shall be returning to practice at once. Do you understand, Estelia?¡±


    ¡°U-Um, yes Madam! I understand.¡±


    Then we have our short break, with Jalen offering me a towel to wipe away my sweat.


    Of course, Jalen was striking conversations with me. Which I was obliged to respond to. I wasn¡¯t annoyed by this, but rather it was quite entertaining, the way he was trying. He also seemed to be showing his handsome appearance as he often fixed his hair.


    But of course, this didn¡¯t cause any change within me.


    Then we spent another round of practice. Once it was done, it was time to say goodbye.


    ¡°Estelia, please remember to practice if you have free time to do so. I expect some improvement next week.¡±


    Eleanore said as she went for the door.


    Jalen looked at me.


    ¡°I enjoyed the time I spent with you, your highness. I am looking forward to next week for the time we may meet again.¡±


    ¡°... I as well, Jalen. Take care on your way back home.¡±


    With that, they left.


    Mera then came to me, she had already prepared the bath, so I immediately went there to wash myself clean.


    ***


    I had dinner then with my family with the exception of my father. He has yet to come home, but this often happened whenever he was out of a mission to exterminate monsters in the forest.


    Of course, with my father gone for the time being, mother was visibly tired. She must have handled the jobs that were supposed to be father¡¯s.


    You can do it, mother!


    I cheered her on from the inside.


    My brother on the other hand was incredibly chatty as he asked me about how I was during the tutor of Eleanore. I told him honestly what happened, then he encouraged me as I appeared to have lost motivation and upset.


    I sort of wanted to go out to take a look at the wisteria since it was now night time. However, this over protective family of mine adamantly compelled me to go back to my room to rest.


    Thus, I have no choice but to comply. I was planning to do something anyways.


    When I returned to my room, I stood up as I stared out from the window. I waited for the food in my stomach to digest. Otherwise, a full stomach would complicate what I was going to do later.


    Around more than half an hour, I began stretching.


    I was to exercise this body.


    Yes, in my personal room, I did stationary jogging, I began to sweat profusely as I breathed rapidly. Once I was no longer able to keep jogging, I rested for a while, of course I didn¡¯t sit down. I rested with trained breathing. I sort of wanted to shout, but that was a no go.


    Then after a while of rest, I exercised my arms, carrying what was heavy in the room and stressed my arms. Did a few sit ups, curl ups, and a couple of push ups.


    A short time passed, I deemed it was time to stop. Wiping off the sweat in my body and resting for about an hour while waiting for my evening clothes to dry up, then after that, I went to bed. I will have to do this routine for several days.

 Chapter 13: Sword Magic (Part 1)

    The next day, it was time for academics. The instructor was just a normal woman, a commoner would be the more accurate word. That being said, she had quite a high standing in society and was popular. Due to her excellence, she was chosen as my tutor. Furthermore, it would seem that she was also the one who was teaching the children of other nobles.


    She was also the one who taught Estelia in the past when she was still young. Although, Estelia had forgotten most of that and the refresh lessons did help a lot. This time though, I was taught geography.


    She showed me a map which had several countries laid out while introducing those countries to me. She didn¡¯t teach this subject before I became Estelia, that time she was more focused about our own kingdom, Wisteria. Teaching Estelia about traditions, regions, and also had her memorize the names of nobles.


    Since the memory had become hazy because Estelia forgot a few of them, I will have to review. That aside, as my instructor introduced to me the other countries surrounding, I took a mental note of the four kingdoms which I found interesting.


    Myra Kingdom was due northeast, it was where my oldest brother currently was. A country who values chivalry, honor and dignity. They were seen as¡­ well along the lines of proper human beings.


    Then the bizarre one, the Tornridge Empire to the east, a city of barbarians, they were seen as here. It was mainly because of their history of being aggressive, violent and so on. In the establishment of their nation, they invaded other countries through brute force, plundering and raiding anything that came their way. It now became a fairly large nation.


    Due west lies the Valaies Holy Kingdom. A country where the church was the top of the hierarchy and ruled by religious groups. It was a place where they worship the six gods. the God of Light, the Goddess of Darkness, the Deity of the Stars, the God of Inferno, the Goddess of Water, and the God of Nature. That was a lot of gods, I tell you. Basically, the Valaies was a religious nation.


    To the south was the Eventon Republic which lied by the ocean. Where ocean traffic was profound, and businesses filled the streets. Might as well describe it as a country of merchants.


    Then, what about our own kingdom? Well, it was sort of a mix of them. You see, we were at the center of those countries, therefore, foreigners in the past would constantly visit Wisteria. Then because of their influences, we became a kingdom where the characteristics of those aforementioned countries mixed in with us, although, with the exception of the Tornridge Empire. There were times in history when they tried to conquer us, but ended in failure.


    For our religion, the church of the six gods also exists here. However, our main religion was to worship the Deities of Serenity and Compassion. Two gods, the former being female and the latter was a male. It was quite a romantic religion if you ask me.


    Is everything in this country all about romance?


    I mean, the origin of this country were also couples.


    Whatever¡­


    After that, it was time for arithmetics. The math I was taught were only basics, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, although the values I had to solve were not that simple. Even so, I managed to ace them all. My teacher nodded in satisfaction as she saw my results.


    I expected there to be more complex topics in mathematics, but it seems such things like algebra, geometry, something like that, wasn¡¯t part of the curriculum, or this world just didn¡¯t have such complicated things just yet. Perhaps there was indeed high level mathematics I have yet to know that people do.


    But, I didn¡¯t delve into it more since it wasn¡¯t important.


    Then after that, lessons were done for the day. When I stood up and strode forward, I held back a groan that threatened to escape from my throat.


    The reason? My body was sore. I had muscle pains all around my body. This was the aftermath of my exercise last night. That being said, I expected to experience this. I just need to hide the fact that I was feeling pain.


    Something trivial as this was easy to bear.


    When I approached the door, my attendant for today opened the door for me. The maid was a woman in her thirties, light brown hair and brown eyes, her skin had a fair complexion.


    This person was no fun. I enjoyed it more when Mera was with me. I like her more. Perhaps because she was a youngster like me. In any case, it was hard to get along amiably with older women.


    Therefore, I didn¡¯t get any chance to tease my maid.


    ¡°I shall be having a walk.¡±


    I said as I headed for the first floor. I had no plan actually, I just wanted to walk around to exercise my legs. Then, a thought came into me.


    The knights¡­


    Since I was going for a walk anyway, I decided to visit the training grounds of the knights. There must be something I could do that would be worthwhile.


    I headed straight towards my destination. My maid quietly followed behind me.


    As I was getting closer to my destination, I could hear loud shouts and cheering. A faint sound of metal clashing metal rang out. I was curious as to what was going on.


    When I reached my destination, I hadn''t approached the people yet since I decided to take a peek first.


    There, in the open ground, two knights were clashing, their swords clanged with every hit. Knights, men and a few women, watched the fight from the sides. Cheering on which side they think would win or which they were rooting for. I even saw my brother amidst all of them.


    When I looked closely, I recognized one man that was fighting. It was a young man named Alan. He was fighting someone who appears to be a few years older than him. Also, they sort of resembled each other.


    Alan appeared tense, but the other man had a mocking smile. The latter was easily intercepting and blocking Alan¡¯s attacks.


    Just then, something odd happened. Alan¡¯s blade shone, he took a step back and swung his sword in the air. An arc of light emerged from the swing of his sword, headed towards his opponent. However, the latter¡¯s blade also shone and quickly swung it down, forming an arc of light.


    Both their attacks clashed. However, Alan¡¯s arc of light was instantly overwhelmed and his opponent¡¯s attack kept on charging forward. Alan quickly held out his left hand, and a translucent barrier of sorts emerged from his hand and spread out to cover his front.


    His opponent¡¯s arc of light crashed into his barrier, it didn¡¯t take several seconds for Alan¡¯s barrier to break and sent him flying. He had a pained expression as he flew in the air, losing his sword, then he hit the ground. It was a defeat.


    His opponent walked closer to him before scoffing. He sheathed his sword.


    ¡°Little brother, you''re weak. When I was your age, I was way stronger than you are now. Pathetic.¡±


    Alan slowly sat up and lowered his head, avoiding his gaze. His hands clenched.


    ¡°Why did you even join the knight order? If you are this weak, you might as well be called a disappointment.¡±


    Alan lowered his head even more.


    I approached closer.


    ¡°Now now, Alzen, he¡¯s still young, and you¡¯re older. Is it not to be expected that you would be stronger?¡±


    My brother, Estevan, walked towards Alzen as he spoke, waving his hand around.


    ¡°I held back, your highness. And the strength I used was when I was the same age as him. That was why I could tell that he is weak. His swordsmanship wasn¡¯t that impressive, his Sword Magic was feeble. Was his training wasted all this time?¡±


    ¡°Surely it is not. I saw some improvements from him, so don¡¯t be too cold.¡±


    My brother was still smiling as he spoke. But I could tell that he was a bit bothered by this situation.


    Right about then, the knights began to notice me.


    ¡°The princess!¡±


    I held out my hand instantly before they could genuflect. I didn¡¯t need that now. Alan flinched when he heard that I was here. However, it seems he couldn¡¯t bring himself to turn to look at me.


    How cute. Was he worried that I was disappointed?


    He must have realized that I saw everything and was afraid to look me in the eye. I smiled internally. This kind of moment was useful.


    I rushed on my steps and stood in front of Alan who was still lowering his head from shame.


    ¡°Hello, Alan.¡±


    I saw his hand tremble when I called out to him.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t ignore me.¡±


    I said with concern. He hesitated for a short while before slowly looking up at me. I shifted my eyes towards his hand.


    ¡°Oh no, your hand is bleeding.¡±


    I kneeled to even our level. The palm where the barrier emerged from was bleeding. I held out my hand towards it, but froze, seemingly unknowing of what I should do. I frantically looked around, and saw the stunned knights as they watched me.


    ¡°H-Healer! We need a healer, he is¡­ he is bleeding.¡±


    I frightenedly said as I looked around. Only then a female knight rushed towards us.


    ¡°Pardon me, princess.¡±


    I stood up and moved back, giving space to the healer. She held out her hand, a glow of green came from her hand. The wound on Alan¡¯s hand began to close.


    Interesting¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small wound, there¡¯s ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Alan. Don¡¯t complain.¡±


    The female knight immediately shut him down. After that, the wound was completely sealed. The knight stood up and straightened herself.


    ¡°It is done, your highness.¡±


    I sighed in relief.


    ¡°Thank the Lord of compassion and Lady of serenity that you are here to help. I am grateful.¡±


    ¡°...U-Um, not at all, your highness. It is my duty to help and protect after all.¡±


    ¡°I see. But I¡¯m still glad someone like you is here.¡±


    I immediately approached the sad looking young man sitting on the ground.


    ¡°Everything better? Let me help you up.¡±


    I extended my hand. His eyes went wide as he looked into my eyes then to the hand I was offering to him. He was reluctant.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    I urged him with a bright and innocent smile. He averted his eyes a couple of times before accepting my hand. I pulled him up, but it was mostly his own strength that helped him go up. I was willing to use my own strength, but it seemed he didn¡¯t want me to exert any strength since I was the princess.


    ¡°T-Thank y-you for your h-help, your h-highness. You have m-my utmost g-gratitude.¡±


    He stammered around. He must be flustered due to what I did for him.


    ¡°Do not worry about it. What matters is that you are alright. That is enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­¡±


    He looked like he was in disbelief.


    Meanwhile, I only looked compassionately at him with a gentle smile. Like a saint helping her fellows.


    But I smiled differently in my heart.


    ¡°Estel,¡± my brother called out to me, so I turned around to greet him with a smile. ¡°What a surprise you came back here again.¡±


    ¡°Um, well. I had nothing else to do. So I thought of visiting here.¡±


    ¡°Is your class now finished?¡±


    ¡°Of course, brother... By the way brother, judging from how I saw things are. Are you having mock battles?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s a good way to enhance one¡¯s skills and abilities. Having an actual opponent is often better than fighting dummies.¡±


    I have witnessed a glimpse of their magic. However, that was only it. I required more information. If the knights here can use such bizarre abilities, then it could mean that there were also others out there who can do the same.


    I need to watch more and analyze.


    ¡°Are you already finished?¡± I said as I tilted my head while clasping my hands. ¡°If not, then, may I please watch?¡±


    Brother pondered for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°That is fine. You have nothing else to do, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, you can watch. There are still four more pairs left, so there are plenty you can watch. Come.¡±

 Chapter 14: Sword Magic (Part 2)

    He brought me to the sidelines, and there a chair was offered to me. I gracefully took my seat, my maid behind me while my brother stood beside me.


    ¡°I will be the one guarding you, dear sister. We have to be careful of any stray attacks.¡±


    I nodded my head.


    They called a pair of knights, then they stood several meters away from each other. They drew their swords and waited for Brother to declare the start of the match. I focused my eyes. Their stance, the way they gripped their two handed swords, I observed them.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    Then with that, the match began. The knights charged towards each other. However, I was taken off guard.


    What the fuck?


    Their steps, the speed of their legs were abnormal. They were fast, abnormally, and bullshitty fast. It only took them about a second to have each other in the reaches of their blades.


    In an instant, their blades clashed. Their normal attack only lasted for a couple more attacks before their blades began to glow. I squinted my eyes to keep up what was happening. Their swords clashed again, and a gust of wind blew from them towards all directions, even reaching me.


    I grew cold as I watched.


    One knight was being pushed, so he backed away, giving themselves some space. But immediately after that, he slashed his sword in the air, and violent flames came forth, heading towards his opponent.


    What the fuck?!


    I was bewildered and stunned. This was different from the plain light that I saw just before. I was becoming more worried. The knight on the receiving end of those flames thrust his left hand forward, and a blast of frost crashed into the flames, spreading it away. I could feel the faint coldness from where I was.


    Just as the flames were dissipating away, the knight who casted the frost rushed forward with quick steps. The blades of the two knights once again crashed into each other, but this time, both sending a strong gust of cold wind as they both emanated cold magic.


    Then at the same time, they let go of one hand from their swords and thrust forward. This time a plain light spread from their hands and crashed into them, sending the both of them flying away from each other. But in mid air, they regained their footing.


    I bit my lip.


    Bullshit! Is this the standard of this world?!


    Ridiculous! If I fight someone who can cast magic head on, I¡¯ll die. I have no chance of winning. Fighting would only be suicide. In other words, my fighting skills in this world would be worthless in the face of those who use magic.


    If I were to face someone capable of using the damn thing, then I need to take them by surprise. They must not anticipate my attack at all. I must take them out silently, or make them lower their guard, then launch my surprise strike. And that strike must be an absolutely decisive one. The one that will surely kill them. Otherwise, they would be able to take me out like a puppy barking against a lion.


    Furthermore, I must not remain stagnant.


    I must also learn this so-called magic. I have to be able to use it so I can stand up against anyone who could use it as well. That way, if I had no choice but to face them head on, I can at least give some resistance and defend myself, or defeat the enemy.


    The two knights clashed again, their magic going wild.


    I recalled what I learned from my academic lessons, or rather, lessons of Estelia before I came. Nobility had greater magic affinity than commoners. In addition, they also had greater amounts of mana. I was ignorant about how great magic was, but now its power was slapped into my precious face.


    In any case, having nobles becoming knights was an important factor for the country. Normal commoners or soldiers couldn¡¯t match up against monsters. Therefore, the knights must be dispatched to handle those monsters. The nobles were the ones who protected the people from dangerous elements beyond their capabilities.


    If that was the case, then how strong were monsters?!


    At the same time, two large waves of flames intercepted each other, the waves were as high as a house, and as large that could swallow someone whole. It could burn someone to crisps.


    Are flames and ice only they could do¡­?


    I hesitantly asked myself.


    Just then, the match was decided as one already had a blade on his neck. The one who won was the knight who first used ice magic. They shook hands with a smile on their face before walking away.


    ¡°What do you think, sister?¡±


    My brother asked me.


    ¡°... It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s breathtaking and mind boggling.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± a broad grin emerged on his face. ¡°Then, this next fight will be a blast. One contender will be the strongest spearman, and the other will be our fastest dual wielder of swords.¡±


    I swallowed.


    So that was not the strongest?


    Dammit!


    If only Estelia was a bit familiar with such things, I wouldn¡¯t be this surprised.


    If I were to compare myself now, I would be an ant! I was an amazing fighter in my old life. I could take on ten skilled mercenaries in a melee fight for crying out loud and emerge victorious. I was one of the greatest assassins in the organization!


    But here?! Nope, I was nothing!


    If that was the case, then I will only have to work for it.


    Two knights stepped forth into the open. One was a fit knight holding a spear, his light brown hair was tied into a short ponytail, his brown wide eyes hinted at his carefree nature, he wore a broad grin as he stood in preparation. The other was a bigger man, short dark hair, dark eyes showing his grumpy personality as he glared at his opponent, in each of his hands were swords that were shorter than what the knights usually had.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    The two charged at each other, then I immediately noticed what happened to their weapons. Electric currents engulf the upper half of the knight¡¯s spear as he thrust it forward. His target easily evaded it, but he immediately swept it sideways.


    The dual wielder blocked it with his face turning into a grimace. Light engulfed the edges of his blades, fighting against the sparks of electricity from the spear. He stepped back before immediately rushing again to the side of his opponent.


    His sword clashed against the spear. However, he kept swinging at great speed, launching a strong attack every time there was an opening. But it was not easy, the spearman would often use the bottom part of his spear to block the other sword. Spinning the entire spear to defend if he had to.


    The fight was so intense that I had to hold off my jaw from falling. Gust of wind burst out at every strike, sending dust into the air. The spearman, seemingly being pinned down for the enemy being close to him, he leaped back after a vigorous counter attack.


    At that moment, greater sparks of electricity formed into his spear. Then with a single thrust forward, lightning struck out. A literal lightning! It was quick and it only took a short moment to reach its target. But before it could do it, the dual wielder had already crossed his swords together, with a simultaneous swing, plain lights followed in an x shape, larger and brighter than the ones I saw previously.


    The two deadly elements crashed into each other.


    A tremendous energy burst out and caused a strong wind to go wild all around, sending my hair fluttering and prompting me to cover my face from the dusts. Before even anything else, they fought once again.


    Tch! This is magic, huh.


    Manipulating flames and ice were ridiculous enough, but lightning?! Bullshit! And there was something that even went up against that lightning!


    Damn.


    But I did notice something. It was the element I was familiar with.


    That lightning. The lightning was not as fast as I thought it would be. A true lightning would come in a flash. But the one that spearman did was not as fast as that. It did not happen in a flash.


    Therefore, I surmised there must be limitations. What could those be?


    With the memories of Estelia, and the fact about nobles, I had a guess. That limitation could be their overall magical power, or to be precise, the amount of mana. Nobles were strong because of the amount of their mana. Therefore, that could also mean that was the amount of their power.


    And that spearman wasn¡¯t able to conjure the full power of a true lightning because he was not at a strength that gives him the ability to do so.


    But this is interesting.


    It was great to learn something that was vital about this world. Even though I was annoyed that such powers exist. But if I were to learn that, I would not be annoyed anymore.


    If only Estelia learned even the basics¡­


    It was regretful, but there was nothing I could do. I still had determined some weakness.


    They can¡¯t attack if they didn¡¯t know they were already dead. Okay, that wasn¡¯t clear.


    They can¡¯t attack if I already attacked a decisive strike before they could even react.


    I turned to my brother.


    ¡°What are those magic on weapons called?¡±


    ¡°Armament Magic. Using your mana, you can enhance and do plenty more things with your weapon.¡±


    Oh, I thought it would be called along the lines of Sword Magic, or something.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    As I thought, mana.


    ¡°Teach me that, brother.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He looked at me in confusion. He blinked at me several times as he was processing what he just heard.


    ¡°What did you say, dear sister?¡±


    ¡°Please teach me.¡±


    ¡°Aaah, uh, hm, but there¡¯s no need for you to learn that, Estel. You are a princess, not a warrior.¡±


    The other knights also looked at me with bewilderment. They must not have expected that I would ask for such a thing. I looked around as though embarrassed. At that moment I was assured that there was someone indeed missing. It was Elson, the one with those daggers, he must have been with Father.


    I directed my eyes to my Brother.


    ¡°Why not, at least I can defend myself.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not that easy, you had no experience in magic. Plus, you¡¯re a princess, you have no time with learning such things. Leave these kinds of things to soldiers and knights.¡±


    Why are they so strict towards me? In that case...


    ¡°Then, please at least teach me anything that is magic.¡±


    Anything will do. I had guessed that the magic the knights used here were not for beginners or those who have never been a warrior. I am a princess, this body does not have the experience of being a fighter.


    However, there must be something that could be useful. Something that they would allow me to learn.


    ¡°.... If you say that, I¡¯m not sure if Mother and Father would allow it.¡±


    ¡°Then please convince them!¡±


    I leaned towards him with my fingers intertwined with each other. My pure eyes pleadingly gazed at my Brother with my lips pursed.


    ¡°.......¡±


    My Brother looked away as though in thought.


    Then at that moment, the victor had been decided. The one who won was the dual wielder.


    My Brother sighed as he made up his mind.


    ¡°Fine, I will go ask father if that is allowed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Brother! I love you so much!¡±


    His eyes brightened. I just gave him a little motivation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best! For my dear sister! Hahahahaha!¡±


    I will learn and use anything that could be used as a weapon.


    For the sake of self preservation, and for my beauty.


    Hm. I guess old habits die hard.


    I heard faint murmurs from the knights around me as they whispered to each other while glancing at me. There were statements from the female knights such as ¡°The princess looks so adorable¡±, then some ¡°She¡¯s so sweet¡±, along with ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful, I¡¯m jealous¡±. As for the men, I heard awed words like ¡°The princess is an angel¡±, and  ¡°She¡¯s also kind¡±.


    When I heard those, I had to hold myself from smiling delightly on my face. I had to be clueless after all.


    After all that, two more pairs fought before it finally ended. During the matches, I observed carefully, since there might be something to note of. Then, as for there was nothing else to do now, I excused myself and left, returning to my room. I had to do a bit of thinking.

 Chapter 15: Alan Welford

    Alan Welford¡¯s eyes were focused only at one being. A girl. Her hair was white as platinum, eyes red as blood yet dazzling, her skin as white as snow, and beauty that one could never dream of ever laying their eyes on. Yet, that was not all there was to her.


    The princess was already leaving after the mock battles of the knights. And yet, Alan felt like his heart was leaping forward, wanting to follow after her. But that was a ridiculous endeavor to do. At first, he was only captivated at the first time he ever saw her.


    However, now, why was it that his heart was pounding every time he lay his eyes on her? Even her presence alone would make his heart jump. Alan had realized what this feeling was, perhaps this was love.


    Which was strange since he just recently met her. But, such things do happen.


    The princess was pure and kind. She might as well be the purest of all the people Alan had ever known. She was even kind enough to help him even though he only had a small wound on his hand.


    But when he looked at her eyes at that moment, he saw true concern in her eyes. Which made his heart warm only by remembering it. How wonderful it was to receive the concern of such a beautiful person. Her compassion was something to be valued, and if ever received, one must treasure it for the rest of their life.


    ¡°Uwah, the princess is gone¡­¡±


    Alan heard the disappointed voice of one of his fellow knights. He held a spear in his hand. He approached Alan and smacked his back.


    ¡°... Rogan, stop that,¡± Alan said to him.


    ¡°What? Am I interrupting your ¡°mesmerization¡±?¡± Rogan chuckled as he slapped his back a few more times again.


    Truth be told, it hurt quite a bit.


    Alan frowned as he responded to Rogan who had his carefree smile as always.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Come now, I¡¯m also a man you know. I know that kind of look anywhere.¡±


    Rogan pointed a finger at his face. Alan couldn¡¯t deny it. He stepped back, removing Rogan¡¯s hand from him.


    ¡°Stop it before anyone gets the wrong idea.¡±


    Rogan had an amused smile as he heard that.


    ¡°Oh? You afraid someone else might find out.¡±


    Rogan placed his hand on Alan¡¯s shoulder before whispering.


    ¡°Fine, a secret among men. So how was it?¡±


    ¡°... How was what?¡± Alan had no idea what he was referring to.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s rare for us to see the princess, no less touching her. So how was her hand?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Rogan ignored his confusion then continued.


    ¡°Was it soft? Was it smooth? Come on, let¡¯s spark the wonders of youth here, you follow me?¡±


    ¡°......... Yes, it was soft, and smooth.¡±


    It was indeed. It was incredibly pleasant to the touch. Alan somewhat wished he could hold them a little while longer. But, he shouldn¡¯t talk about something like this to the princess.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the princess when it involves such a thing as this.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± He sounded disappointed. ¡°And you had just responded. But whatever, it is kinda blasphemous.¡±


    Rogan chuckled as he stepped away.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it wonderful?! To be helped by the princess herself!¡±


    Alan furrowed his brows as he realized that Rogan was still teasing him. As he was about to respond, another voice intervened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and he even had the audacity to refuse the help asked by her highness.¡±


    A woman joined them. She was the female knight who healed Alan earlier.


    ¡°Ayana¡­¡± Alan called her out. ¡°I¡­. well, it was just a small wound.¡±


    Ayana merely scoffed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how worried she looked? There¡¯s no way I could just ignore her request when we can just heal you on the spot.¡±


    ¡°.... Yes, my bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the lucky one to be noticed by her highness. I¡¯m sure Rogan over there is jealous.¡±


    Ayana said with a wince as she pointed at the spearman.


    ¡°Of course, what man wouldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I expected so.¡±


    Alan smiled as he watched the two. But then, a knight suddenly joined them. His voice was stern and with a mocking tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Alan.¡±


    Alan froze when he heard his brother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think highly of yourself that the princess noticed you. You are still weak, our father couldn¡¯t be more disappointed when he hears you barely improved.¡±


    Alan averted his eyes away and bit his lip. He was always compared to his big brother who was one of the strongest within the knight order. Perhaps because he was the strongest that Alan was always compared to him. And their father had some high expectations for Alan to follow in his brother¡¯s footsteps. It was not pleasant at all to be compared, and always being called weak.


    Would he be able to catch up to his brother? Such questions would often pop up into his mind.


    ¡°You should stop it, Alzen.¡±


    Another voice joined it. Alan turned his eyes towards that person with hope. It was the princess¡¯s brother, Estevan. He must have joined them because he was done tidying things up.


    ¡°Stop demotivating those who had the chance to improve.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Whatever you say, your highness. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    It was rude to act that way to a royalty, however, Estevan let it pass and watched Alzen walk away.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that guy cocky,¡± Rogan said with a grin on his face. He didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of giving that remark.


    ¡°Men always act that way when they have power.¡±


    Estevan smiled when he heard that statement from Ayana.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not like that at all, Ayana.¡±


    ¡°... It would appear so, your highness.¡±


    Estevan nodded with satisfaction before turning to face Alan.


    ¡°Alan, don¡¯t let his words get into your head. Keep training, and you will undoubtedly improve.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rogan wrapped his arm to Alan¡¯s shoulders tightly. ¡°He got the princess as motivation, that would suffice.¡±


    ¡°Huh? My sister¡­? What do you mean by that? Rogan?¡±


    A shiver ran down Alan¡¯s spine as Estevan said those words. He had his usual smile, however, what he sensed from him was completely different from warm.


    ¡°Ah ¡ª Eh ¡ª well you see¡­¡± Rogan also seemed to be having difficulty finding the proper words to say.


    And the one to save him was Ayana.


    ¡°Anyway, your highness. It¡¯s rare to see the princess go out of the palace then to here. No, it would be more accurate to say it is more than rare.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh yes, indeed, it is as you say. But this is the second time she visited us.¡±


    ¡°I heard, and unfortunately we weren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, ever since the incident, there had been slight changes to her. But I guess something might have crossed her mind after that terrible thing happened.¡±


    ¡°But it sure is nice to have the princess visit us often. Keeps you going you know,¡± Rogan said.


    ¡°Indeed, and it was of great pleasure that her highness watched the knight¡¯s mock battles,¡± Ayana added.


    Rogan nodded then he raised his spear a little.


    ¡°And I even gave my all seeing that the princess was watching. Hell, even that dual wielding maniac didn¡¯t even hold back!¡±


    Alan did notice that the battle between the two was oddly intense considering it was only a mock battle. However, it would seem that the knights wanted to show off to the princess. Alan felt bitter that he only looked pathetic in front of her.


    ¡°Indeed. It would appear that with the appearance of my dear sister, it boosted the troop¡¯s morale. As expected of my sister!¡±


    ¡°The knight order has fallen for her~! The pure princess, so innocent and lovable! An angel so fragile that must be protected at all cost!¡± Rogan declared loudly and all the knights heard him.


    ¡°Indeed, my sister is the best there is! Hahahaha!¡±


    Alan smiled wryly as he watched the two of them. Ayana sighed then quietly spoke to Alan.


    ¡°Better keep your distance from those¡­ weirdos.¡±


    ¡°He-he-he. Not that I can avoid them.¡±


    That being said, the look of the other knights seems to agree with those two¡¯s words.


    Alan thought about the princess, whose beauty surpasses all, and a person full of compassion. He hoped he would have a chance to speak with her more. Have a proper conversation.


    The princess would not easily go out of his mind. He would always recall her. Her smile. Her eyes. Her kindness. Her whole being, Alan would keep thinking about, that was what he expected. But that was fine. It was completely fine.


    ¡°Then, Alan, let¡¯s go train you hard.¡±


    Estevan called out to him. Alan smiled as he nodded. He felt motivated.


    ¡°Can I help?¡±


    Ayana pulled Rogan by the arm after his question.


    ¡°Yes, you can help clean.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?! No, don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t resist.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Ayana, this is why you could never get a man!¡±


    The next Alan heard was someone being punched on the face hard.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter is "The Supposedly Dead Princess". Please look forward to it.

 Chapter 16: The Supposedly Dead Princess

    In an undisclosed location. A man with dark hair, sky blue eyes, and brown complexion walked through the chamber. The ceiling was high above, several lamps and a couple of chandeliers hanging from above. The room was shaped like a dome, with tall pillars serving as its foundations.


    The man had requested an urgent meeting with his colleagues, therefore, everyone should already be there when he makes the call. His steps were quick as they echoed in the chamber, his face tense.


    In the center of this chamber were five hooded figures waiting for him. These were his servants in the human realm.


    The man checked and fixed his appearance before giving orders.


    ¡°Make the call.¡±


    His servants complied and they held out their hands. They shone, and the next moment, everything in their surroundings changed completely. Several figures of shadow now surrounded them, hiding their true identity if they so wished it to add security in their person.


    They were not actually transported to a different place. In fact, they were still in the chamber where they originally were. This was only something akin to an illusion, and the people on the other end of their call could also see them as well as hear.


    ¡°What is the purpose of the urgent call?¡±


    The one who spoke first walked forward, choosing to reveal its identity, it was a humanoid covered in fur, two horns sprouting from its head. Its legs and appearance somewhat resemble a goat. The color of its fur was dark purple, and its fierce eyes were of the color of gold. A Satyr.


    The man straightened his posture.


    ¡°We have a problem.¡±


    It was the greatest of problems that they had thought and expected would fix itself. However, everything that had happened was something out of their expectation since they had already expected what should happen. And yet it did not.


    ¡°What would that be?¡±


    Spoke a female voice before showing herself. She had a curvy figure with grey complexion which could captivate men with the least of effort. She wore a fit dark clothing with the hood lowered down, her long legs covered in fit and stretchable fabric, and dark boots. Her long silver hair fell down, her dark eyes glared at the man. A Dark Elf.


    The man inhaled sharply. He was sure that these fellows of his would not believe him at first. However, he must deliver this invaluable information.


    ¡°... The Princess still lives.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a moment of silence as they processed his words.


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡±


    ¡°No one can escape fate!¡±


    ¡°There must be a mistake.¡±


    Words of denial came into the man¡¯s ears.


    ¡°It is true, there is no mistake.¡±


    He had to explain.


    ¡°First, there was no commotion to the palace nor the capital.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that they were hiding it?¡± the Satyr said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not yet done. Second, well, the princess was walking around the palace and the courtyards. Alive and well. I saw it myself.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°How could¡­


    ¡°Lieren! Did you not also intervene with fate?! Intruded and further supported it?!¡±


    Another figure showed himself in anger. He had dark hair and light brown skin. He had the ears of a wolf evident on his head, and a dark tail on the back of his waist. He was an averagely large man. He was in a robe like clothes, mostly white, red embroidery at the seams, and the large sleeves reached to his hand. A Beastman.


    ¡°Wha¡ª Yes! You saw it!¡±


    The one they asked and responded was a girl having an appearance of someone in their mid teens. She had silky light brown hair, green eyes like jade, and light brown skin. She should be slender as any of her race, but currently she was wearing a green robe which covered her figure. This girl was an Elf.


    ¡°I was sure it was successful, I felt it! I am sure! Perfectly sure!¡± She frantically defended herself.


    ¡°Maybe there was a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! I even sacrificed half my powers to intervene with fate itself to help support the prophecy! And it was permanent, I sacrificed my power just for our people, so don¡¯t even try to question me!¡±


    ¡°...Right, I apologize.¡±


    Yes, they even went this far just to make sure what was foretold to happen.


    ¡°What was the prophecy again?¡±


    The one who spoke had half the body of a horse, and half of a human. He had long brown hair and brown eyes. A centaur.


    The one who responded was the Satyr.


    ¡°The one with hair as white as the winter snow, eyes as crimson as blood, and beauty which encompasses all, will cull and spill the blood of the race of mystic. Bringing an end to the golden era, and the genesis of slaughter. The blood of magic that is to be drawn shall purify the river of life of its impurities. And yet, thirty days after the one¡¯s sixteenth year of birth, thy one shall perish.¡±


    The centaur nodded.


    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t it already past the 30th day?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already two days passed,¡± the man answered.


    ¡°Then, what happened?!¡± the Centaur roared.


    ¡°Could it be the prophecy was wrong?¡±


    ¡°The prophecies are absolute, they have proven themselves many years ago and several times!¡±


    ¡°And I even supported it with my fate altering abilities,¡± Lieren said. ¡°So, it was utterly absolute, it should have happened, she was supposed to die!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think she was the wrong person?¡±


    ¡°No, with the description from the prophecy¡­ that princess fits it. And¡­¡±


    ¡°The Foreteller saw it in her vision. And it matches up with the Princess¡­ she saw that Princess, Estelia Vernisia Wisteria.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ this changes a lot.¡±


    ¡°The Mystic race will be in danger at this rate... W-We will be in danger.¡±


    Fear was evident from the elf¡¯s voice. There was also fear all over the faces of the others. Of course, the man also couldn¡¯t hold back his own anxiety. Who wouldn¡¯t be when you know that extinction was a possibility.


    ¡°What do you suggest we do? Should we have her killed directly?¡± The Beastman asked.


    ¡°We could try that. However, the Cursed Children are getting in our way,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°Damn those horrid creatures.¡±


    ¡°In that case, focus for the time being on slaying the royal family. We can¡¯t let their future go on.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we must stop the lineage of that being.¡±


    ¡°What about the princess?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Tread carefully. Something changed the prophecy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, This changes everything.¡±


    ¡°... Therefore, I suggest finding information for the time being. Ah, by the way, has the princess shown any remarkable skills?¡±


    ¡°None whatsoever. She¡­ she was normal as ever. Clueless, naive, innocent. A completely normal girl.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, focus on assassinating the king for the time being, we¡¯ll start with him. Remember, we must be subtle with this. Otherwise, the Church will involve themselves.¡±


    If they do not eliminate the royal family, in the far future, someone the same as the current princess might be born again. And the mystic race will once again fall into crisis. Therefore, the ideal way was to purge the royal family. And the highest priority was the king. That being said, the current Queen was someone also to be wary of which must also be eliminated thereafter. The Queen bore some resemblance to the princess, however, her silver hair was not exactly white as the princess, and the eyes differed. In any case, she was still to be executed.


    ¡°Then we shall endeavor to make it appear that a human did the deed.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    The man looked around, to his other colleagues. Some others decided to not reveal themselves while a hidden couple remained silent all this time, not letting their emotions show.


    Then he turned to look at the elf who had a terrified expression.


    ¡°Something wrong, Lieren?¡±


    The elf grimaced in anger, her beautiful face crumpled.


    ¡°Something wrong? Are you seriously asking me that?! Of course there¡¯s something wrong! The prophecy failed! And my sacrificed powers were wasted. How could there be nothing wrong? How could there be nothing wrong knowing that we are to be slaughtered?¡±


    ¡°That is why we are doing something about it. We will stop that from happening.¡±


    Yes, their destiny must be changed. Even if prophecies were absolute, they will change it. And to do that, they had to take that princess out of the picture. They must rid this world of her.


    ***


    In a mountainous region where trees were tall and foliages were thick. Numerous wildlife scattered around the forest of tall trees, a myriad of birds flapped their wings as they ascended into the sky. A dangerous region where not only wild animals walk, but also powerful monsters.


    A young man traversed the forest, his long bronze glimmering hair sway with his every step, his golden eyes gazed brightly at his path. He had pale skin and a tall stature. He wore a coat of dark green which appeared luxurious.


    A relaxed smile radiated from his face as he hummed nonchalantly in the dangerous forest.


    ¡°~Hmm~Hmm~Hmm~.¡±


    However, every animal or beast kept their distance, growling as they observed him. However, one couldn¡¯t deny the fear in their eyes as they watched him nonchalantly walk. Even the most powerful monsters in his vicinity didn¡¯t even try to attack him. They must avoid this man, their instincts begging at them.


    The young man swept away any plants that went his way. He smiled broadly when he had reached a wide clearing.


    ¡°Hello, old friend!¡±


    The young man said to the creature lying at the center of the clearing. It was a large being with scales as dark as onyx and glimmered under the sunlight. It had giant dark wings folded on its back, and large four legs. It opened its closed eyes and it revealed vertical irises which resembled those of a serpent¡¯s. Sharp teeth revealed themselves when it spoke in a growly voice.


    ¡°Taneva¡­ you have come.¡±


    The young man, Taneva, crossed his arms with a grin.


    ¡°Of course, not often I get to visit you. Well, you were the one to call, my dear dragon friend, which was a moment of the century!¡±


    The dragon¡¯s lips moved, it was smiling. The man continued as he approached closer.


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t you never bored hanging around this place? I mean, it appears to me that all you do is sleep.¡±


    The dragon lifted its head.


    ¡°If I move around places, Taneva, the humans will fall into discord, even if they only see me fly in the distance.¡±


    ¡°Humans are such cowards. In their cowardice, they would attack you even though you were doing nothing.¡±


    He referred to the humans as though they were of different species.


    ¡°They are afraid because they are weaker than me. And because they are afraid, they will endeavor to erase the personification of their fear.¡±


    ¡°Which causes you to isolate yourself here. I don¡¯t know about you, but this is unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°I am fine with it. At least it is peaceful here.¡±


    Taneva sighed.


    ¡°Whatever you say, so what did you call me for? Could it be that you miss me? I¡¯m fine with that, I¡¯m free to stay here for a few decades if you want.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I appreciate it. However, that is not the reason.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not disappointed. So, tell me.¡±


    The dragon glanced at the far sky before looking seriously at Taneva.


    ¡°The River of Life still breathes.¡±


    The relaxed expression Taneva had turned into surprise before once again returning to a proud smirk, as though he found the thing amusing.


    ¡°Interesting. There¡¯s no mistake?¡±


    ¡°There is no mistake.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! Then, this means, the prophecy got duped or something? Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Prophecies are meant to be absolute. However, for some reason, it did not.¡±


    ¡°Then this could only mean one thing. The River of Life will cleanse this world of the mystic race. Isn¡¯t this something. They must be shaking in their boots at this moment.¡±


    Taneva had heard of the prophecy. Though he found it weird that it foretold the doom of the Mystic race, yet states the death of the River of Life.


    ¡°Indeed. Also, the Cursed Children must be celebrating.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine that. But, now that it turned out this way, will the gods involve themselves?¡±


    Taneva was carefreely speaking when it crumbled apart when the dragon began speaking seriously.


    ¡°No. The Neverending Observer is attempting to cut the gods¡¯ influence in this world.¡±


    ¡°............ The Neverending Observer¡­? He himself...? What?¡±


    Taneva covered his mouth as he tried to comprehend what the dragon just said. The ¡°Neverending Observer¡±. The All Seeing Watcher. This was a shock for Taneva because that deity was only an observer.


    Who watches only and to never intervene.


    His heart began to beat wildly, a little bit of anxiety creeping in.


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°The gods incurred his wrath.¡±


    ¡°Ooooooooh. The order of the gods must be in turmoil right now.¡±


    It was basically one god against many. Yes, the Observer was a god himself. But, the way Taneva saw him when he met him, he was not like any other gods.


    He was normal. Like a normal person.


    ¡°It would seem the gods went overboard in this playground of theirs.¡±


    Taneva said as he spread out his arms, implicating that this playground was this world.


    ¡°If he emerges victorious remains to be seen.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ But, telling all this isn¡¯t all there is to it, right? What do you want me to do? Protect the River of Life? Or kill it?¡±


    ¡°We are not a part of their battle. That being said, the prophecy has changed, and we have no idea how it will end.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re not to intervene then.¡±


    ¡°Watch how things unfold first. Do not let yourself be discovered. Someday, we might have to act.¡±


    ¡°If the River of Life is in danger?¡±


    ¡°If she dies, then that means that fate just corrected itself. But if she lives far longer, then, things have changed completely.¡±


    ¡°This is interesting. What could change fate, I wonder? Could it be the Neverending Observer?¡±


    ¡°We do not know that. I don¡¯t think he would do something like that though.¡±


    ¡°Well, this might be a special case of something unexplainable. But if she were put in danger, I imagine that the Cursed Children will protect her from the Mystic Race or others that want her.¡±


    ¡°So, will you go do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course I will¡­. Should I act now?¡±


    ¡°It would be best, yes.¡±


    ¡°Aaaah, I want to hang out here a little longer. But fine, see you.¡±


    The man turned around and started heading back to the forest.


    ¡°Your anti-teleportation barrier is a pain you know,¡± Taneva complained.


    The dragon chuckled.


    ¡°Bear with it, there is nothing of threat to you here anyways.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah.¡±


    Taneva pondered as he traversed the forest.


    ¡°The Princess of Blood survived, huh. Who would have expected. I wonder what kind of person she is now.¡±


    He smiled.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    And the world is on the move.


    -- I have an exam next week, and a pile of assignments. On top of that, I have some real life serious issues, or perhaps predicaments is the right word. So I might not get to update for a while, maybe for a week. I''m very sorry for this. --

 Chapter 17: The Princess Plays Music

    Ah yes! Music class! My expertise.


    Yes, compared to when I knew there was going to be dancing, this time I was more excited, well not that I was ever excited about dancing. Today was the day for music lessons, and I believe this was where I was to shine. Although that was not entirely why I was excited. I am excited because I will get to use an instrument that didn¡¯t exist back in my old world.


    I knew this because of the memories of Estelia, but that being said, I regret that I wasn¡¯t a master of it yet. However, I expect it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem compared to dancing. With this instrument, I only had to do some chords, meaning I was only to use my hand and fingers.


    It was easier to recall the position of the hands and fingers from Estelia¡¯s memories to form chords. Although I expect I would have some difficulties switching between chords, I will adjust in a short time. I might be able to get through this without having to be scolded due to me being inept or something like that.


    Even so, as long as I know the tune of every chord, I should be fine. The chords and notes used from my old world will be applicable here.


    A tune is a tune. A melody is a melody.


    Music was the language of the universe. Unlike language, music could be understood by all things which had the ability to hear. If the song was endearing, it would be endearing. If a song was calming, it would be calming. That being said, people had music which they preferred. In other words, music was a matter of perspective, whether they like something or not. But music was music, and it could be understood by all.


    Alright, perhaps it was just me over hyping music up. But that was the truth of my universe. Music was what brought a great sense of calm to me. Even if I agonize and despair due to the pain I felt during when I was young, every time a music play, I was at peace. Therefore, when the organization taught a bit of music, I was happy. Although what they taught was just above average, I learned most myself.


    After finishing my breakfast, I went back to my room to take my instruments. Behind me followed the maid who attended me yesterday, again, not Mera. I had some sort of urge to ask my parents to make Mera my personal attendant.


    I entered my room and the maid excused herself in. By the corner of the room, she took the wooden case which had the instrument inside. The case was shaped precisely like the instrument, so it was perfectly fit. The instrument was a rondalla of some sort, longer and bigger than a normal guitar.


    It was roughly half as tall as me.


    The maid was able to lift it with no problem.  As a royalty and the pure and fragile princess, I did not need to do such a menial task like carrying the instrument. Heh, how nice.


    We headed towards the training room, with me having a bright smile on my face. It was genuine this time, however, I mixed some Estelia esque type of smile.


    It didn¡¯t take long before we arrived at the room. When we entered, my instructor greeted me.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Estelia. May our hallowed lord and lady bless the moment of our delightful meeting.¡±


    The beautiful woman in her late twenties placed her palm on her left chest while the other hand lifted her skirt a little, like a curtsy. Meanwhile having her one feet about behind the other, she bowed elegantly, her peach hair gracefully followed her motion, then afterwards her emerald eyes gaze at me.


    My instructor today was a noble. And this was the traditional noble greeting.


    ¡°It is of greatest pleasure to meet you, Madame Lanivia. May we receive the resplendent blessing from our illustrious lord and lady.¡±


    I did the same greeting and bow Lanivia did. But movement so elegant and graceful, my hair as beautiful as an invaluable platinum almost seemed like it floated as I lowered my head and upper body. My charming smile inspired purity and innocence, my face filled with captivating beauty, and eyes as the most beautiful of crimson gazed up to greet Lanivia¡¯s eyes.


    Her eyes widened for a moment before the corners of her lips curled up into a warm smile. She seemed to be impressed by my greeting. Reason for that was because I did a better job than Estelia ever did.


    ¡°Are you ready for your practice, milady?¡±


    This woman was way different than Eleanore. This one was more gentle and kind, which was easier to deal with. To that, I was thankful. Less stress I have to go through, the better.


    ¡°Believe me, Madame, I am profoundly looking forward to our session. It is more accurate to say I am wholeheartedly excited.¡±


    ¡°How glad I am to hear that.¡±


    ¡°That being said, I apologize in advance if I were to make a mistake. I¡¯m afraid I have become¡­ rusty.¡±


    ¡°My, we only had our last session last week.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. However, I had a lot of things in my mind. But, please do not worry. I assure you, it will come back to me not for long.¡±


    She smiled as she heard my firm words. I looked softly at her. Which came to mind, this world had people which had colorful hair. Which came as bizarre to me as someone who came from a world which didn¡¯t have anyone that has a natural hair color such as her.


    ¡°I am taking you up on your words. This may sound hard, but¡­ please do not disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Madame.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a lot of worry or lack of confidence like when I was practicing to dance. I have more love for music after all.


    My maid took out the instrument from its case. A twelve stringed instrument, it was about half as tall as me. At the center of the body there bore a circular hole, atop of it were the twelve strings. I firstly received it by holding the neck then the body. I sat down on a chair and laid the body on my lap.


    A smile escaped my lips when I held it in my arms. The head stock closely resembled a guitar, also with tuning keys on which the strings were tied upon. And of course, the strings vary in size, the large ones were the bass. That being said, I was not familiar with what string this was, it was different from the strings of a guitar or a classical one.


    My instructor also now had her instrument laid on her lap. For the record, both our instruments were lavish looking, no less to be expected from aristocats.


    ¡°Well then, your highness. Before we begin, we shall determine whether our instruments are properly tuned.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes of course.¡±


    ¡°I will play each string, please familiarize the sound of each one.¡±


    It would appear she had already tuned her instrument.


    I listened to each sound of every string of the instrument called a ¡°Liathre¡±. The sound of it closely resembled a classical guitar.


    Then finally she hit the highest note.


    ¡°Did you catch what they sounded like?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡±


    With someone that loves music, and skillful at it due to my hard work, I was now familiar with the notes of each string.


    I plucked each one of the strings on my liathre. Slowly and quietly listened to each one. I reacted when I heard it was out of tune, even for just a little. I adjusted it until it was to my satisfaction. While doing so however, I found myself doing it carefully. Come on, I didn¡¯t want to make the string snap whatsoever.


    Shortly after, I reached the highest note, and with that, my tuning ended. I looked at Lanivia who nodded in satisfaction. She seemed impressed by my work.


    ¡°Then, we should begin once again to the basic tune. Lowest to highest.¡±


    I observed and listened. She plucked the strings slowly and gracefully, her fingers smoothly moving across each string.  Her hand which was around the height of her shoulder. Therefore, I too would need to raise my arm and hand like it. I just hope my arm won''t go numb.


    While her left hand pressed on strings, her right hand plucked. I could hear some notes.


    That¡¯s¡­


    I was familiar with it. I should have known from the memories of Estelia, however, they were not as clear as hearing it personally.


    As I thought, music is the language of the universe.


    What she was playing was the notes do re mi fa so la ti do. While I listened, I intently observed the fingers of her left hand.


    Then, she was done.


    ¡°There, if you will.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    With the neck of the instrument also supported by my shoulder, I placed my finger by the strings. With the memories of Estelia and my observation, I should do good for a little. Back in my world, even though I love music, I didn¡¯t get to play any twelve string instruments. Therefore, this was my first.


    I quickly made the nerves of my hand to make it form the lowest note of do. I plucked. Then next was re, then next and next and next. My fingers were a bit delayed and slower, but I supposed that was to be expected. However, as I went on, I gradually became faster. When I hit the highest note, I didn¡¯t stop and made my way to the lowest again, trying to get used to the motions.


    Moments passed and I stopped. I smiled in delight.


    ¡°You truly do seem like you had forgotten how to form your fingers into the chords.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies.¡±


    I regretfully looked at my instructor.


    ¡°That is alright. Surely it will come back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. May I try out the chords for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    I recalled the chords Estelia learnt. They were basics, but that was fine.


    I formed my fingers into one that I recalled. Plucking a few strings at the same time, although almost like a wave to be soft in the ears. Sometimes when plucking it was better to not pluck at once but having the fingers pluck subsequently after the other. Like a wave. For me it sounded more beautiful.


    My ears perked up after I heard the first chord.


    It truly is the C chord!


    Then I switched to a new chord. It was a D major. Then I did the A major and minor. I also did other basics. After hearing those, I become intrigued.


    I wonder what C sharp is.


    Estelia had yet to learn the form of the chord. However, with my experience from my previous life, and some, well, you could say instincts, I tried to find the correct form. I plucked the strings.


    Oops, that¡¯s not it.


    I tried again for about three more times before I smiled in glee when I heard the right note.


    ¡°Oh? You found the chord Calia highs.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m impressed. I have yet to even teach you that.¡±


    Apparently, the chords had literal names instead of the letters that I was familiar with. Thankfully though, the first letters of the names still had the letter of the notes. I didn¡¯t need to be so confused.


    ¡°I was in luck it seems. Uh, can you help me remember some of the chords?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Estelia of course had forgotten some chords, so I had to learn them from the instructor. I had some difficulty at first, but as time passed, I was getting used to it.


    ¡°You are a great help, Madame. You have my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, I am your teacher after all.¡±


    I smiled widely at her. Then after that, I asked for specific notes.


    ¡°Madame, how do I do a note like this¡­¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t know the form of the guitar, I had to use my voice to replicate that note. By the way, this body had some good voice. Lanivia and my maid ¡ª who was sitting on a chair at a corner ¡ª were surprised when I did that. I suppose they didn¡¯t expect that from Esteila. However, I am very eager to learn this instrument. There was no harm in being determined to learn something that I was supposed to learn.


    In any case, despite being taken off guard, Lanivia still answered my questions.


    After that, I thanked and positioned my fingers into the chords I required. Though I have yet to pluck anything, I was just getting used to the chords.


    Lanivia observed me intently, but I ignored her for the moment. As moments passed, I was a bit becoming smoother in my transitions between chords. Then I did some quiet plucking for each chord, trying to get the feeling to it.


    After that was done, I nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°I shall try this¡­¡±


    I began to play a song. It was slow and simple since I was just starting to play this instrument. However, the way I played it was still beautiful. It was exceedingly endearing to the ears. A beautiful song which would refuse to leave your mind even if several hours had passed.


    The song made the hearts of those who heard it flutter as warmth flushed all over their chest. The notes going through their ears made them remember those that they loved. The song was beautiful, and romantic.


    Lanivia and my maid gazed at me with intense bewilderment and awe as they watched with their eyes, and listened with their ears. They had never expected me to play like this.


    Even though I was playing a slow and simple version of this song, it was still a pretty song.


    This was the song ¡°Fur Elise¡± by Beethoven. This was one of my favorite pieces. Currently, I am only playing a short version, not the complete.


    Then, the song ended.


    ¡°...¡±


    There was silence. I looked surprised as I stared at my instructor who had a dumbfounded look on her face, then to my maid who was¡­ crying. Tears were falling from her eyes.


    Weird.


    ¡°Urys. Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She frantically rubbed her eyes and cheek with her sleeve.


    ¡°M-My apologies. I¡­ I was just reminded of someone I dearly knew.¡±


    She forced a smile.


    ¡°... I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry if what I did reminded you of something sad.¡±


    ¡°No no, you do not need to be sorry, milady. It was a beautiful song, and it touched my heart.¡±


    ¡°... If you say so.¡±


    I returned my eyes to Lanivia. She then spoke.


    ¡°Where did you learn that song ¡ª no, when did you learn that song?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    I played a song which was not known by anyone. I couldn¡¯t hold myself, okay? That being said, I believe it was not a foolish thing to do, okay maybe a bit foolish, but not gravely foolish. It was just a mere song. Nothing was dangerous in doing that. It wouldn¡¯t kill me.


    I just¡­ wanted to do something that I love. Only on rare occasions could I relaxly play music, and I always take such opportunities to heart. And¡­ I want to do what I wanted to do.


    Besides, if I can¡¯t even do something like this, what was the point of this new life? When freedom was finally at hand, would you keep yourself from doing what you love? If I restrain myself here, it would be no different to reassembling the already shattered shackles which used to bind me, and once again slowly, reattach themselves slowly unto my limbs, one by one. I want to do what I want, play music if I want.


    Why should I stop myself from doing so?


    At any rate, I still deemed what I did as something undangerous.


    ¡°Well, the song came to mind once, in a dream. I don¡¯t know why though, it has been on my mind lately.¡±


    ¡°Amazing! It was splendid, your highness! I had never heard such a song before, and it was incredibly beautiful at that. It could be a masterpiece! No, it may already be one!¡±


    She was so excited. I was delighted by this. Seeing that someone loved music so much, like me, made me glad, and brought to me some respect for Lanivia. It was a great thing to have someone that shares your passion.


    ¡°R-Really? But it was not good, it felt like it still needed some work.¡±


    Indeed, that song was not at its fullest potential since I played it on a new instrument. But I imagine, if I practice for a whole day, it would drastically improve.


    ¡°Then how about we work on it? I shall make you obtain the mastery to use the lathia. That way, I believe you can develop that piece you have made.¡±


    Although I did not make it.


    If this song was ever made public, I have to include Beethoven¡¯s name somewhere. In honor of a great musician.


    ¡°Y-Yes, I think if I can practice more, I can perfect the song I played.¡±


    Lanivia and I looked at each other with bright eyes. Then immediately, we began practicing.


    I wonder if there is a piano in this world. But I shouldn¡¯t expect it.


    Having a piano would be wonderful.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    And I''m back.  Almost 3k words of chapter. Need to make up for my absence after all hahaha!


    Formatting changes when I use my PC to paste the chapter here. I lost the indention.... It''s okay, right? It''s more comfortable writing on a PC.

 Chapter 18: Kind Princess

    Around early afternoon, after having lunch together, my music instructor and I were still inside the same room we used to practice. She was supposed to leave around noon. However, she asked that we were to practice for a little while.


    Well, who was I to refuse that? Then, along with a permission from Mother, we were back here. I was actually getting better, I have familiarized a lot of chords and memorised a few. As for the plucking, come on, I played guitar, so not much of an issue for that.


    As for my instructor, she had also learned some chords used on the song I played earlier. However, she still needed to practice on the song itself. But I should say, I was impressed, as expected from a professional musician, she was learning fast.


    Then later on, a servant came to the room bearing the message that my Father had arrived and was now at the gates.


    ¡°Excuse me Madame Lanivia, I have to greet Father for his return.¡±


    I was planning to go out by myself, but Lanivia also rose up from her seat and gently placed her instrument down.


    ¡°I will also be going. It would be impudent of me if I do not greet the King.¡±


    She was a noble, so as one, she must greet the king of this country if she was in the palace. I guess it would be informal and inappropriate to just hide and pretend that the king was not arriving.


    Lanivia, Urys, and I headed straight to the front of the palace where Father¡¯s convoy was expected to come. In addition, the servant who called us was taking the lead so everything was assured.


    As time passed, we finally reached the front door of the main building. When we exited, I saw several carriages pulled by horses. Some were open and had knights riding upon it, while some were closed, which I imagine occupied by other knights. Then at the center was a more impressively designed carriage, colored in gold and red, with an emblem in the shape of a wisteria emblazoned on its doors.


    Standing in front of the door, in the middle of the pathway, was my mother and brother. I could see my Mother rubbing the thumb on her hand, she seemed to be uneasy and impatient. While my brother turned around to face me as though sensing my presence, he smiled.


    I rushed my steps to show that I was excited to see Father safe and sound.


    ¡°Brother, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Hey dear sister.¡±


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    I stood with them. I had an expression of utter concern and fright, as I waited for my father.


    ¡°E-Everything¡¯s fine, right?¡± I asked with a slightly trembling voice.


    Estevan chuckled for a moment.


    ¡°You see how the knights look?¡± he asked.


    I looked at the knights closely from where I was standing as they headed towards us. I returned my gaze to my brother then nodded.


    ¡°Those expressions are not entirely grim. So it is safe to assume that Father is alive.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I smiled brightly with joy lit up in my eyes. ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    I sighed in relief.


    Before long, the convoys stopped, and the king¡¯s carriage in front of us. In that instant, the door charged open. A man wearing a violet armor with golden lines emerged from the carriage. His smile wide as he approached with rushed steps.


    ¡°Greetings my family! I am alright, as you can see!¡±


    I smiled with happiness when I saw how energetic Father was. I stepped forward as though to make sure that my eyes didn¡¯t deceive me.


    ¡°F-Father, are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡±


    Well, to be honest, that didn¡¯t look to be the complete case. I looked at every part of his armor. The plate by the breast was scratched and the trace was as large as two of my fingers stuck together. Then by his left shoulder armor was torn apart, as though something clawed it off.


    Just how much strength did a creature have to cause that?


    I had no idea.


    ¡°Daughter~! I¡¯m not bleeding, am I? Healing magic had its charms, so any injuries are treated. Are you scared for me? Aw~ ¡ª come give me a hug.¡±


    He spread his arms, but before all else, I held out my hands.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t father, your armor will hurt me.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± he sounded disappointed.


    ¡°Welcome back, dear.¡±


    My Mother said to Father as she had a relieved smile on her face.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back.¡±


    They smiled at each other which was followed by a moment of silence when they just stared at each other quietly. Their eyes seemed to be full of fondness and happiness that they saw each other once again.


    I could imagine countless flowers in the background, blossoming for the sake of these two lovebirds.


    Ain¡¯t that sweet.


    Seeing people act like this was a bit entertaining.


    ¡°Father,¡± Estevan chimed in, breaking their moment. ¡°It is truly a great thing that you have returned alive and well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but I don¡¯t know if the same could be said for those who had severe injuries that may as well be called...permanent.¡±


    We turned our eyes towards the soldiers hopping off the carriages. Armors damaged and torn, some by the shoulders, and some by their waist, and some others. Others carried their damaged helms in their hands.


    Then I saw one knight had a bandage covering half his face, blood at the part of his eye. I could imagine what the injury was, he had lost his eye. However, I could still see him smile as he conversed with the other knights.


    In contrast, I saw one knight that had lost two of his fingers on his right hand, the pinky and the ring fingers. But he didn¡¯t seem to think a lot about it. Then there was one who had lost his hand from the wrist. He was not like the other aforementioned knights, he looked like he was in despair, as his face was completely devoid of any form of joy or relief. It sucks to lose a hand.


    Healing spells were a thing. However, now that I saw this scene, I was convinced that healing spells can¡¯t heal everything. If the wound was fatally severe, like those injuries, they couldn¡¯t be healed. That being said, all I have seen for the moment was some body parts that were cut off.


    That means that healing spells couldn¡¯t regrow those body parts. But what if you were cut severely in the guts, organs threatening to come out and blood spilling out, can that be healed? After all, there was no need to regrow but only sealing the wound. I had no definite answer yet. But I was sure that healing spells can¡¯t regrow limbs or such.


    That being said, I wonder if there were other kinds of healing spells or magic that can help with those. Now why was I pondering about this too much? Of course it¡¯s for me. What if in the future my precious fingers were cut, or my delicate hands, or what if my eyes were gouged out? I don¡¯t want to be like that permanently. I want to at least ensure that I could regrow those just in case something bad as that happens to me.


    I love my body, thank you very much.


    ¡°H-How terrible¡­¡±


    I said quietly, my hands trembling as I did.


    ¡°Estel, should we enter?¡± Estevan said.


    ¡°Um, t-there¡¯s no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to force yourself if you can¡¯t bear to watch.¡±


    ¡°But they are our soldiers, aren¡¯t they? I couldn¡¯t just simply walk out knowing that they fought for the nation and was injured in the process.¡±


    My family looked at me dumbfoundedly, a few knights in close proximity were also able to hear me and looked at me with a surprised expression. Receiving their gazes, I flinched and lowered my head while avoiding their eyes.


    My words also seemed to move my Father¡¯s heart as he looked around at his knights.


    ¡°...My Estel is so kind¡­¡± he said as he looked at me.


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m¡­ Is there something we can do for them? At least treat them to an elaborate feast or something¡­?¡± I quietly said that only my family can hear.


    ¡°Well, we can do a feast, I was planning to give them some expensive alcohol at first to serve as a celebration for our success and survival. But since you suggested it, we can maybe do it tomorrow, around mid morning. And no one died, so that¡¯s a plus and cause for celebration.¡±


    ¡°No one died? Truly?¡± Estevan asked.


    ¡°Indeed, even if the battle was hard, we still suffered no deaths.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I ordered them to prioritize their lives and don¡¯t foolishly charge in.¡±


    I recalled the mock battles of the knights at the training grounds. They were stupidly strong. Now I dread to imagine just what kind of creatures gave trouble to these knights, and especially Father. I wouldn¡¯t want to face those kinds of creatures. Those so called Monsters.


    I looked again at the knights who battled those creatures. I tried to imagine those monsters¡¯ strengths. I wouldn¡¯t be able to win if I face such things. Amidst my observation, I saw Elson. He appeared to be completely fine, though some torn armor on a few spots. There was a holster strapped across his waist, hung upon them were daggers, and some were already empty.


    Daggers worked on those things? Hm.


    I doubt plain daggers could cause a light of damage. Elson must have used some Armament Magic or something to those daggers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside for the time being,¡± my Mother suggested.


    We of course agreed.


    On the way, Father encountered Lanivia.


    ¡°Greetings my king, it is of great honor to meet you. May our hallowed lord and lady bless the moment of our delightful meeting.¡±


    Lanivia performed the traditional noble greeting and curtsied formally.


    ¡°Lanivia, a surprise to meet you here. May we receive the resplendent blessing from our illustrious lord and lady.¡±


    My father placed his palm on the left side of his chest and bowed a little.


    ¡°I thought you would have left by now.¡±


    Lanivia smiled.


    ¡°I was supposed to. But I was awed by your daughter, I was tremendously surprised and amazed. Thus, I wanted to take this opportunity to spend a little more time with your daughter.¡±


    ¡°You mean that involves music, right?¡±


    ¡°It is as you say, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This is the first, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I imagine you will be surprised if you learned of it.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡±


    Father looked at me in puzzlement but also a bit of curiosity and interest. Well, I would be glad to show off the skills I was so proud of. But I was not completely confident with the current instrument just yet.


    I acted all embarrassed and avoided his gaze.


    ¡°I wonder what could that be.¡±


    He said.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested.¡±


    ¡°I also am.¡±


    Mother and Brother added.


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡±


    I looked at Lanivia as though asking for help. She appeared to have understood that when she spoke.


    ¡°Ah, it is not ready yet. It is far from perfection since Princess Estelia is still practicing the lathia.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I will look forward to the fruits of your labor, dear daughter,¡± Father said.


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s return inside. I still need to change out of this armor.¡±


    We agreed and all of us entered.


    ¡°You can return to your practice for the time being, we¡¯ll meet again later in dinner,¡± Father said. ¡°And also, your suggestion of a feast for the knights, we¡¯ll talk about that.¡±


    Somehow, when I heard him say that, I felt chills down my spine. I had a feeling that there was a chance that my plan to go out to the city had a chance of being interrupted again.


    No way! I absolutely will not let that happen!


    I was serious.

 Chapter 19: A Big Day

    This was a big day!


    Alright!


    Yes, I am finally going out of this place and touring around the all unknown city. Last night there was a bit of a challenge, but I managed, as you can notice from my excitement.


    So during dinner, father brought the topic of the feast for the knights. And for goodness sake, he wanted me to be the host. Like, come on, no way! I ain¡¯t doing that. Of course I reminded him that I would be going out into the city the next day.


    However, he went and said I can postpone it. Obviously I refused. I waited three days for this, there was absolutely no way I was about to delay it again. What if it was to be delayed again? And again? And again?


    But of course Father just had to insist and even promised to let me go out the day after the feast. After hearing that, I pleaded Brother for help, but he just shrugged. It was vexing. It would seem that Estevan was in favor of it.


    Seeing that my Brother was no help, I asked help from Mother. But, she also agreed with the others. I was being pushed into a corner. But I did not falter. I gave a reason.


    I said to them that I was a lady, a girl. The knights were mostly men, so I said that it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for a lady to attend such a party. But they rebutted that there were also female knights that were to surely attend.


    Yes, there were indeed a few female knights. But I didn¡¯t back down yet. I added that I was Princess, a royalty. If I were in their presence, they wouldn¡¯t be able to let loose since they had to act appropriately in front of the princess. So, I recommended that I should have no presence in their parties so they can enjoy the event to their heart¡¯s content.


    It was certain that their actions would be restrained and reserved, and they wouldn¡¯t fully enjoy the feast if I was there. Father contemplated at first then later concurred. What a great relief that was.


    If everything went down otherwise, the wait would cause me agony. Okay maybe that was an exaggeration since I am a patient girl¡­ Anyways! Now that was out of the way, it was a cause to be happy about.


    In contrast, about me learning some magic. Well, I decided to leave it to my Brother. However, before dinner, he said that we shouldn¡¯t bring out such a topic yet. His reason was that Father had just arrived from a battle with monsters. So it was best to ask Father when he had already rested and was in a brightfully good mood.


    I sort of agreed. People find it hard to refuse about something when they were in a good mood, with nothing to worry and be agitated about. When stressed, well, some would just reject something outright without giving it much thought.


    In any case, I can wait on that part. I was going out of the palace for the time being anyways, so I am to focus on my freedom. I can worry about learning magic after that.


    Which brought us at this very moment.


    I wore a light dress which the skirt reached right below the knees. Not too long so I should be able to move around more freely compared to some dresses a princess like me should wear most of the time. Furthermore, I was wearing a pair of brown boots, which was finely made, I should say, it was definitely expensive.


    ¡°Please tie my hair properly, Mera. So that they won¡¯t tangle around when I wear my cloak and cover my head.¡±


    I spoke to my new assigned personal maid. During dinner, I asked my parents to have Mera become my personal attendant, and I was met with no resistance. Cool. Mera was informed quickly about it, and the morning I woke up, she was there to greet me.


    How nice. She was smiling brightly, so brightly that it baffled me for a moment. I suppose she was just happy to be the personal maid of the Princess. I was glad to have her back of course, she was much more entertaining to tease and to have company.


    ¡°Understood, milady.¡±


    Her flowery voice reached my delicate ears as I gracefully sat down on the chair. I should say, my gracefulness has improved a lot compared to my time in the organization. Maybe it was because I was being a real princess. Oh well¡­


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t tie it into a bun.¡±


    ¡°A bun? You don¡¯t like your hair tied that way, milady?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I like my hair being flourished¡­ Something along those lines.¡±


    In my previous life, I was not quite fond of tying my hair into a bun, even though it keeps my hair from obstructing my view. Thus, I always tie it into a ponytail if I needed to. I like my hair to wave freely.


    Especially now that I have hair as precious as gemstones, yet more polished than any jewels. I don¡¯t want it to be tied like a bun. Not at all!


    ¡°I see. Then as you wish.¡±


    She then went to work on my hair. She enthusiastically styled my hair into a braid. Well, this was nice.


    The room was silent. I decided to have a little chat for the moment.


    ¡°Mera, me requesting for you to be my personal maid was sudden, so I suppose you were surprised.¡±


    ¡°...... Yes, I was surprised when I was told last night¡­ I didn¡¯t believe it at first. After all, you never had someone become your personal attendant.¡±


    Well, yes, Estelia was like that. She never had requested someone to be her personal attendant. Estelia was after all satisfied by how things work.


    ¡°... I suppose. But I was not expecting for you to make up your mind so fast.¡±


    The servants had the capability to accept or refuse such a request. This place had no tyrannical superiors that would forcefully assign a servant to be a personal attendant.


    I turned my head slightly to look at her from the corner of my eyes.


    ¡°I expected you would make your decision after a few days.¡±


    She paused as she greeted my eyes.


    ¡°...... I did give it a lot of thought,¡± she flashed me a bright smile. ¡°But, I was happy to hear the request. So I immediately agreed¡­¡±


    ¡°You were happy?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t comprehend her. Why would someone be happy serving someone? It was no different to being chained to a boulder. Movements restrained, reaches limited, never to escape. And following someone¡¯s bidding.


    What joy is to be found in such things?


    ¡°Yes. Serving you, milady, brings me joy. Standing by your side, following you, aiding you, I am happy.¡±


    Such people were hard to understand. As it was pointless to think hard about it, I didn¡¯t ponder about it for long and gave a short remark.


    ¡°Is that so? I appreciate it, Mera¡­ And, I am glad you accepted my request.¡±


    I turned my head and faced forward, urging for her to continue styling my hair. There was a moment of pause from Mera before I heard her faint voice.


    ¡°Thank you, princess.¡±


    Somehow her voice sounded sincere. But I didn¡¯t think much of it.

 Chapter 20: Awaited Me

    After fixing my hair, Mera and I headed to the palace¡¯s entrance door where my Brother was waiting. A bit behind me, I could sense Mera gawking directly at me as she held the folded brown cloak in her arms.


    I occasionally turn my head to look at her, with a bit of curiosity as to why she was looking oddly at me. Often my movement was swift so I always caught her and she would jolt a little whenever that happened.


    She was quite amusing to watch to be honest. And this was one of the reasons why I had her become my personal maid.


    A few moments later, we had reached our destination. By the door, there my brother, Estevan, was standing in wait. A servant by his side holding the same kind of cloak I had. He was also royalty, so it was to be expected that he should also hide his identity.


    If they were worried about such an issue, then why have him as my guard?


    Well, I did suggest that. But they were the ones that agreed. They could have assigned someone else. That said, my brother was one of the strongest knights, so perhaps my parents wanted someone strong by my side and someone absolutely trustworthy. Whatever, as long as everything goes well, I¡¯m fine with it.


    ¡°Estel! Finally! Hm hm, looking good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, brother. And you look dashing as always!¡±


    ¡°Hearing that from my dear sister is incredibly wonderful. So, are you ready?¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Of course I am. Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Mera.¡±


    I called Mera and indicated the cloak. She spread it open and slid the clothing unto me. I pulled the hood and covered my head, hiding my platinum hair of pure white, and concealing my beautiful face halfway. I pulled the cloak to further cover my body. The cloak was plain, the sewing and the fabric was not as fine as my dress, but that was completely fine. It can help blend in with the crowd and not to attract attention.


    ¡°By the way brother, does everyone in the city know your face?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Of course. As a prince, I often have to show my face, especially on special occasions and festivals.¡±


    ¡°I see. But they don¡¯t know how I look, don¡¯t they?¡±


    He nodded as he wore his cloak. Furthermore, he also strapped a sword which was sheathed by his left waist, then covered it from view.


    ¡°Of course, you never went out of the palace. So no one has seen you beside other nobles.¡±


    ¡°Then this means I am safer than you, brother,¡± I giggled. ¡°The people would swarm you first before they even realize I am the princess.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good. At least I would serve as a good distraction, you¡¯ll be safer that way.¡±


    He patted my head.


    ¡°... Y-Yes¡­¡±


    I acted embarrassed as a faint flush came into my cheeks while I nodded.


    ¡°B-But if there¡¯s danger brother, you better escape.¡±


    ¡°Now now, there¡¯s no need to be so concerned.¡±


    He gave me a confident smile, as though saying he would be perfectly fine. I nodded at him with a relieved smile on my face. Just then, we heard footsteps coming our way. We turned towards the hallways to see both our parents coming our way.


    ¡°Oh, my dear daughter appears so ready!¡±


    Father said with a smile, when he approached closer, he squeezed both my cheeks with his hand. I was startled since it was out of the blue.


    ¡°F-Father!¡± I exclaimed to show my genuine surprise.


    ¡°My daughter is going out for the first time! This is an important event. It¡¯s quite unfortunate we can¡¯t come with you.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, what a shame. We can¡¯t let the whole royal family tour around the city after all. It¡¯s dangerous. Be very careful, okay?¡± My mother said as she held my hand tightly.


    The air around me felt so friendly and warm... Family? A strange feeling this was, receiving the care of others. It was¡­ pleasant¡­ But, I must not be swayed by such feelings. These feelings offer me nothing good...


    Was that really the case? I don¡¯t know. Perhaps¡­ no¡­ I reject these feelings.


    I shook my head to shake off those bothersome thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I have Brother on my side. But, we¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°Good. Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Tell us what you encountered later, okay dear daughter?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    After saying our goodbyes, my brother led me to the palace gates which leads to the outside. The guards saw us, as I already had the hood of my cloak cover my head, and my brother showing his face, most of their attention came to him first.


    But as we approached closer, a lot of their attention had been aimed at me. I lowered my head as I hid behind my brother.


    ¡°Your highness, the prince!¡±


    All the soldiers surrounding us went down on one knee, greeting my brother. It would seem they did not know that it was me. But I suppose that was for the best. Estevan didn¡¯t seem to care that they did not recognize that accompanying him was the princess.


    ¡°Rise,¡± he gave the command and the soldiers all stood up. ¡°We will be leaving the palace for a while.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I shall prepare the guards.¡±


    ¡°No need. We will be fine.¡±


    ¡°... As you wish.¡±


    None of the soldiers were informed that I would be going out. It would be better if a few only knew after all.


    They opened the gates, as they did so, Estevan spoke to the guards.


    ¡°Speak no one of this.¡±


    The soldiers all responded in affirmative. They often stole glances at me. It appears they already had some suspicions as to who I was under the cloak. Well, as long as they know it was me, they¡¯ll know that they had to keep their mouth shut. Unless some of them were two-faced pricks.


    Of course, as the princess as I was, I avoided their gazes.


    As the large gates made of both metal and thick wood opened, the sunlight from the other side leaked through the gaps. The portcullis raised up, the gates opened, I saw a long expanse of the paved pathway, and beyond I saw different kinds of buildings.


    I smiled in glee as I saw the scene before me, and what awaited me to traverse it.

 Chapter 21: The Pretty Bird Had Left the Nest

    The pretty bird had finally left the nest!


    I wanted to yell that out of my mouth, but regrettably I couldn¡¯t do that. But oh well.


    At the moment we were walking down the pathway from the palace gates. My steps were energetic and springing ever so slightly as Estevan followed behind me. A gleeful smile radiating on my face.


    I walked to the edge and saw a clear river stream going down under the bridge we were walking on. The water sparkled under the gentle light of the morning sun, tiny fishes swam and jumped above the surface, shiny pebbles laying under the water stream only made the scene before me more eye-catching


    Too late did I realize that I had stopped in my tracks to admire the beauty. The river, the fishes, the trees rustling in the gentle breeze. I didn¡¯t have a lot of leisurely time to enjoy such sceneries in my former life. I could only barely have the chance to do so.


    That only made me appreciate more what was happening now. I took in a long sharp breath, inhaling the refreshing air.


    ¡°Estel.¡±


    Estevan suddenly called out to me amidst my adoration, I jolted to the side to face him.


    ¡°B-Brother.¡±


    ¡°We only went outside the gates and you¡¯re already this happy,¡± he said with a chuckle, an amused smile blooming on his face.


    ¡°Y-Yes. I couldn¡¯t contain myself. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What are you sorry about? There¡¯s nothing to apologize for.¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    Brother gazed at the river before peering all around.


    ¡°What say we go by the river bank for a while before going to the city?¡±


    I beamed up.


    ¡°Really? We can? Let¡¯s do it! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    I strode ahead first with quick steps. Brother followed and positioned beside me. We reached the end of the bridge and we turned to the side and walked over towards the river bank.


    When we got closer, the sound of the flowing water reached my ears more vividly. So calming and peaceful. I kneeled down with both knees beside the river and leaned forward. I saw my face being reflected on the water surface, there was a genuine happy smile upon it.


    Pretty lips curled broadly, eyes that looked so warm and joyful. Not the face I usually see when I see myself in a mirror. I spaced out for a short moment until I saw Estevan¡¯s face beside my reflection.


    I scooped some water, and a cold sensation came all over my hand.


    ¡°Amazing, the water is so clean.¡±


    I was genuinely amazed. You seldom see rivers this serene and clean back in my old world. I raised my hand filled with water and tilted it slightly, I let the water slowly fall as I observed its clarity.


    I turned to Estevan who was sitting on the grass with folded legs. I smiled at him, showing my happiness. He gave a satisfied smile, as though he himself was glad that I was feeling this way.


    I heard a faint splashing of water, in reflex I turned towards the source of the sound, curious. A tiny fish jumped up out of the water. In addition, a group of fishes swam around.


    Should I try catching a few?


    Thinking to myself, I dove my hand in the water in hopes to catch even just one. But the tiny fishes were swift and evaded my hand. I pouted.


    As expected, they¡¯re quick.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have a hard time catching the small ones,¡± Estevan said as he glanced at the river.


    ¡°I thought so¡­¡±


    ¡°We should bring a net next time, we can go fishing. Plus, there should be a few big ones, so we might just come back home with a few catches.¡±


    ¡°Yes! We should go back next time!¡± I looked at him with excitement. ¡°By the way, I sort of wanted to take a dip in the water, just my foot. But¡­ the water is not so shallow that we can just step in nonchalantly.¡±


    The water would wet my dress. It perhaps reached above my knee.


    ¡°Hm. There should be somewhere we can do that. Should we go find it?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°We plan on going to the city. So I think we should do that next time.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­... It sure is nice and quiet.¡±


    ¡°Does no one live around here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still in the territory of the palace, so no commoners are around here. But if we go further, we¡¯ll start to encounter plenty of houses.¡±


    ¡°Are commoners allowed to come here?¡±


    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t get closer to the palace without permission, it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I took one last glance at the river before standing up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue on, brother.¡±


    He stood up as he patted his pants. Then we went on our way


    ¡°Alright, ah, from here on out, please remain right by my side.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± with that, we strode onward. ¡°Ah yes, it¡¯s a promise that we¡¯ll come here fishing, right?¡±


    Come now, I need a reason to get out, just in case they would be strict with me again. At least next time, I can get Estevan involved.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I promise.¡±


    He smiled while looking at me as he promised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t break it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why would I break a promise I made with my dear sister?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°You better don¡¯t. Else I¡¯ll ignore you for a year¡­¡±


    He gasped as he stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s just cruel! Please have a heart, Estel!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why don¡¯t break your promise.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    I gave him a charming smile before facing forward. At this moment, I began to see houses in the short distance. Some made of bricks, some made of stones, some made of wood.


    I was getting there. The moment I reach the city, I must definitely tour around! It¡¯s going to be an adventure!


    But there must be something I should find while doing so. Blacksmiths.


    Yes, I must find out at least where one was located.


    ¡°Ah by the way brother. The knight¡¯s feast. Is it really happening now?¡±


    ¡°Of course. When they were told about it yesterday, they were overjoyed and cheered loudly as they did so. Then, they were very grateful when they heard it was per your request.¡±


    ¡°... Was it necessary to tell them that?¡±


    ¡°I think so. They think highly of you, you know.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ That¡¯s embarrassing to hear¡­¡±


    Good! The meatshields are ready!


    Well, I was not sure if that was indeed that case. But if Brother said it, that should be what they think of me. Not all, but at least a lot of them. Even if I have yet to fully influence them to be my meatshields, at least this just goes to show I was making a decent amount of progress.


    As we got closer to the houses, I began to see many and many more people. Unlike the extravagant clothes nobles wear that I always see in the palace, the people here wore simple clothing. Plain and unlavish. Although I saw very few which wore clothes that appeared more expensive than normal.


    I pulled my hood even more and also pulled my cloak, covering my body even more. My beauty might attract a large amount of attention when people see it at its full glory. And that would be troublesome. Also, the most I should do was hide my hair. Apparently, my hair was very unique, I heard people in the palace said that, as well as my family, so I should do my best to hide them.


    And now, here begins my entrance to the city. I expect a lot of exciteful things to discover and encounter.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    My patreon is available now. Please support me :)


    The patreon has access to advance chapters. So, if want to, you can read there in advance hehehe.


    Thank you!

 Chapter 22: The Cursed Children & The Eternal Wanderer

    In the capital city of a kingdom in the center of the continent. A nation named after a beautiful flower, a city which bears the meaning of calm and peace. And yet, it was the center of all undesirable eyes.


    In this city named Serene, beings of power lurk within, hidden from the eyes of many. Beings that no ordinary creatures could hope to overpower, nor defeat. One of these powerful beings was a man. Young and handsome.


    In an alley, this young man with long bronze hair was wandering around. His golden eyes looking at something. His smile was beaming with amusement. Why was it? Well, it was because of the bottle of liquor in his hand.


    He nonchalantly looked at the bottle of wine.


    ¡°This is an expensive wine, I hope it''s worth the time.¡±


    Well, not that his time was strictly limited.


    He only arrived in the city more than a day ago, and he did take a leisurely time going around the city. It had been a while since he was here. More than a decade ago when he heard of something interesting and kind of a big deal for him.


    He looked around the alley he was walking in.


    ¡°Hm, it changed a little.¡±


    The reason he scoured around the city was that he wanted to see what changed. Even little ones were interesting. As a being such as himself, he appreciated even tiny things that he deemed interesting.


    He gazed at the bottle in his hand once again.


    ¡°... Fine, just a little sip.¡±


    He was not slacking off amidst his task, just experiencing little things. And a bottle of liquor was one of those little things to enjoy. He opened the cork of the bottle and drank a small amount of its content.


    ¡°Hm, not bad.¡±


    As he expected, the wine was good. Wisteria was one of those who made good quality wine after all.


    ¡°... It never disappoints. Hm, that aside, there sure are a lot of bothersome guys around here.¡±


    Despite him appearing to be fooling around, he was taking in a lot about what was going on in the city. He had to be extra careful, and had to hide his presence to not be discovered.


    ¡°The princess is going to have her hands full.¡±


    The Princess of Wisteria, Estelia. Her hair of platinum was blindingly dazzling, and hypnotizing crimson eyes. He had only started observing her recently. Although, he found nothing worth noting for, especially knowing the prophecy.


    It¡¯s starting to make me think that it was fake.


    But of course it was not, it was absolutely genuine. But he was still a bit confused about it. Maybe things turned out this way because the gods were in disarray. Or perhaps there were other factors at play.


    That aside, as he thought of the order of the gods falling apart, he cheered for the Observer in his heart. He was never on the side of the gods anyway. That was why he felt elated to hear that the Neverending Observer was rebelling against them.


    But the Observer was alone, so there was a high chance he would fail and fall from grace. But if he succeeds, then good luck to the world then.


    He drank a little from the bottle again.


    Alright, the princess is out in the city.


    Quite risky, very in fact. But of course she didn¡¯t know that very risk. He could easily imagine what factions were around in the city.


    The Mystic Race. Then the Cursed Children.


    Those two were the first for the time being, but there would surely be others that would join late.


    Well, I may be the third faction.


    The Mythics.


    He may be alone, but he believed he alone would be enough to be able to call himself another faction. Well, for now he was just watching.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ At least this wine right here is good. I can relax for a bit¡­¡± He furrowed his brows. ¡°Or not.¡±


    He sighed as he sensed a few presence surrounding him.


    They¡¯re fast, as I expected.


    He was already completely outnumbered and surrounded, and the other party were no normal beings. However, he didn¡¯t feel threatened, he was nonchalant as always.


    Then, amidst the shadowy shades of the buildings surrounding him, several figures came into view. Humans, perfectly human in appearance. Men and Women, young and middle aged. However, they were not entirely human which betrayed their completely human outer appearance.


    A man around his early twenties showed himself in front of him.


    ¡°Eternal Wanderer, why have you come here?¡±


    The man had black hair and amber eyes. The others also have the same black hair and amber eyes.


    The Eternal Wanderer raised both his hands, showing he was not intending to fight. The beings before him were serious after all, they were showing their hostility openly.


    And here I thought we had an amicable relationship.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± The Wanderer said.


    The man in front of him glared at him.


    ¡°Your presence alone is something to be cautious about. So, answer me, why are you here?¡±


    He smiled as he looked at a dark corner by one of the alleys.


    ¡°Well, as you can see¡­ I am merely¡­ wandering, obviously. What else could I be doing here?¡±


    The man narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be joking around.¡±


    The Wanderer was amused to see them so agitated.


    ¡°Why do you have to be so cold towards me?¡±


    ¡°You know that reason why.¡±


    Of course he knew. In addition, how serious these people were, he anticipated that they would show themself to him eventually. After all, these guys have more eyes here than the Mystic race.


    ¡°Ah, yes I do,¡± he smirked. ¡°The only Salvation of the Cursed Children. That is the reason why you are here.¡±


    ¡°Then you being here is no mere coincidence.¡±


    ¡°But what if it is? I mean, I always go around places, so it¡¯s certain that I would end up here, at this place, at some point.¡±


    ¡°As if.¡±


    He scoffed, he didn¡¯t believe him at all, despite looking all honest.


    ¡°Come now young man, you were not that hostile to me in the past¡­ What¡¯s your name again?¡±


    He only met this person for a short while, so he had forgotten his name since he wasn¡¯t all that important at the time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to answer that. Now, why are you truly here? Have you come to intervene?¡±


    ¡°What? No,of course not.¡±


    The man gritted his teeth as he spoke in a threatening manner.


    ¡°This is not your battle, Wanderer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m just here to drink the wine I just bought.¡±


    The man walked closer to him as he kept his sharp glaring eyes at him.


    ¡°Just as the Princess survived from the absolute prophecy, you came here. There must be a reason.¡±


    The Wanderer smiled, as though reminded of something.


    ¡°Ah yes! I should congratulate you on that. Good for you! And if I do have a reason to be here, it is surely not to intervene with you, or the Mystic Race.¡±


    ¡°Really now? Hah! As if I will take your word for it,¡± his eyes glowed as he threatened the Wanderer. ¡°If you even dare try to harm her, we will hunt you down.¡±


    The Wanderer chuckled in amusement.


    ¡°Really now? What will you do? Kill me? That wouldn¡¯t work, nor will it ever will. And, if my goal here was to slay the Princess, I would have done so already,¡± the Wander¡¯s power began to emanate just a little. A presence and aura that could drive away mild beasts and monsters due to fear.  ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have seen her, the hope you so cherished would have vanished from your grasps, you would have returned to your pitiful home, crying in agony and despair. Praying that your torment would end.¡±


    ¡°You bastard. If it comes to it, I will just destroy your entire being until there is nothing left of you.¡±


    ¡°Then better ask the gods for a blessing if you wish to do that.¡±


    ¡°Damn the gods!¡±


    The man¡¯s anger and irritation was evident from his voice and eyes.


    The Wanderer sighed and turned towards a corner as his strong aura vanished.


    ¡°Old man, why don¡¯t you come out already. I already know you¡¯re there.¡±


    There was indeed someone there.


    ¡°It seems I can¡¯t trick your senses.¡±


    A faint fog which camouflage with the shadows spoke and slowly formed into a man. He was around his late early forties, black hair and amber eyes.


    ¡°Nice try though,¡± the Wanderer casually said.


    ¡°But I should be the one calling you old man.¡±


    ¡°But I look way younger. Anyways, you don¡¯t have to be so hostile towards me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. We may have been acquaintances in the far past, but we still have different goals. And as you said, this is our salvation, our one and only. We can¡¯t tread everything lightly. I hope you understand, Taneva.¡±


    ¡°Of course I understand. But if I am planning to do something, I would have been acting on it, or have done it.¡±


    Taneva turned to the young man in front of him. The man merely scoffed at him as he stepped back. The older man stepped a bit forward, but still kept a distance from Taneva.


    ¡°Not everything is as it appears.¡±


    ¡°True. However, I ask you, Heneis. If I were to fight either of your factions. Them and you. Which one do you think I would slaughter first?¡±


    Taneva and Heneis stared at each other for a long moment.


    Then Heneis nodded his head.


    ¡°Indeed. You are not a threat¡­for now. And, I couldn¡¯t think what motives could the Mythics have to execute the Princess.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°We are going.¡±


    The older man was about to leave when Taneva called out to him.


    ¡°Ah, before you go. May I suggest something?¡±


    ¡°What could you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Well, you wanted to keep the Princess safe, right? Then I suggest you do not keep her in the dark. If she had even the slightest idea what is going, or what she should be wary about, that could at least extend her life.¡±


    ¡°We are planning just that.¡±


    ¡°But not everything, I suppose? You need her for yourself, after all.¡±


    Hell, she might even die in these people¡¯s hands. Eventually, they will need her out of the palace and this kingdom, and have her for themselves.


    ¡°Taneva, that is our business alone, no need to poke your nose in.¡±


    Heneis said threateningly. But Taneva merely shrugged it off.


    ¡°Fine fine.¡±


    With that, all of them turned into black fogs as they ascended into the air and they became faint to the point that the human eye could barely see them.


    Taneva looked at the bottle in his hand as he pondered. Then took in a small drink.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that I didn¡¯t encounter them at night. That would be troublesome.¡±


    He thought about the Princess. Taneva began to wonder why his old friend sent him to watch. There was no point to it. Maybe it was just him.


    However, he found this situation interesting and so accepted his friend¡¯s request. And he rarely questions what reason could his friend have for requesting things. No harm will come to him anyways.


    Ultimately, he fully trusts that dragon friend of his.


    But he didn¡¯t know how everything would turn out.


    ¡°Good grief, the entire world feels like it¡¯s on the move.¡±


    He casually went onward.


    At this rate, if I feel like it, I might end up helping the Princess in the future.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Oh? Who''s gonna be Estelia''s ally? Hehehe. Or, does she even have any allies at all?


    An oh, my patreon is available now. Please support me?, advance chapters are accessible there. Thank you!

 Chapter 23: Serene

    The streets were bustling with people. Several carriages traversed the paved road. The citizens of the city chattered with their friends and companions as they walked side by side. By the corner of the streets there were a few street vendors beckoning for customers.


    On a small stand displayed assorted and colorful fruits. On a small cart were placed several objects for sale, some seemed worned out indicating that they were already used or secondhand products.


    I watched over it all with my brother as we stood around a corner. I was feeling excited. There were a lot of people, living their ever so normal life.


    I saw middle-aged couples walking with arms clinging to each other as the wife carried baskets. Young men conversed with each other as they laughed with bright smiles on their faces. Young women carried their own baskets as they walked around. Young couples smiling delightfully at each other, the flower of romance beginning to bloom.


    ¡°Everything appears to be busy already.¡±


    It was already slightly past mid morning, and I was taken aback for a moment after seeing the amount of people already walking about.


    The capital city of the Wisteria Kingdom, Serene. I was now standing amidst its grounds. In the far distance I could catch a glimpse of the tall walls. Based on the map presented to Estelia, the wall only stretched far and wide around the north where a dangerous forest lies, where monsters lie. Only the northeast direction had the forest still which had an abundant number of monsters, and the rest was already purged in the far past. As to why the monsters by the northeast still exist? I heard because the monsters were more dangerous and deadly.


    That aside, around the center of the capital was the palace, although the palace itself had some wide personal space. In addition, around the south of the palace were the small territories of nobles from the capital city. Although they only had small domains, they were more influential and powerful than other nobles outside the capital. And one of those nobles that lived on the south side were Eleanore and Lanivia.


    ¡°Yes, the people are already very lively indeed,¡± my brother spoke from beside me. ¡°Well, this is much better than everything being quiet and boring.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes you¡¯re right. So what are we standing around for, let¡¯s go!¡±


    I pulled him by the hand in excitement as we went through the crowd.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big city, so you better don¡¯t give out on me, dear sister.¡±


    I giggled.


    ¡°Do not underestimate me, dear brother.¡±


    As we traversed the street, I was intrigued by the buildings all around. Even though modern architecture was nice, the medieval structures still interested me as someone from a modern time. It brought a somewhat refreshing feeling.


    I watched my surroundings. I saw a group of grown men loudly chatting as a pair held bottles of what I take as liquors. Quite early for drinking ain¡¯t it?


    ¡°You see, there was this one time that a wimp was staring nastily at me.¡±


    A drunkard spoke in a boasting tone.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m annoyed by that shit, so I approached him and asked what the hell was he looking at. But damn bastard just scoff at me!¡±


    ¡°Damn! Ain¡¯t that rude!¡±


    ¡°Sure it was! It pissed me off so I punched him in the face and sent him kissing the ground!¡±


    ¡°Then a fight broke out?¡±


    ¡°Nah, him was a wuss, he instantly fled like a rabbit! That guy was nothing! What a wimp! Hahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Pathetic!¡±


    Now now, I wonder how much of that was true. But they sure were loud. The others sure look like they suck up to that guy. Oh well¡­


    A carriage was moving through the street, quite luxurious I should say. It must be owned by a wealthy person. If I should say, it was moving faster than others.


    ¡°Out! Out of the way!¡±


    The coachmen yelled towards everything that was going in his way, whether it would be people or other carriages. But how would even carriages move faster than you demand? People are just unreasonable sometimes.


    In any case, it seems they were in a rush. But so far, there were no accidents, so everything was fine. I don¡¯t want to be bothered by such things.


    I saw a store under a two floored building, assorted fruits were displayed. It ranged from round red fruits, oblong yellow, peach tiny balls, to large dark green fruits. How a colorful set of fruits.


    ¡°Fresh fruits for sale! The cheapest around these parts!¡±


    The vendor shouted, beckoning for customers. Beside him was a woman, must be someone related to him. From the way I saw it, they were currently having plenty of customers. So business might not be that bad.


    Then I saw a group of children running around. They were around six to eight years old. Many were boys and some were girls. Each and every one of them had bright smiles on their faces as they enjoyed each other¡¯s company. They were having fun.


    ¡°Alright we¡¯ll only hide around here. Go too far, and you¡¯re out of the game!¡± A boy said.


    ¡°What? But there¡¯s barely any place to hide here,¡± complained a girl.


    ¡°And it will be too difficult for the seeker to find you, like last time, one game lasted for one hour.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no way that''s happening again.¡±


    ¡°Fiiiiine¡­¡±


    The boy who was acting as the leader nodded.


    ¡°Then, should the count be only sixty seconds?¡±


    ¡°Too short, make it one hundred twenty!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too long!¡±


    ¡°What? How¡¯s that too long? You always complain about this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°The area is tiny, so the count should be a little shorter.¡±


    ¡°What? Then we can¡¯t find a proper place to hide if time is too short.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes it challenging.¡±


    ¡°Tch. Fine. Eighty seconds? That should be fine right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright, the last that arrived at the gathering will be the seeker.¡±


    ¡°Me? Already? That¡¯s unfair!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your punishment, you were late.¡±


    ¡°Grrr, fine¡­¡±


    The boy walked to the wall and covered his eyes as the other kids began to rush in all directions.


    Are they playing hide and seek?


    I never played that when I was a child.


    But it sure was intriguing to see others do it. And seeing them, it made me wonder¡­ If I lived a different life, if I was not raised in the organization, would everything change? I think it would definitely be.


    Do I regret it? I think not. My very first memory was when I was in that facility of the organization. Already being practiced and trained to become an excellent assassin. I never knew and never went through what was normal for others.


    I couldn¡¯t regret something I never experienced in the first place.


    But was I envious?


    Yes.


    But not so much that I would go mad for it. It was just a sting in my heart.


    But, let¡¯s put that aside now. I don¡¯t want to think about it if I don¡¯t have to.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    MC''s gonna be experiencing the city for a while :)

 Chapter 24: Flowers and Beautiful Eyes

    I saw a store which appeared to be selling bread. A middle aged woman keeping watch. Then a girl about my age emerged from within. An average looking girl, but should still be pleasing to the eyes.


    In her hand was a basket. The way she carried it, and the way the basket swayed in her movement, it seemed to have some contents. As we walked across the store, I could hear their voices loud and clear.


    ¡°Everything ready? You didn¡¯t forget anything, right?¡± the middle aged woman said to the girl.


    ¡°Come on mama, what else should I be carrying other than bread? I¡¯m only bringing old Tommy some bread since he has some trouble walking.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, it did seem that the old man''s condition got bad lately. But he¡¯s not the only one there you know?¡±


    ¡°.... Mama, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The young lad, I was talking about.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up. There¡¯s nothing like that. Then I should be going.¡±


    The girl went out of the store.


    ¡°Be sure to look good, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Whatever mama!¡±


    I glanced at the girl for only an instant.


    Ah yes. I heard one time it¡¯s a wonder of youth.


    But of course I don¡¯t care for such things of similar nature as that. There was not much importance to it.


    Then we encountered a shop which had and assorted types of flowers displayed at the front. Blooming petals adorned with different hues of red, yellow, blue, purple, and interestingly, some had multiple colors.


    ¡°Please have a look at our flowers.¡±


    A little girl, a child perhaps about five years old called out to me as we came across in front of them. She had large amber eyes and short brown hair. She looked at me with her innocent eyes, pleading with me to check out their products.


    As I found such flowers interesting, I stopped in my tracks and peered over the flowers along with a couple of potential customers. A faint trace of gentle aroma graced my nose. Although I have no intention of buying anything. It would be difficult to buy now, but I¡¯ll think about buying later when we¡¯re about to go back home.


    ¡°What pretty flowers you have here,¡± I said to the girl.


    ¡°Y-Yes, thank you.¡±


    I gazed up and found an adult woman arranging and preparing other flowers. It must be her mother.


    ¡°Hm. You¡¯re helping your mother at such a young age, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Not that I understood how good that was. I just heard it was a good thing to do. And I just wanted to commend this child for working. Of course that didn¡¯t mean I am fond of children. I care not for children as I care not for adults.


    I looked at the little girl with my trademark pure eyes as I said those words of commendation to her.


    Her eyes lit up as she stared back at mine.


    ¡°... Beautiful¡­¡± She quietly muttered.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Of course considering our closer distance, I heard her.


    ¡°I mean you have beautiful eyes. I never saw eyes like you have.¡±


    An amused smile emerged on my lips.


    ¡°Quite a flatterer¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°... I was just being honest.¡±


    From this short interaction, it seemed this girl was quite a quiet and shy child. It made me wonder if she even had any friends. Somehow, it reminded a tiny bit of when I was first released from my training, a Graduation, I heard it was unofficially called. Well, I barely interacted with colleagues at the time. I was entirely focused on the task given to me.


    Kill. Kill. Kill.


    That was my entire being and purpose. Those thoughts were what filled me at that time.


    Not that I¡¯m different now. I was basically the same. But, well, let¡¯s just say my disposition changed a bit.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll pass by later to buy some.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you!¡±


    Now now, you really shouldn¡¯t look so happy when customers say such things. Most of the time they say such a phrase, but in the end they never come back. That¡¯s what you call bullshit.


    But what do I expect? She was a kid after all. So this reaction should be understandable.


    But I am considering passing by here later to buy some.


    ¡°See you.¡±


    I said to her before walking away.


    ¡°How kind of you, Estel.¡±


    Estevan said to me from beside. I was baffled as to why he could say such a ridiculous thing.


    People often have a weird definition of kindness.


    ¡°Why do you say so?¡±


    ¡°Well, I took it that you had no intention of buying, so instead of outright rejecting, you said you would return later. If you did otherwise, the girl might have felt sad.¡±


    I looked at him with a smile.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s kindness?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you see such a little thing as kindness, dear brother. Then I suggest you change your views. What I did¡­ I don¡¯t see it as kindness. True kindness is more than that.¡±


    He stared at me for a moment.


    ¡°Is that so¡­? But, I don¡¯t see you as anything but kind.¡±


    Ah, Estelia¡¯s pure and innocent character really put some impression that she was a kind person. But I guess she was. She was not exactly rude, she was exceedingly polite, and she was also a well behaved girl.


    So I guess it was to be expected that he thought of me as kind.


    Then my brother continued.


    ¡°Your recent actions further proves that you are so.¡±


    My actions? Me?


    I tilted my head adorably as I spoke to him.


    ¡°Which actions were being kind?¡±


    ¡°First during the mock battles. Then the time you suggested a feast for the knights.¡±


    Oh. Well shit, I was just playing with the character of being a pure and innocent Estelia. I guess that was being kind¡­? So I can¡¯t exactly deny it.


    And now I suppose people think I am naturally kind. But this will perhaps lean to my advantage. With the way they perceive me, they will likely lay down their life for me. And that¡¯s acceptable.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not kind¡­ And don¡¯t tell me that personally, it¡¯s¡­ embarrassing¡­¡±


    I said innocently while averting my eyes away from him.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± He merely laughed at the way I acted. ¡°Very well very well.¡±

 Chapter 25: Grill

    Just then I smelled something in the air. I sniffed quietly, it was a nice smell. Someone was cooking, no, it seemed like someone was grilling. It was a bit faint, but I could smell it nicely.


    It seems to be coming from the right turn in front of us.


    When we reached a path which leads to the right, I turned to trace the source of the smell. I raised an eyebrow as I saw the source, which piqued my interest. By the side of the street, there was a spot where smoke was rising up.


    A few people gathered in lines in front of a small store on the outside.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    I called Estevan as I led us towards the store. It actually smelled good. There I saw that someone was indeed grilling. Now I grew more interested. I didn¡¯t expect grilling to exist now in a world that appeared to be in the medieval age. As I thought, I shouldn¡¯t always compare this world to the old one. There ought to be differences.


    But whatever. I was glad to find that barbecue exists here. I ate plenty of barbecues in my old life, and it was delicious! Not the ones you find in expensive restaurants. The ones I was talking about were those on the streets.


    I don¡¯t know what I ate made it so delicious, perhaps the sauce? Or some secret ingredient. It was so delicious that it would do well in an expensive restaurant. If memory serves, what I ate were pork and beef, which was stuck into wooden sticks. Oh! There was also the liver, aah, how nice that was.


    Although there were some grilled foods from restaurants that I tasted, there was just something different about those barbecues from the streets.


    Oh well, I just hope these ones are at least on par.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a closer look brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes that place.¡±


    ¡°You know of it?¡± I glanced at him with curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been there a few times. Been a long time since the last one. I was with the other knights and soldiers. The soldiers actually recommended this place, and it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Then the food must be good. Alright then!¡±


    Shortly after we reached the eatery. I looked at the sign above which says ¡°Meaty Sats¡±. Interesting name.


    I looked with anticipation at the food they were grilling.


    I visibly winced at one of the things I saw.


    The hell?


    I pulled Estevan¡¯s cloak and asked waringly.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± He legit looked puzzled as he looked at me as though there was nothing wrong about it at all.


    ¡°Well¡­ Are those worms?¡±


    Yes, you heard that right! There were long and big worms on each stick. They were already turning brown due to being cooked, but I could see some that were still raw, and I could see a dark greenish color from their skin.


    Don¡¯t tell me they eat that?


    Eeeeewww.


    Estevan chuckled in amusement as he looked at me.


    ¡°Yes indeed, dear sister! Those are worms.¡±


    He even sounded enthusiastic as he answered my question. I grumpily stared at him.


    ¡°And it¡¯s being eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Why was indeed the question. Come on!


    ¡°Kukuku,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Why so reluctant sister? It¡¯s actually delicious.¡±


    ¡°So you ate that?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, when you try it, you¡¯ll crave for more. And it¡¯s not like those worms you see on the ground. So it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, then what kind of worms are those?¡±


    ¡°Greleaf Worms. Those worms are actually found on trees and plants. They only eat plants, you know, their leaves. They¡¯re herbivores.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that is different from other worms. They crawl on the ground, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. But they don¡¯t dig down. So that¡¯s a key difference. Believe me Estel, it¡¯s delicious and completely edible.¡±


    I frowned. That didn¡¯t make much of a difference to me.


    ¡°Come on, give it a try. You won¡¯t know you¡¯ll like it until you try.¡±


    I was hesitant since it was a freaking worm. But from the way I see it, there were those that were eating it. And my brother had also tried it, so maybe it¡¯s fine to try? Well, the experience wouldn¡¯t be all that bad to have.


    ¡°Fine. But if I don¡¯t like it, you¡¯ll eat it!¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. Come.¡±


    We approached the front desk and Estevan took out some copper coins from his pocket. I also had some coins on me, well I have to ask to have some money since it would be required to buy daggers. That aside, my family really went on their way to also include some copper coins on our allowance.


    Copper coins are the lowest currency in the continent. Higher to that is Silver, then the highest is Gold. One hundred copper coins equals one silver, and one hundred silvers equals to one gold coin.


    Estevan gave the man small ten copper coins. Then the man gave him two of those worms, it seems one¡¯s price was five copper coins. After receiving them, he gave one to me. Again I winced as I had a grilled worm before my eyes, I could even smell it¡¯s d¡­ delicious aroma¡­ But smell and appearance was different from flavor.


    My brother saw the hesitation on my face, so he took a bite on his own with a smile.


    ¡°See? All good.¡±


    Visible bewilderment on my face as I saw him chew the damn thing with leisure. Bad thing was, I was starting to be convinced that it was indeed not bad. However, the appearance of the food made me feel unpleasant.


    Fuck it!


    I slowly opened my mouth, then took an average amount of bite. My face contorted, not negatively, but positively. It was actually not bad. There, I said it. The damn worm was not bad. There was sweetness as though it was dipped in sauce beforehand. Then by the skin, it was a bit crunchy, then the insides were delicious.


    If not for its appearance as a worm, I could have eaten this with no hesitation at all. But come on, a girl has preferences. And presentation is essential.


    But despite its appearance, I took a few more bites. But I¡¯ll only eat this on rare occasions.


    ¡°I hate to admit it, it¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not having another one.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°So, what are the others?¡±


    I pointed at the meat being grilled.


    ¡°Well, that one is grilled pork, and the other is grilled beef. Both are also delicious.¡±


    Now we¡¯re talking!


    After I ate the whole grilled worm, I asked my brother to buy me the pork.


    He paid sixteen copper coins and received two. The pork was sliced in a number of pieces and was pierced through by a wooden stick.


    So the pork is more expensive, huh.


    As for the taste, well, it was not that bad. I preferred it way more than the damn worm. However, the one from my old world was more delicious. But of course, I shouldn¡¯t expect such things. But I couldn¡¯t help it, you know. Sometimes you just couldn¡¯t control your expectations.


    After trying the pork, I tried the beef, which has the same price as the pork. Come now, it¡¯s rare to go out, so the least I could do was taste all of it. Plus, why would I deny such experience?


    After eating all of them, I nodded my head with satisfaction.


    ¡°Hm, it¡¯s very good. But I¡¯m not trying the worm again.¡±


    Estevan chuckled in amusement when he heard my words.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s very lady-like of you.¡±


    ¡°... Of course, don¡¯t expect me to like something like that worm.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. Then, let¡¯s go onward?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, dear brother.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Adventurers


    Class has started again, and expect slower updates at any point. Not this week though, my goal here is to reach deeper into the plot at the end of the week. I expect it would truly happen. So, the slow down may happen next week. Course subjects are getting hard it seems....


    Gonna try updating daily until the turning point.


    Note: I have rewrote some scenes and events in Chapter 5. Yes, the sole chapter which constantly has problems. How the heck did I mess up so bad there. hahahaha! Anyways, it''s up to you to reread it, changes were at the center point, and a few at the beginning.


    I guess that''s all for the announcement.


    Also, please support me on my Patreon... pretty please? XD

 Chapter 26: Adventurers

    We continued on, as I walked, I recalled something from the memories of Estelia. To be precise the map that she was shown in the past. With that thought in mind, I should really study the local map eventually. I only personally studied the continental map from my previous lesson. And not much was told from it, it lacked intricate details. I suppose it was to be expected in an age where there were no such things as satellites.


    That aside, I should have my hands on a local map for study, I couldn¡¯t just rely on Estelia¡¯s memories alone.


    ¡°By the way brother, we can arrive at the eastern plaza through this route, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed. I guess we¡¯re heading there then?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Why not? I¡¯m interested to see how it is.¡±


    This city has a total of three plazas. The north, west, and east. As we¡¯re heading east, we might as well pass by the eastern plaza.


    Amidst our walk, I saw a group of people walking out of a building. I raised an eyebrow when I saw them. I looked up towards the sign around the entrance of the two storey building, it said ¡°Wellings Inn¡±.


    An inn, huh. And those people¡­


    Seeing how they looked, I instinctively raised my guard, becoming cautious as I closely looked at them. That was because they were carrying weapons.


    I observed them closely.


    A large man had a giant axe on his back. A slim and tall man had a sheathed sword on his waist and displayed in the open. The other man had a spear in hand, the bottom tapping the ground as he moved forward. Then, a woman wearing a light robe, however, she had no weapon whatsoever. But she could be hiding it.


    They were suspicious. They were carrying weapons in a public place. Wasn¡¯t that dangerous?


    I pulled the sleeve of my brother.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Them.¡±


    I pointed at the group by cocking my chin. Estevan shifted his eyes towards them.


    ¡°Oh, what about them?¡±


    I was baffled, he didn¡¯t seem to think a lot about them, even though they were openly having weapons at their disposal.


    Estevan was different since he was concealing his weapon in his cloak. But those guys were flourishing their weapons to everyone.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they dangerous? They¡¯re carrying weapons¡­¡± I said timidly.


    ¡°Oh I see. Actually there¡¯s no problem with that.¡±


    There¡¯s no problem with that? Are you serious?


    Was there no law that prohibits such things? Is this only in this country or also somewhere else? If that was the case to all, then this world needs to work on their policies and improve societal order.


    ¡°They¡¯re what you call Adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers?¡±


    ¡°They belong to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. And through the guild, you can post commissions for adventurers to work with. Of course with a price.¡±


    ¡°What sort of work?¡±


    I mean, they were carrying weapons, so maybe to kill people?


    ¡°You can have them as your escorts. Merchants commonly do that to guard their caravan as they go around other cities or countries. Also menial tasks like, well, building, cleaning¡­.. Also you can task them to find something or people.¡±


    I nodded as I took in the valuable information.


    ¡°Although they are mainly tasked to exterminate monsters. That¡¯s why they are armed.¡±


    ¡°I thought knights deal with monsters.¡±


    ¡°Only for grave or serious situations that would threaten the masses. Like the Elgion forest in the northeast, monsters there are incredibly strong. Therefore, knights would be the ones to handle the problem if it gets any worse since knights are more powerful than adventurers.


    ¡°Of course not all monsters stay in that forest. Some make their home outside of it, and adventurers would be needed to handle them. They are also the ones to exterminate the stray ones. Well, to be clear, not all monsters exist in the Elgion forest. They also come from other forests nearby, so the adventurers are a great help since the knights wouldn¡¯t be able to secure all of those locations all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    So basically, they¡¯re mercenaries. Understood.


    They could even fight, so they were not people to be taken lightly.


    I remembered that there were also forests on the north, east, west and the south. Not like the old world I was used to that was mostly flat lands, rarely to find forests with the exception of mountains where barely anyone lives in.


    Furthermore, not just the capital city Serene, but also the whole Wisteria Kingdom was surrounded by a number of forests, a lot of hills, and a few mountains. So I guess a lot of bad elements exist there, and they need to be balanced out, or in other words, to be eliminated.


    So they go use hired guns.


    That being said, I also need to study about those so-called monsters.


    Damn, I have a lot to study. I feel like I am truly a student now. Only thing missing was going to school.


    Oh, there¡¯s no schools here, that sucks.


    Then, a teenage girl also emerged from the inn. She wore white garb, like a robe, and gave off a vibe of holiness. Like those priests from churches, though in this case she should be called a priestess.


    I¡¯m confused.


    But this was exactly not a place to be asking a lot of questions like having a lesson. When I get back, I¡¯ll slowly learn things.


    ¡°I¡¯m here! Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± the priestess said as she rushed out towards what seems like her companions.


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re always late, come on,¡± the other girl said with a smile.


    The others were also smiling bright in the morning, showing their close relationship. Now that they have gathered, they began walking the same direction we were.


    ¡°Brief us on the job again,¡± the spearman said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied the swordsman.


    They were a team, a party, and being in one was helpful in different situations. There were just some things that needed other hands. You can¡¯t do many things at once. In the past, missions requiring a team were rare for me. Most of the time, a mission was to be carried out solo. But that didn¡¯t mean you would have no one monitoring you, and that was a team in and of itself.


    Like in an office where you are working with your workforce. And those team members you were assigned with, each were commonly sent to different operations. There were no permanent companions and groups. Reason? Because often others would be reassigned to other places. And, sometimes, they die. This moment reminded me of a little something, but whatever¡­


    ¡°There sure are a lot of things to learn. And it is nice to go out, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Estevan looked me in the eye, his eyes tender. He must have empathized with my words since he knows that I never went out of the palace. The world was unknown to me, and today was as though I was finally seeing the world for the first time.


    ¡°... Yes, yes it is.¡±


    I giggled. ¡°Let¡¯s go on, time is of the essence.¡±


    ¡°Understood, dear sister.¡±


    Moments passed as we strolled, and human traffic had begun to increase. Maybe because of the time or the location, or both. Even so, amidst the crowd I was keeping an eye on every building.


    If they were to place a smith shop, there should be one in which crowds were likely to pass by. I was expecting to find one at any moment. But as we went on, I found nothing.


    I was slightly becoming restless. If I don¡¯t find a place that sells decent daggers, then coming here was a waste. Although not exactly a waste, I would still fail the true purpose as to why I came here in the first place.


    I took in a deep breath as I pondered on what to do.


    Tch, if it comes down to it, I¡¯ll find a way to make Estevan talk.


    That was the last resort.


    Then we have reached the plaza.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Disappearing into the Crowd

 Chapter 27: Disappearing into the Crowd

    Numerous people walking around, some loudly conversing, others just quietly roaming around. I moved my eyes towards the center of the plaza.


    A fountain was built upon there, water rising and flowing down. At the top were statues of two figures, a man and a woman, intertwining fingers as they gazed at each other. I assume those were the two gods.


    I saw children playing at a corner, couples sitting on the grass outside the pavement, and some were just standing around as though enjoying their surroundings.


    Colorful flowers planted in different directions, the leaves of trees dancing in the gentle breeze as their shades underneath gave shielding from the warm sunlight. The peaceful and joyful atmosphere graced my presence.


    A faint smile emerged from my pretty lips as I stepped forward and entered the plaza.


    I went straight to the main attraction, the fountain. The clean water reflected my face as I looked down.


    A wind blew past, sending tiny trickles of water from the fountain towards me. But I didn¡¯t mind, it wasn¡¯t a big deal compared to this moment. I felt a sense of freedom¡­


    ¡°Are the other plazas the same as this one?¡± I asked Estevan.


    ¡°There are some differences.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air and the serenity of the moment.


    I looked around, then by street, I saw a lot of people gathering at a single place. It appeared to be some store. I saw one person emerging from the crowd carrying what appears to be wooden souvenirs? They were in the form of a knight, and one was in the form of a bird.


    Carving?


    I suppose they were called figurines. I should get one as a souvenir and remembrance.


    Just then, I heard a somewhat familiar voice, one I heard just recently.


    ¡°Ah! It sure is nice to have some peace and relax,¡± said a female¡¯s voice.


    I turned to look at the source of that voice, and it was the girl I saw first exiting the inn. The one wearing a light robe.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ It¡¯s way better than being in a forest where you might die at any moment.¡±


    The one who spoke was the priestess from earlier.


    It would seem that they were passing by and decided to stop by for a moment.


    ¡°By the way,¡± said the first girl to the man with a sword to his waist. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten that we¡¯ll be buying a knife for me first, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Oh... yes, haha, we¡¯ll do that before we leave the city.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll visit the smiths then,¡± said the man with a giant axe on his back.


    Smiths? Could it be?


    They could be the ones that could lead me to one!


    ¡°In that case, we should go then, the earlier the better,¡± said the man with a spear.


    ¡°Fine, but let me relax for a minute,¡± said the girl.


    ¡°Alright, just a minute.¡±


    The girl looked at the fountain water.


    ¡°They should add some fish, that¡¯ll make things look better, right?¡± she said to the priestess.


    ¡°Hm, I guess.¡±


    I only have a minute. I need to follow them.


    Now how do I get rid of Estevan? I can¡¯t let him see me buy daggers after all. He¡¯ll just refuse. Worse, he might get confused and suspicious of me if I just desired and bought daggers out of the blue.


    I quickly pondered and recalled my surroundings. There must be something that would be useful. Then...


    I had an idea.


    ¡°Brother. Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    I pulled him by the sleeve and pointed towards the souvenir shop. That will be the place where I will lose him.


    ¡°Oh? There?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I saw some wooden works, is that what they sell there?¡± I asked as we walked towards the store.


    I sneaked a glance to my back and the adventurers were already leaving. Heading towards due north.


    Tch.


    I conjured the map from my memories in my head, then added the direction the adventurers were heading. All of those and I made predictions on which road they would be taking. However, this would only be good in the first moment. Any longer and I will lose them.


    In addition to that, I was not personally familiar with the city. Thus, it was another variable that may result in my failure.


    I should have about two minutes. Otherwise I¡¯ll lose them. Better hasten up.


    ¡°Indeed, figurines. Quite an impressive work I should say. Locals and tourists commonly visit it, as you can see,¡± my brother explained.


    With rushed steps, we now stood behind the crowd. I looked around, and there was also a crowd that kept passing by us, this number of people will be required.


    ¡°I want some. They look interesting.¡±


    I said to Estevan while looking at him in the eyes.


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll grab some. Come on.¡±


    I froze as I reluctantly glanced at the crowd.


    ¡°Um¡­ there¡¯s too many people.¡±


    I said with a shaky voice and frightened eyes. I was a sheltered princess. Therefore, it should only be expected that I would be very anxious when surrounded by numerous strangers, and commoners at that. They were different from the people from the palace.


    Furthermore, the amount of people here was not the same as the places we visited earlier. It wouldn¡¯t be strange that I would be reluctant now.


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about you buying some for me? I don¡¯t want the stocks to run out on me.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s no need to worry. I can take care of myself if I just stay here. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±


    He looked around with wary eyes.


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then please hurry, there¡¯s more people coming still.¡±


    I pushed him forward, telling him to hurry up.


    ¡°... Alright, very well. Be careful here, okay?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment. Ah, what do you want precisely?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t know really, just something that looks cute!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, alright. I¡¯ll hurry.¡±


    He separated from me. He squeezed through the crowd as he was in a hurry. Slowly, many obstacles had begun to take him away from my view.


    I¡¯m so sorry about this dear brother. I¡¯m sure my actions will put you in a tight spot...


    As he entered within a few more, I made my move. He was a knight, and I¡¯m sure I had to be extra careful, must leave no trace in my movement.


    I stepped back several times, my steps were completely silent, devoid of all sounds, light, gentle and agile as I disappeared into the crowd.

 Chapter 28: Precious Daggers (Part 1)

    I blended in the crowd as I went to follow the group of adventurers. I am now a bit distant from my brother, and he didn¡¯t seem to notice my disappearance, good. I rushed my steps as I went to the direction the adventurers were heading.


    I wasn¡¯t able to find them immediately. So I frantically searched for them, scanning my surroundings, looking towards every turn. I was hoping that them being a group, walking through the crowds would slow them a bit.


    I have been feeling this a bit lately, but this city was not that hot even though the sun was burning bright within the clear skies. Well, this was perhaps because this world had, you could say, a different environment compared to being in the cities back in my old world. Here, I was barely sweating due to the warmth.


    But that was not important at the moment.


    My targets should be around here somewhere.


    When I looked at the road to the left, I smirked. There the group of adventurers was. They were chatting happily as they walked together. I immediately followed them from a distance, best not to get close.


    I walked along the street casually as though taking a stroll. Although I was looking a bit suspicious due to being hidden by my cloak, but come on! There were literally people bearing weapons, what makes me more suspicious than them?


    That said, there were a pair of soldiers patrolling, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind me. Back in my world, in cities or places with securities, you would invite the eyes of authorities when you hide your identity like I am, and you¡¯ll become suspicious. But here, nope. Maybe cloak wearing people were common here in contrast to my thoughts.


    Oh well, works for me.


    There were a few spots that caught my eyes, but I have priorities at the moment. And once this was done, I had to return to my brother at once. He could be freaking out at any moment. I don¡¯t want it to get worse. If it ends up that way, he might send the knights to find me, ensuing the palace into disarray.


    Better hurry. I was hoping we were getting closer to the smiths shop.


    Shortly after, the group stopped in front of the building and entered. It was a fairly large shop.


    I approached closer and looked up towards the sign. On the sign was an illustration of a sword and shield, and the name written was ¡°Hats Smithings¡±.


    This must be it. I found the place earlier than expected, cool. I glanced through the window and saw swords, axes and a variety of weapons displayed.


    I could wait until the adventurers go out of the store, but that would take long. I¡¯m working on a time limit here.


    That was why I immediately went through the door. On the desks laid swords, short and long. By the wall there were spears and axes. Then up the front, where who seems to be the owner was behind the desk, behind him were also weapons hung up on the wall. However, they appeared to be more finely made than the others.


    As I peered around in this new place, the adventurers whom I was following looked at me, someone who just entered.


    I paid them no heed.


    ¡°May I suggest this then?¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice called to the adventurers as she showed them a knife. She had light brown hair and brown eyes. Perhaps she was the wife of the other man here, whom I presume to be the owner slash blacksmith.


    ¡°This looks fine. Try it out.¡±


    The adventurers¡¯ attention turned away from me. I walked closer to the front desk, and I saw plenty of daggers displayed up front. I smirked within my heart in delight.


    ¡°Hello there! Missy? Yes, you look like you¡¯re a woman.¡±


    The buff man called out to me in a friendly manner, he had short black hair and brown eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re new here, aren¡¯t you?¡± he continued.


    I furrowed my brows underneath my hood.


    ¡°You can tell?¡± I spoke roughly and a bit strongly, entirely different from my innocent and pure voice.


    It would do me no good if I act all naive and submissive. They might take advantage of me and scam me.


    ¡°Of course. I can tell who are my usual customers, and the way you acted, looking around just screams ¡®this is new¡¯.¡±


    Tch, I was that easy to read? What a blunder.


    I was a bit frustrated. However, giving the impression of being a new customer might be to my advantage. This would make shopping a bit easier.


    ¡°I see. Yes, it''s the first time I entered this establishment.¡±


    ¡°Alright! A new customer! So how may I help you?¡±


    I walked closer to the desk and glanced at the daggers.


    ¡°Daggers. May I touch them and have a closer look?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he grabbed the daggers and placed them atop of the table, presenting them to me. ¡°There¡¯re a variety of sizes.¡±


    Indeed, there were small daggers which you could pin between your fingers with ease. Then there was, what I call, medium sized that would be fine to use in knife throwing for me, but can still be used in hand to stab and slash. Then there was larger than that with longer blades. It would be hard to throw those and it won¡¯t work for me.


    I want the ones who wouldn¡¯t obstruct my speed, and attack motions, while able to quick throw. And ultimately, those that I¡¯m comfortable with.


    I sort of wanted a butterfly knife, but the way I saw it, there was none. So perhaps there were no such things here yet.


    As for the design, it was plain. But it would be fine, the important thing was their function. That being said, now that I was here, I sort of wanted to have one for the collection. An old habit of mine.


    I grabbed the medium sized dagger. Spun it adeptly into a reverse grip, then back. I slightly threw and spun it in the air, and caught it by the blade between my thumb and index finger. I threw it in the air again, letting it spin a couple of times, then caught it again by the blades as it descended.


    Then spun it and grabbed it in the hilth.


    ¡°Hm, finely made.¡±


    The weight was fine for me. The man nodded at me a few times with a proud smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re skillful at using the daggers, huh.¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    I waved the dagger in the air for a moment. Then, satisfied, I put it down and looked at the small daggers. They may be small, but they had their uses. Due to being light, they travel faster, depending on the strength I use to throw them. And less strain on my arm.


    Also, due to their size, you wouldn¡¯t easily catch them. But if I were to use one, I need to aim for a soft spot.


    In any case, it¡¯s useful for a quick draw and quick kill.


    I held one and tried it out. The handle was thin enough, fine for me. The blade and the hilt was balanced, in weight and size. The dagger was good.


    As for the largest ones, I wouldn¡¯t consider it.


    ¡°The weapons are good. But do you have darker shades?¡±


    The daggers were in the color of steel, therefore, they were white and shiny, and would glimmer and glint in the presence of light, this color was too conspicuous. Darker colors would be preferable when hiding in the darkness.


    ¡°A darker color, huh. Sorry missy, don¡¯t have those. But you could put a custom order.¡±


    That was a disappointment.


    ¡°Is that so? Then how long will it finish?¡±


    ¡°If one of the smallest, then about a day, for the medium sized, more than a day, Actually, depends on the demand. But since I had no orders yet, I might finish yours faster.¡±


    No can do.


    ¡°I was planning to buy several. But in that case, it will take a few days, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Yes, that is the case.¡±


    ¡°That is problematic.¡±


    I can¡¯t just go out of the palace again just after I went out. And it took opportunities to get here and lose my escort. They might get stricter with me in the future.


    ¡°No choice then... How much for the smallest?¡±


    ¡°That will be two silvers each.¡±


    ¡°The other one?¡±


    ¡°The medium is eight silvers each.¡±


    It was affordable. I have a lot of gold coins in hand after all. Hehe, one of the perks of being a princess. I¡¯m rich, baby!


    ¡°Perfect! Hm,¡± one problem left. ¡°I need something to store these.¡± I looked at the corner where I saw some products earlier.


    The owner realized what I was looking at.


    ¡°Ah yeah, you need something to store these huh.¡±


    I was looking at the sling bags hung at a corner. From the way I saw it, they were made of leather.


    ¡°Indeed. By the way, I will buy ten small daggers, and five mediums.¡±


    ¡°Woah, didn¡¯t expect you to buy that many.¡±


    ¡°A lady has her needs.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± he laughed awkwardly. ¡°Then you¡¯re quite a unique lady then.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I will take one sling bag. Furthermore, I¡¯ll have some sort of sheath for the daggers. You know, ones that are included in the belts or straps.¡±


    If there were an easier way to obtain such things, I¡¯ll take it. And buying was one of the convenient methods. Plus, I don¡¯t know how to make them. Perhaps I can a little bit, but it would be crude and might as well be trash. And finding materials here would be hard.


    ¡°Of course, I was about to bring that up. We have belts and straps. Wait a sec.¡±


    He took a few belts and straps made up of leather from the drawers. Hm, it gave me the impression they were of premium quality since they were kept in a safe place.


    I looked around behind the desk again, I did see some belts, but they were mostly designed for swords, and very few for daggers, and not that good looking. Perhaps not many buy things that I was to buy.


    ¡°Here ya go. It¡¯s fine made, if I do say so myself. And I also brought the darker colored ones.¡±


    Indeed, some may be dark brown, but there were black as well. Of course I immediately reached out for the black colored belt and thigh straps. I nodded, contented. Time may be rare that I would get to use the belt, but the thigh straps will be useful.


    ¡°Then I will be taking four straps and two belts.¡±


    Won¡¯t hurt to have a bit of extras.


    He then totalled the amount of what I bought. Nothing problematic. I still have plenty to spare.


    Damn, being rich is nice.


    I took some gold coins from my pouch, of course I have no need to take out my pouch which had all my money. I can tell which one was the gold because it was a little larger than the rest and different design.


    At the same time, the adventurers seemed to have made their choice.


    ¡°Finally, I can stab the bastards who get close to me,¡± the girl with a light robe who had no other weapons said.


    ¡°Good for you. Let¡¯s use that knife of yours for butchering some boars later. Of course, you¡¯ll be the one doing the butchering, hahahaha!¡± the spearman teased.


    ¡°Uuuh, no way. It¡¯s your job.¡±


    ¡°Y-You can do it, don¡¯t worry,¡± the priestess giggled.


    ¡°Na ah. Hey! You also ended up buying yourself, what about you go first?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh, um. If there¡¯s no other choice, then I¡­ will.¡±


    ¡°You heard that guys?!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    The group of adventures laughed together.


    ¡°That aside, there sure are a lot of good swords here. I¡¯m buying when I save up some more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, which one¡¯s you like the most?¡± the man with the axe asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    And they went on talking a bit more, trivial things that I was not obligated to listen to.

 Chapter 29: Precious Daggers (Part 2)

    As the smith was giving me my change, I spoke to him.


    ¡°You have fine weapons displayed behind you, I¡¯m actually impressed.¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course, those are the things that I worked hard the most.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I can see the hard work from the finished product alone.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, which reminds me, do you also have any premium quality daggers?¡±


    He smirked for some reason. At this moment, he must really now have the impression that I was a wealthy customer. Well, I didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then can I take a look?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, wait for a moment.¡±


    From behind the desk, he grabbed a wooden box, it wasn¡¯t something you would call plain. It was all made up of wood, but it was carved beautifully. Various shapes that resembled vines and leaves were all around it.


    ¡°Here it is, it¡¯s one of my older works, but it¡¯s been untouched for a long time, so it should be completely fine.¡±


    It seems he barely makes any daggers which were of premium made. Mostly what I see were swords, it would appear the swords were more in demand than daggers were.


    He then continued.


    ¡°As for the box, I also made it myself.¡±


    ¡°You have a wide range of talents, I see.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me, missy.¡±


    He placed the box on the table and presented the front to me. He opened the box slowly, a bit dramatic to be honest. But holy shit, it was actually building up my anticipation.


    Well, the age of my old world and here were different, thus, I was actually looking forward to how this dagger was.


    In addition, you rarely find any, you could say, custom made daggers. Well rare for me that is. It was hard to scout, okay?


    Then when I saw the thing inside, both my eyebrows rose up. I have never seen such an awesomely designed dagger before.


    The dagger of plain steel, but there were more. Along the hilt was a trace of gold, wrapping around all the way to the top. In addition to that, there were also that seemed cleaner mixed in along the steel, perhaps silver. Then at the upper side of the handle, the guard, there were carvings of flower petals, in the color of gold and silver.


    Then by the blade, at the center, there were lines and traces of gold, then shapes of flower petals and vines carved in, highlighted by golden hue. The dagger was beautiful and neat. Not only that, it was around a medium sized dagger. I¡¯m impressed just thinking of the intricacies.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± I let out my words of awe.


    I want to have it.


    ¡°Right? I added silver and gold on the steel. Although, I only applied thinly the materials used for cosmetics so that it wouldn¡¯t weigh too much and to keep it balanced.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at a loss for words¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, though it can be used for practical purposes. Personally, I think it fits best to just be a collection.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong¡­ What¡¯s the use of a dagger if not used by its true purpose? And this one, should definitely be used.¡±


    Just imagining as I cut down my foes with it elated me.


    ¡°Oh?¡± he seemed to be taken aback by my words as he raised his eyebrow with smiling lips.


    ¡°... May I touch it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, go ahead.¡±


    I slowly reached out. What I was about to hold was a sacred object. Beauty beyond realms that other people which didn¡¯t have the same interests as mine could understand. I carefully wrapped my hand around the handle, the coldness of the metal spread out through my senses.


    I lifted it up and looked closely.


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±


    I flipped the dagger into a reversed grip and waved it in the air. It could be used perfectly. And, I could see it was still sharp.


    ¡°What fine craftsmanship.¡±


    I¡¯m definitely buying this!


    As I was admiring the beauty of the sacred object in my hand, all of a sudden, the door banged open.


    ¡°Yo!¡±


    A loud man¡¯s voice echoed throughout the entire shop. As they saw him, everyone in the shop frowned, as though displeased by seeing him. I decided not to look back since I don¡¯t want any attention. Plus, I bet the dagger in my hand was more pleasing to the eye than him.


    ¡°What¡¯s...up?!¡±


    Perhaps this was one of the reasons everyone disliked him when he walked in, he sounded drunk. And the way everyone reacted, it gave me the impression this wasn¡¯t the first time that this happened.


    ¡°Why so quiet, hm? Whatever man, I¡¯m resting today so I might as well have my sword repaired, it¡¯s getting dull.¡±


    He walked towards the owner, and stood beside me. Fuck. Of all places, but it was not that surprising since I was talking with the owner. But dammit, it reeks of alcohol! But that was not the problem at the moment. If someone like him caught interest in me, it would be troublesome.


    I pulled my hood, lowering it down some more.


    ¡°Here smithy. Take care of it.¡±


    The smith sent a displeased look at him when the man placed his sword on the desk.


    ¡°Bertos, you better pay this time.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll pay you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t pay last time.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Don¡¯t ya have patience?! I told ya I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    ¡°And when would that be?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Then n¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to deny me your services, Nekero. Or else, I¡¯ll feel displeased.¡±


    The smith, Nekero, looked around his shop, the products and so on. Was this one of those, do what I want you to do, otherwise I¡¯ll wreck this shop of yours? Yup, it seems that way.


    ¡°.... No, not this time,¡± the blacksmith said in defiance.


    ¡°Oh? Resisting? What do you got, eh?¡±


    Bertos looked at the other adventures and snorted.


    ¡°You think those guys can even beat me?¡±


    I stole a glance at the other adventures, they appeared to be hesitant and the girls were shaken. Oh? Was this guy infamous? And if that group were reluctant to resist this guy, then he must be skilled.


    Well, senses and movements are dulled when drunk, so they should be able to beat him. But I suppose it''s this guy''s reputation that made them hesitate. I then looked at what I presume to be the smith¡¯s wife, and she was looking at her husband with utter worry.


    How troublesome.


    If I were to settle with this guy, I have to take in mind that he was drunk. Thus, he wouldn¡¯t be at his full capacity. That being said, this made me think of magic. However, if I had no choice but to strike him, I have to do it with utter swiftness.


    However¡­ This was a public place.


    Bertos then gave a confident smile towards the smith.


    ¡°You got no one, hm?¡±


    It felt like he glanced at me. I didn¡¯t see it since I was avoiding looking at him.


    ¡°Or don¡¯t tell me you have a chance if you have this girl.¡±


    ¡°She has nothing to do with this!¡± the smith defended me.


    I was thankful for that. I hope this will be over with that. But of course, it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Bertos ignored him. ¡°What a nice baby knife you got there, girl.¡±


    Tch! This living corpse just has to keep his mouth talking.


    ¡°Oi, why you not looking at me? Don¡¯t ignore me.¡±


    I kept ignoring him. I would like to avoid trouble if I can.


    ¡°I said don¡¯t ignore me! And I¡¯m curious what beauty you are, come on show us who you are!¡±


    ¡°Bertos don¡¯t involve her!¡± the smith shouted.


    ¡°Stop it, Bertos. I can¡¯t just keep watching,¡± the adventurer with the sword walked towards us.


    ¡°Shut yer mouth!¡±


    He extended his hand towards my hood.


    No no, now that¡¯s crossing the line. Gotta respect a lady¡¯s privacy.


    ¡°Now then, show me yer face.¡±


    I sighed as I made my move.


    The next moment, in a flash, a passing glint of a blade cleaved through the air. Too quick for the unguarded eyes to follow. Then after that, what everyone could only see was an extravagant blade held by a slender and pale hand, pressing against the bare throat of a crude man.


    His throat had a little shallow wound as the blade dug only just slightly, blood leaking through his skin.


    A voice then reached everyone¡¯s ears, emotionless, and cold.


    ¡°Keep on going, and the next thing you¡¯ll see as your insignificant life snuffs out, is your own blood spurting out of your throat.¡±


    I said with my head looking away from him. I didn¡¯t need to look at him to strike, I already got used to doing this. Training wasn¡¯t a waste.


    He froze in surprise, he didn¡¯t see that coming.


    ¡°Oh, try moving a muscle, and you will only feel pain on your throat as it happens. Although, this is a new dagger, so I would like to try it out. But I don¡¯t know if your trashy blood should be what this blade tastes first.¡±


    But, blood is blood. It had been a while since I spilled some blood, since I last killed. And this living corpse, I am willing to put it in its rightful place. What this thing should be, a mere plain, unmoving corpse.


    If he even tries to move which I deemed threatening, my strike will be instant. His throat would have already been slitted before he could even tackle me.


    I waited as I anticipated the fountain of blood that was to come.


    His next action will decide his fate¡­ And I am waiting.


    ¡°...Gh. You¡­¡± he seemed defiant, but he was reluctant.


    Of course he would be. The only thing missing from him would be his life flashing before his eyes.


    Good thing he didn¡¯t have his guard up at all. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to threaten him this way, and an upfront battle may be difficult.


    Even though I had an idea what reputation this guy has from the other¡¯s reaction, that didn¡¯t mean I would also cower before him.


    Fear? If I feel such a thing towards people, how pathetic I would be. What made this man different from other people whom I faced who wanted to kill me?


    ¡°Please! No bloodshed in my shop!¡± the smith yelled out of the blue.


    He sounded pretty desperate.


    ¡°Bertos, I beg you. Back down,¡± he pleaded to the man.


    The living corpse was silent for a while as he pondered what he should do.


    ¡°........... F-Fine. I¡¯ll step back.¡±


    I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes, just a little bit.


    He opened his hand and slowly showed his palm. One by one, he stepped back away.


    ¡°... There, I¡¯m away, satisfied?¡±


    I slightly lowered my blade. As if I would lower my guard.


    I spoke to him.


    ¡°Walk to the door and stand there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he sounded puzzled.


    ¡°Do what I say.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t tell me to immediately leave.¡±


    He walked towards the door and stood there.


    I then spoke to one of the adventures.


    ¡°You with the sword, may I ask you to do something?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, w-what is it?¡± he seemed uneasy.


    ¡°Please give his sword to him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please do it.¡±


    If his sword wasn¡¯t returned, he might get annoyed and just come later, since the smith said he wouldn¡¯t repair it. So it would be good to give him back his sword to make the drunkard a bit relaxed.


    The reason I had him stand by the door and away from me was so that he wouldn¡¯t strike me the moment he had his sword back. But if even though by the door he decided to unsheathe his sword, then the adventurer with the sword would die first, not me, if the situation becomes deadly that is.


    With that, it will give me a little time to strike my target down.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    The swordsman took the sword from the smith and walked towards the man.


    ¡°Here,¡± he sounded tense.


    ¡°Hmph, at least you gave it back¡­... ¡° he took the sword. ¡°Also, you girlie, you win this small round, you got me good. In honor of that, I¡¯ll leave you people be¡­ for now.¡±


    With that, with a loud slam of the door, he disappeared from the shop.


    ¡°How much for the dagger? And oh, please rub off the blood.¡±


    I returned to how I spoke earlier as I presented the dagger to the smith.


    ¡°R-Right, sure. It¡¯s two gold coins.¡±


    He took the blade from me and cleaned it with a piece of cloth.


    I then placed two gold coins on the table.


    The smith returned the dagger to its box. Good thing it was included in the package.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    He took a piece of fabric from the cabinets and spread it on the table. He took my daggers I bought and placed them on top of it, arranging it while doing so. He then carefully rolled the fabric.


    I took the sling bag and wore the strap by the shoulder.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    I took the rolled fabric and placed it inside the bag. How thoughtful of him to place the daggers inside it. I then placed the belts and strap in the bag, and took the wooden box then pushed it down inside the bag before closing the lid.


    ¡°Thank you for the time.¡±


    ¡°N-No, I should be the one thanking you. It¡¯s a pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    I nodded my head and left the shop.


    Now how do I handle my dear brother?


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Undesirable Encounter


    --- damn, assignments are piling up already. Can''t focus entirely on writing, grrrrr.... oh well... --- updates are going to be slower from this moment forward, even though I want to update as daily as I can to reach trending, but I guess I''ll rely on luck hahaha--- Anyways, thanks for reading.


    Please support me on my Patreon, I have advance chapters there :) Thanks!

 Chapter 30: Undesirable Encounter

    Now then, how to mend the situation?


    I just left the shop and I was contemplating how to handle my dear brother. I can already imagine him panicking as he searched for me. He must be in despair realizing his failure to guard me and how he lost me.


    Perhaps he might even be confused as to why I vanished.


    What role should I take?


    Maybe I should take the role of being a stubborn and obstinate girl and leave the spot where I should be since I found something interesting. Should I begin to rebel a bit? Perhaps, hm. But most importantly, I should be utterly apologetic.


    I touched the sling bag.


    I should hide it under the cloak but¡­


    I had to take off the hood of the cloak to put it over my shoulder. But of course I don¡¯t really need to do that.


    I took off the bag that was over my cloak and then hung it by my right shoulder. The sling bag hung straight towards the ground from my shoulder. A bit inconvenient for me, but it will work. I pulled my cloak to conceal myself even more along with the bag.


    It was ideal not to reveal I had this bag, but if it was to end up being discovered, oh well¡­ I¡¯ll manage.


    Alright, I hope you¡¯re still at the plaza, dear brother.


    He could be searching for me, so there was a chance that he was no longer at the plaza and was searching for me all around. But it would be troublesome to find him, especially when I am personally unfamiliar with the city.


    Perhaps you were wondering if I could go home on my own. Of course I can, what am I? A five year old?


    I¡¯ve memorised every route I have taken, so I could just use the route I used earlier to return where I was to begin with. In addition, as long as I know the direction of where the palace was, I will be completely fine.


    I¡¯m not gonna get lost, if I did, then my lifetime of training was put to complete waste.


    As I went on to return to the plaza, my footsteps were rushed since it wouldn¡¯t do good to take long. Of course not too fast since I don¡¯t want any attention to myself. I already did something unplanned at the blacksmith shop, I don¡¯t want to anymore.


    I have another problem left that was my dear brother.


    I don¡¯t want him to go calling the knights now to find me. But I imagine he wouldn¡¯t do that immediately since it was his responsibility to watch over me. And failing that would be a disappointment, not just to everyone, but most importantly to father and mother.


    If we were to meet father and mother later, I have to tell my brother to keep everything a secret before that. I just hope he agrees, which I was seven five percent sure. Well, let¡¯s just see how everything goes.


    The most important thing was that I already have my precious daggers.


    Just then, I instinctively froze in my tracks. My heart beat fast as I immediately went on high alert. A chilling wind just went around me, this was no normal wind. I was surrounded by different buildings, and this type of cold wind was different, and its movements were circling me.


    ¡°Princess of Blood.¡±


    I instantly sneaked my hand into my bag when I heard that voice. Dammit, it was out of the blue. The daggers were wrapped in cloth and at the bottom of the bag. It would be stupid to take them out now, then I just had to take the dagger from the box.


    I immediately turned to look at the source of that sound.


    There in a small alley by the road, a man in dark clothing covered in robes from head to toe, but I could see his face. It was a man in his forties, his amber eyes stared at me, his dark hair blended with the faint dark fog that surrounded him.


    What does this person want with me?


    And Princess of Blood? I had no idea what he was talking about.


    He smiled when our eyes met.


    ¡°Indeed, you are alive, I doubt it no more now that I see you with my own eyes this closely.¡±


    He spread his arms with a smile as he spoke as though in celebration.


    I was puzzled as to why he was acting this way. It was then at this moment that I had realized that I could only hear his voice, and everyone else, and anywhere else, I couldn¡¯t hear them.


    I still feel the chilling wind, it must be what was blocking the sound. This must be another kind of magic. I was irritated that an unknown power was being used on me.


    ¡°The prophecy told otherwise, and your survival changed the flow of the tides, or changed what we initially expected.¡±


    Oh? I smirked inside.


    I¡¯m sorry, did I fuck up your prophecy or something?


    I wanted to chuckle in amusement. That said, I know nothing about this so-called prophecy. But I did get that it seems the prophecy spoke of my death. Or to be precise, Estelia¡¯s death.


    Well, she is dead, and I am here.


    Hilarious.


    In their eyes, Estelia was still alive.


    ¡°Please do not misunderstand, we are overjoyed to see you alive and well, O esteemed Princess.¡±


    He bowed his head deeply as though bowing down to a monarch.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    I took on the Estelia facade as I spoke. Reason? It seems that this person was familiar with me, it would be best not to show who I truly am in front of him. But it made me wonder if he saw what I did in the shop. I hope not.


    ¡°We are not your enemy, Princess.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hm.... I processed his words, trying to decipher the deeper meaning behind it. What he could be doing¡­ I had a faint idea, but it was uncertain.


    ¡°We have been watching you, your Highness. We have been protecting you from others that threaten you, even more so now.¡±


    From what he was saying, it seems he had no intention of attacking me. But I still sneaked my hand to grab hold of the dagger from inside the box which I opened during the exchange. It would be foolish to believe him.


    Even though he had magic, and I do not, that didn¡¯t mean I am not going to fight if there was no other choice. If I were to fall, it would be fighting to the end.


    But, this entire conversation, it gave me a bad feeling. Like, everything was going to change.


    What I was experiencing recently, all of it would slowly change in the future.


    A strange emotion began to creep into my heart.


    ¡°What do y-you mean?¡±


    ¡°Be careful, for various beings have their eyes on you. Be wary of your surroundings and those around you. Even to your allies and ranks, for your enemies will also be among them, that even we are unable to determine which.¡±


    A betrayer?


    ¡°Always be on guard, don¡¯t easily trust anyone. Please live, Princess of Blood.¡±


    He sounded like he was pleading, but I was not in the mood to be empathetic, nor did I have any intention to do so.


    But what was this?


    I was holding the dagger tightly, so tight that my hand began to tremble. A violent emotion swirling in my heart. My facade threatened to break.


    I wanted to explode in anger.


    ¡°Farewell for now. But know that we are also here to watch over you. And oh, I suggest you keep our conversation a secret in order to keep everyone around you safer,¡± he faintly smiled. ¡°Take care, your Highness.¡±


    He turned into a fog and ascended until he disappeared. The abnormal wind that covered me vanished as well.


    I took in a sharp deep breath as my pure and innocent masquerade broke apart.


    I gritted my teeth as my burning eyes of anger peered around, looking for enemies.


    I was furious. So furious that my heart pounded heavily.


    They¡­ They would ruin my peace?!


    My face contorted into anger as I wanted to shout. The dagger held even more firmer as the raging emotion inside me wanted to blast out. I want to slam my fist into a wall. I want to kill. I want to slaughter. I want to execute those who wanted to obstruct my desired path.


    What did I ever do to them for me to end up in this situation?!


    I knew nothing about them. I knew nothing about everything. Who they were, what was going on, what was about to happen¡­


    Everything!


    And now they dare threaten the peace that I have?!


    My days of peace, the days ever since I became Estelia. It came to my mind. They were peaceful. Those were the things I so wanted to have. The freedom. The flowers. The cookies. The lessons. The dancing. The learning. The music. The plan to fish. Eating grilled food. Leisurely walks.


    A place to call home.


    B-But¡­ this was going to happen?!


    It felt like everything would crumble apart. All the things I only experienced for a short time.


    Why?


    Why?


    Why...?


    I took a deep breath. Losing my calm wouldn¡¯t help anything.


    I closed my eyes as I slowly regained my composure.


    Fine then. Anyone who wants to destroy my peace, come at me! I will face you down. I will take you all. No matter how many you are. Even if it''s the entire world. I will eliminate all that dares to take what I longed for. What I wished for... I will have a life of peace.


    I have made my resolve.

 Chapter 31: The Princess’ Plans

    I made my way back to the plaza as I pondered on what I¡¯ll be doing from this moment forward. I searched for my brother, but he was nowhere to be found. I sighed, somehow I felt tired.


    There was a spot outside of the pavement, a grassy spot, plausible to sit at. I wanted to sit down for a while, so I walked over and plopped down to the ground. I embraced my knees as I lowered down my forehead.


    Damn interlopers.


    I recalled the man who spoke to me earlier. He was speaking and saying as though he was my ally or some shit. Protect me?


    Bullshit.


    As if I would rely on them, and as if I would trust them. His words implied that he wanted to implant into my mind that he was my friend and was not a threat. But those kinds of people had their own motives.


    I would never rely on them.


    I only had myself to rely on, to handle everything, to make everything end well.


    ...What if my old allies, from my former world, could I have also relied on them if they were also here?


    I don¡¯t know, perhaps. I¡¯m sure the man who killed me didn''t want to kill me himself, deep in his heart. But I fucked up, I messed up, I failed. It was given that I would be disposed of, and not everyone would hesitate to fulfill the mission and put the rules above all else, even if it violates what they wanted inside their heart.


    The only difference here in this world was that I wasn¡¯t with accomplices.


    What was this I was feeling? Melancholy? Heh, been awhile since I felt something like this. But, this is ridiculous. What a bothersome emotion.


    It¡¯s pointless to feel this way.


    I must first think of the future.


    First, I need to get stronger. I am weak, not in skills of course, I have confidence in that. But what I was wary of was magic. How annoying.


    I can imagine people with the weakest body could be the strongest with the help of magic. Talk about unfairness. As someone who in the past worked hard, went through hell, I can only say that about it.


    How unfair.


    No, what am I saying? I¡¯m not like this¡­


    My mind was in disarray. I was thinking about the things I don¡¯t usually think about. I guess everything that happened is getting into me.


    Tch, snap out of it me!


    Alright! Dammit.


    Plan one, get stronger. I must learn magic.


    Plan two, information. I don¡¯t know how I can learn about what was happening around me, but I should learn first about the geography of this country at least. I must know the area I was operating.


    Plan three, find out who could be of threat. One of the knights could be one of the traitors, should take that into consideration. But I wonder, if they wanted me dead, one of them could have already killed me.


    Was it one of the soldiers? Perhaps, among them, one could be a spy. Could be tasked to only watch over my movements for the time being. But it¡¯s possible they may be ordered to kill me at some point.


    The palace staff? They could have killed me already.


    But nothing was assured.


    Then, what about nobles? Highly possible, people of power always have motives, mostly for themselves.


    That said, what does everyone even want from me? I know completely nothing, fuck.


    But, was I the only one who was told about this predicament? It seems so. The man said not to tell anyone else if I want those close to me to remain safe. But, was I really the only target? The other royal family could be targets. I mean, executing them had more merits than killing a princess like me who had no influence whatsoever.


    But, what if merits and benefits, financial, or anything tangible, were not the only motives to this? Personal grudges? Might be.


    But, why was it that who came to meet me seemed powerful. Was this not so simple as I first thought it would be? Something of greater scale. It couldn¡¯t be. Why would that be? I don¡¯t get it.


    Perhaps I¡¯m wrong. But still, I have no knowledge of anything.


    First, I must find a way to mend the situation even for just a little.


    Then I heard someone panting close to me, followed by a familiar voice.


    ¡°E-Estel?¡±


    I instantly looked up and saw my brother. His eyes opened wide as he saw that it was me, he seemed like he was panicking just a moment ago, but now there was a bit of relief. He was also profusely sweating indicating he was running all over the place.


    I smiled brightly as I jolted up.


    ¡°Brother!¡± I already had one foot forward as though intending to hold him in joy, however, I stepped back with an apologetic expression. ¡°I.... I-Im so sorry.¡±


    I lowered my head with regretful eyes while often sneaking a glance at my dear brother.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    I sincerely said to him with a slightly trembling voice, I averted my gaze instantly after speaking.


    ¡°Where were you?¡±


    I looked at Estevan, he still had that somewhat frightened look.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I saw something which caught my attention¡­ I was only to take a look for a moment, but¡­ I also went to another place close to it¡­ I was so caught up that I didn¡¯t notice how long I was away.¡±


    I lowered my head even more. I have to be careful of my movements, I have a bag full of daggers under my cloak after all.


    I decided not to give a reason like I was kidnapped or snatched or something of similar nature. Abducting a princess is no small matter. If I used that reason, they would definitely send the knights to find the culprits. And they may never stop until they are found, even though there would truly be no culprits.


    Furthermore, I imagine if the search goes on, it will cause headaches in the future down the line. I already have a lot on my plate and a lot to worry about, I don¡¯t want anything more. Thus, I decided to give a simple excuse.


    ¡°I kept searching all around for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you. D-Did we miss each other?¡±


    I blinked my eyes a few times as I pondered about his words.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry for what I did, brother! I troubled you immensely.¡±


    I had a face that was on the verge of crying. My eyes were a bit damp at the corners, and my lips pursed tightly.


    I heard him sigh and the next I felt was his hand patting my head. I formed a bewildered expression.


    ¡°The most important thing is that I found you, and you¡¯re safe. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    His eyes full of fondness and smile so warm faced me.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°But, don¡¯t do that again, understand?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°So, how was your lonesome touring?¡±


    ¡°I-It was great. But¡­ that was a mistake. There are just too many new things that I saw.¡±


    ¡°I see. By the way, you look so melancholic when I found you, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He must have seen me while I was contemplating. I did fold and hugged my legs. I may indeed have looked so sad¡­ Perhaps I was. But that was not what I was intending to convey. It was just comfortable to be in that position.


    ¡°...Um¡ª¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re scared because I wasn¡¯t there by your side?¡±


    He had a teasing smile on his face. I furrowed my brows as a blush came to my cheeks.


    ¡°N-No! It¡¯s not that at all, brother!¡±


    I looked away with a pout.


    ¡°Hahaha! There there¡­¡± he patted my head again. ¡°Your big brother will alway help you if you need help. If you need saving, I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    The way he was acting and talking, it was as though he was speaking to a child.


    I¡¯m not a child, okay? I don¡¯t even look as young as a child. Mmmmmmm.


    ¡°Brother stop that, it¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, you look cute if you act that way.¡±


    ¡°By the way, brother, where are the souvenirs that you bought?¡±


    I changed the subject to show my embarrassment.


    ¡°Aaah, about that. You see, I panicked when I saw you gone, so I dropped them instantly.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­ we can still search for them, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess we can try. Come.¡±


    I followed him, and we arrived in front of the shop which was selling figurines.


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be somewhere here.¡±


    We looked around, on the floor and everywhere, but there was nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± my brother muttered.


    ¡°And it seems we can¡¯t buy another one.¡±


    The shop was closed. They must have sold out already. How very successful, that business. Likely they had pretty limited stocks


    ¡°That¡¯s alright brother, there¡¯s always a next time.¡±


    ¡°I guess... Anyhow, where do you want to go next?¡±


    During the exchange I have thought of what I would do. I was alone in this endeavor. So what do you think I need?


    Manpower.


    Allies.


    Someone to use.


    Someone that can be trusted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home¡­¡±


    Estevan looked at me with confusion the moment I said those words. It was still about mid day, we were planning to at least spend the time in the city until afternoon. However, with how things turned out, I was no longer in the mood for a leisure stroll.


    I don¡¯t feel comfortable here anymore. I needed to think first. Thus, the best option was to return to the palace where it was the safest, compared to here where enemies could pop out of nowhere.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I looked away, appearing to hesitate.


    I peered around the area, looking for someone suspicious, but it was hard to tell and there were a lot of people. That said, there must be some intruding ears somewhere. Could I avoid them? Perhaps unlikely, but I ought to take a good spot.


    ¡°I want to go home,¡± I said.


    ¡°... Is that so? Then that¡¯s fine if that¡¯s what you want... Let¡¯s go?¡±


    I nodded my head.


    ¡°But let¡¯s pass by the flower shop from earlier as we go.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Finally, Estelia is on the move!


    Next Chapter: Put to Good Use


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 Chapter 32: Put to Good Use

    ¡°You came back!¡±


    The little girl from the flower shop from before immediately said to me happily when she recognized who I was. Her eyes so innocent gazed at me. Her broad smile testified even more the positive emotion she was feeling.


    I could hear a faint chuckle from my brother behind me.


    I ignored him and spoke to the girl.


    ¡°Yes. I did say I¡¯ll come back later, right?¡±


    Well, we were passing by anyways, so why not?


    ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll have one each for different colored flowers. Give me the best ones, okay?¡±


    ¡°S-Sure!¡±


    The small girl then called her mother.


    ¡°Mama, um, I need help. The customer said she wants the best ones, but I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯ll pick is the best.¡±


    ¡°Really? Alright then,¡± her mother gently said to her child. ¡°Please wait for a moment, please.¡±


    She said to me and I nodded.


    ¡°What did the customer want exactly?¡± The mother asked her child.


    The child conveyed my order. Then after a few moments, the mother had bundled the assorted flowers in one bundle, tied in a few thin ropes.


    ¡°Here you go, young lady.¡±


    I smiled as I received the bouquet of flowers, gently taking them into my arms.


    ¡°Allow me to pay, sister.¡±


    Estevan offered, so I didn¡¯t need to refuse.


    He paid the bill.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, beautiful miss!¡±


    Oh? Such a flatterer young child. I was a bit amused.


    ¡°Farewell.¡±


    I said to them before Estevan and I began walking again. I gazed at the beautiful flowers as I went. Flowers were indeed beautiful.


    We didn¡¯t speak as we headed back home. Perhaps there was just nothing to talk about, or perhaps what happened earlier was still plaguing my brother.


    I didn¡¯t want to speak for a while anyway. I¡¯m still troubled about everything.


    That said, I have decided what I will do.


    Then when we arrived at the bridge, I stopped in place then immediately looked at my surroundings. It was quiet, no one was around. This place was much better compared to the city. It was safer.


    My brother looked at me with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Estel¡­?¡±


    He was baffled by my worried expression and a faint fear inside my eyes. I looked down before raising them again, looking at Estevan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°B-Brother¡­ I have something to say.¡±


    ¡°W-What? What¡¯s the matter? Something going on?¡±


    He may have been startled by my seriousness. But that¡¯s good, he had to take what I say seriously.


    As I said earlier, I was alone. Therefore, I need manpower. I need allies.


    Someone that can be trusted.


    And one of them was my very own brother.


    I have to tell him.


    What? Don¡¯t tell me you ever thought I wouldn¡¯t tell him. Because the man earlier said not to tell anyone? Ridiculous. What am I? Stooopid?


    No. I¡¯m not that pathetic. I¡¯m not an idiot.


    Having Brother realize what was going will be beneficial. A knight, a royalty, a family of Estelia. What was the point of acting as Estelia if I won¡¯t put it to good use?


    And why would I follow the words of some stranger? I need to have faith in my own decisions, and what I think would be the best course of action.


    Everything I¡¯ve built up, the acting, the efforts, I will put it to use. I will have them protect me. All those that can be used as shields, I shall use them. Those that can aid me, I¡¯ll use them. If I can survive, I¡¯ll use anything that is necessary.


    And the closest thing that could be used for those ends, was my brother.


    Add to that the entire royal family.


    I smirked inside my heart.


    I have the highest in the hierarchy within the kingdom by my side.


    I will put them to good use.


    I opened my mouth slightly as though hesitating to speak. But then inhaled deeply, showing my conviction.


    ¡°S-Something happened earlier actually....¡±


    ¡°..... What do you mean?¡± Estevan narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°T-There was a man¡­¡±


    I averted my eyes away.


    ¡°A man? What happened?¡± His voice sounded a bit stern, anticipating my next words.


    ¡°H-He came from out of nowhere, and it felt like he cast some sort of magic.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Magic?¡±


    Now he sounded puzzled, must not be what he was expecting.


    ¡°He warned me about something. But, there was something strange, he called me by something.¡±


    I looked at his eyes.


    ¡°Go on,¡± he said.


    ¡°Princess of Blood¡­ he called me that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he then shook his head. ¡°Estel, I¡¯m confused, what happened, tell me everything.¡±


    I told him everything the man said to me. As to how I met him, of course I omitted the information about coming from a blacksmith. I just said I was just walking around and the stranger called to me.


    Upon finishing conveying the information, Estevan covered his mouth as he coped up with what I just said. Suddenly, as though in realization, I saw his hand grip his sword¡¯s hilt as he glared at the surroundings.


    ¡°Then, does this mean that there are people watching us? Especially in the city¡­?¡±


    He bit his lip.


    ¡°And to think I left you alone?! I¡¯m a useless brother.¡±


    ¡°B-Brother, don¡¯t blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°Estel, let us quickly return to the palace, I need to speak with Father.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    He suddenly held my wrist and pulled me towards the palace gates. I accidentally dropped the flowers, what a waste. His grip was very tight and his steps were colored with haste. He was seemingly agitated.


    ¡°Open the gates, quickly!¡±


    He instantly shouted loudly the moment we arrived at the gates. The gates quickly opened, we then immediately entered inside.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    The guard greeted him, but Estevan ignored him. When the other guards began to gather, my brother pulled me towards him and held me by the shoulders as if protecting me from danger.


    He was incredibly agitated.


    ¡°B-Brother, can you please slow down?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He flat out denied my request. I never saw him like this. His eyes were so severe that one would hesitate to speak with him.


    It felt like it took no time at all that we reached the front doors of the palace. With no hesitation he slammed them open and we entered, of course that was just him pulling me with him. He then immediately slammed the door shut causing a loud bang.


    ¡°Y-Your highness, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A manservant nearby noticed the agitated Estevan.


    My brother stared at him, no, more like scrutinized him for only a short moment.


    ¡°I want to speak with my father. Tell him I¡¯m coming shortly.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, at once sir.¡±


    The manservant left quickly.


    ¡°B-Brother, may I retire to my room, I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±


    Well, I still need to hide the daggers I have hidden. I have to return to my room immediately.


    ¡°...Very well. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    He delivered me to my room.


    ¡°Rest for a while, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    He closed the door after I entered. I took in a deep breath before facing the drawers.


    ¡°That went very well, didn¡¯t expect him to react that hard,¡± I quietly muttered.


    I took off my cloak and opened the drawer. I took off the bag and when I was about to put it inside, I halted.


    The maids frequently open the drawer, then, where should I¡­


    I looked at my bed.


    Under the bed should do fine. They don¡¯t clean underneath there quite often.


    That being said, Mera was now my personal maid, so she should be the one to clean the room. So I guess I¡¯ll manage.


    It was a pain to not have much privacy. But whatever....


    I placed the entire bag underneath the bed.


    ¡°Should work for now.¡±


    Now then¡­ I wonder how things will turn out.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Time to use the tools kept on the shelves? lol


    Please leave a heart and comment :)

 Chapter 33: Lady of Serenity & Deity of Blood

    Estevan immediately went to his father after bringing his sister to her room. His blood was in a rush because of everything his sister told him. Everything was so sudden, it could have put Estelia in harm''s way for all he knows.


    From what he heard, this was a matter so severe that he couldn¡¯t sit idly by. His father, the King, must learn of this at all costs. Only he has the power to do more things than Estevan ever could.


    He shortly reached his father¡¯s office.


    Estevan opened the door with no hesitation, he already had ordered a servant to notify his father of his visit, so nothing should be surprising about him barging in.


    Inside the office, he was greeted by several papers and quills on the table of his father. Scribes assisted the king in his work, and there was also his mother sitting by the table, appearing to have paperwork of her own. She must have decided to help his husband.


    Estevan was expecting that he would be alone with his father for the talk, but it would be fine for his mother to also hear about the situation involving Estelia as well. No, it would be best for his mother to know about this.


    ¡°My son, you returned earlier than expected. Hm?¡± The king, Leodoule, furrowed his brows the moment he saw Estevan¡¯s serious expression. He didn¡¯t expect that kind of face would greet him. ¡°Something the matter, Estevan?¡±


    Estevan heaved a sigh, venting a bit of his frustrations.


    ¡°Father, Mother, I wish to speak with you two alone,¡± Estevan waringly looked at the other people around.


    The scribes looked a bit puzzled as to why Estevan was looking at them that way. He was always the friendly type after all.


    ¡°... Is that so? Then, leave us.¡±


    Leodoule gave the order, and the servants immediately fled the room. Estevan went to the door and spoke to the servants.


    ¡°Go rest for a while, eat or something.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir.¡±


    With that, they left the proximity of the room. Estevan didn¡¯t want anyone eavesdropping. After making sure there was no one else, he closed and locked the door.


    ¡°Estevan? Is there a problem? W-Where¡¯s Estelia?¡±


    Meliya, Estevan¡¯s mother asked worriedly. Estevan understood why this was, he looked so agitated even though he just went out with Estelia. The way he acted only made everyone think that something bad happened.


    ¡°Estel is fine, mother. She¡¯s in her room.¡±


    ¡°Truly? That¡¯s good, I thought something bad happened¡­¡± she sighed in relief.


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s the matter? Why so tense?¡±


    Estevan walked closer to them.


    ¡°It concerns Estelia. Something happened while she was¡­ alone.¡±


    His father raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°What do you mean alone? Weren¡¯t you supposed to be with her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father. It was my blunder¡­ but there¡¯s something more important at the moment.¡±


    His parents waited for him to continue.


    ¡°Estelia said that a strange man showed himself, he used some magic,¡± he looked at his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°And, he called her ¡°Princess of Blood¡±.¡±


    Both his father and mother held their breaths the moment they heard those words. Estevan didn¡¯t expect them to act this way, as though they were familiar with it.


    ¡°H-How could this be?¡± Meliya muttered.


    ¡°... I had my suspicions¡­ But, I never thought she would truly be¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait! You know about this?¡± Estevan was surprised.


    ¡°Not much, in fact, we know too little,¡± his father stood up and walked in front of the window. ¡°Before that, tell me what happened.¡±


    Estevan nodded his head and told them what Estelia said.


    The King looked at him with bafflement.


    ¡°Prophecy? What? What more about it?¡±


    ¡°That is all I know, he just said that the prophecy otherwise said of her surviving. Then I assume that could only mean that she¡­ should have died.¡±


    Meliya took in a shaky breath, anxiety evident on her face.


    ¡°D-Died? What is going on?¡±


    ¡°And there are many that target Estelia¡­ I never thought it would end up this way.¡±


    ¡°Father, Mother, you were familiar with the term earlier, tell me, what do you know?¡±


    His father looked at him in the eye.


    ¡°Estevan, what do you know of our lineage?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He was confused by the question. ¡°What do you mean? We¡¯re direct descendants of the founders, like any other kingdoms. The bloodline of the first kings and queens.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is what we are. But, we are more than that¡­ We are descendants of the gods.¡±


    Estevan was flabbergasted. He couldn¡¯t believe it, there was no way. But his father wouldn¡¯t jest in situations like this.


    ¡°...Is that certain, father?¡±


    ¡°... We are descendants of the Lady of Serenity and Lord of Compassion.¡±


    ¡°What¡­? I¡­. I never heard of something like this before. I couldn¡¯t even imagine it.¡±


    ¡°About two millenia ago, the goddess and the god walked our land, aiding humans. Then they had a child.¡±


    Estevan listened carefully.


    ¡°A child of two gods¡­ The child was about to be given the title, the Princess of Blood. As she was about to be a child of monarchs.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ no, that¡¯s a long time ago, it¡¯s impossible that Estelia would be ¡ª¡±


    ¡°The child died.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°While a mere baby, the child died, killed to be precise. But it wasn¡¯t stated how. This is all based on the ancient texts that were never publicized, and only a few knew of this. I was planning to tell you boys about this, but I guess it¡¯s now time.¡±


    ¡°...... Wait, father, I¡¯m confused why the child would be given the title of Blood.¡±


    ¡°Serenity was not the Lady¡¯s first title,¡± his mother said.


    ¡°Then what is?¡±


    The King was the one to speak next.


    ¡°Ruling Deity of Blood. That was her original title as Goddess. And, her appearance was described in the ancient text... The Ruling Deity of Blood had hair as white as the purest platinum, skin as white as snow, and eyes as red as the crimson of blood.¡±


    Estevan¡¯s breath stuck on his throat. He closed his fist and pressed it on his mouth, utterly surprised by the revelation. He bit his lip before he muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­. That¡¯s exactly like Estelia.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was only a coincidence the first moment Estelia came into this world, no, I prayed it to be,¡± Leodoule said weakly.


    ¡°I thought it was only because of the mixture of your father and I¡¯s features. But¡­ the crimson eyes were just too much.¡±


    ¡°But, we hoped that was not the case of what we were thinking it to be. But, it was stated in the ancient text that the Lady of Serenity deemed it to be that her daughter was to be reborn again, not to be her direct child, but she would be reborn.¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­ but if the child died, how are we the direct descendants?¡±


    ¡°The Lady and Lord had another child. However, the girl lacked the features of her mother. Then, that is how our kingdom came to be. The child of the gods fell in love with a mortal, and had children. That¡¯s how it was, some of the nobles in our kingdom are descendants of them.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, the blood of the gods really do flow in our veins.¡±


    This was hard to believe, but he had to believe.


    ¡°Then, why was the ancient text not revealed to the public?¡± Estevan asked.


    ¡°To keep us, the lineage of the gods a secret. Having come from the blood of the gods be known to the public wouldn¡¯t be good¡­ that¡¯s what the kings in the past millennia decided. No, it might have been requested by our founders. We do not know the full history regrettably.¡±


    ¡°Then, if the first queen was a god, shouldn¡¯t she be eternal? Then where is she?¡±


    ¡°..... No one knows.¡±


    ¡°If Estelia was the reborned daughter of the Lady, why hasn¡¯t the Lady come?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°.....¡± Estevan clutched his head. He was being overwhelmed by what was happening concerning his dear sister. ¡°And now there are many that¡¯s aiming for her¡­ And what¡¯s with this prophecy they were talking about?¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I suggest we further study the ancient text deeply, we might find something,¡± Meliya said. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it myself.¡±


    ¡°Meliya¡­... very well, I will send some people to help you.¡±


    Then he turned to Estevan.


    ¡°My son, you make sure there are no traitorous worms within the Knights Order.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into the servants myself.¡±


    Estevan had been thinking about something.


    ¡°Father, about Estelia. What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Have her stay here.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°...Depends.¡±


    ¡°Father! I know it¡¯s dangerous, but we can¡¯t make her stay in the palace like a prisoner anymore! I¡¯m against it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for her own good.¡±


    ¡°But for her entire life she had never left the palace¡­ If only you could see how she was the moment she left the gates. Her smile was so broad, eyes full of adoration and face so brilliant in celebration. Like a bird finally able to fly with freedom, free to reach for the skies... She was happy. I never saw her so happy before. It warmed my heart to see her like that. Please reconsider, please, don¡¯t lock her up.¡±


    Leodoule shifted his eyes towards Meliya. Both had conflicting expressions, having difficulties of what to decide.


    The King sighed.


    ¡°I will think of what to do.¡±


    Estevan smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, Father.¡±


    ¡°Now go, do your task.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going out, have them prepare for my leave while you go out.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going, Father?¡±


    ¡°Now that it has come to this, I¡¯m going to the Church.¡±


    So Father is going to request the Church for assistance?


    Knowing his Father, his request would be no less than mild effort. If it was for Estelia, he would use the entire church order in the kingdom.


    ¡°Understood, Father.¡±


    Estevan left the room.


    He will protect his dear sister from any harm. He wouldn¡¯t hold back. Whether they be allies, or friends, if they threaten Estelia¡¯s life, he would cut them down with no hesitation. Family was more important than others.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Eeey, we finally got some story about the gods. And we finally had an idea of what is up with Estelia''s uniqueness. There are a lot that I''m excited to show, but it will take time. Hehehe. Like the Neverending Observer... I don''t know, but it excites me to show his character lol.


    So, what do you guys think?

 Chapter 34: Beginning of the Hunt

    Last night, during dinner, everyone was so tense that I found it hard to talk with them. It seems that my reliable brother had delivered the news. That said, trapped in my room I was, I never uncovered what actions they exactly took.


    However, if I were to guess, they must be making sure that everyone in the palace was to be trusted. In addition, I also heard from Mera yesterday that my father, the King, left the palace. I asked Mera where he could have gone, but she had no answer.


    I wonder where he went. But I¡¯m impressed they acted immediately when they heard of my predicament. Good.


    Now the seeds of my soon to be meatshields and assistance had been planted and ready to be reaped, I am now to focus on my own self for a while.


    ¡°Milady, everyone seems so tense for some reason today.¡±


    As we were heading back to my room after taking a bath, Mera spoke to me with a concerned voice.


    I had no intention to tell her of the situation, she could offer no help whatsoever after all. And my family hadn''t told anyone else what was happening, so I am not intending to intervene. Even so, Mera will have some uses at any point.


    I acted clueless about it.


    ¡°Is that so? Have you heard anything about why?¡±


    ¡°I only heard about his Majesty leaving yesterday, and his Highness the Prince gathering the knights.¡±


    Hm, it seems my brother started at a place he had the most influence on. But I think the knights had the lowest chance of any internal threat. There was also a chance that the stranger¡¯s words were word plays, or there were indeed infiltrators, but couldn¡¯t be in the palace.


    I am lacking information.


    A high chance of infiltrators would be amongst the guards which were commoners. They could easily be hired, or the enemy could use that method to infiltrate and spy in the palace, keeping track of my movements.


    But why was it the enemy has yet to make their move?


    Was infiltrating the palace that difficult? Or eliminating me? Was there something that limits their movements? Or that stranger was indeed keeping those who threatened my life away from me?


    Were the enemies observing for a while? A possibility. Perhaps waiting for the opportune moment, or they were still gathering information themselves.


    The prophecy the stranger mentioned came to my mind.


    He said it changed. How many knew of that so-called prophecy? My enemies likely knew of it. Was the reason they have yet to make their move was because they were startled by my arrival, thus resulting in Estelia¡¯s survival? Making them more cautious about their actions and coming up ways to understand the situation.


    They might be very careful in making their decisions.


    And here I am, so feeble and weak that I can imagine that a single magic could squash me.


    How frustrating.


    I arrived in my room.


    ¡°Wait for me here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    I closed the door.


    This should have been easier if the bath was just on the other side of the room, and if I could dress on my own. But alas, I am a princess. They would just reject my request to let me dress myself anyways if the bath was just one door away.


    In any case, I have a good purpose coming here.


    I kneeled beside the bed, and reached my hand under, grabbing the bag.


    My precious daggers. I have to be armed at all times. You¡¯ll never know when the enemy will come.


    I took out the contents and spread out the cloth with daggers upon the bed along with the straps and belts.


    I lifted my right leg, removed my shoes and placed my foot on the bed. I moved my skirt back, revealing my flawless, smooth, and white thighs.


    Hmmm. Perfection!


    My thighs are more precious than the pig or chicken thighs that you eat!


    ¡­Okay, bad comparison, forget about that.


    Ahem.


    I took a strap and tied it to my thigh. This time I¡¯ll only equip one strap, I¡¯m not going on a full operation here. Plus, it would be easier and safer to conceal the weapons that way. I just need some weapons to guard myself with when push comes to shove.


    There were three slots available. Two slots for small sized daggers at the front side, while one of the medium sized to the side. I took the daggers and sheathed them in. Perfectly fit! They wouldn¡¯t fall off or shake. It seems that blacksmith¡¯s works were designed for each other.


    Well, you could do the same for others, I guess. But it¡¯s always the best to buy things from the same manufacturer to ensure compatibility for their products.


    But whatever, that¡¯s not important, at least my equipment works, that¡¯s the most important thing.


    Good thing the strap was around my size. Of course I wouldn¡¯t pick something that wouldn¡¯t fit me, so it was only to be expected that they would fit. But the smith offered me this, so perhaps he already had an idea of what size would fit me. So it perfectly fits!


    Ah! Gotta stop thinking about these pointless things. I need to focus on the things more crucial.


    I need to find my brother. I need his help to convince father to allow me to learn magic. That will be required, I don¡¯t even know how to start learning that shit.


    Rules of the world differed from my old world. I might need to expand my perception of how things work.


    I cleaned up and hid my things under the bed again. I tried moving my leg, everything was fine.


    We were about to go to breakfast, so I have no need to go looking for my brother.


    I left the room and along with Mera, we headed towards the dining room. When I first saw the three members of my family, I stopped in my tracks.


    Hm. They all looked like they were deeply thinking about something. Must be about me.


    I looked at Estevan who I was about to talk to first. He seemed on edge, he had been like this yesterday.


    Nothing I can do but cheer him on in my heart. I pushed through the tense atmosphere while acting as though I didn¡¯t notice anything strange and stood next to my brother.


    ¡°E-Estel?¡±


    I smiled sweetly as I rubbed my hands embarrassingly.


    ¡°Brother¡­ about my¡­¡± I whispered to him. ¡°...request.¡±


    ¡°Request¡­?¡±


    I blinked my eyes several times as though flabbergasted by his question.


    ¡°Have you forgotten? How mean of you Estevan,¡± I pouted while emphasizing his name, failing to call him what I usually do.


    He jolted up as though suddenly struck by an arrow through the chest, threatening to take his life. He frantically spoke.


    ¡°W-Wait! Um, Ah yes! I remember now! T-That learning thing?¡±


    A faint smile curled on my lips.


    ¡°Yes dear brother, the learning thing.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, yes that. Ahem¡­¡±


    I walked to my seat while receiving the puzzled gazes of my parents.


    ¡°What learning thing do you mean?¡± my mother asked, looking at me for an answer.


    I fidgeted on my seat as I sent a pleading gaze towards my brother.


    ¡°What is it about?¡± my father asked with furrowed brows, which caught me by surprise a little.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to be like this in front of Estelia early in the morning, he was less¡­ What word would fit this¡­? He was less welcoming than usual. I sort of wanted to know what they were up to. But patience. It was still early. I¡¯ll learn it at some point. The most important thing was that it¡¯s for my sake. But I would at least want to have an idea, I¡¯ll just wait for the opportunity.


    Father waited for an answer until Estevan hesitantly spoke.


    ¡°Father, actually¡­ Estel wishes to do something.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡±


    ¡°She¡­ wants to learn magic.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± my father¡¯s gaze shifted towards me.


    I recoiled back the moment I received those strong eyes. It caused instant regret from my father¡¯s expression the moment he saw how I was acting.


    ¡°Sorry, dear daughter¡­ Just... What brought this on? Why do you want to learn?¡±


    Now how should I answer this?


    ¡°I find magic¡­ interesting. It was a mystical thing¡­ And, it has many uses, I saw how the knights use it¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lady and princess, you have no need to learn the ways of the knights.¡±


    I shook my head as I intently looked at my father''s eyes.


    ¡°I plan not to take the ways of a knight. However, there must be other kinds of magic, there is, right? Something that fits me?¡± there must be other variants. There has to be. ¡°Also, as I said, learning magic, I might be able to defend myself from¡­¡±


    I stopped my words and looked down, clenching my skirt as fear was in my eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ I think something is going on¡­ I don¡¯t feel at ease. I want to learn magic¡­ Especially now that¡­ I feel¡­ unsafe. So weak. I want power...¡±


    My hands trembled intensely. I was reminding them of what happened yesterday. This would at least make Father consider it.


    ¡°...¡± my father looked at my mother, as though asking what her opinion was.


    My mother reached out and held my hand. She squeezed it, tightly it was soft, the warmth of her hand came to mine. I looked at her eyes which were full of fondness.


    ¡°Estelia, do not fear, for we are here.¡±


    ¡°... But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Mother turned to father. ¡°I think it is fine for her to learn, even I myself know a little bit, it is no harm for her to learn, yes?¡±


    ¡°Meliya¡­ but if I recall correctly, when you were young, you kept it a secret as you learned by yourself.¡± my father said with a smile.


    ¡°... Indeed that was the case, but no harm, correct?¡±


    My father pondered for a while.


    I was a bit surprised to hear that my mother knew how to do magic. I don¡¯t quite recall her performing it in front of Estelia. Perhaps her capabilities were so small that it was not performed in front of everybody else? Or she decided not to do it because there was no reason to.


    Ladies of the court had no need to worry about obtaining power, for the men will be the ones to protect them. That was why normally, ladies had no need to strive for strength and focus on other things. Their home, politics, diplomacy, sociality and many more matters that have no need for strength but yet essential.


    Perhaps that was why as a princess of the kingdom, I was not taught such things as magic in the beginning. Princesses, or ladies, were not required muscles to lift weights, nor were they required to obtain strength to crush their enemies with their fists or cut them down with swords.


    The men were to be the ones to focus on using their strength, and the ladies were to cover where there might be weaknesses for their partner. Cover their blind spots, you could say. However, this somehow gave me the feeling that it was this way so that the ladies would be protected as the men risked their lives for them, just to keep the ladies out of danger.


    How caring. I guess as expected of such a romantic kingdom that its legit origins were romance, and also the gods it worships.


    That being said, this was no absolute rule. When it was considerably required, they could do what they needed to be done. Then there were some females among the knights, thus proving that rule wasn¡¯t mandatory.


    Even so, I was no mere noble like those knights.


    That aside, mother¡¯s right, no harm from learning it.


    ¡°Very well,¡± my father finally gave his permission. ¡°There are books in the library you can read. However, I personally will choose what books you are to read. So, you have to be a bit patient, Estelia. Tomorrow should be fine, right?¡±


    How long would it take just to pick out a few books?! Whatever, he must be busy to go to the library to pick out the right books now. Tomorrow would be fine, at least it wasn¡¯t days. Besides, they must be working on my threatening situation, so it¡¯s alright. Keep working for my sake.


    Besides, I have to feel around the palace today anyway.


    Gonna scout the area, familiarize the faces of people here. Observe their actions towards me. How would my enemies react if they saw me? Or those who had interests in me.


    It will be risky, I know. But I¡¯ll achieve nothing, progress nothing, if I do not act myself.


    ¡°Yes! That is fine!¡± a happy smile emerged on my lips.


    I must act to defend my peace. I must act to exterminate my enemies.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next chapter: Suspicions

 Chapter 35: Suspicions

    After finishing our breakfast, my father immediately spoke.


    ¡°Estelia, if you¡¯re planning to leave your room, have a personal guard always with you.¡±


    Oh? Have they found someone trustworthy?


    I nodded my head.


    ¡°Vernon,¡± he called out.


    Just then, a manservant wearing the usual male uniform came in. He wore clothes resembling a black tailcoat, black pants and shoes. He appeared to be old as his hair and beard had almost turned white. Maybe he was around his early sixties or late fifties?


    ¡°Estelia, you might already know him, but he¡¯s Vernon Escaleo. He has been serving me for decades, I trust him. You are free to rely on him.¡±


    He introduced him to me. Although, I remember him from Estelia¡¯s memory.


    But this is good. I hope he doesn¡¯t obstruct my plans.


    ¡°As for fighting abilities, he is excellent and skilled. The most he excels at is unarmed combat, he¡¯s going to be a good bodyguard for you,¡± he turned to Vernon. ¡°Vernon, protect my daughter with your life.¡±


    Vernon bowed deeply as he spoke.


    ¡°Of course, your Majesty. I will sacrifice my life if it comes to it.¡±


    An impressive loyalty. I guess this means there was another meatshield now, well, if he held his words deeply in his heart. I still don¡¯t understand those who offer everything to their masters. Due to lack of understanding, I can¡¯t determine anything concrete about his character or anticipate his actions.


    Well, this was also because I don¡¯t know much about him. Estelia¡¯s memory doesn¡¯t tell me much, just that she often sees him beside Father. She didn¡¯t know much about his nature.


    I spoke to my father.


    ¡°So, he would be helping Mera I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could say that.¡±


    Then a sound of a chair being moved rang out. My brother Estevan left his seat, he stopped as he came across Vernon, he smiled at him as he spoke.


    ¡°Please, protect my dear sister.¡±


    ¡°I will, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Good good. Alright then, I¡¯ll be leaving, there''s a job to do.¡±


    My brother left with a wave of his hand.


    During all this short time, I was observing Vernon. He didn¡¯t seem to look at me suspiciously or anything weird. Nothing worth nothing about. No strange movement, no suspicious gaze whatsoever. It must be that he was just a good actor. However, Father had known him for decades, Vernon was already here a long time ago before Estelia was even born.


    Therefore, he must be non-hostile.


    Judging on what father described him, Vernon must be some kind of martial artist? Perhaps something close. His arms were quite built, it was possible that he used his arms mostly to fight.


    Damn, this is quite impressive, being an old man and still physically strong. Was this a norm in this world? I swear if I see a super strong old man, I¡¯ll freak out. Hehe, not much though.


    Well, that¡¯s really not important right now.


    ¡°Thank you ever so much, father,¡± I turned to Vernon. ¡°I will be returning to my room, Vernon¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    I left the dining room and there I saw Mera standing on her post. The moment she saw me, she then shifted her eyes towards Vernon. She definitely heard what we were talking about.


    ¡°Greetings, sir Vernon.¡±


    She curtsied and spoke respectfully.


    ¡°Mera, we¡¯ll be working alongside from now on. I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind, sir. I¡¯ll be looking forward to working with you.¡±


    Vernon appeared to be of higher position than Mera judging from the way she addressed him. Well, he was one of the King¡¯s servants after all, and one of the oldest.


    ¡°Likewise.¡±


    After giving them their respected time for greetings, I went on and returned to my room. I¡¯m very kind, am I? Anyways, I was planning to wait for a short while there. Reason? I don''t want to move in front of Father. Somehow it made me feel I would be restrained, or something like that. Like I have to be more watchful of my actions if I catch his attention.


    When we returned to my room, I ordered Mera to stylize my hair. Of course, as this was a lady¡¯s bedroom, the old man was left outside. I didn¡¯t really need my hair stylized, I just want to speak to Mera. Well, tidying up my hair wouldn¡¯t be bad either way.


    On the chair, while looking at the mirror in front of me, I spoke to Mera who was behind me.


    ¡°Mera, do you trust Vernon?¡±


    ¡°Milady...? What do you mean?¡± she seemed to be puzzled, I guess that was to be expected. It was out of the blue after all.


    ¡°Just curious, that is all.¡±


    ¡°..... Does this have something to do with how tense the palace at the moment?¡±


    Oh? She seemed to be thinking about it.


    ¡°Perhaps. But, I just want to know what you think. Don¡¯t you want to share your thoughts? I think this is a good time to have a bit of conversation, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°.... Y-Yes milady¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what do you think about Vernon?¡±


    ¡°I think he is trustworthy. He has been a palace servant for a long time after all. And, he has helped several novice servants like me in the past. He is a kind person.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s just pretending?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡­ I don¡¯t think so, no. He is a genuine person, and very loyal to the royal family... That is what I think.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Do you happen to know his origins?¡±


    ¡°Origins¡­? I only heard he was a commoner and an adventurer once.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...? Ah yes, can you tell me which servants that you have the best impression of?¡±


    ¡°... Y-Yes, I can¡­¡±


    She then told me about the servants she thought were nice and perhaps trustworthy. Maids, manservants, and cooks. All that were working inside the palace. I guess she only got close to those she was always working together with. Thus, she was more detailed about the maids. She then mentioned names which I noted in my mind.


    ¡°Hm. Thank you for telling me all of those,¡± I said with a sweet smile.


    However, Mera seemed to be restless.


    ¡°... Milady, is every servant suspicious for some reason? Does that¡­ include me?¡±


    She was finished with my hair, then lowered her hands on her knees. She seemed to be uneasy, or frightened.


    ¡°Mera,¡± I turned around and greeted her eyes. I smiled, my eyes full of fondness and kindness, and a face full of innocence and purity while graced by a blossoming beautiful and sweet smile.


    I stroked her cheek gently, leaving her jolting a bit, surprised by my action. I felt like her cheeks were beginning to warm up as they slowly turned red.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I trust you.¡±


    She became flustered as her face twitched by the cheeks.


    ¡°... T-Thank you, princess.¡±


    As amusing as ever, this woman. However, what if she was the betrayer all along? Enemies tend to be closer than friends, after all. If Mera was a betrayer, then she was pretty impressive as a pretender.


    With that said, if all of this was just a game of pretend, me saying I trusted her will lead her to lower her guard. She will think that I didn¡¯t suspect her at all. The pure princess was naive as always.


    I don¡¯t know how many enemies I have. Therefore, I might look paranoid, but being cautious was for the best.


    ¡°If they ever suspect you, you can rely on me to stand by your side. I chose you as my personal maid, didn¡¯t I? You have my wholehearted trust, so you have no need to be frightened.¡±


    We¡¯ll see how this interaction will turn out. If you are a betrayer, Mera, I don¡¯t know what I would do, not precisely that is. But in the end, it will all only have one, same, outcome.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Mera kinda sus.


    Notice. It will be the exams this week and next week in my school. So regrettably, the update rates will be slower than usual. You might have noticed it already. Although the school activities such as assignments and quizzes are what keeping me busy the most. Sorry about this.


    I''ll grind in writing once the school begins to ease up.


    Please leave a heart and a comment. Help me feed Algorithm-san so it can get me to trending hehehe, it will be a great help, especially in the competition.


    Thank you!

 Chapter 36: Cake and Cooks

    Sometime later, I decided it was time to do some scouting. Before going out, I told Mera to keep what we conversed about a secret.


    We went outside the room, and there we saw Vernon on the opposite wall of our room. What a respectful old man, he might convince me he¡¯s no traitor at any point! Hehe. That aside, he was just standing there, and he¡¯s old, I mean he would get tired after a short while, right¡­?


    ¡°Um, Vernon, I didn¡¯t think you would be standing there for a long while. I will need to send a chair for you later,¡± I said with concern.


    He merely grinned at my words.


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, your highness. But you have no need to trouble yourself. My body is trained more than standing. I can even stand the whole day if I wish to do so.¡±


    That¡¯s bullshit¡­ right?


    No way, he looked serious. This world was strange. Whatever¡­


    ¡°But even so, as you can¡¯t enter my room, and you have no station nearby here,¡± indeed, the room nearby, and close to my room were only for maids, not for manservants. Their station was not close around here at all. ¡°I will have a chair delivered and be placed outside my room, just for you to sit on when there is nothing else to do. It worries me to just leave you standing here.¡±


    ¡°Hm, if it puts you at ease, I will accept her highness¡¯ offer with gratitude.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief.¡±


    I flashed him a relieved yet sweet smile, how innocent I was.


    I began walking, my two servants following behind me. Now then, what was I planning to do?


    Something fruitful would be nice. I observed the maids which I went by, I saw nothing worth noting about. Okay, this won¡¯t be easy.


    That said, if assassination would be the mission of any possible betrayer here, the optimal position would be the kitchen. Poison. However, if that was the case, they could have poisoned the food a long time ago if they plan to kill me.


    However, none of that happened whatsoever. It was possible that they were not suspicious characters at all, or they have another plan in mind for the time being.


    I think I¡¯ll pass by the kitchen for a while.


    I headed to the first floor then to the kitchen.


    ¡°Milady, do I take it that you wish to enter the kitchen?¡± Mera asked me.


    ¡°Indeed, curiosity struck me as how everything worked here.¡±


    ¡°Your highness, it seems that they seemed to be cooking, please be careful,¡± Vernon said.


    ¡°Oh? What are they cooking? Let¡¯s get a closer look.¡±


    I entered with rushed steps as though excited to see what was going on. I saw an oven, of course not like I was used to. This one seems to be made up of bricks.


    The cooks were dumbstruck by my sudden visit as evident on their wide eyes and agape mouth.


    ¡°Y-Your highness?!¡± a young man openly expressed his surprise.


    He was probably about seventeen. He had light brown hair and brown eyes.


    ¡°Idiot! Don¡¯t raise your voice,¡± the middle aged man with dark hair and dark eyes chided the young man.


    ¡°Bow you two,¡± the young woman with dark red hair and yellow green eyes bowed deeply first. She appeared to be about eighteen.


    Then she was followed by the two men.


    I observed the way they acted, their eyes, the way they looked at me, even the slightest movement. The young woman was particularly pretty composed despite my sudden presence. Her eyes did bore a bit of surprise though.


    From the information I gathered from Mera, this woman should be the one called Allie Jelimis.


    Hm. A bit odd, yet impressive that she remained relaxed, unlike the two guys. This woman, Allie, was one of the apprentice cooks in the castle, she had been here for three years. She was still referred to as an apprentice since she was still under the umbrella of the head chef.


    As for the chef, he looked at me with confused eyes for a short moment, as though shouting ¡®what the heck is she doing here?!¡¯, however, a confused look wasn¡¯t something to be very suspicious at. But one¡¯s confusion could mean differently from what you initially thought. In addition, he seemed to be quite shaken by my sudden appearance.


    His name was Ceruos Vutio.


    He had worked in the castle about fifteen years ago. Interesting.


    As for the young man, I could already see the mesmerization in his eyes. I wonder if this guy had seen me before this moment, well he did exclaim when he saw me, so he must have. He might even have fallen in love at first sight, wew. That aside, he seemed innocent enough. However, the best infiltrator or spy are adept at acting. If you can¡¯t even act, then you shouldn¡¯t be sent in that kind of operation.


    This guy had the name of Tenil Gerave.


    He was also an apprentice, but only entered the palace about a year and a half ago.


    All three had commoner origins.


    ¡°Your highness¡­ t-to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit,¡± the head chef, Ceruos, said. Made sense that he should be the one to speak for everyone.


    I placed a finger at my cheek.


    ¡°I was curious as to what you are cooking.¡±


    ¡°R-Really? I mean, we are honored to receive your interest.¡±


    Honored? With just that? Whatever, people in this world are weird¡­ Or I¡¯m the weird one here? What a shiver inducing thought.


    ¡°So, what are you cooking?¡±


    I glanced closely while leaning a little at the oven.


    ¡°We were trying a new cake, we have been experimenting it for a few days¡­ and we expect it will be¡­ great and final this time.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡± I looked at them with beaming eyes. ¡°Do you mind if I try it?¡±


    I watched them closely as I spoke. The young woman, Allie, had a slight twitch by her eyes when I said those words. Hm.


    ¡°Huh? Ah, no, we don¡¯t mind,¡± the head chef was taken aback by my words. ¡°It¡¯s about done in the oven, but we still had to apply frostings, so I¡¯m afraid it will take a while.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting. Plus, watching the process should be interesting, right? I¡¯m interested to see the process of how you do it. Especially applying the frosting.¡±


    I looked back towards my two servants.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be staying here for a while.¡±


    The two bowed their heads to show their understanding. But Vernon spoke.


    ¡°Then, in that case, please have a seat, your highness. It would trouble this servant of yours if you tire yourself by standing.¡±


    He walked towards a chair by the table and pulled it, presenting it to me.


    Hey... Why does it feel similar to what happened just a moment ago? Could it be he¡¯s payback swinging at me or something like that?


    I have to control my face to not frown a little.


    ¡°Good suggestion, Vernon. I¡¯ll take your offer.¡±


    I sat down before speaking to the cooks with an anticipating smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, focus on your work. It would be a waste if things go wrong.¡±


    They returned to their work after what I said. But I guess they were a bit uncomfortable. What could be wrong? I was only watching them with a sweet smile¡­ Alright, that was the reason, me being here.


    They took out the¡­ bare brown cake¡­? Bread? No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s called bread. So, maybe just cake. Yes, just cake. Got confused there for a second.


    They placed the quite the averagely sized cake on the table. The young man occasionally stole glances at me. Come on, a boy wouldn¡¯t ignore someone like me you know. Well¡­ that aside, the young woman was looking at me with restless eyes often. I don¡¯t know why.


    The head chef however, looked pretty focused. Was this a difference of experience on personally serving royalties?


    They then began preparing and stirring the frostings. To be honest, it was quite intriguing to see the process of how they make the cake. Especially looking at the frostings. I wanna dip my finger in and lick the sweet frostings, but of course I can¡¯t do that now¡­


    A short while later, they scooped the frosting with some sort of flat wooden spoon, then applied it on the cake. Spreading and flattening it. As time went on, the cake began to look neat and nice. They then placed several red colored berries on top of it at the sides.


    ¡°That should be about done,¡± Allie said with a faint smile.


    ¡°Amazing! Watching the process was interesting indeed. Is it ready for eating?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness,¡± the head chef said and carried it close to me.


    Of course there was no way I¡¯m eating this solo.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the result of your experiments. Then, we should eat together!¡±


    Everyone was surprised and baffled. Come on, as if I wouldn¡¯t take the risk. I¡¯ll have the cooks themselves eat with me, just to avoid any deadly food poisoning. If one hesitates, then it could be poisoned or anything weird in the cake. That said, I have been watching them closely, and I saw nothing strange or suspicious.


    But I¡¯ll be doing it this way anyway. This could feed my pure princess persona, while making sure this food had no poison.


    ¡°Dining with¡­ surely we can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Why not? If you won¡¯t eat with me per my request, then I won¡¯t take a single bite until you do so.¡±


    Reluctance colored the expressions of the cooks.


    I then spoke to my personal servants.


    ¡°You could also join.¡±


    Mera smiled wryly.


    ¡°I am alright, milady.¡±


    ¡°Your highness, we are currently your attendants and doing our duties. I recommend we refrain from consuming any kind of food for the time being.¡±


    Vernon said. He was quite strict, wasn¡¯t he? Well, that¡¯s fine.


    ¡°I¡­ understand,¡± I faced the cooks. ¡°So let¡¯s go? Please slice it up.¡±


    They slowly sliced several slices, though they seemed restless of the thought of eating with me. They gave me my slice first on a porcelain plate. The cake looked delicious. Of course, I waited until they all had their own cake.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    I slowly cut a portion of the cake with my kitchen knife. I did it exceedingly slowly, like I was being careful. Reason? I was waiting for the others to bite it first. The three had made their cut and struck in their forks. I also stuck in my fork.


    So? Was someone hesitating? If someone did, it could mean something.


    However, to my dismay, no one hesitated. All of them immediately devoured the cake on their forks and began chewing. As to not seem suspicious, I also ate mine.


    ¡°Hmmm, this is delicious!¡±


    It was. The sweetness. The tenderness of the cake. Beautiful. Delicious! This was better than the previous cakes I ate here.


    ¡°I commend you three for making such a fine dessert.¡±


    The three had broad smiles as they heard my joyful and satisfied voice. I then quickly devoured my cut of the cake to further show my satisfaction of the food.


    As time went on, I only ate an addition of one small slice. The cooks also seemed satisfied by the results of their efforts.


    Then, I stood up. Time to leave. The cake was good, but time was essential, and I don¡¯t want to eat too much of the sweet cake.


    ¡°It has been a great experience, I look forward to your further cooking in the future. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I fear I have to go. Take care.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the visit, your highness!¡±


    The head chef said loudly as the three of them stood up and bowed.


    With a nod and a flowery smile, I left the kitchen.


    I intend to go somewhere else now.


    Well, my visit to the kitchen was quite a fruitful one, on the food side of things anyway. Although, observing the people there was worth it. I made note of them in my mind. But nothing to help me get a conclusion, as one would expect. Oh well¡­ hunting was not always easy.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Ooooh yeaaah! I''m back! I''m finally been relieved of assignments the moment the counter has reached ZERO hehehe. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting.


    After a few days, after I have written some chapters to stock pile, I aim to have a daily streak of updates.


    The competition is nearing its end also. It''s hard to chase after the other participants hehehehe.


    In any case, thanks for reading!


    Please leave a heart and comment. Help me feed Algorithm-san to so he would put me in trending. :)

 Chapter 37: For his Sister in Peril

    On his desk, Estevan sighed as he leaned his back on his chair. Piles of paper on his table separated from done and not. They were the list of normal palace soldiers, names, backgrounds, age, and so on. Basically commoners. There were a lot of them and he needed to study each and every one of them.


    It was still early in the morning, and his head had already begun to ache a little. He never liked working on the desk, it was more fitting for his older brother, that was why he was solely focused on being a knight. However, his older brother was not currently here at the moment.


    ¡°Haaaah¡­¡±


    He massaged his temples as he heaved another sigh.


    Whether he liked it or not, he had to do this. His dear sister was in peril, he couldn¡¯t just stand idly by and refuse to work on something he didn¡¯t like.


    At the moment, his full focus was on commoner workers in the palace. He lacked knowledge more about commoners than the nobles in the knights. He had less people to trust there.


    As for the knights, he trusted them. From his experience with them, they were loyal to the crown and eager to fulfill their responsibilities.


    However, whether there were truly traitors or not among everyone in the palace, he needed to make sure. Better safe than sorry. And as his sister lives in the palace, all the more reason to suspect those who were always in the palace to be infiltrators.


    They might even try to kill her at any point. Estevan couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    As for his father the king, he seemed to be more focused on matters outside the palace. Working closely with the church.


    The church, huh¡­


    The Church of Serenity and Compassion. The main religion of the Wisteria Kingdom. He didn¡¯t know a lot about the Church Order¡¯s inner workings. However, Estevan knew the local church¡¯s alliance with the Church of the Six Gods from the Holy Kingdom of Valaies. And they were not to be underestimated either.


    They will be helpful allies to have. The crown kept a close touch with the Churches, therefore, they definitely possess some strength and definitely have a great influence. The crown wouldn¡¯t waste time on those who were useless and unhelpful.


    Then there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Your highness, I¡¯m coming in.¡±


    Estevan knew whose voice this was, and he immediately gave his reply.


    ¡°Yes! Come.¡±


    The door opened and entered a man in a servant¡¯s outfit. He was tall and slender, light brown skin and green eyes. He had long blonde hair which reached his shoulder, loose and covered his ears. This may seem pretty normal at first glance, but once you get to observe him more, he tended to cover his ears, away from everyone¡¯s sight.


    Estevan knew the reason why this servant wanted to cover his ears like that.


    ¡°Oryn, it seems you are done.¡±


    The servant, Oryn, was holding a pile of papers in his hands.


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve compiled information within our records regarding half of the members of the knights.¡±


    Estevan gave the order yesterday to gather all information they had about the knights in their ranks. Although personally, he already knew them all, but it was best to study written information. Like family situations, financial states, and so on, all about the family of the knights.


    Some sort of motive, a reason to suspect them. And noble families wouldn¡¯t surprisingly be traitorous and mischievous. That said, for Estevan, nobles that reside in the capital were less suspicious than those from the outside.


    ¡°You kept it a secret, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as per order.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°That said, this would indeed cause some tension if they discovered that his highness is investigating them.¡±


    That was why Estevan told Oryn that his task would be confidential, it wouldn¡¯t be good if the nobles realized that the crown was doubting their allegiance. It might cause hostilities, tension among noble families, some families which already had unfriendly relationships might cause some turmoil if they learn of the crown¡¯s actions. Some may even take advantage of the situation. Thus, it would be best to keep everything a secret.


    The crown may have the highest power, but so do the other aristocrats, they have any form of power.


    There must be order in the hierarchy and noble society. And Estevan preferred not to bring any disorder no matter how small they would be.


    Oryn was Estevan¡¯s trusted aide and attendant, that was why he left the task to him. He was sure he would abide by his order.


    ¡°How long until you compile the rest?¡±


    ¡°Adding our recent information and findings, I will try to make it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°As reliable as always.¡±


    Oryn quietly placed the papers on the table, he also seemed to want to ask a question. Thus, he began to speak.


    ¡°... Your highness, w¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door. Quite gentle knocks.


    ¡°B-Brother! It¡¯s me!¡±


    The moment Estevan heard that muffled voice from the other side of the door, his face lit up with joy. He had been stressed enough, but this visit from her was already relieving him of that.


    ¡°Estel!¡±


    He stood from his seat and rushed to the door. He instantly opened it and what greeted him was the adorable face of a beautiful girl. Her crimson innocent eyes were treasures to be treasured. Her long platinum hair was shiny and valuable as countless piles of gemstones.


    His dearest sister.


    He extended his hand forward and sandwiched both her cheeks, causing a surprised expression from his sister. Her cheeks began to fluster ever so slightly.


    ¡°B-Brother! What¡ª¡±


    ¡°Esteeel! I¡¯m dreading, this despair, this stress. Seeing you makes me happy, unlike those piles of papers!¡± he said forcefully as he pointed at the stacks of paper with scorn.


    Estelia glanced at his table.


    ¡°W-Why are you even scouring such a horrendous amount?¡± Her puzzled face was adorable as always. She was cuter than any puppy, or perhaps any creature or being at that.


    ¡°Just some information about some people.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. And please stop squeezing my cheeks.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    Estelia frowned, but still looked so amusing that Estevan couldn¡¯t help but smile in her cuteness.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s embarrassing, think of who is around.¡±


    Estevan looked around him, there was the maid who Estelia selected, Mera, and the other was an old man, Vernon. Well, there was also Oryn, his attendant.


    He realized that this was a bit awkward.


    He stepped away and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ahem! Yes, hehe, good to see you here, dear sister. Come inside,¡± following his words as they followed him, Estelia and her servants entered. ¡°So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your delightful visit?¡±


    ¡°Owe? Am I not allowed to visit you anytime, dear brother?¡±


    Her eyes were full of concern as though the thought of her being forbidden from visiting him brought her troubles and dread, and it might make her utterly upset. That was how Estevan understood it, and this only made him all frantic.


    ¡°N-No! Of course not, you are free to visit me anytime. Actually! Visit me all the time!¡± he smiled widely at his own suggestion.


    ¡°Really? But if I constantly visit, I would disturb your work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fine¡­¡±


    It was fine, truly fine. There was no harm to it.


    Estelia turned to face the other servant in Estevan¡¯s office.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±

 Chapter 38: Revealing the Hidden

    We went back to the third floor since it was where my brother¡¯s office was situated. My reason for visiting him? I just wanna check out what he was up to.


    He was quite warm in his welcome, I expected he would be thrilled by my visit, but I didn¡¯t expect he would suddenly squeeze my adorable cheeks. He was overly happy it seems.


    It seemed all his stress stemmed from the stacks of papers on his desk. He didn¡¯t even work that long yet, it baffles me why he was already too stressed about this sort of thing. Well, I guess that was the reason why he chose to become a knight.


    My eldest brother has yet to even come home, he might have been more efficient in this type of work, I wonder when I can personally meet him...


    Of course, I immediately had an interest towards the stack of papers. There lies information. But the question was, how much information? How valuable? It would be agonizing if most of it was worthless and would lead me to nothing.


    Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to scan. And information was information.


    I acted all sweetly to my brother, until I finally shifted my attention to the other servant.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±


    I knew this person, I learned about him from Estelia¡¯s memories. He was mostly my brother¡¯s personal attendant, whenever he required assistance, he would always summon this servant named Oryn Iruhen.


    I smiled broadly at him, my eyes sparkling with innocence and sweetness.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    I leaned my body towards him just slightly while tilting my head as I spoke to him with a gentle and sweet voice. Then the muscles by his eyes stiffened and halted, he was about to frown it seems. Why? I was the princess. Should I be treated as such?


    I am liked by everyone here, right? What reason could he frown at my interaction with him?


    Hm.


    He might be annoyed. Perhaps he saw how I looked or acted unsightly in his eyes.


    Perhaps he didn¡¯t mean anything bad with it.


    Oryn smiled with warmth as he spoke with me.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess. It¡¯s been a while since the last time we met and spoke.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Oryn. A long time, I sort of missed you.¡±


    A slight twitch on his lower lip. Amusing.


    ¡°Please, I don¡¯t deserve such words from you, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But please allow me to thank you for helping my dear brother.¡±


    He bowed his head at my words.


    I have been analyzing his voice, the tension and such, even the slight trembling if there would be. Every little detail was important. I have been trained in the organization to be like this since basically the beginning of my education. Enhancing our observation ability, analysis, assessment and so on. But it rather focused more on humans and the environment, maybe for the reason that we were intended to be sent on the field than the office.


    All graduates in the organization had these skills. However, there will always be those who exceed others. No one was equal. And, the skilled were always the ones to be favored.


    As for why I was scrutinizing this person behind my innocent eyes. He was my brother¡¯s personal attendant, the royal prince.


    As I said previously, enemies tend to be closer than friends.


    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. It was reminiscent of that phrase. It can have different meanings. But in this context, keep close to your enemies, learn, observe, know everything about them.


    Being an undiscovered infiltrator and a spy can freely do such actions.


    You think of them as your closest aide, friends. And yet, all that was a ploy to catch you off guard.


    They squeeze you of everything they need from you.


    In short, a trickster, a liar, a pretender, tricks, lies, they are all of it, and they do all of it.


    It was one of the very basics. Even us use such a method. And yet, commonly used, not many victims realized it. Human emotion might have something to do with it. But I possess no such type of emotional attachments.


    For all I know, even Mera herself, who was close to me, could be a traitor. She had done some suspicious actions which I noted, like how she decided too quickly to be my personal maid. It may be because she liked me and was happy to serve me like she said herself. However, was it really the case? Why made it the truth? It could be a lie.


    Even everything you could have been told could be a lie. Whether they be words... or their stories.


    I turned my attention to the stacks of papers.


    ¡°Can I take a look?¡± I asked my brother who was sitting on his chair.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    I sat on a chair as I scanned the room. The windows were shut, I could feel draft coming in from where I was. It seems to be windy in this part of the palace at this time.


    Hm.


    I took a few pieces of paper. I¡¯m surprised they were able to make this much paper in this age. Agh, don¡¯t compare this world to the last one, me! Anyways, I read the contents. I noticed my brother staring at me with that proud smile of his.


    ¡°Brother, you ought to go back to work, time is gold.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, very well.¡±


    Estevan returned to studying the paper in his hand.


    I also read mine. This one was about the knights. Their family, their social status, finance, territory, even attitudes. There were also a few backgrounds about the person and their family. Often one person took two or three pages.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the knights require such a staggering amount of information before one can join.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, we personally and secretly had those information gathered, not only for the knights, but so that we would know more about other nobles.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I also see Oryn helping my brother to his side. I immediately returned my eyes to the paper. From Estelia¡¯s memories, there was a bit of information that was interesting about this guy.


    He had long hair, but his ears were always hidden, rarely one could see them. But Estelia never saw them. I didn¡¯t manage to ask my servants. But what could he be hiding exactly? What can I do? Often exposing one¡¯s deepest secrets exposes their character, and sometimes breaks their facades even for just a moment.


    I can¡¯t just straightly ask him about that, too inconvenient, might have some risk, like him being guarded when I ask him, another one was him refusing. Also, a sudden occurrence was always the best in this sort of thing, after all. Like attacking an unguarded target.


    What to do?


    I waited for an opportunity to come.


    I read several papers, it would be a waste not to take in this information. My servants were both standing by the wall all this time, just standing, I wanted to act all kind and do some kind things, but they will be fine. It wouldn¡¯t be good for servants to sit leisurely in here when everyone else was working.


    Several minutes later, I heard my brother sigh, rubbing his forehead.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Um, no, hehe, it¡¯s just a bit tiring. There¡¯s not much useful information here. Or I can¡¯t see it deeply enough.¡±


    ¡°... You look awfully stressed, brother,¡± I giggled. ¡°You won¡¯t last long at this rate.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, but I have to do this.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Ah! I know what to do!¡±


    I suddenly stood up and went to the window, just by Oryn.


    ¡°Having some fresh air would help you, brother,¡± I opened the door in an instant while saying those words.


    Wind immediately entered the moment they had an entrance, I also turned around at the same time. Everyone¡¯s hair waved in the air. But I looked only at one person for a moment.


    Oryn. I saw his ear as his hair fluttered. I wondered what he was hiding, but now I know. His ear was cut by a blade. Not entirely though, just around the edges. I could tell it was a blade because of how clean the cut was. Straightly and cleanly sliced.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I exclaimed as I saw what happened next.


    Estevan and Oryn held down the papers to the table in the wake of the wind. Sudden realization came to my face, with regret, I immediately closed the windows.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I said with guilt as I looked at my brother. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think it through.¡±


    A few of the papers already flew in the air and landed on the floor.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll pick them up!¡± I immediately said and moved forward.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to, the servants will handle it.¡±


    Estevan nodded towards my two servants. Understanding what he was gesturing, they went to pick up the stacks of papers.


    ¡°Ah before I forget, you two,¡± my brother said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about the papers, understand?¡±


    ¡°¡°Understood.¡±¡± They replied.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The servants then returned the papers on the table.


    I held both my hands as I returned limply to the chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    My brother smiled.


    ¡°A minor accident, no need to look so guilty as if you committed a major crime.¡±


    He said so with a chuckle.


    ¡°Okay¡­. I¡¯ll help big brother then.¡±


    How kind and sweet was my dear beloved brother. However...


    Oryn¡­ I wondered what his story was.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment. :)


    And damn, the competition is drawing to a close. And I''m in imminent danger. I''m doomed XD

 Chapter 39: Must be in Control

    I grabbed a few papers again and began scanning them. What I was focusing on were papers about the knights, they held more significance than the papers of commoners. Nobles were people with power and influence after all.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I got a paper which had information about Alan Welford, as well as his brother. It also contains observations about their character and personality. Did my brother add these? No, Estevan wouldn''t do something like this, and certainly not alone, he definitely had some help, and that helper would do most of the paperwork.


    I think Oryn was the one who assisted him in this kind of affairs.


    After reading the information of some more people, I sighed, I discovered nothing of worth just yet.


    But it was still good to attain knowledge.


    ¡°Have any plans today, Estel?¡±


    My brother suddenly asked me when he saw me sighing.


    ¡°Hm? Ah, not really, I have nothing else to do. All I do is stay in the castle anyway.¡±


    ¡°... If only we could go out again, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But as I have nothing else to do, I ought to help you a little. You should savor my assistance dear brother, I¡¯ll be somewhere else tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, your desire to learn magic, be prepared to read a book with a lot of words, Estel. Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with reading, thank you very much.¡±


    I noticed something strange about Oryn. The moment he heard the mention of me learning magic, he seemed to be surprised, not happily, but it felt something else. Was he just surprised to hear I was about to learn magic? Hm.


    ¡°Is it hard?¡± I asked my brother.


    ¡°Not really. We¡¯re royalty, so we have greater affinity to magic and have a greater amount of mana than others or the common people, so you will have an easier time. That¡¯s what I think, that is.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I see. Mother also knows magic, but I never saw her do it in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Well, she stopped practicing magic. She decided to focus on her family, and that was a long time ago. You haven¡¯t even been born that time, dear sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Is what I¡¯m about to learn different from the magic used by the knights?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he looked at me. ¡°What you¡¯re going to learn is the way of a mage. Not physically demanding like being a knight. Fitting for a lady.¡±


    Oh? Now I¡¯m very interested. As someone who came from a world without such a thing called magic, I couldn¡¯t help but feel excited.


    ¡°I''m looking forward to tomorrow. Though I would have preferred to begin now. But, there is nothing I can do.¡±


    ¡°You have my support, Estel. Personally, at this time, it would be best for you to learn magic spells. You would be a little safer.¡±


    ¡°Hihihi, but you would also protect me, right? Dear brother? I mean, you are waaay stronger.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will be your knight in shining armor,¡± he said with an intense charm that would make ladies fall in love no doubt.


    ¡°...Brother¡­.¡±


    I averted my eyes away as my cheeks turned red from his teasing. He also chuckled in amusement as he watched me.


    ¡°Hmph! You alway try to embarrass me.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes. I alway do it seems. That is because you look very adorable, so I think you¡¯re at your best when you¡¯re embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just return to reading the papers.¡±


    I immediately faced the papers in my hands.


    ¡°Hahaha! Okay~.¡±


    There was a long moment of focus on our own work. It was then that Oryn spoke.


    ¡°Your highness,¡± he called out to my brother.


    ¡°Yes? Have something to ask?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. I was just wondering what this is for? Everything has been tense in the palace recently. What could you be searching for?¡±


    My brother and I looked at each other. I tilted my head, then shook my head subtly. My brother trusted this person, I will not let my brother¡¯s attachment to him influence him to do something foolish such as sharing what happened.


    Never make the infiltrator realize that he was being searched. Otherwise, he might escape from your grasps. And the infiltrator could be anyone.


    I have to be on guard on things such as this. My brother was a brave, strong, and friendly man, but he was still soft inside.


    One may say something, or think of something they think they can do, but when it comes to it, humans tend to hesitate. They would do something they otherwise said they would do.


    Like how one says they would confront their boss because they were pissed, but in the end, they would stutter and eventually give up. Or how one resolves themselves to speak with someone they find hard to talk to, but when it came to, they ended up being quiet.


    Or one that says they would kill someone they cared about for someone else that they cared more. However, ending up hesitating, giving the chance for everything to fall apart.


    One must prove themselves by their own will, their own choice. I could let my brother do what he wanted, like leaving the choice to him here. However, I can¡¯t let that happen in this kind of situation. Reason? I was directly involved in this. I can¡¯t take the risk yet.


    I want to be in control of the situation. I must be in control.


    Thus, for the time being, I will be influencing Estevan¡¯s actions if I need to. Leading him to where I want him to be.


    I must tread carefully.


    ¡°Well, just some things, something very important.¡±


    Oryn had a delay in speaking after hearing my brother¡¯s words.


    ¡°...I see. So it is confidential.¡±


    ¡°Hm, something like that.¡±


    I observed Oryn, his eyes looked like he still wanted to ask. He wanted to poke his nose in. But sorry, Oryn, no matter how long you have been working here and how trusted you are, anyone from outside the family or someone I deem untrustworthy, must never know what was happening.


    I commend my family for deciding to keep everything a secret. I guess they were exceedingly cautious when it concerns family.


    I met Oryn¡¯s gaze and smiled.


    He merely lowered his head and moved on. How cold.


    But this was amusing.


    You¡¯re an interesting man, Oryn.


    I should learn something more about this guy.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment :)

 Chapter 40: I will be the Judge

    Around noon, I left my brother on his own to eat lunch. He decided to eat later to finish a part of his work, so I went ahead. Oddly though, I was the only one who ate today during lunch. I was alone on the table.


    Both my parents were nowhere to be found. It seems all my family members were busy. I must have looked miserable as I ate with my lonesome on the table, I could tell from the sad looks from some servants along with the weird stares the other few servants were giving me. Furthermore, Mera also appeared to be saddened, as for Vernon though, he looked neutral.


    I¡¯m not that miserable.


    Although, why does the food feel empty? It felt like¡­ something was missing.


    I shook such thoughts off my head. Such irrelevant feelings, I have no time nor the luxury to bask in such absurd emotions.


    Still, haven¡¯t they even thought that I¡¯d be eating all alone without them...?


    Whatever¡­ such thoughts were unfitting of me.


    After that, I went to have a little snooping around, then later returned to my room.


    Finding infiltrators or betrayers amongst the staff would be difficult unless I interact with them personally. Or, they would act strangely, or some actions that would give them away. However, there were too many and others even looked too insignificant to be noticed, it was difficult. But, this was still the start though, no rush. Besides, I already have a few written on my mental list.


    There was one that was close to someone with power. One close to the target. And another plain one but had a dangerous station.


    First, Mera Sylvares. Her position would be the most ideal if I were the target, and if she hasn¡¯t eliminated me yet, perhaps they had other things in mind. Also, the way she quickly accepted my request of her being my personal maid had begun to bother me.


    Second, Allie Jelimis. The way she acted when I arrived at the kitchen and ate with them, was a bit weird. In contrast, about the other two cooks, they didn¡¯t bother me that much. The boy was just a boy. And the head chef, I found nothing suspicious yet. More observation is required.


    Thirdly, Oryn Iruhen. He was close to my brother. And his actions earlier with me made me suspicious of him, and also some of his reaction. Then his ears. I still need to learn more about him.


    However, all in all, this was all still my observations. That still leads to nothing much when determining which one was the traitor. Plus, there was a chance that they were all not the targets I was looking for.


    However, those observations of mine will be my stepping stones.


    As for the man who my father assigned. I didn¡¯t think much of him. He had been serving the king way before my brothers were even born. Thus, he wasn¡¯t very suspicious. But more observation is required.


    It seems that was all I gathered today.


    ***


    It was finally dinner. I headed to the dining room earlier than usual. The reason was because I needed to have a short talk with my brother. Just as planned, I found him heading to dinner.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Estevan turned around to me with a smile, though I see some exhaustion evident in his eyes. Hang in there my beloved brother.


    I walked towards him.


    ¡°You look awful, dear brother.¡±


    I said to him with a concerned look.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, fine.¡±


    ¡°... If you say so... Let¡¯s go together?¡± I asked softly with a faint smile.


    He agreed and we walked side by side. Though I made my steps slower than normal. Thankfully he followed my speed like a true gentleman.


    ¡°I have something to ask,¡± I quietly said.


    It was just the two of us except for the two servants far behind. It didn¡¯t matter much if they were here or not, I was just going to ask a question about someone. Fortunately, that guy in question wasn¡¯t here.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... About Oryn.¡±


    My brother raised his eyebrow inquisitively, unexpecting the subject of the question.


    ¡°Hm? What about him?¡±


    I twiddled around with my thumb.


    ¡°Um, actually, earlier, I saw his ear¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    It seems he knew what I was talking about.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to see it. But, it made me curious. What happened to him?¡±


    He seemed to hesitate after hearing my question. What could be the reason that my dear brother was reluctant to share the story with me?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you would be fine to hear about it.¡±


    ¡°I want to know.¡±


    He pondered for a while before sighing.


    ¡°....... Alright.¡±


    I first stopped in my tracks, I don¡¯t want to enter the dining room yet. Good thing my brother followed suit.


    ¡°.... Well, in the past, he shared the story of his torture.¡±


    ¡°T-Torture?¡±


    ¡°He was travelling around to find a good job since he was from a poor and small village. However, on his way to Serene, he was captured by a group of bandits. They robbed him of his possessions, and they made him heartlessly suffer.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ cruel¡­¡±


    ¡°... They tortured him... then they eventually sliced off parts of his ears. And the bandits seemed to enjoy his cries and despair since they took him in for a fairly long time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Shock and fear was evident on my face as I listened. This was quite a gory story for a soft lady like me. Ah, how cruel. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how things went.


    ¡°Then he was saved by a group of adventurers, tended to his wounds, then brought him here to the capital.¡±


    ¡°... What a horrible story. He must have experienced great pain.¡±


    ¡°I imagine so.¡±


    ¡°How saddening¡­ So magic couldn¡¯t heal them then...¡±


    ¡°It appears so, they cut quite a significant part of his ears. Healing spells can¡¯t regenerate a part that is cut off.¡±


    What was the science behind healing spells? No, science is wrong. What is the rule, that should be the question.


    I wanted to ask my brother, but this was not a place for lectures. I¡¯ll learn about its rules tomorrow. But, shouldn¡¯t magic be considered science in this world? Whatever, no wasting time pondering such things.


    ¡°I see. But I have to ask my dear brother. Do you fully trust Oryn Iruhen? The one you have known for years, the person who helped you in stressing works, the one who told stories of his suffering? Can you give the guarantee that he is trustworthy and loyal? Not to the crown, but personally.¡±


    My brother blinked his eyes in confusion to my long questions. He must not have expected such words to come out of my mouth.


    In addition, I was looking at him with my pure eyes as I usually do. I am still in character, but it seems who I truly was was leaking out.


    Perhaps the reason for this was because my survival and peace was at stake. I am slowly crossing the boundary that I shouldn¡¯t tread too lightly. However, this must be done. Besides, this was not a gravely action. I could just give the reason that I was just utterly concerned.


    I looked at the reluctant eyes of my brother.


    Let me understand what kind of person you are, Estevan.


    Estelia¡¯s memories were not enough.


    I will be the judge.


    Are you a fool, Estevan? Or not?


    ¡°T-That¡¯s a weird question, Estel.¡±


    He wryly smiled.


    ¡°Really? But even so brother, please answer. I am very concerned. Please be honest.¡±


    He was faced with my utterly worried expression. As if I was searching for relief from his words.


    ¡°...I¡­ I think he can be trusted. He has worked for me, and for the crown for more than a decade already. He is definitely loyal.¡±


    I wanted to frown. I was disappointed. I expected more from him. So that was why earlier he looked at me when Oryn asked a crucial question, the point where he would tell Oryn what really was going on or not. I wonder if I didn¡¯t shake my head and he told him what happened, or if I didn¡¯t come at all, what would happen?


    In any case, I have judged him.


    You are a fool then, Estevan


    ¡°I see. Then, I will hold you unto your words, dear brother.¡±


    With a nod and smile, I went on ahead, leaving Estevan behind me.


    I was truly disappointed.


    That said, even fools can be put into shape.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Oryn''s story is revealed. However, whether it is true or not remains in question.


    And, damn, Estelia was a bit cold towards her beloved brother(lol). Does this mean she still personally doesn''t care about him? Or, her feelings are starting to change. I''ll let you guys be the judges (a reference to the chapter title?? hehe)


    Please leave a heart and comment! Thanks.

 Chapter 41: Mera’s Worry

    I entered the dining room. I stopped my stride for a moment when I saw my parents. I peered around at the¡­ somewhat pitiful atmosphere oozing around the room.


    My mother carefully massaged her eyes with her palm, she appeared to be tired. While Father seemed to be in deep thought, appearing to be spacing out.


    Are they overworking themselves?


    My parents were still terribly occupied with their work that was unbeknownst to me. I understand Father would be having a headache due to being king and all. As for mother, she also seemed to be the same as Father does.


    Wait, what could Mother be doing? I had no idea.


    Was she covering up for my Father¡¯s kingly work? That seems to be the most plausible.


    ¡°Um, is everyone alright?¡± I asked in a worried manner.


    Mother and Father finally turned their attention to me. My pure and wide eyes colored with concern greeted their sight. I was like a small puppy afraid to be chided by the owner¡­you know, that was a weird comparison.


    At the same time, my brother had arrived by my side. He also stared at their current state. He faintly smiled at the sight as though he sympathized with them.


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I guess everyone was busier today than usual.¡±


    I blinked several times, then realization struck me as I timidly lowered my head.


    ¡°T-Then, I¡¯m the only one¡­ not doing much¡­ I¡¯m such a burden, even though I was¡­¡±


    Regret filled my face while I avoided everyone¡¯s gaze. I then felt a hand atop my head, it was my brother¡¯s hand. I looked up at him.


    ¡°What are you so distraught about? Let us handle everything, okay? Everything will be fine. So don¡¯t think much of it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply but merely nodded my head with pursed lips. I quietly walked towards my seat.


    ¡°Dear daughter,¡± my Father called out to me. ¡°Lift up that upper lip, enjoy the delicious food.¡±


    I looked at him, his tender smile graced my eyes. I turned to look at my mother, her fond gaze looking at me. All of them, my family, looked kindly at me. Their gazes lacked any mischief and trickery, they were genuine. It made me wonder why I am only seeing it now. Why was I now only feeling their¡­ true warmth? No...


    ¡°We are family, Estelia. It only made sense that we are to give our all for your sake,¡± she said softly.


    After hearing them, I forced a smile, a bit faint, but a smile nonetheless as though I have shown understanding to their words. But I¡¯m sure, by how I looked in their eyes, it seemed I did not understand completely, like I was still remorseful of being unhelpful.


    It was at that moment that the food had arrived and the servants placed them on the table.


    As we ate, my Father spoke to me.


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father?¡±


    ¡°Because of the situation, we decided to cancel your weekly lessons for the time being.¡±


    ¡°....... I¡­. I understand.¡±


    I guess this was an expected outcome. However, I sort of preferred if I could still do my music lessons. That subject was my favorite among others.


    What a shame...


    Haaah, I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do.


    Besides, I think it was for the best. That way, I can focus on the task at hand.


    ***


    Estelia was returning to her room, along with her were Mera and Vernon. The moment the Princess arrived at the door, she spoke to the two. Her beautiful face was pure and bright as always.


    ¡°Well then, goodnight to you two.¡±


    Mera smiled as she bowed her head at the same time as Vernon.


    ¡°Goodnight, milady,¡± she said.


    With that, Estelia had disappeared into her room. Mera raised her head the moment her presence vanished.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going then, Mera,¡± Vernon quietly said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Mera watched the old man walk away in the hallway. She then shifted her eyes towards the door of the Princess¡¯ room.


    With a quiet sigh, she headed for her room close to the Princess¡¯ room. Mera then pondered.


    Princess Estelia was pretty active today.


    The princess went around places like the entire day, Mera couldn¡¯t understand the reason. It was an unusual behavior to be coming from the princess. She indeed seems to be starting to change.


    In addition, she was more interactive to people than usual, like what happened in the kitchen. Mera imagined it otherwise how it would go when she began talking with the cooks. But the princess actually did better than what she had imagined.


    Her impression towards the princess was starting to change. The meek and anti-social one.


    She opened the door to her room and entered.


    But still, this was odd. Her actions today were very strange. No, it was definitely different. Different from the usual.


    Does it have something to do with how tense everything was earlier?


    It felt like her proactivity involved what was going on in the palace. Something that Mera had no idea what it would be.


    She closed the door, however, she didn¡¯t move another step.


    She was thinking.


    And her questionings. Does the crown suspect something?


    Mera was starting to have an idea what they could be having a problem with.


    Are they wary of the staff?


    Mera saw the papers and their contents back in the Prince¡¯s office. Information about knights and soldiers. They were checking their backgrounds and gathering information.


    It seemed as though they were looking for something¡­ or someone¡­


    Mera lightly bit her lip. She rubbed her thumbs together as she got restless and her mind racing. She truly felt anxious.


    I¡­ I need to be more careful.


    She must not be seen in a negative light. That was what she decided, in order to be safe from anything bad that will affect her. One wrong move, and everything she had worked for would vanish.


    ¡°What are you doing standing around for, Mera?¡±


    She snapped back to reality when one of the other maids called her. This room was turned into a quarter for the maids. There were six total beds, three on each side of the wall. That was why Mera wasn¡¯t alone even though she had the position of personal maid of the princess.


    That said, the condition of the room wasn¡¯t terrible at all. In fact, the room was lavish and clean that almost resembled a noble¡¯s personal chamber. Indeed this was a room in the palace, but the servants were also treated very well. Thus their lodgings were in pristine condition. Well, it was not ideal to treat daughters of nobility horribly, so that was one of the reason why.


    The one who spoke to Mera was the closest to her, the maid was lying on the bed as she looked at Mera with a somewhat carefree smiling expression.


    Mera looked at the others, there were two more here at the moment. It seems the others were not finished yet with their tasks. Furthermore, some that were here were already trying to sleep. Everyone was tired as usual.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s nothing,¡± Mera said as she walked forward.


    ¡°Hmmm? Okay, you looked so troubled. That aside, I brought your favorite, orange.¡±


    She pointed towards her drawer. At the top were a few oranges placed upon it.


    ¡°I had them from the kitchen, they were generous enough today to give a few for me. So what about you shower me with love and gratitude?¡±


    Upon hearing the words of the maid, Mera chuckled.


    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡±


    Mera forced aside the troublesome thought and decided to be more careful tomorrow onwards. Especially in front of the Princess, or the entire royal family in this matter. Perhaps also to Vernon.


    Vernon was especially, what she would describe as, cautious. It felt like he was closely watching her even though they were serving the same lady.


    That was why she must be careful from now on.


    She shouldn¡¯t look bad in any way.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    What a shame, there''ll be no music lessons....


    and we passed by Mera''s POV it seems.


    Please leave a heart and comment.

 Chapter 42: Allie Jelimis

    Allie Jelimis, one of the cooks in the palace kitchen, a girl who no longer had a home. She was young back then, her family lived in a small ranch, away from civilization. In fact, their family was the only one there.


    No other villagers, no neighbors, it was only them and their ranch. On their small field planted kinds of plants for their food, fruits and vegetables alike. They took care of cows and goats as well as some pigs captured from the wilderness.


    It was a quiet and peaceful place. She was around seven years old that time. Her two young twin sisters played under the shade of the trees. Her older brother helped their father with the field and animals. Her loud mother calling them to have their meals as usual.


    It was an ideal life for her. The young Allie loved her family, she wanted to spend everyday with them, make them proud. That was why she always helped her mother in cooking whenever she had the time or when she was allowed to.


    Her mother was quite strict during cooking, therefore, whenever her mother was so keen on cooking, Allie could only watch and learn. How happy she would be when she would cook and her family complimenting her that it was delicious.


    Then, the peaceful life she had collapsed completely when a stray monster came into their home. Normally, monsters rarely come to this region. If they do come, her father would handle it and occasionally helped by her older brother who was in his mid teens.


    However, the monster they faced was by no means weak. How could they imagine such a creature would come? It was a horrendous and strong monster.


    It was sunset that time, and that tall dark monster came. It stood around four meters tall, its body was covered in furless abysmal dark skin. Its two arms were long, its big long legs left big marks on the soil.


    It had slender and somewhat elongated hands, but in place of fingers were long and thin claws. They were so sharp that it could cleave through big logs of wood with ease. It had four red eyes and numerous needle-like teeth in its mouth.


    Allie could still remember how terrifying that monster was. Never in her life did she ever think of ever seeing such a thing, nor did she ever imagine how things would happen to her family.


    In the sudden appearance of the fearsome monster, her father and brother weren''t prepared for battle at the moment¡¯s notice.


    They quickly prepared their sword and spear, however, another out of their expectations occured.


    Two more of the same creature emerged from the forest from different directions. It didn¡¯t take long for her father and brother to perish in the claws of the monster.


    The ones who still lived tried to run, Allie, her mother, and her younger sisters, but one of the monsters caught her little sisters. Allie saw it with her own two eyes how her two beloved young sisters were torn apart, cleaved into many pieces. Their innards and blood flying into the air.


    Then, her mother decided to catch the monsters¡¯ attention as a distraction to let Allie escape.


    A necessary sacrifice.


    Following her mother¡¯s wishes, she ran away, leaving her mother, her home, her family behind.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she was running, but the moon had already lit up the world from the sky. With that her only source of illumination, she kept on running.


    Then, she reached upon an unpaved path. It was there she saw a group of people taking camp. Some were asleep, while some were keeping watch.


    The strangers were on guard and jolted up instantly the moment they sensed the presence of the girl. Allie asked for their help, and before she knew it, she had collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.


    How fortunate she was that the strangers were kind enough to help her. It was the time that she would meet the friends she would be with for years to come.


    They were a peculiar bunch.


    They went and checked on Allie¡¯s home, but there was nothing left but only her broken home. Even the corpses of her family were nowhere to be found. She didn¡¯t realize it back then, but now she knew that the monsters had devoured them.


    After that, the strangers, now her friends, decided to bring her along.


    Then, they reached Serene, the capital of the kingdom of Wisteria.


    She stayed there for years as her friends seemed to be working.


    Then as time went on, it was finally time to go their separate ways. She would miss them.


    It was in a tavern that time that a man was bragging about being a chef in the palace. His name was Ceruos Vutio. He was drunk that time.


    Then one of her friends approached Cerous and asked him to take Allie as an apprentice. He then went on to explain her circumstance. How she has no home and no family. And how she needed a job.


    She was good at cooking, so she wouldn¡¯t be a burden that much.


    Cerous went on thinking about it, but in the end he agreed.


    Then shortly after that, Allie would have to say her goodbyes to her friends, and greet each other once they meet again.


    It was then that her life as an apprentice cook began.


    Cerous taught her a lot, and as time went on, her skills in the culinary arts had significantly improved.


    Which then came this moment.


    Allie was looking forward to the cake they were baking. She had been the most impatient of the three cooks. Their hard work must be repaid. They were trying to achieve a more delicious cake than before, and it took a lot of changes and adjustments just to get to this stage.


    It was then someone she didn¡¯t expect at all came. She had immense beauty that Allie herself was a bit jealous. Her long hair of white sparkled in the light in the air. Her innocent and pure eyes peered around.


    The Princess.


    She was the last person she expected to come in such a place like this.


    The other two cooks were panicking, however, she kept her composure. She didn¡¯t need to panic in such a situation. That said, she was surprised though, but she tried her best to hide it.


    ¡°Bow you two,¡± Allie said to the noisy two as she bowed first.


    I shouldn¡¯t be rude to the Princess.


    Cerous spoke to her first, stuttering a little. Then the princess replied in a somewhat childish manner.


    ¡°I was curious as to what you are cooking.¡±


    ¡°R-Really? I mean, we are honored to receive your interest.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you cooking?¡±


    ¡°We were trying a kind of cake, we have been experimenting it for a few days¡­ and we expect it will be¡­ great and final this time.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Do you mind if I try?¡±


    Allie¡¯s eyes twitched when she heard what the princess said. It was due to a personal reason.


    She didn¡¯t expect she would ask something like that. Allie didn¡¯t always see the princess, only on rare occasions, therefore, she didn¡¯t know much about her. However, the princess was royalty, and her wanting to try eating an experimental cake was shocking enough.


    Of course, later everyone agreed. Allie kept glancing often at the princess. She was a bit restless.


    She then heard the words of the princess which conveys that watching the process was interesting. Then later, the princess suggested that they would dine together, Allie was hesitant at first to dine with the princess.


    But with the reason she gave, she couldn¡¯t find a way to refuse.


    Allie ate the cake first, a faint smile of satisfaction emerged on her face, it was better compared to last time.


    ¡°Hmmm, this is delicious!¡±


    Allie heard the princess¡¯ joyful voice. Her heart jumped for a moment.


    She watched the bright smile on the princess¡¯ face, so sweet and beautiful. How vexing to know that someone possessed such appearance, such beauty.


    But, no negative emotions lingered for long.


    Then a short while later, the princess left.


    Allie had some strange feeling in her heart. Perhaps bitterness, or was she elated?


    But even so, a thought came to mind above it all.


    If I had known the princess would come and eat the food prepared by us here, I could have done something more, something incredibly more.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Ah yes, a POV of one of the new characters.


    Please leave a heart and comment. :)

 Chapter 43: The Royal Library (Part 1)

    I plan to strap my weapons on my thighs as usual, no way I¡¯m leaving without a weapon. How miserable it would be if I died a miserable death¡­ Pathetic, didn¡¯t even get to fight for dear life or having my last stand.


    I wore a light yet elegant dress of violet after bathing, a nice scent emanating from my beautiful existence. The moment I returned to my room to prepare my weapons, I couldn¡¯t help but admire myself momentarily in the mirror.


    I was beautiful back in my former life too. They didn¡¯t call me an angel for nothing. Of course my appearance was not the only reason why they called me an angel.


    Though I was not quite fond of it, I don¡¯t see the importance of nicknames. But people seemed to like it, nothing I can do to stop them, not that it obstructed my job.


    Then I went to have breakfast with my family. No poison on the food it seems, since as you can see, I¡¯m still alive. To be honest, I can¡¯t even nonchalantly enjoy my food anymore because of any possible threats.


    True that servants do taste some food to ensure there were no poisons. However, they can always put some poison as they were delivered.


    But still, having to worry takes the fun and satisfaction out when you eat your meal.


    I¡¯m starting to miss the early days when I first got here.


    I wonder, were there such things as antidotes for poison that can be casted by magic? Now ain¡¯t that an interesting thought. The way I saw it, my family don¡¯t seem to worry much about poison.


    Estelia¡¯s memories tell me nothing about such magic nor what my family were fully capable of.


    Anyways, guess what I¡¯m doing later! I¡¯m learning magic! That¡¯s right! And it seems I¡¯m starting from the basics and reading books! I¡¯m not really a reader myself, but I¡¯m quite tolerant in reading thick stacks of papers.


    And something like a magic book is something not to be denied. In fact, I think I¡¯m going to enjoy it. A phenomena which didn¡¯t exist back in my old world? How could I not be exhilarated to learn about such a thing, especially knowing that magic can be extremely useful to use in combat and executing my enemies.


    Also more importantly, I can¡¯t hope to defeat someone with magic on a frontal assault when I don¡¯t even have the capability to counter magic. Fight fire with fire... Although magic was different from fire. In any case, I need magic to fight with magic.


    How regrettable this would be, but I would be prioritizing learning magic than searching for any traitors for the time being. I can¡¯t be searching around while learning. However, I will make some time for it.


    Both objectives were important.


    After breakfast, Vernon led me to the Royal Library. Given its name, you could imagine how large it would be. With Estelia¡¯s memories, I know how big that place was.


    On the third floor of the palace, we arrived at a pair of giant doors with grand splendor. Seriously, the doors were extravagant, emblazoned with golden accents, golden door knob, metal flowers made of gold and silver, all on the dark brown wooden door. Mix metals with wooden doors? I guess it would be too heavy to be fully made of metal.


    One could see this library was made with great love in the past. If memories serve, a Queen in the far past has made this. What a way to show off one¡¯s wealth. Well not that I blame them, even I spent gold coins for an extravagant dagger.


    Hehehe, having a wealthy life sure is great.


    Vernon opened both the doors and awaited my entrance. I entered. I have Estelia¡¯s memories, but seeing it with my own eyes, it was, truth be told, breathtaking. Shelves of books upon books, upon books. The shelves by the walls were especially tall that they almost reached the ceilings with only wooden ladders one could hope to reach for a book up above.


    I could already feel a faint smell of paper from where I was standing.


    Sure back in my world, there were big or not bigger than this one right here. However, I¡¯m not exactly someone to go on a leisurely visit to such a place.


    ¡°Vernon, it always amazes me to see how much books are kept here. What are they mostly about, I wonder.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, most of them are fiction, products of human imaginations. Some are collections from the far past, discussing history, geography, biography, journals and so on. Some are from the royal families, adventurers, voyagers and a few more.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Ain¡¯t that interesting, a place of knowledge. But of course you can¡¯t expect me to read all of them, just the relevant ones. But if I get to live here for the rest of my life, I may definitely read all of it.


    ¡°Please follow me, your highness.¡±


    I followed Vernon, and then we arrived at a table and a couch. On the table was a single book, quite thick though, there was perhaps hundreds of pages there. It had a brown leather cover and gave of a sense that it was somewhat old.


    Well, books are valuable and expensive, therefore, even old books have values. There were no such things as printing here after all. Writers had to manually write the contents of the book using their own hands. How tedious really when you have keyboards in your past life, but alas, I have to accept it.


    Well, not like I¡¯m going to write any book anyway, so not that big of a deal for me. I am just going to be the consumer.


    ¡°This is the book his majesty said you should read first. That said, there are already some spells useful there. For instance, barriers and healing magic.¡±


    ¡°You have read it?¡±


    ¡°A long time ago. I merely scanned it, not studied it.¡±


    ¡°So, you know how to cast magic?¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°Not exactly, your highness. My combat style differs from mages. I mostly use martial arts.¡±


    ¡°I see. But you are familiar with magic, correct?¡± I said with an innocent smile.


    ¡°You could say that. But I only use mana to enhance my physical performance.¡±


    ¡°Enhance?¡±


    ¡°You will learn it if you read the book, your highness.¡±


    Somehow I feel like he was saying something there, like there was another meaning to it. Is¡­ Is he thinking I couldn¡¯t endure reading this thick book? Thinking that I would give up and would rather rely on direct lecture?


    Hah!


    I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not the previous Estelia you know.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± I giggled.


    But before that, there was a part of the memories that I find interesting.


    ¡°But before I delve into the book, can I take a look around first?¡±


    ¡°Why is that, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I just want to look around first, maybe¡­ maybe I can find some interesting books.¡±


    I said as I fidgeted around in hesitation to speak, I must have looked adorable. I can see from how Mera was looking at me.


    Now that I notice it, wasn¡¯t she quite behaved? She was pretty quiet ever since this morning. She also seemed more serious than before.


    Interesting.


    It happened when the servants were being suspected.


    But would an expert spy be this obvious? Not really. Depends on the person mostly.


    I sighed inside.


    Mera¡­ everyday I keep suspecting you more.


    But I don¡¯t know any of her inner thoughts. That said, it was best to be cautious.


    ¡°... Hm. Is that so¡­? Then I guess that is fine.¡±


    Vernon said, there was a bit of delay when he seemed to be pondering. But at least I get to walk around. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad to experience strolling around a library this big.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Estelia gets more suspicious of Mera as the day goes by.


    And Estelia''s going to start learning magic soon, nice.


    Please leave a heart and comment. Help me feed alogrithm-sama.

 Chapter 44: The Royal Library (Part 2)

    ¡°So I take it is fine to walk around the library alone, yes?¡±


    I asked Vernon that somewhat strange question. Well, I guess that would be a fine question since he was supposed to guard me. However, I can work more efficiently here if I were to go alone, besides, I have something to check out.


    Furthermore, it was too quiet here as though we were the only people here.


    ¡°I think it is fine, your highness. We are the only people here, so it should be safe,¡± Vernon glanced at Mera for a moment. It prompted her to flinch slightly.


    Hm? Could it be that he was wary of her?


    ¡°Well, with the exception of the Queen, your mother.¡±


    ¡°Mother? Here? Where is she?¡± I said so as I looked around.


    ¡°She is in one of the rooms. But I suggest not to disturb her, she is, at the moment, occupied with something important.¡±


    I became curious, what could Mother be busy with?


    ¡°Is that so. What is she working on?¡±


    ¡°Regrettably, your highness, I was not informed about it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So she¡¯s not doing paperwork?


    What could she be doing in the library? It didn¡¯t seem like her occasional visit to the library to read books. If she did, she would be here in the lobby. So this means it was something very important.


    Does it concern me? Well, if that was the case, it would be fine. But the library was a source of knowledge. So¡­ was she researching something?


    It was pointless to keep mulling this over, especially when I have no information. So I decided to set it aside for now.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­ Ah, you mentioned we are the only ones here, which I¡¯m starting to notice. Where is everyone?¡±


    There should be keepers here or something, with some maids to keep things clean and neat.


    ¡°The King ordered them to leave the library when you are inside.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Wow.


    Talk about over protective. Well, they were always like that to Estelia, so this shouldn¡¯t go as a surprise. But I was merely studying, that said, we have a current threat at the moment, so it was understandable.


    Well, this was fine, being no one else around had its merits. With no other eyes, I can feel less restrained than usual.


    I showed my servants a beautiful smile.


    ¡°They¡¯re so charming when they do something like this.¡±


    Vernon¡¯s eyebrows went up a little.


    ¡°I expected you would react in another way.¡±


    I stepped forward enthusiastically as I put my hands behind me, trying to show my cuteness and joy for my parents¡¯ efforts.


    ¡°How else would I react? They are only showing care for me, and I¡¯m happy because of that. Although, to be honest, it is a bit embarrassing to hear.¡±


    I giggled quietly as my eyes darted everywhere.


    ¡°I see. His Majesty will be overjoyed if he hears about this.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Don¡¯t tell him!¡±


    I waved my hands frantically as a faint color of red appeared on my cheeks.


    ¡°T-There¡¯s¡­ no need to tell them what I s-said.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± he chuckled. ¡°If you say so, your highness.¡±


    He bowed his head. But I don¡¯t know if he would follow what I said. He might be a mischievous old man. Well, I¡¯m just going to act accordingly.


    ¡°T-Thank you...  In any case, I¡¯ll be going around for a while.¡±


    I left and headed towards the shelves of books and scrolls. However, as I did so, I glanced at Mera for a second. She was awfully behaved, she barely even fidgeted around. What a weird girl she was currently.


    I went deeper into the collection of books until the servants can no longer see me. I prefer to work with no eyes watching me, so this was good. I stopped in my tracks when I saw a shelf labeled with Story of Monarchs.


    Hm, it appeared to be stories of former rulers of Wisteria, which I didn¡¯t need to point out since the label explains for itself. Actually, each one of these books should rather be called biographies. I had short memories of Estelia taking a peek at one of them, but of course, she didn¡¯t even give the time to read one entirely.


    Of course I¡¯m not intending to read all of those, come on, don¡¯t expect too much from me. However, I randomly took one out. This one on the leather cover had, seemed to be a name, Junesis Enestrico Wisteria. I opened and read just a bit.


    He was the fifth king before my Father, or the fifth counting from the last including my father.


    He was neither a fighter nor physically built for combat. He was mentioned to be a more diplomatic type of guy. Hm, it seems the man in question was not the writer of this book.


    That aside, it was also mentioned here that he made some moves to form amiable relationships with nearby smaller countries. He also improved the inner workings of the kingdom, by¡­ getting rid of corrupt aristocrats who were deemed¡­ unnecessary for the future of Wisteria...


    Ooooh. This guy wasn¡¯t a softie, cool. Starting a fight with nobles was not easy, I commend this ancestor of mine.


    More than that, he also further supported the Church of Serenity and Compassion in ways that were never shared to the public nor in normal servants in the palace. Interesting.


    In addition, he also started the stepping stones for both the Churches of Wisteria and the¡­ Valaies Holy Kingdom to begin cooperation and forming a friendly relationship.


    Cooperation, huh. Interesting. I wonder how it is now.


    But it was interesting to know that these two Churches cooperated.


    This Valaies Kingdom reminds of the Vatican. It reminded me of the time when I infiltrated the Pope''s cathedral, how nostalgic. Of course I didn¡¯t kill any religious party. The Organization was particularly careful not to earn the ire of the religious order. Heh, don¡¯t underestimate church. They were not to be trifled with.


    That aside, my target that time was someone who was seeking shelter in the Basilica of Saint Peter. He caught wind that he was being targeted. He sought safety in the church, how ridiculous. He wasn¡¯t even a religious person. In fact, he might be one of those that are referred to as false believers. What believer would order the execution of an entire family and a case of rape.


    A hypocrite he was and only using the church as a mere shield. Of course, the walls of the cathedral that he took as a safe haven was worthless to me.


    Now, perhaps you¡¯re wondering, doesn''t the organization sound like some place noble, especially when they had that guy killed? Haha, no way. It was just a job given to the Organization at a great price. Given the difficulty of the mission and my current location was the closest to the Vatican, I was assigned.


    The Organization was neither noble nor compassionate. You can already tell from all their agents once you know them.


    At any rate, that story ends here.


    Oh! I also got inside the Vatican Vault one time and at a different time. I know what¡¯s insiiiideeee. You wanna know what¡¯s inside? Something that is deeper? Something that is a secret?


    Alright I¡¯ll tell you¡­.


    Just kidding! I¡¯ll leave you guessing for a while.


    I returned the book to its place and walked further before picking up another book. This one was the ninth king from the last. I scanned the book, but there was nothing truly significant here. Not much contribution except hanging around with nobles, strengthening the crown¡¯s influence to the kingdom even more.


    That didn¡¯t mean much really, don¡¯t all kings supposed to keep the crown influential? In any case, this one gave the feeling of one of those unmemorable, or incompetent leaders. Ah, I¡¯m disrespecting him, am I? My apologies. But I was only stating what I think. Nothing personal.


    I then returned the book and picked out another.


    This time, if I were to base it from the order of books from the first book I took. This was the 15th king from the last.


    This book seems to be from a man named Essei Irinesus Wisteria. I opened the book and¡­ the first phrase I read was....


    Hey! What¡¯s up?!


    ....... It would seem this was written in first person. Essei himself wrote this¡­. Hm.


    I continued reading.


    So I was told that I need to have a biography. I mean, really? Do they know how old I am now?! I¡¯m already getting headaches from seeing a stack of paper on my table, and now they have me personally write one?! Tch! This sucks. But, nothing I can do. I have to leave my mark on the history books, they say.


    Wow, this guy¡­ wait, how old was he when he was writing this?


    Maybe you¡¯re wondering, whoever¡¯s reading this, how old am I as of writing this.


    The fuck, did he somehow read my mind from the afterlife?


    Well, I¡¯m 60! 60! And they expect me to write from when I was a child? No way, that¡¯s a pain, I barely remember what happened when I was like, I don¡¯t know, fifteen? But still, those were the boring days.


    But I¡¯ll tell you about myself though, ¡®cause, this is what a biography should be. Wait, shouldn¡¯t this be called an autobiography now?


    Um, I mean, he¡¯s not wrong.


    He¡¯s 60 and yet, it feels like I¡¯m reading about a child complaining.


    You see, I am a person who seeks excitement! I want to experience different things, make valuable memories. I am a carefree spirit. Even though as king, I¡¯ll never let go of my freedom to move around and do what I want.


    So, I went to expedition¡¯s and such. Scour the forests! Go to the south and swim the ocean. Hunting beasts, taming animals. Discovering new plants and places. My prime was the best.


    Of course, I also went on to do other things. Actually, I like moving around at a quick speed. Climbing houses, trees, and mountains were difficult and slow to climb. So, as I was already into magic, I decided to create my own spell.


    Create?


    I heard no such spells like this. If there were, I don¡¯t know them, nor do the common people. In any case, I made my own, just the way I like it. It was a spell that could control the wind.


    I was getting interested.


    Of course, not like the wind that blows you away. It was something that you can move with, something you can step on. Haaaah, good times. How amazing that was. I was able to travel faster than I usually would. I can climb easier and faster.


    That said, it¡¯s sole purpose was not only for leisure, no. It can also be used for combat, which was amazing. I was pretty mobile and quick. I prefer to use light and small weapons such as daggers, and the spell was pretty useful for it. I prefer not to encounter enemies head on, it¡¯s more of a hassle that way, really. That is why I prefer doing quick elimination.


    In any case, the spell was like riding the wind. I call it ¡°Air Step¡±.


    To be honest, I hope my descendants would use that spell of mine. I don¡¯t want it to get wasted. And, this spell was fun. I use it all the time in my life.


    I hope someone of the same spirit as mine gets to use it.


    Air Step¡­. This¡­. I was mesmerized and curious. I was interested. It felt like I could use this.


    Seriously, that spell is very important to me. Maybe you, the reader is interested, so go ahead and learn it or something. You must be interested, right? Yes you are!


    Okay.... this feels like Essei was talking to me¡­ Now now Essei, maybe you¡¯re right, I am interested. Wait, why am I trying to speak to a dead man?


    Well, I¡¯ll look into it when I learn how to do magic.


    I returned the book to its shelf. There were pages left, but I¡¯m not reading all of those¡­ But perhaps I will next time.


    I then went on ahead, ignoring the other books. I¡¯m already consuming a lot of time, and time is essential. However, at least the time used was fruitful.


    Then, I turned to a corner, then stopped. I have reached the place I wanted to reach.


    There, what I remember from Estelia¡¯s memories.


    On a pedestal was a grandiose thick book. However, what made this book different from the others was that it was bound in chains.


    The Royal Grimoire.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Eeey, we got some background about former rulers.


    Please leave a heart and comment.

 Chapter 45: The Royal Library (Part 3)

    I approached the book bound in chains. It had a grey with silvery colored hard cover, and was as thick as a big dictionary found in my old world. I knew of this special book from Estelia¡¯s memories.


    A very important book, the Royal Grimoire. A book only to be opened and read by royalty. And this book was displayed at the center of a hall flanked by other lavish books on pedestals. The others must be the most expensive and historical in the library.


    However, the Royal Grimoire stands above all. The sole book bound in chains. From the memories, here lies the powers of former royalties. Not physical, but magical.


    This was what I wanted to see.


    If what my family said was true, then if I can have this, I might learn a thing or two. Give me power.


    I wondered if the spell Air Step was in there.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    I knitted my brows. This book was supposed to be old, almost as old as the kingdom. However, the passage of time didn¡¯t show in its appearance. Strange. Don¡¯t tell me this was magic again. That could be the only explanation.


    I can¡¯t pull it out since it was tightly tied by chains with a lock. I know how to pick locks mind you. However, that was modern times, this was a medieval lock. That said, they still work the same, I guess. In fact, I expect it would be easier to pick this compared to the modern ones. I hope I¡¯m right.


    I reached out and held the lock to take a closer look. I pulled it a little, only then that the entire lock and the chains glinted for a moment.


    The fuck?!


    I immediately let go of it. Nothing happened to me yet. That glint wasn¡¯t because of light from somewhere, but it came from the metals itself. No, not exactly, it was just above the metals. Whatever it was, that glint felt like it was a warning.


    It gave me the feeling that it was like one of those electric fences that¡­ well, electrify you with a touch. However, this phenomena seemed to be caused by magic. And it would be dangerous to mess around with it when I know nothing.


    Dammit, it feels like I just call anything unexplainable and implausible as magic.


    I mean, what else could magic be? It defeats common sense. And it¡¯s bullshit!


    In any case, this was a bit frustrating. At this rate, I can¡¯t pick the lock to steal it. I could really  try¡­ but that would just be idiotic. No way this was a small deal. And no way they would just put a measly security measure.


    I could die for all I know. Or worse, I would lose an arm. Yes, that¡¯s worse than dying. I would rather not lose an arm or leg.


    I guess I just have to find some other way. I can¡¯t learn its contents anyway without familiarizing myself with magic.


    But it¡¯s good to learn that the grimoire had such security. In the past, Estelia never touched it, so I never knew it had something like this. Well, Estevan did warn her not to touch it so¡­


    Whatever, I shall return. Bye-Bye Mister Safeguarded Book. I¡¯ll open you up next time.


    I left the Mister Book alone.


    This place was a library, so I could certainly find information that I wanted. Information about the local area, the outskirts, further than Wisteria, and so on. However, I shall focus on the book that was given to me by Father.


    No distractions.


    Shortly, I arrived back at the lobby.


    ¡°How¡¯s your short tour, your highness?¡± Vernon asked me out of the blue.


    I smiled brightly as I spoke energetically.


    ¡°Oh I just read some books about Monarchs.¡±


    His eyes went wide for a moment, as though surprised by my answer.


    ¡°... Monarchs?¡±


    ¡°Those books that looked like biographies. Although I just took a short peek, there is too much to read.¡±


    ¡°...I see. Well, I do hope you give your whole attention to the book about the basics of magic.¡±


    I wanted to furrow my brows. He seemed to be implying something. He was like an instructor that only wants their students to focus on their subject and nothing else.


    Of course my instructors weren¡¯t so forgiving if you don¡¯t pay attention. Again, they would smack you on the head hard.


    In my early days, I actually experienced that. It was a bit vague since I was very young, but that was a very memorable moment. I think I cried. Uhuh, poor little me. What an abusive place, painful, I have only realized that later when I left the training facility. It was the only place I knew when I was a kid, therefore, I didn¡¯t think it was a truly abusive place.


    There was no hero that came to save us, the world was not as bright as stories children always hear their parents tell.


    There were no heroes and absolute justice. The ones who claim to be heroes of justice are fools. If I actually saw someone who acts that way, I swear I might have a terrible time holding myself back from choking that person myself.


    ¡°O-Of course, Vernon. How could I not? But before that...¡±


    I shifted my eyes towards Mera who was a bit behind Vernon. I had a concerned look on my face as I looked at her, prompting her to flinch in surprise and bafflement. Well, I was suddenly giving her a worried look.


    ¡°Mera.¡±


    I walked towards her as Vernon stood aside. I did have a glimpse of him narrowing his eyes as he glanced at Mera though.


    ¡°Are you alright, Mera?¡±


    Mera seemed to grow a bit restless as both her hands tensed up as they held together.


    ¡°... Y-Yes, milady. What made you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, you seemed¡­ off. You¡¯re acting strange.¡±


    ¡°S-Surely not, I am normal as always,¡± she said with a faint smile.


    ¡°Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°... No, milady. There is nothing.¡±


    There was a bit of delay on her response. Something was indeed in her mind. She realized yesterday that the servants were being suspected of something. Perhaps¡­?


    She was intending to have a low profile?


    Hm.


    Let me try agitating her a bit. If I were her target, there must be something I can notice. If there was, if we say hate, that would be more noticeable.


    I suddenly stepped forward and gently sandwiched her cheeks between my hands. Her eyes went wide by my sudden action and she turned stiff.


    ¡°Stop it with the long face. See? You look better this way.¡±


    I squished her cheeks and pressed it a little.


    ¡°Hmmm~!¡±


    I giggled. ¡°You look adorable!¡±


    ¡°M-Milady¡­¡±


    ¡°There there,¡± I let go. ¡°Cheer up.¡±


    I smiled as I looked at her eyes.


    ¡°...Yes, milady.¡±


    What did I notice? There was no hatred. It was just a genuine surprise. Eyes wanted to scream and retreat. However, that didn¡¯t mean no hatred means no threat. And eyes often means different things than what you initially assessed.


    That said, playing with a possible enemy¡¯s emotions was quite amusing and entertaining. Me deciding to agitate or fluster her might prove fruitful in the future, and give influences that would help her make a decision.


    ¡°That is good, Mera. I¡¯ll be focusing on my studies for a while.¡±


    I left her and sat down on the chair.


    I took the book.


    Right, time to study!


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment. Thanks :)

 Chapter 46: Basics of Magic (Part 1)

    The book in my hands began by explaining what magic was. It was said to be miracles granted by the gods through giving their powers to the world. And what they gave unto the world and blessed unto its creatures was mana, the fuel of the miracle called magic.


    All creatures who walk in this world have mana, whether they be feeble or substantial, they vary from creature to creature, but mana nonetheless. Mana can be found within beings, and thus can be controlled by the being storing the mana.


    However, how much they can achieve depends on the amount of mana they possess. As for the question as to why a few had a considerable amount while others small, the answer was unclear.


    Others say it came from their ancestors, from exceptional beings. Others say they were favored by the gods. Some say it was only random.


    However, with great mana comes power. Perhaps that was why most of those above in the hierarchy whether in aristocracy or something else was positioned high because of their power.


    Hm. Maybe that¡¯s why nobles in Wisteria were said to have more mana compared to commoners.


    The book then went on talking about magic. Magic was a product of imaginations and wishes. Creatures wish light, so can magic bring light. One imagines a blue fire, came the existence of blue fire. All was achievable by expending mana.


    Those who have no experience in magic cannot manipulate their mana yet. One needs practice. Like how a baby at birth doesn¡¯t know how to stand and walk, but as they grew, they would learn. Like how you can''t sew clothes perfectly at first, but with practice one can perfect such skill.


    I was slightly concerned about this. It made me wonder, if mana was already there inside the moment you came into existence, then are the people in this world instinctively familiar with mana?


    I am not originally from this world. Therefore, it was a bit concerning. All this magic and mana was completely foreign to me after all.


    Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m trying it at some point anyway. Only then will I know the true difficulties.


    The book then went on to explain what a Spell was. A spell, basically, was magic given form and purpose. So I took it that a spell was a specified type of magic given shape or something like that, so the term Magic was more like a general term used when talking about something that had no specifications.


    I then saw an illustration of a human body. It somewhat reminded me of Leonardo Da Vinci¡¯s drawing of the human body. The one that had its arms spread out. Except this one had some sort of veins spread out throughout the entire body.


    In modern terms, I see it as some sort of circuit. They gave the circuits the term ¡°Mystic Medium¡±. An intangible medium where mana passes through which one can freely manipulate. That said, it was also mentioned that the center of mana couldn¡¯t be finalized. That was because none can determine the central point of their mana.


    Therefore, it was generally theorized that the Mystic Medium was the center as a whole.


    Woah wait, why the hell is there theory all of a sudden?


    I expected this book would head straight to how one can control mana and do magic and stuff.


    Whatever, this might prove useful when being practical.


    It then went on to say that one¡¯s Mystic Medium was not final and mentioned it can grow. Some may be born naturally with a feeble amount of mana, or vast, if they nurture their Mystic Medium, they can grow.


    The more you strive to make it grow, so will your mana. It was explained that the medium grows figuratively larger, so does the container of mana, and the medium which mana uses to flow through.


    Hm, so like a bottle, a container for mana. But a bottle doesn¡¯t expand. So maybe I¡¯ll just see it as a balloon? No, just a flexible channel or something like that. Just gotta stretch it to expand it.


    It was mentioned that the amount of mana can be increased through training and time.


    Okay¡­


    Then, I finally reached what appears to be instructions ¡ª or should it be said a tutorial.


    I read them all and it took me several minutes.


    I frowned so hard, harder than I did for a long time.


    The fuck?


    The fuck indeed.


    I, well, sort of squeezed the book in my hand.


    This, this book was bullshit!


    The instructions were not clear at all!


    Let me give you a short explanation.


    To use magic, expend mana. To expend mana, you need to manipulate it. To manipulate it however¡­ it was more abstract than I initially thought.


    It said that sense the mana inside you, feel the Medium which existed inside you. Feel the flow of the mysterious still stream sleeping inside. Reach for it which was beyond the touchable.


    Grasp it, wave it, control it, express it out.


    Embrace the familiar one that lies beyond which can be held, which was mana. Then, let it out of your body.


    ¡­¡­..


    Cool.


    Big problem though. How the fuck do I do that?! Where¡¯s the damn logical steps? You know, one plus one, two plus two, step by step on what you should do. Process on what you should go through. Tch.


    Reach for it which was beyond the touchable?? How do I do that?


    This didn¡¯t make any logical sense.


    Nothing could get more abstract than this.


    And beginners manage with this book? How!?


    Oh, also, the familiar one? Haha, I don¡¯t even know how that feels. Estelia¡¯s memories were not helping me at all. Maybe it was too vague to become a permanent or memorable memory.


    .... Fine, I¡¯ll do whatever I can.


    I stood up from my seat, a bit aggressive due to how displeased I am. I put down the book and closed my eyes. Took deep breaths, I eased up my body, the muscles loosened, I tried to do what it was said in the book.


    Feel what was inside, reach beyond.


    Time passed, and it was now a couple minutes.


    It was then that I tensed up my muscles. Maybe, you know, if I exert physical force, the mana would come out. My fists began to clench. I feel so tough and stiff, exerting all the strength of my muscles that I may as well fart.


    Then, shortly, I opened my eyes.


    ¡­¡­.. I didn¡¯t do shit!


    Grrrrrrrrr, how do I do it properly?


    Dammit. Calm down, patience. Yes, patience. Shit, why was I so impatient all of a sudden? I assessed myself for a moment, trying to understand what was going on with myself. A self reflection. The way I am now wouldn¡¯t do.


    Then I came to a conclusion.


    I felt inferior. I was one of the greatest in the organization, one of the many skillful fighters in the world. One of the most skilled amongst the assassins. But here, I was insignificant, comparable to a mere damn ant. Not because I was unskilled, but because of a strange source of power. And, I was trying to catch up as fast as I could.


    Catching up to the standards of this world, of society.


    But, who wouldn¡¯t feel bitter when you went through a lot of things just to get overwhelmed by something all of a sudden? I went through hell for my abilities. Those physical training, emotional training, teachings, combat, endurance. How many of my fellows have I killed just to pass the tests?


    I took pride in my skills. But now, the right to feel that way was being stripped away from me.


    How annoying. This was amateurish of me. I shouldn¡¯t feel intensely this way.


    I took in a deep breath.


    I¡¯ll take this, step by step. Slow and steady. Being impatient would only do nothing good for me. I¡¯ll catch up.


    I pondered my failure. This was a book for beginners. But in my perspective, it was vague. Meaning, there was something wrong ¡ª or rather, abnormal about me compared to the people of this world.


    A familiar one, it was mentioned. Therefore, there was a chance that my theory earlier was correct. That the people of this world were instinctively familiar with mana.


    They were born with it after all.


    However, I may need something that contributes to its confirmation.


    And, I may need assistance in doing this.


    I turned around after taking my book. I came to the far back corner of the lobby where my servants were.


    ¡°Your highness?¡± Vernon looked surprised by my sudden appearance.


    I faced and asked him.


    ¡°Vernon, this book, is this used by beginners?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is.¡±


    ¡°Can you really do the instructions laid out here?¡±


    He slightly tilted his head, as though puzzled by my question.


    ¡°Of course, your highness. I¡¯ve read it in the past, and I can say with assurance that the instructions given were correct and were expressed well.¡±


    Seriously?


    ¡°Even when it was abstract?¡±


    ¡°Abstract¡­? I suppose it was a bit, but it was understandable and applicable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I think this much confirms it. They have instincts in magic.


    This makes it more complicated¡­ and more difficult.

 Chapter 47: Basics of Magic (Part 2)

    But still, even though they have instincts in magic, this body, Estelia, was still born in this world. Therefore, this body was naturally linked to magic and mana. This didn¡¯t mean I would give up.


    How stupid do you think giving up at first try? I¡¯ll be the biggest idiot in the world if I did.


    ¡°Vernon, any tips you can give me?¡±


    ¡°Tips¡­¡± he looked at the floor as he pondered. ¡°Magic of nobles is different from us of common birth. Yours are more grander, thus when exerting magic, it may differ from commoners, whether it be by strength or method. However, the general concept of it should be the same.¡±


    He smiled faintly as he continued.


    ¡°Mana is like your own limb, your will is what it will follow. Command it to move, will it to show its power.¡±


    Magic is illogical, so does its methods. Unlike science that required mathematics and calculations, as well as process and so on, magic was vague and unexplainable. Therefore, magic was in a league of its own.


    However, without a logical method, this would be harder for me. Or, I am the weird one here for being unable to do something like this.


    But this tip from him was quite good.


    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡±


    When push comes to shove, I¡¯ll bullshit my way through. And how would I do that? No idea!


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep your words in mind.¡±


    I returned to my seat and stared at the book placed upon the table.


    Hmmmm¡­. Alright¡­ Mana is my own limb, you are under my command, thy shall move as I wish. If one disobeys, thy shall fall into penance¡­


    Hehe ¡ª I tried speaking to it. I don¡¯t know if it would help, but hey, didn¡¯t I say I¡¯ll bullshit my way through it?


    And, this place where I was, was not precisely a good place to train. I prefer an open space, a peaceful one, quiet. Sure the place was quiet, but this was not it.


    Looked around and saw a space in this large lobby. It was by the wide windows. That looked like a good place!


    I rose up from my seat and immediately headed over there. The windows were made of glass with gold and silver frames. This place may be more luxurious than my room. And damn the glass installed here was impressive.


    Glass was not exactly easy to come by and by no means cheap compared to my old world. But given how old this library was, I imagine this place being renovated many times already. I don¡¯t intend to think of the cost.


    But come on, we are rich though!


    I was fairly rich myself back in my old world. But if I say rich, I don¡¯t mean a millionaire, I barely reached that. We agents were given, you could say salaries, but not that much. In addition, we were also given some payment when we finished a job. But of course a lot of it was given to the organization.


    It was no big deal however, I mean, I don¡¯t even have much to spend the money on. We mostly use it for daily necessities. We assassins bound by the chains of the organization cannot bask in luxury and leisure.


    But we didn¡¯t think much of it even though we see countless people living a comfortable wealthy life. We were raised strictly to follow orders and kill. That was our purpose.


    That said, now that I have tasted freedom, I was starting to love it. It made me ask, why did I have to live in such a way? But such a question can never be answered.


    And¡­ I can hardly imagine how my life would be if everything happened otherwise.


    Besides, I met my fellow assassins, raised in the same organization. Ones who were my friends, all that lived, and died.


    The handsome and often bothersome man. The adorable junior girl, I wondered how she was doing. Then, the damn rude ass introvert, this one was strange since I cannot fathom why he ended up that way.


    And, my first team. The pissy girl who always had an angry look on her face. The playful guy who likes to tease people so much. Then the woman who swears a lot, and even though I was cold towards them, she was the one who would always speak to me despite it all.


    How nostalgic.


    Very nostalgic.


    And too bad, I died at a young age of twenty.


    I opened the window and the sweet sunny breeze blew to my face, sending my platinum hair aflutter. My beautiful crimson eyes stared at the wonderful view for a moment before I stepped away.


    Now then¡­


    How should I do this?


    I closed my eyes, trying to imitate what was called a meditation. Trying to feel anything. Imagining and willing, ordering any mystical element that might be out there. The fresh air from the outside greatly helped in giving me a peace of mind.


    Then a short while later, not much changed.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Perhaps extending my hand? I tried it.


    ¡°Um, Abracadabra.¡±


    I imagined mana would be exerted from my extended hand. But, of course it did not work.


    ¡°...Fuck¡ª¡± I uttered quietly in vexation.


    I immediately shut my mouth. Wew, thankfully I said that quietly that I doubt anyone heard it. If anyone heard it from a pure and innocent lady like me, I don¡¯t know how they would react.


    You know what, maybe I need to read about casting spells first.


    I went and got the book and returned to the spot.


    I came upon the Spells section. The first one I saw was a defensive spell of some sorts. A quick casting spell and quite efficient.


    With its simplicity, one can easily learn it. It was called ¡°Palm Shield¡±, there was even an illustration of a person extending his hand and from his palm was a semicircle, must be the barrier.


    Judging from the way I see it, this must be the same barrier I saw from the knights mock battle.


    I read how to cast it. It says, shape your mana to take form, imagine it and will it, the more mana you pour into it, the stronger it will be.


    I narrowed my eyes.


    I then closed the book with frustration.


    Ah, progress is going to be slower than I expected.


    I placed the book onto a nearby table and returned to my ¡°training.¡±


    Dammit, if only Estelia¡¯s memories would help me.


    I began to feel as though something was coursing through my veins, and when I say feel, I mean I was imagining that I was feeling it. So yeah, nothing changed.


    I also tried other things, and of course, a lot of time began to pass.


    ***


    It has been a couple of hours. During all this time, I was still trying to let out some mana. I even did some stretching and short exercises, I might have looked a bit weird in the eyes of others if there were people watching me.


    I have been doing all the instructions given in the book, as well as tips given by Vernon.


    It was a bit mentally exhausting at most. Sometimes, you just wish that your efforts result in something. I mean, everyone must know how terrible and bitter it is when your efforts are brought to waste.


    I know I don¡¯t want to waste my time.


    As for what this had to do with everything at the moment, it definitely had something to do with it. I was becoming slightly irritated. There were no significant changes.


    There must be something I¡¯m doing wrong.


    But, I couldn¡¯t determine what it would be. In this case, I will definitely need a personal trainer or something like that. Vernon might do, but according to what I have learned about the type of magic I¡¯m learning, or was it battle style, it was different from a direct fighter.


    Therefore, things might go different if I was taught by Vernon who was a physical fighter. That said however, I was stuck at the beginning.


    So, it should be fine?


    Well that aside, I¡¯ve been feeling a bit strange for some reason. Like something¡­ how do I explain this¡­ itchy? Not on my skin however, but from the inside. It happened all of a sudden during my solo training.


    I don¡¯t know, maybe I hit the spot or something. But that didn¡¯t amount to much. Even so, this must only need time.


    I decided to stop for the time being and return to reading my book. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated.


    Sitting by the table beside the window, I heaved a sigh as I read the book with my hand on my cheek.


    There were incredibly interesting spells. No, wait, I might actually be interested in all of them. I mean, knowing such things to exist, who wouldn¡¯t be interested especially if the concept of magic was new.


    Just think of the potential of magic.


    Power.


    It has power.


    If you have strong magic, you could easily kill a number of people. Magic was a tool of destruction and annihilation.


    That was how I was starting to see magic as.


    It was thrilling to imagine using it.


    But of course, I first need to solve the current problem to reach that power.


    ¡°Estelia, dear?¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice called out to me out of the blue. It was a familiar voice.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment :)

 Chapter 48: Mother’s Love (Part 1)

    I turned towards the source of the voice and saw a woman with silver hair. It was my mother. She looked at me with a faint smile.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    I sat up straight immediately with a happy smile, showing my emotion when I saw her.


    ¡°You look troubled,¡± she said with a puzzled expression as she walked closer.


    ¡°Um, no, it¡¯s nothing, just minor setbacks, that is all.¡±


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t know if I should call it minor. But I¡¯m just playing innocent here.


    ¡°Is that so? But even so, you look tired, what say we take a breather for a while. Besides, we are going for lunch later, right?¡±


    I pondered for a while, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to rest for a while. And, the way she was saying it, I can guess she wanted us to eat together.


    ¡°I guess it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! Leave the book, let us sit comfily on the couch.¡±


    She pointed towards the nearby sofa facing the window where one could see the beauty of the view and nature.


    I nodded my head and followed behind her like a true gentle and delicate lady.


    ¡°By the way mother, where were you? I didn¡¯t find you around the library.¡±


    I didn¡¯t exactly go around searching for her, so I have to ask that.


    ¡°... I was inside one of the private rooms.¡±


    She didn¡¯t specifically tell me what room. Well, I did ask Vernon beforehand about Mother, so I quite expected she would be specific. But, whatever, no rush. I can easily determine which room she was using when she returns there.


    We reached the sofa and my mother immediately sat down, I could sense that she was mentally tired. I slowly sat down beside her.


    ¡°Were you reading novels? How was the one you are currently reading?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... No, not novels.¡±


    I looked at her with a puzzled face.


    ¡°Then¡­ may I ask what you were working on?¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°Oh, just some stuff. You need not to concern yourself, focus on your magic lesson.¡±


    I don¡¯t even know if this should be called a lesson since I was self studying. But hey, I¡¯m not complaining that much. It was not like I was not used to self studying.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    She then suddenly patted my head which caught me off guard. She gently caressed the top of my head, which was surprisingly¡­¡­ pleasant.


    ¡°Mother?¡±


    She giggled as she greeted my innocent gaze.


    ¡°Nothing, I was just thinking how you have grown. You still looked adorable as ever though.¡±


    She pinched my cheeks. Seriously, why does everyone think I¡¯m adorable? I look beautiful, not cute. Ladies preferred to be called beautiful than being called cute.


    ¡°I miss the hug of my baby.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    She suddenly pulled me and took me into her arms. She was tightly hugging me.


    Woah woah! Hey! What the¡ª


    I was pretty startled.


    ¡°M-Mother?¡±


    She caressed my head gently.


    ¡°I missed our mother and daughter moment, just the two of us.¡±


    Her embrace was warm, soft, and comfortable¡­


    ¡°This reminds me of the time when you cried because Eleden kept ignoring you.¡±


    Really? Oh, there were memories like that, I was around six years old that time, pretty vague memory, but it was the time when my eldest brother kept ignoring me. Wait, I don¡¯t mean me, I mean Estelia¡­ that¡­ that was not me.


    ¡°It was quite funny honestly. You do know he was just teasing you that time, right?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Really?


    ¡°You haven¡¯t realized?¡± she asked with an amused smile.


    She then rubbed her cheeks to mine as I was still in her arms. It was again out of my expectations, it was soft though. Quite, pleasant...


    ¡°After all these years, that was just mere teasing?¡± I asked.


    My mother chuckled. She was clinging so much that I turned stiff. But¡­ this wasn¡¯t too bad...


    ¡°Hehehe. How I remember you kept clinging to me that your tears had begun to wet my dress. My cute Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°But now you are growing, sooner or later you¡¯re going to turn into something other than my baby, unable to be easily hugged. I don¡¯t want that. And now you won¡¯t even hug me back, are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°What? N-No¡­¡±


    I never had a mother. I never knew a mother¡¯s warmth, nor their love. I didn¡¯t even have any family. This was a strange moment for me. But, why was I feeling something strange?


    Like, my heart was starting to soften.


    I wanted it to harden it, but it¡­ hurts. It hurts to force it, it was unpleasant. Like... I just want to let go.


    But this was against everything I was. What I told myself.


    I was starting to have doubts. Experiencing this moment for the first time, my mindset might be starting to change.


    A question crossed my mind.


    Was it necessary to keep holding on unto the principles I hold in my past life? This was a new life, a second chance. If such a feeling exists, that I myself can experience this. This warmth, this emotion that I feel I would melt. This delightful, pleasant¡­ and beautiful feeling.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be fine?


    This wasn¡¯t too bad. I like it.


    Mother...


    What was I feeling towards other people again? Every time I observed other people, normal people having their normal life.


    I remembered again what that was.


    Envy.


    Why do others have that and I didn¡¯t? I want to experience that.


    I want the life that they have.


    ¡­


    I don¡¯t know.


    I don¡¯t know.


    It was still strange to feel this. I must not feel such emotions. Emotions are a nuisance. They would only get in the way.


    But, get in a way of what?


    Everything was starting to become confusing. I do not understand. Why was I confused?


    I cannot assess myself. I do not understand.


    I tried to recall the lessons they taught to me during my education in the organization. They will guide me. Help me decide.


    But before I could, my mother¡¯s calling brought me back to reality.


    ¡°Estelia? Estelia? Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? Uh, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry mother, what were you saying again?¡±


    ¡°Hm? I was saying that you don¡¯t have to be embarrassed and try to deny that you are indeed embarrassed.¡±


    Oh, she was talking while my thoughts were in disarray. I was reminded again that I was still in her arms.


    My thoughts became complicated again, it was starting to hurt my head. I do not want to think.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    I¡­ I unconsciously snuggled more into her embrace as I quietly said that single word, even that word I didn¡¯t mean to utter. It just came out of my mouth.


    But...


    It was comfortable.


    I never felt something like this before in my life. This type of comfort was different from normal. Words cannot begin to explain it.


    Family.


    My mother.


    ¡°Estelia? You must be pretty tired, lay down for a while.¡±


    She lowered me and placed my head on her lap. She must have noticed something was wrong with me.


    ¡°... M-Mother I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Nope, relax there for a while.¡±


    With her strong tone, it compelled me to do as she said.


    She stroked my hair gently. I took a deep breath, somehow my mind became clearer.


    I closed my eyes as I unintentionally savored this moment.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Finally, the competition is over! I can be at ease now. Thank you all for the support. Wew...


    Let''s see... I think I''ll talk a bit about the MC design. Hehe. Initially though, her appearance was gonna be inspired by Jeanne Alter, you know from the Fate Series (cause she''s best girl). But, later I decided to have Estelia''s eyes color to red. So yeah... the closest character that resembled Estelia is here:


    Image source: https://twitter.com/gilangak92/status/1224961443717509120


    White haired female characters are always the best hahaha!


    I can only dream to have an official character design (I tried practicing digital art, but I gave up lol).


    Thanks for the time! Please leave a heart and comment!


    Oh, I''m sure some of you are familiar who that character in the photo is. :) Their characters all have badass designs like damn! So cool.


    Should I add the photo to the Glossary? Hm...

 Chapter 49: Mother’s Love (Part 2)

    My mother poked my cheeks.


    ¡°So, what troubles you?¡±


    ¡°.... Um, it¡¯s actually about mana.¡±


    That was not precisely what was troubling me. But she didn¡¯t need to learn the truth. Plus, I was truly struggling on what I told her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I was trying to exert mana, but nothing is happening.¡±


    ¡°You are having trouble with that? I thought you could easily do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I have nothing to say. After all, I was not originally from this world. Therefore, trying to learn something unique in this world was not easy.


    ¡°For some reason, mana doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    I giggled after I said that in a jesting manner.


    ¡°Hehe, is that so? Then, I suppose I should help you¡­¡± She said as she stroked my head. ¡°How are you trying to control mana, Estelia?¡±


    ¡°Um, I imagine it, will it, command it. Something like that.¡±


    ¡°I see. But, even if it is a part of you, you must not differentiate it as an entirely different thing... Mana is no mere tool to be used to cast magic.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The mana inside you is you, one could say. It is no limb that you can use to reach out, it is you.¡±


    That was quite vague.


    ¡°You control mana because it is you, your will, your imaginations, your visions. But I know this is a very vague explanation, and mostly figurative. My grandfather told me that. But in short, do not see mana as a tool, understand it, comprehend it, see it as part of you, and it will follow you.¡±


    I was indeed seeing mana and magic as tools of destruction. Methods and ways to eliminate my enemies. That was all it was.


    But my mother was telling me to see it other than that.


    This world lacks logic. No, magic lacks logic.


    It was hard to do.


    But, I might be able to put this knowledge to use.


    ¡°Do you understand, Estelia? That is my tip for you in learning how to control your mana. But furthermore...¡±


    She held out her hand forward, I stared at it while my head laid on her lap.


    Just then I turned stiff for a second inn surprise.


    What?


    There was nothing new that happened. Nothing fell, nothing came up, just nothing. But, I felt something strange. I stared intently at my mother¡¯s hand, that was the source of the feeling, this discomfort, this strange pressure.


    My mother¡¯s hand was emanating an unperceivable force, touching me.


    ¡°Do you feel it?¡± my mother asked softly.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°This is plain mana. You cannot see it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    She called it mana, but there was nothing.


    ¡°You cannot see mana unless it is given form.¡±


    She said. I thought I would be able to see when one exerts mana. But, I didn¡¯t expect it would actually be unperceivable by the naked eye.


    ¡°Watch, my daughter.¡±


    Then, the once invisible force began to show itself. No, rather, it was given form. My eyes went wide as I watched a beautiful light of azure begin to emanate from my mother¡¯s palm.


    A dazzling light, glittering like stars you see in the night sky. The light appeared to melt like fluid, then, like a calm stream of the river, it moved around her palm, leaving trails of glittering dust in this wake.


    It was mesmerizing, this one was calm, peaceful, beautiful, unlike the magic I saw from the knights that only brought destruction. The stream of azure twisted and revolved, as though dancing.


    It ascended in the air and it began to physically change, reshaping itself. It formed what it appeared to be wings, then feathers, and finally, I could finally tell what it was.


    It flapped its wings as it flew around the two of us, leaving sparkling dusts with each flap. My mother caressed my head, but my whole attention was towards the blue bird.


    It lowered down in front of my face, I extended my finger towards it. The bird landed on my slender finger, it stared at me as it tilted its head. I unconsciously smiled, when I realized it, it baffled me.


    How could such a little thing make me smile?


    ¡°You like it?¡± my mother asked.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    I like it.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, this is about one of the very few things that I can do since I stopped.¡±


    She said it, but even so, it made me wonder how strong she truly was.


    ¡°Very few¡­? But, you must still be strong, mother.¡±


    ¡°Strong? Not really, I am about, below average. But perhaps, if I kept learning, I might have become something more. However, I am no longer young, and I have to take care of you and your brothers first.¡±


    She leaned closer to me, I looked at her eyes.


    ¡°But you are still young, my daughter. And¡­ given how things are now, you must become strong, stronger than me,¡± she faintly smiled. ¡°I wish that you could achieve more, be safe always, live long.¡±


    I saw worry in her eyes, and fear along with it. What caused her to feel those emotions? I could not understand. This was all sudden.


    ¡°Always remember, my daughter, wherever you are, what might happen,¡± she formed a warm and fondly smile before saying. ¡°I love you.¡±


    I have nothing to say. I do not know what to feel. All I could do was stare at her silently, her words echoing in my mind.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I like this chapter...


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 Chapter 50: Wisterian Religious Order (Part 1)

    It was nearing sunset, and a group of exhausted and dirty adventurers walked the streets. A member of this group was a priestess who wore a white garb, that was smeared by dirt because of the encounter in their commission.


    She was a young girl around her mid teens. She had average length black hair and dark purple eyes in addition to her light brown complexion.


    Her breathing was a bit rapid because of how tired she was. However, the men in the group didn¡¯t seem to be breathing as quickly as her, but they were still tired, but with the exception of the other girl.


    The other girl had long dark brown hair and dark eyes and wore a light robe commonly seen worn by mages.


    ¡°The day¡¯s finally over.¡±


    The mage named Anita was the first to speak, relief evident in her voice.


    The priestess turned a wry smile towards her and spoke.


    ¡°I would have preferred not to face one of those, but we have to encounter three of those worms.¡±


    The priestess, Tina, didn¡¯t like worms. Especially the enemies they had to fight off which were way bigger than normal worms. Reason being was because those worms were monsters. Sharp teeth on their circular mouth, not only that, they also borrow into the ground, which became a struggle to deal with.


    They would hide, and some escape through the ground, while some attack them by surprise.


    Tina who was mostly in the rear was in a precarious situation since she hadn¡¯t much guard and such opponents would likely come from behind in surprise.


    ¡°Their numbers were quite troublesome, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    The man bearing a sword sheathed on his waist said.


    ¡°Oh yes they are, Dune! The commission didn¡¯t say there would be two more! They better pay us more,¡± Anita complained.


    ¡°Well, we definitely would, we brought trophies from each one, so I think we¡¯ll be fine. So don¡¯t worry,¡± Dune said.


    ¡°Better be!¡±


    Tina smiled at the two. It was quite an intense fight since those worms surrounded them. They might have even lost their lives if not for their impeccable teamwork and her support.


    It was a dangerous situation, but Tina was thrilled. She could never feel such a feeling from inside the church walls. Even the hard training wasn¡¯t comparable to the urgency in real dangerous events.


    Going outside with friends, and getting into intense situations fills the hole in her heart.


    That said, she wouldn¡¯t want her friends to die.


    A shame that she couldn¡¯t use her full abilities as a supporter since the church forbade her to use the arts taught to them. However, when it comes to it, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use it. She would accept the consequences, even if they wouldn¡¯t let her become an adventurer anymore.


    ¡°What are you guys complaining about anyway? It wasn¡¯t that hard.¡±


    The one who said that was a man who had a spear as a weapon, Derin. He frowned at them as though he genuinely thought it wasn¡¯t that hard.


    ¡°It was pretty enjoyable you know. Not always you get to find a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, a challenge that would get you killed!¡± Anita glaringly said.


    ¡°Meh, I wasn¡¯t scared.¡±


    ¡°Keep denying.¡±


    ¡°I am definitely not denying anything, Anita. Besides, we got our dear healer and buffer, so we¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°I agree, Tina¡¯s support abilities have saved us many times. And this time, it has again,¡± the man with an axe named Iruyu said.


    Tina giggled when she heard them.


    ¡°You guys are welcome.¡±


    Tina¡¯s abilities were focused on supporting her allies, the drawback was that she couldn¡¯t help much in terms of offense.


    A short while later, they arrived at the adventurer¡¯s guild. It was two storeys high, and many people with weapons entered in and out.


    The group entered inside, and the noise immediately assaulted their ears. They were those who were loudly bragging about their achievements, about their day, about the monsters they have killed.


    There were also loud laughters, and quiet drinkers, while some only quietly gaze around.


    Tina followed behind Dune as he walked towards the reception.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a short look at the board while you guys go turn in our finished job,¡± Derin said before going towards the board full of papers of commissions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with him.¡±


    Iruyu then followed Derin.


    Dune, Anita, and Tina went ahead and arrived in front of the desk of one of the receptionists.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the commission we took,¡± Dune took out a paper to show what job they took and placed it on the desk. ¡°There has been some unexpected encounter, it was not only one worm, but there were two more.¡±


    The receptionist read the contents of the job. Dune then brought up a large pouch containing the trophies as proof of the accomplishment.


    ¡°There are three pairs of antennae from the Ruvelur Worm in here, as proof.¡±


    The receptionist took a look inside the bag before nodding.


    ¡°You will be only paid the amount of reward offered in the commission, so no bonus. That said, the guild will compensate you for the other slain monsters.¡±


    The receptionist then gave the group several silver coins. The compensation was not as much as the reward, however, it was fine. Eliminating monsters without a commission bore not that large amount of reward since it was not a contracted work by someone and was only paid by the guild.


    Dune received the payment and returned to the main lobby where everyone else had gathered.


    ¡°So, saw something interesting?¡± Dune asked.


    Iruyu nodded.


    ¡°There was one. Hunting notorious group of bandits known for their cruelty. Theft, slaughter, kidnapping, torture, and some more nasty stuff. It was also mentioned that these bandits had existed several years ago and went quiet, but now they are getting active again.¡±


    ¡°The objective is to eliminate them. It¡¯s also a joint operation,¡± Derin added.


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll think about if we¡¯ll take it. When is it starting?¡±


    ¡°Three days from now,¡± Derin replied.


    ¡°Alright, for the time being, let¡¯s go back to the inn. I¡¯m too beat to think.¡±


    They left the guild and then returned to their inn.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Remember these guys? lol. They''re from that time, that group of adventures! Hehehe!


    Alright, time to talk about the update schedule.


    I''ll be making the updating to every 3 or 4 days. Reason being is because of the piling long and difficult school assignments, and they''re getting in my way of updating more frequently than I wanted. I wanted to update at least every one or two days, but it''s not possible.


    Thank you for your understanding.


    Please support me on my Patreon, you can have access to advance and exclusive chapters. Your support will be a great help :)


    Thanks for reading! And please leave a heart and comment.

 Chapter 51: Wisterian Religious Order (Part 2)

    It was a fair inn, not too expensive, and not too cheap. Therefore, the services offered were to their satisfaction.


    Tina and the others went to the second floor. She and Anita entered a room separate from the men.


    Anita heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m exhaaausted.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t collapse on the bed now, you¡¯re dirty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah. Let¡¯s go to the bath already, I stink, it¡¯s unbecoming of a lady such as myself.¡±


    They have told the innkeeper to prepare the bath of the girls. Therefore, the bath will be ready in a short moment.


    They left their equipment and Tina removed her garb leaving only the plain white dress that was underneath the garb. Anita also removed her robe leaving on a top that resembled a shirt, then short pants.


    They carried their changing clothes and went downstairs, then to the back side of the inn there were a few doors. They entered one of them.


    There was a large bucket filled with water and plenty small and large towels hung on the side.


    The girls removed their clothes after making sure the door was locked. They each grabbed a water dipper and scooped an amount of water before pouring unto themselves, then rubbed their body with a small towel.


    ¡°Aaaah, now that¡¯s great!¡± Anita expressed the refreshment she felt.


    Tina also felt the same way. Nothing beats a fresh bath after a day''s work.


    As they rubbed their bodies with a towel, Anita spoke.


    ¡°I swear if I get to at least rank 6, I¡¯ll stay at a luxurious inn. I heard the baths were top notch. Warm baths, pools, I can only imagine how it would feel.¡±


    The highest rank an adventurer could get rank 7, and with rank 6, they could already get a gold coin from a single mission. Of course, that also meant the missions would get more dangerous.


    Their current party rank was still at 3, so it was still a long way to go. Nevertheless, they¡¯ll reach the rank of 4 soon.


    ¡°That would be great, I always wanted a relaxing bath time,¡± Tina said with a smile.


    ¡°Which reminds me, how are the baths in the church?¡±


    Tina recalled the baths in the church. It has been a while since she last stayed there. Truth be told, the baths there were comparable to nobles.


    ¡°Oh, pretty decent,¡± Tina smirked. ¡°You get to feel like a true aristocrat lady.¡±


    Anita¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°You kidding?! Elaborate!¡±


    Tina chuckled.


    ¡°Well, first things first, the baths for ladies had a large pool. It also has a wonderful fragrance.¡±


    ¡°Oh damn! I¡¯m jealous, I never get to experience something like that. It makes me wonder why you left.¡±


    ¡°... He-he-he, I just want to go see the world.¡±


    That was one of the reasons she left the church. That said, that didn¡¯t mean that she permanently left. One could say she was just allowed to be an adventurer with the permission of the High Bishop, but only temporary, and they have the ability to call her back whenever they want.


    ¡°Of course. But¡­ I guess you would leave at any moment.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°But if you do return, please join back to our party though. I don¡¯t wanna be the only girl. That¡¯d be boring.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t you like that? Having a harem and all?¡±


    Tina gave her a smirk.


    ¡°Yeah right,¡± Anita said with a scowl.


    ¡°Oh, I see. You only prefer Derin then, okay.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t even say that out loud. Someone will hear you!¡±


    ¡°Right right.¡±


    Tina waved her hand around with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°What about you then?! Hm?! You never even mentioned your interest in someone.¡±


    ¡°....¡± Tina averted her eyes away. ¡°Because there is none¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah right. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°Notice what?¡±


    ¡°How you look at Dune.¡±


    ¡°Ggh. What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be lying,¡± she grinned for some reason that only made Tina anxious. ¡°Hey Dune! Tin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Heeey!¡±


    Tina rushed forward and covered her mouth. She panicked there for a moment. For all she knew, Dune might be nearby, and if Anita shouts like this, he would definitely hear her.


    ¡°Mmmm! Mmmm!¡± Anita¡¯s voice was muffled due to Tina¡¯s hand covering her mouth.


    ¡°Alright alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you. So, don¡¯t do anything unnecessary.¡±


    Tina slowly retracted her hand.


    ¡°Hehehe. As you wish, dear priestess.¡±


    Tina frowned at her friend.


    After bathing, they donned their clean clothes before going out and returning to their room.


    Anita collapsed on the bed.


    ¡°Aaaaah.¡±


    Tina stared out the window. It was getting dark.


    A short while later, they heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Ladies, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    It was Derin.


    The two girls nodded at each other before going out and meeting Derin. They descended to the first floor where they would dine. The others might have already ordered on behalf of the rest, therefore, they only need to wait for the food to arrive.


    ¡°Hey! Looking refreshed, I see.¡±


    Dune greeted them with a wave as he sat on a chair by the table with Iruyu. Tina smiled fondly as he saw him all cleaned up and neat. His hair fixed and clothes proper.


    ¡°You ordered the usual?¡± Anita asked.


    ¡°Of course. As for you Tina,¡± Dune said. ¡°I ordered vegetable salad for you.¡±


    Tina froze when she was about to sit down, she frowned as she spoke, somewhat displeased.


    ¡°... Again, I¡¯m not really into vegetables, Dune¡­ I eat meat too.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m kidding. I ordered meat. A bunch of vegetables wouldn¡¯t cut it for you after a hard day¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing nothing,¡± Dune waved his hand around with a wry smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s saying you¡¯re a gluttonous eater,¡± Iruyu chimed in.


    ¡°What?! No I¡¯m not saying that!¡±


    ¡°Dune¡­¡± Tina said in a grim tone.


    ¡°Um, hehe, miss priestess, don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m some piece of trash. And oh, nope, stop shining light on your hand, that¡¯s pretty threatening looking already...¡±


    ¡°Should I ask the goddess to smite you and bring down divine retribution?¡±


    ¡°I so prefer not to. He-he-he ¡ª I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Dune bowed his head remorsefully.


    ¡°Before I forgive you of your transgressions,¡± Tina said wisely, like a proper priestess. ¡°Then treat me tomorrow, there are plenty of street foods I want to try.¡±


    ¡°... Um, sure, they¡¯re not that expensive anyway so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, as you thought of me as a gluttonous eater, I didn¡¯t mention how much I would have you buy for me.¡±


    Dune¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Have mercy on me, O priestess.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. Now then, we shall await our dinner.¡±


    ¡°Wait, were you serious? You¡¯re not serious, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Dude, she¡¯s serious.¡±


    ¡°Prepare to use your savings.¡±


    Derina and Iruyu whispered, although loudly so it couldn¡¯t be called a whisper at all, meaning they wanted the others to hear them.


    ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m so looking forward to this,¡± Anita lightly smacked Tina¡¯s back.


    Tina tried her best to form a poker face. It was one of the training she went through in growing to be a priestess. One shouldn¡¯t easily show their emotions in public. Therefore, she often does this kind of thing whenever she doesn''t want her friends to figure out her feelings.


    Then, the door opened with a creaking sound. Normally, not much would pay attention to the person who would enter. However, this one was pretty different. The people inside the inn couldn¡¯t help but gaze with surprise and puzzlement towards the one who entered.


    It was a woman around her early twenties. She had a light complexion, her long black hair straightly flowing down, her dark eyes peered around coldly as though she was disinterested about everything.


    She wore a white garb worn by priestesses, but differed from what Tina usually wore. Her clothes were fit and the curves of her body were unhidden, and had a different design to Tina¡¯s. The edges of her garb reached just below the knees, and tight black stockings can be seen as she wore high heels.


    She was overall a beautiful and mesmerizing woman.


    Her disinterested eyes peered around then stopped at a single girl.


    Tina immediately stood up, confusion evident in her eyes.


    What is she doing here?


    She never thought that this woman herself would come.


    The woman walked towards Tina.


    ¡°Return to the Church.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment.


    And oh -- Money

 Chapter 52: Wisterian Religious Order (Part 3)

    Her words were short and somewhat cold. But Tina was already used to this.


    ¡°Sister, it isn¡¯t all that long still.¡±


    ¡°Tina, all those who belong to the main cathedral are being called. And I am personally ordered to bring you back.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why are you hesitating? Do not forget your duties.¡±


    ¡°Surely I am not required. There are many more ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tina, stop being stubborn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then Derin stepped in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but¡­ what¡¯s with the rush? Come on, you have to chill.¡±


    The woman directed an annoyed glare towards Derin.


    ¡°This is none of your business, adventurer. Stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s none of our business? She¡¯s a member of our party, you know?¡±


    Dune then rose from his seat and stepped forward.


    ¡°He¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need for you to drag her out now. And definitely not this way.¡±


    The woman heaved an exasperated sigh. Tina knew what she was feeling, she was getting more annoyed. If she was being summoned along with the others, then something big must be going on.


    Her sister must be thinking the ignorants mustn''t intervene with her task. She dreaded the thought of her sister getting angry at her friends.


    ¡°No, you guys. It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Her friend¡¯s flabbergasted faces turned towards her.


    ¡°My sister, will you please give me a moment? I will meet you outside.¡±


    ¡°That is fine, but don¡¯t spend too long.¡±


    Her sister left the inn without a care for all the stares she received.


    ¡°Was that your sister?¡± Anita asked.


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Well, they weren¡¯t exactly blood sisters. But they were like sisters. Despite the woman¡¯s cold demeanor, Tina loved her dearly.


    ¡°Tina, does this mean you¡¯re leaving then?¡± Dune asked, his eyes having a trace of reluctance.


    ¡°It appears so.¡±


    ¡°But! Isn¡¯t this too sudden?!¡±


    Anita grasped and shook Tina¡¯s shoulders with agitation.


    ¡°Sadly, yes, it¡¯s too sudden. But nothing I can do about it, I¡¯m being summoned.¡±


    ¡°Nooo!¡±


    Anita clinged to her arm tightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mentally ready yet!¡±


    Derin pulled her away, but she kept on clinging anyway.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we can¡¯t fight for her or something like beating her sister. She will be taken back still. Not like we want to start a fight, especially with a lady.¡± Iruyu added.


    ¡°Why did even fighting cross your mind?¡± Dune said.


    It was pointless to think about fighting or dueling her sister. Not only would it be pointless, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat her anyway even if they all combined.


    ¡°Well, then, I guess I won¡¯t be joining you for dinner today,¡± how saddening it truly was. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ll get my things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Anita offered her help, Tina nodded in agreement.


    Inside their room as they packed Tina¡¯s things, Anita had an upset expression on her face.


    Tina also felt sad, everything was so sudden, she wasn¡¯t prepared in the slightest. No, perhaps she had imagined this kind of scenario once. But, it was saddening nonetheless. She would have preferred to be with them more and go against her sister. But that would be pointless.


    Her duty stands above spending time with her adventurer friends.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming back, right?¡± Anita broke the silence.


    Tina faintly smiled as she answered.


    ¡°Of course. In fact, the problem might be solved only after a few days, so don¡¯t get too sad.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Now I¡¯m the lone girl in the party for a while. So you better come back quick. I don¡¯t want to be stuck with those stinky boys all alone.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I¡¯ll return immediately once it''s done.¡±


    Of course, given if she gets permission again.


    Once that was all done, while carrying her bag on her back, they went down back the stairs.


    ¡°Well, you guys. This may be sudden, but goodbye for now.¡±


    Tina said with a smile.


    The party said their goodbyes and Anita being emotional, after that, they saw her off outside.


    There, Tina¡¯s sister was standing by with her arms crossed. She gazed at the adventurers first one by one before stopping at Tina.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Tina nodded and followed beside her sister.


    She looked back a few times as her friends slowly disappeared from sight.


    ¡°So, how was your adventuring experience?¡±


    Tina¡¯s sister asked suddenly which caught her off guard.


    ¡°Big sister Astine, it was great.¡±


    ¡°I see. I suppose that is good. But, you have no need to become an adventurer. I still cannot agree to it.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, big sister¡­¡±


    ¡°It will only put you in unnecessary danger.¡±


    Tina looked up at Astine, her eyes held no warmth as usual. She couldn¡¯t understand why her big sister would have such an expression constantly. But her words were different from her demeanor.


    ¡°The opponents we face are not that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but the higher your rank is, the stronger they will be.¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°That aside¡­ the issue now is more crucial.¡±


    ¡°Why is it so sudden?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, but the high bishop suddenly ordered to summon everyone. That said...¡± Astine leaned closer to Tina then quietly said to her. ¡°The king did arrive recently to speak with the high bishop.¡±


    Tina was surprised.


    ¡°... The King of Wisteria?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suspect he asked for our assistance.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ must be a big deal then.¡±


    Tina imagined this wouldn¡¯t end after a few days. She resisted the urge to sigh.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I almost named Astine as Rosaria -- lol


    Due to Estelia''s decision to tell her circumstances, the church is now starting to move.


    Next is Part 4.

 Chapter 53: Wisterian Religious Order (Part 4)

    They have arrived at the Serenity and Compassion Cathedral. There were two towers embedded by the corners at the front. It had white walls and several glass windows with frames made up of gold. On the walls were statues of both the Lord and Lady.


    The three storey building was lit up on the outside not by flames, but rather by glowing stones, numerous of them were embedded on the walls and in the hands of the statues.


    Tina noticed that the doors of the cathedral were closed, apparently inaccessible to the public at the moment. Priests in white robe guarded the flanks however held no weapons whatsoever. But of course, Tina knew what was up with those guards.


    The church order members commonly have no need for physical weapons.


    Astine and Tina walked towards the door. The guards recognized them instantly and opened the door.


    ¡°Welcome back, Tina.¡±


    One of the guards greeted her, she nodded her head at him.


    When she looked at what was inside, her eyes widened in surprise. This was a rare sight. No, she never saw such a sight before. Numerous priests and priestesses were inside the main chamber sitting on the chairs while others stood by the sides.


    As someone who was raised in the church, Tina was familiar with all of them. But she had never seen them all gathered in one location. Just how much of an emergency requires these many members of the order?


    Tina began to suspect this had something to do with the nation¡¯s security overall.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find the high bishop.¡±


    As they went through the room, Tina was still in awe of everyone gathered today. It especially caught her eyes, those who she knew were strong, strong enough to challenge even a high ranking knight from the palace. But of course, they were only few in number.


    That said, even the others were not to be underestimated. Mere foot soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat even a single one here. Even her own party members working together would have a hard time. They may be able to defeat that person, but it would certainly incur casualties or fatalities.


    Tina wasn¡¯t in match with their offensive prowess. But her support abilities were amongst the most reliable and powerful in the order.


    Then they arrived at the back of the front chamber. There she saw a few members of the church, but among them was a man.


    The man was in his mid fifties, his dark hair had contained a few white strands. He had a light brown skin and dark bluish eyes. He had a short beard, and he donned a white robe with golden hue at the seams with traces of petals of wisteria flower.


    ¡°High bishop,¡± Astine said as she bowed her head, Tina also followed suit. ¡°I have brought Tina.¡±


    The high bishop, Xenous Grail, smiled warmly as he looked at Tina.


    ¡°Welcome back home, dear Tina.¡±


    Xenous walked forward and raised his hand, patting Tina on the head. Tina couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Yes, I have returned.¡±


    ¡°My apologies for suddenly calling you, but we need all the members we can get.¡±


    It was not all they could get, but rather, from how Tina saw it, it seems the high bishop precisely ordered for all to come.


    ¡°You have no need to apologize, High Bishop. I fully understand, I must fulfill my duties to the church, to the crown, and to the Lord and Lady.¡±


    ¡°That is great... I¡¯m glad you are completely alright.¡±


    Hearing his words warmed Tina¡¯s heart. That said, it was often slightly unsettling when he was this kind. Normally, in private, when he feels strong emotions, he would have a sadistic smile on his face. Remembering that, her smile grew.


    Truth be told, she misses the church.


    And she couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgic in the presence of the high bishop.


    ¡°Now then,¡± the high bishop retracted his hand. ¡°We shall wait for a few minutes, then I¡¯ll begin the briefing.¡±


    They waited for a few minutes, after that, Tina followed the high bishop and his entourage towards the altar.


    Silence fell when they saw the high bishop standing before them.


    ¡°I thank everyone for coming here today. May us be blessed by the Lord and Lady.¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°May they bless us.¡±¡±¡±


    Everyone said in chorus.


    ¡°Then, I shall tell you the reason as to why you are here.¡±


    The high bishop grinned widely.


    ¡°Enemies have infiltrated our great and holy city.¡±


    Tina was surprised to hear such a thing. It was not the nation as she expected but this city alone.


    ¡°His majesty the king requested the aid of the order. The situation is urgent.¡±


    He paused for a moment.


    ¡°These enemies of ours threaten the peace and safety of our domain. They threaten the royal family. We do not know what the enemies exactly are. But we will find and purge them.¡±


    Tina felt a bit anxious, she had the feeling that this was bigger than she initially thought. How serious was the situation truly? Or could the question be, how serious was the High Bishop?


    ¡°Search those who had nefarious plans against the royal family. Especially¡­ ESPECIALLY!¡±


    Tina was taken aback by the bishop¡¯s sudden loud voice.


    ¡° ¡ª find those who threaten the safety of the royal princess.¡±


    Immediately, countless murmurs began to echo in the chamber. Confusion and surprise. Even Tina felt the same as the others. It was understandable that they would find those who threaten the crown ¡ª the king and queen.


    However, the princess? No one expected she would be singled out.


    The royal princess, not much was known about her, nor was her presence greatly felt. In fact, she wasn¡¯t even that memorable since most people never saw her, only high ranking officials or those from the palace can.


    Tina herself never saw her.


    Why would someone even threaten that sheltered princess? She held no influence whatsoever. For Tina, she was the least important in the royal family. And for the church to go out there to assemble everyone just for her was simply absurd. The two princes were much more important than the princess.


    ¡°Silence,¡± the bishop''s word prompted everyone to immediately shut their mouths. ¡°I am serious. Find and hunt down those who especially meant harm towards the royal princess.¡±


    His voice and gaze was unexpectedly stern.


    ¡°Remember, this is for our divine Lord and Lady. So we must work on this seriously. Otherwise, we might incur the wrath of the gods for our failure.¡±


    Tina felt shivers down her spine. Tina had no idea what was going, so were the others. She was puzzled as to why the high bishop was speaking this way nor why he would go this far.


    It was rare to see him this serious.


    ¡°Now then, shall we begin planning?¡± the High Bishop said.


    Tina resisted the urge to sigh, this would indeed take a longer time than she initially thought. All she could do now was fulfill her duties. And she will proudly do so.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition! -- lol


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 54: Bothersome Emotion

    Yesterday was a hard day. Not often I get to say that genuinely from the depths of my heart. Sure it was a challenging day since I struggled at the very first steps of learning magic. But, that was not the reason as to why I think why it was a hard day.


    It was hard because it was emotionally hard for me. Reason being was...my¡­ Mother¡­


    I was confused with myself yesterday. Like a machine starting to break due to functioning errors.


    I felt something different from my interaction with her yesterday.


    With a day passed, I finally had a clearer mind about it. But, I still do not know how to take it.


    I am starting to have an idea what this emotion I was feeling. This¡­ this prohibited emotion. I am now starting to have misgivings about my principles, my rules, the rules integrated into me that I fully agree.


    I am slowly crossing the line.


    It made me angry, irritated. But it also made me sad¡­ and tired.


    Whenever I reach that point, I¡¯ll just throw it out of my head. I prefer not to think about it. Those are¡­ unnecessary thoughts.


    But, were they truly?


    Tch. See? Doubts have begun to sprung up, and I am not fond of it in the slightest.


    I just want to stop thinking.


    I was currently on my way to breakfast and I am not particularly attentive to my attendants since I was in a sour mood. But of course, there was a facade of disappointment and unmotivated.


    I have no intention of having people a peek of my true emotions.


    But, to be honest, my genuine expression might have been exposed to my mother yesterday.


    When she said those words to me.


    I could still clearly remember it.


    Many always say those words to me, genuine or not. But from my Mother, it felt different, it was more sincere. It wouldn¡¯t leave my head and they always echo in my ears.


    Thinking about it only made me irritated towards myself.


    How pathetic of me.


    Pathetic. Very pathetic. Foolish. Stupid.


    I then arrived at the dining room. My family was already there, I was a bit late due to having to compose myself and the preparation of the equipment took longer than I wanted.


    There they were, my father, brother, and¡­ mother.


    Mother then raised her eyes and met mine.


    I instantly turned my eyes away, avoiding eye contact.


    I didn¡¯t consciously do it. It felt like I only did it on reflex.


    Why? Why didn¡¯t I want to look at her eyes?


    My¡­ eyes just moved on their own. What reason could there be for doing so?


    I do not understand.


    Seeing my reaction, my mother looked startled and puzzled.


    I subtly took a deep breath, I must not act this way. I must be natural.


    I forced my eyes forward and I smiled slightly.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    I said brightly to them before receiving greetings from each of them. I then went on to sit at my usual spot. And I will be beside my mother.


    I did my all to remain as Estelia. The food arrived and I began to eat.


    I wanted to think of something else as I did so.


    Yesterday, I failed. I failed at the very basics.


    That said, it did give me a bit of thinking.


    I might not be originally from this world, but this body of mine was from this world. Therefore, naturally I am compatible with magic. Thus, I only need patience.


    In addition, I finally had an idea of how mana feels like, although that was just the faintest idea. Of course that was with the help of my mother¡­


    I tried to use the tips I received from Vernon and her. Actually, the way I did it gave me a good feeling that I was making progress.


    I have been feeling strange lately. I couldn¡¯t explain how exactly, but somewhere in my body I feel change, like a tingling feeling, or something crawling, not anything bad though. They were just passing feelings.


    I feel it won¡¯t be long.


    ¡°My daughter.¡±


    Suddenly my mother called out to me.


    ¡°Yes, mother?¡±


    ¡°Let us have lunch together again today, like yesterday, alright?¡±


    I resisted the urge to sigh. I would have strongly preferred to keep a short distance between us, for my sake. But, denying her now would be bad, especially in the image of Estelia. In addition, what good reason would I have to deny her?


    If I deny and give no reason, they might start to think something was strange going on with me. I acted weirdly yesterday in front of her, my great blunder. There was a bit of awkward silence when we ate together yesterday.


    Ultimately, avoiding and escaping this would only be tiring. And, I can¡¯t run from this, I can¡¯t avoid this all the time. I must face this head on. Trying to run away in this kind of situation would only be cowardice that would only undermine all what I have faced in the past.


    ¡°Of course, mother. I will be very delighted.¡±


    I said, but I failed to make eye contact.


    ¡°Aaaw, you are to dine together? How lucky.¡±


    My father said with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.


    ¡°You are free to join us, if you like. Meaning leaving your work for a short while,¡± my mother said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    My father flashed a thumbs up with a grin.


    ¡°If father¡¯s going, then I won¡¯t miss the fun. I¡¯ll slam those stacks of paper if I have to, just so I can see my dear sister.¡±


    Estevan said with a broad smile. I am starting to feel like he was treating me as a stress reliever.


    I giggled.


    ¡°I will be very happy if we are together. I am starting to miss our time together.¡±


    I said joyfully. This may be good for me. I would prefer them being around than being alone with Mother.


    Sometimes, having company boosts confidence or helps you move forward, or something like that.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Yeah, sorry for a long time of no updating. I have doing some changes to my patreon.


    You can now access up to 10 advance chapters and some exclusive chapters in my Patreon! Please support me! :)


    Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 55: Need Some Help

    Currently I am back at the library all alone. Once again, my parents got rid of everyone that should be stationed in the library. I felt thankful since I wouldn¡¯t want people always looking at me while I am training.


    Come on, with my appearance who would put all girls to shame, I sure am to invite a lot of attention.


    I am back at the place I was yesterday.


    I have given a read of some of the contents of the book. Mostly, I gave my attention to healing magic.


    Before that, I realized that healing magic couldn¡¯t restore severed body parts from the time when the knights returned from battle. Then when I read the book, I finally understood the rule of healing magic.


    Healing magic in general cannot regenerate severed body parts. Reason being was because healing magic itself doesn¡¯t conjure flesh in injuries. So in my own terms, it doesn¡¯t produce cells and so on.


    Healing magic only further supports the body. Meaning, it gives, you could say, energy to the body to significantly enhance the body¡¯s own healing functions. Normally, without magic, wounds and injuries heal with time, and the duration of it depends on how bad it is.


    But when casted with magic, it considerably increases the speed of healing. Even when you are dying, if it can be healed normally by the body, healing magic can be used. Even stab wounds can be healed.


    However, if the damage is so severe that healing would be impossible, like cutting off the finger, hand, or any body part, healing magic couldn¡¯t restore it back, but most it could do was stop the bleeding. The human body couldn¡¯t normally regrow a body part, after all.


    It also explicitly gave some examples like if your eyes got gouged out or damaged severely, or if a big hole was blasted through your body.


    With all those I learned, I decided to be especially careful not to be dismembered. Come on, with magic involved, I can easily imagine being dismembered. I would rather die than lose a leg.


    More than that, I also discovered some offensive spells. Aaaah, the candies of my eyes.


    The thought alone of using them was exhilarating.


    At the moment I was standing straight in the middle of the lobby trying to call out the mana inside me.


    I have also been doing breathing exercises since it felt more serene than really trying to physically move.


    As time went on, I started to feel something, something unpointable, something strange. I presumed this would be it. That said, this tingling feeling had not much changed before. Therefore, I might not be making a lot of progress than I initially wanted.


    Eventually, I decided to have at least someone mentor me in this part.


    My mother came to mind first since she apparently has experience in casting magic. Even if she wasn¡¯t all that adept, as she said she was, mana manipulation was still the very beginning of learning to use magic.


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t ask her. She was extremely busy it seems. I tried asking her again on the way to the library. However, she didn¡¯t give me a straight answer.


    ¡°Something very important.¡±


    That was just what she said. By her phrasing, I understood that she didn¡¯t want to tell me about it. What could be something so important that I, her daughter, was not allowed to learn about?


    I have discovered what room she was using, I could sneak in to know. However, that wasn¡¯t greatly important, to be honest. Most likely it was just some top secret something.


    In addition, I am sure it will not bring me any harm.  So I have no need to force myself to figure it out.


    Plus, sneaking in would be difficult and if caught, it will only bring me trouble. First, mother always stays there until lunch, then comes back. Of course I could not sneak in during lunch since we are to eat together. I imagine it would also be the same for the days that will follow.


    Also, I have attendants that always follow me. It will be hard. Sure they were just standing nearby, but they will realize that I have disappeared.


    That operation would be too risky with a high chance of failure. Besides, this was not a high priority thing. Mostly, this was just my curiosity. No need to get in trouble.


    Can¡¯t ask Estevan and my father either. So, the only one I can ask was Vernon.


    He may be a martial artist, not a mage, but he was still using mana.


    Therefore, I was on my way to him.


    I had a tired expression on my face when they saw me. Which I deliberately formed.


    ¡°Milady,¡± Mera was the one to immediately rush towards me. ¡°Milady, do you need water?¡±


    She had been a bit normal compared to yesterday. But she was still a bit more behaved. She must still be trying to be careful of something.


    ¡°No, I am fine. Things are just not working out as I imagined.¡±


    I said to her with a faint smile.


    ¡°I see, I never thought you would be having difficulties on mana manipulation.¡±


    Hell, I can¡¯t even manipulate it yet. She then continued.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to experience such difficulties.¡±


    Wait, what did she just say?


    ¡°Mera, you know magic?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t get the time to learn spells. But, as a daughter of a noble, my family made me learn to at least control my mana. Nobles are required to at least practice mana manipulation.¡±


    I realized, nobles learn to manipulate mana, as they should be. Then why the hell was Estelia not doing anything?!


    Was it because I was a high ranking aristocrat compared to Mera¡¯s family who was basically at the bottom?


    My family didn¡¯t even suggest such a thing.


    Ladies have no need to obtain magical power, but they could if they wanted. Therefore, ladies have no need to learn spells. However, it appears that nobles should learn mana control.


    However, if that was the case, then could noble ladies secretly cast spells? Just like mother? Then does Eleanore, my teacher in Etiquettes can cast spells? Lanivia also?


    Crap.


    But there was something I couldn¡¯t understand. My parents at first didn¡¯t want me to learn magic. If they wanted, they should have done so long before I asked them.


    So, why?


    Was it because they wanted to project the perfect image of a lady to me? Because I truly have no need to learn it? I¡¯m sure they know that even noble ladies know the basics of magic.


    Shouldn¡¯t I, as a princess, should have learned even the bare minimum of it?


    Also, why were they too protective of me? I am beginning to feel it was just not my appearance at all.


    There could be some other reason. Something I have no idea of.


    My thoughts then led me to the term that the stranger called me.


    Princess of Blood.


    Could they¡­ but how would they know? Even my brother didn¡¯t know. ¡°Princess of Blood¡± doesn¡¯t seem to be well known. The stranger was too unknown, so I don¡¯t feel that my parents would know who he was.


    However, what if they have a faint idea?


    Not the stranger, but the term he used to call me.


    Hm, I don¡¯t know how to take this, let me put it aside for the time being.


    I must focus on the task at hand first before I start speculating. As I was not entirely in danger, there was no need to be all scared and rush forward. Besides, that was just mere speculation.


    But I am curious. Since it involves me after all. But if they have not told me yet, and in the many years of my existence, there was a high possibility they wouldn¡¯t tell me anything still. Of course, if there was indeed something going on.


    ¡°I see. Well, as I was struggling, I sought aid.¡±

 Chapter 56: Gaps in Memory

    I looked at Vernon first, then shifted to Mera. Mera had experience, so she might be useful.


    Vernon seemed to have understood what I wanted.


    ¡°Your highness, I take it that you intend to ask us for assistance?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°... Hm. I did not expect you to have difficulties in learning to control your mana. How curious as to why it could be.¡±


    How curious indeed. I don¡¯t know, maybe because the soul inside this beautiful existence, that everyone should extol and worship, was from another world where magic was non-existent and but a product of the imaginations...


    He then continued.


    ¡°Despite the difference in usage of mana, I believe I can help you this time.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡±


    I smiled then turned to look at Mera. She blinked a few times.


    ¡°I am included, milady?¡±


    ¡°Of course, why not?¡±


    ¡°But, I don¡¯t think I can help. I may as well be below a novice since I can only cast out my mana.¡±


    ¡°That is fine, Mera. At least you have experienced it, you can point out a thing or two. Or just watch and maybe figure out what I am doing wrong.¡±


    ¡°... As you wish, milady.¡±


    She bowed her head with a bit of reluctance.


    They followed me back to my usual spot.


    ¡°Alright then, your highness. Please tell us how you usually do this. We actually often watch you, but we don¡¯t have much of an idea of how you do it. So I believe telling us would help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I followed some of your tips while also following some from mother¡¯s. I use my will, imagine it, see it as a part of me. I also did some physical and breathing exercise thinking that might help a little.¡±


    He nodded his head.


    ¡°A bit of exercise would indeed help. Have you been feeling strange lately?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am. Is that important?¡±


    ¡°If it is not a bad feeling, then it is important.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Mera then added.


    ¡°My father told me that it is a sign that the mystic medium is working. It is adjusting or some sort.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    So I was really making some progress. And there was no pain whatsoever, so it must be normal.


    ¡°That said, if the feeling is so faint, then milady¡¯s progress is slower than normal.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your brothers easily managed to control mana after a day, and their control was already impressive enough.¡±


    ¡°Incredible. My brothers are amazing¡­¡±


    Must be what should be expected from royals.


    ¡°What about you Mera?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Um, I managed to cast out mana for¡­ a day and a half was it? Although my control was pretty terrible, all of my mana just went out when I lost grips of it. I even struggled controlling the output later on.¡±


    So there was that kind of challenge I have to face.


    And here I am, a royal struggling to even access mana.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I held out my hand in front of me. I tried casting out mana, but of course, nothing happened.


    I closed my eyes to focus. Then a couple of minutes passed, Vernon called out to me.


    ¡°Your highness, my apologies for interrupting.¡±


    I opened my eyes and looked at Vernon.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I get the feeling that you are unable to recognize the feeling of mana.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, one is normally familiar with mana, and it is what helps us start. Are you not familiar with it?¡±


    Is he starting to notice through observing me prior to this?


    ¡°You are royalty, much closer to the realm of magic, and yet, you struggle. Have you forgotten the deeper feeling of magic?¡±


    I guess I should be honest. No point in lying or hiding. I averted my eyes away with a troubled expression.


    ¡°... Actually, I was confused as to what the book was referring to as familiar.¡±


    ¡°... So that¡¯s it. But how would you forget it? It should be impossib¡ª no, could it be because...¡±


    He closed his fist and pressed it unto his mouth, his eyes wide as he looked at the floor.


    ¡°Sir Vernon, what are you thinking?¡± Mera asked.


    Yeah, what could he be thinking? He seemed pretty disturbed. What could cause such a feeling to the old man?


    ¡°Your highness, could this be perhaps because you fell from the stairs?¡±


    Huh?


    I was confused about what brought that on. In contrast to my reaction, Mera gasped loudly as she covered her mouth.


    What?


    Vernon then asked.


    ¡°Princess, do you perhaps have gaps in your memories?¡±


    He asked that, and I began to realize what he was thinking about. About why I was no longer familiar to the feeling of magic.


    Now then, how should I respond? If I say I have no gaps, then it would be even stranger that I was unfamiliar with magic. However, if I say I have gaps in my memories, I would have a safer route, and less stressing it would be since they would immediately understand the reason.


    Right, I¡¯m going with the latter route.


    But before I could speak, Mera spoke first.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Sir Vernon, there was a moment when Princess Estelia failed to recognize her family when she woke up. So, her memory might have disappeared for a moment.¡±


    ¡°But it got restored shortly, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Or so we thought, it might not have fully been restored, there would definitely be gaps.¡±


    Oh well, they came to a conclusion themselves.


    ¡°Your highness, why didn¡¯t you tell us that you have gaps in your memories?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°Would I be able to tell that I have gaps in my memories when the majority of it returned? If I did forget a few, I can think it could just be one of the many things you forget everyday. Therefore, I didn¡¯t think much of it.¡±


    ¡°... Of course, but a few they may be, they could be significant.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I formed a somewhat uneasy and disturbed expression. Well, Estelia¡¯s memories were implanted into me, so there must be a few that went missing, right? But, I have my doubts.


    Even so, at least this kind of narrative would work for me. Doesn¡¯t matter if I have some incomplete memories implanted into me. But it feels complete though.


    ¡°Do you remember your eldest brother¡¯s face?¡±


    ¡°... Um why do you ask, Vernon?¡±


    ¡°You have not seen your eldest brother since that accident, therefore, depending on your answer, we might be able to come to a clearer conclusion.¡±


    Well, I do remember his face well. However¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ But, I think I remember...?¡± I sounded uncertain. ¡°Isn¡¯t this just one of those you forget as time went by, but recognize them when you see them again?¡±


    ¡°Princess, your brother isn¡¯t gone for years. You should still be able to shape your brother¡¯s face in your mind, especially when you lived together for years.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Vernon sighed.


    ¡°It seems there are indeed gaps in your memories.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Mera appeared to panic.


    ¡°W-What should we do? What should we do, Sir Vernon?¡±


    ¡°We cannot do anything. We just have to be thankful that the majority of her highness¡¯ memories are not lost.¡±


    ¡°It is not that horrible, right?¡± I timidly asked.


    ¡°I suppose, it is definitely better than having no memory at all. I should tell your parents about this later.¡±


    I meekly nodded my head.


    ¡°Although, even forgetting the sensation of magic within you, is too important to not be anxious about,¡± he added.


    ¡°That is fine. If that is the case, then I just have to familiarize it again. Mother actually showed me mana yesterday, but it was only for a short while.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is not enough for you to familiarize, you must understand and broaden your feeling of it. As how it should be.¡±


    ¡°But milady is still making progress despite it, that is amazing already,¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Mera.¡±


    It seems she was trying to cheer me up.


    ¡°Indeed, but progress may perhaps be slower than normal. Therefore, I will help you. Please familiarize the mana I will emanate.¡± Vernon said.


    I nodded my head as I waited for him to begin at any moment.

 Chapter 57: Mana Control

    I held my breath when I felt that harmful force once again. Vernon did nothing but stand there with his eyes looking normal as ever, he didn¡¯t even seem to focus intensely. This was surprising, he just emanated mana like it was nothing.


    I stood firmly from where I stood while Vernon was in front of me. Mera on the other hand, seemingly unable to withstand the pressure, moved away. Well, normally this would have been a fearsome force, I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of something unperceivable that could potentially harm you.


    But, wasn¡¯t this too much?


    ¡°Sir Vernon, isn¡¯t this too much?¡±


    Yeah Vernon, I am a fragile princess, so chill.


    ¡°It is fine, this will bring no harm. You would just feel its presence, but it wouldn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    Uh-huh. But it could hurt someone right?


    ¡°It also would not physically hurt someone. You just feel uncomfortable, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°But this could be too much for the princess.¡±


    How sweet of Mera, showing concern towards me. However, this was fine. If this would be the most efficient way, then I¡¯ll take it.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mera. This¡­ this I can handle.¡±


    I focused on the invisible force engulfing me and spreading to the surroundings. Only then did I notice this was not only a strange force that seems harmful at a glance, but there was more.


    I held out my hand and felt the force enveloping it. But when I closed my fingers, I couldn¡¯t hold anything. It avoided closed spaces. Almost resembled air. And, there was this strange feeling.


    It was hard to explain. You know that feeling you feel every night as if you were being watched from somewhere. Or the chills you feel when you¡¯re anxious or scared. Or that feeling when your luck finally struck and hit the jackpot.


    It felt like those. Which was pretty abstract, but it was. It felt like a mixture of many things. Feelings. Emotions.


    Magical.


    It didn¡¯t make sense, but magic was illogical. So I can now easily accept this.


    But this was a bizarre feeling indeed. I never felt something like this back in my old world that had no magic.


    Mana was not empty. It had contents. It has something. It was not defined by not only a pressuring force, but also something else.


    Then, as though a piece of me was completed, something whirled within me.


    That was strange, I did not expect that. It only lasted for a moment. I presume that was part of the process. I have been feeling slightly strange lately after all.


    However, now that I have assessed this mana, I finally felt like I now know the whole picture.


    This feeling inside me, I know it now. That familiar feeling.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile brightly.


    ¡°Your highness? You look happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh Vernon, I think I remember it now.¡±


    ¡­ Yes, it felt that piece made me remember. But, weird, I was not supposed to remember it. I never experienced it before.


    I am getting weirded out by magic, fuck.


    But whatever...


    Hm, this must be because of the memories from Estelia. Maybe not all memories were indeed embedded. But it can¡¯t be, I truly remember, it felt complete. But maybe, just maybe, those memories or feelings that were pretty vague or abstract had difficulties injecting into my brain.


    The feeling of mana was one of those vague things after all.


    Interesting.


    ¡°You can stop.¡±


    The presence of mana vanished in an instant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it.¡±


    I focused. I tried to control the mana I was feeling. Using the tips I have learned, I tried moving it. However, it appears it was not that easy.


    I closed my eyes and increased my concentration. I held out my palm. I was intending to let out my mana out of my hand, the same way I experienced from my mother.


    I took in several calm breaths. My mana was still, you could say, ignoring me.


    But I do feel it. I pictured a container, then passageways, the one they refer to as the Mystic Medium. A circuitry. I imagined mana as some sort of electricity passing through wires and circuits towards their destination.


    Please mana dear, heed my call.


    Mana began to motion. Like an occurring ripple in a pond. It was small, yet a motion nonetheless.


    I imagined moving that energy through my system. Then I felt something like a mild current.


    I opened my eyes, and focused everything on the current.


    I smiled.


    I did it!


    Of course it can¡¯t be seen, but it was there.


    But I pursed my lips, this was anticlimactic. Reason? Well shit, the mana was so feeble that it felt like a barely kindling candle light. Dammit, what a disappointment.


    The guys back at the organization would be laughing at me if they saw this.


    I thought I would be having it, you know, like a big boom! I¡¯m royalty for fuck sake.


    So, what the fuck is this?


    Vernon moved one step forward as he peered at my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a start.¡±


    Don¡¯t sound disappointed now.


    I sighed loudly.


    ¡°Not what I expected.¡±


    Perhaps I didn¡¯t put more effort into it. Well, to be honest, it¡¯s harder than it looks, maybe I have to do it even harder.


    I pushed the current of mana even further. I can feel it flow through my metaphorical veins. It was harder to push as I anticipated, that my face contorted a little.


    Only then, like a damn bursting out, a huge wave of mana emerged from my hand.


    I smiled, but that was only for a second because I froze in shock.


    I collapsed on my knees.


    ¡°Your highness!¡±


    Vernon tried to pull me up, but he was unable to. He was also unable to catch me as I collapsed for the reason that he was also shocked. And now, before he could pull me up he was blown away into the air.


    My hands trembled, I gritted my teeth as I endured the pain. Yes, pain. An agonizing pain.


    ¡°Milady?! W-What....?¡±


    With a trembling body I raised my eyes towards Mera a bit distant from me. I already noticed something. The floor was shaking. No, not only the floor, but the air.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    My chest felt like it tightened as I clutched it. It was hard to breathe.


    What is going on?!


    My entire body was filled with pain as the air itself around me trembled violently.


    ¡°Mera, keep your distance! You can¡¯t hope to face this force head on!¡±


    I heard Vernon¡¯s loud voice.


    But I didn¡¯t pay it any mind, I did not pay attention to anything at all. I struggled to breathe, pain radiating all over my body.


    Fuck Fuck!


    This was way more painful than being shot or electrified! It felt like I was slowly being crushed from the inside while being ripped apart.


    I was utterly confused.


    ¡°Your highness! Stop releasing mana!¡±


    I raised my eyes to look at Vernon, he was using all his strength to come to me, but he couldn¡¯t easily do it. It was like a very strong wind was pushing him away. Only then did I notice that the furniture had flown away from me.


    I tried to do what he said. However, I couldn¡¯t.


    I can¡¯t.


    There was too much energy bursting out of me! I couldn¡¯t control it!


    Then I felt warm fluid coming down from my nose, I touched it with my fingers, I realized I was bleeding from my nose.


    I want to swear out loud due to the pain. But I must not, I still had a little string of control in me. As if I wasn¡¯t used to pain.


    However, this was way incredibly intense. Now I feel like I might explode from inside out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop it!¡± I yelled.


    My mana was like water bursting out of a dam, unable to be controlled or held back.


    I then felt more intense and agonizing pain.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    I yelled unintentionally. But still, I hoped screaming out loud would help since yelling tends to relieve some pain. But it was useless.


    I couldn¡¯t stand. My legs felt weak.


    I couldn¡¯t even pass out.


    ¡°E-Estelia!¡±


    I heard my mother¡¯s panicked voice.


    ¡°Estelia, I¡¯m coming! Hold on!¡±


    I turned and saw a barrier emerging from my mother¡¯s palm. She walked forward, however, the force kept pushing her away, she barely managed to reach two steps.


    ¡°Vernon, make her go unconscious!¡± My mother shouted.


    ¡°My queen! I am using all my body enhancement techniques, but this power is too strong!¡±


    Was that his abilities?


    All this time I have been trying to stop my mana from going wild. But no luck.


    Dammit! I feel like dying again!


    No! No! I¡¯m not dying from something like this! I refuse!


    Fuck this shit!


    My emotions were boiling. However, it felt like a mistake, it only made my pain even more painful. This pain that could only exist in my imagination.


    I glanced at my mother. Her eyes were terrified. Tears flowing down her cheeks. I see that she loved me so much.


    Then suddenly my vision changed. I was still on the floor, but what my eyes saw were different, I was looking up.


    ¡°Look, she opened her eyes.¡±


    I heard a woman¡¯s voice. Everything was blurry, but I saw that woman, looking down at me, her face was close. I was baffled.


    Why? Why does she almost look like me?


    She had crimson eyes, the same color as blood. Her hair was white as platinum, and her skin was as white as snow. Who?


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Hahaha!¡±


    I heard an excited man¡¯s voice, but I couldn¡¯t turn my eyes, I couldn¡¯t control my eyes. All I could see was the face of the woman as I looked up.


    She smiled fondly at me, her eyes so warm. It reminded me of my mother.


    What is going on?


    The scenery then vanished in a blink of an eye and returned to normal. I couldn¡¯t process what just happened.


    I then saw my mother still trying to come to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    I heard my Father¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Estelia?¡±


    ¡°Estel!¡±


    While still kneeling on the ground, I turned my head towards my Father and Estevan.


    ¡°Your majesty! The palace is shaking! Please remain guarded ¡ª the princess?¡±


    One of the knights guarding the inside of the palace that barged in saw me and realized I was the source.


    ¡°Everyone! Put her to sleep, it¡¯s the only way to save her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Estevan, Father, and the knights charged forward. However, most of the knights could only cover the same as Vernon. But my father, Estevan and a pair of knights still managed to walk further.


    ¡°My daughter, hang on! I¡¯m coming!¡±


    From the palm of my father, a burst of magic emerged clashing with my own.


    Suddenly pain erupted and intensified again, I clenched my fist.


    So I just need to fall unconscious. How does that work? I have no idea. But I can¡¯t think of any way to fall unconscious but bash my head to the floor. But of course, no way I¡¯ll get knocked out in one bash. So no way I¡¯m not doing that.


    But what if I die here?


    I don¡¯t want to. No way! I¡¯m not gonna fucking die.


    I forced to move my legs forward towards my father. It was hard, like I was carrying a giant boulder on my back. But, I can do this.


    Of course, as I moved, it would get even more difficult for my father.


    ¡°Use your armament magic to push forward, but be careful not to harm my daughter!¡±


    My father said to the knights. The pair of knights pulled their swords from their sheathes. Their swords glowed as they swing forward. But of course even their swings were being pushed back. However, they were doing better than before. Meanwhile Estevan was doing the same as Father.


    They better don¡¯t fucking hit me! Else I¡¯ll fucking kill you myself!


    Then, like before, my visions changed again.


    It was dark with only what seemed like lamps of flames to light the room. Not only the eyes were seeing stuff, but I knew there were also sheets on my back, and it was soft, a blanket covering me. I feel everything that I should feel. Only then I realized I was strangely small.


    Then, a dark figure was looking down at me. It was blurry so I couldn¡¯t tell who it was.


    But, when I saw something, my breath got stuck on my throat. Every muscle on my body tensed up. Above me was a blade, being held by the person. The end of the short blade was pointed at me.


    I was reminded of my death.


    I had an idea what was going to happen.


    Then, as I thought, the blade began to descend.


    ¡°No! Not again!¡±


    My survival instincts kicked in, my mana unleashed more of its power.


    I¡¯m not dying again! Not like this!


    I have only existed in this life for a short time. No way in fucking hell was I going to let it go that easily. I was starting to live a good life. I am not going to let it end. I will survive. I will fight. I will not get the receiving end of a blade.


    However, the vision did not change. I felt the blade dig into my skin. Then pain followed.


    My vision changed in an instant, now back to reality. I feel the wind coming in, going around my skin. I saw the windows had been shattered.


    That vision felt so real. I know I was there. I felt the warmth of the sheets. I felt the coldness of the air. I felt the pain of the blade.


    I realized I was now standing on my own with trembling legs. I peered around and saw my father, Estevan and the knights that were supposed to be closer were now far away, lying on the ground trying to get up.


    My head started to hurt. I held my temples. I felt dizzy and drowsy.


    But I need to hold on.


    I remembered that I have daggers on me. It was stupid of me to forget them for a moment!


    If I fall unconscious, everything I have hidden will be revealed.


    Fuck! Damn you mana!


    I put all of my willpower into stopping the mana. It was almost like pushing forward a heavy large boulder. However, I must do this. If I fail now, everything will fall apart. I gave my all to pull back the mana.


    The mana slowly came back within me and was gradually being compressed. But the pain and heaviness of my body was still there. I still feel like I was going to faint. In fact, it made things a bit worse.


    ¡°The mana is weakening!¡± Estevan shouted.


    I held out my hand towards them, signaling that they should stop.


    ¡°I will take care of this!¡±


    It was difficult to block off the flow of mana from coming out again while taking it back. But a couple of minutes later, the mana I was unleashing had disappeared from the air.


    That said, I felt more terrible compared to before.


    But I can still hold out for a while.


    I rubbed off the blood on my nose with the back of my hand.


    ¡°My daughter,¡± I heard my father¡¯s voice.


    I then saw my family rushing towards me.


    I tried my best to stand firmly.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Dammit, I can¡¯t faint. I can¡¯t. Or else they¡¯ll discover my weapons.


    ¡°I want to return to my room.¡±


    ¡°What? Sister you need to be healed.¡±


    My other family members agreed. However, I have no time for this.


    ¡°Then send the healer to my room.¡±


    I said so as I immediately went on the move. My legs were a bit unstable, but I can manage.


    My family protested, but I have no time to listen. If I were to choose being thought of as acting weird or being discovered to have weapons, I would choose the former anytime.


    ¡°Let me help you, dear sister,¡± my brother said with concern as he held out his arms.


    I have no intention of accepting. If I relax now, I feel that I would lose my grip on my consciousness. And, he must be intending to carry me. No way, not with weapons on my thighs.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said with a smile, though I was slouching slightly.


    Of course my mother, father and brother were appalled by my words.


    ¡°Estelia, stop it,¡± my father said.


    I ignored him and rushed my steps.


    Shortly I arrived at my room. I instantly went to turn the door knob.


    ¡°Give me some alone time for a while.¡±


    I said to them before entering.


    ¡°Est¡ª¡±


    I closed the door and locked it. My legs trembled, but I still reached for under the bed, where my secret stash was hidden. I pulled it out. I then unstrapped the belt on my thigh, without a care for anything else I put the belt with daggers inside the bag. Of course I made sure to do things quietly.


    ¡°Estelia!¡±


    They called to me from behind the door.


    I ignored them. The sweat from my forehead dropped to the floor. I was sweating like hell right now due to the heavy feeling of my body along with the pain.


    I then pushed the bag back under the bed.


    I sighed.


    I was frustrated. My actions today will cause some strange impressions. But what choice do I have?! Fuck!


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    I groaned in pain, the mana I was holding was still threatening to come out. And I¡¯m losing my consciousness.


    How do I explain my actions? Think. There was nothing I could think. My actions were too strange.


    Unless¡­


    Should I do that? But it wouldn¡¯t make sense. But, I can¡¯t say it was for no reason at all that I decided to come here despite my condition.


    I need to have a reason.


    Dammit, no choice then. The heavier the reason, the more effective it gets.


    The world had started to blur. Even so, I walked towards the door.


    I opened it, and was greeted by all the eyes of my family. They were shocked and confused when they saw me.


    My hands trembled intensely. Tears coming out of my eyes, lips shook as I tried to speak. It should be mentioned though that my tears felt sticky. But no time to think about it.


    ¡°Este¡ª¡±


    Mother was about to speak when I interrupted her.


    ¡°Mother, is it normal to see visions that felt real?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I saw it. I felt it.¡±


    I looked at every one of them, my eyes full of terror.


    ¡°It was painful. A blade coming down towards me. But, I couldn¡¯t do anything...¡±


    I collapsed on my knees as an expression of agony suddenly formed on my face. I released a small amount of mana gradually.


    ¡°I¡¯m s-scared¡­ That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to be touched. I¡­ I didn¡¯t know what was going on¡­ I might hurt you. I don¡¯t want to hurt you!¡±


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    My father reached out for me, but was unable to grasp me. Some force was pushing his hand away.


    Now that I have released my mana, my dizziness only intensified as well as the pain. Therefore, my consciousness was waning.


    ¡°F-Father.¡±


    It was best to let go of my consciousness, so I did.


    It was then there I fainted.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Quite a long chapter. Here we saw the strength of Estelia''s endurance and willpower despite the intense pain she was going through.


    Next chapter: Subject 218

 Chapter 58: Subject 218

    I saw white walls. I saw children under six years old lining up beside me on both sides. This was familiar, everything here was supposedly one vague memory, but I see it very clearly.


    An adult wearing white clothings that resembled a lab coat walked in front of us with a woman beside him. Both their eyes lacked any warmth as they looked at us one by one. I gazed up at them with curiosity, but their eyes merely went past me indifferently.


    Then, the scene before me changed. A man with the same clothing as before pressed a device to my wrist, then I felt a stinging pain for only a moment before it turned into a residual pain as they covered it with cotton.


    They injected a tiny device into my small wrist, they were tracking devices. To keep monitoring us, to keep tracking us, and reduce the chance of escaping. We wouldn¡¯t be able to hide. But, I had no idea at this time.


    They showed us our rooms, and I was joined by other children. Then, came morning and we were brought into another room, chairs positioned all around with a white board at the front.


    They then taught us letters and numbers.


    Sometime during that, I heard a sound of someone being slapped. There I saw someone, it seems a child was hit by the instructor because of that child¡¯s failure in remembering what was just taught.


    I grew frightened.


    It prompted all of us to work harder.


    Then time passed. We have learned all letters and numbers and a few more.


    Another instructor was teaching us another subject. However, I couldn¡¯t understand it at all. In my ears, they were all gibberish. Therefore, I spaced out, bored as I looked at the corners of the room, for no significant reason.


    I didn¡¯t realize that the instructor noticed me. Before I knew it, he was already before me, and I saw his hand come at me.


    He slapped me on my cheek sending a loud sound echoing in the quiet room. It was so painful that I immediately shielded it and curled up to protect myself.


    ¡°You will listen, or else you will receive something much more compared to that.¡±


    His voice was cold that it terrified me along with the pain I felt. Tears coming out of my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Then, the scene changed once again.


    I was sweating, heavy breathing. Physical training and exercise. Teaching us basic hand to hand combat. However, this time around, we were to fight each other, me and my fellow children.


    It wasn¡¯t easy. Fists hit my face and body, feet kicking at me. And me trying to fight back.


    Every moment of it was painful.


    When we returned to our beds, I couldn¡¯t easily fall asleep. Bruises and wounds filled my body. Even the simple act of laying on my bed caused throbbing pain all over my body. I hated it.


    Every day, every night, for days, for months, I would always feel this pain during my sleep.


    I hated pain.


    But I couldn¡¯t escape from it. There was no chance.


    I would often cry quietly as I covered myself in my pillow.


    Why do I have to constantly feel pain?


    I always asked myself.


    But I must not be left behind, or else I would only feel more pain. That was why I must work harder. I must not falter, or the pain would only worsen.


    I don¡¯t want any more.


    Then, everything around me changed.


    Now, I was in a hallway, lined up with my fellows. I did not know why we were sent here. But one by one, someone would enter a room. All of us had no idea what could be inside.


    But I was scared. I was always scared of what surprises they would have for us. Nothing good always comes out with it, I know that very well. Mostly, pain awaits at the end of every surprise.


    The ones who entered didn¡¯t exit the same door, only making what was inside more of a mystery. There must be another path they were using. They must have decided that it would be best not to show us the result of what could be happening inside.


    The thought of it only made me tremble. But there was someone beside me, a friend that would comfort me. His smile was comforting as always that it brought a bit of relief in me.


    Then, it was my turn.


    I looked up at the adult as he looked back at me. He then guided me inside.


    There I saw a single chair, straps on the armrests and by the back, as well as by the footrest. The chair was small, enough to fit everyone at my age.


    I became anxious just by looking at it. I felt a terrible ominous feeling from that chair¡¯s presence alone.


    Given with no choice, I sat down on that chair. They tied my arms, my legs, then my neck. I didn¡¯t like this at all. All my movements were restrained. I still have no idea what was going to happen.


    ¡°You have been through a fair amount of pain and exercise. Today, you will be put to the test.¡±


    A man in front of me said. His voice lacked any sort of kindness nor pity for anyone.


    ¡°Remember, you must endure.¡±


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± I asked him with a trembling voice.


    He frowned. He must have not wanted to hear me speak.


    Ignoring my question, he gave the order.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    The next thing happened was me screaming.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hold myself from screaming. My throat immediately began to sore.


    My body was shaking. Something caused by this chair.


    Tears streamed down from my eyes as I received this inscrutable pain. This was more painful than anything I had ever experienced! Why? Why?!


    Too much!


    My body shook and shook, squirmed and rattled.


    My limbs began to numb.


    Then, suddenly, the cause of my suffering stopped. I felt a small relief, but it was not much, since the pain was still there. In addition, every part of my body was numb.


    I squirmed in my chair, but the restraints held me back. I wanted to get out.


    ¡°Please s-stop.¡±


    Stop. Please. I don¡¯t want to feel this much pain.


    My pleading however, fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    My suffering continued.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAH!! STOP!¡±


    My cries loudly echoed in this abominable room.


    I tried to escape, to run away, but the bonds were unbreakable.


    Then it stopped again.


    ¡°You have finally experienced being electrocuted.¡±


    I was confused. I now understood what this was. Electricity. What powered the light and machines. It was explained to us once, but I never experienced it firsthand.


    ¡°However, you must get used to it. Endure. Pain will always be your companion, so you must be familiar with it.¡±


    No, I don¡¯t want to!


    I wanted to cry that out. But I was terrified. I didn¡¯t want to make it worse. Resist and it will only make things worse. It will only intensify the pain. That was what I thought.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Electric current flowed into me again. I feel like I would lose my mind.


    I wanted to run away! Anywhere, just away from here!


    When will this end?


    I had no idea how many times they electrified me. But, at that moment, there was only one thing I learned, that was to endure.


    I must endure.


    I have no other choice.


    I kept screaming, until I couldn¡¯t anymore.


    I remember this moment all too well. The first time I experienced the greatest pain I have felt.


    However, this did not happen only for one day, but also for many days to come.


    Then, my surroundings changed.


    In a big chamber. We were lined up again.


    However, in front of us there were five other children.


    A woman walked forward and faced us, wearing the same white coat as the others.


    ¡°You have done well, your performance was satisfactory,¡± she said.


    The woman then faced the five standing in front.


    ¡°But you five, have the lowest performance rate. Meaning, you are below the minimum grade that is adamantly and mandatorily required,¡± she smiled. ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Under her coat, she pulled out something. I recognized it. A weapon, a pistol.


    ¡°You five, are failures. And you know what will happen to failures, hm?¡± the woman faced us with a smile.


    Then, a loud bang erupted. I froze as I watched. A child among the five fell to the ground, a hole in head, red blood spreading to the floor. I trembled at the sight. Terror crawling into my heart.


    ¡°This is what will happen.¡±


    As the remaining four stood in shock, four more roars came out of the weapon in the woman¡¯s hand.


    Four more corpses fell to the floor. Four children died, killed in front of me.


    All of us were frozen in shock. I wanted to look away, but I know, we know, if we look away, it will only call the wrath of the woman who took the life of the five children upon us.


    ¡°Let this be an example to all of you. So do a good job, okay?¡±


    Her voice sounded playful and warm, which only made her more terrifying.


    I didn¡¯t want to receive the same fate.


    Therefore, I must not disappoint.


    Then the scene changed again.


    My breathing was rapid. A knife in my hand.


    There was blood on my hands. Around me were numerous children, dead, lying on the floor. The scent of blood linger in the air, as the red fluid formed puddles on the white floor.


    The many dead children had weapons along with them. This was a battle. All of us had to fight.


    Only one must survive.


    And¡­ I was the one to kill most of them.


    I had no choice. I didn¡¯t want to die. I must fight. That was what was ordered. And we must not disobey.


    And now, my last opponent was beneath me, my knife raised above him. However, I didn¡¯t kill him yet. I couldn¡¯t. How could I? Why did we have to be enemies here?


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    His voice reached my ears, my hands holding the knife trembled.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t. He was my closest friend. I don¡¯t want to kill him. Therefore, even though this was what I must do, I hesitated.


    Tears welled up in my eyes.


    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t do¡­ you must do it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve won this fight, so you must kill me.¡±


    I shook my head vigorously as my eyes looked away.


    ¡°Hey, look at me.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± he repeated it, his voice was warm as always.


    I looked at his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other way. Do this¡­ for you to survive.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I firmly held the knife, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to bring it down.


    ¡°N-No¡­¡±


    I refused.


    Then, another voice chimed in, coming from the speakers installed in the room.


    ¡°Subject 218, finish it, now.¡±


    It was talking to me. But¡­


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    My friend called out to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright. Live a good life for me, okay?¡±


    I could only stare at him with my eyes full of tears.


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want this. But, I cannot escape. If I don¡¯t do this, then it wouldn¡¯t end.


    I closed my eyes as I brought down my blade.


    I took my own friend¡¯s life.


    I couldn¡¯t bear to look at him. Perhaps I was still denying the fact that he was dead. No longer to be at my side. Comfort me when I am sad. Unable to see his warm smile again.


    I stood up, and headed to the door.


    Only then a man came inside.


    ¡°You have done well, 218. However, I must say, wipe those tears away.¡±


    I followed his order and wiped my tears.


    ¡°You must not cry for such a thing. Humans are merely obstacles in your path. They are nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    He cupped my chin and forced me to look at his indifferent eyes.


    ¡°People are of no importance. If they stand in your way, take them off your way, eliminate them if you must. If necessary, use them. People could only either be obstacles, or tools for you to use. Rid of emotions towards them, emotional attachments are only a nuisance in achieving your goals.¡±


    He paused before continuing.


    ¡°This is what you, all of you should always remember. Engrave it into your mind. Do you understand, Subject 218?¡±


    ¡°....... I understand.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to remember this. I didn¡¯t want to see this. Why was I seeing this again?


    I don¡¯t want to be reminded of this...


    Then like a fleeting dream, everything around me dissipated like smoke, then everything changed.


    However, there was an entirely different color in this world.


    It was brighter.


    In front of me was a large garden. Numerous flowers filled my sight. The sun radiated brightly in the beautiful blue sky. A view I couldn¡¯t see in that place.


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    I said excitedly as a woman hefted me up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the garden!¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay, if you say so, dear.¡±


    This memory, I remember. This was me. Estelia.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    We finally have a little glimpse of Estelia''s/218''s tortu-- I mean education.


    Next Chapter: Estelia

 Chapter 59: Estelia

    I wrapped my arms around my mother¡¯s neck as she carried me. The wonderful fragrance of flowers reached my nose. I smiled, pretty delighted. The warmth and softness of my mother, I felt it very clearly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look of the newly planted flowers.¡±


    ¡°Really? Newly planted? I want to see!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, be calm, my daughter.¡±


    I snuggled more into her embrace as she brought me further within the garden. Several colors of flower petals passed us by. Then wisteria flowers surrounded us, gently dancing in the breeze on this sunny day.


    ¡°Mother, wisteria flowers are much more beautiful at night, the way they glow is so amazing. Why do they glow?¡±


    ¡°It was said that it absorbs the light of the moon and stars.¡±


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    They were truly beautiful. The first time I saw them, I was mystified. The gentle glow of the countless petals of wisteria was so captivating that it felt magical. What a wonderful sight it was to behold.


    I then heard rushed footsteps coming at us. I looked behind us and saw my brother, Estevan. A smile formed on my lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s big brother!¡±


    He was younger and shorter.


    ¡°Estel! Where are you going?¡±


    He stopped beside us and looked up at me.


    ¡°Mother said she has newly planted flowers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you then!¡±


    ¡°Estevan, where is Eleden?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing some stuff as always. That aside, let¡¯s go mother!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t rush Estevan.¡±


    Estevan led the way with excitement. Though I¡¯m sure he wasn¡¯t sure where exactly our destination was. But, I was happy only seeing him here.


    ¡°Mother, I want to get down.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    With a giggle she put me down, I then rushed towards my brother.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    ¡°Little sister, look at that, a red bug.¡±


    He pulled my hand and headed towards amongst the flowers. We crouched down, I smiled upon seeing a tiny red bug on the flower petal.


    ¡°So cute,¡± I said as I intently looked at the little thing.


    My brother then suddenly plucked a flower before putting it on my ear.


    ¡°Hm, looks good! My sister is even cuter now!¡±


    I touched the flower he suddenly placed on my ear. I giggled with a bright smile before speaking with joy.


    ¡°Really? T-Then, thank you.¡±


    My surroundings changed again.


    ¡°Father! Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Father was at his desk working on some papers as usual along with some other servants. The servants smiled in amusement as they saw me asking my father what I can help with.


    ¡°Dear daughter... ¡± he smiled. ¡°Alright, you can help.¡±


    I sat on a chair by his desk, he placed a clean paper in front of me and gave me a quill. Then beside it he placed another paper with written words on it.


    ¡°Write this down.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    With a pat on my head, he returned to his work. I wrote the letters that were written on the paper into the clean sheet.


    ¡°Um.... Mm.¡±


    I was struggling on copying the letters. I have yet to memorize how letters and numbers were written. Therefore, it took a very long time to finish this work given to me. Although, as time went by, I was slowly getting used to it.


    ¡°You''re doing a good job, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    I smiled at my father¡¯s praise.


    ¡°You¡¯ll master how to write in no time!¡±


    I giggled at his wonderful words as he caressed my head.


    Then with a blink, I was now lying down on my bed in a dim room covered in sheets. My eyes moved to the side to see my mother.


    She was smiling while caressing my head.


    ¡°Tell me a story, please,¡± I said with pleading eyes.


    ¡°... Alright,¡± she took the book beside her. ¡°But have you read this yet?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I like it if you read it to me.¡±


    I was not fond of reading books, it hurts my head. It was more convenient if it were read to me after all.


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    She read the story to me. Her voice was soothing as always that it immediately made me relax. I love moments like this. Just having the presence of my family close to me... brings me peace.


    Before the story was even over, my eyes were already getting heavier. My mother noticed this and she slowly closed the book.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue this tomorrow evening, okay?¡±


    I weakly nodded my head with half closed eyes.


    ¡°Goodnight, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight¡­ mother¡­ I love you.¡±


    My mother smiled.


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Everything darkened. Then, like I just dreamed, I slowly opened my eyes, awakening from my slumber. What greeted my eyes was a familiar ceiling. This was my room.


    Were those dreams?


    They felt like one but... They were so clear. And why was everything mixed up?


    And it had to be during my education, just remembering those irks me. But that wasn¡¯t the greater issue, the issue was, why was I dreaming of those now? I rarely have dreams. And if it does happen, definitely not about the past.


    Furthermore, my dream this time seemed more intensive. Was it because I was about to die?


    Now ain¡¯t that something, I sure am not going to die.


    ¡°Estelia!¡±


    Beside me I heard my mother¡¯s voice of surprise. I turned my head, she immediately set aside the book she was reading and immediately extended her hand towards my cheek. She was smiling but I see concern in her eyes.


    ¡°My baby, finally you¡¯re awake. Do you feel alright?¡±


    I stared at her for a moment. Only then I recalled that I have also dreamed memories with my family. No¡­ Estelia¡¯s family.


    I slowly raised my body.


    I wondered why I also have dreamed Estelia¡¯s memories. Was I having flashbacks or something? Damn. And for what fucking reason would that be?


    ¡°Slowly now¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine now mother.¡±


    To be honest, my body felt a bit heavy. Perhaps because I have just laid down for a time, or maybe because of what happened.


    ¡°How long was I unconscious?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Two days.¡±


    Two days?!!


    The fuck? How much damage did I receive? Of course I vividly remember the amount of pain I experienced. But I still had no idea exactly what happened. All I knew was that my mana went out of control. Ultimately, when I have to force my way forward to hide my weapons.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I formed a shocked expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you are awake. We were sure that you¡¯re going to wake up eventually. But it is still frightening to see you unconscious for two days.¡±


    She caressed my head as her other hand held mine.


    ¡°Is everyone alright? I¡­ I remember harming...¡±


    Everyone struggled to get to me, only to be blown away. It was only natural that I would be worried about them, especially my family.


    ¡°They¡¯re completely fine. We¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Mother¡­¡± I looked at her eyes. ¡°What exactly happened to me?¡±


    ¡°Let me first call your father and brother. They are really worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I nodded my head, then she left the room.


    I was alone. My personal maid was not around. I first expected that she would be here being my maid and all. But then I remembered that there were risks of betrayal. Knowing my family. They wouldn¡¯t let anyone here when I am unconscious and defenseless.


    Therefore, my family themselves must have been the ones to watch over me.


    In addition, I didn¡¯t expect to be out for two days.


    And I just had to dream those times.


    I clicked my tongue in annoyance.


    There are just some things that you wish to never remember.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Thanks for reading!


    Damn, covid has entered my town. Fuuuuucccc. Scary.

 Chapter 60: This Sucks

    The door of my room slammed open, I acted surprised, frantically turning to look at the door. There I saw my brother with wide eyes as he smiled widely.


    ¡°My sister!¡±


    He walked towards me with impatient steps then snatched my hand. While I was still half up on the bed, I stared at him as he grasped my hand with both hands while leaning towards me.


    ¡°How are you? You¡¯re fine, right? Thank goodness!¡±


    ¡°B-Brother¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I worried you so much.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, the important thing is you are awake. You¡¯re still adorable as ever, so there is nothing to worry about.¡±


    I smiled wryly at my brother. I have noticed this but, the way he spoke to me, I took it as a family thing, but now it now felt more like he was almost flirting. Hehe, oh my sweet brother.


    ¡­ How sweet indeed.


    Now that I thought about it, he didn¡¯t even have any suitress, nor did he openly show any interest in other noble ladies. He was already an adult, so it was quite strange that he has yet to have a fiance, especially as a royalty.


    Oh come on, let''s just admit here that he definitely gives that sister complex vibe!


    ¡°Big brother¡­ Seeing you smile brings me great relief. Now I am less worried about what happened to me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t get to reach you during the library, your power is much greater than I thought.¡±


    ¡°My power is greater than you thought? May I ask what you mean?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a delay before he got to speak again.


    ¡°I mean nothing. Let¡¯s wait for Father and the physician, okay?¡±


    In his delay, it almost appeared like he was thinking of something. Debating? Or Hesitation? I wondered what caused them.


    Perhaps, well, I am royalty, so it was only to be expected that I have a great amount of mana. So perhaps they didn¡¯t expect that amount I could exert. However, why did he use the word power?


    But when you think about it, there wasn¡¯t much of a difference between mana and power. Mana is used to cast magic. And magic is power.


    Just then, footsteps came from the door.


    My Father had an expression of relief the moment he laid eyes on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright, dear daughter.¡±


    He said as I gave him a gentle smile. My mother then sat on the bed.


    Another man came closer, it was the physician.


    ¡°May I check your condition for a moment, your highness?¡±


    He asked me, I immediately nodded my head.


    He checked for the rise of temperature of my body by placing his palm on my forehead, like checking on someone with a fever. He then proceeded to ask me if I was feeling anything weird. Uncomfortable, pain, but I said there was nothing. My body was a bit heavy, that was all.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Everything seems fine. I¡¯m sure you are wondering what happened.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your mana went out of control.¡±


    I could tell that was what happened. My mana that time was just kept going out that time, and it was sure hard to hold it in. Maybe I made a mistake?


    ¡°However, it was not due to the reason of failing to control it. It was because you cannot control it. The amount was too great for you to control safely.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°It must be your innate amount of mana. Like any other nobles that naturally have a great amount of mana. But, for yours, the moment there was a way out, your mana burst out.¡±


    What? Like when you untie a balloon and all the air just blows out of it? It seems so.


    ¡°You must have a considerable amount of mana, begging to be released, so the moment when you allowed their exit, they all tried to go out.¡±


    ¡°Did it have to be so painful?¡±


    I said with a frightened expression.


    ¡°Normally, no¡­ You are now familiar with the Mystic Medium, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know of it.¡±


    ¡°The Mystic Medium is the passageway of mana, you could say. However, with that amount of mana going out all at once, your medium is not at the size that could handle that much amount. Therefore, you can imagine the medium stretches as the vast amount of mana passes through it, hence the intense pain you felt.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to go through that every time I control mana?¡±


    I mean, come on, that would be annoying as fuck. I don''t want to have to endure that pain every now and then.


    ¡°You are feeling no pain, so the medium has stabilized for now. However, it is still too early to be complacent and careless. I strongly suggest that you limit your release of mana to the utmost minimum. If you release more than necessary, you might go through that pain again.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Aaaah, how annoying.


    ¡°However, with time and practice, your medium will adapt in time. But please be careful, your highness.¡±


    ¡°... I will.¡±


    This only made things more difficult for me. I imagine this will make my progress slower. However, I do remember the basic spells consume a low amount of mana. I am starting from the bottom anyway, so I guess this wasn¡¯t that bad.


    That said, not only will I work in learning to cast spells, but also do something so my Mystic medium would adapt at a normal pace. I may have to exert a subtle amount of mana all the time.


    Training. I¡¯m used to such a thing anyway, so I¡¯m fine about it. Besides, this may improve my control in mana. In time perhaps I can control mana and be more precise, like easily putting a thread through a needle.


    But why do I even have such a great amount of mana that even made Father and brother struggle?


    Am I actually special? Wow.


    Well, having a vast amount of mana wasn¡¯t so bad. I mean, I can be powerful! Who wouldn¡¯t want that?


    Heh, but of course I have to be limited by my Mystic Medium so that sucks. I have to be careful so I won¡¯t die.


    ¡°If it happens again, is there a chance of me¡­ dying?¡±


    Hey, just asking to make sure.


    Of course my question made my family flabbergasted, then instantly followed by scared looks.


    ¡°... There is a chance¡­¡± the physician said with reluctance.


    I resisted the urge to sigh. This really sucks.


    But again, I had to have patience. In time, surely this will bring me great merit. Right¡­?


    ¡°That said, I did hear you managed to reel back your mana. Which was¡­ an amazing feat. So, everything might be better than we initially thought. But of course, we have to act carefully.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I''m losing confidence...


    If you would please support this novel in RoyalRoad, it will be greatly appreciated. Here''s the link: Link


    Thank you for reading.

 Chapter 61: Simple Talk with Mera

    The physician had left the room and it was now only me and my family. I slowly got out of the bed. Estevan held out his hand as though preparing to catch me in case I collapsed or something.


    I gave him a sweet smile.


    ¡°I can stand just fine, brother.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Great!¡±


    I sort of wanted to resume my training. Time is essential after all. That said, I imagine my family would have me rest for a while.


    ¡°Estelia, you should rest for the time being. Do not exert yourself,¡± my mother said.


    ¡°Indeed, you can resume your mana control and magic training tomorrow. But, I suppose we need to be extra careful now that this happened.¡±


    Ah, I think I can guess what he was already planning on doing. What should one do so the same thing wouldn¡¯t happen to me again? And what should be done so I wouldn¡¯t overdo it?


    Simple, have someone watch over me.


    I doubt that my family themselves will be the ones to oversee me. But I think I have an idea who he was about to choose.


    ¡°Yes, father¡­¡±


    I said meekly to him while I combed my hair with my fingers. It was a bit tangled. No way I would let my so beautiful hair be like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch together later,¡± my mother said as she grasped my other hand. It seems it was currently around before noon. ¡°But, I suppose you need to tidy up beforehand, I¡¯ll call Mera.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°She has been terribly worried ever since, so this should alleviate her worry.¡±


    My mother said with a smile before making her way out of the room.


    ¡°See you at the dining room, dear sister.¡±


    ¡°My beautiful daughter, I¡¯ll have the kitchen make the most delicious dishes for you.¡±


    I smiled happily at them as I saw them off.


    With the sound of the door closing, I was now alone in the room. However, for some reason, my gaze remained at the door, unconsciously. I cannot explain why.


    The moment I realized it, I instantly pulled my eyes away and returned to sit on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Haaaah, how bothersome.¡±


    You know, when you feel frustrated, you just want to express it verbally. Venting out your emotions helps a lot. If you must scream or shout, go ahead, it¡¯s good for your mental health, relieves you of negative emotions or some shit like that.


    But of course, at the moment, I have no need to shout, heh. Letting the frustrations out through my breath was enough.


    Now that I am at rest like this though, I¡¯m not feeling like working. Unlike in my past life, I now have the freedom to choose if I were to do something that I want to do.


    ¡­ But it felt like there was another reason why I feel like not doing anything.


    The moment I was about to sigh, knocks gently rang out from the door.


    It must be Mera.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door opened and entered the maid. Mera¡¯s eyes went wide the moment she laid eyes on me. I smiled at her, causing relief to come to her eyes.


    After closing the door, she walked towards me with a closed hand by her chest.


    ¡°Milady¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡±


    ¡°Mera¡­ the other day, I must have hurt you. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She was surely hit by my mana, no doubt about it. She was nearby after all. I decided to apologize, as befitting the action of Estelia.


    Mera shook her head.


    ¡°You have no need to apologize, milady. Nothing happened to me.¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­ We didn¡¯t get to see each other for a couple of days, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your family wouldn¡¯t allow me to take care of you¡­ It seems they don¡¯t have much trust in me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ I¡¯m sure they are just being more careful. You know how they are.¡±


    ¡°... I suppose¡­¡±


    There was a moment of silence between us, I was observing her of course. Her eyes darted around but mostly landing on me. Embarrassment? Wasn¡¯t this how a lot of people tend to act when facing someone they like, admired, or something like that?


    I¡¯m already amused that I held myself back from grinning.


    ¡°Mera, is the bath ready?¡±


    She straightened her posture before speaking.


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    ¡°Splendid. I will have a short bath.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After that, we went to the bath. I only took a short time since I will be having lunch with my family shortly. Of course I made sure to thoroughly clean my beautiful, perfect and flawless body.


    Good thing that terrible event didn¡¯t damage my body. My snow white skin was still smooth as ever. But of course, it was only expected that my body wouldn¡¯t be damaged. I¡¯m not sure about my insides though, the pain I felt that time felt like it was coming from the inside my body.


    If there were indeed damages within, that would be worrisome. However, I am feeling fine, so they must have immediately used healing magic on me immediately.


    After that, I then went to the bathroom wardrobe and changed my clothes with Mera helping me.


    I then sat on the chair as Mera fixed my hair. Returning my bearing O so fair.


    I felt a positive vibe from Mera which was interesting. She must indeed be glad.


    I hope it¡¯s genuine.


    ¡°Mera, what happened to me after I fainted?¡±


    She stopped for a moment.


    ¡°You were in a terrible state¡­¡± she said as she straightened my hair.


    ¡°How exactly?¡±


    ¡°The out of control mana completely vanished the moment you lost consciousness by your room. But, the damage to your body was already done.¡±


    She paused, as though remembering it made her shudder.


    ¡°Milady bled from the nose, then blood came out of your eyes, like tears.¡±


    Holy shit! Blood came out of my eyes?! So that¡¯s why it was sticky!


    ¡°... That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m at a loss for words.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know what to do at first. If the mana was able to cause that much damage to milady, I can only imagine how much pain you must have felt.¡±


    ¡°... I never thought things would end up that way.¡±


    ¡°... Milady, your mana¡­ I think it is much more than¡­ your father¡­¡±


    Really now?


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I never saw something like this happen to anyone. Of course I never heard it happening to his majesty the King, so I might be mistaken. Although, it may be highly likely that you have a greater amount of mana than his highness, Prince Estevan.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That was good to hear. The more power I have, the better.


    After tidying me up, I then went straight to the dining room.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Internet''s gone. A tree fell down our internet line. Come on! Haaaah, now I gotta wait for who knows how long for repair.


    Stuck to using mobile data. Good thing signal''s not that bad. But still terribly slow.


    Sorry for the delay of update, I lost count of the days lol. Been resting after the recent exams.

 Chapter 62: Oh Really?

    My family greeted me in the dining room. The first moment I arrived though, I felt an, well you could say a not so joyful atmosphere for a moment, even though I have just been restored. There were troubled expressions from their faces only to then turn into smiles when they saw me.


    I pretended I didn¡¯t notice then headed to my usual spot with a bright smile on my face. I wanted to eat some delicious dishes! And father said he would have the chefs cook the best cuisines!


    Can¡¯t wait! Though it might not be exactly  a good diet to eat a lot, but come on! Not everyday I get to eat this many. At least let me get loose.


    Okay¡­ maybe this was what they call stress eating. I really am hungry, I am craving something to eat now that the thought of food came to my mind.


    ¡­ I¡¯m still bothered by the memories I dreamed of. And I¡¯m in distress. That was completely unnecessary. Plus, I have to limit my use of mana. I say bullshit!


    But fuck, I¡¯ll just eat some delicious food. That should alleviate some negative emotions.


    Sadly, I have to wait for a while before they get cooked.


    I turned to look at my family. Ah, not one had initiated a conversation yet. Not that one needs to always converse during pre eating. But of course silence was often unnerving¡­


    Should I initiate a conversation first?


    ¡°So um¡­ was no one definitely hurt that time? In the library?¡±


    I asked timidly while my innocent eyes looked at them.


    My brother was then the one to answer first.


    ¡°Well, getting blown away into the air and into the floor, wasn¡¯t exactly pain free.¡±


    He wryly smiled with a bit of chuckle. I did remember them being blown away because of what I took as a near death. That moment felt so real, like I was actually there. So, I naturally tried to defend myself with instincts.


    Only then to realize everyone around me got blown away.


    I turned stiff and gave everyone an apologetic look.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was¡­ rattled,¡± I visibly swallowed. ¡°... Um, I did see I caused some damages to the library. I am terribly sorry¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    I grasped my hands and lowered my head.


    ¡°Hm, repair is underway, dear daughter, you need not to worry,¡± my father said in hopes to give me relief.


    I meekly nodded my head.


    My mother then reached out for my hand.


    ¡°You worry about insignificant things, Estelia. You were the most hurt. I saw your expression of great pain.¡±


    I raised my gaze towards her.


    ¡°... It¡­ it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°How could you say that?¡± she said in an almost reprimanding tone. ¡°You even forced yourself to reel in your mana back, I can only imagine how difficult and painful it would be.¡±


    ¡°... I had no choice.¡±


    Her hold on my hands only tightened. I averted my eyes away.


    ¡°You even refused our help and forced yourself to come to your room.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone. It is only natural to keep away from everyone.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, you can¡¯t just let yourself suffer like that. We are family, did you forget?¡± she paused for a while, then her stern voice followed. ¡°Look at me, daughter.¡±


    I flinched as though in surprise of her tone. I slowly shifted my eyes towards her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that again. We are here for you, do not forget that. We will help you whenever you are in trouble. You have no need to bear the pain alone.¡±


    What was this warmth in my heart? This feeling, I cannot explain it.


    ¡°And¡­ I don¡¯t want to see you hurt. So please, don¡¯t ever do something like that again. Rely on us.¡±


    Rely? On them¡­? Trust them¡­?


    I¡­ I feel like I can trust them¡­ No, didn¡¯t I have always trusted them? All because of Estelia¡¯s memories, I trusted them because they brought no harm to me. However, now, this kind of trust that I seemed to want to form¡­


    ¡°I¡­¡± I struggled with what words I should say. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry I did what I did. And, I understand, mother.¡±


    I faintly smiled at her.


    ¡°Good, Estelia. I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±


    She raised her hand and stroked my cheeks. Her touch was pleasantly warm.


    ¡°My adorable Estelia, I like you better this way.¡±


    Never did I realize that it was at this moment, my heart opened a little.


    Shortly then after that, our food was then delivered by servants.


    My smile was wide with delight at the precious sight. Today, I will be a glutton. I will devour the hell out of these meat! And of course vegetables. Gotta keep yourselves healthy kids!


    I served myself just the right amount of food. Of course, I ate in a ladylike manner, well, almost that is. My pace was a bit faster than normal. I¡¯m just so hungry! Perhaps two days of being asleep was chewing on me.


    My family weren¡¯t particularly bothered by the way I was acting. They must have understood that I was extremely hungry. Good! No one will be holding me back.


    Now that I have some space in my mind, I really did one hell of a ruckus two days ago. I wondered what the reaction of the infiltrator was. Good thing they didn¡¯t come after me during my vulnerable days.


    The overprotectiveness of my family paid off. In addition, that sure was a close one wasn¡¯t it? My weapons were almost discovered. I wouldn''t know what to do or say once they discovered that.


    I¡¯ll be fucked as fuck.


    Now I¡¯m having double thoughts on whether I should carry weapons when I am practicing. Well, at least while I still have trouble with mana, I think I shouldn¡¯t carry weapons for a while. Just to be on a safer side.


    I just have to combat any opponent hand to hand. I have been exercising this body, you know. That said, maybe I shouldn¡¯t strain my body today. I shall be taking a rest today! No stressful things!


    Maybe I should adore myself in front of the mirror or something. Maybe do something fun? What would I do though? But of course, just remembering there were threats really takes out the mood in me.


    Uuugh.


    Okay, maybe I am a bit rapid right now.


    Want to know more about my time in education? Hah! Don¡¯t wanna think about it. Nor do I even want to get in more or deeper detail.


    Tch. This is stupid.


    I was getting agitated.


    I just had to be reminded of when I have to kill¡­


    Right¡­ we don¡¯t have names. So him, as he never received a name since he died, his number was 213. Subject 213¡­


    I shook the thought off my mind.


    Before I knew it, I was already full. Of course I don¡¯t intend to force myself, so I stopped.


    My family was also finished at the same time.


    I heaved a relaxed sigh.


    ¡°That was great¡­¡±


    Great food indeed.


    ¡°Estelia, I want to ask about something.¡±


    My father said to me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡± he appeared to be reluctant to speak his mind. ¡°... Estelia, you mentioned you had visions?¡±


    I blinked my eyes a few times before weakly nodding my head.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. What was it that you saw?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I rubbed my thumbs before speaking, to show that I was uneasy. ¡°A¡­ a blade¡­ a dagger perhaps, descended upon me. Striking me.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± it was my brother who exclaimed.


    My mother on the other hand was quietly in shock. Father meanwhile kept his composure.


    ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t do anything. It felt so real, like I was actually there.¡±


    I ended it there, as my lips trembled slightly.


    ¡°I see. Was there something else?¡±


    Hm, there was something else. There was no point in hiding it honestly. In addition, there was no downside in telling them.


    ¡°T-There was another¡­ it came first actually¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... I saw a woman. She¡­ she has the same features as me. White hair, white skin, and red eyes.¡±


    For some reason, when they heard my description of the woman, they all went completely silent. They were frozen in place. Wait¡­ do they know about it?


    I wanted to narrow my eyes with suspicion at them, but instead I asked them.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong? Do you know what that was? Who was that woman?¡±


    It was my father who immediately responded.


    ¡°Nothing, no problem. We were just surprised and confused why you would see visions. And why you would see that woman. Don¡¯t you think maybe that was perhaps how you would look in the future?¡±


    Hm? There could be a chance I would look like that in the future.


    He then continued.


    ¡°Maybe you saw yourself to be like that in future. Or maybe it was a vision of the future, or perhaps a hallucination. There are many possibilities.¡±


    Oh, really now dear father?


    ¡°Father, didn¡¯t I mention, the visions felt real. The senses, smell, touch, I experienced them. Does vision do that?¡±


    ¡°... I do not know. But perhaps. In any case, a vision is a vision, no point in dwelling about it if it leads nowhere.¡±


    He¡¯s not wrong.


    ¡°... But, I suppose everyone has no idea¡­?¡±


    They all responded that they have no idea.


    Is that so?


    I see.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Thanks for reading.


    Expect some delays in updates because it''s the finals of the school,  so I may not get to focus much on the writing. Thank you for your understanding. School is ending at the end of the month, so that''s cool! :)

 Chapter 63: Contrasting Life

    ¡°Your highness, I am glad to see you all and well.¡±


    When I left the room, I was greeted by Vernon. The old man bowed deeply with a smile.


    ¡°I will be returning as your guard and servant.¡±


    ¡°Vernon¡­ I apologize for what happened that day.¡±


    ¡°What could you be apologizing for?¡± he appeared to be puzzled.


    ¡°... For the troubles.¡±


    ¡°If you refer to that time in the library, please think nothing of it. On the contrary, I see it as my failure. I failed to save you.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I did not expect that I would unleash that much power. Being guilty of something that everyone knew impossible to achieve is the height of absurdity. It is understandable if one couldn¡¯t accomplish something because it is out of their capabilities.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, your highness. Then you should have no need to apologize since what happened is beyond your control. It is understandable if one couldn¡¯t accomplish something because it is out of their capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    His words caused a genuine chuckle from me. It was amusing actually.


    ¡°In that case, everything is even.¡±


    ¡°It appears so¡­¡± he straightened his clothes with an amused smile himself. ¡°What are your plans today, your highness?¡±


    I began walking as both Mera and Vernon followed.


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not returning to my magic training for today. I plan to rest and go around for a while.¡±


    Besides, this might be a good time to do some scouting.


    Or because I just want some fresh air.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best,¡± Vernon said.


    ¡°To be honest, I have qualms about continuing today. What¡­ what if it happens again?¡±


    I held out my hand. I wondered if I try now, would the same thing happen again? If it happens again though, maybe I can endure it. I don¡¯t have my weapons anyways, so I¡¯m safe. That said, death was possible.


    I think I should let my body rest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your highness. I will be overseeing you closely. At a first sign of it, I apologize but I will be instantly putting you unconscious. I have permission from your father.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s for the best, then it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°... Milady, I pray it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡±


    Mera¡¯s words caused me to smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Where do you plan to go, your highness?¡±


    ¡°The garden.¡±


    It was peaceful there. The perfect place to get some fresh air.


    We then arrived at the garden.


    I took in a deep breath. The gentle wind crawling on my skin, the waves of waving colorful flowers dazzled in the beautiful garden landscape. The bright colored wisteria rustled as leaves and petals fluttered and floated in the air.


    The cold and fresh air brought me ease. I beheld the eye pleasing garden of countless flowers under the bright sun. I walked closer and the wonderful fragrance of the flowers came into my nose carried by the air and breeze.


    I tread the paved pathway, this for some reason brought memories to my mind. I remembered what I saw in my dream.


    My mother and brother were here.


    I was a child.


    What a colorful memory.


    I headed towards where that time¡¯s destination was. Shortly then, I saw flowers in uniform. Pink petals. There were a lot of them. Compared to the memory, right now they were bigger and taller. Right now they almost reached my knees.


    Perhaps this was as high as they can get.


    I crouched down beside the flower bed. I inhaled the familiar smell. Yes, familiar. For some reason, Estelia¡¯s memories became clearer.


    Almost as if the entire thing had molded completely into me.


    I reached out and touched the petals, I felt the somewhat rough texture on my fingers. Because of the memories, it almost felt nostalgic. Of course I know this wasn¡¯t my personal memory. I could tell because the emotions were not included.


    These memories were like images of videos embedded in my brain with a bit of magical mixture.


    I am still who I am.


    And I¡¯m thankful that there were no other emotions who invaded my mind that weren''t mine.


    ¡°Vernon, you were here before I was born, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    I asked him as I watched the flowers dance in the wind.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°While I was young, it was pretty peaceful, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... It was indeed peaceful.¡±


    Yes, very peaceful. No pain, no cries of despair, no loss, no grief, no darkness, no fear.


    And mine was the opposite of those.


    How do you think would I feel when I have both those in my head?


    I¡¯m bitter. Angry.


    How incomparably better the other was compared to mine.


    Irritating.


    How could people have such lives and not me?


    A feeling, a question that has been plaguing me for a very¡­ very long time.


    It¡¯s agonizing.


    I stood up.


    But, I have come here, wasn¡¯t this my second chance?


    A change of life. Freedom. I had those, now I will live that life.


    However, the thought of it only made me angrier. Everything was so peaceful, every memory of Estelia. But why now? Now that I¡¯m here, those who threaten me began to emerge.


    Enemies are possibly nearby, within our ranks. And some may even possibly be just outside the gates.


    They threaten me.


    The thought of having a free, relaxing, carefree life was fading away.


    I turned towards the bench under the shade of wisterias and walked towards it. I sat down and leaned back.


    I took in a deep breath then heaved a long loud sigh.


    How tiring and irritating this may be, I must take up arms and face threats head on.


    I will erase anyone that dares to take my peace and wish away from me.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    School has finally been erased from my presence. But only to be rewritten again in a couple of months.


    Yeah, been a long time no seeing. Sorry been so busy with school.


    So yeah I''m baaaack! Holy shit that was a tough month!


    School term ended, so I have plenty of free time from school. But I may be resting for a while because the storm had only ended. But of course I''ll write, just gonna take it easy for a while.


    Thank you everyone for your patience.

 Chapter 64: Doing Small Steps

    Don¡¯t you just love it sometimes that you just do nothing but sit amidst the fresh gentle wind. Nothing to bother you at all. Incredible! Just watching everything around you, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds.


    Really, I¡¯m starting to like this, so peaceful. Was this what introverts felt? The ones that mostly just stay in their rooms. The peace and quiet!


    Daaaamn.


    Yup, now I¡¯m feeling rolling on the bed for now.


    Actually, I have been sitting on this bench in the garden for about an hour now. As for my servants that have been standing all that time? They¡¯re doing fine. They¡¯re used to it anyway.


    The thought of inviting them to sit with me did cross my mind, but I didn¡¯t in the end. I want to have space. I¡¯m being mean? Dunno what you¡¯re talking about.


    I stood up from my seat before facing my servants who were behind me.


    ¡°What a good weather today.¡±


    I said with a smile. Mera and Vernon glanced at each other for a moment, as though they were curious by my remark. Well, I was quietly sitting on the bench then suddenly speaking about the weather. But it was truly a good weather today.


    ¡°Is something bothering you, milady?¡± Mera asked.


    ¡°Nope. Let¡¯s take a walk.¡±


    Better to walk after an hour of sitting down. Promote proper blood flow. Plus, it was a good chance to do some scouting. I was planning to do that anyway.


    Well, I just want to have a walk mostly.


    Followed by my servants, we left the garden. I don¡¯t particularly have a destination in mind. So I was just blindly walking around where my legs take me. Eventually I arrived around the front of the palace by going through the paths by the side of the palace building.


    Around these parts, there were knights guarding the pathway. They upgraded the security it seems, sending knights to guard the perimeter.


    The knights stood attention when I passed by, of course I gave them a proper greeting. As we went on, I began to see a few commoner soldiers going about. Then by a corner, I saw a few gathering.


    I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the center of that small crowd. It was a knight wearing lavish armor, then a spear in his hand.


    ¡°Hahaha! You see! This one was this monster that sent me flying. And trust me, I got blown away hard. Damn that thing was massive. Like a mutated gorilla.¡±


    He appears to be telling stories to those soldiers. Looks of anticipation on their faces as they listened.


    ¡°Really thought I was going to die at that moment when other monsters came charging. Wew, thankfully the other knights helped me. Monsters are nasty stuff I tell you that!¡±


    Interesting, a noble talking with commoners like they were friends. No, it also felt like he was bragging and boasting. But, it was not self centered thought. Only telling stories in his perspective.


    This noble was familiar. He was the one who fought intensely using a spear against someone who wielded two swords.


    You know, I do think there might be infiltrators in the knights, but I think it was at the lowest possible chance. But not zero. A man casually interacting with commoners could be a cover, and in actuality, they were sending information through that common soldier without others of importance realizing.


    Of course there¡¯s a chance that this guy was just pretty friendly. But nobles to commoners, I¡¯m not so certain.


    I read some papers when I was with my brother helping him with his work one time. With those descriptions, I think I know who this was.


    If I¡¯m not mistaken, his name was Rogan Dorien. One of the elites in the knights order.


    He was around in his pretty early twenties. Quite a looker.


    When I approached closer, they stopped their conversation and they all turned towards me. Dumbfounded expressions were all over the common soldiers, no one expected to encounter the beautiful princess.


    Rogan on the other hand was pretty composed and merely grinned as he stood straight.


    Then with his spear on one hand, he genuflected as he placed his other hand on his chest. He bowed his head so deep as though he was showing great reverence towards me. But of course I¡¯m sure this was just for show.


    ¡°Your highness, it is an honor to bask in your presence.¡±


    He said solemnly with a bit of energy mixed into it. He then turned his head towards the soldiers.


    ¡°What are you doing? Pay your respects to the royal princess.¡±


    His voice lacked any trace of sterness, he was surprisingly¡­ well, kind towards them.


    Following his words, the common soldiers stiffly followed his example.


    It was definitely amusing.


    ¡°You may all rise.¡±


    They all followed my words.


    ¡°You look like you''re having a good time.¡±


    I said with a smile, although the common soldiers seemed a bit uneasy. Well, I suppose it was to be expected since the princess was talking to them.


    How great of a person I am.


    ¡°You could say that, your highness¡­ So, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Rogan asked.


    ¡°Oh. Just want to talk with you.¡±


    ¡°With me, huh,¡± he grinned widely. ¡°In that case¡­¡± he turned to look at the common soldiers. ¡°It¡¯s a wrap, people! Story time¡¯s over, so time to fill up your stations!¡±


    I don¡¯t even think it was recommended to leave your stations! Was this incompetence, or negligence? Though I highly doubt it. Perhaps there must also be a lot others stationed around, and likely it was break time for these guys.


    With Rogan¡¯s words, the soldiers dispersed and left our proximity.


    ¡°Is it much better, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Definitely! Though I have no important reason to speak with you, so I¡¯m sorry if I ruin your time with them.¡±


    ¡°Please your highness, no need to be sorry. It was just some casual talk, no importance whatsoever. I always have the time to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°... I-I see¡­ That said, it is intriguing to see someone of your status to casually speak with commoners. You have no qualms with that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    This was the first I personally saw a knight, and a noble casually hanging out with a group of common soldiers. He didn¡¯t even have any fellow knights with him.


    ¡°Interesting, may I ask why?¡±


    He still had that wide grin on his face as he answered.


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t see the reason why not. They¡¯re people either way. And¡­ titles are but titles. Status are but status. They hold no absolution, they can be stripped and taken away. And, I see no reason why that should stop me from doing what I want. Humans are humans in the end.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine a few think you are, forgive my words, somewhat weird.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. I have heard it several times, but I¡¯m not bothered by it. A matter that can be simply shrugged.¡±


    ¡°I see you are a good man¡­ What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Rogan Dorein, your highness.¡±


    So I was right.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Sir Rogan.¡±


    ¡°Talking with you is also nice, princess. But, I must ask, are you alright now? I mean walking around.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I heard something happened to you. Losing control of your mana.¡±


    ¡°You have heard of it, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Knights were present that time, so it reached everyone.¡±


    Quite the gossipers there were.


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m fine for now. But I shouldn¡¯t strain myself yet.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Another I also worry about your highness is your safety.¡±


    What was with this guy? Talking about that stuff all of a sudden. And quite sensitive questions at that. Perhaps he was just carrying out his duty.


    ¡°What is it about my safety?¡±


    ¡°Knights have been dispatched all around the palace to guard. We are ordered to be alert and vigilant. And thus, here I am now. I guessed it must have something to do with the safety of the royal family.¡±


    Quite a close guess.


    ¡°So I¡¯m concerned that you don¡¯t seem to have a guard. A knight as one to be precise.¡±


    I giggled.


    ¡°Your concern is appreciated, Sir Rogan. But, I''m fine.¡±


    ¡°... You must be guarded then. In that case¡­¡± he looked at Mera first for a moment before turning to Vernon. ¡°Ah yes¡­ Now that I had a closer look, you are one of the king¡¯s close servants.¡±


    I suppose it was only to be expected he recognized Vernon.


    ¡°Greetings, sir Knight,¡± Vernon said like a gentle old man.


    ¡°Greetings. You must be strong.¡±


    ¡°Oh? May I ask why you think so?¡±


    ¡°I just guessed it. No way they would leave someone weak to guard the princess.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But I should correct you, I am only an aging old man.¡±


    Yeah, Vernon is only an old man. Have him carry a big box and he would instant break his back.


    ¡°Really? Then could it be the miss maid right there? Looks can be deceiving after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡±


    I cleared my throat loudly to get everyone¡¯s attention. This Rogan was getting too observant for my taste. Unnecessarily observant.


    ¡°Thinking about trivial things only confuses and tires the mind, so let¡¯s stop it right there. Say, have you been told what you should be guarding against?¡±


    ¡°Nothing specific. Just be on guard for anything suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I see... Where do you think enemies can strike, Sir Rogan?¡±


    He furrowed his brows the moment he heard my question. It was quite sudden after all.


    ¡°Um, the front, the back, the sides. Anywhere actually.¡±


    ¡°Then in what direction can enemies mostly come from?¡±


    ¡°Mostly at the front?¡±


    ¡°And where could the strike be most fatal, one you mostly never expect?¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­ being attacked from behind sure would be the worst. You mostly don¡¯t see it coming.¡±


    ¡°Then, a strike from behind can be the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m confused. Why do you ask those questions?¡±


    ¡°Enemies can strike at any direction, and can attack at their own discretion. But, I suggest you focus your attention more on where it is most dangerous, where you would mostly lower your guard.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I have had my suspicions since the security is tighter inside the palace...¡±


    Of course, anyone that has a brain would have suspicions on where the problem could lie. Security was greater inside, and lower outside, even though the outside must also be intensely guarded. Then this could mean the enemy lies inside.


    ¡°Now that you have mentioned it, your highness. Then does this mean ¡ª¡±


    ¡°You interpret it the way you like. But, do not lower your guard.¡±


    Now why would I imply as such to this knight? Well, if he was a traitor, he could decide not to share our main conversation here in hopes to lower the alert level of the knights and could tread a bit safer. But even if he still decided to share it, despite being a traitor, the other knights would still become more guarded, having it to be clearer that the enemies could be among them. Then prompting the traitor to act more carefully, but would also become tensed due to the pressure, and being pressured and threatened as an infiltrator is incredibly unpleasant.


    Then, even the small changes I get to notice will become my basis.


    Of course, if he was not a traitor, he was still likely to tell it to the others since it was a pretty crucial thing. If he doesn¡¯t, then he¡¯s stupid. There is no cure for stupidity, I¡¯m afraid.


    All in all, I¡¯m just doing small steps.


    ¡°Remember, sir knight. Nothing hurts more than being backstabbed.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I forgot to mention that a there is a short story that happened between chapter 63 and 64 in patreon. Just so everyone knows. It is important since one of the characters will become an important character in the far future.


    I wonder if patreon readers are here and guess who''s that character gonna be.


    The short story''s around 8k words. Let me give you guys a little run down (synopsis?) since this may give some important info of events.


    So it''s a short story starring a beautiful young lady named Veyir, she had a long black hair and light complexion, then her eyes were the color of red and green mixed together like watercolor. She resembled humans, but she wasn''t one. Then this lady was leading a large group of humans towards a safe place as they were all being hunted by the Mystic Race.


    -- so yeah, this information I believe is important. So I shared this little information for those who couldn''t read it. I''ll say, Veyir is stronggggg. The current Estelia will stand no chance lol. Well, Veyir''s enemies are also strong sooo... This short story also show some of the power of beings in the world. There are also a little of secret touch there (foreshadowing?) about the world. I have already thought far ahead, so I can foreshadow stuff lol. Yesss, I have plans.


    And, I think that''s all.


    Thanks for reading.


    Ah, additionally, I have also started posting this in Webnovel. Let''s see how it will grow there lol.


    oh, I think I''ll also be posting the next chapter tomorrow since it''s shorter than this one.

 Chapter 65: Song in the Night

    There was nothing else to do. I did go around the palace grounds, but nothing happened yet. And oh, I didn¡¯t talk for long with that knight named Rogan. Also, it seems that most of the knights were not present on their training grounds. Only having very few of them.


    Also, the young man, what was his name again? Oh sorry, maybe he was just too insignificant for me to remember.


    I¡¯m joking. I¡¯m not the kind to just forget about someone¡¯s name. His name was Alan, right? Not really a memorable chap, but could have been amusing to play with him around.


    In addition, I also didn¡¯t get to see Elson. Might have been interesting if he was there. I felt a bit of kinship with him, you know, he also uses a dagger. He was just someone who favors the same weapons as I do, that was all. That said, I¡¯m interested in how he applies his magic in his blades.


    Would have been great to learn how he does it. I mean, he must be using them against monsters, and I can imagine how strong monsters are. If he uses them against monsters, imagine if they were used on plain humans.


    Obliteration! That¡¯s what!


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get to interview him. Oh well, just got to wait until I get to use magic and can control mana safely.


    After a short stroll in the palace, I retired to my room. I went to bed for a short shut eye. It took a while for me to fall asleep, but before that, rolling around on the bed was great.


    I felt like a child finally freed from her chores, of course that was just my imaginative impression. My childhood was different from the normal, and so was my chores. If stabbing and beating was a chore that is, so yeah, those were my kind of chores.


    The pillow was so soft, I dug my head deep and hugged another pillow.


    This is life!


    And before I knew it, I fell asleep. Quite a pleasant one at that. Sleeping¡¯s the best.


    I was woken up by knocks on the door, it was already dark outside. It was time for dinner. After a stretch, I went out of the room and went for dinner.


    My family and I conversed with some trivial things with them asking for how I was feeling. Everything was much better actually, after the sleeping. I felt refreshed.


    But I worry that I might not be able to sleep early tonight. I mean, I just slept during the day until dinner. But I guess that¡¯s fine. Nights are often the best.


    I returned immediately to my room after dinner. There was nothing else to do anyway. Of course, it was time for goodnights, so my servants returned to their rooms. That said, there were knights now stationed on the hallways.


    Everything seemed so tight now.


    In my room, I reached out underneath the bed and took out the special dagger.


    ¡°Aaah, my beauty.¡±


    I quietly said as I touched the blade. Without my weapons, I feel naked.


    Should I bring my weapons tomorrow? Danger lingers around me. And having a weapon would be comforting. However, with the risks of controlling mana, bringing my weapons would only cause me more problems.


    I could pass out again.


    So that means, no weapons for me! Ugh, fists and kicks it is then.


    I played around with the dagger, flipping it around, slashing the air and so on. It felt good.


    When can I stabby stab or slashy slash someone? Not yet? That¡¯s too bad.


    I traced the blade with my finger. The sensation of the cold hard metal spread around my fingers. The sharpness of the blade begged me to use it.


    Sorry my precious, but you¡¯ll be resting for a while. Perhaps for a long while.


    I returned the dagger to the bag and shoved the bag bug under the bed.


    I then laid down on the bed and closed my eyes for a few minutes. However...


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    I stood up and headed towards the window and fully opened it wide. The gentle and beautiful bluish moonlight showered me with its grace. The countless stars glimmering in the sky like jewels. The cold air touching my skin.


    A serene night.


    But it was not such a good day, wasn¡¯t it?


    Memories of my past. And memories of the past that wasn¡¯t mine.


    ¡°Haaaaah.¡±


    I sighed loudly. Then¡­ I took a long deep breath as a short feeling of peace came into me.


    I slowly opened my mouth.


    ¡°~Moon river, wider than a mile¡­~¡±


    I sang. My beautiful voice peacefully echoed towards the outside and blended with the darkness.


    ¡°~I''m crossing you in style... some day.~¡±


    I sat on the windowsill and turned to gaze outside. My calm crimson eyes beholden the silent and beautiful night, the tranquil stars and the moon shining in the heavens.


    ¡°~Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker¡­~¡±


    ¡°~Wherever you''re goin'', I''m goin'' your way.~¡±


    This was quite a beautiful song. One of the best. It became one of my favorites when I first heard it.


    ¡°~Two drifters, off to see the world.~¡±


    Singing often brings me peace. That was why I was doing it now. I do not care if someone hears, I just want to sing.


    ¡°~There''s such a lot of world to see¡­~¡±


    ¡°~We''re after... the same... rainbow''s end.~¡±


    ¡°~Waitin'' ''round the bend...~¡±


    ¡°~My huckleberry friend.~¡±


    ¡°~Moon river... and me.~¡±


    My voice, so wonderful and pleasing to the ears, and the beautiful song, travelled in the air until it was lost in the distance.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Estelia is a Disney Princess confirmed. lol


    Yeah this chapter was unexpectedly short when I wrote it.


    If anyone''s curious of the song, the title''s "Moon River"


    Here''s a good clip of the song:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uirBWk-qd9A&ab_channel=Movieclips


    A couple of chapters later, things will now progress greatly as we got closer to the end of the first Arc "Pure Princess". Estelia will begin to take action. If things go well, you guys might not need to wait 3 or 4 days for the next update. The only thing that I spend time before deciding to update is when I edit the new chapters for Patreon -- chapters gets longer the closer it is to the end of the volume.


    Please look forward for the future chapters. I actually enjoyed writing those chapters and there are times I got lost in time, so I hope you guys will also like those.


    (Now that I thought about it, maybe I should have put "Psychological" tag, but I''m gonna worry about that when the first Arc is over XD)

 Chapter 66: An Angelic Voice

    There was a beautiful maiden awoken from her beautiful slumber. Her platinum white hair falling straight down was more beautiful than any jewel glimmering amidst the gentle illumination from the morning light, her crimson eyes so captivating were as gorgeous as the full moon shining in the night, and her beauty was unmatched by any other, nor by the view of the sunset by the shores, nor by the ever flowing river in spring. A peerless existence.


    Who could this beautiful girl be?


    That¡¯s right! It¡¯s me! Estelia!


    Quite an introduction, don¡¯t you say?  Well, just trying to keep the mood bright and positive!


    Okay, for what reason was I beaming with energy? Well, surprisingly, despite sleeping during the day yesterday, I still had one hell of a good sleep in the night.


    I couldn¡¯t be more refreshed.


    At the moment, I was on my way to breakfast along with my usual pair of servants when Mera spoke out of the blue.


    ¡°Milady, last night¡­ There was singing.¡±


    I flinched a little. Hm. It seems I got carried away. No, I definitely got carried away! I know! I know! But do I have to see this as a big issue?! No harm doing it. No harm at all! Plus, I like doing that.


    And there are just some times that you just don¡¯t care about anything else except what you want. And that was one of those times.


    I tried not to look back at her.


    Vernon meanwhile nodded his head.


    ¡°I did hear a girl¡­ singing while I was on my patrol.¡±


    I can feel their gazes piercing through me. Yup, of course they have an idea who that was. Ultimately, Mera was just nearby my room, so she definitely heard it on the quiet night.


    I¡¯ll just keep acting ignorant for a moment.


    ¡°I was surprised to hear such a wonderful voice,¡± Mera said with awe.


    I stole a glance at her from the corner of my eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it much, but, yes, it was good.¡±


    Vernon then added.


    Now now, how kind of them to compliment the someone in question.


    ¡°Milady, I didn¡¯t know you could sing that wonderfully.¡±


    I smiled wryly. She just went straight for the head.


    ¡°Ha-ha-ha¡­¡± I acted bashful as I glanced at my two servants. ¡°You heard that, huh. I¡¯m sorry I disturbed everyone.¡±


    ¡°Milady! You did not inconvenience anyone at all. My fellow maids were dumbstruck by your voice, echoing in the silent and peaceful night.¡±


    She said so with a bright smile as both her hands were on one side of her cheeks.


    ¡°And that song, such a marvelous song, truly tugged someone¡¯s heartstrings.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Your highness, I never expected you to possess such talent. We never even had a hint of it.¡±


    Vernon was visibly surprised. Yeah, how surprising I have talent. I thought I never had one¡­ hehe¡­ hmmm.


    ¡°Well, I have been keeping it. It¡¯s embarrassing to show to anyone.¡±


    ¡°And, you sang a song¡­ with lyrics¡­¡±


    ¡°Milady, where did you hear that song? I never heard of it even once.¡±


    ¡°I am too. As her highness mostly never goes outside, she might have learned it somewhere in the palace. But I cannot recall someone else singing it.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that milady came up with it?¡±


    ¡°Wah,¡± Vernon let out a breath of amazement. ¡°This is surprising¡­¡±


    Come on, don¡¯t think too much about it! I know this is to be expected, but still¡­


    And, I did not come up with it at all. What should I do? I can¡¯t just say: yeah I made it up.


    Well, there is no legal system that would sue me, hehehe, not that such a thing would be an issue in the old world for me, sue me all you want. In addition, no one would recognize that song here. So I guess it¡¯s fine.


    But that will make me feel bad!


    Hey, even I respect their respective owners. Most definitely in music.


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    So, I just shrugged my shoulders with that mumble. I neither denied nor confirmed it.


    ¡°I wonder if your parents heard it, seems unlikely¡­¡± Vernon quietly said.


    My voice was not that loud that I seemed to be shouting. In addition, my family¡¯s rooms were not adjacent to mine, so I doubt they heard me. Wait, where was Vernon patrolling when he heard my voice?


    Eh ¡ª whatever no need to press the matter. If I ask, he¡¯ll just ask for more questions.


    Because of this, I slightly quicken my pace.


    I arrived at the dining table and managed to eat peacefully. Until, amidst the leisurely consumption of delicious cuisine, my father spoke.


    ¡°Oh yeah, some knights heard a singing at the side of your room, Estelia.¡±


    I froze in place. I kept my eyes at the food that was about to enter my mouth. It was at this moment that I knew, there was no escaping.


    ¡°Oh? Singing?¡± Estevan chimed in with interest. ¡°Good or bad type of singing?¡±


    ¡°They say it was angelic.¡±


    I¡¯m flattered.


    ¡°Actually, some of the knights recognize that voice, and you know whose voice they think it was, Estevan?¡±


    ¡°... Who?¡±


    My father¡¯s eyes then moved towards me, obviously indicating that it was my voice. I looked away with pursed lips.


    ¡°Hm? Hm? E-Estel?¡± My brother sounded shocked because of the revelation.


    I ignored him and ate a spoonful of the food. Ah, what a fine meal.


    ¡°Estelia, daughter dear,¡± my mother called out to me from my side, she sounded amused. ¡°Don¡¯t hide or deny it.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Aaaah. Perhaps you are wondering why I was avoiding it when the fact that singing was not a bad thing. Well the issue was, well, they definitely will think I made that song. I can¡¯t even lie that I heard it.


    Oh? What about I say I heard it from the outside? You know, during my outing¡­ No! Who would believe that obvious lie of a scenario. No one sings that kind of song in a rowdy and crowded street.


    But still¡­ there might be a chance¡­?


    ¡°Y-Yes, that was¡­ me.¡±


    They all gasped in surprise.


    ¡°You made the song you sang? I mean, you won¡¯t get much of a chance to hear and memorise a song. Your lessons also only teach an instrument¡­¡± my father asked.


    ¡°... Um¡­¡± I acted all embarrassed. ¡°What if I say I heard it from the outside?¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± my father flatly said. ¡°The knights said they never heard that song. So it¡¯s unlikely it¡¯s from the outside. And, there is no way you could memorise it while you went out.¡±


    ¡°And, if it¡¯s from bards, one could hardly memorise a song and sing it fluently from such a short time of watching,¡± Mother said.


    ¡°And there were no bards at that time at all. I ran around searching for you, remember? If there were, they would be in that plaza since crowds gather there,¡± my brother just had to add that.


    I¡¯m cornered. No escape. How could have I been pushed this far back and unable to counterattack? Haaah, I¡¯ll just say nothing, to confirm nothing.


    I just turned my head away from them, my cheeks flushed red.


    ¡°You made it didn¡¯t you, dear sister?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it, dear daughter.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, no need to be embarrassed. My cute baby actually hid a talent?¡±


    Say nothing, confirm nothing.


    ¡°What a waste I couldn¡¯t get to hear it¡­ Should I hang around your room every night, Estel?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not, brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    And so my breakfast went by with a bunch of teasing from my family all the while. They even asked me to perform live during dinner. Of course I refused.


    Although, I don¡¯t mind performing.


    But let¡¯s calm them down for a while. No time to perform yet. Plus, I¡¯m not comfortable singing in public without an instrument. For me, I just feel a song is incomplete without an instrument. And I have yet to learn much of that 12 stringed instrument in my room.


    Maybe next time.


    Yes, I told them next time.


    After that, I went to one of the large rooms used during my lectures. Well, the library was still in repair, so we couldn¡¯t practice there yet. Vernon was the one to bring the book then placed it on the table in the center of the room.


    ¡°Your highness, I will be closely watching you in your training to not repeat what happened a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief. But, would you be able to stop it in time? I mean, that time it instantly went out of control.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine if I act in an instant. That is why I will be closely watching. With that said, I will also be able to help you just a little bit in your spellcasting now that you are able to control your mana, am I correct?¡±


    ¡°I think I can. I¡¯m just a bit wary though so I never tried it yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine. Just release it carefully and do it in a minimal amount. At the first sign of going out of control, forgive me but I will be knocking you unconscious, your highness. I have also received permission from the King.¡±


    Huh, it must be hard to have to knock out a princess with your own hand. Hey, I know you¡¯ll manage.


    ¡°That is fine. Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    School came back to haunt me, so I didn''t get to update in my target time frame hehehe.

 Chapter 67: Palm Shield

    I looked at the opened book and scanned the first spell. It was the ¡°Palm Shield¡±, it was mentioned to be the easiest and least demanding, that was why beginners mostly learned this first. In addition, defending yourself was important.


    But of course, a beginner¡¯s Palm Shield spell would be weaker than those who were already experienced. One would need to provide the spell a decent amount of mana to enhance it, in addition, stabilization would also be needed. Meaning, you have to keep the mana stable in forming the spell.


    I just have to imagine, visualize it, shape the mana, in order to cast this spell. Judging by my mana that went out of control, I should have a great amount of mana. So I imagine if I gave it my all, my shield would be harder than what was normally casted.


    That said, I will need to be more careful. And, how regrettable this may be, I have to hold back. I still have that issue with my Mystic Medium. I have no weapons so I will be safe when I pass out. But I don¡¯t want to experience that again.


    Feeling the pain was¡­ bearable. However, I would prefer not to feel that intense pain again. Ultimately, I don¡¯t want to risk my life over something like that.


    ¡°You highness, I suggest that you try and exert mana. See how well it would go.¡±


    Vernon said as he stood beside me. Yeah, I was planning to do that. I need to know my limits. Not knowing would be the height of carelessness.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s see.¡±


    I held out my palm. I recalled the familiar feeling I felt that time when I first controlled my mana.


    I released a feeble amount and slowly let it flow out. A faint force of pressure emanated on my palm that no eyes can see.


    ¡°This is feeble, do you think I can cast a spell with this?¡±


    Just imagine the amount of mana in my palm was equivalent to one small cup of water, filled past halfway. Yes, that small. I only did this amount since it felt more comfortable.


    ¡°Yes you can, but can you try to increase it?¡±


    I tried to increase the amount of mana. However, as I did so, I felt a small amount of pain, like being pricked by a thorn, but within me. Then, the first moment I felt a burst coming out, I closed the lid in an instant, prompting the mana in my hand to disappear entirely.


    Vernon noticed it and looked at me with concern. I smiled at him a little to tell that everything was fine.


    ¡°I felt a little uncomfortable so I stopped before everything became worse.¡±


    ¡°I see. So that amount of mana is all you can do. That¡¯s fine, in time, it will go for the better.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then, I shall be overseeing you. But bear in mind that I won¡¯t be teaching you a lot of things since I am no mage. But I can help you in casting Palm Shield.¡±


    Great! Having an instructor was much better than not having one. Maybe the reason my father chose Vernon not only because he was trustworthy and strong, but also so that he can guide me.


    ¡°Excellent! Please demonstrate it for me.¡±


    With a nod, he held out his hand. Next moment, a half circle transparent barrier appeared in thin air from his palm around the size of his torso.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± there was something I noticed. ¡°Your barrier is of different color from the knights.¡±


    ¡°The knights have translucent barriers which lack a conspicuous color.¡±


    I nodded. It was almost transparent. But I can still see a barrier since they were shining. But what Vernon formed was a conspicuous bronze barrier.


    ¡°The knights made their barriers transparent so they could easily see their enemy from the other side. Obstruction from view is inadvisable.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so, you can freely choose what color you want?¡±


    Vernon smiled as though he found my idiocy amusing.


    ¡°Princess, you shape the spell don¡¯t you? It¡¯s given that it is up to you how you would shape them.¡±


    I pouted. Well, I thought spells were of determined style, something like that. You know, like they have determined form. You could say a standard. An unchangeable uniform. Okay, maybe I haven¡¯t given much thought about the deeper rules of magic.


    Maybe because this kind of thing was just mostly cosmetics that I haven¡¯t given this part much thought. I just thought of the function, that¡¯s all. But no harm done, yes?


    ¡°Alright, I understand. But if it is advisable to not obstruct your view, why is your barrier literally in the color of bronze?¡±


    I sweetly smiled. He narrowed his eyes before grinning himself.


    ¡°I can increase the transparency, your highness. I only made it to have more color than usual so you could see and tell.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But that would still have a tint of color if your default is more transparent than that, still an obstruction.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This warm and short cold battle was mine to triumph.


    ¡°... Having a color is warmer, it¡¯s boring to have a plain color,¡± he admitted.


    I smiled wider.


    ¡°So the way things look is important for you after all, Vernon.¡±


    ¡°I like things that are pleasing to the eyes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I thought Vernon was more on functionality rather than appearances. But I guess not.


    I glanced at the poor Mera who has been out of the conversation since the beginning. She wryly smiled so I greeted her back with a fond smile of my own.


    I understood the feeling of being left out from a conversation. Hang in there.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start the practice.¡±


    I followed the instructions from the book. I extend my hand forward. Released a bit of mana. Expand it and slowly give it form. It was difficult to control it when it''s outside my body compared to inside.


    I visualized and imagined the shape of the barrier. Like weaving clothes. Like slowly putting together pieces to its proper form akin to a puzzle.


    Now then what color should I choose?


    A small translucent barrier slowly formed on my palm in the color of crimson. My concentration level was high just to make this, and I was struggling to keep its form. However, I grinned when I saw it on my palm.


    ¡°I did it!¡±


    However after I said that, the already small barrier broke apart like a piece of glass.


    ¡°Ah!¡± such sound escaped from my delicate lips.


    ¡°Good start, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Why did it break?¡±


    ¡°The distribution of mana was lower than it needed to maintain itself.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that consume more mana than necessary when my goal is only to maintain it?¡±


    ¡°If you distribute enough mana to the spell, it creates some sort of link to each other. Once the link is stable, only then can you minimize the mana required to maintain it. If it does, it is so miniscule that there is no trouble at all to your mana.¡±


    In the end, mana was still required to maintain it. But at least it would be minimized to the point that you won¡¯t be able to tell.


    Stabilization seems to be one of the important things to learn in magic. I suppose that was also how it works in technology made by science, being stable. Like a computer, requiring a stable flow of electricity. Or a stable internet connection so you can easily connect with no problem¡­ Come on, even I use the internet.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll do it again.¡±


    I did it again, and the red feeble barrier formed on my palm. But this time, I gave it a bit more mana than before. Then I felt a bit of comfort to the casting, then I slowly decreased the amount of mana I exert before it now felt it stopped.


    The barrier was slightly larger than the previous one which was good. And feeling it closely, I can imagine that maintaining this barrier like this is like only letting go a tiny trickle of water. And I mean really tiny.


    After several seconds, I nodded in satisfaction that it did not break on its own.


    ¡°Splendid work, me!¡± I giggled.


    Then Vernon extended his index finger and went towards my feeble barrier. He then tapped the point of his finger to my barrier.


    He didn¡¯t use much strength, it really looked like a casual tap. But my barrier shattered into pieces and also broke my heart.


    I gasped.


    Hey! Don¡¯t destroy my hard work now. My precious shield!


    I pouted as I looked at Vernon.


    ¡°How mean Vernon!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, it¡¯s weak. Please slowly increase the amount of mana you give to the spell. And it will certainly help the restoration and adaptation of your Mystic Medium.¡±


    Tch. This old man¡­ really¡­ why did he have to ruin my precious shield¡­


    ¡°F-Fine. But don¡¯t do that again!¡±


    ¡°No promises.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    I then went on to practice again.


    As I did so, Vernon approached Mera.


    ¡°Mera, as you are the personal maid of her highness, I suggest you also begin practicing spells.¡±


    Mera looked surprised.


    ¡°Me¡­? But¡­¡±


    ¡°As a maid, you ought to protect the princess from harm. How are you to protect her if you cannot even cast simple spells? At least please learn the simplest spells.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    I stopped my work and turned to Mera.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect Mera! Let¡¯s practice together!¡±


    I approached her and grasped both her hands, a smile brightly radiating on my face.


    ¡°W-What? With ¡ª now?¡±


    I nodded my head.


    ¡°Sure! No harm in it, right?¡± I looked at Vernon. He nodded his head in agreement. ¡°See?¡±


    Mera seemed to hesitate, but the next moment, she nodded her head.


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    And so, we practiced together like best friends. Heh, I have been observing her while we practiced.


    Seeing how pretty inexperienced she was, I was starting to be convinced that she might not be a traitor after all.


    However, the day for Mera¡¯s judgment was nigh. I only need to find the time.

 Chapter 68: Sneaky Peeking

    It was somewhat tiring, the training I mean. I have lost count how many times I tried and tried. Vernon was ruthless, he was the type of guy that would indifferently destroy your wildest dream in front of your eyes. Seriously, when I finally get to create a barrier, he would shatter it before my eyes.


    It¡¯s like killing your loved one in front of you, you know. Or your child being abused in front of you. Though I don¡¯t know how that exactly feels, and I have no intention of knowing, anyways you get the idea!


    However, Vernon was not as bad as the instructors back in the old days, so this was fine. Of course with every failure, you improve. And it should be said, my shield got stronger! Hah! Praise me my dear subjects, for your princess has reached a greater height!


    But seriously, it got stronger, Vernon punched it and it didn¡¯t break, nice, huh? A downside though, it was still at a pretty small size, so yeah. And, Vernon mentioned he didn¡¯t give his all in the punch. And he was talking about his raw strength!


    It was only this way because I have to hold back due to my mystic medium, this sucks. Progress was incredibly restrained. Mera had also surpassed me, tch.


    But nothing can be done, just let me complain, it¡¯s good for your mental health. Let out the grievances out of your mouth if needed. But of course I can¡¯t complain out loud, and besides, I¡¯m already used to it.


    Now it was almost late in the afternoon. I asked Vernon to end the training earlier than it should be.


    ¡°May I ask why?¡±


    It appears he was thinking that I was already trying to escape from my studies. Oh, old man, that¡¯s not it at all.


    ¡°To the kitchen,¡± I said with a smile.


    Vernon furrowed his brows.


    ¡°The kitchen? Why? If you are hungry, you can just request for food, although I doubt that since you had lunch earlier.¡±


    Yes, I did have lunch, with my mother mind you.


    ¡°Perhaps milady became hungry because of the training?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, please keep the amount of food you eat in mind.¡±


    It was my turn to frown.


    ¡°You¡¯re both wrong,¡± I waved my hand. ¡°I¡¯m just going to make friends.¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡±


    ¡°In the kitchen...?¡±


    Vernon and Mera looked both confused, and about different things it seems.


    ¡°Is making friends bad?¡± I asked with an expression of cluelessness.


    ¡°Um, no,¡± Mera was the one to speak first.


    Vernon on the other hand only stared at me as though he was pondering something.


    Then¡­


    ¡°Your highness, I do not see the reason for doing this. You never did something of this nature in the past, and now, you intend to. I wonder, what changed?¡±


    Tch, I know I am doing something that makes me slowly stray away from the true Estelia. However, sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do. And, I cannot drag this on.


    ¡°What changed you say? Nothing, or perhaps, there is little,¡± I said with a cheerful tone. ¡°However, often, even the most idle have to act. Why do I think I am acting now? Apparently I seemed to have changed? Humans are forced to act when it is necessary. And why do you think I have to act?¡±


    ¡°Because it is necessary?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! It is necessary to act so I can have friends! It¡¯s lonely sometimes, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±


    Vernon blinked his eyes, taken aback by my words.


    ¡°Sir Vernon, I think we should allow milady to do what she wants. No harm in making friends, right?¡±


    Good! Mera¡¯s supporting me.


    ¡°I suppose, but¡­ why the kitchen though? There are none but commoners there, a royal princess befriending them¡­¡±


    ¡°Commoners they may be, they are still humans, just like us,¡± I said with a wise smile. ¡°They can laugh, speak, cry, smile, on the universal level, we are all the same. So, no reason not to befriend someone, especially if they are kind people.¡±


    Ah yes, the naive princess.


    ¡°Your highness, I¡¯m in awe.¡±


    Hey, what¡¯s with a broad grin and wide eyes old man?


    ¡°You are truly a kind person.¡±


    Hm yes, Vernon is of commoner origin... so.


    ¡°I give you my utmost respect.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°However, please know that not all people are kind.¡±


    ¡°... Surely there¡¯s no one here that bad¡­ or evil.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but in the outside world, there are definitely people like that.¡±


    I stared at him, as though unsure how to take in his words.


    ¡°...Alright, I understand. I take it you agree that we stop our magical training at this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    And so with that, I headed towards the kitchen! I would have preferred not to have any guards, but I guess they wouldn¡¯t allow that. Guess I¡¯ll have some restraints in my actions then, been like that for a while anyway.


    To be honest, this is getting a bit tiring. I fear the day I might just have enough and let loose! Acting isn¡¯t easy ¡ª well, a bit easy, what makes it hard is doing it constantly for a long time, and that¡¯s gonna be tiring as fuck. Even I have my limits.


    Whatever, just have to bear it with. That being said, it¡¯s close to impossible that I would break. Even I would gradually adjust. So maybe no worries there.


    We came down to the first floor and walked towards the kitchen. I was about to turn towards the corridor leading to the kitchen, as I always looked at where I was going, especially turning corners, I immediately saw my target.


    Allie Jelimis. However, before anything else, I stopped before I left the cover of the wall. It was not yet time for the cooks¡¯ out, so it was interesting to see her leave the room then closing the door. But that was not the most interesting part.


    This part I have luck in play I guess, she was looking towards the opposite direction of where I was. I was planning to observe this behavior of her¡¯s, then I saw something interesting. She was looking intently at the hallway, like she was surveying.


    Then while I was peeking from the wall, she turned towards my direction, I immediately backed away from peeking. I signalled my servants with my hand to stop them.


    ¡°Mil¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sssh.¡±


    I placed a finger on my lips.


    There were no maids here it seems, they must have only finished in this area. So it was only us in the hallway. Allie was surely still looking this way, so let¡¯s wait.


    I ignored the confused look my two servants were giving me. After several seconds, I carefully sneaked a peek.


    Then I saw the girl walking towards the opposite direction. She turned her head, so I retreated just to be safe.


    Hm, she seems to be on a look out.


    What could she be on guard for?


    I peeked again, and saw her turn to the right. I instantly began to follow. My strides were quiet and a bit quick.


    ¡°Your highness, what could you be doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing. And, please keep quiet. Silence your steps and lower your voice. At best, don¡¯t speak at all.¡±


    They appeared to be utterly confused. Then we passed by the closed door of the kitchen.


    ¡°Milady, the kitchen¡­¡± Mera quietly said to me.


    ¡°Not the destination anymore.¡±


    ¡°What do you me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sssh.¡±


    I stopped to take a peek into the hallway first. I saw her turn left. Then I followed. I hope my silent steps were worth it since I was not following someone alone, but Vernon was doing a good job to quiet his footsteps. Mera on the other hand, I¡¯ll give her a not bad rating. We¡¯re distant from the target, so we¡¯ll be safe.


    Then I saw the girl turn right. When I reached the corner, I stopped in my tracks. Beyond was a dead end, but it had a door though.


    ¡°This leads to the storage. Unused items are stored here,¡± Vernon quietly said.


    The girl, Allie, was not alone anymore, with her now was¡­ a familiar man.


    ¡°Oryn¡­¡± I quietly muttered.


    ¡°Oryn? Your highness, you mean¡­¡±


    Vernon also carefully took a peek.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s something. They seemed to be discussing something.¡±


    Indeed, they were talking, quietly, almost like a whisper. Each of them had their backs on the walls, so the direction of their eyes were not looking in our direction. But this talk of theirs, if they are too quiet, perhaps unnecessarily so, then this talk must be a secret.


    They could have used the storage room, but it must be locked. And as this was basically a trash dump, you could say, not many came here, perhaps especially at this hour. Unfortunately, however, I couldn¡¯t hear them.


    Lip reading? It was dim here, and the distance with their barely moving lips due to them whispering, more than that, they were speaking at a normal speed of speech, it will be difficult. And, well, lip reading was not really accurate since lip movements tend to have similarities to other words spoken.


    But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m still doing my best. Don¡¯t underestimate me.


    ¡°What? What is going on?¡± Mera whispered.


    Curiosity seemed to strike her and she also took a peek.


    Ah yes, three people sneaking glances from the side of a wall.


    ¡°What could they be doing here¡­?¡± Mera quietly asked.


    I picked up a few words, but nothing to be certain of. But given context, I think I caught the words ¡°princess¡±, ¡°busy¡±, ¡°moving forward¡±, from Allie, Oryn, then Allie again.


    They even mentioned me.


    I want to chuckle. This just raised the bar of their traitorous meter.


    Just then, Oryn took a hold of both Allie¡¯s hands. I raised an eyebrow. I caught the word, ¡°alright¡± or maybe it was meant to be ¡°it¡¯s going to alright¡±, then the word ¡°wait¡±.


    Okay, suspicious words depending on the context, however¡­ it should be said, they looked pretty intimate...


    ¡°C-Could they be?¡± Mera was apparently surprised herself.


    She covered her mouth as she gawked at them¡­ well, we as well, the gawking part.


    ¡°It appears so¡­¡± Vernon said.


    Indeed, it gives that kind of impression, huh. But it should be mentioned, looking intently at Allie¡¯s body language, she seemed anxious, apprehensive.


    Hm¡­


    ¡°I never imagined that they would be in this kind of relationship,¡± Mera continued to muse.


    Indeed. Setting aside the gap of ages, a cook and an assistant of a prince? What an¡­ interesting turn of event.


    What, do you think I would fall for such things like: Oh, they¡¯re just lovers hiding their relationship, or something like that! Not enough to prove that! I noted and analyzed their words that I read, just so you know.


    More importantly, before they do the act of leaving, we should leave ourselves.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I said while tugging and gently pulling on their collars. No slowing down. It would be bad if we were found out.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Oryn and Allie to the horni jail - lol


    I lost count of the days hahaha. I''m almost finished writing the first volume, if I''m done, I think I can give more time in editing.


    If we include counting this chapter, maybe we have around more than 15 chapter left until we''re done with volume 1. And chapters gets longer when we get closer to the end cause why not. The longer the chapter, the better, am I right? XD

 Chapter 69: Hard for the Pure Princess

    We had immediately left the scene, everything should be safe and sound now. Whether those two get very affectionate and intimate there, not for me to bother thinking about. Mera though seemed to be still quite bothered by it.


    Her eyes seemed to bulge out as she was in deep thought.


    Hey Mera, your head okay?


    Her imaginations must be going wild there, I could see some faint flush on her cheeks. Ah, a maiden¡¯s innocence.


    What about me? I¡¯m not bothered at all. I have a¡­.


    ¡­ nevermind.


    In any case, it was better to leave early before they even attempt to leave. Eavesdropping tends to be harder when you have loads to carry.


    ¡°Your highness, why did you decide to follow that girl?¡±


    Vernon asked me as we went our way back to the kitchen. Being questioned was often bothersome, but I suppose this was to be expected when they do not know what is happening in the bigger picture. As for this case, my personal picture.


    ¡°Curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Curiosity¡­?¡± he pondered for a while. ¡°Your highness, could it be you have a faint idea of what was going on with the cook girl?¡±


    ¡°I only did it on a whim, Vernon. Why would I have a faint idea about that girl¡¯s life? I only met her once.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ You say that¡­ but¡­ I think you might be more observant than any of us thought.¡±


    ¡°You give me too much credit.¡±


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t think of any great excuse as to why I decided to follow that girl. But this was no big issue.


    ¡°... And Vernon¡­ if you are baffled¡­ then perhaps, try to think of what the reason for my actions could be.¡±


    Alright, let¡¯s leave it at that.


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    We arrived at the kitchen, and the door was closed. Well, they must be idle now since there was nothing else to do. At least it worked for me because I was able to smoothly go past this room without being noticed.


    I expect the other two cooks must be here. I glanced at Vernon with a smile, he understood what I was trying to tell him, he then opened the door for me. Come on, I¡¯m the princess, shouldn¡¯t something like this be expected? Well, looks like I am getting used to being royalty.


    Oh no, I¡¯m already getting a little tired of acting like this though, so I might accidentally let out who I really am as I bask in my own royal glory! Alright, that¡¯s enough kidding around¡­ Or was I actually serious? Heh. No, I¡¯m kidding.


    I entered the room, the two male cooks were shocked to see the visitor that was me. Their eyes were wide as saucers, but the head chef immediately regained a little composure. For the young one however, his mouth was still a bit agape.


    I held myself back from smirking in amusement but instead formed a sweet smile.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    My voice O so gentle reached their ears, my pure and warm gaze graciously blessed them.


    ¡°Y-Your highness!¡±


    The chef stood up from his chair before bowing deeply, seeing that the young man was still dumbfounded, he pulled him and pushed his head down.


    ¡°T-To what do we owe the pleasure?¡±


    I placed my hands on my back, acting adorably as I could, then tilting my head slightly.


    ¡°Oh I just wanted to visit the kitchen. Last time was pretty interesting, and too bad I arrived just as you finished baking. Today, if it is alright, I would like to see how other dishes are cooked.¡±


    ¡°... Really¡­?¡± the young man muttered.


    Yes, consider yourself lucky!


    ¡°Indeed, if possible, I would like something special. You never know, I might be able to cook on my own if I observe and practice.¡±


    My two servants turned their eyes towards me with surprise.


    Hey now what are you guys surprised about?


    Even nobles cook, especially adult ones. So what was so surprising about me learning to cook? Or maybe they are surprised because I am trying to learn.


    I¡¯m not that lazy, you know.


    ¡°Then¡­ it would be a great honor, your highness.¡±


    The chef said as he lowered his head again.


    ¡°Excellent! Ah by the way, I see that you are missing someone.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, Allie left for a moment. She said she wanted to take a short walk because it was...boring.¡±


    ¡°I see. I sort of wanted to talk to another girl as I went to watch the process¡­¡±


    Mera became restless all of a sudden, she got fidgety a little as her eyes drifted around.


    What¡¯s up with her?


    I wanted to ask her directly, but this wasn¡¯t a good place for this. Although I think I have an idea why she was acting this way.


    ¡°I suppose your highness is more comfortable interacting with the same gender, but she should be returning shortly.¡±


    The head chef, Ceruos, said to me as he glanced with saltiness towards the young man beside him whose name was Tenil. Why? The young man looked disheartened.


    This¡­ this guy held some hope, didn¡¯t he?


    Wow. Even though people tell themselves that there was no hope in achieving something, deep in their heart, they still cling to that faint light of hope. And when it is shattered before their eyes, it will hurt.


    This young man right here, hm¡­ Sorry people, if there¡¯s someone you like, and you feel they won¡¯t like you back, give up. You¡¯ll be wasting your time. I guess I am in no position to give such advice, hehehe, I also heard it from someone.


    Your crush won¡¯t ever like you back.


    Oh, I¡¯m not trying to discourage you, I¡¯m telling you a fact!


    Joking! I''m joking. Go ahead and give it a shot or something, if it is futile, well shoot them in the head or something¡­. I¡¯m joking! Don¡¯t do that.


    Or am I?


    Aight, let¡¯s move on.


    ¡°Then, what will we be cooking, Mr. Chef?¡±


    ¡°Would you like chicken, your highness? Beef or pork?¡±


    Oh my, so I get to choose. Let¡¯s see, beef, chicken, or pork? Hm. Beef and pork are too fatty, you could say, and the cholesterol. I am leaning towards chicken after all. What do I truly want¡­?


    Okay, I am thinking too deeply about this. Oh no, could this be? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m getting gluttonous?


    I want to palm my face. My life of peace is getting into me. It¡¯s not that bad, peace was great! But I need to be careful to take care of my body and avoid ruining the balance of my movements. I am still a fighter at heart after all.


    ¡°Then I will take the chicken.¡±


    ¡°Chicken, huh. Good timing, your highness! We actually just finished making a new recipe. And we would like feedback from someone like you.¡±


    My face lit up.


    ¡°Truly?! Then it will be my pleasure to help you with it!¡±


    ¡°We are grateful,¡± he then faced the young man. ¡°Tenil, get a fresh chicken.¡±


    ¡°U-Uh, yes!¡±


    The young man left and headed towards what I assume was the storage room. The chef then went on to prepare a butchering knife and a big wooden cutting board on the table used to place ingredients. Of course the table they would use for cooking would be different to the table used for dining.


    A moment later the young man returned with a fresh dead chicken. The chicken¡¯s feathers were already plucked as the skin was left exposed. Then there was a slit on its neck.


    They must have slit its neck to kill it and drained its blood. But I hope their storage room was a bit cold at least. Well, it was supposed to be fresh, and from the way it looked, I judged it to be fine. Also, I imagine they use a basement as storage.


    The young man gave it to the chef. The chef placed the chicken on the cutting board. I looked from the side, I am here to observe after all.


    But I was forming a worried look.


    The chef raised his big knife, then struck it down causing a loud thud, cutting the chicken¡¯s head by the neck.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    I released a squeal the moment I saw the horrendous moment.


    Ah! How horrible!


    ¡°Milady?¡± sweet Mera called out to me with worry. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°N-No. Nothing.¡±


    Everyone looked at me with confusion while I gazed at the chicken with horrified eyes. This implied one thing, the butchering already began to scare me.


    ¡°C-Continue.¡±


    The chef nodded then went on to slice the chicken¡¯s thigh. I began to see the flesh inside. I slowly covered my eyes while taking a peak just a little.


    ¡°Milady? Something wrong?¡± Mera gently held me on the shoulder and on my back.


    ¡°M-Mera? Are you not bothered by t-this?¡±


    ¡°Um, no.¡±


    Oh well, as expected from a maid. Vernon then approached.


    ¡°Your highness, it seems you cannot bear to watch the butchering. I suggest you avert your eyes away.¡±


    I looked at him, then back at the chicken, then to the chef who paused his work.


    Yes, this might be too much for a pure princess such as me. Someone who couldn¡¯t even bear to see blood spilling out, nor some flesh being sliced.


    Aaaah! May the gods save me!


    ¡°N-No. This is the natural process of the world. I should not escape from something such as this. I must watch things unfold, that is why I am here, yes?¡±


    I looked at Vernon innocently. He furrowed his brows.


    ¡°If you say so, your highness.¡±


    Then the chef continued. Whenever he slammed his knife to cut through bone, I would flinch as I covered my eyes every now and then. I am like an adorable young girl seeing something like this for the first time, even though I¡¯m already a teenager.


    Of course, how could I not freak out from something like this? Especially as an innocent princess?!


    Mera was holding me trying to comfort me. I acted as though I was truly comforted.


    I may have looked adorable, pretty adorable really. I could see the young man glancing at me with an amused smile on his face.


    How mean¡­


    Needless to say I am only acting, hehe, I am pretty convincing to the eyes of others. I have seen a lot of nasty things. Guts spilling out of one¡¯s stomach, severed arm and legs, burned face, cut tongue, stabbed eye, splattered brain matter. You name it, I¡¯ve seen it.


    Then the chef opened it apart, and I saw the insides. The intestines, the lungs, the heart and so on.


    ¡°Eeek!¡±


    I unconsciously squealed as I saw it. Nasty!


    ¡°Princess, you¡¯re turning pale!¡± Mera exclaimed.


    I slightly knitted my brow.


    ¡°H-How could you tell that when I¡¯m already pale skinned?¡±


    ¡°Y-Your lips.¡±


    ¡°..... I just never expected to see that a chicken¡¯s inside would be like this.¡±


    ¡°Milady, you can look away if you want.¡±


    ¡°No. I will not crumble here and retreat. If one knows they could overcome something, falling back would be an act of folly and cowardice.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Vernon let out a sound of awe or something, but I didn¡¯t think much of it.


    I steeled myself as I watched, like a warrior about to face off something horrifying and dangerous. But still standing tall before the danger that lies ahead in front of me.


    The chef took out the chicken¡¯s organs, cutting off the ones that would not be required and then discarding them. He kept the liver and the heart, those were what I only saw since I was covering my eyes in dread.


    How could such a delicate lady such as myself watch something so gruesome?!


    Then I saw that he threw the bag thing that kept the waste ¡ª the shit of the chicken. Well, it could have been cleaned, but these kinds of food were served to the royal family. Plus, it might depend on what food they wanted to cook.


    Then they went on to slice the chicken¡¯s body.


    It was at that moment the door opened. We all turned towards the door. There I saw the person of interest.


    Allie Jelimis.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Procrastination is my greatest enemy. lol

 Chapter 70: Me? Average? Nonsense

    Allie Jelimis froze at the door when she saw a beautiful girl with white hair, red eyes and snow white skin. Yes, me!


    Her eyes were wide in surprise, never in her life expecting that I would be here today. When she regained her calm mind, she stood straight and bowed deeply.


    ¡°Your royal highness.¡±


    Oh, as I was still covering my eyes with my hands due to the gruesome sight, I slowly lowered it with a wry smile.


    ¡°Ah- Eh, h-hello.¡±


    I stuttered as my cheeks flushed red due to embarrassment. Of course I would be embarrassed, another party suddenly barged in with confusion and surprise when they saw me. Plus, she might have been confused by the fact that I was covering my eyes.


    I cleared my throat quietly.


    ¡°Your name is Allie, am I right?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°In that case, please no need to be all reserved, come inside, this is your station after all.¡±


    I smiled sweetly with warm eyes as I watched her curtly nodding her head and entered inside, closing the door as she did so.


    ¡°Hey Allie, we¡¯re cooking right now, so help me season this chicken right here. Leave the lighting of fire to Tenil.¡±


    Tenil nodded his head before complying to the order of starting a fire.


    ¡°Cooking¡­?¡±


    ¡°I, I asked for it.¡±


    I said to her as I avoided looking at the butchered chicken.


    ¡°The dessert I had here last time was very delicious, so I was interested in what more you have to offer that is not yet offered to my family.¡±


    She blinked her eyes, whether in surprise¡­ or was it flattery I was seeing?


    ¡°And then, the chef mentioned you have a new recipe, so I wanted to try it!¡±


    I said energetically in an excited tone while placing my clasped hands on my cheek. Now that the person of interest was here, time to do some work.


    ¡°I see,¡± she then turned to look and moved beside the chef. ¡°Chicken? What are we making?¡±


    ¡°The recipe you just finished working on.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡­¡±


    I tilted my head adorably as I took in what he just said.


    ¡°You worked on it? You mean you made it?¡± I asked Allie.


    ¡°Um, yes, I was who started working on it, but Cerous and Tenil helped me.¡±


    ¡°But her¡¯s was the idea. We just mostly help on the physical work,¡± the chef added with a chuckle.


    I lit up in awe.


    ¡°My! How incredible! I did not expect someone as young as you to be making an original recipe.¡±


    All of the recipes made here were all made by the head chef and those that came before him. In addition, a lot of recipes were bought from other chefs as well. So an apprentice chef striving to make original recipes was pretty impressive.


    ¡°Did you know, your highness? She was also the one who basically made up that new cake you ate last time you were here,¡± the chef said with a restrained chuckle.


    My eyes went wide at the revelation.


    ¡°Really? Amazing, that was a delicious cake, Miss Allie! I am deeply impressed by your skills.¡±


    She was unable to immediately respond to my words as she was silent for a while with a half open mouth.


    ¡°T-Thank you for your praise, your highness. But, it was hardly worth mentioning at all.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I tilted my head as though in genuine confusion. ¡°But I think such a remarkable creation should be mentioned and acknowledged by many. After all, it is a recognition of your hard work, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I disagree. But, it is¡­ a bit embarrassing to be coming from someone like yourself, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Hehehe,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Then, just remember that I am impressed by your skills, Miss Allie. I see excellence in you.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you, your highness¡­¡± she averted her eyes away as though embarrassed.


    I sort of took her as some sort of person that would remain composed even in tense situations. After all, that was how she was the first I met her when I first came to visit the kitchen. However, now, it seems being praised like this showed a side of her that I have not seen.


    Easily flattered.


    But was I really impressed by her? Well¡­. I am. But not much that my words to her suggest. I have tasted more delicious food back in the old world after all. But, compliments will be important here for getting on her good side. From there, I¡¯ll determine how I would do things moving forward.


    That said, I am just getting started.


    Let¡¯s be more friendly with this girl.


    ¡°Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me for a moment, your highness. I¡¯ll wash my hands then begin helping Cerous.¡±


    ¡°Oh, go ahead. Don¡¯t mind me while you¡¯re working, okay? I¡¯m just going to watch, it has been pretty interesting so far.¡±


    With a nod, Allie left for a while.


    Vernon then went on to speak to me.


    ¡°But you are covering your eyes, your highness.¡±


    I pouted as I glared adorably at him.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t hold myself from doing so. But at least I¡¯m taking a peek rather than nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Vernon¡­ at least praise me for my efforts.¡±


    He smiled in amusement.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. I suppose that is progress.¡±


    I returned my eyes to the chicken only to grimace the moment I laid eyes on it.


    Allie returned and then helped the chef, the latter rubbed salt on the chicken. Meanwhile, Allie grabbed a large porcelain bowl before taking a maroon colored fruit that could fit in her palm. She sliced a bit of the upper part then squished it atop the bowl.


    Maroon liquid squished out of it pouring down into the bowl. After that, she poured a little of what seemed like vinegar from a glass bottle, I could smell a little so it was definitely vinegar. Then she added a few more ingredients.


    I saw the chef washing the chicken. I¡¯m just happy that everything was sanitary. Come on, I¡¯m from the modern world, I could tell just how dirty things would be without cleaning. Good thing soaps exist here hehehe, though not exactly as great as the previous world.


    Here the actual soap was rougher. But hey, at least it bubbles and almost looks like a proper soap, so I¡¯m satisfied with that.


    ¡°Should I light the fire now?¡± the young man asked the two.


    ¡°Nope, do it shortly. I¡¯ll just tell you.¡±


    Allie was the one to reply. The chef approached Allie after washing the chicken. Allie meanwhile was stirring the liquid stuff then crushing what appeared to be herbs in a wooden mortar and pestle. After crushing them thoroughly, she poured them down to the bowl then stirred again.


    Meanwhile, the chef placed the chicken parts inside a larger bowl. Allie then poured what she was working on inside where the chicken parts were.


    Hm. Could they be marinating it?!


    Oh¡­ But a lot of ingredients used were unfamiliar to me.


    Where¡¯s the lamb sauce?! I mean the soy sauce...


    Ahem¡­ Sorry, couldn¡¯t resist, that phrase was pretty famous.


    ¡°Miss Allie, that¡¯s interesting. You came up with all these?¡±


    ¡°Um, the ingredients used, yes. I took into consideration the flavor of each one.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then the method of dousing the meat in s¡ª in those liquified ingredients has already been done?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She responded to me enthusiastically. She was passionate apparently. Well, that¡¯s how it is when you¡¯re doing something you love and when someone shows interest in the same thing.


    ¡°And after dousing that, you go on cooking it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, ah pardon me for a moment,¡± she faced the young man. ¡°Tenil, light it up.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    That didn¡¯t seem right¡­. Why are you cooking it shortly after marinating it?!


    Hey, I¡¯m not a pro cook, okay? But I can cook. I can even cook for you if I wanted. I often cook for my teammates. Although, it was only sometimes because they don¡¯t mostly let me cook. Which was weird, I think I was good.


    That aside, even if I¡¯m not an incredibly skilled cook or something, I know what should be done when marinating, okay? And, to enhance the flavor greatly, at least leave the chicken marinated for a few hours. And what they did was just wait for like a few minutes.


    Well, the ingredients used here were different. So perhaps things work differently in this world. Oh well. Let¡¯s just see.


    Besides, generally marinating works after a few minutes¡­ so I guess it was somewhat acceptable¡­¡­.


    With the fire they placed the pan then poured a bit of cooking oil I presume. Cutted garlic was then put into it after the oil had turned warm. And oh, during this time as the oil was warming up, Allie was doing her own stuff. Mixing some water and squishing another fruit, it was on the light green side of color. Then another fruit that almost resembled a lemon but in the color of light brown.


    She cut it in half then just slit the insides before crushing it with her hands, letting the somewhat sticky liquid fall down into the bowl she was just mixing. Then she stirred hard.


    The process was pretty interesting.


    The chef then placed the sliced chicken on the pan, the sound of boiling oil as the chicken was placed erupted. I didn¡¯t want to get near it since I don¡¯t want a drop of hot oil flying unto me. I am a fragile maiden after all, damaging my skin was not an option.


    In addition, he also poured just a bit of what the chicken was marinated in. After several minutes as the chicken had appeared to be close to being cooked, Allie poured the contents of the bowl she was working on. It fell slowly, almost like a sauce.


    Yup, definitely sauce.


    Then shortly after, the food was ready!


    I went on to sit by the table, the food looking good on my plate covered in sauce. So delicious looking! Not all the chicken was put on my plate, mind you. Just the amount that can be placed on the plate and what I can eat.


    As for the chance of food poisoning. Heh, I have been observing closely, as you might have realized. In addition, there were several eyes watching everyone and each other. Vernon also appeared to be keeping a close watch all that time too.


    In other words, I¡¯m safe.


    None would take the risk of poisoning food in these circumstances.


    In addition, as I was reading the book about magic, I also discovered a few anti poison spells, though they were low level. But that was a book for beginners, so there should be a potentially more powerful kind of spell. Plus, my family was not particularly worried about food poisons, plus they are royalty, they should know anti poison spells.


    That¡¯s enough! Time to dig in.


    I gracefully used the kitchen knife to cut the food then stabbed down the fork ¡ª gently as I could be.


    ¡°By the way, the presentation is excellent, I commend you for that.¡±


    Indeed, the food arrangement was neat, and the food didn¡¯t look nasty overall at all.


    ¡°Thank you, your highness,¡± Allie responded with a bow.


    After that, I ate the food. I chew slowly, trying to savor and analyze the flavor.


    I nodded with a smile.


    To be honest, it was good. However, nothing reached the level of my old world. But I think I know the reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s delightful!¡± I said as I took another bite. ¡°That said, it is a bit too sweet for me for a chicken dish. But, this is just my preference. Other than that, everything else was fine to me. I am pleased with this dish, Miss Allie.¡±


    I looked at her with bright eyes and a wide smile. I absolutely looked to be genuinely pleased.


    I then ate again and continued after swallowing.


    ¡°My family will be most delighted once they taste this magnificent creation of yours. I suggest you cook this for them when given the chance. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll love it.¡±


    Allie¡¯s eyes went wide as her mouth opened and closed. Then the corner of her lips curled up.


    ¡°I hope so. And¡­ thank you for your kind words, your highness.¡±


    I giggled.


    ¡°Praises should be given to those who deserve it. As this is your creation, the praise is mostly yours. Of course, others worked too, so a job well done to you both.¡±


    I smiled at the other two. The chef stood straightly and stiffly, while the young man avoided my gaze.


    I then continued.


    ¡°And, I thank you for having me taste this dish¡­ I see that you are pretty talented, Miss Allie. I hope I get to eat more of your dishes.¡±


    Her eyes went wide at my words, and she seemed speechless.


    ¡°First the cake, now this. I can only imagine what you could achieve in the future. But it also made me curious about what you will be making in the future.¡±


    I said excitedly as I ate the food again.


    Then, Allie spoke to me.


    ¡°In that case, your highness¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I looked at her.


    ¡°... A-Allow me to cook more for you in the future. I will offer you dishes that I have improved and made.¡±


    Interesting. She really seemed to be pushing forward with this.


    Also, this may be to my advantage, and this kind of outcome did cross my mind. But I didn¡¯t think much of it since the chances were pretty low. But if it happens, then I¡¯ll take it.


    I smiled.


    ¡°That will be great! Yes, that will be great, Miss Allie! I am looking forward to it. Guess I have now a reason to visit the kitchen frequently.¡±


    With this, I will be closer to this girl.


    Then moments passed and I ate all of the food while the cooks finished cleaning up.


    ¡°Ah, by the way, Miss Allie.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She stopped her work then faced me.


    ¡°You doused the chicken in the liquid from the fruit, yes? Do you cook it shortly after that?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. Cooking it must be quick since it would be served shortly. That is how it is done.¡±


    Yes, marinating can be left for several minutes. However, leaving it longer would be better! Hehehe...


    ¡°Hm I see. But dousing it gives flavor, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, what about trying to keep it doused overnight.¡±


    ¡°Overnight¡­? That could potentially spoil it, especially when it is mixed with other ingredients.¡±


    ¡°It could possibly don¡¯t. Keep it at a cool temperature as best as you can. Just not too hot of a storage room. Is there such a place? A cold place.¡±


    She pondered for a moment.


    ¡°...The storage basement we use might suffice¡­¡±


    ¡°Try keeping it there. And oh, make sure to cover the bowl.¡±


    Don¡¯t want any bacteria landing there.


    ¡°Then¡­ after leaving it for one night, try cooking it, see how much the flavor improves.¡±


    There was a time when I left marinated chicken for three days thinking it would improve the flavor intensely. But I only got a scolding from my team. And I never did it again. I just learned that it would ruin the meat if left too long.


    Oh well, good to learn. Sometime later that time, they would not let me cook anymore. Weird.


    Oh! One mentioned my cooking was average!


    How rude!


    Me? Average? Nonsense.


    ¡°I understand, then I will try it.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! Tell me how it ends up! I would be lucky if I have the time to visit as you test it.¡±


    ¡°Your highness is learning magic, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, yes I am.¡±


    I guess after that incident in the library, everyone has heard of it. Allie¡¯s expression was pretty normal though when I answered her.


    ¡°In any case, I will have to go. Thank you for the time and the delicious food.¡±


    After their goodbyes, I left the room. My stomach was already filled, so it seems I won¡¯t be joining dinner with my family. Better tell Vernon to relay that to my family.


    Now then, I have progressed with Allie, good. Very good.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Alriiiighhht!!! I''m finally done writing the volume! Wew. I''m quite excited to show it to you guys.


    But, I still need to do a lot of editing and adjustments. Hehehe, maybe expect some rapid update a couple days later -- unless real life things happen. (seriously, a damn gecko is hiding on the back of a cabinet installed on the wall. Having a big ass lizard from hanging on top of me to possibly jump at my face is a pretty disturbing notion for me -- a major turn off in my writing appetite.) Lizards....

 Chapter 71: Forgotten First Dish

    It was breakfast when I saw a pretty interesting dish served and placed on the table. I raised both my eyebrows, it was a familiar dish. To be precise, it looked like the one I ate yesterday.


    Interesting, so she deemed it on the level acceptable for royalties. Was there any improvement I wonder?


    ¡°Dear daughter.¡±


    I raised my gaze towards my father who for some reason called out to me as I was about to get some to eat.


    ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°I heard you visited the kitchen.¡±


    I immediately looked around then to the door. Vernon was nowhere to be found, I might have frowned if he ever got in my sight. He was definitely the one who told my father.


    But this sure was a bit annoying.


    Is every movement of mine being monitored and reported now?


    I am used to this sort of thing. However, as a free girl now, being watched all the time was not entirely pleasing.


    ¡°Y-Yes, yes I did.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the second time you visited, huh.¡±


    ¡°Is it not good?¡±


    Why was he appearing to be bothered by it? Perhaps he didn¡¯t like the thought of me visiting some commoners. But I was guarded, so I can say I¡¯m safe. Also, it¡¯s not like he would be bothered if I talked to some commoners, my father was not that kind of person.


    I stared at him with a pout as though frightened that I did something unacceptable.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± he looked at both my mother and brother then turned to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would go to the kitchen for whatever reason. It is just surprising, is all.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But you do know I shouldn¡¯t be the same as always, dear father¡­¡±


    His eyes almost looked like they were about to bulge out of their eye sockets when he heard my words followed by surprised looks from my mother and brother.


    I continued.


    ¡°I realized that the way I was¡­ well¡­ lonely.¡±


    ¡°Lonely, you say?¡± my mother murmured.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t make any friends that way.¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± my brother repeated in surprise.


    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s why, I went to the kitchen¡­ of course, there is also the fact that there will be some delicious food.¡±


    I smiled wryly with a bit of chuckle and embarrassment.


    ¡°Beloved Sister¡­ Maybe the bump on the head really did something to you.¡±


    I cutely scowled towards my brother.


    ¡°What? Is the change really that bad? I suppose I shall not change then.¡±


    He frantically waved his hands and shook his head.


    ¡°Of course not, it isn¡¯t bad at all. Didn¡¯t I mention something like that? It¡¯s just, surprising, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I lowered my eyes.


    ¡°.... I just want some friends.¡±


    ¡°In that case, dear,¡± my mother said. ¡°I suppose we need to introduce you to the noble ladies your age. They will be thrilled to meet you.¡±


    I rubbed my hands as I seemingly pondered what she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous about the idea, but it would be good. Although, I guess the crisis needs to pass first.¡±


    I lowered my head, sadness evident in my movement and expression. Although I want friends, I can never get it until things that threaten me disappear. And my enemies were not mere normal people but could be something big. My family realized this.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    ¡°But, time passes, and so does the storm. Patience is all but I require.¡±


    I faintly smiled, though the sadness still lingered deep in my eyes if one looked closely.


    I immediately went for the food so I stopped any further conversations.


    Come on, it¡¯s getting cold. It would be a waste.


    I ate the chicken first which I assumed to be the one that was marinated.


    I smiled broadly when I tasted it.


    Delicious!


    It was way better compared to yesterday. This was almost to the level of food back in my old world.


    I suggested to my family that they eat this dish. Their eyes widened at the mere level of pleasant flavor of it. In addition to that, it was no longer too sweet unlike last time, so maybe that was what made it better.


    Because of this, my impression of the girl cook improved a bit.


    My family was incredibly satisfied with this dish and my mother gave her compliments through the servants.


    I should say that the girl was impressively talented. Always striving for improvement and discovery. After all, she was the one to come up with those original creations like that cake and this one.


    What could her ambition be?


    I resisted the urge to smirk.


    Whether I would be able to breach through her emotional barrier remains to be seen. Whatever, let¡¯s just do whatever we can.


    After we finished eating, my father suddenly spoke to me as I was supposed to leave.


    ¡°Estelia. I am reminded of something that I have been meaning to discuss earlier¡­¡±


    He looked a bit distraught. Why in the world would he feel that way?


    I waited for him to continue.


    ¡°Vernon told me that¡­ you have gaps in your memories.¡±


    My eyes went wide as though in surprise. So he was worried about that. Surprisingly, both mother and brother were both shocked by the revelation. It would appear they haven¡¯t heard of it yet.


    Therefore, Vernon must have only told father. Then father decided not to tell the others immediately since they would only get more distressed than they already were. I did sleep for a couple of days after all. And I imagine that was already too stressful for my mother, I don¡¯t know about my brother though, but I can imagine him getting all depressed when another problem piles up.


    ¡°Estel?! Is that true?¡±


    Panic was all over Estevan¡¯s face. I flinched in fear in his sudden outburst.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m n-not sure¡­ It doesn¡¯t feel that way.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, could this mean the memories lost are not significant. But, how would you know if you lost something without realizing it¡­¡± he was muttering around, trying to find the best answer. ¡°Sister, do you still remember that time we went to the garden when Mother had newly planted flowers.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes. I just went there the other day after all.¡±


    ¡°So not a pretty good question to get an answer from. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    My brother pondered with his hand on his chin.


    ¡°Ah yes! You remember that time when I first gave something I cooked for the first time that went well?¡±


    I tilted my head. I remembered it, vaguely though. That said, I was young and so was Estevan. However, it was not at the age that someone would forget easily if it was such a significant memory.


    Let¡¯s see. Maybe I was eight or nine years old at that time?


    ¡°You did¡­? When¡­ I think I remember¡­ no¡­ I....¡± I held my temple as though having difficulties remembering it. ¡°What dish was it, brother?¡±


    He froze in shock, eyes wide open, his fingers trembling.


    ¡°I-It can¡¯t be¡­. Estel¡­ you promised you won¡¯t forget about it¡­.¡±


    He looked terribly hurt. I mean, I guess it would truly hurt when the sister you loved so much suddenly forgot something so important. I mean, it was his first dish to ever cook pleasantly. He worked hard for it, practiced so much just to show off to me.


    Yes, all for me.


    I¡¯m starting to pity him, really. I mean, look how pitiful he looks right now! He looked like he was shattered into pieces.


    My apologies, dear brother. This has to be done.


    ¡°B-Brother¡ª I¡­.¡± I looked at him with a pained expression.


    He held out his hand.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be guilty about it.¡±


    I was speechless. I looked at my mother in order to find help. She smiled wryly before speaking to Estevan.


    ¡°Estevan, she was very young back then, it¡¯s not that surprising she forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°But ¡ª that was a very significant memory of ours¡­ and considering her age back then...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll¡­ She may be able to recall it once she tastes your cooking again.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s it!¡±


    Hey hey, how much food do I have to taste?! I am already gonna be occupied with that fucking woman from the kitchen and taste her foods to get close to her. And now brother?


    ¡°B-Brother! No need, you¡¯re busy, so that can wait¡­¡±


    ¡°But Estel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother please, focus on the much bigger issue.¡±


    ¡°..........¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°But isn¡¯t your loss of memory a big issue?¡±


    ¡°Compared to others, it is a small issue. Isn¡¯t the most important thing for now is that I am still who I am.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Estevan,¡± mother said. ¡°It¡¯s not like we lost Estelia.¡±


    He-he-he¡­ yeeaah. It¡¯s not like you lost Estelia or something¡­ ahem


    ¡°... I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    He finally behaved. This time it was my father¡¯s turn to speak to me.


    ¡°My lovely daughter, I can¡¯t say that Estevan¡¯s question confirms you have lost some of your memories. And, it will be difficult and pointless to try pointing out each memory and if you still remember it, since there would be countless memories. But, the signs are there, so let¡¯s assume you really have some gaps in your memories. I am thankful it didn¡¯t turn out to be something worse.¡±


    He smiled in relief.


    ¡°Just speak out if something weird happens. Do you understand, Estelia?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, I understand, Father.¡±

 Chapter 72: Personal Chef (Part 1)

    I have returned to my magic training. I was improving at a decent pace, just so you know. Now that I am familiar with the barrier spell, training to make it better and stronger was going smoothly. On the other hand, Mera was training with me and she was doing pretty well too.


    That aside, I did a bit of reading of the beginner¡¯s book of magic. I searched precisely about curing poisons. And I did find it.


    There were indeed spells for it. Like healing spells, they also enhance the performance of the body. However, poison curing spells focus more on enhancing the performance of the body to repel and clean away the poisons or toxins. This was a beginner¡¯s spell though.


    I decided to ask Vernon.


    ¡°Vernon. Are there any cure spells? I mean against poison. This one here is for beginners, are there any variants?¡±


    ¡°Stronger ones, yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between those with this one here?¡±


    ¡°Stronger curing spells also involve magic itself to help clean the poison, that is basically the difference.¡±


    I see. Compared to a beginner''s spell that only enhances the body¡¯s system, a stronger spell also has the support of magic itself, other than relying on the body alone.


    ¡°Can my family cast such a strong spell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your father and prince Estevan can cast powerful anti-poison spells.¡±


    That¡¯s really a relief to know.


    ¡°I see¡­ Can those spells cure all poisons?¡±


    ¡°... Most poisons. There are strong poisons that spells can barely be barely rid off. However, they are incredibly rare and can only be found on monsters.¡±


    ¡°How rare?¡±


    ¡°I say about¡­ one percent chance of obtaining. Monsters of such potent poisons are very, very hard to fight with.¡±


    Monsters, huh. I don¡¯t ever want to see one. I¡¯m not scared, I¡¯m only bothered to think such creatures would exist. But¡­ I can imagine them as bad and tough as tanks, heh. But whatever¡­


    After obtaining that information, I continued my training. This time I expanded the barrier to cover my torso, the downside however, it was weak. That being said, I think my Mystic Medium was getting better judging from when I managed to harden it while it was wide.


    By the way, Mera had already achieved this before I did, and apparently, she seemed to do it with ease compared to mine. It was unnerving really.


    This almost felt like a competition. My nature of being unaccepting of being left behind triggered. Where I was educated, being left behind meant death. That was why I intensified my training.


    I felt a bit of pain, but as my Mystic Medium got a bit better, the pain had lessened somewhat.


    However, if I pushed it further, it felt like the intense pain came crawling again, so I stopped. I say that my Mystic Medium was restored about 20% now. Just a rough estimation of the feeling, might truly be lower than that.


    I imagined the barrier made up of threads, then I tightened them together in hopes to harden it in some other way. I also imagined those threads having molecules being packed and pressed together to form something solid.


    This was I think a good precise control of mana. Come on, I am expected to have good precision considering what I went through.


    It was a bit rough to harden this, but I achieved the result I wanted. A faint smile formed on my lips. This should be way harder compared to the first time. Not only was it stronger, it was wider to the point it could cover my entire torso.


    Mera may be able to cover most of her body now, but it was weaker than mine. How did I know? Vernon just smacked her barrier after all, shattering it in pieces before vanishing.


    Oh yeah, it was now my turn. Look, I¡¯ll show you how my shield has improved.


    ¡°Now then princess¡­¡±


    I confidently held out my hand with an erected barrier of crimson.


    ¡°I should tell you, Vernon¡­ You are going to need more than slapping it.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    He used his technique for a little then slapped my barrier. His hand stopped on the barrier, there was a slight shockwave in the air when it made impact. Both his eyebrows went up at the results of his attack.


    My barrier was fine.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Milady, that¡¯s incredible!¡±


    I smirked, although it must have looked adorable in the eyes of others.


    ¡°See? You¡¯re going to need more firepower to break this.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I guess I will need to give a bit more power into my punch in this one. That said, I need to be careful not to the point that I¡¯ll blow you away.¡±


    The barrier absorbs a lot of the impact, that was why being blown away wasn¡¯t easy. But too much, you will.


    ¡°Be ready, your highness.¡±


    I steeled myself. I made my barrier a bit stronger, I felt a bit of pain within me due to my straining Mystic Medium.


    Then he struck the barrier with his fist. A force pushed my arm halfway.


    I saw the barrier as several cracks, big and small, formed all around it, but not to the point that it would shatter apart. Although a little more slap from Vernon would definitely break it.


    Vernon¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m impressed. I didn¡¯t expect you would reach this level already. It would seem that your Mystic Medium is the only one restraining you.¡±


    ¡°And so it would seem. How much power did you put into it?¡±


    ¡°A third of my overall power.¡±


    ¡°Is that significant?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A common soldier would struggle to break your barrier.¡±


    A common soldier means a plain soldier that had no support of magic whatsoever.


    ¡°I see. Then how would it perform when faced with a knight¡¯s armament magic?¡±


    I needed to have a basis, and I have witnessed the power of the knights. Their Armament magic... You know, that word¡¯s a mouthful¡­


    That aside, common soldiers were hard to use as a basis of strength for my barrier considering this world. So the knights¡¯ magic would be a good thing to use for measurement.


    ¡°Hmm. A swing of their armament magic ¡ª your barrier will be able to block one, if it came from a below average knight, just a bit below.¡±


    I suppose that¡¯s good progress.


    ¡°I see. Then I just need to enlarge my barrier further once my Mystic Medium is restored more.¡±


    ¡°I should say, your highness. It is excellent that you have managed to precisely shape the barrier this much already.¡±


    ¡°I just got lucky.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    For some reason, I saw in Vernon¡¯s eyes that he no longer seemed to trust some of my words when something impressive happened. Like he saw me as someone being humble. Well, I guess I was¡­?


    With a little more training, we then went on to the kitchen. Vernon surprisingly didn¡¯t give a lot of resistance to my decision. It was like he was looking forward to something when he agreed.


    I didn¡¯t think much of it and entered the kitchen. The only one inside jolted in surprise by our entrance. Or rather, by my entrance.


    ¡°P-P-Princess?!¡±


    The person was panicking as his eyes shifted around trying to cope with what just happened. This was the young man within the kitchen who was instantly charmed by me even though we never talked personally.


    I smiled at him.


    He seemed to have regained his wits when he finally bowed deeply.


    ¡°G-Greetings, your h-highness!¡±


    This young man, does he even get the girls if he¡¯s this way?


    But this only made things amusing.


    ¡°You are, Tenil Gerave, am I correct?¡±


    His eyes went wide.


    ¡°H-Her highness knows my full name?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes, yes I do¡­¡±


    He let out a breath of awe.


    ¡°You are alone¡­¡±


    I said as I sat on the chair by the table.


    ¡°B-Both Ceruos and Allie went to the storage room to organize the newly arrived ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Allie also?¡±


    I imagined there would be some heavy liftings, so a man like Tenil should be there.


    ¡°Allie¡¯s ingredients for her own use also arrived, so she¡¯s the one to go with Ceruos. She is very careful and meticulous to her own ingredients. So I am left here to watch the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I shifted my eyes towards the cooking table behind him. ¡°You¡¯re making something?¡±


    He hesitantly looked behind him with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I was trying something while the others were out.¡±


    ¡°Cupcakes?¡±


    ¡°Um yes. I just finished it, so I don¡¯t know how it tastes now. I was about to review it¡±


    ¡°Interesting! May I try it? Of course, I¡¯ll give my opinion about it.¡±


    He was taken aback. He never imagined that the princess of the country would try out his experimental sweet.


    ¡°I-If it is fine with you, your highness.¡±


    Before he could do anything else, I stood up from my chair and walked towards him. He froze in place, unknowing what to do about this. I went past him and reached out towards one of the cupcakes.


    ¡°What makes this different from others?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Uh, um ¡ª I extracted the liquid essence of Yukiohil fruit and Treukim by crushing them and mixing it with the other ingredients.¡±


    I am familiar with some fruits from Estelia¡¯s memories. However, those two I never heard of. I shifted my eyes towards the fruits piled together.


    ¡°Which one is the Yukiohil?¡±


    He grabbed a yellow colored round fruit with bluish spots.


    ¡°This one.¡±


    ¡°And the Treukim?¡±


    He then grabbed a yellow green oblong fruit which almost resembled a cucumber. Of course the texture was entirely different from that. This one looked a bit rougher.


    ¡°Fascinating, thank you for telling me what those fruits are.¡± I said with a bright smile.


    ¡°N-No, not at all, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I shall try your cupcakes.¡±


    The cupcake had icing on top, although it looked plain. There was nothing much visually appealing about it. But I guess this was still in the experimental stage.


    I took a bite. The moment I tasted it, I froze in place. I then slowly chewed it. My face was not particularly pleased by it.


    I glanced at Tenil and saw that he looked frightened and worried. Especially more now that he saw my furrowing brows. I smiled slightly as I finished swallowing.


    ¡°Tenil, to be honest, it is too sweet, very sweet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±


    He looked disappointed.


    ¡°And it is harder to chew than I anticipated from a cupcake. It should be softer than this, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    He nodded his head.


    ¡°No good then.¡±


    He had a self-deprecating smile on his face.


    ¡°You looked devastated, but isn¡¯t this a par for the course in making something new?¡±


    He looked at me in the eyes then immediately looked away.


    ¡°I¡ª guess.¡±


    As I looked at him more closely, it would seem there was something else bothering him. It might have influenced his work that it ended up having this disappointing result.


    ¡°Is something the matter other than the cupcakes, Tenil?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, there is something, can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    He looked at me once more, my faint smile relaxed him a bit.


    ¡°It¡­¡± He sighed deeply. ¡°The others are always better at cooking, especially in sweets. I¡¯m not good at it compared to those two, that is why I never worked much in making sweets for the royalty.¡±


    Ah, so it¡¯s that kind of problem.


    ¡°So you are always failing?¡±


    ¡°...You could say that.¡±


    ¡°But failure is to be expected, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°But does failure have to be inevitable?¡±


    I began to understand him a bit. He was a person who didn¡¯t want to experience failure. A person who always wanted things to go well, to end well. And ended up considerably disappointed if failure happens or doesn''t end in the way he wanted.


    ¡°Of course. That cannot be avoided. For failure is a lesson. How could we realize our mistakes without failure, Tenil? No matter how perfectly you want things to end, things can always go wrong, and that is a rule of this world that cannot be broken, no matter how hard you try. Failure happens.¡±


    Of course there are situations where failure is unacceptable and must not happen. Otherwise you¡¯ll end up dead. But this was a different situation. Stakes are low here.


    He lowered his head.


    ¡°But Allie looks to be doing very well compared to me.¡±


    Ah, also inferiority to the talented.


    ¡°She is always making good progress compared to me.¡±


    And comparing himself to others.


    ¡°Tenil, humans are good at something, and bad at others. And some are just naturally good at things. But of course, they are just not born with it, they hone it to improve. Allie likely went through difficulties like you are experiencing now.¡±


    ¡°Your highness... Is that how it is? It doesn¡¯t feel that way. It feels like she¡¯s a natural at everything culinary related.¡±


    ¡°Tenil, don¡¯t compare yourself to others. It will only make things difficult for you. I suggest thinking about what you should do to get to that level. Not what makes others better than you. Isn¡¯t it exhausting doing so?¡±


    ¡°....... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± I held his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t think about others, think about yourself, think about how to overcome them. Do not deprecate yourself over failures and then go on to agonize. Experience failures, then think how to improve. Failures cannot be avoided, but because of failure, our mistakes stick in our mind, then we make ways to overcome that failure. Do not be discouraged. Think about the future, not the present or the past. Think about what you will become, think about what you can do to get there.¡±


    I was beaten up more than I could count just to defeat the opponent given to me during the education. I even almost died several times. There were always others better than me. I see them triumph, and I even fall before them.


    However, I did not compare. I did not whimper and cry why they are better, skillful, and stronger than me. I only thought about what should be done. I thought about the future. A future where I will not be a loser. A future where I will live. Especially because I know there was hope. Thus, I worked hard.


    At that time, I knew I must not become stagnant, or I would get left behind where demise was certain.


    Thinking about why others are superior will only be tiresome. Think of only the way to crush and trample them beneath your feet. I did not grumble, agonize and cry because others can cast absurdly strong as hell magic in this world and did nothing, but I acted on how to gain the same power, and even how to overcome them. Because after all, it would be bad if I couldn¡¯t fight back.


    ¡°Do you understand, Tenil?¡± I looked at his eyes intently with a nonexistent smile on my face.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    He was thinking hard, trying to process everything that I just said.


    I was also curious about one thing¡­


    Why does he suck at his own job?


    I mean, how? Why?! Was this one of the greatest mysteries in human nature?


    Thinking hard about this is way above my paygrade, so nevermind.


    It was then that footsteps sounded from the back of the room. It would seem those two have arrived.


    I then spoke to Tenil one last time.


    ¡°You may not understand now, but think about my words..... Will you rise? Or remain at the bottom?¡±

 Chapter 73: Personal Chef (Part 2)

    I turned with a smile towards the newly arrived two. Cerous was in shock, but not to the level like last time, he must already be getting used to my frequent visit. Allie on the other hand was more composed than him.


    They walked closer to me before bowing followed by a greeting. Allie raised her head first.


    ¡°Your highness, I expected you to come today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess I am that predictable now.¡±


    I said with an embarrassed smile.


    ¡°I got to taste the chicken this morning, a splendid outcome, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness. I was worried that the chicken would spoil or get bad, so I tightly sealed it and placed it in a container within an appropriate temperature.¡±


    Good thing she didn¡¯t store the chicken during the day when it¡¯s hot. The nights here were cold, you know. Unlike in the modern times where cities with massive buildings increase the temperature drastically. Here though, I find it much better, countless trees surrounded us, so it¡¯s cool.


    If I knew it was hot, I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it. Oh well, all¡¯s well that ends well. I should say, it¡¯s quite risky to marinate food without a refrigerator.


    I don¡¯t want to get sick. It would be embarrassing for a beautiful and delicate lady such as myself to get diarrhea. Imagine me, stuck on toilet... fuck that!


    Good thing cooks know when a food or ingredient is bad ¡ª except of course if they¡¯re an idiot sandwich.


    ¡°Good good. But multiple trials will be needed I think before we can say it is at its finest. But, I am quite satisfied by what I ate earlier. I commend you for that.¡±


    I walked nonchalantly towards the chair and sat down. I extended my hand forward indicating the other chair.


    With a wide joyful smile on my face, I spoke to Allie alone.


    ¡°Miss Allie, please sit down.¡±


    She was baffled by my request, blinking a couple of times before finally sitting down on the chair I pointed at. I clasped my hand delicately in silence as I stared at her for a moment..


    Her eyes asked many questions but I merely looked around the kitchen before finally speaking to her.


    ¡°You have been an apprentice for quite a time, am I right?¡±


    I turned to look at her eyes with a bright expression.


    ¡°Uh, um yes, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I wonder, with your talent and skills in the culinary art, you still remained in that position.¡±


    She lowered her eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Well, the castle already has a chef. And the master of the house needs to appoint you to a position as a chef to be officially recognized as one.¡±


    ¡°... I thought so¡­¡±


    I grew silent for a moment before continuing.


    ¡°I am truly impressed. You strive for improvement and new creations. Experimenting with new dishes... a curious and creative mind. A person who always moves forward, never stagnant.¡±


    She looked confused as ever now, she didn''t seem to understand what I was saying.


    ¡°I look forward to your future, miss Allie.¡±


    I stared at her with a sweet smile.


    ¡°...T-Thank you, your highness. But, I don¡¯t understand where this is going¡­¡±


    I rubbed my thumbs together as I timidly replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think someone as talented as you should remain in such a rank. That is why¡­¡± I leaned a bit forward. ¡°I formally request you to become my personal chef.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. I should call myself lucky that my father has yet to promote Allie as an official chef. If he did, I would not have been able to take advantage of this.


    She had been stuck as a mere cook, a position that undermined her talents and skills. Surely someone like that desires to step up the ladder. That being said, I have yet to hear her reply.


    ¡°Is that so surprising?¡± I said with seemingly genuine confusion. ¡°With talent such as yours, Miss Allie, surely you deserve to level up in the ranks.¡±


    ¡°I am just¡­ surprised that you yourself would personally offer that position. But¡­¡± she glanced at Cerous.


    ¡°Yes, there will be two chefs if you accept. However, the superiors are different in this case, right? Cerous answers directly to the king, but you are to me.¡±


    Although, I won¡¯t be the one to pay her, hahaha!


    I then continued.


    ¡°If you accept my offer, you will be officially recognized as a chef. You can even be known as the personal chef of the princess. Which I believe will be a great help for your future.¡±


    ¡°...Y-Yes, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only that, as a chef, you can strive to create or improve dishes more freely. You can use any ingredients without limits, get the ingredients you require. Furthermore, the pay will be better of course.¡±


    I chuckled as I said that.


    ¡°Well, as a chef yourself, you can be a boss and hire new cooks. Of course, permissions to do so will be required.¡±


    She turned stiff as she seemed to ponder.


    With clasped hands, I leaned forward.


    ¡°So, will you accept my offer?¡±


    She looked at me. No, she was staring at me in the eyes. I do not know what she could be thinking about. I saw her lips trembling as though she was holding down her own smile. She seemed to hesitate.


    Allie looked around at everyone then momentarily stopped at the other cook, Tenil.


    She faced forward with a deep breath as though she steeled herself for her answer. What could the reason be for her hesitation? Perhaps it was the young man.


    Yes, she was about to rise up after all, and the other will be left behind. They were perhaps good friends that Allie would feel bad for. However, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.


    Perhaps in a commoner sense, being appointed as a chef in a noble household would maybe not be that big of a deal. However, those who have experienced high society, in aristocracy, or perhaps only in the wealthy, having to become an official chef in a house of a noble was a big deal, it brings a great merit and opportunity if the time comes to use it.


    Plus, being known as a personal chef of a royal princess, just think how others would see her. She would be someone very important. You would get the reputation of being a highly skilled chef to be appointed as a personal chef of royalty.


    No one would want to miss this chance.


    There could be two outcomes. She refuses, or accepts. If she refuses, now that would be suspicious. What reason could she be working hard in this place if she did not even take the chance or even dream about having this? That would make her more suspicious than she already was.


    Or, she would be a fool to reject this chance for some other person. No, she would be crazy. And, it doesn¡¯t seem she had any special feelings for Tenil. Plus, what about that thing that happened in the hallway between her and Oryn? Therefore, it was highly unlikely she would reject my offer for this young man.


    If she accepts, then all¡¯s good. I can get closer to her. But she would also get closer to me. However, I believe in my observation skills.


    The outcome I wanted here¡­


    ¡°Your highness¡­ I accept. I accept your offer.¡±


    I resisted the urge to smirk.


    This¡­ this was the outcome I wanted.


    I formed a wide happy smile as I extended my arm and held Allie¡¯s hands tightly. She froze in shock by my sudden action, she never anticipated that she would be held directly by the princess.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Allie!¡± I said with excitement. ¡°With this, we can finally become even closer friends.¡±


    Her eyes went wide.


    ¡°F-Friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes, friends!¡±


    ¡°W-With the princess?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°See? No reason to not be friends. Plus, I get to taste your newly made foods first, isn¡¯t that exciting?¡±


    Her smile grew wider, then she chuckled, in almost of a laugh.


    ¡°Are you happy, Miss Allie?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, yes I am. I finally got to be a chef. It¡­ is a dream come true. Thank you so much, your highness.¡±


    I could hear and feel the great joy in her voice.


    ¡°Mm! And I get to have another friend!¡±


    We stared at each other for a long moment.


    Such friendly gazes.


    ¡°Ah! I have to tell father this quickly!¡± I said with excitement as I stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving to tell him of this great news. See you!¡±


    I turned to move, but halted in my tracks as I glanced at Tenil for a moment. His movements looked like he wanted to say something.


    ¡°Do you have something to say before I go, Tenil?¡± I said with an innocent smile.


    ¡°I¡­¡± he closed his hands. ¡°... I will rise up¡­ your highness.¡±


    ¡°Good! I will watch over your progress with great interest.¡±


    I left the kitchen as I headed towards the office of my father.


    ¡°My father will be in his office I presume.¡±


    I asked Vernon.


    ¡°He should be.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    I energetically walked, although not necessarily fast. It really gave off the impression that I was excited to tell my father while conserving energy.


    ¡°Your highness¡­¡± Vernon called me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why did you suddenly offer the girl a position of personal chef?¡±


    ¡°Could I not?¡±


    ¡°That is not what I mean. For what purpose did you give that offer? We already have a chef.¡±


    I stopped in my tracks and placed a finger on my cheek as though trying to think how I would explain.


    ¡°Talented individuals are to be cherished. Their abilities, skills, and motivations are to be treasured.¡±


    I turned to look at Vernon then to Mera.


    ¡°Humanity¡¯s individual excellence is what progresses the world, and not humanity as a whole.¡±


    Yes, like how one individual strived to create the first light bulb. Like how the first telephone was made, or the first plane. Many more inventions were led and progressed mostly by one person or carried out by a few. Almost one person always takes the first step.


    Individuals take lead in innovations, and thus, should not the same thing be the same to this world?


    ¡°Society as one cannot progress without the lead of one talented individual. Isn¡¯t that why we have kings or queens?¡±


    ¡°So you see that that girl, Allie, has the potential to bring progress to our society¡­? You truly thought of it this far?¡±


    Well, of course, that was not the complete reason at all. Do I look like I would stress myself out for society? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.


    ¡°... Talented individuals must be given what they deserve. And I know, I can imagine, just how much they could contribute to the people and our future. Besides, the world of culinary arts, I think that is a good place to start. Let¡¯s say it is like our first baby steps.¡±


    His eyes went wide.


    ¡°Your highness, are you perhaps along with it¡­ also finding talented direct subordinates?¡±


    For some reason I felt a bit anxious by how he was looking right now. He appeared to be imagining something.


    Hey, stop it. Stop overthinking this.


    ¡°What could you be talking about, Vernon? I am only doing it for the reason I told you.¡±


    I feel like regretting all I just said¡­.


    ¡°You say that but¡­¡± he stared at me for a long moment before taking a deep breath. ¡°Never mind, your highness.¡±


    ¡°U-huh¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Geez. a lot of new things had popped up altogether. First, I''m  a Spider, so what? new volume. Then there''s new volume of Tearmoon empire. Then now the Inazuma update of Genshin....... *sigh* cool. Gonna read some things, play some, lol. Gonna level up Ayaka fast. Yeah! I got Ayaka for those who plays Genshin. Of course at the cost of all my primogems, now I''m broke.


    And oh, I also joined a Writing Prompt Contest in webnovel. It''s been like two days and they have not yet screened/verified it or something. Yeah, new novel''s name is "Undying Symphony", I think I''m gonna share the link when it''s verified now and be allowed to give stones. Expect that I''ll be asking for everyone''s help, of course if it''s no trouble for you.

 Chapter 74: Initiating the Plan (Part 1)

    I was now back to my training. Before that, I told my father of my decision to invite Allie as my personal chef and that she accepted. As sudden as it was, he was shocked to hear I made a decision such as that.


    Still, in the end, he agreed to it, as I expected. There was no significant reason as to why he wouldn¡¯t. Potential betrayer? Likely it crossed my father''s mind and considered all potential risks. However, that girl didn¡¯t really bear the impression of a traitor. In addition, everyone here was not worried much about poisons.


    In contrast, he likely accepted because I rarely make a big decision like this. He must be afraid that I would get disappointed at him and be upset because of him.


    Good thing everything ended up as I hoped. If my father denied it, I would have sulked and never talked to him ever again. Good thing it didn¡¯t end that way.


    Of course this morning after breakfast, father talked personally with Allie to formally declare her new position. She was offered a kitchen of her own. Well, this building was a palace after all, there were plenty of kitchens left unused. However, Allie refused the offer saying that she was happy where she was currently.


    Of course, when time passes, she would mandatorily need her own kitchen once she has her own cooks, but we have yet to reach that time yet, so she was left as she was for now.


    Back to the present, I have expanded my shield to have the same height as my body. That said, it was to be expected it would be weaker than it should be, but only a little compared yesterday. However, my control in mana had improved significantly, it was easier now to manipulate them.


    I practiced last night after all. About my mystic medium, it didn¡¯t feel much different. I still feel pain when I overdo it. It felt like it hadn''t changed since yesterday.


    ¡°By the way Vernon, how do you use your magic exactly?¡±


    I asked Vernon in curiosity. I was interested in his techniques.


    ¡°I use my mana to enhance the performance of my body. Strength and speed.¡±


    ¡°What makes it different from the magic I¡¯m learning and yours?¡±


    ¡°Mages cast their mana towards the outside of their body. For me, I keep my mana within me and use it to enhance my body.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a different process of learning, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will you teach me a bit of your technique?¡±


    I mean come on, if it enhances strength and speed, it will be very useful to me. I can lift things easier without having to appear buff and stray away from my ideal body. And speed, oh definitely gonna need speed.


    Vernon frowned at my question.


    ¡°My technique does not bring a good image for a lady like yourself, your highness. Just imagining the princess doing things with brute force, just does not feel right.¡±


    He must be imagining me punching things and other stuff with the use of my body.


    He then continued.


    ¡°Besides, if you practice your spell casting, you will be stronger than me. A fighter like me can only fight in melee, but you can easily defeat me from a distance if you have the power ¡ª which you will surely have in the near future.¡±


    I guess. However, my main weapon will be daggers. So, I will definitely need that kind of ability, even if I can only learn a bit of his technique and not match his power, that will be fine. I think I will only need additional strength for carrying new weapons such as swords and spears and some other beautiful weapons.


    I am deeply interested in trying out new weapons. But I¡¯m not looking forward to buffing my body for those. I like my incredibly delicate lady-like physical form. Therefore, physical enhancement will be really needed. Plus, a speed boost would be nice when striding through the night.


    ¡°Even so, at least teach me a little bit of it. I have¡­ things in mind to use it for¡­ plus, it would be good for defending myself¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are worried that enemies would get near you, there are plenty of spells for that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ nevermind that. Just, consider teaching me a little.¡±


    He heaved a deep sigh.


    ¡°I do not understand why you suddenly have an interest in such things.¡±


    I giggled.


    Maybe if I learn that, I can finally carry a greatsword with ease. I think it would be cool to try something like that. Or maybe, easily swinging two swords, but I guess long swords wouldn¡¯t be a great idea to dual wield.


    Okay, I just want to have fun, okay?


    ¡°Anyhow, you are doing well in casting the barrier, so I believe we can stop here and learn another spell tomorrow.¡±


    I agree, it would be more efficient to learn another spell. I can practice more on the barrier as time goes by.


    ¡°Is that alright for you, Mera?¡± I asked my maid.


    ¡°Um, I think it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­ if I remember correctly the next spell is something called firebolt.¡±


    I opened the book and confirmed that the spell named ¡°Firebolt¡± was indeed the next one. An offensive spell. I¡¯m pretty much looking forward to this spell. Apparently, it uses the element of fire.


    I expect this one doesn¡¯t have that much of a cosmetic freedom compared to Palm Shield. Reason being that the color of flames indicates its temperature. Well, as Vernon said, we form the spell so we can make it appear as we wish.


    However, something like a fire that has a designated color, I imagine changing its color only on appearance alone, would be a bit difficult. But then again, functionality was the most important here.


    ¡°This is a nice spell,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Your highness, if you are to start this lesson, we cannot use this room anymore.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, I don¡¯t want to set my home afire.¡±


    I smiled with a strained chuckle. Burning my home down would be a nightmare.


    ¡°I will need to find a suitable place.¡±


    ¡°Please do, Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s proceed breaking your shields.¡±


    Then we went on a shield breaking routine. This was good actually since we get more strained due to the constant breaking and improving of our shields. Like how you would increase your stamina through jogging or exercising hard, pushing and straining yourself.


    That said, as time went on and many shield-breakings, Mera needed to stop first. Reason was that her mana was almost depleted. Apparently, you get way more tired when you keep on using your mana and depleting it fast. Like being drained and losing your energy.


    However, I have yet to experience that.


    Shockiiinnng, isn¡¯t it?! Okay, maybe not much because I had just bursted a vast amount of mana back in the library.


    I guess there¡¯s a good side in me after all! But then again, I am restrained by my fucking mystic medium! Fuck you mystic medium! You suck!


    And so the shield smashing went on. Of course, there were improvements in the strength of my shields that even impressed Vernon.


    ***


    I was heading to the kitchen earlier than usual. Actually, way earlier. If you wanna ask why, not a particular reason. Maybe I just want to play around with people¡¯s reactions. Come on, it¡¯s amusing, a bit of a stress reliever wouldn¡¯t be bad you know.


    You need to stabilize your mental health or something, you know. What I¡¯m trying to say is, don¡¯t get too stressed out or distressed. Even the organization I was in was mindful of the mental state of the agents.


    If agents had bad mentalities, it would potentially affect their tasks. That was why, often, when noticed by a superior, the agent would be given a break. Of course, if not noticed, the agent themself will find a way to alleviate their stress if they find it unbearable or bothersome.


    Some find pleasure, doing whatever they want, playing games, talking, drinking, and mostly sex.


    Sex was pretty common, agents don¡¯t particularly mind it. However, the pleasure was great.


    For me, those were not my ways to alleviate stress.


    Sex? I find no pleasure in such a thing. Not even in the slightest. Therefore, I am not interested in it. I meant not the pleasure of the body, but the pleasure of the¡­ how should I say this¡­ I find no pleasure in a spiritual and emotional level, yeah, I think that explains it.


    Even if it felt good in the body, I don¡¯t find it desirable.


    My way of alleviating stress was listening to songs, and also taking quiet nightly walks if I could.


    Also, killing, taking one¡¯s life, spilling blood, yeah, that¡¯s also a great way to get rid of piled stress.


    I¡¯m starting to miss it so bad already.


    When we arrived at the kitchen, I instantly opened the door myself. With a bright smile, I entered the room.


    ¡°Hello everyone!¡±


    They were all inside. They all greeted me with a bow. Disappointingly, they were more composed than before.


    Ah, how boring.


    Looks like I couldn¡¯t feast off their reactions anymore. I resisted the urge to sigh.


    I guess there goes my intention to stress relief.


    Wait, maybe there were other ways.


    I turned to look at Mera. Her eyes met mine with curiosity as to why I looked at her. I immediately turned and walked forward.


    It has been a while since the last time I got amusement from Mera. But, it was hard to play around with her with the intention of having fun when I¡¯m wary of her.


    Haaah, looks like I have to focus on the job for the time being.


    ¡°It¡¯s my usual visit, so don¡¯t let me bother you. Keep on doing what you were doing.¡±


    Allie and Tenil returned to their work¡­? They were currently working on something together for some reason. As for the head chef, well he was originally sitting down with his head on the table. But now he was sitting straight in my presence.


    Not much of an entertainment.


    I approached Allie and Tenil.


    ¡°What is my personal chef and Tenil doing?¡±


    ¡°Uh-um well¡­¡± Tenil smiled wryly as he seemed to be hesitating to answer due to embarrassment.


    ¡°Your highness, I am currently teaching some things to Tenil.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Finally seeking help, that is good.¡±


    I smiled at Tenil, he blushed as he returned his eyes to the table.


    I still have no idea why he sucked in what was supposed to be his job. Hey, there are just some weird people out there. But it¡¯s good he¡¯s learning.


    That said, I was not lowering my guard to this guy. He may act all like this, incompetent, shy, and a boy in love, that didn¡¯t mean he was clear. The greatest spy is the one who acts perfectly as the character they choose to select.


    And that is frightening because that is the hardest to catch. There were many agents I know who were that way, very excellent people.


    If Tenil was a betrayer, then he was doing a splendid job. Everything about him was genuine. And a genuine person is what always makes me very, very cautious in situations like this. Call me paranoid if you want, but I tell you, I must not trust too quickly.


    And this Tenil guy, due to all his genuine actions, might have a higher chance of killing me without me even knowing it. An exaggeration? Not if there was a chance.


    ¡°By the way, Miss Allie¡­¡±


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    ¡°Why did you refuse the offer of a kitchen of your own?¡±


    ¡°As I said, your highness, I am currently fine where I am at.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but, you do know you are a chef now. Isn¡¯t that some sort of a new beginning?¡±


    ¡°A new beginning¡­¡±


    She lowered her head as though in thought.


    ¡°I¡­ suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why, truly?¡±


    She looked at my eyes before lowering them again.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe everything just seemed unreal¡­ it just felt sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of the sudden change?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡± she paused as she was about to speak. ¡°... I¡­. I may be a bit scared¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But that is not the only reason¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°After all the long time I have been here¡­ getting sent to another place would feel¡­ lonely.¡±


    ¡°Lonely¡­¡±


    I suppose, suddenly leaving your allies, or them leaving you, I suppose being alone was going to feel lonely. Especially when you were used to their company. And¡­ having the company of your trusted friends is fun¡­


    ¡°I understand, Miss Allie¡­ By the way, can I call you Allie?¡±


    ¡°Of course your highness. You do not even need to add the word Miss in the first place.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Alright, Allie¡­ can I watch you two?¡±


    And then we hung out as I watched them cook. I acted having fun all the while.


    ***


    It was currently dinner, and I was with my family as usual. Most of the dishes tonight were cooked by my dear personal chef. I should compliment her, her cuisines were exquisite.


    ¡°By the way, Estelia. Is progress going well with your magic training?¡±


    My father asked me as I elegantly ate my food.


    ¡°Everything is going well, father,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Although, my progress is greatly impeded by my damaged Mystic Medium.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is to be expected. But, you are truly not in any kind of pain during training, yes?¡±


    I innocently smiled at him. He appeared to be genuinely concerned for my wellbeing. For some reason, it warmed my heart, and I cannot understand why this was happening to me now. I shook that feeling off.


    ¡°Of course, father. I am feeling fine unless I push myself. Oh, you have yet to be informed by Vernon of our next plan.¡±


    ¡°Next plan?¡±


    ¡°Father, the next spell in the book.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ what was it again¡­?¡±


    He tried to remember what that next spell would be for a moment. I guess it was to be expected he wouldn¡¯t recall it from the top of his head since he must have read that book a very long time ago.


    ¡°Was it the lightning one¡­?¡±


    The lightning was pretty interesting. But I was following the process.


    ¡°The fire one, dear father.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That one! Well, as my daughter, I¡¯m sure it will be pretty easy for you.¡±


    I flashed him an embarrassed smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. But I think I¡¯m getting the hang of it, so I should learn it faster than before.¡±


    ¡°Show me some impressive progress, dear daughter!¡±


    He pumped his fist in the air as he looked at me with a wide grin. He was motivating me.


    ¡°O-Of course, father!¡±


    I¡¯ll make more than progressing in magic. I¡¯ll also take out the rat hiding in our ranks.


    ¡°I believe in you, dear sister!¡±


    I smiled at my ever supportive brother.


    I then went on to eat my food in a flawless lady-like manner. I noticed my mother directing a proud smile towards me, but I paid no heed to it.


    Just then, my brother spoke to Father.


    ¡°By the way, father. Have you been informed?¡±¡¯


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About the information circulating among the knights.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Information? Which one?¡±


    ¡°About a potential traitor in the knights.¡±


    Father stopped his dining as he pondered.


    ¡°Our actions had already incited a little rumor that something is going on, but it¡¯s not that great. So isn¡¯t the same thing should be happening in the knights. What made it catch your attention that you would speak to me about it?¡±


    Estevan lowered his fork and spoon and drank water from his glass. After that, he spoke.


    ¡°This is no mere baseless rumor from observing what is happening all around. The rumor is you could say, stronger. Reason being that a knight spoke about it, an elite at that.¡±


    Father raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh, who could it be?¡±


    ¡°Rogan Dorien.¡±


    I resisted the urge to smile when I heard that name.


    Father looked a bit surprised.


    ¡°Him, huh. Any news on where he based that information on?¡±


    ¡°Some sort of specific source was never mentioned. Although I only heard everything about this from another party. That¡¯s why I will be visiting them tomorrow.¡±


    This was good. I thanked Rogan in my heart. He might be a decent man, after all. Or not¡­ nothing was assured.


    At first, I scouted the castle and gathered and observed as much as I could. However, now I have to be a bit aggressive. With this rumor turned to information coming from a knight, surely the betrayer would have heard of it by now.


    They will feel their position was threatened. They will feel tense and restless, and that overall uneasiness will slowly eat them. They will question how it was known. Could someone possibly know who they were? Are everyone in the castle on them? Numerous questions will storm their mind.


    Enough being careful, time to indirectly engage the enemy. Whether they choose to withdraw now or later, it will become obvious that they were the infiltrators all along. Of course, they might become more careful. However, I have already done my observations. Any strange movements will be noticed by me.


    It was a good thing that Rogan had not revealed it was me, which was up to my expectations. However, for some reason, my father didn¡¯t know yet. I thought Vernon had reported it to him.


    Hm, perhaps he doesn¡¯t always give his reports? Or was he instructed only to report the important stuff. What game was Vernon playing? What I did was pretty significant.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t mind my Father knowing I was the source. The important thing was that my enemies did not know it was me. I should be the clueless and naive princess after all. And the enemy discovering otherwise would be troublesome. But what if Rogan was with the betrayers? Heh, then it¡¯s not that bad since he was already in my radar. The worst enemies are those you do not know or have seen.


    To be honest, I might have become a bit impatient, that was why I took a great turn in my plans. The impatience must have influenced my decisions. My mentality has been... greatly affected recently after all¡­


    At any rate, no harm happened to me yet.


    ¡°Very well, my son.¡±


    I then chimed in.


    ¡°Brother, when are you going to the knights?¡±


    My brother turned to me with a bit of surprise.


    ¡°In the morning. Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just wondering¡­ Are you still working on the papers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have some new information, so I must definitely look into it. But I guess I will be delayed on looking into it. But, Oryn will sort things out first, so everything should be fine.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Perfect timing.


    Thank you again Rogan for opening this opportunity.


    I have found a chance for some alone time with Oryn. It would seem my decision to share the thing to Rogan had brought a bit more merits than I intended.


    That said, my brother will be interviewing Rogan tomorrow.


    You better not snitch, Rogan!

 Chapter 75: Initiating the Plan (Part 2)

    After dinner, I returned to my room to sleep after some goodnights to my servants. I closed the door, and instead of lying down, I merely sat at the edge of the bed.


    I planned not to sleep yet. I crossed my legs as I waited for time to pass.


    Now, what could my goal tonight be? Well, I intend to speak with Vernon, alone. I couldn¡¯t talk about this with him when Mera was around. It was time to set a little plan in motion. Just a little plan, that¡¯s all.


    He mentioned he was patrolling. However, I do not know when exactly so I used the time I sang as reference. However, he might be reporting to my father, so a delay may be expected. So I will be moving a little later from the time I sang.


    Furthermore, there were a few things I wanted to learn from him.


    I could lay down the bed to wait, however, I want to avoid accidentally falling asleep.


    I am tired after a day¡¯s work after all. The more tired the body, you might never realize you fell asleep until you wake up. Of course, I have better control of myself, so I will be highly unlikely to accidentally fall asleep.


    That being said, this posture was good for thinking, and I¡¯m just being more careful with myself. The bed was incredibly soft, so I might unconsciously rest my body. In any case, I am just thinking about what I will do tomorrow morning.


    Brother was leaving for a while, out of his office, and I will take that opportunity.


    About more than an hour had passed, I rose from the bed and equipped my daggers, then quietly opened the door. A little creak was unavoidable, but it was not that loud. After making sure there was no one around, I left and gently closed the door to my room.


    The hallway was dimly lit only by a few lit lamps on the wall.


    I would need to search for Vernon, too bad I didn¡¯t manage to ask him of his patrol route. Heck, it was not even assured that he was patrolling at this time. If I can''t find him, then I will have to postpone it. But I prefer doing this now.


    I used the direction opposite of the stairs heading down. I ought to check the other hallway first. My steps were completely silent as I strode forward with a quick pace.When there was a turn, I took a look first.


    A knight was slowly moving towards this direction at the edge. If there was a patrol assigned here, it was unlikely that Vernon was here. Upon realizing that, I went back to the route I went through.


    When I reached the stairs, I made sure there was no one around. There was a pair of guards walking, and I waited for them to move and disappear. Once clear, I descended down.


    If Vernon was to guard me, he would need to be in a place near me¡­ or a place where he could see my room and basing from the time I sang that he heard me. He said he didn¡¯t hear much, but I don¡¯t know how much trust I should put into those words.


    If he didn¡¯t hear much, he must already be heading away from the area of my room.


    The floor below my room I suppose was not a good place to guard me from. Therefore, there was one place I can think of if he wasn¡¯t in the hallway. The outside.


    There should be a door by the side, so I headed there. When I arrived however, as expected, there were guards on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Hey, do you believe Rogan?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but to think a traitor could possibly be among us. Unbelievable.¡±


    ¡®¡°Don¡¯t tell me dude you¡¯re a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would you accuse me of that, we joined together, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I jest.¡±


    ¡°Haaah, don¡¯t make that kind of joke¡­¡±


    ¡°Right right. That aside, Ayana was pretty dashing as always wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes she was¡­ I sure want her to heal me sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll marry her, she¡¯ll be welcome to our household.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t even get started you asshole, my noble household is worthier than yours.¡±


    ¡°Tch! As if!¡±


    I realized their presence because of their chatter.


    As expected of guards on standby, they¡¯re a bit noisy. Tend things to get boring after all.


    I went past the door and headed towards the direction of the rear of the palace. I passed by windows that can be opened from within, curtains partially covering them.


    As I went further from those pairs of guards I began searching for a good window. Then I stopped, there were a couple of windows which were covered in shadow and darkness because there was no light to light the path on the other side.


    The moon was not much of a help too, trees in this part and the palace building covered its illuminations. I made sure there was no one coming then unlocked the window.


    I gently opened it and went over the window then quietly closed it. As long as it was unlocked, I can enter through here again. I then headed towards the rear of the palace. I would know if someone was coming through lamps or any light source. In this darkness, a source of light would be essential after all, one can¡¯t just walk around without one.


    A few moments later, I saw a faint light lighting the ground. It may be a knight coming towards me. So I quietly went over to the side of the path where there were bushes, plants, small trees and darkness. I crouched down and waited for the person to show themself.


    I also held my breath to remain completely stealthy.


    Then the patrol turned from the other side of the wall and revealed himself.


    I smiled.


    It was the person I was looking for.


    I really had to go all through this trouble, huh. Vernon and Mera were always together, and I cannot afford to give any apparent hint that Vernon and I talked. I didn¡¯t even want to risk Mera seeing me asking Vernon to stay behind.


    There was not much opportunity to drive Mera away either. We were all together during magic training. Also, I would eat with my mother during lunch, then lately I¡¯ve been going to the kitchen. I decided to act this now since I have observed enough of Mera.


    Vernon with a lamp in hand, looked around, he didn¡¯t seem to realize my presence. Then he looked up.


    I quietly emerged from my hiding spot without him ever noticing and stood on the path. When he looked back down, he froze and his eyes went wide. I see utter confusion in him.


    ¡°P-Princess, why are you here? No wait, why didn¡¯t I realize¡ª¡±


    ¡°I want to talk.¡±


    I said with an innocent smile. His brow wrinkled which showed his age even more.


    ¡°T-Talk? If so, you wouldn¡¯t have needed to come out here.¡±


    ¡°No, I deemed it necessary.¡±


    ¡°Deemed it necessary¡­? How did you get here without alerting any guards?¡±


    If the guards discovered me, they would have brought me back to my room, or warned others.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now, Vernon.¡±


    I averted my eyes away as I rubbed my hands together. He observed me closely before sighing.


    ¡°Very well, what do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I have something I want to request. But before that, I have something to ask.¡±


    I looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°You report to my father about my actions, yes?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before he answered.


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ how frequently do you report to him?¡±


    ¡°... If you want to know if I report to him everyday, then no. I only report to him every two days, or when there is something significant to report.¡±


    ¡°And may I ask how you determine something as significant?¡±


    ¡°First your health, of course. Then when there is some significant improvement to your magic training. Aside from those, well, for example your decision to have Mera learn with you, which was not my intention when I suggested she learn spells.¡±


    I smiled wryly.


    He then continued.


    ¡°Then your actions of frequently visiting the kitchen. That is the most noteworthy, and thus I reported what you did while being there.¡±


    ¡°So, you report to father any significant magic related occurrence. Then my decisions that you deem out of the norm?¡±


    He hesitated for a moment before nodding his head.


    ¡°......Yes, your highness. I apologize if I displease you.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°Um n-no. I understand that you have to do those kinds of things.¡±


    I shook my hands frantically.


    ¡°I am grateful for your understanding¡­¡±


    ¡°But, I do want to ask you to not tell Father of our meeting tonight, and its contents.¡±


    ¡°....... That¡­ you did something unbelievable, you went out of the palace with no protection¡­¡±


    ¡°Please?¡± I directed a pleading gaze towards him.


    ¡°... Very well. How you managed to come here quietly still eludes me. And how the knights fail to sense your presence, and even me.¡±


    I just became one with nature, hehehe.


    ¡°Thank you. But, this is the next crucial question I want to ask.¡±


    I paused before speaking again.


    ¡°Why did you not tell father that I was the one who tipped Rogan?¡±


    He was silent for a while, no immediate answer.


    ¡°I suppose you realized, huh.¡±


    He smiled faintly.


    I placed my hand behind me casually. It was faster for me to move and take out my daggers when things went towards an unexpected turn. Perhaps there was no point in doubting Vernon because he was my father¡¯s trusted aide. But, it can''t hurt to be too careful.


    I swear, if things go south and become dangerous, then I made a grave mistake.


    I am all alone. When this turned out to be a deadly and undesirable situation, then he could easily kill me without anyone else knowing. That means, this was a good place to assassinate the princess.


    Would he take the chance? No betrayer will let this chance slip if I were the target. And Vernon was strong. He could easily kill me whenever he wanted now.


    Or, that was what he thought.


    He was oblivious to my physical abilities and reflexes. I grew in combat, but he never knew that. Therefore, he underestimated me without him even realizing it. And that will be to my advantage. I cannot be easily killed.


    What about the issue of strength and survival? Perhaps you have forgotten, but I am originally stronger than him. He may be strong, yes, but remember the time in the library. He never even managed to reach me. Therefore, when it comes to it, I¡¯ll unleash all my mana, then crush him. It might hurt, but I¡¯ll do it. Besides, my mystic medium was already partially restored, so I believe I won¡¯t die, and I have a pretty good grasp on mana now.


    In short, this situation was also a little test for Vernon.


    I then responded to him.


    ¡°Of course I would. Earlier at dinner, they mentioned it was unknown who was the source of Sir Rogan¡¯s information. And Father was completely clueless. So, I wonder, why didn¡¯t you tell him? Isn¡¯t that supposed to be your job?¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Indeed, it is my job. However, the reason I didn¡¯t report it to his majesty is because¡­ it appears that you do not want for anyone else to know you told that knight.¡±


    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Also, it was very surprising. I never expected that kind of action from you. I thought to myself, the princess must be planning something or perhaps intending for something to happen. However, it could have been dangerous if that knight shared you were the source.¡±


    ¡°He is a knight isn¡¯t he? If he doesn¡¯t have the common sense to hide the fact that the princess herself gave the information, then he is not worthy to be a knight.¡±


    If Rogan dared to share that, then he would be written in my highly potential suspects list. And my anger might have him accidentally die at any point in time. Although, magic will prove to be troublesome for that endeavor, tch.


    In contrast, remember my words with him?


    ¡®You interpret it the way you like¡¯


    I never explicitly said that was a fact and that phrase could be taken in the words ¡®You didn¡¯t hear anything from me¡¯ or ¡®You¡¯re the one who thought that way¡¯. Both ways indirectly meant don¡¯t ever say it came from me or something similar in nature. And from my interaction with him, he appeared to understand. Then it was proven true when he never said I was the source when he spread the information.


    ¡°Such cold words coming from you, your highness.¡±


    I tilted my head as though clueless what he was talking about.


    ¡°Is it? I see it as a fact. They are trained to protect the royal family and country, so they should realize what is the right course of action for the ones they are protecting.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you are right.¡±


    ¡°...Then, are those the only reasons?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I just respected what I think your intentions are¡­ and I do not want to interfere. If you wanted your family to know your actions, you could have told them yourself¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Also, Mera is the other one who knows.¡±


    ¡°She reports directly to me. Therefore, there is nothing much to worry about. Also, I trust that she knows what line she shouldn¡¯t cross.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­ When have you been hiding the abilities of your mind? To be honest, if it does not offend you, can I speak out?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I thought your mental abilities were lower than this.¡±


    ¡°Even I use my head, Vernon. Plus, I did nothing noteworthy at all. Any normal mind can think of something similar, I am nothing special.¡±


    ¡°..... Not only that, you came here without anyone detecting you.¡±


    ¡°That is not important.¡±


    ¡°You say that¡­..¡± Vernon sighed upon seeing that I have no intention to answer his curiosity and confusion. ¡°Anyhow, what is it you want to request? It is dangerous here to take our time.¡±


    I looked around the area.


    ¡°Is no one else patrolling in the area?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, there should be none yet.¡±


    ¡°Splendid. Alright, I have a little plan, and I will need your cooperation if this will be effective.¡±


    I walked closer to him and spoke to him in a quiet voice that only he could hear.


    I then proceeded to tell him of my little plan. When I say little, I seriously mean little, just so you know.


    His eyes went wide in surprise.


    ¡°Your highness¡­ you may call this a little plan, but what outcome do you want from this?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about the outcome, Vernon. But rather about the underlying effects it¡¯s going to have.¡±


    He for some reason gulped. What could he be thinking about?


    ¡°This method is slow¡­ but it will have significant effects, depending on what the situation really is.¡±


    ¡°Either situation will have different effects on the person, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°But, I understand why you have to ask me about this, this wouldn¡¯t work much without my cooperation. Especially that we are always together. I didn¡¯t expect for you yourself to come up with this plan.¡±


    I puffed my cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Vernon.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°Of course you are not, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, with that, I¡¯m done. Oh yes, you reported to father today I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I suppose you have selected a place for the training place for the next spell.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t be going there immediately tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will be relying on you on another matter.¡±


    ¡°What could you be talking about, your highness?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll realize it tomorrow. Now then, I will be going. The plan will commence tomorrow, okay?¡± I started to turn away.


    ¡°Wait your highness. You¡¯re going back alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I stopped in my tracks and turned my head to face him. ¡°You do not need to escort me back. Besides, it will be even stranger for me to be discovered when I¡¯m with you when they haven¡¯t even realized I went past the guards. It would be safer if I am discovered alone, like a girl just sneaking out at night.¡±


    ¡°.... But how you got here quietly is still something to be confused about.¡±


    ¡°... Fine. I went through the window, okay?¡±


    ¡°... I see. But that¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I need to return, I¡¯m tired. Goodnight, Vernon.¡±

 Chapter 76: Distant

    It was morning and I stretched my legs as the light of the early sun came through the window. My return to my room last night was flawless, if I had been discovered, it would have dropped a bolt on my plans. Not a wrench since I would just be seen as a teenage girl sneaking out at night.


    Okay¡­ I could have undermined it considering how my parents treat me. But it shouldn¡¯t impede much in my intentions, so it remains a mere bolt. But I suppose a mere bolt can destroy the entire machinery. Alright, let¡¯s stop it with the metaphors.


    There was a knock on the door and I instantly knew who that was. It was the usual routine, meaning Mera had arrived to come and get me.


    Mm, I¡¯m sure Vernon has arrived as well.


    Leaving with no other choice, I would have to believe in Vernon on how he would do this. I expect a lot of things from his age.


    I then allowed her to enter.


    ***


    Mera arrived at the Princess¡¯ room early in the morning when Vernon also arrived. She was about to bow her head to greet, however, she froze for a moment when she saw him looking at her.


    A mere look would have been no problem, except this time, his gaze towards her was different. His was a scrutinizing gaze, and its subject was Mera.


    The maid was confused by this sudden occurrence, however, she thought it was just her misinterpretation about the situation. Moving on from her mistaken thoughts, she proceeded to bow her head.


    ¡°Good morning, sir Vernon.¡±


    ¡°...Hm, good morning.¡±


    His voice was lower than usual, lacking the trace of warmth he usually had when speaking to her.


    Is he in a bad mood?


    Maybe something happened. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask if he was already this way early in the morning. He will likely return to normal later on.


    Mera proceeded to knock on the door to the princess¡¯ room.


    ¡°C-Come in!¡±


    Hearing that, Mera gently opened the door. And there she was, the beautiful princess, her platinum hair glimmering in the sunlight. However, her crimson eyes seemed to waver when they looked upon Mera. The maid herself noticed this.


    The princess had her closed hand by her chest, giving the impression that she was nervous. Mera was puzzled as to why this could be. All she could think was that the princess had a bad dream.


    Mera knew that the princess was soft and fragile, and she could imagine that she would be terrified by a little nightmare. Thinking about that side of the princess made her heart warm, and it was a bit comical.


    But of course, she had no intention of telling that to anyone.


    ¡°Milady, I have prepared the bath.¡±


    The princess was silent for a second before she responded.


    ¡°...Y-Yes, I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    The princess timidly walked towards her. That said, she was more timid than she usually was every time she acts this way. This time, her meekness appeared to be more intense. She stopped for a moment then took a deep breath.


    Mera wondered, what could frighten her this much?


    When the princess had gotten closer to her, she turned stiff. It was a bit alarming for Mera. She gazed at the princess¡¯ eyes.


    The princess closed her eyes and took a deep breath again, after exhaling on then she became a bit calmer.


    ¡°Your highness, are you alright?¡±


    Vernon had noticed the princess¡¯ plight and asked her outright.


    ¡°Uh? Y-Yes, I¡¯m okay,¡± Princess Estelia turned her head to look at Mera. ¡°... Mera, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mera faintly smiled as she led the princess to the bath. She saw the princess grasping both her own hands, often indicating that she was feeling tense. It was hard to figure out what could be bothering the princess so much that even on the way to the bath she would be acting like this.


    They arrived at the bath, Vernon stood by the wall beside the door outside the chamber. The princess glanced at him with anxiety in her eyes, but as though gathering the courage she took a deep breath and entered the bath along with Mera. Needless to say, the maid only grew more confused about the situation.


    Then as usual, Mera assisted the princess in removing her clothes. However, the moment she touched her, the princess flinched upon contact along with a tiny squeak.


    ¡°Milady, is something wrong?¡±


    Couldn¡¯t contain her confusion any longer, Mera asked her.


    ¡°Um, no,¡± the princess¡¯ eyes traversed around before looking at Mera with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ just some things in my mind, that is all.¡±


    Mera nodded her head in belief and continued on with her task. With all that done, the princess proceeded to enter the pool. She often glanced at Mera, but the latter merely smiled and the princess returned it.


    As Mera awaited, she became uneasy about everything that was going on. First it was Vernon, now it was the princess whom she serves. It was like there was something that she didn¡¯t know about happening.


    What could it be?


    Mera stared at the princess. The princess gracefully scooped water with her hand and poured them onto her head. The water gently flowed down, drenching her hair and passed through her bare and white shoulders before returning to the pool.


    She, the beautiful princess that could captivate just about anyone by her presence alone, was there peacefully bathing, unguarded, unprotected, and vulnerable. Mera took in a sharp breath as she watched the sight. Her heart slowly began to race.


    The princess relaxed her back on the side of the pool and lowered her head. Her eyes began to close and started to relax.


    Such a flawless existence.


    But now for a moment, for some reason, the princess began to feel distant again. Mera didn¡¯t want that. She wanted to get closer to her.


    Thinking about what just happened, she thought to herself¡­


    Something¡¯s truly weird going on.


    She couldn¡¯t come to a solid conclusion. The princess seemed to have no intention of answering her confusion. And she expected no answers from Vernon as well.


    Mera grasped her wrist.


    She would have to see and observe everything. However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel worried about herself.


    The princess had finished bathing and Mera assisted her in dressing up. As expected, the princess was stiff in the process. Mera began to feel that the princess was frightened¡­


    And, she was frightened of Mera. No mistake about it. However, if she acted the same to others, it would relieve some apprehensive feelings within the maid.


    After the dress up, the princess looked perfect as always. She wore a wide dress, white colored boots, and a white hairpin in the shape of a wisteria petal. She was very pretty. Like a white flower in a peaceful spring, blossoming beautifully and brightly amongst the gentle breeze and the warm light of the sun.


    Mera herself chose this set of clothes. Fortunately, her lady appeared satisfied since she received no complaints. However, perhaps it could be because the princess seemed uneasy.


    But the princess¡¯s sweet smile towards her lifted off some of the heavy feeling. Although only a little.


    After the bath, they went on to the dining room as the princess dined with her family. Therefore, Mera was stuck with Vernon as always. However, the atmosphere didn¡¯t completely feel welcoming.


    Vernon would sometimes glance at her, as though his eyes were on guard. Mera wanted to ask what could be wrong, but Vernon was not exactly the type she saw as easily approachable now. Not that she would easily approach him in any other situation.


    She just saw Vernon was a bit frightening to interact with. Well, the same as other fellow servants that were superior to her. She was not confident enough to speak lightly with them despite her being the princess¡¯s personal maid.


    In fact, as a personal maid, she should be about below Vernon¡¯s level, considering that Vernon was the king¡¯s direct servant. But that also meant that other servants that were higher than her before being appointed as a personal maid were now in match with Mera in terms of rank. But she couldn¡¯t help but still see them as superiors.


    No, perhaps she just wanted to treat them with respect and utmost politeness as seniors. She had to give a good impression to everyone after all. She didn¡¯t want to look bad.


    As she hesitated to speak with Vernon now, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask anything.


    The royal family had finished eating and they saw the prince leave. However, he was not going to the direction of his office.


    A couple of minutes later, the princess appeared.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to my brother¡¯s office.¡±


    Mera tilted her head a little.


    ¡°Milady, your brother didn¡¯t seem to be heading towards his office.¡±


    ¡°... Um, uh. Y-Yes, he is not heading to his office¡­¡±


    Her manner of speaking was timid.


    Mera was a bit bothered, but decided not to think about it at the moment.


    ¡°Your highness, what is your purpose for visiting his office?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°I just want to look at things¡­¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­¡±


    After that, they headed towards the Prince¡¯s office.


    Mera still couldn¡¯t understand everything. However, she was starting to have the faintest idea.

 Chapter 77: Ears

    Oryn placed the newly sorted stacks of papers on the prince¡¯s desk. At the moment, he was by his lonesome since the prince left to have a meeting with the knights. Information that cannot be overlooked popped up.


    No, Oryn thought it was just not information that newly came out. But rather, it was a leak. He tried asking, but the prince didn¡¯t say anything significant about it. Such a shame, he wanted to know more.


    His gaze turned towards the papers and picked up a sheet. New information has been gathered about the knights¡¯ families that would require reviewing. The agents sent were pretty efficient in their work. That said, they couldn¡¯t find any information that would warrant any suspicions that the prince was looking for.


    The nobles in the capital were clean. However, beyond it, in the outskirts or any remote territories, or ones outside the capital, there were some things that called for a raised eyebrow.


    Although, they were not a matter of national threat.


    Information of nobles owning slaves. Slaves were not allowed in this kingdom, therefore, nobles owning some were to be noted, especially if the slaves were being abused.


    Furthermore, there were a few mistreatments of the people in their territories. Then some tension with other noble households. The knights in the order didn¡¯t seem to be directly involved in those, however, investigations will be required.


    A traitor, huh¡­


    He thought back to the information heard that originated from the knights order.


    As he was about to sit down on a couch, there was a knock on the door. He furrowed his brows, wondering who that could be.


    ¡°May I come in?¡±


    The moment he heard the innocent sweet voice from the other side of the door, his brow wrinkled. He needn''t think a lot to figure out who it was. There was only one person with that voice and manner of speaking, it was the one and only Princess.


    He left the paper on the couch and straightened his clothes. With a sigh, he walked towards the door and opened it gently.


    He forced a smile upon seeing a beautiful girl with long platinum hair, snow white skin, and crimson eyes. While the beautiful girl smiled purely as she faced him.


    ¡°Hello, may I enter?¡± She asked.


    Does she not know that her brother left for the knights?


    He resisted the urge to sigh.


    ¡°Your highness, I regret to inform you but your brother is not here.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    She does know.


    Then what would be her purpose here?


    Oryn glanced at her two attendants. First to the maid who had a somewhat disturbed expression, but he didn¡¯t think much of it. Then his gaze shifted towards the old man named Vernon, his gaze stayed on him for a moment before returning to the princess.


    ¡°In that case, you are free to enter, your highness. However, I am curious as to what the reason for this visit is.¡±


    ¡°My brother has a lot of paper to look into, yes? I want to help him even for just a little. I think I¡¯ll write down some important notes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then please, enter.¡±


    He tried to keep a neutral expression. He recalled that the princess has magic training¡­


    Magic¡­.


    He wondered why she didn¡¯t go and train. That being said, he was more interested in the princess¡¯ goal of learning magic.


    He watched as the princess carefreely entered and sat down on the chair in front of the table.


    Oryn tried to hold back from making an annoyed expression. He was bothered by the princess, and was always somewhat annoyed every time he saw her.


    A person who had no idea of the outside. A presence so pure, ignorant, and living such a comfy life. A girl who knew nothing of the world. And that girl was apparently a very, very important person.


    That was one of the reasons he disliked this princess. The person who was clueless about the world, living a colorful and safe life.


    Oryn once again glanced towards the two servants standing by the corner before retrieving the paper left on the couch. Then after that, the princess spoke.


    ¡°Wow, big brother has a lot of things to work on¡­. Oryn, can¡­ can I have a few sheets of paper and a quill for writing?¡±


    Oryn resisted an exasperated sigh and delivered what the princess wanted.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The princess began reading some paper.


    It would seem I have to stand and watch the princess.


    The princess didn¡¯t exactly show an image of a reliable person after all.


    As he was reading while behind the princess, the latter suddenly asked Oryn.


    ¡°Oryn, you know what my brother¡¯s purpose of visiting the knight''s order is, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think about it?¡±


    ¡°About what, your highness?¡±


    ¡°What is my brother concerned about?¡±


    He kept a straight face.


    ¡°About some story about a potential betrayer within the palace.¡±


    ¡°Yup. So, what do you think? Is it plausible?¡±


    ¡°Why would you ask me that question?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just want to know the thoughts of someone close to my brother. Can I not learn your opinions?¡±


    Oryn resisted the urge to sigh. There was nothing wrong with sharing his thoughts with her. Well, not like he could refuse to answer a question from the princess in the first place.


    ¡°No, of course I¡¯m willing to share my thoughts on the matter¡­ Well,¡± he contemplated on how he should go and answer. ¡°Perhaps it is plausible to have a betrayer.¡±


    ¡°I see. If there is one, how would you go find them?¡±


    Oryn eyed the princess who was busy writing down on a paper. Such sudden questions. However, he tried to understand her. A girl like her must be anxious about it. Thus the questions.


    However, even if he went to answer it, there would be no point speaking about it to the princess. After all, he imagined she wouldn¡¯t be able to contribute much to the matter.


    A girl with no skills and talent, nothing impressive, a person like that wouldn¡¯t be of much help.


    But, perhaps her being that way was fortunate enough.


    Still, it seems to be changing.


    Having no choice, he answered.


    ¡°Such a situation is not to my expertise, your highness. Therefore, I fear I have nothing to answer.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± she sounded a bit disappointed. ¡°I understand.¡±


    There were several minutes of silence and sounds of papers being moved. Oryn decided to standby since the princess had basically taken his job. Actually, he liked this. The princess doing his job was surprisingly pleasing to him, perhaps he just wanted to see the princess to be a bit stressed.


    He glanced at her servants once more. The maid especially acted strange, she had been like this since arriving here. On the other hand, Oryn looked at Vernon closely for only a second before averting his eyes away.


    Then he found the princess looking at him with her wide crimson eyes.


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    She wryly smiled.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Oryn. I¡¯m just thinking about something. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He was confused by her regretful tone.


    ¡°... What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I saw your ears.¡±


    He felt cold the moment he heard those words, reminded of his ears.


    ¡°I see....¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, when I learned of the reason, it kept coming back to my mind.¡±


    Oryn was salty and bitter upon receiving the pity of the princess. But he didn¡¯t let it show outwardly.


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    ¡°I heard it was due to bandits¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes it was¡­¡±


    The princess¡¯ eyes widened, her fingers trembled.


    ¡°How frightening. I never imagined people are capable of doing such acts. How¡­ cruel¡­¡±


    She lowered her eyes. Was it sadness that Oryn saw? Shock? Or fear? No, perhaps it was all of them. The princess was feeling all of them.


    But Oryn didn¡¯t feel moved.


    ¡°It was a long time ago, your highness. You do not need to feel anything about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was silent for a moment before speaking again.


    ¡°And, what of the bandits?¡±


    ¡°Years ago, they were hunted down and they quieted down. Needless to say, a lot of members escaped.¡±


    ¡°So they are still out there then.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But for some reason, now they have become active again.¡±


    ¡°Really?! This is terrible.¡±


    ¡°That said, I received intel that adventurers have been hired and sent to handle the matter with those bandits. They should still be working on it, it will take some time before everything ends.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers¡­ you mean those people that always carry weapons around?¡±


    ¡°Hm, yes. You must have seen them during your visit to the city.¡±


    She nodded her head.


    ¡°I hope everything ends well. But what about you, Oryn?¡±


    Oryn¡¯s face turned into puzzlement about the out of the blue question from the princess.


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±


    She looked at his eyes with sadness.


    ¡°They hurt you, are you not going to do anything?¡±


    He furrowed his brows. Why was she asking such questions?


    ¡°I will leave it to the adventurers.¡±


    ¡°But do you feel nothing at all, Oryn? Don¡¯t you feel anger? Hatred? Do you not feel those emotions at all?¡±


    ¡°......... I do feel those emotions.¡±


    Who wouldn¡¯t feel terrible after what happened to him? What cut off from him was part of his body. He imagined anyone would feel terrible.


    ¡°Do you not feel vengeful?¡±


    ¡°I ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oryn, have you hated anyone?¡± The princess suddenly added that to her question.


    ¡°...... Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Have you hated anyone that you wanted to kill them?¡±


    Oryn was taken aback by the princess'' words.


    ¡°I¡­ I cannot say I did¡­¡±


    ¡°Those bandits are evil. Do you not feel that you want to do something about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am powerless to do something.¡±


    ¡°Powerless¡­? But there are other ways to fight, not just with strength.¡±


    ¡°... Princess what are you¡­¡±


    Why was the princess saying all this? Was she sympathizing that much with him?


    She¡¯s definitely sympathizing.


    Perhaps that was why she was able to say those things. Why would she feel this way towards him, one whom she didn¡¯t personally interact much with?


    ¡°Oryn, have you ever experienced, or perhaps feel that you have to do something, something that is necessary, that is needed, perhaps for the greater good, or for something else?¡±


    He felt cold again.


    He couldn¡¯t respond instantly.


    But the princess continued.


    ¡°You see, not doing anything especially when it is necessary, it weighs in the heart, doesn¡¯t it? That is why, if it is necessary for one, one should begin to act. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Begin to act¡­?¡±


    Those words echoed in his mind.


    ¡°Even if the act itself is good or evil, I think if it is necessary, it must be carried out as soon as possible. Because, the longer it gets, the worse it will become.¡±


    Carry out¡­


    He mused.


    He took her words deeply.


    Oryn stared at the princess, then he turned towards her two servants. They also stared at the princess with confusion. Not one expected to hear such words from her.


    Then the princess continued.


    ¡°If those bandits are still walking and running freely, there will be more victims in the future. Things might become even worse than you imagined. And I think, a person who personally experienced their cruelty and heartlessness will be ideal to lead a movement against them.¡±


    The princess picked up the quill. Her expression was filled with anxiety.


    Then she spoke the words that would linger within Oryn¡¯s mind for a long time.


    ¡°The clock is ticking... Time is moving forward, and so does everything. So¡­ Oryn, what will you do?¡±


    ***


    The princess left about more than an hour later when she realized the amount of time had passed. She left the room in a panic as she was still supposed to do her magic training. Oryn was left sorting out what the princess had left behind.


    Amidst all that, the image of the princess remained in his mind. Her words lingered in his thoughts.


    Oryn picked up the paper the princess was writing on. Written unto it were important information about each person she had read about, and it was organized impressively. He mentally conjured the princess¡¯ innocent visage, her long platinum hair, beautiful face, and mesmerizing eyes of crimson.


    As he kept thinking of her words, he realized too late that he had crumpled the side of the paper he was holding. He heaved a weary smile.


    Carry out, huh¡­


    He had been thinking all about it for a very, very long time now. It wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. How could it? It was a matter of great importance to him.


    He touched his ear, causing heaviness in his heart.


    He was not powerless to do something.


    It has gone on for a long time now, perhaps it was time for him to act as the princess said. His heart couldn¡¯t keep this on forever.


    Maybe it was time to disregard all his fears. The princess was right, everything would only become worse as time passed. The clock was always ticking.


    Thus, it was time to bury the fear and wariness. He must face the reason his ears came to be.


    He thought back to the pain as his ears were cut off. A painful memory.


    It was then that the door opened. Oryn turned around and saw the prince wearing a weary expression.


    ¡°Your highness, I suppose it didn¡¯t end well.¡±


    Estevan faintly smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, well not exactly,¡± he sat on his chair behind the desk. ¡°My meeting with the elites went smoothly, with the exception of the primary matter.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then what about the primary matter?¡±


    It was the one with the information that had been spread, started by a knight named Rogan.


    Estevan sighed.


    ¡°There lies the problem, he didn¡¯t say a word. Not one bit.¡±


    Oryn was impressed. Even faced with the prince, Rogan refused to answer.


    ¡°Then we can¡¯t do anything about it, can¡¯t we, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What about with the king¡¯s authority?¡±


    ¡°Rogan may act the way he is on the surface, but that man is tough as a boulder. He wouldn¡¯t give it away that easily. Even more so when I threatened him with that.¡±


    ¡°... Even with the king¡¯s permission?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Not many would have the nerve to explicitly say they would even go against the king¡¯s will. Oryn couldn¡¯t understand why he would go this far, unless the source was a pretty important person.


    If it was an anonymous tip, then Rogan would have said it was. However, he didn¡¯t, but rather kept it a secret. Therefore, there was a high chance he knew personally the source of his information.


    ¡°Does this mean that his source is a very important person, your highness?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. And we did no such thing.¡±


    Of course, the royal family was the very important personnel here.


    ¡°Even Mother was surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the princess?¡± Oryn casually asked, he didn¡¯t mean anything about it.


    Estevan stared blankly towards Oryn as though what he had heard was utterly ridiculous.


    ¡°Oryn, do you really think she could do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my mistake. I cannot imagine the princess doing such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, all in all, she was just doing her own business.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is impossible.¡±


    No way the princess could think of doing this.


    Oryn thought.


    He saw the princess as someone incapable of such a significant action. He had known of the princess¡¯ nature since he had been seeing and watching her for a long time now after all. Anyone would get familiar how the princess was after several years of working in the palace.


    Thus, he never believed that the princess would have the nerve to cause a disruption of this scale and importance.


    ¡°Yeah, and in no way would Estel do something like this without telling us. Plus, she was clueless when she first heard about the issue.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°It also couldn¡¯t be Mother too, she¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°What about his majesty the King?¡±


    ¡°If he did, for what reason would he not tell me at least? It wouldn¡¯t make sense that he would keep the fact that he did it from me.¡±


    ¡°Then, could his information come from the servants?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there are servants out there that need to be trained and disciplined again.¡±


    In the palace, servants needed to be taught to not spread crucial information, whether it was told that it was confidential or not. Servants needed to turn that into common sense that they shouldn¡¯t spread information from important figures. Otherwise, they would face strict consequences and punishments. Imprisonment was one of the possibilities.


    In other words, servants should know what line must not be crossed.


    Oryn thought about the information from the knight, then to the prince who was agitated and seemed to focus greatly on the matter. And then Rogan who was protecting his source. He concluded one thing, this information was true.


    ¡°But coming from servants, the chances are so low. Haaaah, what a pain!¡±


    ¡°Just take it all slowly, your highness.¡±


    ¡°.... Now investigations need to be carried out.¡±


    Oryn smiled in amusement as he saw the agonized Estevan.


    ¡°Shall I bring you some refreshments?¡±


    ¡°Great! Give me some orange juice then. I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Estevan then laid his head on the table. ¡°If only Estel is here¡­ I want to see her¡­¡±


    Oryn stopped as he was about to leave.


    ¡°Ah, the princess came here earlier.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Estevan sprang up. ¡°And I was not even here?! Wait, what did she even come here for?¡±


    ¡°She said she wanted to help you even for just a little. That¡¯s her work there.¡±


    Oryn pointed at the papers the princess worked on. Estevan instantly grabbed them and a wide smile formed on his face.


    ¡°Aaaawwww. My sister is so nice and kind. That¡¯s it! I¡¯m seeing her now!¡± Estevan began to move out.


    However, Oryn immediately blocked his way.


    ¡°Your highness, please remain in your work.¡±


    ¡°No way, Oryn.¡±


    ¡°I refuse, your highness. Besides, the princess is busy with her training.¡±


    ¡°But still¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think she would be pleased if you disturb her?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Disappointment was all over Estevan¡¯s face as he slowly sat back down on his chair in resignation.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your highness. Please stay here as I go to prepare your refreshments.¡±

 Chapter 78: Uneasy Mera

    Mera was with the princess learning a new spell called Fire Bolt. As for the Palm Shield spell, Mera had already learned how to cast it with no fail. That said, the strength of it left plenty to be desired.


    Further training of her mystic medium will be required to make it stronger to at least block half of Vernon¡¯s true strength. Mera was often baffled that Vernon, despite being a commoner at birth, was powerful enough that he could match the strength of an elite knight.


    Perhaps it would be because of his hard work when he was young, or he was blessed by the gods.


    That aside, since Vernon was not a caster of magic, he wouldn¡¯t be able to help much in the spellcasting department. Therefore, it was up only for both her and the princess. Everything would have been less distressing if the princess wasn¡¯t acting so weirdly.


    At the moment, they were outside the palace in an empty courtyard, no other personnel could be found here. This was around the eastern side of the palace, although a bit distant. In addition, the area the knights used for training should due south of here.


    Under the shade of a building used for storage, although empty since it wasn¡¯t used much, Mera stood as she looked at the book atop the table, and beside her was the princess. Mera glanced at the princess and noticed she was acting tense.


    Her fingers often shook as she laid them on the table. Mera felt even more uneasy about the situation, she could even feel Vernon¡¯s stare from behind her. Her heart throbbed hard as she felt a small sense of anxiety building up in her chest.


    ¡°M-Milady¡­ is something a matter with me?¡±


    The princess frantically turned towards her.


    ¡°N-No! No¡­. Why? Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So, Mera, have you understood how to do it?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    The princess had begun to act a bit more normally than she was only recently. But Mera was still pretty disturbed.


    As for the spell, in short, just visualize and imagine flames. At the same time, give it properties of heat, as flames originally were. However, it would need to be compressed so it would be truly a bolt of flame that it was designed to be. The hardest hurdle here would be shaping the mana into it.


    Mera has yet to fully master tinkering with her mana. Like having difficulties putting a thread into a needle. Yes she may be able to cast a shield easily, however, she would be casting a new spell. And shaping mana into it would be different to making the shield.


    She didn¡¯t know about the princess though. She was a bit afraid to ask at the moment.


    In the open space, Mera did as what was instructed in the book. She held out her hand and concentrated on the flow of her mana.


    She imagined and visualized flames.


    Fire flickered in her palm. However, in a second, it vanished completely. She did it again and fire came forth flickering.


    Mera glanced at how the princess was doing. The princess¡¯s brows furrowed a little, struggling to create her flames, they flickered around the same as Mera¡¯s.


    About half an hour later, Mera had gotten used to it and a small ball of fire hovered above her palm. However, the best this could do was set afire a bonfire, or cause mild burns on a person.


    She forced forward her mana, and the flames grew larger inviting a smile to play on her lips. After that, she took a glance at the princess. Her eyes froze at the princess¡¯s palm where a ball of fire hovered just above it. What caused her surprise however was that the flames were in a perfect ball shape.


    The fingers of the princess motioned slightly, and the ball rotated around, as though the fingers were carving and controlling the full motion of the flames. However, the ball didn¡¯t seem to be compressed yet. Despite all that, Mera was impressed.


    The princess was able to give a clean form of the flame, Mera was sure that the princess had such precise control of her mana. That being said, she wasn¡¯t sure how much level of preciseness that was yet.


    ¡°Fire bolt, it¡¯s not shot in a swinging throw¡­ so¡­¡±


    The princess murmured. Indeed the bolt was not thrown like how you would throw something from the shoulder forward. If one does that, one would need to focus more than on launching the bolt, but also timing it with your throw. In other words, it was faster and easier to launch the bolt yourself, like how a fire bolt should normally be used.


    The princess held out her hand forward. The ball of fire turned slightly smaller. Then, it shot forward as though propelled by an invisible force.


    However, a few steps of distance, it puffed away into smoke.


    ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s not as easy as I thought.¡±


    The princess turned around towards Mera.


    ¡°M-Mera.... H-How is your progress?¡±


    ¡°... I am still trying to give it a form.¡±


    ¡°I see....¡±


    The princess cast down her eyes towards her palm, and flames came forth.


    ¡°Magic really is wonderful, one can easily cast fire. You wouldn¡¯t need to struggle in lighting a fire with this¡­¡±


    The princess seemed to halt all motion as she observed the flames in her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while¡­ Vernon.¡±


    She called Vernon. Upon her beckon, the old man approached her.


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    ¡°Magic is a pretty, mysterious thing¡­ In this world full of magic, there must be a number of manners of things which are quite mystical, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What sort of interesting things are out there? Creatures, places¡­ what sort of things are there that resemble something mystical, and mysterious¡­¡±


    The princess gazed up at the sky. For some reason, Mera could sense solemness in that gaze, mixed within were what seemed to be curiosity. A princess who had never seen much of the outside world, of course, she must be full of wonder of what could be out there.


    ¡°Well, for starters,¡± Vernon said. ¡°There are monsters¡­ Which I think are pretty mystical, and mysterious. I mean, why do those savage creatures have to exist? Creatures that normal humans cannot even hope to match.¡±


    The princess lowered her gaze.


    ¡°I suppose horror exists in the world, no matter how hard you wish for it not to. But, there must also be beauty, is there?¡±


    Vernon faintly smiled.


    ¡°There was a lake in the north, I went there with my old party once. The water was clear during the day. However, when night came, as the gentle moonlight touched the water, the lake shone with various colors. Then, small dots of light in the color of gold began to ascend from the water.


    ¡°When I reached out for them, my hand went through them. They cannot be touched, as though they were spirits¡­ Of all the many beautiful places I came across, that place was the most memorable¡­¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡± the princess asked.


    ¡°That was the last day I was with my party.¡±


    Vernon had a look of nostalgia on his face, however, came along with it were eyes of sadness.


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry I asked.¡±


    ¡°Do not be sorry, your highness. There is nothing to be sorry about.¡±


    The princess nodded.


    ¡°Vernon, please tell me stories of other places next time.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°... Places aside, are there any creatures, you could say, the same as us? Sentient and almost resembled our appearance.¡±


    Mera and Vernon both had a puzzled expression. The princess was specifically asking after all.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I am curious. I wondered if there are other living beings almost the same as us. Like a different race.¡±


    ¡°Hm. There are demons in the south, beyond the southern shores.¡±


    The princess jerked her head and faced towards Vernon.


    ¡° ¡ª Demons?¡±


    ¡°Yes, demons. You need to cross the sea though, they are not exactly a kind you could easily be friendly with. Well, this is a continent ruled by humans, so I suppose that is to be expected.¡±


    ¡°I see. But demons? Do they like to possess people or become invisible or haunt you or something, becoming spiritual?¡±


    Vernon raised an eyebrow, baffled by what the princess thought the demons could be.


    ¡°Your highness, where did you get those ideas from?¡±


    ¡°... Just my imaginations.¡±


    ¡°Hm. In any case, they are not like that. They almost resemble the form of humans. Well, almost, so there are conspicuous differences. That said, they are generally dangerous, so¡­ be careful if you encounter one.¡±


    ¡°I would unlikely encounter one in the palace anyway¡­. So, are there any others?¡±


    ¡°Others of?¡±


    ¡°Other races?¡±


    ¡°Ah, if you want to learn of other humanoid sentient beings, that which we can communicate like proper people, no, no other.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The princess sounded disappointed. She returned her focus to the ball of fire on her hand. Then she raised her head and turned to ask Vernon again.


    ¡°Vernon, have you heard of elves?¡±


    ¡°Elves¡­¡± Vernon echoed.


    Mera was confused by the term ¡°elves¡±. She didn¡¯t know what that was. Vernon also seemed to be in deep thought.


    ¡°Elves¡­ I have heard of it, but barely anyone mentions that word.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ what are they?¡±


    ¡°They are only mentioned in non-popular myths.¡±


    Mera had realized why she never knew of the term. They were myths that were barely mentioned. Mera was not exactly a person that strives for information such as this, therefore it was expected she wouldn¡¯t know about it.


    ¡°Wait, myths?¡± The princess looked puzzled.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Not much is known about them. Well, as myths there are, they likely never existed.¡±


    ¡°So no one has discovered elves? And there is a chance that they never existed in the first place but merely works of fiction?¡±


    ¡°...Yes¡­ but princess, where did you hear that word?¡±


    The princess moved back her elbow, then instantly moved it forward vigorously. The bolt of fire launched forward with great speed, however, it didn¡¯t reach that far, just double the distance from before.


    Mera was in awe of how the princess was able to achieve such distance already.


    ¡°Where did I hear it? You do know there are a lot of mouths around the palace, don¡¯t you Vernon?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    Really? I never heard anyone talking about that¡­


    Mera mused.


    ***


    A couple of days had passed since the princess started learning her fire bolt spell. She had shown significant progress to the point that Vernon was wary to take it head on. For that reason, testing it to a person was not an option, not that it was an option in the first place.


    Mera had also shown a lot of progress. However, her bolt was not as destructive as the princess who had a vast amount of mana.


    Regarding the princess though, there was a concerning matter. She would often grimace whenever her bolt strengthened due to her damaged mystic medium which greatly limited her progress. But at least it was better than before.


    Then at the end of that, the princess asked for a break. Mera understood why the princess would ask such a thing. The princess must have been exhausted, not only did she have to train but also endure the pain within her body.


    The princess definitely needed rest.


    Also, needless to say, Mera still received a cold treatment from Vernon, while the princess was still quite frightened, only a bit though since the princess had slowly warmed back up. Mera was a bit relieved about it, but she still had no idea at first why they were acting this way. And that only made her also more anxious as days went by.


    At the moment, the princess was on her way back to her room earlier than usual along with Mera and Vernon.


    Mera snuck a glance towards Vernon as they walked side by side behind the princess. She then returned her gaze forward as she resisted the urge to sigh.


    After all the days that had passed, Mera had come to a conclusion. The princess and Vernon were definitely cautious of her for an ominous reason. It was as though they were suspecting her.


    But could it be simple suspicions? Mera had a feeling that they already had a basis for their actions. With this realization, Mera hardened herself.


    When they arrived at the third floor by the stairs, they found a man that Mera and the others recognized. He was walking from the far side of the hallway and was heading towards them.


    Mera was puzzled as to what this man was doing walking around in this part. If he came from the prince¡¯s office, he wouldn¡¯t need to go through here just to go down. Surprised for the same reason, the princess stopped in her tracks as she gazed towards the man.


    Mera and Vernon followed when their superior began to walk forward, and approached the man.


    ¡°Oryn¡­¡± the princess called his name.


    ¡°Your highness,¡± Oryn bowed deeply with a neutral expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to walk around here. What brought you here?¡±


    The princess gazed innocently at Oryn with a blatant trace of cluelessness.


    ¡°I am reviewing the security within the palace hallways.¡±


    ¡°...For what reason?¡± the princess asked.


    ¡°You knew of the information of a traitor within the palace, yes? If that is true, then it is essential to make improvements or check for errors of security within the confines of the palace.¡±


    ¡°Does big brother know about this?¡±


    There was a second of delay before a response finally came.


    ¡°... No¡­ I was intending to check everything out first and formulate a plan before informing the prince. I hope that it would at least relieve him of some things to think about.¡±


    Mera understood and agreed with Oryn¡¯s intentions. Seeing how much paperwork the prince was working on, this way it would lessen the things that bugs his mind. Mera would have done the same for her superior.


    ¡°... And you left him, alone with his work¡­?¡± the princess asked.


    Mera turned her gaze towards her. If Oryn didn¡¯t inform the prince of his intention, then how was he able to leave behind the one he was supposed to assist. If he suddenly left the prince, he was a failure of a servant. A prince full of work would not let his attendant leave freely unless with a good reason.


    ¡°His highness asked for refreshments, and I only took this opportunity.¡±


    Oryn gave his reason.


    ¡°I see,¡± the princess¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°I¡¯m glad someone is helping my big brother, please don¡¯t let him overwork himself too hard.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ By the way, your highness, aren¡¯t you a bit red?¡±


    Indeed, a tinge of red colored the princess¡¯s pale skin.


    ¡°Exposing myself under the sun for too long isn¡¯t good for me. It¡¯s a bit painful.¡±


    Because of her snow white skin, she was very sensitive to the sun. Therefore, she would mostly stay under the shade whenever necessary. However, her training got more intense than before, and because of that, she exposed herself to the sun more than before. Which was one of the reasons why she wanted to rest for now and stay away from the sun¡¯s light.


    Truth be told, Mera was a bit surprised that the princess lasted this long. After all, before this, she almost never left the palace and was barely exposed to the sun.


    ¡°I suppose magic training is going smoothly? May I ask what you are learning now?¡±


    The princess pressed her index finger to her lips adorably.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, it would ruin the surprise of my improvement if I tell anyone now.¡±


    Oryn chuckled.


    ¡°I imagine the prince will be very pleased when you show him your newfound abilities.¡±


    ¡°I hope so! Alright then, I will be going to rest, so goodbye for now, Oryn.¡±


    ¡°Very well, your highness.¡±


    With that, they left each other and headed towards their own destination. After several steps however, the princess stopped and turned around. Puzzled, Mera also turned around towards where her gaze was directed at. And there she saw Oryn going down the stairs.


    It only lasted for a second before they continued on their way.


    Mera wondered why the princess looked back.

 Chapter 79: Her Fellow Maids

    It was evening and Mera had retired to her quarters. She bounced up and down after she plopped down on the soft and smooth bed, her face burying into the pillows. A loud sigh came forth from her lips before turning around facing the ceiling.


    Somehow, it was more tiring than before. No, actually, it had been more tiring for a couple of days, and a bit more stressful. There were a lot of things on her mind.


    She had been terribly careful not to stand out, but why? Why were the princess and Vernon acting that way? It was what she feared.


    If what I¡¯m thinking is right then¡­


    She was anxious that everything she had worked on would become worthless. She thought hard on what she should do. However, it was easier said than done. It felt like she could do nothing about it.


    Grabbing a pillow from the back of her head, she placed it upon her forehead covering her eyes. The softness of the pillow brought some relief within her.


    ¡°Hey Mera, what¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re acting as though no one else is here.¡±


    She heard the voice of her fellow maid.


    Mera put away the pillow from her forehead and turned her body to face the other maid sitting nonchalantly on the side of her own bed. The maid was still wearing her maid outfit, her curly pale golden hair was let loose, her blue eyes looked towards Mera with a bit of curiosity.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Heh? If you say so, don¡¯t come crying to me when things get worse, okay?¡± The maid grabbed a fruit from atop the drawer and offered it to Mera. ¡°Here, pear, you¡¯re favorite.¡±


    Mera pouted.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t like pear, it¡¯s dull.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Mera, you¡¯re actually so stressed out that you resorted to calling a pear dull!¡± she looked genuinely surprised.


    I suppose I don¡¯t usually call something that...


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then give it to me.¡±


    Another voice chimed in, it was from another maid in the room. She had short black hair and brown eyes, she bore a beautiful appearance which surpassed even Mera.


    ¡°Woah, Macey, I¡¯m offering it to Mera, so don¡¯t go stealing it from her now.¡±


    ¡°Mera called it dull, Ellie, do not force her to eat what she doesn¡¯t like and instead offer it to someone who actually fancy it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ellie, give it to her.¡±


    Ellie gave the fruit to Macey with a somewhat displeased expression.


    ¡°You better eat it whole. I don¡¯t like it anyway, so go ahead and also have the others.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I''ll have the others tomorrow,¡± Macey said as she took a bite from the fruit in her hand. ¡°And for goodness sake Ellie, you are a noble, please speak as a noble should.¡±


    Ellie lacked that elegant manner of speaking as should nobles have, and that was what bothered her.


    ¡°Eat my ass, Macey.¡±


    ¡°Kuh!¡± Macey choked the moment she heard such a vulgar phrase. ¡°E-Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah. No need to suck on traditions when we¡¯re alone in private, so relax.¡±


    ¡°Even so, if you keep doing this, you might become more versed to this than the proper way of speaking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Maceeey.¡±


    Macey directed an annoyed glare towards Ellie. Mera sensed the air was getting intense so she decided to change the subject.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°They went to the baths first,¡± Ellie said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come with them?¡±


    ¡°We waited for you,¡± Macey replied as she took another bite at her fruit.


    ¡°I see. Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°It gets crowded anyway, so it¡¯s good to wait, no rush,¡± Ellie lied down on the bed as she faced Mera. ¡°You still sound so¡­ uninspired, what¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°... I said it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Can you not share your trouble with us?¡±


    Macey said as she sat down at the edge of Mera¡¯s bed.


    Mera debated whether she should tell them, but immediately decided not to. Her guess was too big of an issue to tell others. However, it could also be wrong. Even so, telling her friends how the princess and Vernon were treating her, she was not too keen on the idea. Nothing good would come out of it but would only make it worse for her.


    ¡°It is not that big of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Is it a love problem?¡±


    Ellie asked that out of the blue which incited a surprised reaction from Mera. Her question was just too far from the truth that it almost sounded absurd.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Doesn¡¯t sound like it.¡±


    Ellie¡¯s lips lifted into a teasing grin.


    ¡°Mera? Love? Really? Who?¡±


    Then Macey leaned forward, her intense questioning gaze stared directly at Mera¡¯s eyes. Which was honestly disturbing.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± Mera said in defense.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, Mera. Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything? You could have at least mentioned it.¡±


    Mera was getting uncomfortable that she recoiled away from Macey. This friend of hers was starting to act weird.


    ¡°Hey, Macey, calm down. That was just a throwaway question, damn.¡±


    Upon Ellie¡¯s words, Macey backed away but still had a pair of doubtful eyes.


    ¡°But she sounded so surprised though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she really did...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it''s so far from the truth!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Ellie rose from her bed in laughter. ¡°You¡¯re sometimes funny, Mera. Anyways, why are you so serious Macey?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m interested.¡±


    ¡°Interested? Interested because one of your friends is starting to have a love life and you¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!


    ¡°It¡¯s not about love life!¡±


    Ellie covered her ears.


    ¡°Ladies, quiet down, it¡¯s evening, you¡¯ll disturb everyone.¡±


    Macey chowed down at her fruit before speaking in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not like that. But just so you know, I¡¯m finally getting a spark...¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s a knight.¡±


    ¡°Aaah, he¡¯s definitely just playing with you.¡±


    ¡°How negative can you get, Ellie?!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just stating a possibility.¡±


    Macey crossed her arms and took a bite from the fruit in her hand.


    ¡°Nothing like that is happening.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. But I wanna know, is it also a spark for the other party, I mean the knight. Or you¡¯re just assuming that there is a spark?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so dummy dumb dumb, Ellie?!¡±


    ¡°Dummy dumb dumb¡­?¡±


    Ellie had a flabbergasted expression on her face as she repeated the comical words that emerged from the elegant maid¡¯s mouth. Mera too was taken aback by those words, it sounded somewhat childish.


    ¡°.... Sorry¡­¡± Macey immediately apologized, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like that at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Slightly, Mera¡¯s lips curled up. Because of her friends¡¯ company, she had somewhat lost some anxiety. But only a little.


    ¡°I mean, he is pretty nice to me and all. And¡­ we have been friends since we were children.¡±


    Ellie grinned widely at the revelation.


    ¡°A childhood friend? Oh holy lord and lady, ain¡¯t that something! Hey Mera, are you hearing this?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Mera was getting more interested in the story.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a story for you two just to enjoy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, so who''s the guy?¡±


    ¡°Um, Alan from the Welford household.¡±


    ¡°Alan, huh. Don¡¯t know the guy,¡± Ellie said.


    Mera on the other hand recognized the name. If memory serves, it was the young man she saw with the princess during the training of the knights. The young man they were checking out. She had only heard his name and never interacted, so she didn¡¯t have much of an impression towards him.


    Recalling that small bonding with the princess brought some elation in her heart.


    Wait, now that I¡¯m thinking about it.


    Mera remembered quietly well the interaction between the princess and this knight named Alan. To be precise, she recalled the actions of Alan. The embarrassed way he acted that time implied one thing, and his expressions.


    Oh no¡­.


    Mera felt a bit bad upon realizing that.


    Well, she couldn¡¯t blame anyone. The princess¡¯s charm was just that great, even with just her casual presence. That was how great she was. So, there was no one to blame if a man fell in love at first sight, and ultimately no one can blame the princess herself.


    It would be unfair to blame her, she didn¡¯t do anything bad after all.


    Now, would Macey have a chance just in case of¡­ no no no, I shouldn¡¯t think like this.


    Imagining that scenario stung her heart a little.


    ¡°Mera, have you heard of the guy?¡± Ellie asked her.


    ¡°Um, I think I saw him once.¡±


    ¡°Saw him... and you know who he is?¡± Ellie leaned forward with interest.


    ¡°...Mera?¡±


    Macey stared at her weirdly. Thinking that this was going in a weird way, Mera frantically shook her hands.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking of, it¡¯s not that! Seriously, why did you two suddenly leap to that way of thought?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Macey asked in assurance.


    ¡°Yes, it was the time when I went with the princess outside the palace halls.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Macey instantly became relaxed. Mera decided that it would be best not to mention that Alan and the princess interacted.


    Still, is Macey not aware of the effects the princess brings to young men by her presence alone?


    Now that she thought about it, Macey was never assigned to assist the princess, nor was Ellie. These two were assigned to clean most of the time, and not to assist royalty. Therefore, they didn¡¯t know the princess that much.


    Now what made Mera different from these two that she was given the chance to assist the princess in rotation? Mera¡¯s guess was that she had a high rating given by her superiors.


    In fact, she could guess some flaws of these two. Macey was too elegant and gentle, almost a perfect maiden like, and that brought worries to how much she could do. As for Ellie, her nature was too vulgar for service to the princess.


    It was then that the door opened and a few maids who were now wearing night gowns entered.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re done, alright let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ellie suggested, and the three of them went for the baths carrying their clothes for changing and bathing towels.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    We finally had some characterization of some of the maids in the palace :) -- finally lifted off that little emptiness I feel of the palace staff.


    ***


    So I was participating in Webnovel WPC -- I didn''t even realize the contrast in two characters'' color theme in the cover lol. Red and Blue. (Crossover in the future? lol) Yeah... no crossover. If Undying Symphony is gonna get a contract, that will be a faint hope.


    ***


    Next chapter is "A Leisurely Tea Time" where Mera''s ??Jealousy?? is gonna get fueled.

 Chapter 80: A Leisurely Tea Time

    Come morning after the princess took a bath, she returned to her room after breakfast. For untold reason, the princess decided not to practice magic. She sat on a chair by the corner of the room and laid her hands on the small table.


    Mera watched her lady resting but still seemingly uneasy. The lady tapped her fingers on the wooden table a few times. Mera had only finished organizing the room, neatly fixed the bed, and folded the hanging curtain, that was why she was still inside the room with her lady.


    Seeing that everything was done, she intended to leave.


    ¡°I am done here, milady, please excuse m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The princess took a deep breath before responding, placing a hand on her chest as she did so.


    ¡°M-Mera I¡­¡± she looked away then returned. ¡°I have an order¡­¡±


    Mera slightly tilted her head in puzzlement. The princess had absolutely no need to let her know that. She could have just gone straight and given the actual order. But Mera went along with the moment.


    ¡°I am listening, milady.¡±


    Princess Estelia nodded her head.


    ¡°Um, please go invite Allie to come here in my room, and after that, prepare tea for us.¡±


    Allie¡­ and the princess¡­


    Mera processed the order she was just given. This resulted in her being unable to immediately respond.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mera?¡±


    Upon her call, Mera snapped back to attention.


    ¡° ¡ª Yes, milady, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting here.¡±


    With that, Mera left the room a bit uninspired, ignoring Vernon as she went past him. As she stepped down the stairs, her thoughts wouldn¡¯t stop swirling around.


    Why is it Allie all of a sudden?


    She mused with a little irritation. First, they were being cold with her, and now some other girl was having the attention of the princess. It was upsetting. The princess was slowly drifting away from her.


    That was far from ideal.


    Mera stopped and took a deep breath upon realizing that she was getting agitated. Having returned a little composure, she continued on.


    Allie is, I suppose, quite talented.


    It would come as no surprise that the princess would end up liking her if her cooking was exquisite.


    But haven¡¯t I been much more of a help to milady?


    It didn¡¯t make sense. Was it because Allie was a new subordinate that the princess was paying more attention to her? And Mera was only being neglected because she had been a personal attendant for a while now.


    No¡­ this is likely¡­


    The reason why they were acting weird towards Mera definitely had something to do with it.


    But I didn''t do anything¡­.


    Before she knew it, she had arrived at the kitchen. With a neutral expression to hide her displeasure, she knocked and opened the door. Inside were the three people assigned in the kitchen, and Mera focused her sight towards the girl named Allie.


    ¡°Miss Allie, her highness the princess calls for you.¡±


    Allie sprang up.


    ¡°Yes, but for what reason?¡±


    Mera would not have preferred for her to ask any question and only did as ordered. But she didn¡¯t realize that she was only being bitter because she was irritated.


    But as she was, she didn¡¯t show any emotion and only went on to the business.


    ¡°It would seem she is inviting you for tea in her room.¡±


    Allie was speechless in surprise. Mera understood her, who wouldn¡¯t be surprised to be invited by the princess for a leisurely time.


    ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes.¡±


    They left the kitchen and as they were heading towards the stairs, Mera glanced behind her.


    Realization struck her.


    ¡­ I¡¯m being a little mean, am I?


    This wasn¡¯t good, she didn¡¯t want to be known as someone mean. Mera, after all, didn¡¯t want any bad attention. Besides, it was nonsensical that she was to treat this young chef harshly.


    And, she is chosen by the princess to be her personal chef.


    Thus, she must be friendly with her.


    ¡°Miss Allie.¡±


    Mera looked back with a faint smile.


    ¡°Walk beside me, let us talk, we are both servants serving the princess after all.¡±


    ¡°... Of course.¡±


    There was a bit of awkward air going around as they went up the stairs slowly. Or perhaps it was just Mera feeling it. In any case, she forced herself to initiate a conversation. She decided to start with a compliment.


    ¡°Her highness truly seemed to be impressed by your skills, Miss Allie. She even strived to become your friend.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I guess my life effort is not wasted,¡± Allie responded to her in a natural tone. ¡°And, it feels surreal that the princess would want me to become her friend. I mean, with a commoner like me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it doesn¡¯t happen much, no less with royalty, and even more with the princess herself. But¡­ I suppose their family is just that kind.¡±


    Allie faintly smiled.


    ¡°They are all nice, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, unlike other aristocrats.¡±


    Allie halted and gawked at Mera.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also a noble? So, you have also realized those kinds of doings...¡±


    Mera chuckled a little upon how Allie, a commoner, reacted.


    ¡°I only knew a little. But bear in mind that I am also a servant, and therefore, even I know how much of a relief it is to have a kind master. So, you are free to think of me as an equal within the palace walls.¡±


    Allie nodded her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡±


    ¡°Although, I wouldn¡¯t say the same to other noble ladies in the palace¡­¡±


    ¡°I imagine they wanted to be treated respectfully by a commoner, as things should be.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not the same as others. Your name is Mera, right Miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but as per our servant status, it is fine for me for you to call me without the honorifics.¡±


    ¡°Then, you can call me by name alone as well.¡±


    Slowly, they had begun to warm up. Mera¡¯s irritation had slowly vanished at every second they spoke with each other.


    Meanwhile though, she was reminded of what she saw, the one with Allie and Oryn. It was an embarrassing thing to think about, so she immediately pushed them to the back of her mind.


    ¡°What do you think the princess will be talking about with me?¡±


    ¡°Hm, perhaps casual things. But do not be anxious, the princess is not hard to speak with.¡±


    ¡°I hope¡­¡±


    The princess was once hard to talk with. At times, she doesn¡¯t even want to speak with anyone and only spends most of her time alone doing her own business. That was why Mera never got close with the princess in the first place.


    However, the princess seemed to have changed and was now more open than before. Mera liked that change. Then it turned out that the princess was not that bad to speak with. Thus, she assured Allie that she would be fine.


    With that though, the bitterness returned when she imagined the princess and Allie sitting on chairs and having tea on a single table, while Mera alone watched from the sidelines.


    ¡°Relax, you can expect that she¡¯ll treat you nicely.¡±


    Well, nicer than I.


    Things had begun to change, and everyone had started to treat her coldly. So with that, Allie will be treated better than her.


    Then they arrived at the door. Vernon looked at them for a moment, reminded of what she did just earlier, Mera bowed her head then went on to knock the door.


    ¡°Milady, I have brought Allie.¡±


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Upon entering, Allie bowed her head deeply and greeted the princess. She was more composed than Mera expected.


    ¡°Please have a seat Allie.¡±


    Mera closed the door and prepared to brew tea as Allie took a seat opposite of the princess.


    The princess was the one who initiated the conversation, talking about casual stuff like how Allie was doing. Then there was Mera who then poured some tea on their cups.


    When Mera approached close to the princess though, the latter flinched for a moment that Allie also seemed to have noticed but didn¡¯t think much about it.


    As the two new friends talked with each other, there was Mera standing by the corner by her lonesome, staring at the two all the while. A strange feeling swirled within her that her neutral face threatened to break.


    It was then¡­.


    ¡°What is your dream, Allie?¡±


    The princess asked Allie that question.


    ¡°Dream?¡±


    ¡°Wait no, my mistake, I mean what is your ambition?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was necessary to correct your question.¡±


    ¡°Nope, it is necessary. There are differences between the two, you see.¡±


    ¡°Differences?¡±


    ¡°What is a dream?¡±


    ¡°It could be something that you want to achieve¡­? Other than what we see in our sleep.¡±


    ¡°Then what is ambition?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ the same thing.¡±


    The princess smiled innocently.


    ¡°On the surface, yes, but for me, there is an underlying difference,¡± she paused as she sipped her tea. ¡°A dream is something you want to achieve or have, but it stays a dream in the end... A dream is something that feels fictional that it almost seemed like impossible. An ideal goal.¡±


    Allie listened quietly. Mera also listened intently wondering what the princess was trying to say.


    Then the princess continued.


    ¡°While ambition is something you want to achieve. However, this one had a high possibility of becoming true because it can be achieved practically through practical process. So an ambition is something you can really act on, a practical goal.¡±


    The princess sipped her tea again.


    ¡°Well, that is my definition of the two.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Why is milady thinking that deeply?


    Mera mused.


    ¡°Then, Allie, what is your ambition?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ I want¡­¡± Allie stared above. ¡°I want to be a famous and extolled chef.¡±


    The princess¡¯s smile grew wider.


    ¡°Yes, that is indeed realistic. You are already walking in the path which leads to that end.¡±


    ¡°What about you, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Me¡­?¡±


    Mera was now more interested. She could never think of what the princess would want to be. Well there was the throne, but she didn¡¯t think that the princess would want to be Queen.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of what I want to be¡­¡±


    As Mera expected, the princess had no ambition.


    ¡°I am not talented and skilled like you, Allie. I am not passionate about anything. I am not interested that much in anything actually¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t know what I can achieve, what I want to become.¡±


    ¡°What about becoming Queen?¡± Allie asked.


    The princess formed a deprecated smile.


    ¡°I am not fit to be Queen and I know that¡­¡± the princess held a firm grasp of her own hand. ¡°But, I do have a dream¡­¡±


    ¡°May I ask what that could be?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ A quiet and peaceful life with my family. I want us to be together without having to worry about anything. I dream that things won''t change... I want us to live together as we always have.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ is that not achievable?¡±


    ¡°No, I fear it is not. We have the crown to worry about. Politics, the kingdom. Then each one of my family, specifically my brothers, will have their own goals in mind, and their own lives to live. I know that I cannot have them by my side as always and expect things to be the same. Everything always changes, sooner or later.¡±


    Mera felt sadness from her voice.


    ¡°Then there are other unforeseen things that might happen, we are the royal family after all¡­¡± the princess smiled sadly. She was forcing herself to smile. ¡°That aside,¡± she raised her eyes. ¡°What is your dream, Allie?¡±


    Allie lowered her head. She didn¡¯t respond immediately as she pondered deeply. Several seconds passed, and she finally opened her mouth.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not that much different from yours. I want to be with my friends. I want to live safely with them.¡±


    ¡°Friends? Not family?¡±


    ¡°I no longer have my family. No, perhaps not exactly. My friends were like my family.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But why is it a dream?¡±


    ¡°They have their own goals in mind, and because of that, I feel I can never achieve that,¡± then she looked at the princess. ¡°They may be able to achieve and accomplish what they want, but they will move on to another. I imagine it will end, but it begins anew. Leaving no place for my dream.¡±


    ¡°I see. The way you say it, they must not be here.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You guys must be close.¡±


    Allie smiled fondly.


    ¡°They took care of me when I was lost, after the monsters killed my family. And I am grateful for it.¡±


    Monsters?


    Mera had never seen one before, not even from her family¡¯s demesne. Soldiers or knights would be instantly dispatched at the sight of one, so even when she was still staying there, she never saw one from her family¡¯s manor. However, she did hear how terrifying and dangerous a lot of them were, especially from that forest.


    ¡°They must be wonderful people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are wonderful and remarkable.¡±


    The princess smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about them. They must be outside of the palace, yes? What sort of things do people do outside?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot¡­ Ah, you never go out that often, I remembered.¡±


    ¡°Less than often I suppose. So, I¡¯m curious, what kind of people are they? Their jobs, what they do. Tell me about them. I want to learn about the outside, even for just a little!¡±


    The princess looked excited, her eyes beaming with curiosity.


    ¡°Ah, eh¡­ hehe,¡± Allie was also taken aback. ¡°I can¡¯t tell much about them since it has been a long time since I saw them. But they are pretty reliable and strong, I always let them carry the heavy stuff in the past.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating, but I imagine they can¡¯t be stronger than the knights.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say, but I imagine there are strong people out there that can match with the knights.¡±


    ¡°I see. What I can only think are monsters matching with the knights.¡±


    ¡°Well, monsters are very terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen one?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I have realized, sorry, nevermind¡­ I don¡¯t want to touch that topic if it¡¯s hard for you.¡±


    Then the princess went on to ask about casual things like any dishes that Allie was planning. About the difficulties one could face in the kitchen, she then asked for some tips.


    About an hour passed, their talk ended.


    The princess would then proceed to continue her training using the time remaining for the day.


    She was getting better with casting firebolt compared to Mera. In addition, the princess seemed to be doing something else at the same time, like smoke was coming out of her hand. But Mera didn¡¯t get the chance to ask what she was trying to do.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Tears of the Maid

 Chapter 81: Tears of the Maid

    Next afternoon the next day, the princess¡¯s forehead was beaded with sweat as she pushed herself far this time. A shocking result occurred, the princess had set the entire body of a strawman ablaze with a single firebolt, turning it into ash in a short time. However, what lacked was impact, but setting it afire whole was impressive enough.


    Being exhausted as she was, Mera guessed that it was not only because of the depletion of mana. Though she doubted that the princess depleted her mana considering that she had a vast amount within her.


    The princess stopped her training and returned back to the palace.


    The princess had often mentioned that her body felt painful, then it could only mean she truly pushed herself far to the point of straining her mystic medium. That must also be the reason why she was so tired.


    The princess decided to have a bath and so Mera came to assist her as expected of a maid. When they arrived inside, Mera helped the princess undress.


    However, the princess she served seemed to be shaken even more than before.


    ¡°P-Princess¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah! No, it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s be quick, I want to retire to my room.¡±


    ¡°V-Very well.¡±


    The princess almost sounded panicking. Mera couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. The maid nervously stepped away from her lady and folded her clothes. While placing down the used clothes on the corner, she watched the princess go into the water.


    The princess¡¯s eyes were damp by the corners.


    Was she hurt that much¡­ or¡­?


    ¡°Princess, pardon me. I¡¯ll go get your change of clothes.¡±


    Her lady nodded meekly and Mera went outside. There she encountered Vernon watching her closely. Mera became more restless than before, and it finally urged her to ask.


    ¡°Sir Vernon, the princess is acting strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Strange, how strange?¡±


    ¡°She is trembling in my presence.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I wonder.¡±


    ¡°W-Will you not answer why that is?¡± Mera asked with a frightened tone.


    ¡°Mera, I cannot understand the princess, her thoughts or her ways. Therefore, I cannot answer as to why.¡±


    ¡°......Understood. Please excuse me.¡±


    Mera went on her way as she tightly gripped her own hand and hid them as they trembled. With pursed lips, she went on to proceed fulfilling her duty. That said, her chest felt heavy.


    When she returned to the bath, the princess had already started to wipe herself. Mera rushed to her side never expecting that the princess would finish this fast.


    ¡°M-Milady, let me help you dress.¡±


    Her lady flinched with terrified eyes.


    ¡°O-Of course.¡±


    Mera slowly helped the princess dress up, which was harder than usual because the princess was moving stiffly. When Mera tried to make eye contact, the princess instantly averted her eyes away.


    Once finish dressing up, she saw her lady trembling.


    ¡°Milady, your hair¡­¡±


    Mera was about to reach out for her hand to lead her to a chair after seeing her stiffly standing there, however, the princess pulled back her hand and stepped away. Mera¡¯s eyes went wide at this and instantly looked at the princess¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I c-can¡¯t do this a-anymore¡­¡± the princess said weakly as her eyes faltered.


    Tears seemed to threaten to fall down her eyes.


    ¡°M-Mila¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending already!¡±


    The princess abruptly shouted which froze Mera in place.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore. Stop lying already Mera, I know what you truly are!¡±


    What?


    Mera couldn¡¯t understand. The princess¡¯s eyes were full of terror and her actions as she clutched her chest told of heartbreak. It gave off the impression that the princess felt betrayed.


    ¡°You cannot fool me anymore, I¡¯m tired of pretending that n-nothing is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Milady what ar¡ª¡±


    Mera stepped forward to try and approach her lady then tried to reach out for her. However, the princess backed away frantically.


    ¡°Stay away! Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    Mera felt cold feet at those words. Such words which carried fear for her. Mera¡¯s mind was in disarray trying to understand the situation. But she couldn¡¯t think of anything but only how the princess was seeing her now.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me¡­¡±


    The meek princess said quietly as she pressed both her hands on her chest and her eyes lowered to the ground. Her cheeks were brimming with tears while her lips trembled. The princess was shaken to the core.


    And those last words of hers were stuck inside Mera¡¯s mind.


    Kill¡­?


    Mera couldn¡¯t understand anything. Why did the princess she was serving say that to her?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you anymore, this is too much. I know you¡¯re a traitor, Mera!¡±


    Mera could only stand there frozen as those words came through her ears.


    What¡­ me? No¡­ Princess¡­


    ¡°Milady! I am no traitor!¡±


    ¡°Lies! Lies! I¡¯m tired of it. I can¡¯t take it anymore, I¡¯m tired of lies. Stay away from me! S-Stay away...¡±


    The princess was terrified. How could she look at Mera that way? Mera felt a painful sting in her heart ¡ª no, it was like a dagger carving through it.


    Mera¡¯s face broke down as tears slowly welled up her eyes.


    ¡°Mera, leave me alone. If you¡¯re away, I can be safe. Stay away from me, and out of my home.¡±


    What¡­?


    That was the only question that came to her mind. How could someone think she was a traitor? How could someone think she would kill her lady? But it wasn¡¯t those that were breaking her heart.


    It was the way her princess was looking at her, and ultimately, the way she drove her away. Mera only wanted to get close with the princess, but things were going opposite of that.


    Why?


    She couldn¡¯t bear the pain, and the gaze the princess was giving her, they were too painful to receive. Mera wanted those warm, friendly and joyful gaze back. She wanted to receive them once more, not these eyes she was receiving now.


    But why was it that, in Mera¡¯s eyes, amidst the terror, the princess seemed to disdain her as she drove her away? Mera didn¡¯t want to be feared nor hated.


    Mostly hated, that was the thing she didn¡¯t want most to receive from the princess.


    ¡°M-Milady I swear! I¡¯m not a traitor!¡±


    Mera tried to defend herself, to tell the princess she so admired the truth. All kinds of emotions stormed within her heart, but all worked for a single goal to tell the princess what she wanted to say. However, her words fell on deaf ears as the princess called out for help.


    ¡°Vernon!¡±


    In that instant, the door opened and a gust of wind went by Mera. She froze and the next moment, Vernon was now between her and her mistress, like a tall and sturdy wall blocking her way to the goal she wanted to reach.


    ¡°Mera¡­¡± Vernon glared daggers towards Mera.


    They were powerful gaze that seemed to push her away. Mera trembled in fear.


    ¡°S-Sir, there¡¯s a mistake¡ª¡±


    ¡°The princess had failed to endure, huh.¡±


    The princess hid behind Vernon.


    Endure?


    She couldn¡¯t understand, she couldn¡¯t think clearly anymore. She just wanted to speak with the princess. Her heart throbbed wildly as she looked towards the princess, cowering in fear of her. This carved painfully into her heart like several blades.


    ¡°Mera, there is no mistake. We know. You don¡¯t have to hide anymore. If you try to harm the princess, you will have to get through me. You have no more chances.¡±


    ¡°W-What? No I ¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You will be expelled from this palace, or be executed on the spot.¡±


    Mera felt colder at those threatening words. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak anymore. Everything was too overwhelming for her to cope.


    ¡°Or choose to follow the wishes of her highness.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    She glanced at the princess, who was trembling behind Vernon, who wasn¡¯t even looking at her. Why?


    She stepped back with shaking and faltering legs. Her chest tightened in apprehension, confusion, and breaking heart.


    Mera¡¯s tears fell down onto the floor. She shook her head sending her hair waving in the air and began to run, following the wishes of her lady. She ran away from the room, away from her lady.


    The sobbing maid rubbed her tears with her wrists but they never stopped and kept flowing out of her eyes. She ran heading towards her quarters for she did not know where else she would go. That was the only place she could think of.


    It felt like the world was crashing all around her.


    Meanwhile, two maids were casually walking down the hall, one nonchalantly while the other reservedly.


    ¡°Sparkly clean. Nice job as always!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°But sure is tiring.¡±


    They were the two maids Ellie and Macey.


    It was then that they noticed Mera running down the hall.


    ¡°Is that, Mera?¡± Ellie asked.


    ¡°Running in the halls is¡­ Mera!¡±


    Macey tried to call for her, however, she did not seem to hear and only kept running. Upon closer look, they realized that something was wrong.


    ¡°Woah, is she crying? Let¡¯s go check her up.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    They chased after Mera in a rush until they saw her enter the maids¡¯ quarters. Upon arrival, Ellie opened the door with no hesitation and there she saw Mera kneeling down on the floor by the foot of her bed frame.


    The two maids could hear her sobbing as she hid her face in her arms.


    ¡°Hey hey, Mera. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ellie asked gently as she approached.


    ¡°Mera, speak to us.¡±


    Mera slowly raised her head and looked up at them, her eyes were sore red and wet with tears. She hesitated to speak, but in the end, no longer able to bear it, she uttered the reason for her tears.


    ¡°I¡­ they say I¡¯m a traitor,¡± her tears only intensified as she forced those words out. ¡°T-The p-princess hates me.¡±


    ¡°Traitor¡­?¡± Macey echoed as her eyes went wide looking at Mera.


    ¡°Traitor?! That¡¯s ridiculous! Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°B-But if royalty s-said it, what if¡­¡± Macey was frightened. She seemed like she believed it, or she just didn¡¯t want to get involved.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s ridicu¡­ lous¡­¡± For some reason, Ellie¡¯s words trailed off. She stared quietly at Mera as though in deep thought. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ No¡­ no way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a traitor! I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not.¡±


    I¡¯m not I¡¯m not I¡¯m not I¡¯m not I¡¯m not.


    Mera kept repeating those words.


    ¡°See Macey, don¡¯t you believe her?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    They stared worriedly and with confusion at Mera as she lowered her head.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not a traitor¡­¡± she whispered to herself, and to anyone who could hear.


    That sentence reverberated all throughout her mind, and that was what all remained as her chest grew heavy and painful. Despair had begun to engulf her. Thoughts of her life falling apart filled her mind, and the visage of the princess sweetly looking at her slowly faded away as though she would never see her again.


    And there the maid wept.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Newfound Devotion

 Chapter 82: Newfound Devotion

    Vernon watched as Mera ran away from the chamber brimming with tears. Seeing how that young child looked, he began to pity her. This was just a mere test, but to think that Mera would break down this much from this ¡ª he could see the great impact it had on her clearly.


    He didn¡¯t expect she would end up being that way. Vernon realized he should have understood Mera more before agreeing with this. Even so, perhaps this was for the best. From the way Vernon saw it, Mera was assured to be safe now.


    However, he was not the judge. The one to judge was the one who came up with this plan. A plan that Vernon thought first wouldn¡¯t shatter someone but only damage them at best. And this judge called it a mere little plan. A plan to target the emotional core of a person.


    He turned towards that judge that was hiding behind her, she too was in tears. But seeing her, he got cold feet. Why was it? He couldn¡¯t understand why.


    This was a mere plan, but why did the princess look so genuinely saddened? Was it perhaps she was truly suspecting that Mera was a traitor and not a mere test? Was she testing everyone that he never realized?


    Was I ever tested?


    When? When was it? If the princess was willing to do this much, then there was no way she never tested him. It was then he recalled that night when the princess snuck out of the palace to meet him.


    It can¡¯t be¡­. Am I overthinking this?


    Vernon had a hard time wrapping his head around this. Perhaps he was just indeed overthinking things. As he didn¡¯t expect things would end up to this level, the princess surely also never expected it.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    The princess didn¡¯t reply as she rubbed her eyes, and yet her tears wouldn¡¯t stop.


    Hm, it seems it¡¯s genuine emotions after all.


    In the end, he was just overthinking things.


    ¡°I hurt h-her¡­¡±


    Hearing her regretful words, Vernon somehow felt relieved. What was he afraid of?


    ¡°Should we go after her now?¡±


    Vernon pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to the princess. She accepted and gently rubbed off her tears.


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ we¡¯ll take it slow¡­¡±


    Vernon¡¯s eyes widened. Even seeing her personal maid obviously broken apart, she still decided on keeping it slow. Shouldn¡¯t they rush since the damage would only worsen?


    She¡¯s willing to go this far¡­?


    How much did she harden her heart for this? Vernon never imagined the princess was capable of this. And this method of hers¡­ it was somewhat cruel¡­


    However¡­ that thought was terrible to think of the princess, and this must be done.


    But he needed to make sure of something.


    ¡°Your highness, how much of that is within your expectations?¡±


    ¡°...Um¡­¡± she looked down. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t expect it would affect her that much¡­¡±


    Vernon wondered if that was the truth. But there was no way the princess would lie like that. She was never a liar, nor a good one at that.


    But her words brought relief within him.


    ¡°It must have been hard.¡±


    The princess had a remorseful expression.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive me after this¡­¡±


    Vernon himself also wasn¡¯t sure how things would end now. However, there was a need to ask a crucial question.


    ¡°So, your highness, what is your judgement?¡±


    The princess looked at the handkerchief in her hand as the tears had finally stopped.


    ¡°It is not over yet.¡±


    What?


    Was she not satisfied yet?


    Vernon was pitying Mera even more, and he got colder feet hearing the princess say this. Could there be something more within the princess than he ever thought?


    First was the thing with the kitchen and that girl cook now chef, then that action with that knight named Rogan, and now this. Vernon couldn¡¯t understand nor read the princess anymore.


    ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long before news spreads in the palace. Therefore, we¡¯ll only walk there slowly. We can¡¯t afford to wait a whole day, I don¡¯t want to damage and humiliate her further.¡±


    Her manner of talking was the usual princess, however, her words seemed more calculated than Vernon expected to ever hear from the Pure Princess. No, there had been actions that seemed to be calculated if one looked deeply enough. But he couldn¡¯t figure out what the goal specifically was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The princess said as she held her own hands, apparently nervous herself.


    Vernon followed behind her, their speed was awfully slow, way slower than normal walking.


    ¡°Where do you think she will be?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but let¡¯s check the maids¡¯ quarters first.¡±


    They headed towards the maid¡¯s quarters and arrived after a whole lot of several minutes. At his point, Vernon was starting to feel guilty for what he did to that young girl.


    The door was slightly opened and they could hear voices.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± A somewhat panicking voice.


    ¡°Stop panicking Macey, the hell. I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Well, things have been quiet, the knights are surely preparing. They will no doubt take Mera away at any moment.¡±


    When Vernon and the princess approached the door, the former opened it and they saw two additional maids. One was walking around uneasily, while the other was on the bed where a lone girl was sitting down on the floor with her back on the foot of the bed.


    Mera¡­


    Mera, the princess¡¯s personal maid sat there lifelessly. She already looked terribly depressed, as though everything she ever had was all taken away in an instant. Vernon felt even more guilty.


    The additional two maids froze in place the moment they saw the princess. The one on the bed immediately stood up and the one restlessly walking around stood straight with an intensely anxious expression.


    ¡°We greet her highness, the princess.¡±


    The both of them said in unison in a forced tone, which prompted Mera to flinch, but she did not raise her head.


    Then the princess spoke.


    ¡°Leave us two alone for a moment.¡±


    The two maids looked at each other before going out of the room. Vernon glanced at the princess and she nodded at him. Then Vernon left the room and closed the door.


    ***


    It felt like an eternity that she had been sitting on the floor. She had no life to do anything else. She didn¡¯t want to see anyone. She didn¡¯t want to see the world anymore. It truly felt like a long time had passed. Like in a second a day had passed, or a minute felt like a hundred hours or more.


    She thought about her family and how this would impact them. All will fall. Everything she had worked for will be for nothing. But that was not all¡­ her relationship with the princess was severed. She was so hurt about the princess that she struggled to determine the root cause of it, or was she only suppressing the reason and thus she couldn¡¯t find it?


    Her tears had mostly stopped, but her emotion... her heart was still in pieces.


    It was then she heard her two maid friends greet someone. It was the person she never thought would visit her. She never imagined it. But she didn¡¯t look up to look at her, she was afraid.


    She heard footsteps going out of the room and the sound of the door closing. Gentle footsteps came moving towards her, then she heard her voice.


    ¡°Mera.¡±


    A beautiful voice she was accustomed to. But she was afraid to answer the call.


    Then she felt someone kneeling in front of her. A voice closely spoke in front of her.


    ¡°Mera, please look at me.¡±


    Mera trembled.


    ¡°Mera¡­¡±


    She wanted to look at her¡­ and with her repeating call, Mera forced herself to look up. And what she saw first were those familiar and captivating eyes of crimson.


    ¡°M¡­¡± Mera tried to speak, but her throat was dry to even speak all of a sudden. No, she found it hard to speak to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± her lady sounded regretful.


    Then, slowly tears also began to come out of her lady¡¯s eyes, Mera didn¡¯t expect this. She slowly reached out for Mera¡¯s cheek and gently caressed her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said again.


    Then her lady slowly moved closer, and what happened left Mera shocked and confused. The princess wrapped her arms around her tightly. Mera could feel the softness of the princess¡¯s body and her somehow comforting warmth.


    ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡±


    Mera was no longer able to hold it back and tears welled up her eyes. But she couldn¡¯t bring herself to embrace her back.


    However, she forced herself to speak.


    ¡°Milady¡­ I¡­ I am not¡­¡±


    ¡°Not a traitor.¡±


    The princess moved back and came face to face with Mera. She was smiling, full of relief and joy.


    ¡°And no one will be able to say otherwise... But I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    The princess hugged her again.


    ¡°No one will be able to accuse you of such a crime ever again. Everyone will know, everyone will believe. None shall ever doubt you.¡±


    ¡°...M-Milady?¡±


    The princess tightened her embrace.


    ¡°You will no longer be separated from me.¡±


    The princess whispered in her ear that she could even feel her warm breath.


    ¡°W-What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Mera, I am happy, very happy¡­ and I¡¯m sorry, you may not be able to forgive me with this¡­ but¡­¡± the princess paused. ¡°I wanted to know if you¡¯re loyal to me, that you wouldn¡¯t betray me.¡±


    ¡°S-So, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to prove even for myself that you are truly loyal. And with this, I am now sure, and one witness will support that you are not a betrayer. This way, you will be safer.¡±


    Safer?


    That word stuck with Mera.


    She did it for me?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hurt you¡­¡±


    So, she did it so I would no longer be suspected¡­?


    Mera slowly raised up her arms, then slowly wrapped them around the princess. Her tears began to well up once again and her heart was warming up.


    ¡°Milady d-doesn¡¯t hate me?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I want Mera to be by my side.¡±


    Mera¡¯s embrace to her lady involuntarily tightened. It was a warm and wonderful moment. Like a storm had finally passed by and the first light of the sun had finally graced her world once again.


    ¡°Now no one will be able to take you away from me.¡±


    Those words resonated within Mera.


    The princess was afraid for my sake, and so, she¡­


    Mera was glad, so glad that what the princess said that she wanted Mera to stay away was not genuine. In fact, she wanted Mera to stay with her, by her side.


    The princess moved back, her eyes brimming with tears gazed at Mera¡¯s.


    The maid¡¯s heart raced.


    ¡°Mera.¡±


    Estelia softly touched her cheek then asked...


    ¡°Will you stay by my side? Offer me your utmost devotion, and your heart?¡±


    Then Mera spoke with resolve and certainty.


    ¡°Yes, I offer you everything that I am. My loyalty, my heart, and my soul.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next chapter we''ll return to Estelia''s POV

 Chapter 83: Admiration

    Mera can be blinded by admiration.


    At first that was merely an initial theoretical observation, nothing final, however, now I have arrived at that solid conclusion. I have lowered the possibility of Mera being an infiltrator to around 20%.


    There were not many signs that supported the possibility of her being an infiltrator. In addition, her emotions towards me also supported the possibility that she was clean. However, I could not be satisfied by such a thing, especially considering that she¡¯s always near me.


    Therefore, I decided to do a little test.


    One that cannot let Mera get the idea that it was planned, therefore, I must give no hints of my briefing with Vernon. Mera wasn¡¯t stupid. In fact, she was observant and fairly smart, and that was why I was being careful.


    The plan was to let her feel threatened, let the anxiety build up within her. Then when the time was right, I¡¯ll reveal that we knew she was a traitor. If done impressively, it will certainly make the traitor think that her mission had failed. And thus, having no choice, go straight for the primary mission.


    With my performance as the pure princess, everything went well.


    However, if Mera was not a traitor, then everything goes well for me too. I predicted how she would react to my heartbroken and terrified performance. The despair in her eyes, the hopelessness, the heartbreak, I expected it and strived to intensify those.


    Mera became broken inside to the point that Vernon seemed to have felt guilty.


    Regardless, I have another goal in mind.


    If Mera wasn¡¯t a traitor, then she was truly loyal to the crown and kingdom. She wouldn¡¯t do anything against it, after all, she had her family to worry about. In addition, she may even be loyal to me. But I am not satisfied with that. I want something even more.


    Not plain loyalty, and not to the kingdom and the crown.


    I want her utmost devotion to me.


    Me alone. I mean, that would put me at ease even more.


    Thus, I let her wallow in despair for a while longer. However, I deemed that making it way longer would instead have the outcome I didn¡¯t want.


    After breaking her apart, I would rebuild her, recollect the broken fragments, and reform her.


    I saved her.


    Then as I hoped, it ended up as I wanted.


    However, as it happened, it was¡­ way more than I had expected. Her eyes intently stared at me with vast passion as our faces were so close to each other that I almost tried to kiss her just for a little tease.


    But decided not to since it would be weird at that moment. In any case, she offered way more to me, and she was full of conviction while doing it that it almost gave me goosebumps. Nonetheless, it happened the way I wanted it, so all¡¯s good. If she had realized she¡¯s in love with me now, oh well, all¡¯s well if it ends well.


    But let¡¯s not think of it as love, admiration differs from love.


    Then that admiration was what blinded her and offered everything to me.


    Hm¡­. Things like this end up in love though.


    Eh, whatever.


    Oh yeah, long time no see. Forgot to greet you after a long time, how rude of me.


    Anyways, after some alone time with just the two of us, I urged Mera to take the day off and rest while showing my most worried expression. It would seem she was so mentally exhausted that she agreed with not much of a resistance.


    When I left her inside the maids quarters, I saw Vernon with a pair of maids. Seeing how worried they were about Mera earlier, then they may be close to each other at a certain level.


    I approached them and asked them their names. The girl Macey was the one who was rattled the most and very uneasy, while the other named Ellie only seemed confused and appeared to not be that concerned about being accused of colluding with the betrayer.


    I told them that everything was fine now and they had nothing to worry about. Thankfully that these two were the only witnesses, I preferred not to escalate this spectacle for the sake of Mera, so I ordered them to not speak of this to anyone. And if they knew and learned anyone else that saw it, have that person also swear to not spread it to anyone.


    As I was leaving, Macey sighed deeply in relief. While the other, I noticed her eyes lingered towards me as I left. She must be tougher than the other one.


    I might need to ask Mera about those two next time.


    ¡°Your highness, I presume that Mera is alright now, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t hate me because of what I have done.¡±


    ¡°Then her loyalty can go unquestioned now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is my vassal. Tell my father that, but do not disclose what I have done to get to that conclusion.¡±


    ¡°... Your¡­ vassal¡­?¡±


    Well, she is now certainly loyal to me.


    ¡°Or you could just not mention this to my dear father. The choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°I will think about it. But on the good side, there aren''t many witnesses. So I think we can control how information about this goes out.¡±


    ¡°If Macey and Ellie are close friends of Mera, then they would also prefer not to speak to anyone about this.¡±


    And that works excellently for me. I¡¯ll be pissed if it suddenly gets leaked.


    ***


    Next morning, the moment I first saw Mera, she had a bright smile on her face. In her eyes glinted a new light as she looked at me.


    ¡°Are you alright now, Mera?¡± I asked innocently with great worry.


    ¡°Yes, milady. I am completely fine now to serve you.¡±


    I nodded my head happily with a sweet smile at her bright words. When we got out as we were heading for the bath, Vernon confronted Mera the moment he arrived then bowed his head.


    ¡°Mera, I apologize for what happened yesterday.¡±


    My maid was particularly surprised, unexpecting that Vernon would outright apologize. With a dumbstruck face, Mera shook her hands.


    ¡°N-No, I¡­ You had to do it, so I don¡¯t think you need to regret what you did.¡±


    In other words, she was saying there was no need to apologize whatsoever. However, Vernon wasn¡¯t content.


    ¡°Even so, I still feel guilty for what I have done, and I believe an apology is in order.¡±


    It might have felt a bit weird for Mera to see her superior bowing his head and apologizing with regret.


    ¡°Uh, in that case, I forgive you¡­ Sir Vernon.¡±


    With all of that done, I went to take a bath and then breakfast. Everything went the same more or less.


    Oh, I should mention that Rogan didn¡¯t snitch me, so that was great of him. I was thinking of visiting him, but that would just give some hint that I was the one who tipped him. I suppose not anyone could easily think I am the one responsible because I was the pure princess.


    What does a princess like me know of such a dangerous matter?


    Nothing at all. I am not involved in it whatsoever, I don¡¯t have the spirit to do such a thing and do something significant without the knowledge of my family.


    Ahem¡­


    That aside, it would seem my family had no idea about what happened with Mera. Apparently, Vernon decided not to tell my father, and the two maids have kept their mouths shut. Regarding Vernon though, I don¡¯t know what to feel about him hiding crucial information to his superior and no less the King.


    Vernon¡¯s no push over, damn.


    Alright, I am now planning to do my next task. I have noticed strange movements lately, and I have successfully obtained information that may prove useful in the future if things went to the negative side.


    I will need to speak with my brother after I am satisfied with my attack spell.


    I¡¯m getting good, I imagine it may only take two days when I get to act. Firebolt was a scary spell when you have a vast amount of mana. I¡¯m also trying out a new thing I can make with my mana. Then most importantly, I can now use my shields fluently. I could now position it in any direction that I wish, and resize it as I want. Needless to say, it was now way stronger than my first tries. But of course there were some limitations, even though it was pretty annoying.


    Today I practiced my spells and improved them, and I did it for almost a day in the training grounds. I would often need to find some shades to shield myself from the sunlight, but I will need to go out into the sun when I practice my firebolt to fire at the strawmans.


    Tsk, the sun burns.


    What am I now? A vampire?!


    Yeah, well, as pale as I am, of course I¡¯m pretty sensitive in direct contact with sunlight. I could have worn my cloak, but that would just be weird and wouldn¡¯t really feel that comfortable wearing it here in the palace grounds while I¡¯m training.


    Me aside, Mera was pretty motivated to learn and train her magic and had shown decent progress today. Good Mera! Good! You might become a good shield for me or something, or a distraction for me to get the kill. Whatever use will be appreciated!


    Did I just sound heartless in your ears? Well, what are you so surprised about?


    Mera was loyal to me and I¡¯ll value her, however, there will just be times when you just have to decide and use what you could use.


    Wouldn¡¯t you use a hammer to a nail? Or wrenches to tighten bolts?


    Okay, if you¡¯re worried, I¡¯ll still take care of her, okay? Loyalty is not easy to come by. Put value on what is valuable.


    After a day¡¯s training, right about late afternoon, I took a bath since I was sweating way more than Mera did. Hell, Mera didn¡¯t even sweat that much in the heat. My body was just really built differently. But doesn''t that just make me more precious?


    Then, we returned to my room.


    ¡°Mera, retrieve refreshments please. An orange juice would suffice. Get for two.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± she asked, puzzled.


    ¡°One for me, and one for you.¡±


    ¡°For me¡­?¡±


    ¡°What? I want to spend some time with you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her eyes went wide as her cheeks flushed red. Then with a lowered head as she avoided my gaze, she complied with my order and then returned with refreshments for two on glasses with a few cookies.


    ¡°Come sit down.¡±


    I pointed at the chair on the other side of the table. Mera sat down with hesitation, fidgeting after doing so because of uneasiness. How amusing as always.


    Then we enjoyed a leisurely time together.


    ***


    Night time, the windows closed and curtains loose, covering the view of the outside. I sat at the side of the bed as my palm held out before me. A crimson flat hexagon floated above it, then I made it move around my arm. Impressively, I did it so casually, not even breaking a sweat.


    This was the same Palm Shield spell, I only changed it to my choosing. Listen, the palm shield was not a fixed shape, therefore, I am free to shape this barrier as I liked. I can make it a circle, a box, oblong, or any shape. I can even make it in the shape of a chopstick.


    I spread out my fingers and let the small crimson hexagon go between my fingers. I then tried to change its shape akin to a knife, and it did. However, I discovered there was a downside to this. I couldn¡¯t easily cut something.


    This spell¡¯s purpose was to repel, not attack, therefore, I could try stabbing someone with it, however, a lot more effort will be required. If that¡¯s the case, then using a real blade would be way better.


    The crimson construct vanished as I wished it to be, then I folded all my fingers except for the index one. I controlled my mana carefully, then a tiny ball of flame appeared atop the tip of my finger.


    When I was done with it, I dispelled the spell then as I was about to try my experimental spell, I had a strange feeling. Thus I instantly turned to look at the window. With focused eyes I glared at the window.


    I sensed something, it was like someone was watching me.


    Not letting it pass, I rushed to my window and swept away the curtains and looked through the glass. However, there was nothing.


    That being said, I doubt I was mistaken. Whatever could that feeling be, it could be real for all I know, someone must have indeed tried to watch me.


    I moved my face closer to the glass window, then observed every detail that I could see.


    But I saw nothing.


    I raised my head upward, then sighed deeply.


    Seriously, this feeling better not disturb my beautiful slumber.


    I hate being interrupted from my sleep. Sleeping after all was a great thing. I mean, who would hate sleeping? Sleeping is the best there is!


    I returned the curtains to how they were and sat back down on the bed. I had changed my mind on trying out the last spell I was about to try out, it works well anyway. I¡¯m just going to shift to an important practice for now ¡ª just returning an old skill, I have been doing it recently away from anyone''s eyes.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    I cleared my throat and pressed my fingers on my throat gently.


    ¡°Aaaah. Aaaah.¡±


    I deepened my voice and changed some things, but it hurts my throat.


    ¡°Ah-Eh-Oh.¡±


    This will indeed take a while.


    After plenty of time had passed when I was satisfied with my progress after a time of practice, I laid down on the bed, a single lamp lighting up my room. I covered myself in my sheets and closed my eyes.


    In the end, I wasn¡¯t disturbed in my sleep.

 Chapter 84: Will You Save Me?

    The strawman was burned asunder after my fire spell hit it, sending small gusts of wind upon impact sending dusts in the air. This spell can blast off a normal human being a few meters away as they burn.


    This was all I could manage, any more and I would begin to feel uncomfortable. No matter, I will have Vernon by my side when it comes, he will be my guard. Just like what happened with Mera. If Mera had tried to kill me in the bathroom, I would instantly call upon Vernon and let him handle it.


    Truth be told, when it happened, I was surprised by how quick he acted. I imagine because of his physical enhancements, his legs performed way beyond human limits.


    As I watched the strawman turn to ash, there was clapping sounding beside me.


    ¡°Amazing, milady.¡±


    I turned to face Mera who was clapping in praise of my efforts.


    ¡°Thank you, Mera.¡±


    I decided to rest a little and headed towards the shade of a tree. I¡¯m starting to hate the sun now¡­ I¡¯m joking.


    ¡°I think I have reached a satisfying line for this spell.¡±


    ¡°Should we move on to another spell then?¡± Vernon asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°No, not yet. I have other things to do.¡±


    I innocently lowered my head.


    ¡°Milady, may I ask what that would be?¡±


    I rubbed my hands together as I appeared to be anxious about something.


    ¡°An infiltrator that threatens me has yet to be found¡­¡±


    ¡°Milady, is the infiltrator really targeting you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Or perhaps the royal family also.¡±


    I was the only one warned, but it was never certain that my family would be safe. Better safe than sorry. I don¡¯t want all of the family to die and leave me the burden of being a Queen ¡ª if I alone survive. I mean, I didn¡¯t get to do much yet, so it would suck that I would be crowned as Queen all of a sudden.


    ¡°But, is that information true I wonder?¡± Vernon asked.


    I sighed.


    ¡°Vernon, has Father told you how we received that information?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure you know the lengths Father took, I heard he even had the church involved.¡±


    ¡°I am informed that yes, frequent reports are also delivered directly to his majesty, and are only for his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Then, it is apparent that they take this seriously¡­¡± I paused as I hesitated. ¡°I¡­ I was directly warned by someone¡­ and the way he was, he couldn¡¯t be taken lightly.¡±


    Only then did I think of something.


    Maybe Vernon had an idea?


    Vernon was an adventurer, and he had travelled far and wide all over the content. Maybe, just maybe he had heard of it.


    ¡°Vernon, do you know of the term Princess of Blood?¡±


    I looked at his eyes only to realize that he didn¡¯t know as his eyes hinted at cluelessness.


    ¡°... What an interesting term¡­ But I have never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Even a former adventurer such as yourself doesn''t know¡­ What about you Mera?¡±


    Mera shook her head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid I have not heard of it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I paused as though disappointed. ¡°If you two ever learn something that has to do with that term, please tell me.¡±


    They both agreed.


    ¡°Now then, let us rest for a moment.¡±


    I kneeled down on the grass, a cool sensation touched my senses, so comfortable. A pleased smile formed on my lips as I noticed Mera and Vernon were still standing.


    ¡°What are you both waiting for?¡±


    I patted on the ground on both my side, beckoning them to sit down beside me. Mera was the first to act, although appearing hesitant while doing so.


    Vernon watched Mera follow my command, then sat down on the other side of me with a sigh.


    ¡°This is unnecessary.¡±


    He said that. Well, it must be weird casually sitting down with a couple of young girls as though they were on a picnic. People might mistake us for being his granddaughters, which was quite hilarious when you think about it.


    ¡°I will be relying on your strength once again, Vernon, when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you soon. I still need to talk with my brother.¡±


    ¡°Your brother¡­? Princess, don¡¯t tell me your ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    I gazed up at the sky with a solemn look.


    ¡°You know, this¡­ is tiring.¡±


    Indeed, having to worry about such things was tiring. I have already had a tense life in the former life, I just want to be carefree in this life. But these problems denied me of that.


    ¡°Once this is over, I will go beyond the walls and see the world.¡±


    I am curious. I want to walk around, discover, there are a lot of things to see in this brand new world, it would be a waste not to do anything.


    ¡°If that is the case, your highness, then I suggest you hurry.¡±


    I turned to look at Vernon.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You are a princess¡­ royalty doesn¡¯t really have the luxury to do anything as they become older, and much more a woman. You will need to find a man to marry.¡±


    I frowned. That made sense, every aristocrat needed to have a partner. If one never finds a partner, then good luck with your social life. Perhaps for males, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, but for women, finding a partner is essential, age after all deteriorates our beauty, and an heir is necessary. Though I doubt my beauty would die out that easily.


    Guess I¡¯m running away for a while?


    I should take that into consideration.


    The kingdom would surely go into an uproar, but I don¡¯t care. I will be free as a bird.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.¡±


    ¡°But it will be hard to find someone worthy of milady,¡± Mera said out of the blue.


    Mera really holds me in high regard. And why did she have a subtle displeased expression I just saw?


    ¡°It is not about being worthy, it is about what is necessary. But, if the kingdom¡¯s relationship with the Myra Kingdom in the northeast turns for the better, then I imagine you can find an ideal partner there.¡±


    The kingdom of chivalry, huh. Going to other countries was on the bucket list. But I¡¯m more interested in the Valaies holy kingdom though. Religious countries might be more peaceful compared to a country of fighters.


    As for the Tornridge Empire, yeah fuck that. Too risky for a princess like me.


    ¡°The princes there I heard are quite exceptional,¡± Vernon added.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Even so, I will not be queen anyways. So no rush is needed in finding a partner.¡±


    ¡°Your highness, why don¡¯t you become queen?¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to ask, Vernon? My brothers are worthier of the throne than I.¡±


    ¡°But, what if you are given the chance?¡±


    No way, being queen is such a pain in the ass.


    ¡°I am not skillful enough to handle the work the throne gives. The kingdom needs someone better than me.¡±


    Vernon stared at me intently for a moment.


    ¡°If you say so...¡±


    ¡°Those aside, the infiltrators will need to be taken care of so I can sleep peacefully at night.¡±


    Plus, I think I can have at least 10 years without worrying about marriage. So perhaps, I might even decide not to run away.


    But if I do, where am I even going to run? I don¡¯t know shit about this world, so better familiarize myself with it before doing something so daring.


    ***


    The porcelain plate clang as I gently sliced a piece of meat on my meal. The juice deliciously came out while a sweet fragrance came to my nose. I chewed the food and a pleased smile formed on my lips, how wonderful. Sometimes I¡¯m just impressed by how people present the dishes.


    Maybe I am underestimating this world¡¯s culinary arts.


    Well, I don¡¯t particularly have any good impression towards the medieval era back in my old world and I brought that impression here. Can¡¯t blame me when I¡¯m used to modern stuff.


    That said, the food in this world needs some more work, no one can beat the fine stuff from Earth, but this world is almost there. Maybe five steps away.


    As for technology, it would have been nice to have guns, but I can''t really cry about it when you have fucking magic! Woah wait, can magic replicate a nuke? Not the radiation side of it, that¡¯s fucking nasty. I mean, you know how fucked up you can get once you get exposed to radiation, right? That shit sends shivers down my spine.


    What I meant was replicating the power of a nuke. Now that would be nice, but I suppose it will need a vast amount of mana to achieve the level of the first ever nuke.


    Can I do it?


    Yeaaaah, I have no idea. Nuke is powered by science, and might become simpler once people can understand how it works. But for magic, replicating the power of a nuke? Eh, who knows, but there¡¯s a chance.


    But nuke like things are nasty. With magic, killing might become more beautiful than how nukes do it. Nukes are tasteless.


    Oh wow, look at my opinion.


    Back to the topic of food. With how good Allie was, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get to improve the food in this kingdom even more.


    How talented my subordinates are.


    ¡°Father, has Rogan confessed to you yet?¡±


    As I was enjoying my food and wallowing myself in my thoughts, Estevan suddenly asked that.


    My father chuckled.


    ¡°Hahaha, that one¡¯s tough, I tell you that, he wouldn¡¯t even tell me.¡±


    Holy shit! F-Father interrogated Rogan?! Vernon, why didn¡¯t you tell me?!


    That was dangerous.


    If I¡¯m exposed, will I get punished? Uwah, don¡¯t want that.


    ¡°Rogan that rascal¡­ even after all interrogation of his higher ups, then by the king¡­ I can¡¯t believe he still wouldn¡¯t talk,¡± Estevan said.


    ¡°Well, he said he will not say anything for the sake of the person. Who that person is, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Aaaw, how sweet of Rogan.


    You have my adoration!


    But I should say, Rogan is one tough nut to crack.


    ¡°Still, as rumors had already begun circulating, what he did was not that great of a problem. No need to force him.¡±


    But Father, you could have forced him if you want to. Father¡¯s kind, but I didn¡¯t think he would be this kind.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Damn, I really need to act quickly.


    ¡°Ah, this reminds me, I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow for the Church.¡±


    ¡°Any great news?¡±


    ¡°Just something I need to address personally.¡±


    What? Tomorrow? Shit, and I¡¯m planning to start moving tomorrow. It will be risky to delay any further.


    I don¡¯t want to be exposed just yet that I shared the information. Anyone could kidnap Rogan and squeeze the answer out of him. No matter how tough he was, everyone cracks. That being said, Rogan¡¯s strong and can defend himself sooo....


    But I suppose we have other knights to make up for Father¡¯s absence, just in case. And Estevan should be almost of Father¡¯s strength, while I also have Vernon, so I should be safe, and not to mention the knights were here too.


    Plus, that guy seemed to be starting to act impatient, sauntering around the palace, that¡¯s suspicious as fuck. I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied till I¡¯m sure that guy¡¯s clear.


    ¡°Very well, Father. Please tell me the news once you arrive,¡± Estevan said.


    The church, huh.


    I should check out the church some time.


    Then our dinner was finished. My family left one by one after some goodnights.


    I got out first and regrouped with Vernon and Mera and waited for someone to come out.


    When Estevan came out, I rushed to his side and reached for his hand.


    ¡°Woah, sister.¡±


    He looked at me with surprise, however I failed to not notice the pleased smile on his face.


    ¡°B-Brother,¡± I said meekly as I lowered my head to avoid his gaze. ¡°Please escort me to my room.¡±


    ¡°Now this is sudden, but sure. You miss me or something?¡±


    He patted my head gently as I nodded my head.


    ¡°You have been too busy, and I have my magic training, we didn¡¯t have much time to speak.¡±


    ¡°Really now? Alright, I¡¯ll grant the wish of my beloved sister.¡±


    My expression brightened as I looked at my brother with gratefulness.


    ¡°Yehey! Oh,¡± I moved closer to his ear and whispered after ensuring that there were no other harmful elements around. ¡°I have important things to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ then I¡¯ll listen¡­¡± he quietly said to me. ¡°But why are we whispering?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a secret,¡± I giggled adorably as I gently pulled him.


    As we walked together, Mera and Vernon followed behind us.


    ¡°Hmm~¡±


    I hummed joyfully as I took a hold of my lovely brother¡¯s arm. He seemed amused by my actions judging from his wide grin.


    I too enjoyed this moment, hard to explain, but¡­ I feel a slight warmth in my chest. Because of this realization, my superficial humming lessened in volume and slightly wavered, however, I forced myself to go on.


    Then a moment later, we arrived at my room. I opened the door for him and invited him inside, like a woman inviting a man to her be¡ª okay fuck, I¡¯m kidding¡­ don¡¯t get your heads turning now.


    ¡°Come inside, brother.¡±


    I said with a relaxed smile and watched him enter casually. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t act all shy entering a lady¡¯s room, no less his cute sister.


    When my brother entered, I gave orders to my servants.


    ¡°Stand watch.¡±


    After they acknowledged, I closed and locked the door.


    ¡°Please sit, big brother.¡±


    I indicated the spot where I always have my tea or desserts. As Estevan sat down with nonchalance, he asked me.


    ¡°So, what is this about? Quite secretive.¡±


    ¡°Something important,¡± I said as I sat down opposite him with a faint smile. ¡°About my situation.¡±


    His right eyebrow rose up.


    ¡°Your situation?¡±


    ¡°.... Brother, I am the target of our unknown enemies, yes?¡±


    ¡°... Y-Yeah.¡±


    His voice stuttered as he realized the serious topic. I looked down timidly.


    ¡°I believe it is certain, yes? After all, the Princess of Blood¡­ thing¡­¡±


    ¡°...... Yes, we also take it as certain.¡±


    ¡°There are surely betrayer among our ranks. And, I have cleared my two personal servants, Mera and Vernon, of any suspicions, so you have no need to suspect them.¡±


    Estevan furrowed his brows in disbelief.


    ¡°You concluded that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you can trust me on that.¡±


    He might still be wondering how I reached that conclusion.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll trust you on that.¡±


    He said with certainty. I already expected he would easily believe me, as he would easily believe those that were close to him.


    ¡°But, what about you, dear brother?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°Are you still certain of those servants close to you, specifically Oryn.¡±


    ¡°I have already answered you that, I don¡¯t believe he is a betrayer.¡±


    Not a betrayer, huh. You know, I¡¯ve been thinking, I often refer to the opposition as betrayer, and often an infiltrator. It was a bit difficult to choose the correct term to use. What makes someone a betrayer or an infiltrator is a matter of perspective.


    In our eyes for instance, we can see them as betrayers, or traitors. But for the enemies, they were never on your side to begin with, so the word traitor is less fitting, and the word infiltrator was more proper.


    If an ally suddenly changed sides, then he can be called a traitor. But if our enemy was an enemy in the first place, then he can be called an infiltrator. In a subjective thought, maybe both traitor and infiltrator can be used.


    In the end though, they are enemies to be exterminated.


    ¡°Is that so¡­? Have you noticed anything weird or strange about him lately?¡±


    He thought.


    ¡°No, there was nothing strange.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But he has been going around the palace lately, and I mean like patrolling around the palace.¡±


    I have often seen glimpses of him walking around. And the moment I truly encountered him was when I was going back to my room. The impression he gave to me was that he was snooping around.


    ¡°Has he mentioned that to you?¡±


    ¡°... No, no he has not.¡±


    My brother was getting uneasy.


    ¡°Surely this is nothing to worry about dear sister.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ He did say he was figuring out how to enhance our security.¡±


    My brother chuckled.


    ¡°See? Nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°You look like you only learned of this now.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, I only learned of this now¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that is strange, it has been a few days since I spoke to him.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he has yet to suggest anything?¡±


    Well, Oryn did somewhat mention he would only tell the prince when there was something to be improved upon.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°Perhaps. But not even mentioning it to you ever, is quite a failure on his part. However, let¡¯s see it from another perspective, dear brother. See it with the eyes of the opposition.¡±


    He pondered as he lowered his eyes.


    ¡°To know the holes of our security and prepare for it?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But this is ridiculous, Estel.¡±


    Oh, he used my name?


    He never used my name in this meeting until now. He must be getting restless and agitated.


    ¡°He has been working for the crown, for me, for several years now.¡±


    ¡°Was that a few years after my birth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s a long time ago. He has been devoted ever since. Suspecting him is just¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand you, dear brother¡­ So, I have a suggestion. If he is indeed not an infiltrator then you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Brother, I will need your cooperation in this.¡±


    He looked away with a clenched fist.


    ¡°Dear brother, will you help me?¡±


    ¡°....... Of course¡­¡± After a moment of delay, he finally responded.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ But I have a question before anything else.¡±


    I paused as he returned to look me in the eyes. With a tender gaze, I asked him in a low voice.


    ¡°Even if your dearest friend is the enemy, will you save me? Will you not hesitate to rid me of those who threaten me? No matter who they are?¡±


    He pursed his lips as though he was hurt that he was being asked such an obvious question.


    ¡°Of course I would. I¡¯ll save you from anyone, and I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    He said that, however, I couldn¡¯t put a lot of trust in those words.


    People, after all, tend to do otherwise of what they say.

 Chapter 85: The Deceitful Princess (Part 1)

    Oryn was first to arrive as usual in Prince Estevan¡¯s office. There were documents that he had placed on the table and arranged, from people to remember and others to be reconsidered later. However, as expected, most of the results of their efforts ended up in suspicious activities by nobles and not much about within the palace.


    He was a bit more stressed now to be honest, but he was not one to complain as this would be expected in this kind of job. Not to mention he was serving a prince. Truth be told, his work should have always been like this, but he got it too easy.


    Reason was that Prince Estevan was more into knighthood, so there was not much to assist him with within his job. Oryn was even often stuck cleaning since the prince was constantly with the knights.


    He imagined if he was the assistant of the eldest prince, he might always have had a hard time. The image of the stressed out assistant of the eldest prince came to his mind, it was a bit hilarious honestly. But Oryn could only watch him with empathy, as diplomatically focused that prince was, it was easy to imagine how much that fellow assistant of his has to work with. Perhaps he was lucky to have this job, in the end.


    In contrast, his patrol within the palace was always in his mind and only added to his workload.


    It was only then that the door opened and came inside the prince that he served.


    ¡°Good morning, your highness,¡± Oryn greeted him with a bow.


    ¡°Hey, these had already been organized I believe?¡±


    ¡°Of course, your highness. I¡¯m sure you will have no problem following the paperwork at all.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that¡­'''' he faintly chuckled. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t stay here long. To be precise, I won¡¯t stay the entire morning.¡±


    ¡°May I ask why?¡±


    ¡°It has been a while since I¡¯ve been with the knights, I need to check on them thoroughly every once and a while.¡±


    Oryn heaved a long sigh. Somehow, he felt some ulterior motive in what the prince was planning to do. He had somewhat anticipated something like this would happen.


    ¡°Your highness, please don¡¯t escape from your task which consists of papers.¡±


    The prince scoffed as he sat down on his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to escape. I¡¯m being serious.¡±


    Oryn sighed again in resignation.


    ¡°Whatever you say then, your highness.¡±


    The prince then went on to review the papers.


    ¡°Better show this to Father when he comes back, he¡¯ll decide what to do with these stubborn nobles.¡±


    Oryn then remembered something after what he heard from the prince.


    ¡°Which reminds me, the King is departing the palace today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What sort of problem would require the personal time of his Majesty?¡±


    ¡°.... Mm, he said he¡¯s going to the Church.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The church, huh.


    Oryn heard they have been quite active lately.


    Maybe they have caught onto something.


    Something that involves the entire kingdom and something that requires the attention of the King. Whatever it may be, it must be no means small.


    Then more than half an hour passed, and the prince stood up from his chair with a sigh.


    ¡°Now then, I have to go. Take care of the office while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    The prince must be quite happy to have been free from paperwork evident from the slight smile on his face. That said, the way he said those words lacked the energy Oryn expected from Estevan, especially that he was returning to the knights for a while.


    But it may be just his imagination.


    ¡°Understood, your highness.¡±


    When the prince had left, Oryn let out a heavy sigh and sat down on the couch and leaned back. There was nothing else to take care of here, and there was nothing left to do with the papers. The room was also already clean.


    Therefore, he only sat down, but there were some things in his mind.


    He thought about what he wanted to do, but it was harder to carry out as he expected. There were just some obstacles that obstructed his goals and his piling anxiety. That anxiety of his, anyone could understand if they empathize with him.


    He rapped his finger on the couch, pondering on how he should proceed. His heart couldn¡¯t keep waiting anymore, and touching his ears only made him more restless. The pain as they were cut off was still clear in his memories. How could he forget?


    As he fell into his thoughts, about half an hour had passed and there was a knock on the door.


    For some reason, he already had an idea who that could be. There was no one else he could think from the top of his head that would come here and would knock that gentle.


    ¡°Excuse me, brother?¡±


    And as he had guessed, it was indeed the princess. However, it would seem that she didn¡¯t know that his brother was leaving for the knights. Oryn proceeded to open the door.


    ¡°Ah, Oryn,¡± she took a peek past Vernon in search of her brother. ¡°Big brother is not here?¡±


    She asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she looked at Vernon with her wide red eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    Oryn looked behind the princess and saw the old man named Vernon, who was supposed to be one of the King¡¯s attendants. Then strangely, the maid was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°I see¡­ In this case, I¡¯ll help my brother then, may I?¡±


    Oryn had no reason to deny her.


    ¡°Of course, your highness.¡±


    As the princess entered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to enter Vernon, I¡¯ll be fine here with Oryn. Besides, there is nothing else for you to do here.¡±


    Vernon looked at the princess then to Oryn, then with a hesitant nod, he agreed.


    ¡°As you wish, your highness.¡±


    Oryn was surprised by the princess¡¯s decision, she would normally let her servants inside. Granted, they have nothing else to do but stand around.


    In addition to that, the princess seemed to have become comfortable with Oryn, and thus her decision.


    As the door closed, Oryn decided to ask a question.


    ¡°Your maid is not around, your highness?¡±


    ¡°No, she asked to have a day off to rest. Well, she had been training with me and adding to that her duties as a maid, I¡¯m sure it must have worn her out.¡±


    She said so as she sat down on the chair in front of the desk.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°By the way, where did Brother go? He never said anything to me.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ he wanted to visit the knights'' order.¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­¡± the princess looked sad.


    ¡°You have just missed him.¡±


    ¡°A shame¡­ But I suppose Brother is busy, so it is to be expected that I wouldn¡¯t see him much anymore.¡±


    The princess went on to scan the papers on the table.


    ¡°Slavery? Disputes, feuds? And¡­¡±


    She was stunned by the information she had just absorbed. Disbelief was painted all over her eyes.


    ¡°Nobles are capable of these?¡± she asked in a shaky tone.


    ¡°Yes, that is how the world truly is beyond the palace.¡±


    ¡°... What are the punishments?¡±


    ¡°Well, the family members proven to be involved will be stripped of their noble rank and be imprisoned or just penalized. It will depend on the amount of evil deeds they have done.¡±


    ¡°Who will judge them?¡±


    ¡°Mostly the Ministry of Internal Affairs would handle it, and sometimes the King himself depending on the situation. But in the end, the King will sign the final decision.¡±


    ¡°I see. Has Father seen these?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Oryn looked at the door then returned to the princess. He watched as the princess immersed herself in the paperwork writing down on a sheet of paper. She was clueless and defenseless.


    A few minutes passed by and Oryn looked at the door once again. It would appear that no one else was coming in.


    He placed his right hand behind him and curled his fingers as he looked at the princess. A faint wind gathered up in his palm as he slowly stepped forward, gradually closing in on the princess.


    The princess had no worries whatsoever as a smile played on her lips as she read the documents.


    Then the princess was now within his arm¡¯s reach. Oryn¡¯s heart raced as he proceeded to take out his hand forward. But that was when the princess lowered the paper as a question emerged from her lips. A question no one in this world would expect to be asked here.


    ¡°Oryn, are you an elf?¡±


    What¡­?


    Oryn¡¯s face contorted into utter surprise, and the princess turned to look at him with a sweet smile.

 Chapter 86: The Deceitful Princess (Part 2)

    Oryn had watched the princess for several years now after a few years of her birth. He knew very well what the prophecy foretold and it cannot be left alone unobserved considering its contents. Thus, someone had to go into the human kingdom and closely watch the girl with white hair and crimson eyes.


    However, they couldn¡¯t risk being seen by the humans, especially that they were different. In addition, there were not many species in the Mystic Race that could infiltrate the palace where the princess resides.


    For the exception of elves whose ears are what only made them blatantly different from humans. However, they couldn¡¯t simply walk in with their long and pointy ears. If they wanted someone to watch the princess closely, someone had to get inside.


    But no one was willing to cut off their ears that were part of their very being, what made them an elf. With the exception of Oryn who was so anxious about the prophecy that he wanted to closely watch the opposition.


    And thus, Oryn made a hard decision and cut off the pointiness of both his ears. He could still clearly feel the pain as a main characteristic of his species was removed from his body.


    Then as a choice, to remember what he truly was, he kept his true name as he infiltrated the palace. It took a lot of effort to climb up the ladder until he became the second prince¡¯s assistant. He had interacted with a lot of humans and even made ¡®friends¡¯ with them. However, he felt nothing for them.


    Humans after all were insignificant, they were weaklings in general, inferior lifeforms. Unblessed by the gods. All his focus was pointed only towards one girl.


    At first she was but a toddler, a harmless being, no one could think that she would be the cause of his race¡¯s annihilation. There had always been the option to kill her while she was but a child, however, they all decided to leave her be. Her death after all, was also predetermined by prophecy, by fate. It was best to leave her be and await her death.


    Then she grew older and her beauty also became greater. But her utter innocence remained which only annoyed Oryn more. How could a dangerous girl be so innocent? For some time he began to doubt that what the prophecy foretold would even happen, but he didn¡¯t falter.


    Now that he thought about it, she was starting to resemble someone, from the story about the Goddess of Blood. Or otherwise known as the River of Life. However, she was also known by another name that would tell her rank amongst the gods, it was the Ruling Deity of Blood. That being said, she was not a god looked fondly by the Mystic Race for certain reasons.


    Then came the day foretold in the prophecy that would be her death. Fate was also assisted by the Elf Ambassador, Lieren, with her fate altering power at a cost of her own, and so it was completely certain that the princess would die.


    With fate pressing into her, the princess fell down the stairs, a deadly fall it was supposed to be. However, bafflingly, shockingly, and unbelievably, the princess survived.


    Impossible. Utterly impossible. The prophecies were absolute as was proven by those before. No one can escape them. Then how? Why? Why did the princess survive?


    Oryn couldn¡¯t accept it. It was completely unexpected. True the prophecy did somewhat sound inconsistent, however, everything that is told happens. And death was irreversible, the prophecy told of her death first before about the mystic race. Therefore, she should have died, resurrection was utterly impossible in this world.


    But in the end, she still survived.


    Thus, they became wary. They wanted to assassinate her directly, however, something changed the prophecy. That must absolutely not be underestimated.


    They, even Oryn, could think of one that could possibly change the prophecy.


    That was a god.


    Only a god could change something like this. In other words, the princess was under the protection of a god, or perhaps gods. It was impossible to be the Deity of Blood. If not the lady, then could it be the lord? No, that was also impossible.


    Then who could do it? Which god? They were all clueless. They knew all the gods with power to the prophecy, but they were all on the sides of the Mystic Race. In addition, they were among the highest in the hierarchy of gods, and no other lower gods would dare go against them.


    But Oryn and the others couldn¡¯t arrive at an answer. Therefore, they decided to watch for a while, and be very careful. A being in the level of a god was to be incredibly wary of.


    Then Oryn became uneasy when the princess decided to learn magic. It was surprising that she decided to learn magic when she didn¡¯t show any interest in anything except being alone.


    Then everything became tense when information about a traitor spread throughout the palace. Oryn was restless and uneasy about it, it was like a fog gathering around him and slowly approaching to choke him. He didn¡¯t know how that information started, but he felt threatened.


    So threatened. Time seemed to be running low. However, he decided to calm down. They wouldn¡¯t easily pinpoint it was Oryn. There was nothing that could lead to him being exposed as an infiltrator.


    So he calmed down. However, a growing anxiety was still within him.


    Then came the time the princess spoke to him, and her words stuck to him.


    He forced himself to shove aside his fears, and push away the anxiety.


    Time was running out. It would only get worse, now that the princess was learning magic. He must carry out his duty. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter, the most important thing was to kill the princess, even if a being may strike him down after doing so, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    So he scouted the palace, searching for weak spots and thinking of how he should kill the princess. But it wasn¡¯t easy, she was strictly protected.


    He thought about coming into her room from the outside at night. However, the annoying Cursed Children were all around her during the night when their dark fog couldn¡¯t easily be seen. It was impossible to kill her that way, the Cursed Children were too much for him to handle alone.


    And from within the palace, it was too difficult with all the guards.


    However, there was another easier way. That was to wait for the princess to approach him. The princess always thinks about her brother, and she has been visiting the prince¡¯s office frequently. But he had to be wary of Vernon. In contrast, there would be another chance outside the office, but it was rare.


    Then the opportunity came, the princess came to the prince¡¯s office with Vernon alone. When she was inside by her lonesome, he only needed to wait until she lowered her guard. But Oryn didn¡¯t need to be careful of that.


    The princess was clueless and naive. She was not a direct threat to him. It would be easy to kill her once unguarded.


    And so, he took the chance.


    With the power of the wind gathering in his hand, he prepared to strike. But before he could, the princess asked a question that he never expected.


    ¡°Oryn, are you an elf?¡±


    Oryn froze with a surprised expression.


    What?


    Why did she suddenly ask that? Elves were merely myths in the world of humans, and it was not commonly talked about. So, what was baffling of all, why did the princess specifically ask that to him?


    ¡°You¡¯re surprised, and unable to answer. In that case, you are one, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Oryn was speechless. As elves were only myths, everyone didn''t believe they existed. And the way the princess sounded certain, it was as though she believed they existed, and certain the Oryn was one.


    He suddenly felt chills.


    ¡°And you were just about to kill me.¡±


    Oryn took a deep breath. There was nothing to fear from the princess. With that thought in mind, he swung his hand upward unleashing a gust of sharp wind towards the princess. This will be a quick death, even the princess wouldn¡¯t even be able to react to an attack this fast and sudden.


    And so, the attack hit the princess. However, there was no blood that splattered in the air. Oryn¡¯s eyes went wide upon seeing a crimson barrier covering the front of the princess. Oryn was familiar with this spell, however, the princess¡­ she didn¡¯t even have her hand raised.


    There could theoretically be a way to not cast the shield without holding out one¡¯s palm. However, they would need to have exceptional control of mana.


    But it''s impossible that she would be able to do it in such a short time?!


    Even knights will find it difficult, then no less should a useless princess.


    The princess winced as she held out her shield, then she shouted.


    ¡°Vernon!¡±


    At that instant, the door blasted open. However, as powerful and skillful Oryn was, he was able to control the wind as some sort of small barrier in front of him and raise his arms to protect his face where Vernon was aiming at.


    With that, he was sent flying towards the wall, prompting Oryn to groan in pain.


    Vernon immediately went between the princess and Oryn.


    ¡°Wind? Magic? Oryn, you never even mentioned you could do such a thing. And trying to strike the princess. You are a betrayer then.¡±


    As Oryn returned standing on the floor, he gathered the wind around him.


    ¡°You are nothing, Vernon. Stand aside and you will live.¡±


    Oryn sternly said towards him with a fierce glare.


    ¡°Hm, you say that but I just sent you flying.


    Indeed, however, in the end, Oryn was not hurt from Vernon¡¯s attack. Vernon saw that and was on highest guard as he positioned his one foot forward.


    Oryn was also on guard, yes, however, he knew Vernon stood no chance against him. He moved his gaze towards the princess behind Vernon, her eyes were wide with fear. It was unexpected that the princess was able to guard herself against his attack, but it won¡¯t happen again, this time, he¡¯ll give his all in a strike to kill her.


    What he only needed to do was take Vernon away from the princess.


    As Oryn was about to strike again, he heard footsteps and immediately raised his hand while covered in sharp winds, a sword then collided with his wind. He glared towards the newcomer.


    ¡°Oryn! What the hell!?¡±


    It was the prince he served.


    ¡°O prince, so you never went to the knights?¡±


    The prince was apparently confused as he stared intently towards Oryn.


    ¡°Why?! Since when?!¡± He sounded like he was in pain.


    But Oryn didn¡¯t care about this human¡¯s emotions.


    Oryn used his other hand to launch a harmful wind towards him, but Estevan saw this and stepped back while a barrier emerged from his palm which shielded him. Immediately, the prince shot forward and swung his sword but clashed with Oryn¡¯s wind.


    The prince¡¯s refined swordsmanship was keeping up with Oryn¡¯s wind as the latter used both his hands to deflect the prince¡¯s every strike. Estevan cast his armament magic sending streaks of flashing slashes with every strike, but those were in turn blocked by Oryn¡¯s magic.


    Oryn grimaced by the intensity of this clash as strong winds blew away papers all around the room, then all of a sudden he saw Vernon charging towards him.


    The bludgeoning fist of Vernon pushed him back but luckily, Oryn regained his footing. However, the prince¡¯s blade had reached him. It was about to pierce him. However, all of a sudden, the prince¡¯s blade slowed down.


    He hesitated!


    Seeing this opportunity, Oryn used more of his mana and with a wave of his hand, a blast of wind erupted sending both his opponents flying away from him. The furniture was also blown away, the windows blasted away outside.


    Estevan, what an idiot.


    As Oryn was about to attack the princess, Vernon suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Princess, run!¡±


    The princess looked rattled as she looked between Vernon and her brother standing up, but then proceeded to run out of the door.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape!¡± Oryn shouted.


    With the support of the wind, he moved forward in fast speed, however, before he could reach her, a kick from Vernon hit him on the stomach pushing him back with a wince.


    These two are indeed stronger than normal humans.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you get past me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Estel.¡±


    Vernon and Estevan said as they both blocked the door. No good, the princess was slowly getting away. Oryn didn¡¯t want any more knights coming. It would be hard to try and kill them here.


    Therefore, he decided to only hold them back. However, he would need to maintain the wind and would thus consume his mana every second. In addition, he would weaken. Even so, he need not a lot of strength to kill the feeble princess.


    Oryn clenched his fists and launched forward. He evaded Vernon¡¯s fist and blocked Estevan¡¯s sword. At that moment, he gathered the wind and blasted them away with sharp winds. It left cuts on their arms and torso, but it didn¡¯t do any fatal damage as expected from two combatants.


    Immediately after blasting them away and before they could touch the ground, Oryn pulled them with great force using the wind, causing his two opponents to collide with each other.


    As expected, these two would be hard pressed to kill Oryn. Vernon was about to strike again, as experienced as he was, he was able to counter attack. However, Oryn was able to protect himself with his arm, then before anything else, he blasted them away again causing new cuts.


    At that moment, he used a great amount of his mana and gathered around Vernon and Estevan, levitating them from the ground. A wind barrier imprisoned them.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Tsk, a barrier of some sort!¡±


    Estevan and Vernon exclaimed as they both tried to strike it down. However, both of their attacks did no damage.


    Seeing that his plan worked fine, Oryn ran after the princess with the support of the wind, ignoring the yell of the prince behind him. At the same time, he sent wind to the hallways, where they would form a barrier and block any incoming knights, and thus also block the princess.


    In no time, he caught up to the princess. Then he moved himself all of a sudden beside the princess and raised his arm inward.


    ¡°You''re done, princess.¡±


    After saying so, he swept his arm towards the princess as a wind blasted towards her. A crimson barrier blocked his attack, but it was so strong that it sent her flying into a room, breaking the door. Oryn was sure that it would have hurt her.


    He eased up as he walked towards the inside of the room where the smoke of debris was in the air.


    ¡°You know, it was thanks to you princess that I finally had the resolve to do this.¡±


    He stepped inside and walked further in. The princess should be at the edge of the room.


    ¡°I suppose a thanks is in order,¡± he added.


    Then he noticed.


    Isn¡¯t this too much smoke? No, wait, there shouldn¡¯t be this kind of smoke here.


    A white smoke. The princess crashing here shouldn¡¯t make so much that he could barely see.


    It was then an emotionless voice reached his ears.


    ¡°Then, you acted the way I wanted.¡±


    What?


    It was at that moment that a crushing force suddenly filled the very air. He grimaced, it was a force and pressure so powerful that it caused his feet to waver from standing. Confusion struck Oryn.


    Then he sensed a presence behind him, but it was too late as a bolt of forceful flames hit him, blasting away his layer of wind. He was about to regather them, however, before he could do anything else, a hand chopped his throat causing his breathing to stop.


    ¡°Gh!¡±


    As he choked, a punch suddenly struck his ¡®solar plexus¡¯ immediately followed by a kick at the back of his neck. After all the pain that was inflicted upon him while a crushing force was hitting him, he was left sprawled to the floor. As he was about to stand up, an incredibly strong kick hit his lower chin that almost felt like it almost broke his jaw, causing him to lie down and look up at the ceiling.


    Oryn was in a state of shock that his brain was trying to catch up to what was happening. They were quick and successive attacks. Plus, an attack he didn¡¯t see and feel until it was too late.


    He heard footsteps, as they got a little closer, the force which was crushing him became stronger.


    There was only one other person here. But he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°I suppose thanks is in order, Oryn.¡±

 Chapter 87: The Deceitful Princess (Part 3)

    A familiar voice, but it lacked the usual warmth and sweetness that always came with it. This sudden change caused a chill to run down Oryn¡¯s spine. The voice was cold and indifferent. Unfeeling ¡ª emotionless. He was unable to believe that those words came from her.


    Then she appeared before his eyes. A pair of deep crimson eyes gazed down at him which lacked any emotion she usually had.


    ¡°Princess¡­?¡±


    The questioning tone came out from his lips, trying to ascertain whether that was the princess he always knew, for this one felt like a different person.


    Oryn tried to stand up, but the force was forcing him down into the floor. He was familiar with this and already knew where this rampaging mana was coming from. However, this was supposed to blow everything away, not crush them and force them on the floor.


    Therefore, there was only one answer from this. The princess was controlling her rampaging mana.


    Everything¡¯s wrong!


    Definitely, everything that he knew about everything seemed to have been thrown away into the trash. Everything didn¡¯t make sense. He glared towards the anomaly, but that anomaly gazed back with its chill inducing eyes.


    ¡°Oryn, why are you targeting me?¡±


    That almost monotonous voice was a stranger to Oryn. The princess was keeping his distance from him, if she was a bit closer, Oryn could have grabbed her. However, it seems the princess knew that and kept herself away from his reach.


    She walked around with gentle steps around him, and nonsensical of all, she was calm. She was unbelievably calm, contrasting what supposed to be her true nature.


    ¡°I¡­ I have no need to answer you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The smoke thickened again, now Oryn saw it. The smoke was coming from the princess. Oryn tried to get up again and held out his hand, if only he could hit her once, then this would be over. However, before he could do it, the princess stepped back and vanished into the smoke.


    Most terrifying of all, he couldn¡¯t hear her footsteps.


    How? How is she doing that?


    Such a skill couldn¡¯t be possessed by the pure princess. Utterly impossible. He scanned around in panic, but before he knew it, a foot kicked the side of his face out of the blue, sending him lying back on the floor.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Oryn wanted to blast everything away with his wind, however, the princess¡¯ rampaging mana was disrupting the very air itself. Plus, he was also maintaining the barrier where he kept Vernon and Estevan, not to mention the barriers on the hallways.


    It would even be more dangerous to set them free now.


    He watched the princess step back after attacking him, and lifted the side of her skirt and pulled a¡­ dagger.


    A dagger? What¡¯s going on?


    For more than a decade, he had watched the princess. What happened now was crushing his very understanding of her and this terrified him.


    ¡°I should ask, do all elves cast some sort of wind magic? Or is it just you?¡±


    The princess asked. But Oryn did not answer.


    ¡°And, it would appear that elves are not mere myths. Quite interesting that you hid yourselves, but why?¡±


    She was asking all this with an almost blank face.


    ¡°But I¡¯m impressed you actually had your ears cut, did you do it yourself? Then I commend you.¡±


    Oryn looked at the dagger in her hand.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you killing me?¡±


    She had the current advantage, she wouldn¡¯t even need to beat him up and just go ahead and try for the kill. He tried to think what could the princess be planning.


    ¡°If you¡­ if you think you can get information from me, give up, princess.¡±


    The princess slowly strode around him.


    ¡°I can see that. Conviction is often an annoying thing.¡±


    Oryn couldn¡¯t hold it but, the more she spoke, the more he got cold feet. The further she strayed away as the pure princess, he felt even more danger. As he got to witness this, he began to believe the prophecy even more.


    The way she was in front of him, he could imagine that she would be capable of it.


    ¡°Then, what are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Patience, Oryn, death always comes to my prey, one way, or another.¡±


    The princess glanced towards the door, then for the first time, a slight frown came to her brow.


    ¡°They sure are taking their time¡­ hm¡­ you did something to them, didn¡¯t you? I doubt you managed to kill them given the amount of time that had passed, so, did you restrain them in some way?¡±


    Oryn was in disbelief for a moment, the princess was able to guess what he did. However, the way she spoke, it seemed as though she had truly thought about everything before speaking.


    This¡­ this isn¡¯t the princess¡­


    That was what he thought at first, but changed immediately.


    No¡­ perhaps this is what the princess is originally.


    So, was everything a deception?


    A deceitful princess...


    Oryn gritted his teeth. He had fallen for her trap.


    Then, the princess continued.


    ¡°If only Brother didn¡¯t hesitate, we wouldn¡¯t have been here.¡±


    A faint trace of annoyance was in her voice.


    It then dawned on Oryn, the princess was waiting. He couldn¡¯t understand why, but the princess had no intention of killing him, at least not yet. Then, there was the fact that the princess was letting her mana go wild while controlling it to pin him down. However, it would seem that the princess was not in full control, evident from the shaking of the entire room ¡ª not all mana was aimed at him.


    It was at the next moment he noticed her wince for a little. The princess was in pain. Of course she would be.


    ¡°It must be painful, princess. Unleashing your mana while controlling it, it won¡¯t be long before you lose control.¡±


    ¡°... You think so, huh?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m surprised you are able to endure it.¡±


    Indeed, this was not the fragile princess he had always known.


    However, even if she would be able to endure it, she couldn¡¯t keep it up for long. Not to mention this vast amount of mana she had. A human vessel containing the power of a god, because of that she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep unleashing the power she had as the one who was the daughter of the goddess of blood.


    And, she won¡¯t be able to take out her entire power as a young goddess.


    A body born of human flesh, cannot cast the full power of the divine.


    He should count himself lucky that this was the case.


    In that moment, he felt the air change ¡ª no, the movement of the princess¡¯s mana changed. He felt the pressure pushing him down weakened and was instead pushing him away from the princess.


    The princess¡¯s control over her rampaging mana was waning. The princess¡¯s eyes gradually turned sore red because of the pain and mana damaging her body.


    Oryn waited, then the next moment, he was propelled away and hit the wall. He made a decision. It was time to disable the wind barrier containing his two troublesome enemies as well as on the hallways. Vernon will be able to catch up faster than Estevan, therefore, Oryn needs to kill the princess before that happens.


    The moment the link he had with the wind barriers was severed, he gathered a vast amount of wind and clashed with the princess¡¯s mana and caused the smoke surrounding them to dissipate. The princess¡¯s face turned stern the moment she saw what Oryn was doing. His wind after all, was matching with her mana.


    The princess immediately fired a bolt of flames towards him, but Oryn blasted it away then instantly followed it with another blast of wind towards the princess.


    A crimson barrier blocked his wind but sent his target flying back, but the princess then moved the barrier to her back and the one in front vanished to protect herself from the impact. It would seem that the princess wasn¡¯t able to cover her entire body yet, if she did, it would weaken her barrier greatly.


    Seeing that opening, Oryn sent a slash of wind towards her, the disturbance of the mana in the air weakened his attack, but Oryn poured a lot of mana into it, and if it hit, it could fatally damage the princess.


    However, against his expectations, the princess reacted with no delay and fired her spell of firebolt, scattering and destroying his attack. The firebolt spell wasn¡¯t supposed to be too strong. However, pouring a considerable amount of mana into it, it can become stronger. The princess with a vast amount of mana, it was possible for her to strengthen the spell than normal.


    That being said, that was not the most annoying. What was annoying was how fast she could react to his successive attacks. The princess was not the normal princess.


    As Oryn sent another attack, the princess had already swiftly moved from her spot, and the wind destroyed the wall it collided with.


    ¡°As I thought, you were holding back for some reason,¡± she said.


    The princess fired a firebolt, and Oryn sent his wind.


    They exchanged magic a couple of times before Oryn decided to do a close combat. Oryn pushed his fist forward covered in wind, but the princess conjured a barrier as she glared at Oryn. As expected, she wouldn¡¯t risk direct physical combat. No matter how strong her magic was, she would be unable to physically fight against Oryn¡¯s magic.


    But of course, it would have been a different case if they both fought with plain hand to hand. But this was a battle to kill and to survive. Therefore, they will use anything at their disposal.


    The princess still had her dagger in hand, but she wasn¡¯t using them. This was baffling.


    The pressure from the rampaging mana of course was greater now that he was closer to her, and it was dampening the magical strength he could muster against the princess. The princess knew this and she increased the output, her eyes now bloodshot and nose bleeding.


    This princess is tougher than I thought.


    It was shocking that she would be able to stand and fight even though it must have hurt a lot. A surging mana coursing through her mystic medium, the pain should have been intense. But the princess was still able to fight despite all that.


    Then, Oryn heard loud footsteps from outside the room. He glanced towards it for a split second before returning to the princess, but now, her dagger was gone from her hand.


    What?


    Throwing away his confusion, he gathered an intense amount of wind to finish it once and for all. However, as he launched his attack, an interloper grabbed the princess away, his attack making a hole in the room.


    He turned around to see Vernon holding the princess by the waist.


    ¡°Put me down this instant Vernon and fight him!¡±


    The princess said and Vernon immediately complied. Oryn fired his wind and Vernon conjured a barrier of his own to protect himself as he charged towards him.


    Oryn dodged a punch, and he delivered a wind covered attack successfully hitting Vernon¡¯s chest, but the latter returned the punch to Oryn¡¯s stomach.


    This wasn¡¯t good, Vernon was melee oriented and Oryn was not. So the latter stepped back and sent several sharp winds towards him. Vernon blocked with his barrier, but after two attacks, it shattered, and so he protected himself from the remaining winds using his own tough body and arms.


    It was then that a pair of arcs of light came towards Oryn, he was unable to fully protect himself, and slashes appeared on his shoulder to his chest, blood bleeding out. He grimaced as he glared at the prince who sent that magic.


    This will be difficult. Therefore, as cornered as he was, he became desperate and decided to use the entirety of his mana to cause a storm of wind in the room, sending furniture flying in the air. But also in the moment, Vernon landed a punch to his cheek then to his chest which sent him back hitting the wall.


    Oryn spat out blood as a storm was erupting in the room. His two opponents were having a hard time walking, but it didn¡¯t stop them.


    ¡°Brother!¡± it was then he heard the princess, her usual tone of speaking returned. ¡°Do not hesitate!¡±


    This princess. Is she¡­ pretending? Was everything, is everything else an act?


    When was the moment she was manipulating him, making him act the way she wanted? When did it start? Oryn had no time to think. But seeing the princess this way, it truly terrified him even more.


    As he regained his footing he looked at the princess. It was then that he saw her which caused him to tremble as he thought of the future.


    The princess was smiling, a satisfied smile. To others this may mean nothing much, but to Oryn¡¯s eyes¡­it was something sinister.


    No¡­ No¡­ if I fail then¡­


    The future will certainly happen.


    He clenched his fist.


    ¡°Princess!!! You! You¡¯re too dangerous to be kept alive!¡±


    Overwhelmed by emotion, he gathered what remained of his wind and power, but it was too late to do anything else when Vernon punched him on the side of his body.


    In zero distance, he blasted Vernon away, but after that, his extended hand was severed after a flash of a blade cut through it. Oryn¡¯s eyes went wide as he watched his hand fall mid air. It was then followed by a slash to his chest.


    He turned to look the prince in the eyes. Then he felt a blade pierce through his heart as he saw the sorrow in the prince¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Oryn¡­ you¡­ you tried to kill my sister. I won¡¯t forgive you for that.¡±


    Oryn¡¯s knees weakened.


    ¡°Estevan¡­¡± Oryn chuckled. ¡°You have no need to forgive me, but¡­ take care of yourself.¡±


    Oryn didn¡¯t know why he said those words. But, it must have been because of a habit. He had been working here for a very long time indeed.


    The prince pulled back his sword from Oryn¡¯s chest.


    As he slowly fell on both his knees, his consciousness waning, blood spilling on the floor, he raised head to see the princess once more.


    Her smile gone, and what remained was her frightened expression, her wide crimson eyes looking at him.


    Which one was the true princess?


    That question popped in his mind.


    Then, as he collapsed, his senses felt the cold hard floor and his very own warm blood, a single thought came to his mind as he breathed his last.


    My people¡­ are...


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    We''re returning to Estelia''s POV next chapter.


    Volume 1 will finish at chapter 96.

 Chapter 88: A Revelation (Part 1)

    That was a close call.


    Though I was not particularly scared since I got everything under control. But Oryn sure was a troublesome bastard. On the other hand, I was actually surprised that elves were legit real here, like ¡ª mind blown!


    That aside, I was glad that the infiltrator acted the way I wanted. He must have gotten impatient, or maybe there were other factors at play. What I didn¡¯t foresee though was his ability to manipulate the wind.


    He was strong, I¡¯ll give him that. But thankfully, in the first encounter, he was struggling to fight off Estevan and Vernon. Even so, everything didn¡¯t go well later on. It was because my dear beloved brother hesitated. If he didn¡¯t, he might have cut down Oryn to at least slow him down.


    Of course as I was not particularly useful in the battle, I ran away from the scene as what a sensible person would do! I mean, why would I stay in a place where my life was in danger? I don''t know what fools would remain in the middle of a crossfire.


    But tragically, Oryn caught up to me, I guessed that he might have done something to restrain my two guards. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t let any of his attacks touch me, they all look like they could splatter me, how dangerous.


    As worried as I was, I decided not to cover my entire body with my barrier and focus on where I should protect myself since my shield would weaken the wider it gets. I couldn¡¯t risk weakening it seeing how strong Oryn was. In contrast, good thing the barrier absorbs plenty of shocks from the impact of each attack, without that, I would have been blown away many times.


    I unleashed my mana to try and slow him down while hurting him. Believe me, it was hard as hell to control the rampaging mana, and the pain was excruciating.


    I tried to interrogate him a little bit, but as expected I got nothing. It was hard to keep a powerful person like Oryn restrained and take him in as a prisoner without him always having to go after me. So I decided it would be best to just kill him if it was hard to tie him up.


    There was one problem I was worried about, I must not be the one to kill him. Killing him with my daggers would only indicate that he was killed by a blade, and not in the hand of anyone else but could only be me who he was with him. Now that would just blow my cover wouldn¡¯t it?


    What? I could just burn him to death? Yeah that would need me firing at him a few more times, and that would prompt him to go wild since he would be dying anyway. And a cornered and desperate rat is a troublesome opponent. The best option would have been to cut him deep in the throat or stab in the heart, but that was out of the question if I didn''t want to expose myself.


    More than that though, and importantly, after burning him to death, well who would be named as the one who killed him? Me! Estelia! Think about it, a pure princess has blood on her hands. Now that would just mess up everything for me. I don¡¯t want that kind of record on me. It¡¯s hard to admit but, reputation is very essential in my current life!


    So, I waited for Estevan and Vernon, but it took them some time and Oryn decided to give his all to killing me. Thankfully I held out until Vernon arrived first.


    Then, eventually, Estevan pierced a blade through the infiltrator ¡ª or a betrayer in my brother¡¯s eyes.


    What a waste, he could have been a source of information to pump from. However, it would be nigh impossible. If someone had infiltrated something for years, it would be utterly hard to make them spit out intel essential to them. Also, I saw conviction in Oryn¡¯s eyes.


    With those into consideration, and the danger he possessed, killing him was the best in my opinion. I got a rule you see, if they¡¯re hard to imprison, just kill them, you¡¯ll be free from a burden and you¡¯ll be safer.


    Can you imagine? Chaining a powerful lion, but this time with magic, and its escape was a possibility. If it escapes, you¡¯ll likely die by its fangs while you are asleep. Yeah, I¡¯m not taking the risk this time. It¡¯s hard to make a lion talk with human language anyway.


    I wanted to kill him myself. I was hungry for blood, I craved the feeling of metal digging into skin as blood gradually spilling out, and watched as the signs of life vanish from his eyes. I desired to take life, I miss it!


    But sadly, I need to hold myself back. What a tragic fate.


    Still, I¡¯m plenty satisfied that he died. I watched him fall to the ground as my false expression greeted him in his final moments. I savored the view as an enemy lost his life.


    With that done, my brother turned towards me and dropped his sword.


    ¡°Estel¡­¡±


    He desperately approached me, his eyes full of worry.


    ¡°B-Brother,¡± my voice trembled as I called to him.


    He struggled to come over to me though.


    ¡°Estel, you can stop your mana now.¡±


    I slowly retracted my mana until the air calmed down completely.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    I rushed towards him and dug myself into his chest, tears welling up my eyes as I grasped his shirt with trembling hands.


    ¡°Brother! He ¡ª He tried to kill me¡­¡±


    He wrapped his arms around me as I weeped in his embrace. His soft and warm body somehow made me feel comfortable¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my sister¡­¡± he said as held me closely.


    ¡°I¡ª I defended myself with all my might¡­ I, I was so scared!¡±


    I pressed myself more, the fabric on his chest began to drench in my tears.


    ¡°Ssshh, it¡¯s alright now¡­ It¡¯s my fault, I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have hesitated.¡±


    Yes, Oryn wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up to me if he only managed to strike him. But, nothing we can do to change that now, so I forgive him. But I¡¯ll still have him make up for it eventually.


    ¡°Why? Why did Oryn even betray us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I moved my body back and looked Estevan in the eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave my side, please. At least just for a while.¡±


    My eyes brimming with tears pleadingly looked at his eyes. He could clearly see the trauma I have experienced.


    He stroked my cheek.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be with you.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    It was then that I felt a warm sensation down my nose.


    ¡°Estel! You¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    Ah, my nose must be bleeding again from unleashing my entire mana all of a sudden. Damn, it felt weird when my nose was bleeding in the clash earlier.


    ¡°And your eyes are redder than they should be.¡±


    Well, even though I was crying, it must be redder than that which calls for distress. Actually, everything has been blurry for a while, and the world seemed to twist a bit. Yeah, I felt dizzy.


    But I shouldn¡¯t collapse, I have weapons on me after all. I also can¡¯t let them get the impression that I¡¯m not doing so well.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m feeling completely fine now brother. Just a little pain, and the bleeding is the side effect from bursting out my mana. But I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Still, let¡¯s get you to a healer, okay?¡±


    I meekly nodded my head. Meanwhile, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off my nose.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll prefer to be taken to my room first¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was then heavy footsteps with sounds of metal faintly resounded and coming towards us. It was the knights.


    Better late than never I guess¡­


    ¡°Vernon, I¡¯ll let you handle things here.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Vernon then turned to face me. ¡°Please rest for a while, princess.¡±


    I nodded my head. ¡°Thank you, Vernon.¡±


    Then my brother helped me come to my room. He offered to carry me there, but of course I refused and acted embarrassed. A lady would of course be embarrassed if her big brother carried her like a child.


    But the reason was that I couldn¡¯t let him feel and discover the blades strapped to my thigh. In the end, we walked together while he held me by the shoulders tightly as I acted all frightened still.


    In addition, I was seemingly becoming relaxed by my lovely brother¡¯s touch until we arrived at my room. It took a while though.


    ¡°What do you think the knights will do with¡­. O-Oryn?¡± I asked reluctantly.


    ¡°They¡¯ll check the scene first before they bring the body out.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ You must have trusted him¡­¡±


    He faintly smiled, though I saw a hint of pain in his eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s a betrayer, in the end. It is only proper that I struck him down, especially when he¡¯s planning to kill you, Estel.¡±


    He patted my head softly and ruffled my hair. For some reason, it took a while before he stopped forcing himself to do so. I didn¡¯t show any displeased expression, I didn¡¯t feel that way, I also didn¡¯t act adorably but only looked blankly at him.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest for a while as I call the healer, okay?¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    I stepped inside the room and asked my brother.


    ¡°Brother, can you also please call Mera? I want to change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    I closed the door and immediately went over to my bed and removed the blades from my thigh and hid them back. Now that it was over, it was safe to remove my weapons. I could have kept them for a while, but with my current condition, it would be too risky.


    I might suddenly fall unconscious. Plus, I will also be checked by everyone and changing clothes. So safer to clean myself of dangerous sharp things that should not be with a delicate princess such as me.

 Chapter 89: A Revelation (Part 2)

    A while later, Mera arrived and I allowed her entry into my room. Her greatly worried eyes greeted me the moment we made eye contact. Sitting on the bed ¡ª because I was feeling dizzy ¡ª I greeted her almost casually.


    ¡°Hello, Mera.¡±


    She stared at my current state and saw that I was smeared by dust, and my dress was dirty. Well, Oryn was controlling the fucking wind, so of course I got dirty. But she noticed my bloodshot eyes, and she seemed to panic. Good thing the traces of blood on my nose have been wiped off by my brother.


    ¡°M-Milady, so Oryn was a traitor?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly so¡­¡±


    Well, not that really surprising since I was also suspecting him. But I didn¡¯t expect him to have that kind of power.


    ¡°Mera, didn¡¯t you feel vibrations in the air?¡±


    Mera blinked before answering. ¡°No¡­¡±


    Huh, I thought I would affect the entire palace like last time, guess my control and will to limit it has worked. But still incredibly hard. I tried limiting the area of effect of my rampaging since I don¡¯t want to burst them all away and hurt me more than I should, and I don¡¯t want to waste mana.


    I may have been able to limit the range or output, but I in turn failed to lengthen the time of accurately guiding the mana to pin down Oryn.


    ¡°Help me change my dress, and it appears I will need a small cleaning.¡±


    I smiled wryly.


    ¡°I will bring a wet towel¡­ And milady, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡±


    She said with blushing cheeks which I found so amusing.


    Oh no, she loves me.


    Just a casual and teasing throw away comment...


    The way she felt could just be admiration and mistaken as love. That said, there¡¯s not much difference between the two ¡ª eh whatever.


    ¡°Yes, thankfully Brother and Vernon are there¡­ Otherwise, I might have perished. Quite a close one, actually.¡±


    I giggled with shaking lips, then my hands trembled as though terrified to think back about it.


    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing to worry anymore, Mera¡­ It¡¯s all okay now¡­¡±


    With that said, Mera went out and brought back a clean wet towel and rubbed only the dirt parts of my skin. After that I changed my clothes, I had the process go a bit quickly since I was planning to do something.


    I may be feeling a bit dizzy, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle. Before the knights could take out the body, I want to check it out. You see, a sudden occurrence, and the death of someone like Oryn the infiltrator, could reveal some nice stuff.


    The stuff could be sweet or bitter or something else, at least it would be something. Of course, there will be some times that you get nothing after a lot of effort, so that sucks.


    In any case, I¡¯m gonna go and check things out.


    But you know, this made me think, if my other enemies are gonna be like Oryn¡­. Fuuuuckkkk!


    Are they gonna be as strong as him? Bullshit! No way! First the guy who warned me turned into a fucking fog, and now an infiltrator has the ability to control the wind, and an elf no less! Then¡­ What about the others? Surely Oryn¡¯s not alone.


    Why are they going after me?


    I couldn¡¯t arrive at an answer.


    Looks like I will need to get stronger than what I am now.


    If the world could just give me a fucking break.


    This was so distressing that I wanted to pull my hair in frustration. Well that was just an urge, not that I would actually do it. My hair is precious, okay? It¡¯s way more precious than the jewels you guys wear, hehe.


    With the minor affair done, I exited the room with Mera in tow. A short time had already passed, so I wondered if they had moved his corpse out. But the moment I stepped outside, I encountered my mother wearing an intensely worried expression. Behind her was a knight.


    ¡°Estelia!¡±


    She rushed towards me and held me on my shoulders firmly. She frantically checked me all over as though looking for any wounds or damages to my precious being.


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    She then proceeded to sandwich both by cheeks with her hands.


    Um, mother, is this necessary?


    ¡°You seemed to be fine, thank the gods.¡±


    The way she looked at me somehow made me glad that my heart began to race. Why was I feeling this way? And her wide smile of relief was beautifully bright.


    ¡°M-Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°A knight came and told me what happened¡­¡± she told me with a faltering voice. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright!¡±


    She suddenly took me into her arms, then proceeded to kiss me on the cheek multiple times. The warm embrace and the pleasing kisses on my cheek...What a weird sensation¡­ But¡­ I like it¡­


    A genuine smile unconsciously curled on my lips. I couldn¡¯t even bring myself to lie and act¡­ Thus, I was left unable to speak. Before I knew it, I had snuggled more into her, my face hidden from everyone. I might have blushed a little...


    Only then the healer arrived.


    ¡°My apologies! I heard the princess needs immediate medical attention.¡±


    I backed away from my mother, a strange sense of longing rose from within me, but I pushed it away. I didn¡¯t know what had gotten into me, for me to feel that way¡­ It was a blunder to immerse myself in such a luxury when there were pressing matters at hand.


    ¡°Estelia, let the physician check on you and rest¡­¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m still fine. I want to check on¡­.¡± I paused for a moment as though frightened to speak the name. ¡°... on Oryn¡­¡±


    ¡°Estevan¡¯s assistant... And the traitor¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I turned and looked at the knight. ¡°Are they already taking out Oryn¡¯s¡­ body?¡±


    The knight wasn¡¯t able to respond immediately due to his shock that the princess suddenly spoke to him.


    ¡°... They should be at any moment. It will be brought out of the palace and placed elsewhere.¡±


    Of course, they wouldn¡¯t let a corpse stay inside the palace where royalties stay.


    ¡°Then¡­ Mother, please excuse me¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you¡­¡±


    No reason to refuse, we headed towards the stairs together. The physician also came with us just in case something suddenly happened to me. As we went down the stairs, there were already several knights standing guard around while some were quickly patrolling the hallways.


    Word must have already spread that the traitor has been discovered. Only then that a group of knights came down the stairs carrying a stretcher with a body laid upon it.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t believe that Oryn would¡­¡± the mother muttered from beside me.


    I also turned to look at how Mera reacted, it would appear that she wasn¡¯t all that disturbed. Well, they were never close it seems. However, why did it seem like she was glaring at the corpse?


    Oh well¡­


    When the group of knights carrying the corpse reached the ground floor, only then someone frantically ran forward. It was a familiar girl.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    The girl stopped the knights and looked at the corpse, upon recognizing it, she covered her mouth. Tears began to well up her eyes, stepping back and shaking her head as though she couldn¡¯t believe that this was real.


    Her despairing expression remained agazed at the dead Oryn. As if she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, she fell to her knees, her tears never failing to stream out of her eyes.


    ¡°N-No¡­¡± she muttered in denial.


    Ah yes people, this might be the stuff that I was talking about. The one that was to be revealed.


    Allie¡¯s sorrow for the sudden death of Oryn.


    She looked confused about everything. Vernon who was following the group gazed down on Allie with pity, he after all also had an idea of what potential relationship she had with Oryn. We three saw them after all.


    Estevan meanwhile was puzzled about it, only then that Vernon whispered to his ear that he nodded.


    ¡°Keep going.¡±


    Estevan ordered and the knights continued on.


    ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± my mother murmured as she watched my personal chef wallow in sorrow.


    ¡°Mother¡­ please excuse me¡­¡±


    I walked towards Allie and Mera followed behind me. I glanced at her for a moment and she had a somewhat sympathetic eyes. Which made me wonder if they ever spoke with each other in a friendly manner.


    ¡°Allie¡­¡± I softly called out to her.


    She looked up with wide eyes as she beheld me.


    ¡°Y-Your highness¡­?¡±


    Her hand was trembling as she muttered.


    ¡°Allie¡­ Oryn was a traitor¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡± she was silent for a while. ¡°A traitor¡­? No¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°And he needed to be struck down¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°No¡­ why? It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    I saw despair in her eyes before she lowered her head.


    It was then Mera chimed in.


    ¡°Allie, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Allie didn¡¯t respond.


    O how the maiden¡¯s heart was shattered into pieces, not by heartbreak, but of grief. The broken maiden clenched her hand on her skirt, tears falling, then she gazed up at me.


    ¡°P-Princess¡­ what did he do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He¡­¡± I paused, fear in my eyes. ¡°He tried to kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± she lowered her head again.


    It¡¯s hard to talk to people in grief.


    Good grief, I¡¯ll just leave her to it for a while. She will need some space. I turned to her two companions from the kitchen.


    ¡°As her friends, can you please tend to her?¡±


    The both of them responded in affirmative with no hesitation. With that, they carefully took Allie away.


    It was then at that moment that Estevan returned to me and Mother.


    ¡°My son¡­¡±


    Mother held out her hand and stroked Estevan¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Mother¡­ It¡¯s still a bit hard to accept that he was a traitor. He had been helping me for years¡­ And to think that¡­¡±


    Estevan¡¯s pained expression was shown before Mother with no reluctance. It was different from it was just the two of us.


    ¡°Estevan¡­¡±


    ¡°I was the one to take his life¡­ But¡­ I have no regrets.¡±


    Better be.


    After that, the entire palace was on high alert the entire day and they immediately went to check Oryn¡¯s lodgings. A messenger had also been immediately sent to the Church where my father was supposed to be.


    When he arrives, I will need to share to my family what I have discovered about Oryn¡¯s identity.

 Chapter 90: Speaking with Allie and Rogan

    The day after Oryn¡¯s death, I decided to check on my personal chef. I mean come on, she¡¯s my subordinate, it¡¯s only natural for a princess like me to look how a grieving subordinate was doing. I am not that heartless.


    What? Have I ever been heartless?


    Can¡¯t remember when I was one. Hm Hm.


    Think of this as an act of compassion for the broken and grieving. I shall be taking care of my dear subordinate, only for a short while though. What? Do you think people would want you to stay with them the whole day considering that way they were feeling?


    Some may find that annoying, you know. And what do you want me to talk about the whole day? Really, I¡¯m impressed by people that always had something to talk about the whole day. How are you doing that?


    That¡¯s like¡­ one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. Don¡¯t your throats ever hurt?


    Hehe, people with high social skills, am I right?


    Me? Don¡¯t tell me you think I have a high social skill. Pfft.


    Me? Who was raised in an environment without much of an opportunity to socialize? If you think I have high social skills, better redo your evaluation of me.


    My purpose was to eliminate targets, not woo them. So never would I have any top tier social skills.


    But I can¡¯t say otherwise of other batches though. Some others were raised in a different environment and handled by a different administrator. There were two different professors you see. Where I came from was formed earlier than the other one. That said, the later one was firstly on the experimental stages to determine the effect of it on the subjects and how they would grow out to be.


    In the end, data suggests that the first program, where I came from, had better performance than the other. Although, there was not that much of a gap in terms of skills with the second, but later on the second program would be considered a failure. That was because there had been a few defectors from it.


    The organization still hadn¡¯t stopped that program yet though. The skills of the subjects were almost on par with the first program, but the emotional side of the second program was undesirable, perhaps the little merit it had saved it.


    But, it should be shut down later down the line.


    Hell, the later program even managed to steal me from the other, but I had already graduated way before that. It¡¯s just that the professor in charge wanted to integrate me into his program.


    And my first superior was utterly displeased by it.


    I didn¡¯t really care much where I would end up, just that I¡¯ll do whatever was ordered. However, I was still terrified of the professor who basically raised me.


    It was much preferable now that I won¡¯t get to see him ever again. I don¡¯t know what would happen if we saw each other again face to face.


    Back to the present, Mera and I have arrived at the kitchen. I only had Mera to accompany me today because Vernon was currently with the King. By the way, I have already told Vernon my discovery about Oryn, and he was the one to convey to my Father about it.


    I have no idea about their reactions, nor if they believed it. Well, they better believe it, if not, well shit.


    ¡°Allow me, milady.¡±


    Mera said and she walked in front of me to open the door. The people inside looked towards me and gently bowed, although there was one person that was left behind. The girl, Allie, weakly bowed her head as I entered.


    ¡°Allie¡­¡±


    She looked terrible, she had eyebags under her eyes, as though she didn¡¯t sleep much and cried most of the night. Her hair was a little unkempt, her eyes were almost devoid of light.


    ¡°Everyone, please take a seat and relax,¡± I said.


    As they sat down, I walked towards Allie and sat in front of her. She flinched when I reached out for her hand and held them gently.


    ¡°You seemed¡­ to care about him¡­¡± I reluctantly said to her.


    ¡°I¡­¡± She looked down. ¡°I loved him¡­¡±


    And the grand reveal. Both Ceruos and Tenil had expressions of shock after they heard Allie¡¯s words. It would appear that they never knew, perhaps they just both assumed that Allie and Oryn were just friends, and not that close since the two of them never saw them interact with each other, nor intimately.


    Therefore, this revelation and confirmation from Allie¡¯s mouth herself was of great surprise for them. I already had an idea of what their relationship was, so it didn¡¯t come as much as a surprise. However, I acted surprised for the sake of it. As for Mera, I couldn¡¯t see her, but she must be a bit surprised that Allie confirmed it, since Mera wasn¡¯t fully convinced that Allie had that kind of relationship with Oryn, even though she saw them firsthand.


    Well, refusal of belief from a single maybe? Funny.


    ¡°... Oh¡­¡± I said quietly. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What did he do, your highness? That he had to die¡­ despite being a¡­ traitor¡­¡± her eyes averted away when she said that last word.


    I analyzed her closely.


    ¡°He¡­. he tried to kill me¡­ so it must be done.¡±


    I confirmed it to her once again.


    She lowered her eyes.


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡­ I never thought he would do something like that¡­ they wouldn¡¯t even let me see him...¡±


    She clenched her fists with a pained expression.


    ¡°Allie,¡± I put my hand on her cheek and forced her to look at me as I gave her a worried gaze. ¡°Given your relationship with him, you will also be investigated, but¡­ do not falter¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, your highness.¡±


    I faintly smiled.


    ¡°Take care, okay?¡±


    She nodded her head.


    ¡°Um, your highness, I have something to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ may I accept the offer of having my own kitchen?¡±


    All of us were surprised as shown on our faces. Whether mine is fake or not, it¡¯s up to you to guess.


    ¡°Of course. But, may I ask why you changed your mind?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for a change of pace¡­¡±


    Huh. Was this one of those moments that say ¡®it¡¯s a new beginning¡¯? Hm, maybe she¡¯s gonna cut her hair next.


    ¡°I understand¡­ I will get on it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡±


    ***


    A short while later after my interaction with Allie, I left the kitchen and Vernon was there to greet me.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    ¡°Vernon, I thought we won¡¯t get to see each other for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it would seem my efforts were not that much needed when there are others to assist with everything. Therefore, I asked the king to allow me to guard you.¡±


    That¡¯s interesting, Vernon himself asked to guard me. I don¡¯t know his entire thought process to what led him to do that, but maybe he¡¯s starting to like me. I¡¯m not trying to steal servants from Father, okay?


    Hey, at least that¡¯s another meatshield, I¡¯m not one to complain.


    That aside, now that Vernon was here, I should be able to get out of the palace now. They didn¡¯t allow me to get out of the palace for the chance of some danger outside.


    ¡°I see. Then, let¡¯s get out of the palace for a while, Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Understood. But may I ask for what purpose?¡±


    I began walking and responded to his question.


    ¡°Oh, just going to talk to someone.¡±


    I was not heading for the front door but the side one. Doing so would only be very conspicuous for me, so I prefer to lower the attention I would be getting.


    I greeted a few knights which came my way in an adorable manner. At least be kind to people. Making them hate me would only hurt me, would you protect wholeheartedly someone that was mean and rude to you? I won¡¯t.


    Now doing something due to a sense of duty is different to wholeheartedness. You can carry out your duty and protect someone you should protect, but whether consciously or not, one tends not to give their all, you know, them really pushing it.


    However, if they put their heart to it, they will put more strength into it, even if it was all in vain. Besides, who the fuck makes friends with their enemy that had put them through some shit? And who the fucks likes being nice and saves someone that was mean to them because of a subjective reason?


    It¡¯s way better to save an asshole if there¡¯s a good objective reason than saving them because of emotions or some other bullshit ¡ª like saving them because it¡¯s the right thing to do ¡ª bleeeh, makes me puke.


    It¡¯s stupid. Then by some miracle, the bad guy just suddenly became a good guy or some shit like that because a good guy saved them, and they became friends. Utterly absurd. Most definitely not realistic.


    If someone wrote that in fiction, I swear I¡¯ll smack my head.


    As I walked, I recalled something I wanted to ask Vernon.


    ¡°So, how did Father take the information I discovered?¡±


    ¡°About Oryn?¡± Vernon looked around for a moment. ¡°In disbelief, I too cannot believe it¡­ But, his ears were cut, so His Majesty decided to assume that he was indeed one¡­ Is the information true, your highness?¡±


    ¡°What? Do I look like I lied? How mean of you Vernon.¡±


    I sulkily looked at him with a pout.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, I am just confused as to how you arrived at that conclusion, or what information supported that.¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, I asked him.¡±


    ¡°Asked him? When?¡±


    ¡°Before he tried to kill me, he was surprised and unable to respond. But judging from his reaction and expression, I seemed to have hit the bullseye. The way his ears were, I am certain of this.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ For him to be that strong, perhaps this goes to prove he is one of the myths.¡±


    ¡°How many knew of this?¡±


    ¡°Only the royal family and a few servants.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s good.¡±


    After I exited the palace, I went down the same path I used last time until I saw a familiar man standing beneath a shade of a tree. It was surprising that he would still be positioned in the same place. Or perhaps he just went here on his own volition.


    Furthermore, there were no commoner guards around and so he was alone.


    He smirked when he saw me approaching him, I returned a sweet smile.


    ¡°Your highness, I imagined you would look for me today. And I am overjoyed that it is as I expected, I am truly blessed today that my eyes have been graced by your beautiful presence,¡± he said as he genuflected.


    Wow. The flattery and flowery words. Others might have felt good upon receiving those compliments without thinking deeply about it, but from the way I saw it, it looked like he wasn¡¯t fully serious about it and only said those pleasantries because it was comical for him.


    ¡°I, I heard what you did¡­ I deeply thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, your highness. I knew the moment you shared it with me that you wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to know,¡± he quietly said that only us could hear.


    I nodded my head. ¡°Please stand, we¡¯re too conspicuous here.¡±


    He followed what I said, then I moved closer to the tree and closer to Rogan.


    ¡°Your highness, I should say, I find it quite surprising that Prince¡¯s Estevan¡¯s assistant was the traitor¡­ he looked a bit devastated about it.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I am worried about Brother also, but I cannot do anything about it. Time will heal him, or he will heal his own self.¡±


    I grasped my other elbow as though saddened about it.


    ¡°That aside, I must have put some problems on your shoulders, I apologize. Even my brother and father spoke with you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle, though the talk with his Majesty was a bit scary. Good thing I didn¡¯t spit it out. Prince Estevan was also a bit scary.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ so, have you perhaps noticed something strange on your part?¡±


    ¡°None. Could it be described as fortunate or unfortunate?¡±


    ¡°Both I suppose. Fortunately since this could mean that there was indeed no one, but unfortunately at the same time that the opposition is still able to hide. However, now that the infiltrator Oryn is out, the prospect of their being another infiltrator is low.¡±


    Commonly, there should be only one infiltrator that is always dispatched. Well, should. A chance of another one or two still exists. However, if Oryn was non-human, then there being another was under 10 percent.


    But what if it¡¯s human?


    ¡°That¡¯s what her highness has surmised, huh¡­¡± he stared at me for a moment.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Um, nothing, your highness. I just find you a bit scary.¡±


    ¡°Do you find most things scary?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Yeah, maybe I do.¡±


    I faintly smiled. ¡°Vernon, has Oryn¡¯s room been searched?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, but we found nothing of value yet.¡±


    ¡°Have you moved or taken anything?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, no.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, after dinner, stay with me,¡± I said to my two servants before turning to Rogan. ¡°Also you, Sir Rogan, please meet me later at the schedule I mentioned, we shall await you at my room.¡±


    Rogan had been involved in this too, so I believe it would be great if I invite him. Plus, if he comes to like me more, I¡¯ll have another meat shield. One¡¯s trust and devotion must be cultivated. Rogan¡¯s an elite knight, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to have him as an asset.


    This doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s safe from being a traitor, even though him being one was extremely low. Well, let¡¯s just see where this will take us.


    Rogan smirked upon hearing my words.


    ¡°Oh? What will be the purpose, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a look at Oryn¡¯s room.¡±

 Chapter 91: The Princess’s Talent?

    Night time came and someone was knocking on the door. At the moment, Mera was with me inside my room leaving only Vernon outside. There could only be one reason why he knocked.


    ¡°Princess, Sir Rogan has arrived.¡±


    I stood up and told Mera that we¡¯re going. She opened the door for me and when I stepped outside, there was Rogan in his armor bowing to me.


    ¡°Good evening princess.¡±


    ¡°Good evening, sir Rogan. It¡¯s good that you came to accompany us.¡±


    ¡°I am honored. But, I still fail to realize my significance in your goal tonight.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not about significance. I am grateful for what you have done, and the way I see it, we could be seen as collaborators now, especially when my family had their strict eyes on you.¡±


    ¡°He-he. I suppose.¡±


    ¡°But, maybe also because I am quite fond of you. Knights of your type are hard to come by, after all.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me, your highness¡­ Hm, can¡¯t wait to tell Alan about this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about Sir Alan?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You still remember him?¡±


    I raised a puzzled eyebrow.


    ¡°Why would I forget him?¡±


    ¡°I see. I just think that it would be amusing if I told Alan that you like me.¡±


    Hm, like, how one takes that word would depend. It could mean you just like the person as a person, and the other like is that there was some romance involved. It was apparent that Rogan knew which I meant when I said I was fond of him.


    However, he seemed to be intending to make Alan think otherwise, perhaps to tease him. Well, let¡¯s play along.


    ¡°Amusing? I don¡¯t see how and why that would be amusing. And, why would Sir Alan care about that?¡±


    Rogan smiled wryly.


    ¡°Have you not realized, your highness?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I see. Well, let¡¯s just say he¡¯s an interesting fellow.¡±


    I think me and Rogan could get along well.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ In any case, time is essential, let¡¯s go.¡±


    They followed me as I began walking down the corridor towards the stairs. Oryn¡¯s room was on the second floor and on the opposite side of the palace where my room was. As we strode, Rogan asked a question.


    ¡°Your highness, why did you decide to check the traitor¡¯s lodging at night?¡±


    ¡°Why? Hm, isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± I asked blankly as though the answer was naturally obvious. ¡°Strange events, suspicious activities mostly happen at night. Such acts are safer to do at night.¡±


    ¡°Hm, indeed.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, if Oryn was to do something suspicious in his room, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it during the day since he would be working.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just leave it to the knights? Or at least bring a group?¡±


    ¡°... I cannot rest if I don¡¯t see things personally. Also, bringing a group of knights would surely be too crowded and rowdy for me¡­ I don¡¯t like being surrounded by too many unfamiliar people¡­¡± I said timidly.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Well, the primary reason for this is because I don¡¯t have much trust in strangers'' abilities or competency. Besides, my scope of actions may expand when I discover something. I wouldn¡¯t be able to rest peacefully if I realized that I may have missed something crucial. Furthermore, bringing more people than this would be difficult to manage and control, these guys were enough.


    A while later, we arrived at Oryn¡¯s room, on the way, we encountered a knight on patrol passing by the room. He was surprised to see us four together.


    ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡±


    The knight said as he bowed deeply. I greeted him good evening, then Rogan proceeded to greet the knight.


    ¡°Yo, nice night.¡±


    ¡°Rogan¡­ You¡¯re with the princess, may I ask what brought you here?¡±


    I turned to look at Rogan and nodded my head. Being given permission, he began to briefly explain.


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to search the traitor¡¯s room for anything of value.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, keep up the good work, we¡¯ll be going inside.¡±


    Vernon opened the door as the knight went on with his job while wearing a curious expression. We stepped inside after closing the door, it was a large room, as what rooms were in the palace. Furthermore, his room didn¡¯t have much personality, no large decorations or anything.


    What was only within were papers on the table, piles of books, mostly work related. It would seem he was somewhat a minimalist?


    ¡°Alright, search every nook and cranny. Move the shelfs, shift the carpets, scour the bed, and scan his every paperwork.¡±


    Everyone ¡ª Vernon, Mera, and Rogan ¡ª immediately went on the move. As for me, it wouldn¡¯t have been necessary for me to do anything, but I feel it wouldn¡¯t leave a good impression if I did nothing. Therefore, I approached the desk and took a look at the paper.


    As moments passed, I was convinced that the papers were nothing of help. I also checked below the table. I even tried to move it, but to no avail. As for the drawers, well, nothing of much use except some trivial items and papers.


    I shifted my sight and saw Rogan lifting the sheets of the bed, then Mera searching the shelves, Vernon checking every corner and every object that was left unchecked.


    ¡°Hm, open and flip the pages of the books, there might be something,¡± I said to them.


    We began flipping the pages of the books, however, we found nothing. These were all pre-made, and none was made by Oryn.


    ¡°Milady, perhaps Oryn decided not to leave any physical evidence since it would be too risky.¡±


    Perhaps. But¡­


    ¡°If that is so¡­ he must have some way to communicate with his allies.¡±


    Was this a bust? Shit, I had hoped I would find something. I walked towards the window and opened them completely, letting the cold wind of the night blow inside.


    I looked down, then up, there must be something. I checked every tiny detail, the dark clouds covering the moonlight which caused a lack of illumination to the surroundings. But, much to my disappointment, there was nothing.


    I stepped back with furrowed brows.


    I once again scanned the room. But there was nothing that seemed out of place.


    Was this truly a failure? Then Oryn really thought this through. He might have thought that he may remain here for more than a decade or something, and thus, to be more careful, leave not any physical evidence.


    But I wonder, if he had allies, how would they communicate? Communication was always an essential part of these types of operations. The purpose of spying is to send crucial information, then also report your progress.


    ¡°Is there any spell that allows you to indirectly communicate with someone over vast distances instantly? Like, you can speak and the other side would hear, all with your mind alone or something else?¡±


    ¡°......To my knowledge, no.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t know anything that convenient.¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know any of that kind, milady.¡±


    I nodded my head as I pondered.


    ¡°Hm, could they have perhaps used a spell that is not known to us? I even came here at night in the chance that something would happen.¡±


    Magic was an incredible thing, and I didn¡¯t know the full scale of it yet.


    I walked towards the bed and nonchalantly sat down.


    ¡°Princess?¡± Rogan was puzzled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while.¡±


    This should have been the time when all servants had just about finished with their dinner. Servants could either eat before or after the royal family. It all depended on the free time they had, or if they had no work left to do.


    As for Oryn, it would be the same. However, as it was either before or after, communicating would have to be done after since it would be certain that Oryn would be free from any work and was supposed to rest and sleep. This way, there will be no interruptions in their time of communicating.


    I sat down in silence. Meanwhile my companions quietly looked around. Mera was pretty attention grabbing though, she had been staring or glancing at me whenever she had a chance, and it had been constantly happening for a while now.


    Aaah, never change Mera.


    What an amusing girl.


    Then Rogan began to whistle as though he was bored. Though, it wasn¡¯t exactly a good idea to whistle at night in the silent palace.


    ¡°Sir Rogan, don¡¯t whistle, you might disturb someone and invite any negative attention,¡± Vernon chided Rogan, he must have had the same thought as I am.


    ¡°Right, my apologies.¡±


    We were like this for a few minutes. Perhaps we really wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything here. Could the opposition have realized that Oryn was already dead? Then, what means could they have used?


    I slowly stood up and then there was a small sound like flapping from the window. I turned my head and there was a completely black feathered bird that landed on the window sill. It was a small bird, with a straight beak like any other common bird. Though it¡¯s tail was spread out like a fan.


    Hm, birds are essentially the same in this world.


    I haven¡¯t yet seen birds this close personally, so it was a tiny bit intriguing.


    I took a step, intending to leave since there was nothing to be found here anymore. But I instantly stopped, then shifted my eyes to look at the bird.


    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t move a muscle and stay quiet.¡±


    Everyone immediately froze stiffly after I quietly said those words.


    Now then, there was an issue with the bird. First, it¡¯s night time, even birds sleep, of course there might be some nocturnal birds. However, the bird stayed in the window frame. And most of all, it was not that fidgety. I have always seen birds move a lot.


    This bird here was not moving its feet. It was moving its head though, however, they were slower than what I had imagined birds normally would be. I wanted to judge more from its eyes, however it was hard to tell any movement since it was all black.


    Ultimately, it didn¡¯t seem alarmed that there were a group of people here.


    ¡°Stay there.¡±


    I said to them in a whisper.


    With gentle and quiet steps, I slowly approached the bird on the frame. I calmed my breathing to be on a safer side, I didn''t want to scare it. However, strangely, when I got closer, it didn¡¯t seem to react. Normally, birds should have flown away already.


    When it looked like it was within my arm¡¯s reach, I slowly raised my arm. Snatching this thing in an instant would be essential to avoid its escape.


    Then, when I was ready, I swiftly grasped the bird and held it firmly to prevent it from escaping. However, I didn¡¯t hear a chirp. Now that I was holding it, it was somewhat soft, but the feather was a bit rough to the touch.


    I quickly closed the opened window just to be safe.


    ¡°Everyone, this bird, is strange.¡± I turned towards the three.


    They all looked at it with interest.


    ¡°And, somehow, it is a bit hard and colder than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Could it be?¡± Vernon muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m starting to have an idea¡­¡± Rogan added.


    ¡°You know about this?¡±


    ¡°A Puppet Courier maybe. Made in an image of a bird, but it is mostly made of wood and covered with materials akin to feathers. It¡¯s like a doll.¡±


    Vernon was the one to explain.


    ¡°But to have one of these? It¡¯s almost unbelievable, they must really be a bunch of big times,¡± Rogan said.


    Woah, I thought they knew nothing of a convenient method of communication! Was this a state secret or something?


    Hm, maybe because I asked something that uses the mind and instantly sends messages?


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°A Puppet Courier is a rare thing and incredibly hard to make. It¡¯s not commonly known since Royals mostly use these, or others in the highest of positions. The existence of this is not shared in public since this brings more advantage when most people don''t know about it. In other words, a confidential object and method of communication,¡± Vernon said.


    I see. If the opposition knew of such a contraption, they would likely resort to killing every bird in sight.


    ¡°The magic to create these is also at a high level and I don¡¯t even know who can make one.¡±


    Rogan was in awe as he observed the puppet in my hand.


    ¡°Your highness, this is what your father used to communicate with your eldest brother that is currently at the Myra Kingdom.¡±


    Enlightenment dawned on my face when Vernon said that to me. Estelia had no prior knowledge of this since she had no involvement in any politics or inner workings in the kingdom. The magic guide book has not even mentioned this.


    ¡°Will it escape if I set it down on the desk?¡±


    ¡°Seeing that it didn¡¯t move from the window frame, then it means it has reached its destination, so it¡¯s alright.¡±


    After Vernon said so, I walked towards the desk and carefully set it down. And indeed, it didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°So, how do we use it? There must be a message, yes?¡±


    ¡°Tap its head two times.¡±


    I tapped the bird¡¯s head two times, then it opened its mouth followed by a voice I have never heard before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn, you don¡¯t have to do it now, it¡¯s too risky¡­ But, it would seem I can¡¯t stop you from here. Just be careful. If you do carry it out, please succeed and make sure to kill the princess. Although I prefer that you don¡¯t do it yet. Answer back if you change your mind. We¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    It sounded like a voice from a male.


    Now that¡¯s interesting, a voicemail. Quite a loud message, however, Oryn must have some way to ensure others wouldn¡¯t hear it. He controls the wind, so that could mean he must be using his abilities to block the sound from coming out of the room ¡ª just in case someone¡¯s eavesdropping. Also, there was the spell that I encountered outside that blocked out other sounds.


    They could have used paper, but perhaps that leaves physical evidence? And so they didn¡¯t. They could have just made a cipher, but it would seem they liked this method more. Plus, you could easily recognize the voice if they knew the person, and lower the chance of information manipulation.


    But I think a paper message is better if you have a cipher to use. But if that¡¯s cracked, then, well...


    It could easily be used to send false information if you knew the cipher.


    ¡°W-What? What is this?¡± Mera frantically asked with a trembling voice after hearing the voice message.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this very, very serious? They¡¯re seriously going for you princess!¡±


    No shit it¡¯s been very serious from the start.


    ¡°This seemed to be larger than I imagined.¡±


    Everyone was nervous. Indeed, this was pretty troublesome. However, I was already pondering on what to do from here.


    This device can be used to communicate. And there were two options, leave this be, or respond. The most merits will be the latter.


    It¡¯s better to try than nothing. I need to at least set a trap.


    I took a deep breath.


    ¡°What do I do to respond back?¡±


    The three of them repeatedly blinked at my question.


    ¡°Your highness, you have no need to respond.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it would likely make them more aggressive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, milady.¡±


    Rogan, Vernon, and Mera responded with no hesitation as they all realized what I was trying to do.


    ¡°You have no need to worry. I will not be the one to respond.¡±


    ¡°Then, one of us will?¡± Rogan asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°None of you will respond,¡± there was only one person that should respond. ¡°It¡¯s Oryn, he will be the one to respond.¡±


    They were all stunned by the absurd words that came out of my mouth.


    ¡°But he¡¯s dead,¡± Rogan muttered.


    ¡°Princess, what are you intending to do? It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    I have been training my body, trying to at least return most of my capabilities from my old life. But, I have also been practicing some old tricks that didn¡¯t require much physical exertion. Though I have been doing it slowly since it was bothersome if I hurt a part of my body.


    Now what was I trying to re-learn? Well, my throat was hurt a few times. Good thing I was familiar with how to do it, only needed for this body to adjust.


    I cleared my throat then recalled Oryn¡¯s voice.


    Now then, a little warm up. Let¡¯s see if I still really got it.


    ¡°Greetings¡­.¡±


    Hm, not good. I cleared my throat again and pressed a few fingers on my throat gently.


    ¡°Hm, let me see. Yes, I just needed a bit of adjustment¡­¡± It was hard for this throat, but I think I¡¯m going there. ¡°How are you three? You think I¡¯m dead after you killed me?¡±


    I grinned as I faced the three of them while speaking in a completely different voice. Mera in particular froze in shock and covered her mouth.


    ¡°W-What nightmare¡­? Is it his ghost?¡±


    Mera was muttering some nonsense.


    ¡°P-Princess, how are you doing that? This is nigh absurd.¡±


    Vernon also looked shaken.


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s impressive! Yeah, I think that¡¯s his voice?¡±


    Rogan was a bit unsure, perhaps he never interacted much with Oryn or heard him.


    Yes, I was speaking in Oryn¡¯s voice.


    My two servants were completely shaken. Perhaps because it was Oryn¡¯s voice, or maybe also because of this hidden talent, though it was creepy to hear the voice of a dead man.


    ¡°So, what do you think? Do I sound like Oryn?¡±


    ¡°Princess, since when can you do such a thing?! This is¡­ unbelievable¡­your Father definitely needs to know about this.¡±


    ¡°No Vernon, please don¡¯t tell him. No, don¡¯t you dare tell anyone about this. This is an embarrassing thing to do! This is an order!¡± I returned to my true voice.


    ¡°......... U-Understood.¡±


    The rest also responded in affirmative.


    ¡°Good¡­ Now, was it close at least? It hurts my throat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s off a little, but it certainly is there. Perhaps only twenty percent off?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also think that¡¯s about it.¡±


    I think it¡¯s fine. From the audio, it¡¯s not the perfect voice of the person. It was like listening from a phone, not that clear of an audio along with all that little echoe. This may be like using a not so expensive or high quality microphone.


    Even so, I should enhance my performance a little.


    ¡°Testing testing, how about this now? Is it alright? Does it sound like he¡¯s certainly here?¡±


    ¡°Woooah, daaamn, Prince Estevan would surely freak out if he sees this.¡±


    Yeah, I think so too.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s closely accurate,¡± Vernon said.


    ¡°Then I suppose we¡¯re good to proceed. So Mister Vernon, how do I use this?¡±


    Vernon¡¯s eyebrow twitched.


    Mera looked pretty freaked out though.


    ¡°Tap its head three times and pour just a tiny bit of mana into it.¡±


    After hearing that, I returned to my real voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be hard for me. To avoid failure, I¡¯ll let you do it Vernon. It only needs to hear sounds, right?¡±


    I¡¯m not used to this kind of thing yet, so to be safe, let the experienced handle it.


    ¡°Yes, it should be fine.¡±


    He moved forward and raised his index finger above the bird¡¯s head.


    ¡°What are you planning, princess?¡±


    When he asked, I used Oryn¡¯s voice to answer.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Ready?¡±


    ¡°Wait, where do you think is a good place for a rendevouz when escaping, and a place for a good trap setup?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Something the Oryn should also know¡­ Ah, he and the prince visited a place once. Southwest of the palace, there are two ponds close together where a small residence is established.¡±


    ¡°Alright if you say so.¡±


    ¡°.... So, shall I go do it now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, go.¡±


    He tapped the head three times and poured a bit of mana into the bird.


    I then spoke with Oryn¡¯s voice, from his manner of speaking, tone and pitch. All based on the current situation I was planning to convey and from the way we interacted.


    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m in trouble, I think. It seems like they are on to me, I feel eyes watching me all the time. They¡¯re suspicious of me. They are perhaps finding the time to strike or expose me. The prince is acting strange when speaking with me, further supporting the possibility that I have been discovered somehow. Furthermore, the princess¡¯s guard has increased drastically, killing her would be nigh impossible. If I try, it would only be futile and risk my capture¡­


    ¡°I will be trying to escape from here, I cannot risk them capturing me and forcing information out of me somehow. Six days from now, I should find an opportunity to slip out of the palace unnoticed, given if they don¡¯t strike me down first. Meet me at the two ponds southwest of the palace by a small residential area, around midnight approaching the seventh day. If past that, then abandon me, if I delay, it could only mean I am already eliminated, or captured. Don¡¯t try to contact me for the time being, we will meet each other there.¡±


    I nodded my head at Vernon to indicate that I am finished. He then tapped the head once and it finally closed its mouth. He picked up the bird.


    ¡°Is that all, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, send it out.¡±


    He went to the window and after opening it, he threw the bird in the air and let it fly away, blending in the dark night, it seemed to fly towards the city as it ascended.


    Vernon closed the window and turned towards me.


    ¡°Princess¡­¡±


    He still seemed to be in disbelief of what I did. What? Should I not do something? If this could potentially erase my enemies, then I¡¯ll take this chance! Of course, this came at the expense of an exposure of my talent, and a tiny damage to my pure princess image. But, I need to make the investment. This could, after all, catch the ones trying to kill me.


    I turned to look at everyone, they seemed to be waiting for something. Or was still processing what just happened. So I spoke first.


    ¡°There are two outcomes to it. One is that they don¡¯t appear, and the other is that they do. In either case, it is better to try than not. If they cared for Oryn, then they will go to the meeting spot, even if the thought of a trap crosses their mind. If Oryn was expendable, then, they wouldn¡¯t bother. Even so, no loss for us if this fails.¡±


    ¡°Woah princess, I¡¯m surprised you just formulated a plan, just like that. This is quite a big deal...¡± Rogan said.


    ¡°Vernon, tell my Father to set up a trap in the schedule I made in the message. Tell the contents of the message if you will. I imagine you will know what to do after all I did that. But please, don¡¯t tell him how exactly I did that, specifically the changing voice part¡­¡±


    ¡°U-Understood.¡±


    I heaved a deep sigh as I adorably puffed my cheeks.


    ¡°This is a bit tiresome. Alright, let us go and sleep.¡±


    Now that I have compromised to this degree, the trap I set up better work. If it didn¡¯t, then what I have exposed would have been for nothing. This was not something a plain princess could do. That being said, this was way better than being discovered having daggers strapped to my thigh.


    In this situation, it could be described as a mere talent, and nothing more. However, I would still prefer to minimize the potential damages and thus ordered everyone here not to tell anyone about it.


    I could have done something weird like move them out of the room, but they could still potentially eavesdrop through the walls or door. Furthermore, I also needed their feedback for my performance so I can have more accuracy to the voice so that the trap would have a higher chance of success, plus I need a guide for the bird.


    As for the enemies, they should try to extract their agent ¡ª I hope.


    ¡­. Let¡¯s just see how things will unfold.

 Chapter 92: Being Scolded

    I slept the whole night in peace, I even hummed in joy whenever I thought about last night. I¡¯m optimistic about the plan, imagine if it worked, we could get a lot of information. Maybe, I¡¯ll even find out who was trying to kill me and why.


    I mean, I didn¡¯t do shit in this world, so I can¡¯t imagine any good reason they would be hunting me down.


    So when it came for breakfast, I delightly ate my meal. The taste was duller than I expected it would be, maybe because Allie was moving into her new kitchen and didn¡¯t get to cook.


    As I ate though, I could feel the gaze of my father pointed at me. When we were all done eating, our plates clean of dishes and seemingly satisfied, my father stood up first before others.


    ¡°Everyone, let us come to my office, this is important.¡±


    The three of us looked puzzled about Father. However, seeing how he looked serious, we followed him out of the room. Mera and Vernon were also surprised to see that we were moving out together.


    They were about to follow me, but I already had an idea of what this could possibly be about, so I stopped them with my hand.


    ¡°Stay here.¡±


    Mera seemed to hesitate, but Vernon immediately understood and placed a hand on her shoulder followed by a nod towards her.


    A while later we arrived at Father¡¯s office. He had the other servants leave and told them to have a break despite being still in the morning. It was some sort of an indirect way to say to get away from here. When all of them walked away from the proximity of the office, Estevan then proceeded to close and lock the door.


    ¡°The walls and doors are made so that no one could eavesdrop, but, for the sake of Estelia¡­¡±


    For me?


    He raised up his hand and then a flash of blurry wall appeared on all walls before returning to normal after a moment.


    ¡°Let us sit.¡±


    My father sat on the back of his desk. Meanwhile, Estevan grabbed a chair from the corner and placed it beside a chair in front of the desk. My mother sat down closer to Father and I sat beside her while Estevan sat on the opposite side.


    ¡°Dear, what is this about?¡± Mother asked.


    My father shifted his eyes towards me then spoke.


    ¡°Daughter¡­ about what Vernon told me last night¡­¡±


    As I thought, it¡¯s about that. I faced him with a faint smile.


    ¡°Yes. Is it about the arrival of the message?¡±


    Father nodded his head. Only then did Estevan look at the two of us, his eyes seeming to be curious.


    ¡°What message?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Estevan, I¡¯ll explain to you later.¡±


    ¡°... Huh¡­ This looks serious.¡±


    ¡°What could you two be talking about?¡± My mother murmured.


    ¡°Daughter, hm, that was a dangerous thing you did.¡±


    He looked at me with strictness.


    ¡°Did Vernon tell you what I did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes he did.¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you how?¡±


    ¡°... Only the main idea, but the specific process, he omitted it, saying you do not want to disclose the method you used.¡±


    I averted my eyes away with a blush. Good thing Vernon didn¡¯t say it, wew.


    ¡°Father, what are you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°Just what Estelia did¡­¡± he said before returning to look at me with a severe gaze. ¡°Estelia, if what I think is what you did, considering the way that message was delivered, and you were the one to do it, that was very dangerous. You could have at least told us first so we¡¯ll figure out what to do.¡±


    His tone was sterner than what I have heard from him. He sounded angry¡­?


    ¡°That was a rash action, what do you think they¡¯ll do if they realize it was you?!¡±


    I flinched at his loud voice.


    Woah, what the hell? Am I being scolded? What gives?!


    Is he thinking I did it with my voice?


    ¡°Dear! Why are you shouting towards Estelia?¡±


    My mother frantically came to my defense and reached out for my father¡¯s hand. Estevan also looked pretty confused now by the sudden rise of emotion from Father.


    ¡°Our daughter did something so dangerous¡­ The servants didn¡¯t even try to stop you, Estelia?¡±


    I didn¡¯t look him in the eye and lowered my head.


    ¡°F-Father, I did what I had to do, what I thought was necessary. Furthermore, any more delay will invite suspicions given the context I was conveying, therefore, I had to do it on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Even so, that was a risky move ultimately for you! It¡¯s always the best option to at least tell your family the dangerous decision you¡¯re about to make.¡±


    I stand by my decision.


    ¡°Dear, what did she do?!¡± My mother asked.


    ¡°He spoke with an enemy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    My mother was aghast as she looked at me, disbelief clouded her eyes. Estevan also still looked very confused about the situation.


    ¡°Can anyone please explain what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Haaah¡­ A Puppet Courier came to Oryn¡¯s room, and Estelia went on and did something.¡±


    ¡°W-What? What something?¡±


    Judging from what Father said, this place was safe from eavesdrops, and he also seemed to have cast a spell to further support it. So, it must be safe to speak more about this.


    ¡°F-Father,¡± my voice gave a hint of courage built up. ¡°The method ¡ª how I did it was never mentioned to you but it was a safe method for me! Believe me. Furthermore, it has a higher chance of success compared to what you are thinking of what I did.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My father tried to slowly regain his calm. ¡°Then, how did you do it? What way? What makes you think it has a high chance of success and you¡¯re going to be safe?¡±


    So, am I gonna tell him? Nah. I have my own dignity to protect. ¡®But Estelia it¡¯s alright to tell him and it¡¯s stupid not to¡¯ ¡ª Shut it! I don¡¯t want to, and this situation exactly had no threat to my life that I would compromise. I can convince Father just fine! Hmph!


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I ordered my servants to keep it a secret¡­ but I will give you a hint,¡± I paused for a moment to indicate my hesitation. ¡°I tried to deceive them.¡±


    ¡°Deceive?¡±


    ¡°They should be deceived, whoever they are. And there will be a chance that they will fall for it, depending on their relationship with Oryn and what they decide. But I think there is a high chance for success¡­¡±


    ¡°But? How? I don¡¯t see, I can¡¯t imagine what you did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s a secret, father. And, from now on, I will be relying on you. Please do not let the opportunity slip but take this chance, even if it is not completely assured.¡±


    I grasped my own hand stiffly and avoided their strong gazes. The pressure was too much for me as a pure princess.


    Then, my father sighed.


    ¡°We won¡¯t let this chance slide, Vernon also looked confident from what you did. But, why don¡¯t you want to tell us what you did?¡±


    Not gonna tell them at all, that was a weird talent to have.


    ¡°For certain reasons. But you just have to trust me¡­ the rate of success is high.¡±


    I mentioned this had a high chance of success. Saying otherwise wouldn¡¯t be good and would show a lack of confidence. This is like how you promote or show a product. If you¡¯re not even confident about it, or didn¡¯t show you are, then how can you expect people to buy it?


    Even if you know your product sucks, just show some confidence, and it will urge people to buy from you. It¡¯s like that.


    Of course selling was different from actual fighting and trapping, since on the latter you need to think on both sides and what could potentially happen, so there¡¯s a chance that something might happen that you never expected. But saying it has a high rate of success would be pretty convincing. Saying that ¡°I am certain this will happen¡± without any conclusive materials would just be idealistic ¡ª and for this case, I know nothing of the enemy, so I cannot say it will happen a hundred percent, just that it has a high chance.


    So there¡¯s also a difference between that and selling a product ¡ª but eh you get the idea.


    ¡°Alright. I will send a strong force to deal with this and have them prepare a trap in the time you gave.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Father! This sounds like a big deal! We are fighting someone? Are you sending the knights?¡±


    Father pondered about it for a short moment.


    ¡°No, I will not be sending the knights?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will send people that are more compatible to this situation. They have been the ones I ordered to handle this.¡±


    ¡°What else are there to¡­¡±


    Yeah, what else? Hm, not the knights. So what could Father be talking about?


    Wait, where else had he been visiting? And the ones he ordered to handle it?


    I could only think of one place that he had put his attention to.


    ¡°The church?¡± I quietly asked.


    ¡°Mm, yes the Church.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the church?¡±


    ¡°Estevan, you know there are other sides of the church, yes? I trust that they will be able to handle this.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Estevan must have thought of leading the operation with his knights if Father was assembling a force.


    But later on, he gave up given that apparently Father wouldn¡¯t change his mind. If that was what Father decided, then it must be for the best. I¡¯m curious about this Church though.


    ¡°Understood, Father, if that¡¯s what you want. However, please explain what happened with Estelia that made you agitated.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s alright, may I take my leave?¡± I said all of a sudden.


    Come on, I have other things to do.


    My family blinked a few times at me. They must have expected I would stay since this involved me. But I already knew what they were going to talk about, so there was no point in staying here.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine daughter, you are free to go.¡±


    ¡°I thank you ever so much, Father. Please excuse me.¡±


    Good thing Father let me go.


    After leaving the room and closing the door, I halted and moved back towards the door and pressed my ear into it.


    I was just curious, but there was really no sound from the other side.


    I¡¯ll learn that shit.


    Contented, I walked away and through the corridor, at the far end, I saw Vernon and Mera standing at a corner.


    The moment she saw me, Mera¡¯s expression turned bright in a flash and quickly walked towards me, while Vernon casually strode behind the girl.


    I gave them a smile.


    ¡°Father was displeased.¡±


    I said to them when they arrived close to me.


    ¡°I imagine so, he was particularly surprised and agitated when he heard it from me last night.¡±


    ¡°But, everything ended well. Come, I have to check on Allie.¡±


    We descended down to the first floor, and on the opposite side of the palace from the kitchen I frequently visit, there upon Allie''s new kitchen was situated. This way, she could now officially be recognized as a Royal Head Chef in the palace.


    When we arrived at the newly opened kitchen, inside what we saw first was Allie sitting alone by the table. She somewhat looked a bit on the gloomy side. When she saw me, it seemed like her eyes glinted and immediately stood up to greet me.


    ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Allie,¡± I walked inside and headed to a chair next to her. ¡°Hm, it does look a bit lonely. But don¡¯t worry, once we find new cooks, you¡¯ll finally have someone to accompany you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your highness, but there¡¯s no need to rush. It¡¯s not like it would be the death of me to be alone here.¡±


    I smiled gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll visit frequently.¡±


    ¡°Please, you have no need to trouble yourself.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I reached out for her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a trouble at all. I don¡¯t like seeing you sad and alone, therefore, I decided to stay by your side whenever possible.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­¡±


    Her eyes went wide as though she was touched by my words.


    Now, I wonder¡­


    ¡°Princess, I will be cooking later. Will you come and taste the dish I¡¯m trying to improve? At lunch.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Oh I will, can¡¯t miss some good food after all! Sooner or later, she¡¯ll catch up to the level of my old world. And I am so looking forward to it.


    She has a bright future ahead of her.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I know maybe some of you are confused why Estelia utterly doesn''t want to tell them what she did. I''m just going to say 218 is not only there but also fragments "Estelia". You might get to understand a bit more about the situation next chapter.

 Chapter 93: What a Waste (Part 1)

    We three came hanging out at the training ground we always train at. However, at the moment, I was sitting down on the grass as a crimson barrier kept appearing in front of me. A twist though was that normally, you would have to hold out your palm. But, fuck the norm.


    The crimson barrier floated unperturbed in front of me and I slowly widened it. This was an issue for me, the wider it was, the weaker it would be. All due to my damaged mystic medium, but I¡¯m exercising it.


    ¡°Impressive your highness, you don¡¯t even channel it through your hand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard.¡±


    ¡°Not that hard¡­?¡± Mera murmured beside me as she lowered her head.


    It would seem she has not yet vastly improved in her mana manipulation.


    ¡°Well, try to not channel mana only to your hand but throughout your body also, then bring it out and shape it the way you want.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Mera appeared to be trying it, but her face contorted a bit showing that she was not having it easy.


    ¡°Such a method required precision, Mera,¡± Vernon said. ¡°So it will take a while. Though I¡¯m surprised that you were able to do it when you just started a while ago.¡±


    Well, I¡¯m used to this kind of thing, the training and learning. It¡¯s like an everyday life in the facility.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I had it easy, it required plenty of effort.¡±


    ¡°Good thing with your effort and mana, you were able to stand and defend yourself against Oryn.¡±


    ¡°... He was terrifying¡­ Which reminds me, Vernon, teach me your technique, please?¡±


    Vernon sighed.


    ¡°You have asked me that before, but, seeing what Oryn could do, I imagine his allies could do the same. Thus, I will be teaching you, but I imagine your Father wouldn¡¯t be exactly pleased if I teach you this style of combat.¡±


    ¡°Then we just don''t tell him.¡±


    ¡°Princess, please bear in mind that I am not your servant originally. What you have been ordering me to do has been hard on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°But, your father has assigned me to you for now, so there is not much trouble with it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to have you, Vernon.¡±


    Should I try stealing Vernon from my father? I mean, he¡¯s incredibly useful!


    Oh well¡­


    A short time later as I was training, someone arrived and it was my brother. I looked at him with surprise since this was the first time he visited me. With a bright smile, I greeted him.


    ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°Estel, I see you¡¯re doing great.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I am making decent progress! By the way brother, this is the first time you visited me.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course I like you visiting me often. I was just surprised.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t want to disturb you even though I want to visit you all the time,¡± he grinned. ¡°But I just have something to convey to you from Father.¡±


    ¡°... What could that be?¡±


    Somehow, I had an ominous feeling.


    ¡°You really did something dangerous, dear sister. But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡±


    He raised his hand and suddenly pinched my cheek.


    ¡°B-Brother!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Just, don¡¯t ever do something like that again, especially if your safety is concerned. Good thing I¡¯m more lenient than father, but, because of what you did, he has a punishment for you.¡±


    Woah, wait, punishment? Why?


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Next week, your normal lessons will be resumed. Then at that time, you will be prohibited from leaving the palace halls.¡±


    Hold on, me? Being punished, wait, am I grounded?! What the hell!


    ¡°B-Brother, you can¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister, sorry, it¡¯s not up to me. Ah, more than that, we also won¡¯t answer your wishes. All of this will happen for twenty days.¡±


    T-Twenty days! Are you serious?!


    ¡°Brother!¡± I looked at him with wide eyes, trying to gain his pity.


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me dear sister.¡±


    ¡°But but but, there¡¯s nothing dangerous that I did.¡±


    I heard someone loudly clearing his throat from behind me ¡ª but no time to pay attention to it.


    Seriously, am I grounded mostly because I didn¡¯t tell them exactly what I did? No way I¡¯ll tell them! It¡¯s too embarrassing!


    ¡­


    ¡­ Hm, wait, now that I thought about it, I¡¯m embarrassed?


    ¡­


    ¡°Even so, dear sister, it calls for a rebuke¡­¡± he stared at me curiously upon seeing me spacing out. ¡°Estel¡­?¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond, I was thinking.


    Why am I embarrassed¡­.. No¡­ it¡¯s...


    I care about what and how they see me?


    This¡­ this is strange, this goes to a personal level. This is ridiculous, I care about how they see me and thus I was embarrassed? This¡­ this never happened before. Somehow, imagining my mother, father, and brother look at me weirdly, it triggers my embarrassment.


    This¡­ this almost felt like a¡­ this is weird.


    I shook it off, it¡¯s too confusing to think about. Guess I¡¯ll just be true to my feelings for now, too tiresome to keep thinking.


    ¡°I understand, brother.¡±


    ¡°...Hm? You do? That¡¯s a leap.¡±


    ¡°... If that¡¯s what Father decided, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true. Alright then, I¡¯ll just cheer you on.¡±


    I puffed my cheeks and averted my face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even try defending me.¡±


    ¡°He-he-he, you were in the wrong, sister. There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    But there¡¯s nothing wrong about it. It was a way to catch the enemy.


    Ugh, whatever.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll endure¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Alright then, I won¡¯t disturb you any further, so see you later. I¡¯m going to go check up on the knights.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look all sad now.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Who wouldn¡¯t be sad about this!? Ugh, being grounded sucks already.


    Then time went by and spent by improving the current spells I could cast, and then noon came. I agreed that I would visit Allie for lunch, so I¡¯m going. My family might wonder why I went there instead and thus wouldn¡¯t be able to join them at today¡¯s lunch, but let¡¯s leave it at that.


    Hm, should I act like I was sulking a little and so I avoided them for today? Father was just angry with me earlier and they even grounded me, so... it would be a good thing to do to play around for a while.


    That way they will give more attention to me ¡ª


    Wait, why am I seeking attention?


    No, that¡¯s weird. Forget that. I¡¯ll leave them alone for a while, let them think whatever they think is going on with me.


    Besides, I have a priority for the day. I had to tend to my chef who was still feeling sorrowful, one ought to take care of their subordinates after all.


    Don¡¯t say that you doubt my intentions. What? Perhaps you¡¯re thinking that I¡¯m doing this so she¡¯ll get devoted to me and me alone or something weird like that.


    You¡¯re wrong, I¡¯m just doing this casually, you know.


    Not all of my movements were calculated okay? Sometimes you just gotta swing it ¡ª okay no, that¡¯s...


    Regardless! This is just a pretty casual thing, like going on a leisurely walk, watching insects pass you by and perhaps play around with some. Then perhaps take one in your home, but punish it when it bites.


    Yeah, something like that.


    I just want to eat some food, okay? And today was definitely a good time to spend with Allie. Would be great to learn more about her relationship with Oryn, perhaps he mentioned something to her. But regarding me would be pretty unlikely.


    So in the end this was just information gathering? Um, nope. Of course not.  I told you, a pretty casual walk.


    When we were closing in at the kitchen, I nonchalantly spoke with my two servants.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come inside with me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°You do know how Allie is right now. She probably doesn¡¯t want a lot of people around her yet. Sometimes, you just need a single friend in times of grief, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°That being said, Vernon, just in case, watch out for my voice, you¡¯re supposed to guard me after all.¡±


    A bemused expression came to his face. It was then that we arrived at the kitchen. She should have finished cooking now, so the food must already be ready.


    I entered and closed the door, leaving my two servants outside.


    Allie was there sitting on a chair, her elbows on the table, hands raised and clasping together, quite tightly. When she saw me, she immediately stood up and bowed.


    ¡°You came, your highness,¡± she said with a relieved smile.


    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°I am grateful, please have a seat. I already had it prepared.¡±


    There was a plate on top of the table covered by a steel bowl. She picked up the cover and smoke came rising out into the air. The dish was so pleasant to look at, vegetables and plenty of meat. Quite colorful.


    ¡°Hm! It looks delicious!¡±


    I sat down with visible excitement. Damn, it really looks good.


    She put aside the steel cover and stood there facing me, holding both her hands in front of her.


    ¡°Please, tell me what you think, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I picked up the spoon, then glanced at her. I saw her for a moment, intently looking at the spoon in my hand. I spooned some from the plate, but halted and lowered my hand.


    ¡°Allie¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°I am concerned about you¡­ How are you faring? Perhaps you need to rest for a while.¡±


    She stared blankly at me, and she seemed to be sweating a little, but not that much. She lowered her gaze.


    ¡°I am fine, your highness. I can keep doing my work without much trouble.¡±


    ¡°You must have loved Oryn very much.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I can see it. I cannot imagine the pain you must have felt. Seeing him dead, and also discovering that he was a traitor. No, rather, an infiltrator.¡±


    The grasps on her own hands tightened.


    ¡°Y-Yes, I couldn¡¯t believe it at first. But, reality wouldn¡¯t change. No matter what I do, he won''t come back, and the situation won''t change.¡±


    ¡°So you have come to accept everything then?¡±


    ¡°I suppose, yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then time can only tell how far you will reach into the future.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I ignored her and raised the scoop.


    ¡°I will cherish this,¡± I said.


    I slowly raised the spoon towards my mouth, I glanced at her for a fraction of a moment, and saw her again staring intently at the spoon heading for my mouth.


    I see.


    I have yet to fully trust her to begin with. There was a chance that she was clean, but not a hundred percent. And, I was right not to trust.


    Besides, she was too obvious. Not too experienced to do this I see. No, she never had experience to begin with, perhaps the job was suddenly pushed into her hands. But because of that, I have realized now, I was certain.


    What a waste.


    A waste indeed.


    ¡°What a waste of talent.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­?¡±


    I lowered down the spoon back to the plate. I raised my eyes to look at Allie¡¯s confused expression.


    ¡°Allie, I am hurt that you are trying to poison me.¡±


    Her eyes went wide then she turned pale. This reaction pretty much made it certain. She was trying to kill me.


    Unfortunately, she was too much of a newbie that a pro could easily see through this. She should have been more casual. Well, her invitation was already too shady in the first place.


    Oh, I¡¯m not hurt by the way. I didn¡¯t have any strong emotions towards her anyway that I would feel betrayed. It was just a waste of talent.


    ¡°Princess. What are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can trick me, Miss Allie. I know you poisoned this food to kill me. Well, if you insist on acting clueless, what about you try eating some of your own food?¡±


    I pushed the plate towards her with a smile, quite an innocent smile.


    She pursed her lips and her cheeks trembled.


    ¡°You hesitate. No point in pretending anymore. You have failed in your attempt to assassinate me. Everything is in vain.¡±


    Her eyes instantly shot up and aimed towards me with a strong glare like shooting daggers. At that moment, pushed to a corner and exposed, she immediately grabbed a nearby knife, going in for the kill in this last struggle. Everything had failed anyway, might as well strike while the target was in front of her.


    Funny, she didn¡¯t even question why my two servants were not here. That just goes to show she wished for this situation since that might ease her mind.


    With a knife in her hand, she rushed towards me.


    This situation was one of the scenarios I had imagined when I tested Mera. And it was happening with Allie.


    Foolish girl. A worthless struggle by an insect.


    She cannot kill me, ever.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    We have 3 chapters to go until the end of Volume 1

 Chapter 94: What a Waste (Part 2)

    Before Allie was first sent to the palace, her friends had asked her to do something for them. To be careful of the princess with white hair and red eyes, and meet with their colleague.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why they were telling her to be careful of a princess she never knew or saw. What they only said to her was that she was very dangerous to them, and that there might come a time that they would ask her for help.


    As they were the friends that saved her and she trusted so much, she agreed without much thought. Besides, she would get to cook.


    Her friends, you see, were a particularly bizarre bunch. They were different from the humans from the young Allie knew, but they still appeared so closely to humans. Furthermore, they were strong.


    Some of them had ears like animals on their heads, while some had long pointy ears. She tried to ask why they were different, but one of them, which she was so close to compared to others, only replied that they were made differently.


    He was a kind man, he was warmer to her than the others. And he was the one to convince her to cooperate. He was almost like a big brother.


    Then came the time she entered the palace and eventually met with Oryn. He was the one to first approach her since she didn¡¯t know who the colleague her friends were talking about. Apparently, her friends had already contacted Oryn that she would be entering the palace as a cook.


    As time passed, they often met, and they got to know more about each other. However, not too deep about his own personal life. But Allie found herself developing feelings for the handsome man.


    In her interest, she asked about Oryn from other people. She spoke with maids, but not much since they were nobles, but there were plenty kind enough to talk. She even heard a talk that Oryn didn¡¯t seem to change much in appearance.


    Well, there were just some people that their age just won¡¯t show on their appearance. But that only made Oryn more wonderful to her eyes.


    Then they got closer to each other, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to describe them as intimate.


    Occasionally, when it was time for a day off of Allie, as she would be leaving the palace to go around the city to refresh, Oryn would task her to report to their colleagues. Those same colleagues were her friends ¡ª well, some of them. It was safer for Allie to give the report since it was safer, they said.


    Of course she couldn¡¯t converse with them, but rather she would write down on a piece of paper what Oryn said to write down. Then, she would sneakily pass that message to their colleague within the city. There were a lot of times that she imagined they were the friends she knew, and she was disappointed that she couldn¡¯t speak with them. In the end, she still missed them, but there was nothing she could do about her own longing.


    Then, the time came when Oryn had made a decision, to find an opportunity to eliminate the princess. She wondered why they did not do it a long time ago, but they didn¡¯t tell her the reason.


    She thought about the princess that time. The beautiful and pure princess, an existence so innocent. She was also kind and made her a chef. To be honest, her heart began to warm up to the princess. This led to one time she forgot that she was the target of her friends.


    She just couldn¡¯t figure out why they would go after her like this. But, her friends were the priority, and so she must do what they wished for her to do.


    ¡°If I fail, use this. Utilize your position as her chef.¡±


    Oryn snuck a tiny bottle of dark violet liquid in her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a potent poison, not even their curing spells can erase it.¡±


    She looked at the poison before placing it in her pocket.


    ¡°Remember, this is just in case I fail. Once that happens, it¡¯s all up to you.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ But be careful.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He cupped her chin all of a sudden and gave her a kiss on the lips and then retracted.


    ¡°Do good, Allie.¡±


    Then came the moment she found him dead. She found it hard to believe, and it pained her heart greatly.


    It took a while to cope up with his death, but remembered what she had to do. To take care of someone.


    That someone was the reason why Oryn had to die.


    After successfully inviting the princess, she prepared a dish. Then when she was about to mix the poison, she found herself hesitating. To kill the princess? She was doing something she couldn¡¯t understand why it was necessary.


    But in the end, she steeled herself and poured the poison.


    The princess finally came, and was about to eat, but she stopped which made her heart jump. Allie was of course feeling apprehensive.


    But relief came over when the princess continued to lift up her spoon only to stop again and speak.


    ¡°What a waste of talent.¡±


    Allie was baffled.


    Then it was followed by...


    ¡°Allie, I am hurt that you are trying to poison me.¡±


    She was struck with disbelief, there was no way the princess would realize it. How could she have realized? This was what she had always done, there was nothing that changed.


    Unbeknownst to her, she underestimated the princess ¡ª her mind, her eyes, and the way she reads people.


    As the poison was a failure, she was left with no choice but to do it herself. She grabbed a nearby knife and launched herself towards the princess. When she was about to stab her, Allie¡¯s eyes went wide when a crimson barrier blocked her knife.


    M-Magic?!


    There¡¯s no hope in this if the princess decided to use magic. That was why she had to use poison to kill her, but that plan failed.


    In general, Allie failed her task.


    ¡°Vernon!¡±


    At her loud and panicking shout, the door opened, due to the urgency her shout suggested, Vernon broke the knob. Before Allie could even react, she already felt a hand grasping both her hands holding the knife.


    ¡°What is this insolence?¡± Vernon said coldly as he stared at the knife. ¡°The personal chef attempting to murder the princess?¡± his voice suggested his shock.


    Allie tried to pull away.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    But at that moment, Vernon swiftly snatched the knife by the hilt and followed by his hand going to her throat. Allie felt the hand tighten around her throat, and it was becoming hard to breathe.


    ¡°Ggghh!¡±


    ¡°Milady!¡±


    Mera entered, shock evident on her face as she fearlessly rushed towards the princess.


    ¡°Are you alright?!¡±


    ¡°I am completely fine,¡± the seemingly shaken princess said.


    Allie struggled, trying to free herself. She glared at Vernon, who was also glaring back at her.


    ¡°Vernon, don¡¯t kill her!¡± The princess said.


    ¡°How kind of you princess, but that''s too generous.¡±


    ¡°Vernon, please don¡¯t test me, I know you have realized that we need her to extract intelligence.¡±


    Vernon faintly smiled.


    ¡°Of course, your highness.¡±


    ¡°I-I w-won¡¯t talk¡­¡±


    Allie squeezed out those words. She would never sell out her friends.


    ¡°Put her unconscious, Vernon.¡±


    Vernon slapped her temple, it seemed casual but that hit was strong enough to knock her out instantly.


    ***


    Wow, he just smacked her on the head, damn.


    How strong was that hit that it was enough to knock her out in an instant?! Oh well, guess it works.


    Vernon slowly laid her down to the floor.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect she would also be one¡­ I suppose he¡¯s colluding with Oryn.¡±


    ¡°So it would seem. Ah, please dispose of the food, it¡¯s poisoned.¡±


    ¡°P-Poisoned?!¡± Mera instantly reacted as she fearfully looked at the food on the table.


    ¡°Have you taken a bite, your highness? We need to detoxify you if so, but you seem to be doing fine.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t take a bite.¡±


    ¡°You realized it was poisoned¡­?¡±


    ¡°Milady, that was very dangerous, she almost got you. That ¡ª that wench. I never thought she would attempt to poison you. To think I tried to make friends with her!¡±


    Wow, Mera was fuming that she actually called her a wench.


    She¡¯s mad.


    ¡°Calm down, Mera. I¡¯m fine, right? That is what matters.¡±


    I flashed her a bright smile.


    ¡°...Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°But, a poison wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat since royalties can cast high level curing spells.¡±


    Vernon said as though he was convinced that spells could handle any poisons.


    However¡­


    ¡°Oh Vernon, you think they don¡¯t know that? They are profoundly eager to kill me, I doubt they would use a poison that can be cured by my family.¡±


    ¡°But, there¡¯s no poison that can resist the spell¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±


    Aight, time to loot Allie!


    I walked towards Allie and searched her pockets.


    ¡°Your highness?¡±


    Then I felt some sort of bottle. I pulled it out and it was a small bottle with a tiny amount of dark violet liquid remaining within it.


    ¡°This must be the poison she used.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, dark violet?¡±


    ¡°Is that weird?¡±


    ¡°The poisons I know, even from beasts I know with strong poison, their venoms are colored purple.¡±


    ¡°So this is a different kind then, no doubt more potent. Which means that it can kill me, and perhaps instantly.¡±


    ¡°How terrifying¡­¡± Mera murmured.


    ¡°Princess, please give it to me, I will have experts look into it.¡±


    I gave it to Vernon.


    ¡°Mera, please call the nearby knight.¡±


    I gave the order and Mera frantically moved out of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed you managed to see through her scheme.¡±


    ¡°Oryn likely gave her that and had her do it. Allie was pretty obvious.¡±


    ¡°But, you selected her, I thought you would have trusted her enough and never thought she would attempt to take your life.¡±


    ¡°I did trust her, until she shattered that trust.¡±


    That was a lie.


    ¡°Vernon, don¡¯t go thinking I¡¯m excellent or something. It was just a lucky guess.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re too humble, your highness¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ In any case, please make sure to not kill her.¡±


    ¡°.... What are you planning, princess?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning anything. In fact, from her on, it will be up to you or the knights, or whoever is assigned to deal with her to extract information. But don¡¯t kill her. Tell me immediately if they plan to execute her as punishment.¡±


    ¡°I understand, your highness. I will do as you command.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    Now then, I wonder if she¡¯s the only one left here. I¡¯ll be fucked if there¡¯s more than five rats here ¡ª no, it¡¯s already too annoying to have two or three.


    Aaaah, my leisurely life, it feels like you¡¯re floating away from me.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Will be posting remaining chapters shortly.

 Chapter 95: A Dark and Horrendous Chamber

    Around late afternoon, Vernon had left the princess¡¯s side to deal with an important matter. The king was about to assign the matter to be handled by another, and Vernon asked to be involved as well.


    Prince Estevan wanted to get involved too, but the king rejected him saying he had no need to be involved on this one. The king knew what was being done with the captive in the dungeon and didn¡¯t want Prince Estevan to get into it, considering that the princess was once friends with that girl.


    On the way, Vernon recalled the princess. Based on his observations, he couldn¡¯t fathom her. At first he thought she was just a plain princess who was not at all impressive, nothing to boast, no achievement, no nothing except for her unique appearance ¡ª setting aside her magic potential of course.


    In short, she was unremarkable.


    However, the time he had with her, Vernon¡¯s impression of the princess had completely distorted. The methods she used to get what she wanted. Then there were some actions he couldn¡¯t think of that led to a certain occurrence.


    Adding all that, he concluded that the princess had a hidden side of excellence which might even surpass her brothers. However, it still remains to be seen.


    But the way she always acts, it was hard to tell any excellence at all. Like, she was there for appearance¡¯s sake. That in its way had also seemed to become a deception to the eyes.


    A pair of knights guarding the entrance to the dungeon saw him approach. The knights recognized him and opened the door to let Vernon enter.


    Vernon went down the stairs, at the edge he was greeted by a dirty stone floor, the ceilings dusty. The corridor consisted of jail cells on each side. However, they were empty since there were no prisoners to keep in the palace grounds. Well, until now.


    Vernon headed towards the edge of the corridor to a certain room.


    The torture chamber.


    At the edge were another set of stairs going down, Vernon opened the door after going down those stairs and the stench of blood quickly assaulted his nose, but he wasn¡¯t bothered by it, he was already used to it.


    ¡°Oh, Sir Vernon, you¡¯re here.¡±


    A middle aged man was sitting down on a corner, his apron smeared with blood. He had a short beard and mustache and bald head, his eyes gave the image of nonchalance despite the horrendous atmosphere in the chamber.


    Then beside him was a woman wearing casual clothes, though almost looking formal. She had a sword hanging on her waist. Her average length black hair was tied in a ponytail, her dark eyes looked blankly at Vernon. Vernon knew she was one of the knights.


    ¡°Randol, you¡¯re lazing around.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, I¡¯m resting, it''s been a hard day''s work, you know.¡±


    It would seem he had indeed been working for almost a day.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still working hard, then she has yet to spit out any useful information.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then she¡¯s one tough woman.¡±


    Vernon looked behind the man where tools were placed. There were whips, blades in different shapes and forms ¡ª some were like dogs¡¯ teeth, U-shaped, some were tiny blades which almost resembled needles, and so on ¡ª then there were some pliers. Some equipment had already been covered with blood.


    ¡°Did she say anything whenever you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s the I don¡¯t know line, the part about why they¡¯re targeting the princess.¡±


    ¡°Hm? There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t know ¡ª no, perhaps she doesn¡¯t? She looked so eager to do it, so she must know.¡±


    Vernon turned his gaze towards the center of the chamber and there he saw a girl.


    A rope was hung to the ceiling then wrapped around her wrists, leaving her hanging in the air, her wrist had also begun to bleed and swell. Her naked body was left exposed as she wore no piece of clothing. But her body left nothing to be desired within the eyes of men.


    Blood dripped to the floor. Lacerations were all over her body, waist, thighs, back, cheeks, throat, arms, bruises could also be seen clearly in this torch lit room. Her wounds were left untreated and dripping. Her body had also been smeared by her own blood all around as he was left hanging through her wrists, her feet unable to touch the floor. Furthermore, her fingers were all bent in weird angles.


    She was like a pig being butchered. But she was alive ¡ª although barely.


    Vernon walked closer to her, never minding the horrendous state she was in. No, he just didn¡¯t care. She was an enemy after all, a threat to the crown, and most of all, tried to kill the princess that was under his watch.


    ¡°Miss Allie, if you want to lessen your pain, answer this question ¡ª why are you trying to kill the princess? What¡¯s the reason for it?¡±


    The girl, Allie, hung her head low as all energy she had had already vanished. Her eyes couldn¡¯t even open themselves. And there was silence for several seconds before her lips slightly moved.


    ¡°I¡­.do...tt¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, what is it?¡±


    Vernon walked closer so he could listen to the weak girl¡¯s words.


    ¡°I¡­. d-d-don¡¯t¡­.k-know¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Is it possible she truly doesn¡¯t know?


    In that case, to the other question.


    ¡°You were related to Oryn, I saw how you two intimately interacted with each other,¡± thanks to the princess. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m certain there are others out there, aiming for the same goal. Then tell me, who are your collaborators, allies, or friends?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Vernon waited. However, several seconds passed, then a minute later, there were no movements.


    ¡°You do not wish to speak?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±


    They needed the information since they were still in the dark about their enemies. Furthermore, the princess emphasized obtaining information from her.


    He recalled the face of the princess. Somehow, reporting that he didn¡¯t get any important information made him anxious. It was an unexplainable feeling.


    He couldn¡¯t give up like this. Somehow, he feared disappointing the princess, which made no sense. But, it was his instincts telling him that.


    ¡°Bring her down and heal her.¡±


    The two other people moved in.


    ¡°Ayana, get the chair.¡±


    The knight, Ayana, pulled a chair, while Randol stepped on a wooden box and untied the girl. They let her fall to the ground with a thud. Ayana, who had brought a chair with an armrest, lifted up Allie and had her sit down.


    When Ayana held out her hand towards the girl, a green illumination came forth. Gradually, Allie¡¯s wounds began to heal, and her fingers were slowly restored while Randol manually straightened some ¡ª the girl shouldn¡¯t feel a lot of pain while the spell was being cast on her.


    Vernon went and grabbed a chair to sit in front of the girl.


    ¡°You have experienced it already, but I will say it personally. As long as we are not satisfied, we¡¯ll keep hurting you. We will heal you, but after that, the process will start again. If you¡¯re close to death, we¡¯ll heal you again, and it continues.¡±


    This was what was happening to Allie the entire day. Whenever she was on the verge of death, they would heal her completely until as though nothing happened to her. But that only signalled a new cycle of suffering.


    Time passed, and she was fully healed. She looked up towards Vernon, her eyes still weak, but she should have been physically restored somewhat.


    Hm, she should be fed.


    It wouldn¡¯t do if she would be too weak and tortured again. The princess, after all, didn¡¯t allow her to die.


    Was it because of mercy?


    The princess didn¡¯t know they were doing this to Allie, so perhaps the princess just didn¡¯t want Allie to be killed while being ¡°interrogated¡± ¡ª the kind way of interrogating. Unbeknownst to her, this only meant that Allie would suffer.


    ¡°Well then, you seem alright now, then shall we begin once more?¡±


    Vernon crossed his legs as the torturer, Randol, and knight, Ayana, strapped Allies legs and wrists on the heavy chair. Allie rattled around trying to set herself free but to no avail.


    ¡°Alright, Ayana, you start!¡± Randol said with visible excitement.


    ¡°Understood¡­ Girl, better speak while you still have a little breathing room.¡±


    She sounded indifferent, but Vernon imagined she might have some reluctance in her heart to do this to this girl. If this was another person and that was older, she might not have felt anything.


    ¡°Who and where are your allies?¡± Ayana asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No response huh. Very well then¡­¡±


    She grabbed Allie¡¯s index finger and instantly pushed it all the way to the back letting out a cracking sound.


    ¡°Aaaaagh!!!!¡±


    ¡°Another one.¡±


    Ayana folded another finger.


    ¡°Mmmaaaaagh!¡±


    Allie¡¯s cries of despair loudly, deafeningly, echoed in the entire chamber. In this place of torment, where mercy was fiction, and salvation impossible. Even with her tears, or blood, it wouldn¡¯t stop until those in power decided to stop.


    Not even the princess can save you here.


    Vernon watched the process without averting his eyes.


    ¡°Answer now!¡± Ayana shouted.


    She snapped another finger.


    ¡°You know, the finger snapping is getting old for her now. Let me get something.¡±


    Randol moved towards his tools and grabbed something. It was some sort of trap.


    ¡°A bear trap?¡± Ayana asked.


    ¡°Yeah, this is pretty painful on humans, except this one I made myself. It will bite even digging through the bones a little.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get caught yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. Alright little missy, we¡¯ll go for the leg!¡±


    Randol crouched down and positioned the trap next to Allie¡¯s calf.


    ¡°Alright, three, two ¡ª¡±


    The trap snapped in an instant, digging through her skin and muscles, biting to the bone.


    ¡°Gghhhaaaa! K-Kill me! J-Just kill me!¡±


    She begged loudly as tears welled up from her eyes.


    ¡°No can do, missy. This is what torture is for, keeping you alive until you speak.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the other trap!¡± Randol cackled.


    Even with this much pain, it¡¯s impressive she still wouldn¡¯t talk, despite her age.


    She must have strong emotions towards her friends.


    Then, Vernon watched as the girl screamed and cried in agony. Healing her when the damage was too great, and starting anew. This was like hell to the girl, but her screams reached no one outside.


    Not even her friends.


    How unlucky that she was the one to be captured alive. Perhaps it would have been best that she killed herself before capture or when she realized that she had failed.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Allie may be the most tragic character here in the first volume. She was tortured to hell. Also, she fell in love with a person who never even loved her back, she''s an inferior human after all. Oryn never cared much about her -- he was only willing to motivate her more. Furthermore, she won''t be a renowned and royal chef anymore.


    Last chapter of Vol. 1 will be next.

 Chapter 96: The Purest of All

    Vernon took a deep breath as he stood in front of the door to the princess¡¯s room.


    A couple of seconds later, he knocked on the door and asked for permission to enter. He was immediately given one and entered inside.


    Mera was also inside the room. She had yet to retire to her quarters since the princess had yet to rest. Reason for this was because they were waiting for Vernon since the princess asked for a report after their dinner.


    Then he moved his eyes further and he saw the princess leaning out the window, the gentle breeze blowing strands of platinum hair waving in the air. The darkness spread outside and was only lit by the gentle moonlight.


    Then the princess spoke to Vernon as her gaze remained outside.


    ¡°So, is there anything that you learned?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but we learned nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­?¡±


    For the first time in this moment, the princess looked back towards Vernon. Her crimson eyes were so innocent, but Vernon felt chills down his spine. Perhaps this innocence of her was what was scary about the princess.


    ¡°Yes. We asked why they were trying to kill you, but Allie insisted that she didn¡¯t know. That¡¯s all she said.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Her voice, she sounded like she wasn¡¯t disappointed at all. Did she perhaps have thought of this possibility? Now that he thought about it, the princess seemed to possess the good qualities of a monarch in his opinion.


    She was kind to her subordinates, compassionate, and pure, not to mention her glorious appearance. Then other than that, she had the will to harden her heart to achieve her goal. Like what happened to Mera. Then her methods, she didn¡¯t seem to hesitate to do somewhat cruel methods when it was necessary.


    Then there was this excellence from her that Vernon had yet to fully behold. Perhaps¡­ Perhaps the princess would make a decent Queen.


    Princess, I think you can be queen. No, I have the feeling that you are worthy of the throne.


    He mused.


    That was what he began to think. The two princes were fine. Especially the eldest one. However, the bad side of that one was that he was too focused on diplomacy. He would prefer to use diplomacy above all else and would utterly prefer not to use violence. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t get the impression that the eldest prince was willing to make a decision that would be cruel in his eyes, or someone else¡¯s.


    He would be limited in his options, and that might obstruct his decisiveness. He needed to be changed.


    Prince Estevan on the other hand hated paperwork. He only wanted to be with his knight friends, and preferred mostly to fight. Perhaps he got that most from his father. But because of that, it might cause some issues in his rule if he neglects his other duties.


    But the princess was fine with paper work, and was even more enthusiastic with it than Prince Estevan. The princess was even willing to face the enemy head on, like what happened both with Oryn and Allie. She could have brought Vernon along, but she ordered him not to, just for the higher chance that the opposition would act at the opportunity.


    ¡°Vernon, what about his colleagues?¡±


    He realized that he was lost in thought when the princess called out his name.


    ¡°... She refused to speak about them.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    The princess leaned again on the window.


    ¡°She mentioned her friends when we spoke¡­ They must be within the city. Adding the message that came to Oryn¡¯s room, it is made even more certain. However, it¡¯s not a hundred percent sure.¡±


    There she was again, her calculated words that he at first never thought the princess would do.


    ¡°At any rate, it is highly possible they are here in the capital. Be careful when you face them, she mentioned they were strong.¡±


    She even managed to get that information!?


    Vernon was awestruck.


    ¡°It is best to assume that they are at the level of Oryn.¡±


    ¡°I understand, your highness, I will convey this to His Majesty.¡±


    The princess glanced back and smiled widely with a nod.


    She stared out again and took a deep breath.


    ¡°The moon lights the world from the clear skies above. This is a good opportunity, I wasn¡¯t able to see it.¡±


    ¡°Milady, what is?¡±


    The princess turned around with an excited smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the garden before we sleep, will you come with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, milady.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The princess walked out of the room followed by her two servants. They went down the stairs and shortly reached the door which leads to the royal garden.


    The princess opened the door with no hesitation. When the garden came to view, the princess¡¯s eyes widened as her pupil reflected beautiful colored lights.


    Vernon had seen this scene several times already. But the princess looked like she had only seen this for the first time. Like a child finally being set free to see the wonders of the world.


    The princess seemed to be unable to speak but only slowly walked further into the garden. The gentle light had begun to touch their skin as petals fluttered in the air, but Vernon and Mera were way behind the princess when the glowing fluttering petals of wisteria swirled around her.


    The light of the moon descended into the world and reached the earth, and in turn touched the flowers of wisteria. The countless purple wisteria which filled the wide garden illuminated a gentle radiance which made the scene so mystical. Countless petals sparkled like stars, but way more beautiful to behold.


    The princess stepped amidst the glowing wisteria, looking all around her, even turning around as though in excitement. Mera and Vernon watched her from afar as their breaths were stolen.


    The princess¡¯s long platinum hair seemed to glitter in the air filled with light, it was like jewels reflecting the light of the moon. Her white dress fluttered gently as petals of glowing wisteria swirled around her as though celebrating her arrival.


    The Pure Princess turned around with a wide and bright smile. Her dazzling crimson eyes seemed to glow bright as they reflected the radiance all around her.


    The two knew for sure what this moment conveyed, what the world seemed to say.


    It was that...


    The Royal Princess Estelia Vernisia Wisteria was the most beautiful being to walk the land. A being purer than any gold and diamond ¡ª the purest of all there was. An existence more valuable than any treasure to be dug and discovered in this vast world.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Here ends Vol. 1


    I decided to end the volume this way since Estelia never saw the glowing Wisterias, and I think she should be rewarded at least visually. Her feelings in this moment will be a mystery forever (Lol).


    Volume 1 has around more than 150k words (Not counting the exclusives), haha I didn''t expect we would get that far hahaha. Thank you everyone for reaching this far :)


    Unto to the next part of the author''s note. I asked a friend of mine that is an artist in training to draw one of the characters, that is Mera.


    (Mera | Rough Draft | by Ghian)


    Quite good for someone practicing :) Nice, right?


    Also, I''m planning to change the novel''s cover when I have the budget, meaning Estelia would definitely have an original design. When is that? Not sure.


    Now that we''re done with Volume 1: Pure Princess, we''re moving to Volume 2: The Wicked Princess (Part 1)


    Will be releasing the Synopsis later.


    The reason why I posted the rest of the chapters together is so I can focus more on the next Volume while also so I can get rest -- also, class is starting so I need to prepare mentally. I will be taking a break for a week at least.


    Please leave a review of what you think about the first volume :)


    Also, if you like, please consider supporting me on Patreon.


    Once again thank you everyone!

 Royal Princess of Blood Volume 2 Synopsis

    Volume 2: The Wicked Princess (Part 1)


    Now that the snakes have been rooted out, I have finally felt more at ease than before. Pretty great! But there are still plenty of things to worry about, like my social life. Hey, it¡¯s an important thing in life.


    That aside, there are still some enemies outside my home. How annoying. Speaking of outside, I am finally going out of the palace! Not sneaky, sneaky, but in public. The people will finally get to see the beautiful me during the Festival! Alright, whether that¡¯s a good thing or not, who knows. Furthermore, I might need to be careful of nobles¡­


    Also, what is this about a woman who had platinum hair and red eyes I found in some documents? Suspicious¡­ What are my parents hiding from me?


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    As mentioned in previous chapter, I''ll be taking a break for a week.


    Please follow me on my profile so I can notify you when a new chapter is released. Thank you.

 Vol. 2 Prologue: The Church’s Ambush (Part 1)

    A bit distant from a small and silent residential area, there lies a pair of ponds. The windows of houses closed and lights snuffed out. Everyone living in each house had already fallen asleep as midnight steadily approached.


    Only the faint sound of cicadas and other tiny insects filled the air as thin clouds lightly covered the moon in the night sky, leaving only a small amount of moonlight through. There was utter silence in the surrounding area, as it always would, signifying that it would be a peaceful evening.


    Amidst a forest a small distance away from the pair of ponds, a young priestess hid behind a tree as she kept her breathing delicate and as quiet as possible. Her eyes watched the ponds closely.


    At the moment, she was wearing a dark tight robe which reached just about her thigh, blending in the darkness of the night. In addition, the long sleeves were tight on the wrists and the entire fabric of her clothes was stretchable. Underneath her robe should be a simple shirt, and one could see she wore dark trousers and dark boots.


    These were traditional combat clothes used by every member of the church whenever they carried out an operation. For every mission, they do not preach the wonders and goodness of the light, but they shall dirty their hands for the people. The blood must not taint the purity of white they might spill by their own hands. Thus, darkness shall be where they dwell.


    They would dirty their own hands for the sake of the people and kingdom, and above all, for their gods, who sought peace and harmony.


    The young priestess, named Tina, clenched her fist to prepare for anything. This was not a place to be complacent and she must not neglect, it must be taken seriously.


    The King of Wisteria gave this mission to the Church Order. Details comprised potential enemies falling into the trap that was set up beforehand. None of the church members knew who set up this trap. The King only mentioned that this had a high chance of success, which could cause the capture of the unknown enemy.


    Of course, everyone questioned how the crown even managed to set it up, nor what made them assured that there was a high chance of success. However, the King decided not to disclose any information regarding that.


    As they couldn¡¯t let this chance slip by, the Church Order prepared for an ambush even though a chance this would be for nothing existed. It was better doing something than nothing.


    Tina, however, hoped that something would happen here. She didn¡¯t like to waste any time and effort. It would be annoying that they got nothing after all the fuss. Besides, she wanted to end these threats to the kingdom as soon as possible so she could get back to adventuring and to her friends.


    Well, first she had to pray that she wouldn¡¯t die here in case a battle spurs out. Though the chance of that was incredibly low, since she would be staying at the rear as a support unit.


    She sensed movement above her on the branches of the trees. She looked up and saw one priest crouching down atop of a branch and did it all quietly. Before they began waiting, Tina had cast a silence spell ¡ª a spell which can muffle the sound one emits, therefore it doesn¡¯t completely silence them, however, with their already stealthy movements, not even skilled individuals can hear their movements.


    Then the additional spell was a spell which hides their presence. Some individuals, after all, had abilities to sense a presence, thus to be safe, Tina cast it to everyone. That being said, if their enemies were more powerful than they had expected, then those might end up being useless.


    The priest straightened all his fingers and pointed them towards the pond. Then his lips moved to mimic saying a word. Tina wasn¡¯t good at reading lips so she would have a hard time reading a sentence, but if one simple word, she could, and she understood that what the priest was trying to say was ¡°movement.¡±


    Upon realizing that, Tina turned her eyes towards another person hiding behind the tree in the darkness. It was a tall and beautiful woman with long black hair, the one she recognized as her big sister, Astine. They nodded at each other, and Astine shifted her eyes to the other members present who were blending in with the darkness.


    There were twelve members of the order here in total. They could have brought more, but too many would have a high chance of discovery by the enemies. That being said, everyone here were excellent individuals, so Tina had no qualms about it. Besides, their High Bishop also came with them and was keeping watch from a distance. Tina knew he wanted to watch everything first, wanting to test the abilities of others, and also maybe because it was entertaining.


    How cold¡­


    She thought that, but Tina understood deeply why the high bishop was doing this. He was getting old, after all. The mantle would need to be passed down to the next generation. In ten years, he might have to retire, and someone as strong must replace him. And, he must also be content by the power of the next generation.


    Astine moved her hand in a circular motion with two fingers stuck out. Those above the trees immediately moved out and jumped from branch to branch. It was the order to spread out and go into position to surround the enemy as much as possible.


    All of them possessed the ability of physical enhancement, which made them capable of leaping from a tree branch to another. Needless to say, they were also capable of doing it stealthily. Tina, however, was incapable of those since she spent all her time learning to cast support spells ¡ª well at least she could move stealthily.


    A moment later, as they waited, Tina saw a group of figures walking at the side of the ponds in the open area. There were five of them, and they covered themselves in cloaks. That alone made them too suspicious. On the other hand, Tina found herself feeling surprised that someone actually came at about midnight.


    The figures seemed to be looking around, looking out for something. Astine invited the attention of one priest and ordered him to go speak to them. Even though they seemed suspicious, it was still better to ensure that they were dangerous, otherwise they might mistakenly attack someone innocent or harmless.


    A priest walked forward and got out of the forest and headed towards the open, possessing no weapons whatsoever.


    The moment he emerged though, the figures immediately turned towards him. They seemed to grow stiff and on guard.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    One figure shouted towards the priest, however the latter kept on walking and didn¡¯t respond. It was a way to get a closer look at the five.


    ¡°Stop it right there!¡±


    One of them shouted again, but sterner this time, and thus the priest halted. Tina also witnessed the five figures seem to discuss something at the same time. They seemed to be flustered.


    ¡°Good evening. May I ask what brought you here in the middle of the night?¡±


    The priest asked respectfully, keeping his hands to his side as to not alert the five.


    ¡°None of your business! So who are you?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am a member of the church order. May I ask that you show your faces?¡±


    ¡°Church¡­?¡±


    At that moment, the five took a fighting stance.


    ¡°Dammit, it¡¯s a trap!¡±


    They immediately drew their swords. Tina¡¯s brow furrowed upon seeing this. They definitely were the targets they were waiting for.


    Then came a loud whistle from Astine and every church member sprang into action. Astine rushed forward, followed by a priest and priestess fighters at quick speed. Tina delayed her action since she was supposed to stay at the rear.


    She ran when her team was now several meters away from her. Then, at that moment, others had already surrounded the five strangers. Every fighter was way faster than her. She saw another supporter at the rear of another group like her, a girl the same age. That being said, Tina was above her in terms of power.


    Stopping a few meters away from the team, she watched the five strangers cautiously.


    ¡°An ambush.¡±


    ¡°Then where¡¯s Oryn?¡±


    ¡°Dammit, he must be dead or captured.¡±


    The five glared at the members of the church. Astine, meanwhile, stepped forward.


    ¡°Drop your weapons and turn yourself in. Let¡¯s make things easier, shall we?¡±


    One stranger pointed his sword towards her.


    ¡°Where¡¯s our friend? What did you do to him?¡±


    ¡°Your friend? I have no idea.¡±


    The stranger seemed to glare at Astine.


    Astine truly had no idea what he was talking about, the same with the others. They weren''t told of anything.


    ¡°So, will you give up?¡±


    ¡°As if.¡±


    ¡°Haaaah, so the hard way then¡­¡± Astine sighed.


    ¡°Everyone¡­¡± the stranger said. ¡°Kill everyone!¡±


    At that moment, every one of them charged forward with surprising speed. Tina was dumbfounded, of course. The way they moved was almost on a par with ¡ª no, they were faster than the church members.


    One opponent specifically went after Astine. His sword would definitely strike her down when she had no weapons she could use to defend. However, against his expectations, his sword was blocked. His eyes went wide as a light of gold illuminated the small area around them.


    What appeared in Astine¡¯s hand was a spear made up completely of golden light. It was as if light itself took shape. The other strangers also fell into surprise as the enemies they faced themselves held and blocked their attack with swords and spears of light.


    This was one of the Holy Spells of the Church Order, exclusive only to their members, called ¡°Empyrean Arsenal.¡± It was a spell that allowed them to conjure any weapon they wished, ranging from swords, bows, claymores, hammers, axes, polearms, and so on.


    ¡°You¡¯re quick on your feet,¡± Astine blankly said. ¡°Everyone! Leave at least one alive!¡±


    She swept up the weapon of her opponent, leaving a beautiful arc of golden light in its motion. As her opponent leaped back, she stepped forward and kept on swinging her polearm. She thrusted her weapon whenever she saw an opening, but her opponent still managed to block them.


    ***


    A priest was clashing swords with another. The enemy was quick on his feet. He swung his sword at such a speed that the priest was having a hard time keeping up with him. One priest snuck up to the enemy, but to everyone¡¯s surprise, the enemy held out his hand and wind blew the priest away.


    Wind magic?


    Followed by that, the enemy seemed to cast a spell and vines suddenly grew out of the ground and wrapped around the priest¡¯s legs. Taken aback, the priest involuntarily made an opening for the enemy and the latter swung down his sword.


    However, before the sword could reach the priest, Tina cast a spell. A protective barrier covered the priest, blocking the enemy¡¯s sword. The enemy¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and turned his eyes towards Tina. Before he could do anything else, though, the priest that was blown before had returned and resumed his attack.


    The enemy received the strike, but the priest was quicker to counterattack and kicked the enemy, sending him flying. As he landed back on the ground, his hood was removed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The ones handling him were dumbstruck by what they saw. Others were dealing with other enemies by pair, so those couldn¡¯t see what they were seeing here.


    ¡°Long ears?¡± Tina muttered questioningly.


    The man had short, blonde hair and a normal face. There was nothing else strange except for his long ears.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    A priest asked.


    ¡°An elf?¡± Tina murmured, but it turned out to be louder than she had intended.


    She had read a few myths, and one creature which had any resemblance to anything that had long ears was a being called ¡°elf¡±. They were said to be creatures that dwell deep in the forests. And surprisingly, not much was expanded about them.


    Not their true nature, abilities, just where their habitats were. However, for centuries that humans had spread into these lands, no one had encountered an elf ¡ª not in record, at least. But if someone did find one, it was strange that they didn¡¯t spread any news about them.


    The elf jumped up and ran towards Tina all of a sudden. He must be intending to get rid of her first before anyone else. The elf swept his hand vigorously, sending a slash of wind towards her.


    Tina immediately cast a barrier. A golden wall appeared in front of her and received that deadly attack. But to her surprise, the barrier shattered. Her eyes went wide and her heart jumped. The one who could break her barrier that she knew aside from the high bishop was her sister, Astine.


    But even Astine had to give her all to achieve that.


    Tina instantly cast a protective spell on herself and gathered magic in her hand. Now that the elf was about eight feet away, she blasted light magic towards him and three streaks of light emerged from her hand. One shot out from the center, while the other two on each side.


    The elf failed to evade and defend in time, and light struck on his torso and shoulders, causing fatal wounds.


    This was Tina¡¯s trump card in case she herself got in danger. One streak of light costs fifteen percent of her current total mana capacity. That was why she wouldn¡¯t just casually use it unless the situation calls for it since she had to reserve her mana in case someone needed healing or her support.


    As the elf lay on the ground, the two priests had arrived and one changed his weapon from a sword into a pointy polearm and struck down through the elf¡¯s wrist, keeping him down.


    ¡°Aaagh! You won¡¯t take me alive!¡±


    ¡°Dammit! Let go of him!¡±


    They heard an angry shout. Tina turned her eyes towards the source of the voice. One of their enemies was looking at his immobilized ally. As a priest was about to strike him, he parried the sword of light and swung his sword at him in turn, slashing the priest in the chest.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Then he subsequently kicked away the other priest with fearsome force and sent him flying away.


    ¡°Cover me!¡±


    Tina loudly said to a priest near her and she immediately ran towards the wounded ¡ª leaving one to guard the elf while pointing a blade at him.


    The priest advanced forward and encountered the enemy. She cast a protective spell to him before healing the dangerously wounded when she was in range. A stream of light emerged from her hand and rapidly healed the wound.


    She shifted her eyes towards another one, and he seemed to be more fine than the other as he was running towards Tina with a pained expression ¡ª his ribs might have been damaged. But with physical enhancements helping him sustain the attack, he shouldn¡¯t be that gravely injured.


    But it was good that he immediately sought a healer in order to be able to fight at full capacity.


    She healed him when he got in range.


    ¡°Bothersome healer!¡±


    Their enemy shouted in a growling voice before coming after her.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Now we''re starting volume 2, and now seeing the abilities of the church order. Prologue has 4 parts.


    Also, if it''s okay to ask, please leave a review for the 1st volume of the novel, thank you :)


    Some are saying that nothing has happened pretty half the 1st volume, which I don''t particularly get since it''s necessary for the MC''s character, also for the build up for future events.


    The mid part of 1st volume was basically information gathering while training and later that, the carrying out her plan, subtle it may be, if said and explained explicitly at the beginning might remove the excitement and mystery as to why the MC was doing all those. I was intending on letting the reader slowly piece together what the MC was trying to do. Plus, MC had to experience how to live as a normal human being.


    Some chapters were even written within volume 1 to be explored in the next volume like how the MC had suspected and was convinced that her family was hiding something from her when they openly lied to her face. Or even reading about the history of the kingdom and about the wind spell.


    I already expected that there will be a low amount of fighting action from the MC within the current time of the story, and thus I opted to giving the story a psychological side.


    Of course, this is just from my perspective as the author. But I will still take the criticism and reflect on how to apply it to my future works.


    In any case, I tend to include chapters that foreshadows or build up what will happen in the next volume, even may tend to happen 5 volumes away. Yeah, I just like doing that since I think it''s good.


    Things will slowly escalate starting from volume 2, and it may even force Estelia to do something herself - alone- or because she just wants to.


    Anyways, thank you for reading! Volume 2 is part 1 of the Arc, so expect some pay offs to happen in the next volume. But I''m sure this 2nd volume will also be a great volume.

 Vol. 2 Prologue: The Church’s Ambush (Part 2)

    Meanwhile, Astine was having a rough fight with her opponent. She had yet to even damage him and all she could manage was to push him away for a while.


    She was using physical enhancement, so even if her opponent was muscular, she should be able to overwhelm him. But that was not the case at all. To Astine''s dismay, he was capable of pushing her spear back at every contact of their weapons.


    In fact, her opponent was plenty skilled with the sword and he dodged her strikes pretty well, which annoyed her greatly.


    As she swung her spear from above, her opponent parried it forcefully, pushing her attack away. Then, at the same time, her opponent struck down his sword. Thankfully, Astine was able to block it with the pole of her weapon in time.


    They glared at each other down, and the man pushed down on his weapon. Astine¡¯s eyes went wide at the sheer strength her enemy was showing. Was he using a technique more powerful than hers?


    This couldn¡¯t be. Astine was one of the most impressive within the church order, and this was damaging to her pride.


    Her arm slowly folded as she was being pushed back, the blade of her opponent closing in to her. She gritted her teeth and gave it her all to push back against him, pouring more mana into her muscles at the same time to where she felt pain.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    After pushing his weapon away, she lifted her leg and kicked the belly of her opponent with the heel of her boots.


    ¡°!¡±


    But to her shock, it did not blow away her opponent as she expected, but only slid back a little. She was in disbelief. Even so, she didn¡¯t let her shock distract her, and she instantly conjured a short sword made up of light in her other hand.


    But before she could thrust, her opponent grabbed her leg and threw her away. She ricocheted on the ground a few times, but she immediately regained her footing and rebalanced.


    ¡°Ugh, annoying.¡±


    Annoying indeed, why did she have to be wounded so? Their uniform should be able to protect them, however, with the strength her opponent exerted, she had minor scratches on her body, even a little on her face.


    The wounds may only be scratches, but they were bleeding a little, and it was already bothersome ¡ª another person could have tolerated the minor scratches, but not Astine. Getting wounded in any way was bothersome already. And she just had to be assigned as a leader by that old man. She would have been content to be just a plain fighter.


    More than that, her opponent had proven to be stronger than she wanted. Everything would have been easier if everything went easily.


    Taking a deep breath, she glared at her opponent. Time to stop with the conventional method of fighting.


    White mist emanated from her feet, and frost began to cover the soil. Her hands were now holding two spears of light, at the same time, the surrounding ground began to be covered in ice and were spreading and growing.


    Her opponent realized she was about to do something drastic and he immediately charged towards her. But in a second, as though an explosion, weapons made up of ice erected from the ground and slanted, aimed towards the man.


    The numerous weapons all consisted of spears, some of normal size, and others were twice as big. Then, they all shot forward like a slingshot towards the target. The man instantly swung his sword to break others while dodging some, however a few still managed to hit him.


    The attacks which landed wounded him, but they didn¡¯t go in that deep that would be fatal for him. Then, amidst the weapons of ice, a spear of light suddenly came shooting towards him, thrown by Astine.


    He parried and managed to change its course barely, but to his annoyance, his sword broke in half. Without delay, another spear of light followed. Leaving with no choice, he let go of his broken sword and caught the spear with his own hand.


    However, they were not normal hands.


    Astine¡¯s eyes went wide in shock and confusion as she witnessed what just happened.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    The man¡¯s hands suddenly turned from human to beast-like. Dark fur covered them and they had become larger. Then sharp claws appeared at the edges of his fingers. His hood was undrawn and what revealed was something as strange.


    On his head were ears like those you would see on wolves. His hair covered the side of his face, so Astine couldn¡¯t determine whether he had human ears, but this guy wasn¡¯t completely human. No, was he even human?


    The man¡¯s hands bled as the spear of light vanished from his grasp and his eyes turned towards Astine.


    Astine tried to piece together this mystery, trying to answer the question in her mind.


    What is he?


    ¡°Are you a demon?¡±


    She had never seen a demon before, but maybe he was one?


    No, none of the demons were described like him, none that she knew of, at least.


    ¡°Demon? Don¡¯t even try to compare me to them, human.¡±


    He sounded repulsed.


    ¡°Graaaaa!¡±


    Suddenly, they heard a loud, violent roar. Everyone¡¯s eyes shifted towards a creature ¡ª a beast. There was a beast walking on two feet. It still wore human clothing, but they seemed too tight as its fur made it bigger. It was mostly colored orange, and its face was feline¡­ like a tiger.


    It had sharp claws as the three priests and one priestess battling it could barely keep up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The beast bellowed. Then Astine saw Tina trying to keep her distance as the beast tried to get to her, but the priests were getting in his way.


    I need to help her! No¡­


    No, she had priests by her side, so she should be fine.


    ¡°You have pushed us this far, overwhelmed. But you humans cannot hope to defeat all of us.¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Destroy all the humans! Don¡¯t hold back and show your true power if you must!¡±


    The next moment, the man she was fighting transformed. He turned bigger and fur covered his body. His entire head changed into something that resembled a wolf ¡ª no, it was a wolf. His eyes were filled with the fearsome gaze of a predator. A wolf creature standing on two feet stood before her.


    Then a third person changed into something like a dog, not the pet ones but fierce looking ones with sharp ears. Then there was another who didn¡¯t have ears like others but rather had long, pointy ears.


    ¡°... So none of you are humans¡­¡±


    The bishop mentioned preparing for any surprises, but Astine never thought it would be this kind of surprise.


    Then, with no warning, her opponent pounced towards her with frightening speed. She grew ice spears and blocked his path which held him back for a moment. Shortly after, he broke the wall of weapons, leaving a few wounds on him, and attempted to claw her, but she barely managed to block him.


    She conjured a sword in her free hand and parried a claw. At the same time, she also switched to a sword, discarding her spear. It would be difficult to fight off someone this close and striking subsequently.


    She swung her sword and parried, then she felt a slash above her torso, although shallow. This fight was pushing her back hard.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    Then she heard a frightened scream, at the same time, she conjured a vast amount of ice spears below her opponent, burning a lot of her mana. This managed to immobilize him while a few struck him.


    But Astine paid no more attention to him as she shifted her gaze towards that scream. It was a priestess, not Tina, but the other supporting priestess. The dog-like beast held her with both hands as it leaped away.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°Save her!¡±


    As the priests rushed towards it, the beast opened its jaw, revealing its sharp fangs and teeth. Astine knew exactly what was going to happen, but she was far. She couldn¡¯t help her teammate from here in time.


    Was someone going to die?


    She would have preferred if none, but was someone truly going to die here? It was hard to process.


    As she thought that, a silhouette crossed her eyes from afar. And the next thing everyone watching saw was blood spilling out as both the beast¡¯s wrists were sliced off, and the priestess falling to the ground along with the beast¡¯s wrists.


    The beast cried in shock as it witnessed a body part of his was severed.


    Then someone caught the priestess and brought her away. The one who arrived was an old man wearing the same outfit as the other church members.


    Astine smirked as she recognized the one who saved the priestess. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let someone die that easily if he was around.


    The one who arrived was no other than the High Bishop himself. The bishop let down the priestess and the other priest expressed their joy upon his arrival.


    ¡°Who¡ª?¡±


    She heard her opponent ask that, but as it happened, a pair of spears appeared in both the bishop¡¯s hands.


    He moved with great swiftness and the next thing everyone saw was a streak of golden light arcing through the injured beast¡¯s leg, prompting him to drop to the ground instantly.


    ¡°Gaaaaaaaah!¡±


    The beast yelled in agony as its blood spilled to the soil.


    ¡°Stay there for a while,¡± he turned to the group of priests. ¡°Keep watch of him, don¡¯t let it kill itself.


    Astine turned her eyes towards her opponent, who was in shock. Seeing that he was distracted, she sent weapons against him. He realized it and immediately shielded himself, but it still caused wounds all over him.


    At that moment, she moved away from him. It was hard for her to admit it, but it was hard for her to beat her current opponent. Thus, the best option was to let the strongest handle him to end things quicker.


    She rushed towards the bishop¡¯s side.


    ¡°High Bishop, may I ask you to deal with him?¡±


    The bishop grinned broadly, his eyes glinted with anticipation as he stared at the beast. Astine could already see that he was looking forward to fighting him.


    ¡°You dealt with him impressively. You have promising power. However, these are a bunch of surprises themselves. I¡¯ll deal with him, you help the others.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Now then beast, prepare yourself for I bring the blades of penance blessed by our lord and lady.¡±


    ¡°Your gods are nothing.¡±


    ¡°Those who disturb the peace of humanity shall be met with the wrath of those who longs for peace. By my words, along with your strength, the world shall be purified through our enemy¡¯s blood. United, we shall face tribulations, and united shall our enemies fall. Only when everything is done, shall we attain serenity and offer profound compassion to our fellows in the era of peace.¡±


    The bishop muttered loudly, quoting the scriptures with reverence.


    ¡°Freedom is deserved to all free from sins and those who heartedly repent.¡±


    Dozens of weapons made up of golden light appeared in thin air all around him. They floated as they were pointed towards the beast.


    ¡°You who threaten the peace of our home shall pay the price.¡±


    With no gestures, the weapons shot forward as they whizzed loudly through the air.

 Vol. 2 Prologue: The Church’s Ambush (Part 3)

    Astine left to head towards another beast that was more dangerous than the one with long pointy ears. She could tell it through how that tiger-like beast was acting violently. The priests were constantly being wounded, but were only kept alive by Tina.


    Tina on the other hand, already looked pretty exhausted; one would wonder how many times she had been casting spells. The fact that she was always running away from the enemy whenever it got near only contributed more to her exhaustion. The beast appeared to be targeting her specifically, but good thing the other priests were getting in its way.


    I won¡¯t let them hurt Tina.


    While the violent beast was distracted after it hit away the priests attacking it, Astine saw an opening and conjured a giant spear that was three times the size of a normal one, made up entirely of ice. With a jump, she kicked the spear while it was still in the air, sending it towards her intended target.


    The beast realized it and leaped back, but he was a bit too late and it severed one of its legs.


    ¡°Gaaaaah! Damn you!¡±


    The beast glared at Astine.


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    Tina called out to Astine, and the latter nodded her head towards her.


    The beast tried to stand up, but of course, it struggled to stand on one leg. It was then that a storm of wind engulfed and blasted everyone away. But Astine managed to hold on by stabbing her spear of light into the ground, gripping it firmly.


    She immediately searched for Tina, and relief came when she saw her just fine a distance away after she was blown away.


    When she returned her sights to the enemy, Astine saw the one with pointy tears now standing before the beast. Seeing that he came there, she instantly turned her eyes towards the direction where the other priests facing it should be.


    Her eyes went wide. The priests were bleeding and were wrapped in thorny vines as they lay unmoving on the ground. There were even slashes on their body.


    ¡°Tina! Heal them!¡±


    Astine shouted and pointed at the priests. It shocked Tina to see how bad they looked. They were just doing well last time she saw them. With a determined face, she rushed to their side.


    Astine shifted her gaze back to the pair of enemies. The pointy eared one seemed to cast a spell, and thorny vines grew out of the ground and launched towards the priests. Astine easily cut away several coming her way, and so she moved closer to her enemies. The enemy saw that and a tempest covered the area around him mixed with slashing winds.


    Astine was surprised as she suddenly suffered cuts, and thus she did her best to block all attacks coming her way.


    As it happened, she heard the two opponents speak.


    ¡°This is a failure, and now here we are.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, I thought we¡¯ll finally get Oryn out after more than a decade.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this could mean our friend is gone.¡±


    ¡°Or captured, he could still be alive out there.¡±


    ¡°Eluer!¡± the captured elf shouted all of a sudden, and everyone turned to look at him. ¡°Is everything lost here!?¡±


    The elf, Eluer, nodded his head. With that simple gesture, the captured elf understood what had to be done.


    ¡°I see. Very well.¡±


    For some reason, the elf held out his hand towards himself. Too late did everyone realize what he was about to do, and a wind slashed through his neck before blood spewed up into the air then onto the soil.


    The priest guarding him was left dumbfounded. Everyone who witnessed it felt the same, even Astine.


    He just took his own life, just like that, with no hesitation. It was such a hard thing to process.


    ¡°Muriyo! What the fuck!?¡± The beast was equally surprised as the priests.


    However, the other remaining elf seemed to be unfazed.


    ¡°Eleur! Lift me up. Let¡¯s get out of here already. That damn idiot... Why did he kill himself? We could have just gotten away!¡±


    ¡°No. Forgive me, but I cannot carry you with all the enemies around us, and we cannot escape. That woman right there is glaring our way, and that old man can catch us easily after he dealt with Hundo, and he appears to be winning already.¡±


    ¡°Fool, we can still get out of here.¡±


    ¡°It is hopeless, Refel¡­.¡±


    The pointy eared one¡¯s sword glowed softly as though it was engulfed in magic.


    ¡°What are you planning, Eluer?¡±


    ¡°The ambassador instructed us to not let anyone fall into enemy hands. That also applies to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Muriyo killed himself? Damn you Eluer, are you¡­?¡± realization dawned on his face. ¡°No¡­ I thought we were friends!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I am doing this for you, and for our people.¡±


    ¡°You damn elf¡ª¡±


    A blade cleaved through his neck.


    ¡°Know, my friend, that my resolve goes this far.¡±


    The beast stared with wide eyes as they gradually lost any signs of life.


    Astine was in shock as she bore witness to this unbelievable scene. How could someone kill their comrade that easily?


    Astine couldn¡¯t even imagine herself doing something like that.


    ¡°No! No no no!¡±


    She heard a familiar voice.


    Astine saw her sister, Tina, trying to heal the two priests that she was ordered to treat. However, despair was all over her face as her eyes brimmed with tears. The way she was, anyone could easily tell what was going on.


    The two priests died.


    To be honest, the group had never experienced a situation like this. A situation that enemies could fight back with all they got, enemies that could overwhelm them without the proper number.


    All that they had fought were criminals ¡ª humans ¡ª and those people didn¡¯t even stand a chance before their might. No one here had experiences that made their lives intensely in danger. One would wonder how they would do if they battled with demons that they heard a lot about.


    Astine glared at the ¡°elf¡± that killed the two priests. How foolish it was to think that no one would perish here. But it still pained her heart, only hiding it in her stoic face.


    Then the storm calmed down.


    Astine felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the high bishop¡¯s hand. He had that almost blank face, perhaps saddened by the death of the priests.


    ¡°They are a handful more than expected, huh.¡±


    He said solemnly. Astine looked behind and saw the beast she fought previously severely injured and had his left leg severed and both hands gone with a priest watching over him.


    ¡°High bishop¡­¡± Astine muttered with a rough voice.


    ¡°Toughen up. You will inevitably encounter plenty of death in the course of your job. But do not let it distract you in times of duty. Only grieve when everything is peaceful and silent.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Astine returned to glare at the elf.


    ¡°Everyone, surround him!¡±


    Astine shouted an order, and everyone sprang into action. Even Tina separated from the dead allies and took position.


    ¡°I am outnumbered. The church order truly is troublesome. There is no escape for me.¡±


    He moved his hands behind him as he said so.


    ¡°Apparently. Now, will you be so kind as to surrender?¡±


    The high bishop said as a pair of spears appeared and floated on both his sides.


    ¡°Hmm. May I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°A friend, we were supposed to extract him. But seeing that you have set up a trap, something must have happened to him.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yes. I did hear someone mention what you might be looking for. Yes, well, he is dead, I heard.¡±


    ¡°Dead¡­ That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Good? You are quite a callous one, aren¡¯t you? Then it''s my turn to ask a question.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°You definitely are not human, so I¡¯m not going to ask that. What I want to learn is¡­ why are you targeting her?¡±


    Astine looked curiously at the high bishop. He had never mentioned anything, including the person they were talking about that was already dead, and who this ¡°her¡± they were talking about. That being said, even though he didn¡¯t specifically say who that was, Astine had an idea. The high bishop singled someone after all during the first assembly.


    ¡°Odd. You know?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hm, who told you I wonder. Did my dead friend tell you?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, no.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So, are you answering my question?¡±


    The elf chuckled. ¡°No¡­ I am not answering you.¡±


    ¡°I see. What a shame, then I¡¯ll just make you speak.¡±


    ¡°Regretfully, I have no intention of telling you, nor will my allies here.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you kill them.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you let me, or not, I will win, in the end.¡±


    Thorny vines instantly grew out of the ground and violently lashed out at everyone. Astine and the other priests protected themselves. While everyone was occupied, wind engulfed the elf and propelled himself forward.


    He encountered the high bishop, and they clashed blades. The elf would also use his wind blades to deal with the other weapons. But he was only using his one hand while the other was grasping a ball of wind.


    With a powerful kick, he hit the bishop, sending him backwards. Even the bishop was having difficulties dealing with him since their speeds were a match. But the bishop immediately counterattacked, and a beam of light shot out of his hand.


    But at the same time, the elf already had his hand extended forward as compressed air shot out like a projectile. It moved so fast that no one was able to stop it amidst the storm of thorns and wind.


    The wind hit then shattered the wolf¡¯s face. But the ray of light hit the elf¡¯s shoulder and severed the extended hand.


    But it didn¡¯t seem to slow down the elf and proceeded to move on to his next target.


    Unfortunately for him, the priestess had already cast a barrier to the firstly immobilized beast. Even so, he didn¡¯t stop and the wind from his feet launched him forward again despite bleeding badly.


    As he moved, the bishop caught up with him and swung a sword, but the elf blocked it. It was an admirable effort, but the bishop used his other sword and thrust the blade through his chest.


    ¡°Ggh!¡±


    He stopped in place.


    ¡°You failed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t underestimate our race, human.¡±


    ¡°Am I underestimating you?¡±


    The elf glared at the bishop. Burning all his mana, he gathered wind at a tremendous amount and speed. The bishop was about to end him there, but the elf was faster and he blasted him away.


    ¡°Cikeus! Make your choice! Yourself or our people?!¡±


    The elf shouted as he made his way to the final beast.


    The beast stared at the elf ¡ª his ally ¡ª and lowered his head. With resolve, he stiffened his body and suddenly leaped up using the limb he had left. He opened his mouth, flashing his sharp teeth.


    ¡°No!¡±


    The nearby priest was about to stop him. But how exactly? Nobody knew, but everyone knew he had to be stopped. He was about to reach out for his mouth. However, the barrier kept his hands away.


    Then the beast bit one of his arms ¡ª or what was left of it ¡ª with great strength, shattering the barrier.


    At the same moment, a slash of wind came passing by, cutting through the beast¡¯s body. At the same time, it also cut down the nearest priest in half with it, sending both halves of his body tumbling away.


    ¡°I¡­ I win.¡±


    With a grin, the elf collapsed to the ground.


    The storm dwindled, then vanished, and the vines died down.


    All enemies died. The church suffered three losses.


    The high bishop glanced at the aftermath with a displeased expression.


    The night fell into utter silence.


    Tina and Astine approached each other.


    ¡°How could they just kill each other like that¡­?¡± Tina asked meekly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The both of them couldn¡¯t understand how their enemies were capable of such actions.


    ¡°So, we failed.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, I suppose.¡±


    Astine walked towards the bishop and Tina followed behind her. The bishop crouched down and was staring closely at the corpses of their enemies.


    ¡°High bishop¡­¡±


    ¡°They are creatures that were not in the record of demons. But this one, an elf? They were only myths. I don¡¯t know about this one though,¡± he pointed at the beast.


    ¡°We also suffered losses. All we learned was that our enemies definitely aren¡¯t humans. Furthermore, they are strong, stronger than our standards¡­ but I never got the answer. Why do they want the young ¡ª the young princess?¡± he added.


    ¡°So, they are targeting the princess. But I cannot understand why.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you must not understand it.¡±


    ¡°But high bishop, our allies ¡ª our friends died for this,¡± Astine said sternly.


    ¡°This is a significant matter, Astine. Too significant for the common folk, even for the members of our order.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Astine glared at the bishop, feeling irritated.


    ¡°I want you to understand, all of you, there will certainly be times when you will not learn the truth. Some secrets just have to remain secrets, so there will come a time where you will fight for an unclear reason, but even so, you have to carry out your duty. Do you understand, children?¡±


    Everyone hesitantly responded that they understood.


    ¡°Good. Send a request for reinforcements to take the bodies. Then, we¡¯ll have a prayer for our departed allies.¡±


    Tina took a deep breath. She had never expected it would feel this terrible to lose her friends and allies. And this situation was utterly bitter, they didn¡¯t get what they wanted. No prisoners to interrogate. Nothing except for the fact that the enemies were not humans.


    They didn¡¯t even learn where they were, and why they were here.


    She turned to look at her sister. Her cold demeanor was now more intense than before. It would seem she was feeling the same as her and merely trying her best to suppress and hide it.

 Vol. 2 Prologue: The Church’s Ambush (Part 4)

    At a distance, hidden amidst the forest, were a group of people wearing large robes which covered the entirety of their body. In fact, even the clothes they wore underneath hid their entire skin.


    If listening closely, one could hear repressed groans from some of them as though they were in pain.


    At the moment, they were observing the church order battling with the members of the mystic race. They came when they discovered clashing between the two factions, their battle was pretty obvious when one looked high up in the air and saw bright golden lights radiating at a distance.


    That was not only it, they had also noticed movements from the palace and the church, and thus they were on a look out for any strange occurrences. And this is what they have discovered.


    The ones observing the battle were the beings being called as the Cursed Children. They would have been the ones to eliminate the Mystic Race if the church were not present. But it appeared that the church set up this trap. Thus there was no need for them to intervene.


    They would prefer not to be personally discovered by the Church, otherwise things might become more difficult for them to move around. It was best to let the Church focus on the Mystic Race.


    ¡°Now that the Church has discovered enemies, we can expect more movement from them. However, their focus should lean towards the mystic race.¡±


    Their leader, Heneis, said as he kept his eyes on the battle. Truth be told, it did not matter who wins here. However, if the mystic race was eliminated or captured, at least there would be less things to worry about.


    ¡°Battle¡¯s really heating up, huh.¡±


    All of a sudden, a third party¡¯s voice chimed in from behind the group. They instantly took their stance and prepared for battle, only to see a man with long bronze colored hair nonchalantly walking. Everyone instantly recognized who he was.


    ¡°Woah woah, calm down. I come in peace.¡±


    He said as he raised both his hands.


    Heneis held out his hand and ordered everyone to stand down. The man, Taneva, casually went past everyone and positioned himself beside Heneis.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Taneva?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just wanted to watch the spectacle. Wow, the church is still an impressive bunch. Actually, I was already watching from the beginning, but I discovered you guys, so here I am.¡±


    ¡°You would come to us at night?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I should say, what an outfit you guys have, really hiding that horrid appearance you have, huh.¡±


    Heneis ignored his comment, but Taneva could feel some intense gaze from behind him, but he paid them no need whatsoever.


    Taneva knew just what these people look like behind all those covers. At day they may look perfectly human, but at night, they were akin to monsters.


    Heh, punishment for betrayal¡­


    Taneva mused. He somewhat sympathized with them as the one that was also cursed because of a ¡°sin.¡± But Taneva¡¯s case was different from theirs. He observed them, some were slouching, even Heneis was no exception. He may be silent, showing the strength of his endurance, but others were groaning quietly, bearing some sort of pain.


    At least they can die if they choose to¡­


    Perhaps his curse was way worse than them.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡±


    Someone suddenly loudly muttered. Taneva peeked and saw one kneeling down clutching his own hand.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    One of the cursed children approached and laid a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Painful¡­ Thirsty¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t bear it anymore. At least blood, I want blood. Give me blood.¡±


    Suddenly, he lifted his head and looked at Taneva. Upon realizing what this one was intending on doing, Taneva wryly smiled.


    The cursed one then stood up and extended his hand. However, others immediately restrained him.


    ¡°Stop it.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, breathe.¡±


    They said as quietly as possible so they wouldn¡¯t be discovered in this silent forest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t! It¡¯s too painful, and I''m thirsty!¡± he said with desperation, struggling to set himself free from his allies¡¯ hold.


    He looked intensely at Taneva, reminiscent of a hungry beast.


    ¡°Your guys are a bit frightening when they¡¯re pushed to near insanity,¡± Taneva said.


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t go insane if you feel perpetual pain and agony even as you stand?¡± He then turned back to the others. ¡°Did he not feed earlier?¡± Heneis asked his people.


    ¡°I think not.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why. Get him out of here.¡±


    ¡°No! There¡¯s blood right there, give me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even the blood of an immortal is not anything special, trust me, your leader tried it in the past. So, no need to lust after my blood.¡±


    In fact, any blood would do as long as it satisfies their thirst. They could drink blood from any animal, and nothing special would happen, even if it came from a human. Blood is blood. All blood was the same, they wouldn¡¯t change no matter what manner of creature it came from, it won¡¯t save them from their torment, with the exception of one blood.


    ¡°Serious question though, you have the princess right there in the palace, you couldn¡¯t have tried drinking her blood? Maybe it would have worked.¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± Heneis lowered his head. ¡°We have tried.¡±


    It was hard to obtain blood from the princess, as she was always in the palace, it was hard to catch her alone. Furthermore, the windows to the princess¡¯s room were magically protected whenever they were closed, thus it was difficult to get in quietly.


    In addition, as delicate as the princess was, it was hard for her to get wounded. Not to mention they would still need to get the blood that was from her.


    However, of course, for years, there will always be at least a few times that the princess bled. That being said, they couldn¡¯t just come up to her and drink her blood as she bled no matter how small when there were people all around her, but rather they had to steal the discarded bandages and such.


    Then they would taste the blood that way. However¡­


    ¡°It worked, but only for a short time. We were relieved from our perpetual pain, but it was only temporary.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so she does have her divinity.¡±


    ¡°But she is incomplete.¡±


    A blood of divinity was as is. Meaning it never changes or improves naturally with time. A child of a god will be born bearing the full divinity within it from its parent, thus forming a complete form of its own divinity.


    However, for the princess, her case was different. She was not born from the womb of a god ¡ª her true mother. Perhaps this could be the reason why she was incomplete, and it cannot be changed unless something was done about it.


    ¡°So you need the essence of the goddess. So how would you do that?¡±


    ¡°That is none of your concern.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But even if you say that, I still have an idea. But you can¡¯t move her. And also, there may be other conditions for releasing you from your curse. Hehe, that¡¯s a lot to process.¡±


    Heneis turned to glare at the Wanderer.


    ¡°You laugh, and yet I can tell you sympathize with us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, I am also cursed after all.¡±


    ¡°Even so, don¡¯t even try to intervene, Taneva.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you don¡¯t need to be hostile with me. It doesn¡¯t have any effect on me no matter what you do with the princess. I don¡¯t need her for anything whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°You are lying, you are thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°If there is, it would not obstruct your goals. We are not enemies, Heneis.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Heneis scrutinized Taneva before walking away. ¡°We are leaving.¡±


    They turned into dark haze then vanished into the dark forest.


    ¡°Why are they so cold on me anyway?¡±


    Incomplete, huh. Whatever, I need to watch the princess for any significant changes, then I¡¯ll think of what to do.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next upcoming chapters will be the introduction of Demons.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 1: Demons (Part 1)

    A single man walked down the paved street within a dark yet noisy city. One could hear loud roars from the distance, one would also hear growly laughter nearby. But the man didn¡¯t pay any mind towards any occurrences which he passed by.


    He had somewhat tanned skin and was wearing a clean all-black suit, black pants, and shoes. His fairly long onyx hair blended perfectly with the darkness as his dark eyes peered forward without much of any distractions.


    ¡°Hey there handsome, want to have a good time?¡±


    He ignored that sweet and seductive voice coming from a woman standing in front of a building made up of stone and bricks. The woman was beautiful, so beautiful that any man would instantly fall for her ¡ª well, mostly humans at least. She had dark curled horns on her forehead and black wings like bats on her back. Then from her waist rooted a long tail with a triangular point, and it waved around hypnotizingly.


    Among the demon race, she was one of the species called a Succubus. The woman was undoubtedly incredibly attractive, but now was not the time to bring himself in the seas of pleasure.


    The man gazed up at the sky where the beautiful moon shone its radiance upon the world. However, dark clouds appear to be slowly gathering to obstruct its blessing unto the land.


    Will it rain tomorrow?


    He mused.


    He had just come back from a mission in another continent to the north and had returned to his home to bear the news that might be of great importance to his race. It was a long trip by sea, and he had to leave a few of his operatives on the human continent.


    Normally, some demons would be hard-pressed to hide amongst the human populace, however, it was different for his species called Imps. Imps were able to shapeshift at a small level. Meaning, they could only hide their true form and appear human, not completely alter their body and face.


    Succubuses could somewhat do the same. However, they were too troublesome of a race to be sent in recon missions. One would just find themselves surprised that the succubus they brought had suddenly disappeared. The next they would know would be that the succubus had returned after seducing a human man and absorbed his life force, leaving a ¡°drained¡± human corpse on a deserted alley somewhere.


    Furthermore, a Succubus had a more risky way of blending with society. They couldn¡¯t do shapeshifting like imps, but they do it by tampering with the minds of people around them. They can trick the eyes of others to change how people perceive them. Thus, they were not exactly a good option to be used, also considering their nature.


    As he was getting closer to his destination, at the side of the road there was a group of buff demons. Their skins were of rough dark red and black, and they were massive as shown by their bulky muscles. They were around ten feet tall, and they didn¡¯t wear any clothes like other demons. In short, they were basically always naked. But on the good side, their skin was almost as tough as steel.


    ¡°Hey! What the fuck did ya just say?¡±


    ¡°What?! I said it! You¡¯re a damn wuss, stop acting like you¡¯re the tough one in town!¡±


    ¡°Bastard! You wanna go?!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go motherfucker!


    The latter immediately punched the other in the face, however, he remained standing and punched his opponent back sending him tumbling towards the direction of the man.


    He sighed upon seeing this and quickened his pace while keeping his distance.


    They were always the noisy bunch, and their large bodies didn¡¯t make it any better. That often annoyed him.


    They were called Hedurus. Otherwise known as Ravagers. That other name came from the fact that they were savages, unruly and violent. If unleashed on the enemy, they would all charge at full speed and they would bring intense violence to their surroundings, always resulting in intense damages and gruesome deaths.


    As he ignored the loud clashing of two giant beings behind him, he looked towards his destination. A wide and tall castle was standing in the center of the demon capital. Truth be told, it was the cleanest thing that can be seen in the city, which was at the center amidst dark and shabby homes.


    Aside from the homes of demons which most had no light lighted, the entire palace was bright as each window had that yellow glow from fires of torches and lamps. Demons had no need for torches or any light in the dark for they could see just fine, even in the night with no source of light.


    The castle was just put that way because it was the center of the demon capital, and where high-ranking demons reside. Therefore, it must look good no matter what.


    Time passed and he had finally reached the gates.


    Two guards wearing armor flanked the giant gates. They were fully armored, and their faces were completely obscured, but on their backs were a pair of dark wings made up of feathers akin to ravens.


    ¡°Rytus, is that you? So you¡¯ve returned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have something important to report.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but not all Dread Lords are currently here,¡± the guard turned and looked above the wall. ¡°Open it!¡±


    Then the sound of heavy objects moving rang out as the gate slowly opened.


    ¡°If they¡¯re all not here then I have to set a meeting for tomorrow morning at least, thanks for the heads up.¡±


    ¡°No problem, alright, you can go ahead.¡±


    Rytus nodded and went inside. There were two walls in total protecting the castle, and the next gate was not in front of the first one. Thus, it would take a while before he could arrive at his destination.


    As he was about to arrive, he stopped when he saw someone. This person was thin and tall and was wearing an incredibly lavish outfit, a fancy long sleeve shirt, and flashy boots. Both his eyes and hair were black, and on his back sprouted dark wings akin to ravens, similar to the guards earlier.


    Under his eyes were dark spots like intense eye bags, but were actually naturally there. As to be clear for the eyes, his entire pupil was dark which would make one think he doesn¡¯t have any irises.


    He was a member of a species called the ¡°Arales¡± on which their wings were their major characteristic.


    The Arales grinned when he saw Rytus as they were about to encounter each other at the gates.


    Rytus saw that he was holding metal chains on each of his hands, and behind him were two human women tied by the neck. They were fairly young as tears stained their cheeks while they were forcefully dragged to follow.


    Furthermore, the women were completely naked, left exposed for everyone to see.


    ¡°Rytus, you back, huh?¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Vezeres.¡±


    Rytus bowed with respect to the man named Vezeres. This man, after all, was one of the five dread lords.


    ¡°You must have returned to give us some news, but you better not disturb me tonight!¡± He said boastfully with a lecherous grin as he glanced at the human woman.


    The women¡¯s neck had already begun to redden due to being pulled by the metal chains. While they were both on their knees which touched the rough and hard floor, the two were still quietly sobbing.


    Did they just arrive here?


    They must be newly delivered to Vezeres, apparent from their distraught state.


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t dare interrupt your leisurely time.¡±


    It would seem he truly needs to schedule a meeting tomorrow.


    ¡°Good, so what do you think of these girls, eh?¡±


    ¡°They are fine, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Humans really had their good sides.¡±


    ¡°My lord, may I ask where you obtained them?¡±


    Humans were incredibly scarce here in the demon lands. The reason was that they were massacred in the far past, only perhaps leaving very few survivors and those were hard to track down, might as well call it genocide. Well, the demons didn¡¯t bother to find them anyway.


    If Vezeres found humans, then he must have found where a group was hiding.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re one of the human girls snatched when I ordered to get some from that group of islands where humans reside.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Kidnapped, huh.


    ¡°But please be careful, my lord. If humans discover your operations, it might become harder to obtain humans in the future.¡±


    Rytus was certain that he would need new ones in the future. Vezeres, after all, disposes of those he had become sick of. And these women here would only have about perhaps one month after every night pleasure ¡ª pleasure for Vezeres. Well, some even reached two months. In short, it all depended on his whims.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have started a plan.¡±


    ¡°A plan?¡±


    ¡°Not only I had women kidnapped but also men. That way, they can breed.¡±


    ¡°Breed, huh.¡±


    ¡°Think of it as a little farm. But, I imagine in a few years it will become bigger. They will provide for me, and some I might sell to other demons. The females will be raised and used once they grow up. While men will be used to breed more humans, it would seem we also need to leave a few females for that. Well, even men in their teens can impregnate women in their thirties so I suppose that¡¯s not that big of a problem.¡±


    ¡°I see. Splendid as ever, Lord Vezeres!¡±


    Rytus faked his enthusiasm. Well, he didn¡¯t care about any of that anyway.


    ¡°Indeed!¡±


    Vezeres puffed his chest in a feeling of greatness, then he heard a human female loudly sobbing. He walked towards her and clutched her cheeks, making her look up at him.


    ¡°Why do you cry? There¡¯s no danger here for you.¡±


    ¡°.... I ¡­. I want¡­ to go home.¡±


    The human looked up at him with great distress, as eyes brimmed with tears.


    ¡°Aaaw, that¡¯s sad, just sad. But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll forget your home as soon as you drown in the intense pleasure that I will give you.¡±


    He said so as he fondled her bare breasts by a handful.


    Rytus watched blankly at the scene. In truth, what Vezeres was saying about pleasure was both truth and lie. Yes, he would have sex with these humans, however, most of the time, in a bizarre way that Rytus preferred not to think about it or learn what exactly this winged demon does.


    Anyone who always resides in the castle would see the terrible mental state of the human women every morning. They looked like they were broken inside, and traumatized to a maximum extent. The rooms were soundproof, but anyone could imagine that the humans were screaming inside ¡ª whether in pleasure, or agony. Whatever he subjects them to, Rytus had no intention to get involved.


    Vezeres turned to Rytus.


    ¡°Hey Rytus, you must be tired after a long trip, yes? I¡¯ll let you borrow one of them tomorrow if you want.¡±


    ¡°You do not need to trouble yourself, my lord. I dare not to touch your properties.¡±


    ¡°What? No, I don¡¯t mind as long as I give my permission.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I will have to pass.¡±


    ¡°Hm, if you say so.¡±


    No thank you, I don¡¯t want to touch a woman you subjected to weird things.


    Vezeres then continued.


    ¡°Alright ladies, let¡¯s have a fun night.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What about we have a fun night together, Vezeres?¡±


    Rytus turned stiff the moment he heard that endearing and seductive voice. He took a deep breath, and the moment he blinked, a demoness was already clinging to Vezeres.


    The demoness had smooth-looking horns on her forehead going to the back of her head above her crimson hair. She had fair and flawless skin, her dark clothes only covered that between her legs, and a thin strap to hold her voluptuous breasts.


    Rytus looked at her thighs and curvy waist, then to her long and pointy tail as it wrapped around Vezeres¡¯s waist. As a special case, she had wings made up of dark feathers on her back.


    A succubus. But not a plain normal succubus, this one was one of the five dread lords. Her presence alone ignites lust to all who see her. That was why Rytus had to take in a deep breath to resist that faint feeling.


    Vezeres¡¯s eyebrow rose.


    ¡°Irian, I appreciate the offer, but no.¡±


    Those who were unfamiliar with her would have been dumbstruck by that refusal. But to anyone familiar, it was understandable that even Vezeres refused to sleep with this demoness.


    Succubus drains the life out of any being they sleep with. They could only do this when they were the subject of strong lust and pleasure of the target. Normal succubuses can only completely drain someone weaker than them, that was why humans were the normal targets if there were, and with only a few demons.


    They can drain someone stronger, but they cannot drain the entirety of the strong since the succubus would get full, like a belly filled after eating one¡¯s meal. And the life they drained would sustain their beauty and youth.


    However, it was different for Irian.


    Even the strongest, even among the dread lords, she could suck them dry. Even if you intend to sleep with her, it will still end up in her draining you until there¡¯s nothing left, even if you talked about it beforehand. It was a part of their nature after all.


    Even men stronger than her would be susceptible to death after draining. She just had that big of a plate which she put a lot on.


    Even Vezeres wouldn¡¯t take any chances. There was actually a member of the dread lords who fell victim to her, and that man was way stronger than her. However, at that time, no one knew what Irian was capable of. The next morning, that member was found dead and completely drained. Irian merely chuckled upon the discovery as she laid on the bed beside him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, you¡¯ll lose the opportunity of your lifetime. Besides, I¡¯m curious what you do with your human women.¡±


    ¡°I would rather lose that opportunity that you speak of.¡±


    ¡°How mean.¡±


    She let go of him with a pout.


    ¡°At this rate, I¡¯m going to come back hunting on the streets again,¡± she noticed Rytus and smiled seductively. ¡°Hello~ Rytus, been a long time, wanna do me?¡±


    She winked. Rytus could feel his heart tighten.


    ¡°M-My apologies, but I have to refuse.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s mean here!¡±


    ¡°If you do not drain anyone dry, everyone would have been willing to fuck you.¡±


    Vezeres said with annoyance then continued.


    ¡°Trust me, I want to try, but you¡¯re dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    She crossed her arms.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll just go inside then, don¡¯t ever talk to me.¡±


    She walked away towards the castle, her heels clicking loudly on the floor.


    ¡°You''re going inside right? Rytus.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go together.¡±


    The two of them walked together towards the castle, while Vezeres pulled the human females using the metal chains.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Please leave a heart and comment :)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 2: Demons (Part 2)

    He separated from them after entering the castle. For now, he needed to speak with the castle administrator to schedule a meeting for tomorrow and have all the five dread lords gather. If Rytus alone announced it, not everyone would take him seriously.


    However, there was one problem, the administrator was not an easy person to approach. Therefore, he would need to schedule the meeting through the administrator¡¯s secretary. The good thing was that she was pretty easy to find.


    He entered the room through a pair of big doors and what greeted him were books upon books placed on numerous shelves. The thing was, this secretary always used her free time to read books. In fact, it made him wonder if she had read the entirety of the library.


    He was quite confident that he would find her at the current time since mostly the administrator had no work to do that required her help, so the assistant would end up stuck here. Stuck but enjoying it to a high degree.


    After searching around the library, it was as he had expected, she was here, he had found her by a table where stacks of books were placed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a lot?¡±


    He said to her as he approached.


    The girl turned her eyes to look at him. Behind the round glasses were pretty red-violet eyes. Her glasses bore no distortion which implied they were only there for aesthetics ¡ª her words. She started wearing those when she saw a human wear one and she ended up being interested in eyeglasses in terms of fashion.


    She had short yellow-green hair that reached above her shoulders. To the sides of her head were her furry elongated triangular ears almost resembling those of a wolf, and they were all slanted down making her look innocently cute.


    She had a short and petite stature which made her appear to be younger than her true age. She wore a dark blue suit and a black short skirt, with dark gloves covering her hands. Her socks almost reached her knees and she wore long boots.


    She truly gave off an innocent and cute demeanor.


    ¡°Rytus, you have returned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have an urgent matter to report.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then¡­ Can you please help me put these on the shelves?¡±


    He wanted to sigh, he would prefer not to deal with books this many. However, he didn¡¯t want to displease this girl.


    ¡°... Alright¡­ where do you want to bring these?¡±


    ¡°I have a new shelf created, please follow me.¡±


    Rytus gathered all the books in his arms, it covered his view so he would have to shift his head to the side. They were thick and heavy, a normal human would have struggled a lot, but it was a different case for demons.


    ¡°Arin, don¡¯t tell me these are a new supply of books.¡±


    He said as he followed the girl named Arin.


    ¡°It is. We obtained it thanks to our human suppliers. Human books are quite interesting and wonderful. If only demons would create even a few.¡±


    These books were not demon-made but of humans. In fact, almost all of the books in the library were human-made. Some were confiscated in the far past when demons overtook this land and most they obtained from beyond their lands.


    Demons after all were not generally a race that did a lot of literature, unlike humans that always had a number of books created every year. That fact was what Arin disliked about the demon race, and she was quite open about her fondness for human creations, especially books.


    Demons had no qualms about humans, nor were they disgusted by them. For them, humans were just like another and any other race in this world. That was why a person like Vezeres was also fond of human women ¡ª since a lot of demon women were not exactly a favorable bunch.


    In short, they appreciate the existence of humanity. But of course, that didn¡¯t mean they could co-exist and be peaceful to each other. Well, demons in particular didn¡¯t want to equally stand with humans, and that was what made humans afraid and wary of them.


    Demons were violent in nature and always wanted to conquer and expand their domain. That in turn always resulted in warfare. Perhaps that was just the way they were made by their creator.


    The demon race must rule.


    ¡°Huh, you must have spent a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Vezeres was kind enough to give me some money.¡±


    Rytus chuckled at hearing that.


    ¡°What a generous man.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so sarcastic, he is a generous man.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes.¡±


    A short while later they arrived at an empty bookshelf. Rytus carefully put down the books since he didn¡¯t want to damage anything and anger Arin. She wasn¡¯t exactly a threatening demon. It¡¯s just like, it was scary to anger a person who was always quiet and behaved.


    He then placed the book on the shelf with Arin.


    ¡°So, what is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°I would like to assemble a meeting tomorrow, all dread lords present.¡±


    ¡°Must be very important then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll brief you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, what about before nightfall?¡±


    Rytus wanted it to be in the morning, but if she set it at that schedule, then it must not be easy to have others attend that early. With no other choice, he had to accept it.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s fine, whenever everyone is available. I just prefer not to waste a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will work on it immediately after finishing this.¡±


    ¡°Very reliable, thanks.¡±


    ***


    Later that night after having his dinner, a female servant wearing a maid¡¯s outfit was leading him to his room. She had red skin and black hair with orange eyes. Like Rytus, she was also an imp but only in her partial transformation.


    ¡°Sir Rytus, we have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was being maintained while I''m gone, right?¡±


    The maid chuckled. ¡°You have no need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Thanks.¡±


    He entered inside after thanking the maid whom he was familiar with. He had a royal bed inside his room with a shelf filled with books. A bright chandelier hanging from the ceiling. An incredibly luxurious room completely contrasting the normal homes outside the castle.


    But demons generally had no great desire for a luxurious abode, the dread lords were just an exception since they needed to show they were above the hierarchy, and this would also be a home for their god.


    He took in a deep breath, this was home. When he looked closely at the shelf of books, he noticed there were a few new books placed upon it. He pulled out one and given the written language, it was from humans.


    He of course understood human writing as someone who worked in the human lands and had lived for a long time. If he didn¡¯t even understand human writing, he wouldn¡¯t have been given the task to infiltrate the land of humans. Furthermore, Rytus was one of the smarter demons as one who studied plenty of things.


    Other demons you see, were not even that bright, some couldn¡¯t even read their own demon writings. Everyone who resides in the castle was all educated ¡ª well, with the exception of most common foot soldiers since they have no need to operate inside, working on papers and such.


    Rytus returned the book to the shelf, as he was mentally tired, he had no intention to read for the time being. He was not fond of serious reading anyway, he just often did it to pass the time.


    He opened his closet and changed his clothes.


    After that, he laid down comfortably on the bed.


    ¡°Aaaah, wonderful.¡±


    He immersed himself in the exquisite softness of the bed and pillows, unlike the cheap inns of the humans where he had to stay with his companions.


    He placed his hand at the back of his head and heaved a long sigh then closed his eyes.


    As he was getting relaxed and comfortable, he heard a loud roar echoing from afar. He sprang up from his bed and instantly went for the window. After opening it, he squinted his eyes towards the direction of the sound.


    ¡°Haaah.¡±


    As he expected, that loud roar was coming from a massive creature with wide wings, illuminated by the faint light of the moon piercing through the dark clouds. Rytus was familiar with it as well as all other demons.


    It was a fearsome creature with red scales covering its body and a pair of wide wings on each of its sides, a long tail extending from behind it, it was being called a dragon.


    Threatening it may appear, it was not an enemy of the demons. This occasionally happens. Every time that dragon felt bored, it would often stretch its wings and fly around at night.


    At the moment, fire breathes out from the dragon¡¯s mouth, lighting up the night sky.


    Hm, at least this time it isn¡¯t burning a few demons.


    With that in mind, he closed the windows and returned to bed.


    He didn¡¯t care if a few demons got killed outside the city. It didn¡¯t matter much to him anyway if a couple of demons died because of that dragon. He had no luxury to worry about strangers.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 3: Demons (Part 3)

    It was now before nightfall and Rytus was on his way to the meeting chamber. He was following a servant that was sent by Arin to take him. Truth be told, every one of the dread lords had yet to arrive, but it was best for Rytus to be there before they completely gathered.


    Some were not particularly patient after all.


    Eventually, he arrived before a pair of giant doors. The moment he entered inside, he was greeted by gazes from two persons.


    One was a man who had the appearance of a human wearing a suit. He had fairly long hair of black and maroon eyes. Like Rytus, he was also an imp, but one way stronger than him and a one of the Dread Lords named Trigel. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call him his direct superior.


    The other one was a giant demon with dark red and black skin. His face was fierce and carried a powerful gaze as though craving for violence. He was a Ravager named Ongrus.


    For the time being, there were only two Dread Lords that had arrived and were sitting at a long table in the center of a lavish room. Three chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, golden embroidery on the walls, and lamps made with glass embedded on the corners.


    At the edge of the room was a fireplace that was giving warmth to the room, and above it on the wall installed a giant flag with a crest embroidered into it. A flame in the middle and two curved blades crossing each other. It was the sigil of their god.


    ¡°Rytus, I am relieved that you have returned safely.¡±


    The imp dread lord, Trigel, stood up and warmly welcomed him.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Rytus stepped inside.


    ¡°So, how are the others?¡±


    ¡°The same as always, still a bit difficult to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha! Great, that¡¯s great. I was concerned a little that something might have happened bad happened to you guys. But I suppose even strong humans cannot defeat you easily.¡±


    Rytus smiled wryly at Trigel as the latter sat back down.


    ¡°Hmph, long time no see little guy.¡±


    A growly voice spoke to him.


    ¡°Lord Ongrus, it is nice to see you again.¡±


    The ravager crossed his arms.


    ¡°This better won¡¯t be a waste of my time. I and my crew were just having a sparring match to find who could challenge me, and I have to postpone the rest for this.¡±


    Rytus imagined that instead of a simple sparring, there was plenty of blood spilling and killing.


    ¡°I think you will find my report interesting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you on your word.¡±


    What distinguished Ongrus from his other kind was that he was more civilized compared to the others who were pretty much mostly aggressive and hard to talk with sensically. In other words, Ongrus was not dumb. That was why he was appointed as one of the dread lords, setting aside his strength.


    ¡°Ongrus, if Rytus had us gathered, then it is only expected that the matter concerned the demon race entirely.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, even so, I don¡¯t like waiting and wasting time.¡±


    Trigel heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°Rytus, can you give us a little sneak of what the content of this meeting will be?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It involves the movements of the Mystic Race and the Cursed Children in the human lands.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Those guys?¡±


    Ongrus and Trigel leaned a little towards Rytus upon hearing what sort of beings were involved.


    ¡°Hm, it seems it won¡¯t be a waste of time. I¡¯m looking forward to your report.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why even the race blessed by gods left their own realm just to enter the human world. And the Cursed Children, then this might have something to do with ¡°her¡±.¡±


    ¡°... This will be interesting, but the others seem to be taking their damn time.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Vezeres here in the castle already? Why is he even late?¡±


    At the same time, the door opened.


    ¡°Yes I am here, Trigel. I just had to make my girls behave while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Playing with humans again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Vezeres casually took his seat and lifted his feet to lay on top of the table.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s get starte... and the others aren¡¯t here yet. Why?¡± Vezeres asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Irian might still be out there sucking someone off somewhere,¡± Ongrus said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Yavia.¡±


    ¡°Huh, alright, let¡¯s talk, it¡¯s boring when it¡¯s all quiet. So Trigel, want to try some of my human women?¡±


    Trigel furrowed his brow.


    ¡°Why do you always ask that to anyone?¡±


    ¡°What? Is it bad to share?¡±


    ¡°It is weird because you want to share.¡±


    Vezeres scoffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to show you guys how wonderful they are.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Your loss¡­ what about you Ongru¡ª no, humans won¡¯t work with your size, I¡¯m sorry for even trying to offer them to you.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in them to begin with.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. Everyone¡¯s so repressed¡­¡±


    You¡¯re just weird!


    Rytus kept that inside his head. Vezeres would just shrug it off anyway, no use changing an impression of a stubborn and clueless man.


    It was then another pair entered the room. One was a cute girl, Arin, carrying a book in her hand and another person was with her. That person was covered entirely in black robe, with his hood drawn on his head, and his hands hidden within black gloves. However, none could see a face but only darkness, as though the darkness itself kept his face from being revealed.


    He didn¡¯t touch the floor but merely floated just above it. He gave off that eerie aura of the unknown. Not much was known about him but he was one of the confidants of the demon god a long time ago.


    He was the person referred to as the Administrator.


    As he moved, Arin followed behind him.


    ¡°The others have not arrived yet? What a troublesome lot.¡±


    His voice was hollow and resonating like a cold wind one feels during winter.


    He held out his hand and a small globe of blue appeared in his hand.


    ¡°Your presence is required, come immediately.¡±


    His voice echoed and echoed inside the globe, Rytus could faintly hear it, as though the sound was trapped within.


    It was then someone slammed the window open.


    ¡°Aaaah! Too noisy! Stop it already, I¡¯m here! I was just finishing someone for fuck sake!¡±


    The one who barged in complaining was a sexy demoness, namely Irian the succubus.


    ¡°Miss Irian, please take a seat,¡± Arin kindly asked her with an endearing voice as she hugged her book in her arms.


    ¡°Grrr, way to ruin the mood. Rytus, you¡¯re to blame for this! See me tonight!¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡± she clicked her tongue in blatant irritation.


    It was a tempting offer, to be honest. But Rytus had to refuse and could only dryly smile at the irritated demoness.


    Irian bitterly took a seat beside Trigel, while the latter merely glanced at her.


    ¡°Hello~ Trigel.¡±


    ¡°... Hello.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m upset, can I lay down on your chest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sir Trigel, you can do it.


    Rytus cheered him on from his heart.


    ¡°.... Haaah,¡± Trigel sighed. ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    Even if he rejected, she would just do it anyway in the first place.


    ¡°Yehey~!¡±


    With no hesitation, she clung unto him and laid her head on his chest. He should have been at least aroused, however, he was stiff, worried for his life. This was a demoness that can drain even a dread lord after all.


    The door then opened and entered a being who had wings like those of a firefly, except they were in the color of darkness. She was the size of an average human, and she was incredibly beautiful. She looked somewhat sweet and an ominous type of beauty.


    She had long onyx hair and silver eyes, with a pale complexion. She floated and moved above the floor with incredible smoothness. Her ears were long and pointy, and on her head was a dark green crown made up of leaves and vines.


    She wore a magnificent dress of black and green which exposed her navel and the sides of her waist. Her clothes revealed the cleavage of her ample breasts and her smooth pale shoulders. A beautiful and seductive being, but one would not mostly feel lust but rather be mystified due to the magical and wondrous presence she exudes.


    ¡°Stop it, administrator, I was already on my way,¡± she said with a grouchy voice.


    This beautiful creature was a member of a species called Dark Fae. Once they were normal faes that lingered in the peaceful forests. However, they separated themselves from other faes and drank the blood of the demon god. That turned them into something different from normal Fae, and stronger than those, then they were later called Dark Faes, and had been declared as part of the Demon Race.


    And this was their queen, Yavia.


    She sat down on a chair with majesty and straightened her posture.


    ¡°Hey there little fairy~,¡± Irian greeted her with a playful grin.


    Yavia frowned.


    ¡°... Hello¡­ Irian.¡±


    ¡°Hehe still a bit cold, huh.¡±


    ¡°Not after you slept with my husband and killed him.¡±


    Yes, the dread lord Irian slept with and ¡°accidentally¡± killed was Yavia¡¯s husband.


    ¡°Come now, it was his choice, don¡¯t blame me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was his choice, and I hate him for it. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are involved.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in my nature, fairy~.¡±


    ¡°But to go after my husband?¡±


    A hostile atmosphere had begun to spread in the air around the room as Yavia glared at the demoness while everyone in the room merely stared at the two.


    ¡°I told you, I didn¡¯t pursue him. He pursued me.¡±


    ¡°Shut it, wench.¡±


    The queen glared daggers at Irian even more intensely as her magic began to radiate. But Irian on the other hand merely playfully grinned, unthreatened, while ignoring the flustered imp she was laying on.


    ¡°That is enough,¡± the administrator intervened before everything else got out of hand. ¡°Let us get to the point of this meeting.¡±


    Irian snubbed and turned to face towards the front of the table where the administrator positioned himself. Yavia¡¯s glare remained towards her, one could already imagine that she wanted to strike the succubus down through her eyes.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 4: Demons (Part 4)

    ¡°Rytus, I believe you have gathered everyone here for an important reason.¡±


    Rytus stepped forward.


    ¡°Yes. We have discovered strange movements within the Kingdom of Wisteria.¡±


    Rytus and his squad were only sent a year and a half ago for a three-year mission. In their time there, they discovered some interesting surprises.


    ¡°First, we discovered the presence of the Cursed Children.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, those guys.¡±


    Vezeres nodded as he recalled those people.


    ¡°As they were the former servants of that Deity, it would be nothing that much strange if they returned to where their home truly was, but the question of why still had to be asked. That aside however, recently, we discovered another faction.¡±


    The powerful beings leaned a bit forward to listen to his next words. Normally, there would be no need to report to the dread lords if that faction was feeble or not a threat. For instance the church which could either be from Wisteria or that Holy Kingdom.


    They were not much of a threat unless they directly intervened with the demon¡¯s movements. However, the demons had remained quiet for centuries now, they had not even come to run havoc in any human land. Therefore, the church in turn had no need to mix themselves with the demons. They were more interested in what faction that Rytus was concerned about.


    ¡°We have discovered Beastmen and Elves in the city of Serene.¡±


    The administrator turned his head to look Rytus directly in the face.


    The other dread lords also looked surprised, with the exception of Irian who looked like she didn¡¯t care about anything at all.


    ¡°We do not know how long they have been there as we have only discovered them since our focus primarily was the Cursed Children. The mystic race being there was the last we expected, and they hid themselves well.¡±


    ¡°Those worms crawled out of their holes?¡± Ongrus said with a growl.


    ¡°Mm, I wonder what made them go to that city,¡± Trigel muttered.


    ¡°So even elves, huh¡­¡± Vezeres looked up at the ceiling as though he was imagining something.


    ¡°How many are there?¡± the administrator asked.


    Rytus looked at everyone and he caught a glimpse of Arin casually reading a book amidst this important meeting. She may seem giving no attention to the meeting, but it was the opposite. Well, to be exact, she was both reading and keeping attention to her surroundings.


    ¡°We only discovered a small group of five during their clash with the church.¡±


    ¡°The Wisterian church?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Have you discovered their motives?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, we have not. We cannot capture one since they are hard to find.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. The Cursed Children, the Mystic Race, and the Church¡­ What or who could spur them in action?¡± Yavia muttered.


    It was the same question the others have.


    ¡°We tried looking into the royal family, it¡¯s a bit hard, but we discovered there had been a big fuss there recently. We think that this may involve the blood of royalty, or what we hoped at least.¡±


    ¡°With these powers in motion, the two gods would likely have had something to do with this. Does this mean there¡¯s finally hope once again?¡±


    After the administrator said that, everyone in the room took in sharp breaths, Irian including.


    ¡°We have tried for hundred years, spilling the blood of that kingdom¡¯s royalties, but to no avail.¡±


    Before a few centuries ago, the demons had been kidnapping one royalty every generation which hailed from the kingdom of Wisteria or connected to them by family, the descendants of the Deity of Blood. Then they would spill their blood in the goal of releasing the god of the demons from its seal.


    However, it all ended in failure. They tried and tried, but it was useless. The seal was not lifted. This resulted in their hope turning faint since then at every passing time, and they stopped, the best they could do now was send a few people to visit Wisteria on occasions. One or two missions for every generation of kings. This also considering the rise of power of the church.


    What they had surmised that they needed after all those failures were that a mere descendant wouldn¡¯t work at all, regardless of age or appearance. They needed the divine blood which was reminiscent of the Deity of Blood. But all the royalties had no specialty in their blood or essence, they may be strong, but they were not purely of the Deity. They also lacked the sign of a divine¡¯s power which further concluded they possess none of the divine blood ¡ª or only a tiny amount of it but not enough.


    Therefore, they were only looking for remarkable individuals that were different from normal. But, there was nothing.


    ¡°Have you looked into the current royalties?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me about each one of them, how remarkable they are. Also their branching family, everyone connected to their blood.¡±


    The administrator for the first time looked worked up as he moved a little closer to Rytus. The family tree had a lot of branches, so Rytus decided to talk about the royal family first.


    I was about to get into it eventually in this meeting, oh well...


    ¡°Well, the king is strong and can handle a few monsters, but I can also do the same. The Queen is plain but charming to the people. The eldest prince is boring, but active on the diplomatic side of things. The second prince on the other hand is active in the knights, and his strength bears promise.¡±


    ¡°Have you looked deeper into this second prince?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is making decent progress in his power. Is he the one?¡±


    ¡°Decent? The blood of the divine cannot be decent, especially in growth.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s not the one?¡±


    ¡°Humans grow in power at a normal pace. But the offspring of gods which had the blood of their parents already possess great power.¡±


    ¡°Is that so....¡±


    It was unlikely that the second prince would be hiding his power, there was no point to it. It was even best to show his power to the people to gain further support for the royal family.


    ¡°Then¡­ There is the youngest child, the princess. This one is the most that lacked presence. She never showed up at any event and always stayed in the palace.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ How disappointing¡­¡±


    The administrator lowered his head.


    ¡°This is tiring, don¡¯t you think? Holding onto hope.¡±


    Everyone turned towards the source of that voice. It was the succubus.


    ¡°What are you trying to say, Irian?¡± Ongrus asked sternly.


    ¡°Hello~? How many generations do you think have passed since the first rulers of that kingdom, huh? The blood of the divine had surely already diluted in the mixture of other mortal blood. Therefore, it¡¯s gone!¡±


    Silence fell.


    She was right. As time passed, the less likely it was possible for them to free their god.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just live our lives with joy.¡±


    ¡°I will not give up.¡±


    That resolute voice came from the administrator himself.


    ¡°He brought us into existence,¡± he gazed at the demons from within the shadow that covered his face under his hood. ¡°Gave us power and improved our very being,¡± he gazed towards the fae as he said so before scanning everyone. ¡°How ungrateful would we be to abandon him after all he had done for us. He was to lead us to glory, to become kings of every species that walked this world. We cannot give up.¡±


    ¡°No matter how long it takes?¡±


    ¡°No matter how long it takes.¡±


    Irian stared for a long moment at the administrator, at his first show of emotion ever in this meeting. She then shifted her gaze towards others, they didn¡¯t counter his words.


    In other words, they agreed with the administrator''s sentiment.


    Rytus was the same.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m part of the herd anyway, I¡¯ll get dragged along.¡±


    She then proceeded on fidgeting with her fingernails after a casual shrug.


    With her done, Rytus decided to continue.


    ¡°I still have something to inform you of, as we cannot take a look at the princess, we asked a few witnesses that had been in the palace. The most we could get was the princess¡¯s appearance. She had white hair and pale skin, they said.¡±


    ¡°White hair?¡±


    ¡°I know what you guys think, but you should know that the queen has silver hair. So this is more likely a hereditary feature. Furthermore, she never left the palace, which could result in the color of her complexion, like barely being exposed under the sun.¡±


    ¡°But she has no power whatsoever?¡±


    ¡°No. More than that, we also learned that she has red eyes.¡±


    The administrator froze.


    ¡°... Those features¡­ they are like¡­¡±


    ¡°Like her?¡±


    ¡°The deity of blood?¡±


    ¡°Could it be?¡±


    ¡°Everyone, please, he didn¡¯t mention she has any power, does she have none?¡± said Irian.


    Rytus nodded at her.


    So I recommend you not to get your hopes up yet!¡± she continued loudly.


    Everyone then turned quiet. She was right. This could just be a coincidence. One¡¯s appearance had no contribution to the release of their god but only their blood. If she had no power or any kind of profound power, then she would be useless.


    ¡°Rytus,¡± the administrator quietly called his name. ¡°This princess, bring her to me. We will try it with her.¡±


    ¡°... I will do so but¡­ it will be difficult. The¡­ the Cursed Children are always guarding the palace.¡±


    ¡°They are guarding the palace?¡±


    ¡°Or they are guarding the princess.¡±


    The one who chimed in all of a sudden was Arin who now had her books closed.


    ¡°First the Cursed Children returned to Wisteria where they were banished from, then came the Mystic Race, and the movement of the Church. Different forces concentrated in a single city. The princess may be no one remarkable, but why was she stuck in the palace? Never letting her out. Then her appearance. If she has a low presence, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she is only hiding her power. This princess may be smarter than we imagine her to be, smart enough not to flourish her power, and pretend to be unremarkable on the surface. I suggest focusing on the princess next time, disregard the others ¡ª I said that but you will still kidnap her in the end.¡±


    Arin said all of those words, implying that there was a high chance that this princess was what they needed.


    ¡°As for the conflicts you could encounter, you will have a lot of enemies. The Mystic Race likely has their own motives, I cannot imagine what that could be aside from destroying a presence similar to the Ruling Deity of Blood, they don¡¯t like her after all. As for how they knew of her existence, I have no idea. But I think the gods had something to do with it. Hm, yes, the gods are certainly involved.¡±


    Everyone was a bit off guard by her sudden flood of words.


    ¡°... T-Thank you, Arin.¡±


    Trigel said to her with a wry smile. Arin merely nodded her head and returned to reading her book.


    ¡°So¡­ me and my team will need to find an opportunity, or we¡¯ll risk being wiped out.¡±


    ¡°It could take months if the princess is such a sheltered girl,¡± Yavia said.


    ¡°Say, is the princess beautiful, Rytus?¡±


    Vezeres asked with a curious expression. Rytus frowned upon his question which was far from their main topic, but he had to answer.


    ¡°I heard she is incredibly beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± for some reason, he grinned widely.


    Rytus already knew what he was already thinking of doing.


    ¡°Rytus,¡± the administrator called to him. ¡°Kidnap the princess and bring her here, do not harm her in any way, keep her alive. Take your time even if it takes a couple of years, all so that you could strike in surprise. Do not be discovered, the mystic race will definitely attack you on sight, and it will be difficult if the Church learns of our involvement. Worst of all, they might hide the princess where we cannot find her.¡±


    ¡°I suggest keeping the team small,¡± Trigel said. ¡°So your team should be enough, but I will send you a pair of strong ones for support.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I will bring the princess here.¡±


    He must tread carefully and carry out his mission into success, for their god and people.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next chapter we''ll finally be returning to our princess. :)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 5: Eldest Brother

    There was a girl elegantly walking down the lavish and clean hallway, her platinum white hair waved at every stride as they glittered like jewels, she had an adorable and pure face, while the overall beauty she had could surpass all there was, and her pair of crimson eyes were dazzling and captivating at a moment¡¯s stare. Her faintest smile could charm anyone just for a second after they behold it.


    Behind her were her two servants. One was a beautiful maid with her silky blue hair tied in a ponytail, while the other was an old man with white short hair and beard wearing a manservant suit.


    As the girl passed by, the servants she encountered bowed their heads deeply regarding her as the Princess of the kingdom. Now, who could this beautiful girl be?


    Who else could it be but me! Estelia Ver¡ª yeah whatever, I¡¯m not gonna say my entire name, too long. Why do people even like making a long name? I have encountered plenty of people with long ass names.


    I mean, parents! Come on, have mercy. You know how troubling it would be if they write their names on paper. They could run out of space, you know. Sometimes, there are even papers you have to fill up, and write each letter of your name in boxes. If you have a long name and run out of boxes, you¡¯re fucked, you¡¯re basically fucked.


    Don¡¯t even get me started on naming a child X AE or whatever that was.


    Alright moving on! Good to see you! Been a long time, huh? Has your life changed? Or have not progressed at all?


    Well, what business do I have with your life, anyway? You do you.


    It has been a few days since that last debacle. Everything had been pretty peaceful, great sleep! Great eating! Good learning. I say, I have made some decent progress with magic now. But, let¡¯s not talk about that now, but later¡­ of course unless I forget.


    Reason being was that today''s a special day.


    No, it¡¯s not my birthday, since it just passed¡­ Alright, basically, my brother¡¯s coming ¡ª not Estevan, but my Eldest brother. Some of you might have forgotten about him, or never even realized he existed. That¡¯s harsh.


    He had been hanging out in the Myra Kingdom for some diplomatic stuff. You know, that kingdom of knights, all about chivalry. And HONORABLE battle, or whatever nonsense chivalry always screams.


    Uwah, no hitting the enemy from the back, that''s dishonorable ¡ª or whatever words they used to describe that.


    What the hell''s ¡°honor¡± anyway? Just a bunch of nonsense. Why can¡¯t you just use whatever means to kill someone? No need to keep adding more work and make it harder for you.


    That being said, they may differ from what I think they are so¡­ yeah. Maybe don¡¯t take my words to heart...?


    At the moment, I was on my way to the front doors of the palace. I am already wearing my beautiful blue dress, and I look magnificent! My sleeves had a loose, frilly fabric from the wrist up. My skirt reached just above the ankle, and it has that neat folded appearance. Then I wore heeled luxurious good looking blue shoes.


    My platinum hair was tied into a braid and the length had almost passed my waist. Quite long now, wasn¡¯t it? But, I¡¯m not planning to cut it whatsoever.


    What? Don¡¯t tell me you want me to cut it because it can be an ¡°obstruction¡± or whatever. Especially when I¡¯m on the move, and so on, and so forth. Shut it! We can avoid it by tying it!


    ¡®But it¡¯s still best to cut it¡¯ ¡ª ah ah ah, I said no. I¡¯m keeping it the way it is. I look fabulous with it. The longer the hair, the greater!


    I do whatever I want now. No one will tell me what to do. I have freedom.


    At least let me do what I want¡­


    Not long after, I arrived at the front door of the palace, at the path before the open doors where my family gathered. My brother, Mother Meliya, and Father Leodoule, all wearing fine and formal clothing.


    ¡°Estel, you¡¯re here.¡±


    I adorably nodded to my beloved big brother.


    ¡°Excellent, you are looking magnificent, my dear Estelia,¡± my mother said as she looked at me with her usual fond smile.


    ¡°I agree! Perfect as always!¡± my father said with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Um¡­ Thank you¡­¡± I lowered my head in embarrassment as a blush appeared on my cheeks. ¡°So¡­ where is Brother Eleden currently?¡±


    ¡°The messenger said they had passed the city gates, they should be arriving at any moment,¡± Father replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m so looking forward to seeing my big brother after a long time.¡±


    I stood beside my mother as we waited, with Estevan on one side of me. In front of the palace, stood in formation, were the knights, all wearing their flashy armor.


    Somehow, I had the desire to try wearing one to experience what it would feel like. There were female knights, so it¡¯s no problem having me wear armor. Just put a boob on the armor or something, hehehe.


    But I imagine it will be quite heavy for me, having no decent muscle. However, if I learn Vernon¡¯s physical enhancement technique, no doubt I can easily lift weights! There were just a lot of playful and new things I wanted to do. I wouldn¡¯t get more freedom now, so I¡¯m going for it!


    I¡¯m a free bird!


    Hm, as I do that, I think I¡¯ll try selecting some dresses. Ah, yeah, I remember that tailors themselves come to the palace to take my measurements and suggest designs. I¡¯m cool with that. This could also be an opportunity for something else.


    I sensed my brother¡¯s gaze beside me, and I turned my head to look at him. I flashed him a cute smile, and he smiled back. What brother? Are you entranced by my beauty? Now now, careful brother. You might fall in love with me, kukuku.


    That¡¯s a forbidden fruit.


    Although I¡¯m saying that, I feel like he doesn¡¯t love me that way. But his love for me, his sister, was just so intense that it left no love for any other girls. Of course, that¡¯s like him having a sister complex ¡ª or not like, but that definitely was.


    It was then that a loud horn sounded from the walls. Me and my family walked forward, stopping right before the path. I straightened my back, since that horn could only mean one thing. The convoy of my eldest brother had arrived. A moment later, three lavish carriages, each pulled by different horses, came moving in. Flanking them were knights in full armor riding their steeds.


    The carriage in the middle of the two stopped in front of us. At that moment, the door opened, then a tall man descended the steps with impressive grace, deserving of royalty. The regal man had long golden hair which was combed backward and reached his nape. He had beautiful bluish eyes reminiscent of our Mother. He wore neat formal clothing, a fine coat and all, and he carried himself incredibly well.


    Pfft, I can be more graceful and regal if I want to.


    In any case, this was my eldest brother, who was around in his early to middle twenties, Eleden Venzura Wisteria. Since he was way taller than me, I was slightly looking up while looking at him with wide, adorable eyes.


    Ah, he totally beat Estevan in other ways other than in warrior skills. But holy damn, my brothers all look good. I only saw Eleden in my memories, so I couldn¡¯t really judge, but now I can.


    ¡°My son! Welcome back!¡±


    Father and Big Brother shook hands and briefly hugged.


    ¡°Greetings, Father. It is great to see you all again.¡±


    My mother walked forward with a fond smile as she touched his cheek.


    ¡°Did you have fun while you¡¯re there?¡±


    My brother looked down for a moment as though recalling something and a smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Yes, Yes I had.¡±


    ¡°Oh, tell us more later then, at lunch.¡±


    ¡°Of course, mother. I¡¯m looking forward to eating the dishes from home again.¡±


    It was then that they all looked at me for some reason. Ah, I haven¡¯t spoken or moved at all. Come on, the cute girl in the family was feeling embarrassed.


    ¡°Estel,¡± Estevan whispered in my ear. ¡°Go on, greet him.¡±


    ¡°Uh, um, yes.¡±


    I timidly walked forward.


    ¡°H-Hello, brother.¡±


    I stammered as I greeted him. A small shy smile played on my lips. Eleden chuckled as he suddenly caressed my head.


    ¡°What are you so embarrassed about?¡±


    ¡°Um, no, it¡¯s just. There¡¯s too many people¡­ watching.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, my mistake.¡±


    He said that, but he didn¡¯t stop rubbing my head. Good thing his patting was only gentle, but that would still result in ruining my hairstyle. Why does everyone so love patting my head? I¡¯m not a child, and please think about my precious hair!


    ¡°B-Brother, my hair.¡±


    He stopped and retracted his hand.


    ¡°Sorry. I just miss doing that. By the way, you look splendid, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°... T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Eleden.¡±


    It was then that Estevan chimed in.


    ¡°I sure am glad to see you again, and relieved that you have returned safely.¡±


    Estevan was grinning widely and one could tell he felt incredibly happy.


    ¡°Estevan, have you been doing good while I¡¯m gone?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. Perfectly fine, hehehe,¡± he wryly smiled. ¡°I even have plenty of good things to give to you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    Now I have realized what Estevan was so happy about. The things he was to give my eldest brother were the things Estevan didn¡¯t enjoy doing. Paperwork. Ah, my sly big brother, giving the responsibility to another.


    Well, Estevan had been pretty stressed out after the betrayal and death of Oryn. Granted, they had lent him some scribes, but in the end, paperwork was just too stressful for him.


    Remember that it all happened to Estevan because of me.


    Maybe I should make him feel happy some time.


    ¡°Really? I''m looking forward to it.¡±


    Eleden was somewhat a workaholic so¡­ it would be no surprise if he just accepted Estevan¡¯s responsibilities with not much of a resistance.


    Then my mother spoke.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, have your luggage brought inside, do you want to rest for a while, Eleden?¡±


    ¡°I suppose, mother, I am a little tired.¡±


    ¡°Very well, then. Come.¡±


    I followed behind them. When I looked at the side, my eyes encountered Rogan. As expected, he would be here. He smirked upon seeing me, so I faintly smiled at him. Of course I did not know if he saw that, at most he just saw my eyes pass by him.


    Ah, I have to visit the knights at one point.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 6: Treasurable Gift

    At the moment, I was in the large room that was used for my lectures, and with me were my usual two servants. I was reading the book about basic magic. As you can see, I¡¯m not outside since I¡¯m not yet trying to practice anything drastic.


    Furthermore, I¡¯m not practicing any spell in specific since I think that it would be best to familiarize myself with the guides to every spell. Well, not memorize, since to be honest, the most you will need to do is familiarize yourself and you¡¯ll get it.


    Memorizing every word or step would be too time consuming, and unnecessarily brain juice draining. Once you have familiarized yourself with it, you¡¯ll generally get an idea of what you should do. I¡¯m going to finish this entire book first before I¡¯ll practice anything! Otherwise, I¡¯ll only slow down.


    I can¡¯t lose efficiency now that, well, my enemies could very well be very strong. I even had a hard time defending myself against Oryn. I¡¯ll be fucked if I slow down. Aaah, carefree life, where you at?


    In any case, I didn¡¯t waste time these few days. I¡¯ve been trying a light, or using another word, an illumination spell, think of it as a ball of light that can be used in the darkness. I can even make it float in the air, that would be pretty useful just in case I¡¯m in the dark.


    Although, a fire spell could be used for that just fine. But the light spell was brighter and lower mana cost. But that¡¯s not the bright side, haha get it, bright cause it¡¯s¡­ okay anyway, can you guess what it¡¯s greatest use is?


    It¡¯s the flash! I can make it emanate an intense flash of light, it can be like my alternative flashbang! Ain¡¯t I bright?


    Furthermore, I¡¯ve been striving to learn the element of ice. Believe it or not, it¡¯s pretty flexible in my opinion, since I could make shapes of it however I want. Maybe I can create an ice dagger just in case of an emergency. Ultimately, the notion of frost magic is just cool.


    Okay, what¡¯s me and puns today? Maybe my brain kinda got brighter these few days, ain¡¯t that a cool thing!


    Alright I¡¯ll stop, damn.


    If you¡¯re calling me cringe, grrrr, I¡¯ll smack you down hard on your face, and sure damn well you¡¯ll live your entire life with a flat nose.


    Of course, I¡¯m joking. You¡¯re cool.


    Or am I¡­?


    At any rate, I¡¯m almost done with the book. You¡¯ll never know, perhaps someday you¡¯ll be surprised I can call a storm in the future. Yeah, of course that wouldn¡¯t be easy with all my LIMITATIONS!!! Dammit, I¡¯m still pissed off about that.


    Can¡¯t I just have the power to vaporize someone with my mere gaze? That would be awesome. I mean, easiest is best, right? Who would like difficult situations anyway? Shit.


    But alas, I¡¯m not gifted with that kind of power, so I gotta climb up that ladder as fast as I can.


    ¡°By the way, Vernon, can we start the lesson for your technique tomorrow?¡±


    He said he would teach me, no way I¡¯ll let him back out now. Of course there¡¯s no reason for him to back out, but still¡­


    ¡°If we have the time, but remember princess, you are going to continue your normal lessons starting from tomorrow.¡±


    Guuuuuhhh, I knew that. I¡¯m not dreading the general academics, and music, especially music since I love that. The problem was the etiquette lesson, fuck¡­ Manners were easy, but dancing, guuuuh.


    I don¡¯t know, I just get lazy when it comes to it, and I end up not giving it my all. Hey, at least there was a good side now. Somehow, I felt like the muscle memories came back, I don¡¯t precisely know how and when, but it just felt like ¡ª fooossh, came into my head or something.


    What a saving grace. But there¡¯s another problem. No, not exactly a problem, just bothersome. Ugh, dancing means I¡¯m gonna meet that guy that¡¯s taking his chances on me. It was amusing, but now in retrospect, eh ¡ª it¡¯s tiresome to deal with that right now.


    That being said, maybe I¡¯ll find some amusement or something. Haaah, the muscle memories better don¡¯t fail me, else I¡¯m gonna get scolded again by the woman.


    Can¡¯t it just be music every time? Music is better. Give me music.


    ¡°Yes, I have not forgotten my returning lessons.¡±


    Vernon narrowed his eyes towards me as though he sensed my exasperation.


    ¡°Your highness, you have been working diligently recently, please don¡¯t be all lazy now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not being lazy!¡± I puffed my cheeks. ¡°Mera, do I look like I¡¯m going to laze out?¡±


    Mera looked at me, then shifted to Vernon. After thinking about it, she smiled wryly at me. Hey, what are you trying to say? But she did not speak a word, but that expression told one thing. She agreed with Vernon.


    ¡°Mera¡­¡±


    ¡°Milady¡­ please listen to Sir Vernon.¡±


    I¡¯m not the old Estelia! Fine! I¡¯ll show you guys how good I can be.


    Hm, I¡¯m surprisingly so worked up about this.


    ¡°Alright! I understand¡­ But there will certainly be free time around late afternoon, so we¡¯ll use that time. Time is essential, after all.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, your highness. Please ensure you also focus on your lessons, not just magic.¡±


    Of course of course, who do you think I am?


    It was then that there came knocking from the door. Strange, I was not expecting any visitors today when Eleden had just arrived. It wouldn¡¯t also be mother since it¡¯s not lunch yet. I turned my head towards my two servants and indicated to open the door.


    ¡°Allow me.¡±


    Vernon was the one to open the door. Hm, was he wary perhaps? Well, perhaps after all what happened, I couldn''t blame him if he was being that way.


    Ever since Allie was captured, it felt everything in the palace just got more peaceful. Of course that was just my own feeling. I am just relieved to clean up a few filths.


    When the door opened, it revealed a familiar person. It was my eldest brother, Eleden.


    ¡°Vernon? I was told that Estelia would be here,¡± he looked towards me. ¡°But, I didn¡¯t expect to find you here.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, your highness,¡± Vernon bowed. ¡°Yes, at the moment, I have been assigned as Princess Estelia¡¯s attendant, as ordered by the king.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, father actually let you off his side¡­ it must have been for a good reason, but I can¡¯t think of why that would be?¡±


    Of course, apparently my brother didn¡¯t know it yet.


    ¡°....... I believe it will be explained to you by his Majesty soon.¡±


    Eleden furrowed his brows.


    ¡°A reason you couldn¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°..... Alright¡­. Anyhow, I came for Estelia.¡±


    My brother walked towards me, I stood up and looked at him with puzzlement.


    ¡°B-Brother, I¡¯m glad to see you here, but why have you come?¡±


    I said with a smile.


    ¡°I came for a special purpose,¡± he then looked at my book, and a bemused expression formed on his face. ¡°You¡¯re studying¡­?¡± He looked surprised. ¡°Magic?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes.¡±


    ¡°Father allowed you? That¡¯s good I suppose, but I''m surprised you would be interested in it.¡±


    Ah, he¡¯s completely clueless.


    ¡°Situation has changed, and that is why father and mother allowed me. And, it is necessary for me to learn.¡±


    ¡°Necessary? I don¡¯t understand. First Vernon is assigned to you, then¡­ Is something going on?¡±


    ¡°Um, it will be hard to explain it here. I think it is best to wait for our other family members.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then, I suppose I can wait. In any case, let us sit down.¡±


    He smiled gently as he pulled a chair and sat down beside my seat. Oh, I wonder, was he going to give me a gift? Oh, that¡¯s cool! Wait, he came from a chivalry nation so don¡¯t tell me he¡¯ll give me a knight figurine or something. Boooo.


    I¡¯m a lady, I want some ladylike things.


    He grabbed something from inside his coat and pulled out a neat small wooden box with a red string tied on the entire thing while a ribbon formed atop of it. With an extended hand, he presented the box to me.


    ¡°My gift, for you.¡±


    I looked at his eyes before slowly taking the box.


    ¡°I tried thinking of other gifts to give¡­ but, hehe,¡± he scratched his temple. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anything else, and then I saw it, so¡­ I thought maybe you would like it.¡±


    He seemed to be having difficulties with what to say, as though he was nervous about his own gift.


    I pulled the string and removed the cover, placing it on the table. My eyes widened at seeing the gift I was receiving. It was a pendant necklace in which the gemstone was half my pinky in terms of size. But that was not I was surprised with entirely, but, it was the shape it had.


    The azure jewel was in the shape of a flower, considering its size and the era I¡¯m currently at, I¡¯m impressed at how precise the carving of this was. More than that, it seemed to be unlike a diamond, somehow, even in where I was where there was no direct contact of light, there were numerous dots of light within it which glimmered like the stars in a starry night.


    ¡°I know that you already own plenty of jewels, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I love it.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Yes, I love it¡­ It was¡­ rare for me to receive this kind of sweet gift. Not the first, but rare. And a jewel, a beautiful necklace, of course my heart would dance. I had no luxury of owning things such as these in my past life, but I would often try to buy one for myself...


    And, most that I received as ¡°gifts¡± were just new weapons for me to use, knives, guns, and so on, and some that weren¡¯t weapons didn¡¯t last long. Gifts as simple as these, I greatly appreciate it. Although jewels weren¡¯t exactly simple, I just mean just the type of gift that is simple. And, is a necklace not simple? But simple as it may be, I¡¯ll give value to it.


    I gently took it in my hand, and used my thumb to caress the jewel.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a simple jewel, it has a few quirks. I was going to do it, but as you¡¯re already learning magic, I suppose you can do it.¡±


    I looked up at him, wondering what magic had to do with it.


    ¡°Pour a tiny amount of mana into it, but give it a color.¡±


    A tiny amount, huh. I¡¯ve been improving a lot in controlling mana, and pouring a feeble amount should not be too hard in the first place.


    I poured a tiny amount into the jewel and designated it a color of red. Then my mana was absorbed into the jewel, to my surprise, the jewel itself turned red.


    ¡°That jewel is made from an ore called Kaleidronite, which is mostly found at Myra.¡±


    ¡°It absorbed my mana¡¯s attributes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite an interesting ore. But, as tiny as it is, don¡¯t pour too much always, otherwise it might break. But if you accidentally pour a lot, it should just expel the excess amount, but too much than it could endure, it will certainly break.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful with it!¡±


    He smiled widely in joy and relief as he beholden my proud expression.


    ¡°Shall I help you wear it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes please.¡±


    He stood up after I gave him the necklace. He moved to my back, moved his hands in front of me to position the necklace forward and put the chain around my neck. After locking it, he stood in front of me with a nod.


    I looked down at the hanging treasure and grasped the now crimson jewel.


    ¡°Thank you so much, brother.¡±


    I smiled broadly at him, it might have been genuine.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± He spread out his arms. ¡°As thanks, give big brother a hug. I miss you a lot, Estelia, I¡¯ll have you know. Don¡¯t be shy now.¡±


    I chuckled faintly and walked into his arms. He caressed my head like a child as I buried my head into his chest.


    I was reluctant to do this. This type of stuff is just... too much, still, I cannot just deny it.


    But, it wasn¡¯t bad.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Thanks everyone for reading! And please look forward to more of the story.


    I feel this volume would be the same length as the first hahaha! I was surprised to see I have hit 60k words (in my draft) when I was just writing the first half lol. But I am trying to apply the reviews I received, so I hope I won''t get to make this volume too long. The length might get troublesome when I try to submit this to a publisher lol.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 7: Lunch With Family (Part 1)

    Spoons clinking on porcelain plates faintly echoed in the dining room as I was having my lunch. With me of course, was my family. Yehey! The family has been complete after a long while now that the Elder brother had returned. How excited am I really though? Maybe a bit¡­¡­..


    Of course I am exaggerating ¡ª maybe. I think I am. Not like I personally talked with my brother for a long time. But I love his gift, so he kinda grew on me. Maybe that¡¯s the source of my little excitement in our unity. Father, Mother, Brothers, and me, their beautiful daughter, precious and delicate, someone to be protected, eating their meal together, this assembly alone was a cause for excitement.


    Now, how was my dish? Well, back to average. Ugh, where¡¯s the yummy food that was catching up to my modern times? Answer, they¡¯re gone, they¡¯ll return no more. Being Allie the traitor that she was, she¡¯s in prison at the moment.


    She was the source of delicious and developing cuisines, so what a shame. I imagine she might still be being tortured. How did I know? Oh come on, of course I know. Vernon was pretty constrained in telling any details about their ¡°interrogation¡± ¡ª how adorable, trying to hide the dark fate which befell Allie.


    More than that, like come on, she threatened royalty, and we¡¯re like in a medieval era. Torture once in a while should be pretty common. That being said, I did notice that Wisteria almost had that so-called ¡°human rights¡± implemented here, no slavery and all, and proper treatment to the normal citizens of a demesne of a noble.


    But I guess, good they may appear on the surface, this kingdom can get pretty dark underneath. Can¡¯t blame them though, sometimes such measures were just necessary. Even in my old world.


    The government appeared to be so keen on carrying out ¡°human rights¡±, but what do you know, torturing people was more common than you thought. Especially when it comes to gathering information about terrorists. They¡¯re pretty ruthless ¡ª even if you tell them you¡¯re innocent, even though you truly are, they¡¯ll hurt you badly, even if they only suspect you.


    Well, not that I care, as long as it¡¯s not happening to me. Anyone comes hurting me, I¡¯ll hurt them back, I¡¯ll hurt them so bad. If a man tries to torture me or has already tortured me? I¡¯ll tie him up tightly and slowly cut off his penis and make him chew it. I¡¯ll also burn his balls while I¡¯m at it.


    If it¡¯s a woman, I¡¯ll stab a knife into her vagina and twist it around. Maybe also make a slit through her breast.


    Ew, okay...


    Looks like we got to a pretty dark turn, my apologies. This was supposed to be a delightful meal. I¡¯m no sadist, by the way. I¡¯m not! I just get enraged and I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied without getting vengeance in some way. Of course that may in turn result in me getting payback tenfold or some shit like that.


    Now what¡¯s me only giving examples of damaging their sexual organs? Well, people hate it when something terrible happens to their ¡°precious organs.¡± I mean, who wouldn''t, right? That¡¯s nasty. Isn¡¯t that nasty for you too? Yeah, I know I just made you uncomfortable...


    But of course it¡¯s not nasty enough for me to not commit it.


    Okay, maybe it¡¯s nasty, but I wouldn¡¯t be disgusted if they deserved it.


    Alright! That¡¯s enough of that! I don¡¯t know why we got to that topic. Just focus on the food.


    Yum yum yum ¡ª not yum yum. Ugh, the food was underwhelming, but at least not that bad since the first. Maybe they learned a thing or two from Allie. Speaking of which, it has been a while since I have visited that place, so I don¡¯t particularly know what¡¯s up with the staff now.


    Should I visit? I still don¡¯t know yet. I¡¯m sure they were utterly shocked to hear that Allie just tried to kill me. Oh well¡­ they¡¯re currently at a lower priority, so I¡¯ll get back in there when I feel like it.


    In any case, time to take a break from thinking a lot. Keeping working without resting is bad for your health, so I¡¯ll take any carefree moment I could get ¡ª even though I should have the luxury of relaxing most of the day now I¡¯m free from the bounds of the organization and no one can tell me what I should do.


    Fuck you world!


    I took a spoonful of the food. You know what, I think I should support the kitchen by cooking food. I mean, I eat their food every day so the least I could do so I, myself, get more satisfaction is to help them. Me being ¡°unreliable in the kitchen¡± type of stuff my old friends say was nonsense ¡ª no way I¡¯m p-plain in the culinary department.


    Besides, they play me around often, so they must be carrying out that teasing to heart¡­¡­.


    My food tastes good!


    Ugh, am I in denial and my brain just automatically thinks the food I eat is delicious because I made it? Certainly not! I think¡­ Alright, I¡¯m really not a choosy eater, it¡¯s just that, this time is different.


    Being a royalty gotta have a standard to my way of living and this above all applies to food.


    ¡°So, son, anything new with our talks with Myra? You didn¡¯t look troubled so it must have gone well.¡±


    My father asked Eleden.


    Guess we¡¯ll be talking politics while eating. Am I interested though? Eh, why not? I¡¯m here anyway, not like I can just escape amidst lunch.


    ¡°They have agreed for a joint military exercise, of course the schedule needs to be discussed with you, Father, and their other officials. With this, we can conclude our cooperative alliance has turned more solid.¡±


    ¡°As a country of knights, we should be thankful they are kinder than our other particular neighbor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, now that you mention it, I should mention now that Myra had increased the number of soldiers guarding their border between them and Tornridge.¡±


    Ah, that empire. It was the empire that, to remind you, basically described within our nation as a barbaric country. Lies East of Wisteria, the empire ruled a vast amount of land. To put it in perspective, hmm, let¡¯s see, their territory was maybe roughly half the size of Australia?


    Quite big, huh? Scary. And my precious kingdom was around less than half of that. Well, Tornridge just loved conquering small countries in the past, turning the places they conquered from countries to mere provinces or states.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t easily conquer powerful countries such as Wisteria. Perhaps that¡¯s why they have gotten quiet for centuries ¡ª yup, their last conquering was centuries ago. However, hostilities were still there. This actually made me wonder if their relationships were just bad with other countries and if they still had a passion for conquering.


    Well, they have been pretty quiet, so maybe a little. But Myra moving to strengthen their borders could mean there had been ominous movements amidst Tornridge.


    ¡°That is to be expected. Only recently, our spies discovered more military activities than the previous years within the empire. More military exercises, and flow of weapons.¡±


    ¡°Knowing that you must have already sent more men to guard the borders.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and we have been more strict in allowing entry of merchants from the empire. If they try to invade though, I¡¯m sure we can certainly wipe them out.¡±


    If I recall correctly, the area between Wisteria and Tornridge, and within our territory, was a mountainous region. Our army might have utilized that terrain and did necessary preparation in case the empire tried to send their army for an invasion.


    Ugh, what a pain. Don¡¯t countries ever get tired or contented? It seems like a pain in the ass to me, increasing the territory even though you already have a wide one.


    ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, we still have plenty of gifts.¡±


    ¡°Father, you have yet to tell us about this gift.¡±


    Estevan finally joined the conversation, appearing to be curious about the gifts Father was talking about. Yeah, I was also curious, but I¡¯ll remain all innocent and clueless about anything and have a leisurely mealtime.


    ¡°Ah, Estelia, you have sauce on the side of your lips. Let me.¡±


    My mother said to me and picked up a table napkin, gently rubbing the smear off my face.


    ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡±


    Time with my mother was more enjoyable than listening intently to this troubling stuff.


    ¡°Be more delicate, okay? You need to be more mindful about how you eat when you socialize.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Strange, why was mother thinking about me socializing? Was she thinking about doing something?


    Then the boys continued their serious talk.


    ¡°Only the crowned monarchs may know about them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Estevan commented.


    ¡°Furthermore, father, I also had them sign an agreement to help each party when an invading force entered our domains, as you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Good, they have been a bit reluctant to offer their military support last time. Their army must have grown a lot since then.¡±


    ¡°Soon, Myra will be officially joining our alliance. With this, if Tornridge tries to invade any country we are allied with, it will have to face the might of two or three large nations.¡±


    Only large nations? I mean, there were smaller countries around. If they¡¯re a part of the allied forces, then they might get the support of the three superpowers. But if one of the superpowers gets attacked, it is unlikely the smaller countries will help since their military wouldn¡¯t be all that impressive and would rather use their own to protect themselves first, so only the rest of the superpowers would help the other ¡ª but I suppose they will be aiding the small countries in need. But in the end, it¡¯s up to the nation¡¯s leader.


    Now, how come Tornridge isn¡¯t shaking in their boots? Well, they were pretty much a massive nation, so with their numbers, they should be able to handle the forces of both Myra and Wisteria at the same time.


    ¡°Now, if only the Eventon Republic would join our alliance.¡±


    ¡°They are still firm with their neutral stance?¡± Eleden asked.


    ¡°Yes. It would appear they put their businesses and trading above all else. Their naval forces would be a big help in case things escalate.¡±


    Hm, so the major participants of this alliance were Wisteria, Myra, and Valaies. With those guys together, I¡¯ll be safe, right? Damn Eventon better don¡¯t backstab us. Imagine our forces were focused on the east, then suddenly the south just started attacking our asses.


    Ugh! Is this gonna be another headache?! I don¡¯t want another one. I still have bastards trying to fuck with me.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Sorry for not updating for a while, I was taking a bit of a break.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 8: Lunch With Family (Part 2)

    Maybe my frustration was sensed by my Mother and so she spoke with the three guys.


    ¡°Boys, can you please not speak about this topic at the moment? You are making Estelia anxious.¡±


    I lowered my head. Would have been good to hear more, but it also stresses me out more. I don¡¯t know what was the best option here, but Mother had already spoken, so nothing could be done.


    When the three boys looked at the meek, beautiful me, they apologized and turned silent.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s talk about something peaceful and enjoyable.¡±


    My mother suggested. What other else would there be to talk about? Nothing exciting happened recently, only headaches. Well, except for Eleden, whom I imagine had plenty of good times in Myra.


    ¡°Which reminds me, Estelia. Is that necklace new? I don¡¯t remember you owning something as such?¡± Mother asked me.


    ¡­ Wait, ¡°don¡¯t remember?¡± Does she just memorize every jewel they bought for me? I mean, there was a lot, not to mention her own jewelry. But I guess she does.


    ¡°Now that I thought about it, beloved sister, this felt like the first time since you wore jewelry around your neck openly.¡±


    Estevan leaned forward with interest, looking at the crimson jewel of my necklace. Ah, it appears that I¡¯ll be the subject of the topic in this one.


    ¡°Um, Eleden gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°How sweet, a gift!¡± my mother gently clapped her hands together. ¡°But only Estelia?¡± my mother pouted.


    ¡°Of course I also have one for everyone, I will give it to you later.¡±


    How sweet, so I¡¯m the first one he gave a gift to, you¡¯re making me blush, brother.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not really looking for a souvenir, but sure,¡± Estevan casually said. ¡°So Eleden, what do you have for me?¡±


    Eleden smirked and turned to stare at Estevan.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like the knight figurine I have for you.¡±


    ¡°... A¡­ A figurine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, created in Myra, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s special?¡±


    Estevan looked away. Yeah, is Eleden teasing Estevan with that gift? Hehe.


    ¡°Why do you look disappointed? Don¡¯t you love everything knightly?¡±


    ¡°He-he-he, I¡¯m not eight, Eleden,¡± Estevan said with an awkward expression. He appeared to have realized that Eleden was making fun of him a little.


    ¡°Whatever you have for me, my dear son, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sure you will be interested in it. It is your hobby, after all.¡±


    ¡°My my, I¡¯m excited to see it.¡±


    ¡°As for father, I also have something crafted from one of their finest smiths. It would surely look good for your collection.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I¡¯ll certainly take it.¡±


    I looked down at the necklace hanging from my neck. Would have been nice that I alone had a gift¡­ now that was a weird thought, forget it.


    ¡­ I am indeed selfish¡­


    While I wallowed in self-analysis, my mother spoke to Eleden.


    ¡°So, Eleden, surely you spent your time not just on business. Anything special or fun happened?¡±


    ¡°...I suppose.¡±


    What¡¯s this? His smile was weirdly broad all of a sudden and his eyes suggested that he was recalling something.


    ¡°Tell us about it,¡± said Father.


    ¡°Well, I became friends with several knights, they truly are kind fellows. I should say, they are impressive regarding their prowess. Hehe, to be honest, their knights are almost at the same level as our standards. But, as we have elites, they too have elites of their own.¡±


    ¡°You mean the ones they call the Exemplar Knights? I have learned of their feats, but I wonder how strong they truly are.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to put it in perspective. One I saw in training was¡­. I think about Estevan¡¯s level.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Estevan reacted.


    ¡°But I was told he wasn¡¯t the strongest among them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± I suddenly asked.


    Come now, this was an interesting topic. You see, this was essential information that I was missing out on. There wasn¡¯t any mention in my lessons about these ¡°Exemplar Knights¡±, not even in memory.


    The one to answer my question was Eleden.


    ¡°They are knights handpicked by their king and answer directly to him. They excel in swordsmanship and overall combat prowess that no normal elite could take them down.¡±


    ¡°Are they like generals in their ranking?¡±


    ¡°Hm, yes you could say that. They do have a legion of knights of their own.¡±


    ¡°How many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Ten. If they¡¯re about the same level as Estevan, they were a force to be reckoned with. Now, could such individuals change the tides of war by their power alone? Unlike in my old world, we have no magic powers, so pretty much without any weapon, we¡¯re all the same.


    However, here in this world, tools were not necessarily needed to take one¡¯s life. For example, I can burn an entire village with one spell and kill their entire population. I¡¯m sure even knights have their own magic whenever they have no sword to use. In fact, the weapons they used were only for boosting their overall capability, you could say.


    Then as you know, not all can use magic. So if in a war, having one that could use magic could be a considerable advantage. Therefore, if there were ten of these special knights, then with their own legion ¡ª though I¡¯m sure the numbers would vary ¡ª those in itself were a threat to us. If they were stronger than us, it wouldn¡¯t look good politically on us.


    That being said, flexing your powers wouldn¡¯t always be a good idea. I prefer surprises, and taking your enemies by surprise would always be the best since they wouldn¡¯t be prepared for your hidden cards.


    Appear weak when you are strong.


    Appear strong when you are weak.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t we have some sort of an ¡°Exemplar Knights¡± of our own?¡±


    Father knitted his brows as he gazed at me.


    ¡°This is a surprise, you are interested.¡±


    ¡°You see father if we do not have a power of our own, how can we stand on our own without anyone¡¯s help? We cannot rely wholeheartedly on our allies. That is what I am concerned about.¡±


    Now now, I feel like I¡¯m preparing for a possible war here.


    ¡°Are you saying our allies wouldn¡¯t help us in our times of need?¡± he asked with a smile.


    Hmm, strange, why does it seem he¡¯s intrigued?


    ¡°I am saying, they won¡¯t always help us whenever we need help. Besides, trusting so much can only get us so far.¡±


    All of them looked at me dumbfoundedly. Did I say something wrong?


    I¡¯m acting differently? Well, I need to make sure, duh! There were just some things I needed to hear from the peak of this kingdom, aka my Father. I can just find them on paper? What papers? Library? Hilarious, like I would just stumble upon secret documents on the shelves.


    Estevan? He didn¡¯t even know some crucial secrets like what the church exactly does ¡ª I realized it the time I got scolded.


    Eleden? Maybe, but I imagine he wouldn¡¯t have a clear picture of things. Mother? She might know, but again, not the clear picture, I can even imagine her saying something along the lines of ¡°you should ask your Father that.¡±


    Vernon? Ah, Vernon might have known something. But then again, I need to know if Father was confident.


    Ultimately, I¡¯m a royalty in this kingdom, I need to have some assurance. This concerns my safety, you know. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just stand idly by doing nothing or learning nothing. I¡¯ll act whenever my safety is involved.


    ¡°Dear daughter, don¡¯t worry. We can still stand on our own. Even if we have our own powerful forces, we don¡¯t need to label them as ¡°Heroes of Wisteria¡± and such.¡± my father chuckled in amusement. ¡°I truly do not see the necessity of creating and naming a group of elites. Just include them in any typical order, no need to divide them from others. Besides, it isn¡¯t wise to show our power easily.¡±


    His last sentence brought a smile to my face.


    ¡°That is a relief, father.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ hm¡­ tell me dear daughter, which of our allies should we be wary of?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me such a question, father?¡±


    ¡°I just want to hear your thoughts.¡±


    ¡­ Father¡­ What did Vernon tell him? Yes, I already suspect Vernon as the reason for this weirdness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, father, but I cannot answer your question. I know nothing of the inner workings of our kingdom¡¯s allies.¡±


    Nor did I know their officials, their goals, their economic state etcetera, etcetera. Plus, I¡¯m not gonna give Father the time of the day of giving a good answer. I had a feeling that if I answered something serious, he would involve me in something tiresome.


    ¡°Is that so¡­? Very well then.¡±


    On the other hand, Estevan furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Father, please do not trouble and worry Estel, we are here to handle such affairs.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Estevan was so sweet, he didn¡¯t want me to be all stressed out. Because of that, I gave him a small smile of gratitude.


    ¡°Alright, we are straying from our topic,¡± my mother said to us with an amused smile. ¡°Eleden, tell us more of a special moment, is there any?¡±


    ¡°The tours were fun. But, the most interesting occurrence would be my meeting with their royalties¡­ Actually¡­¡±


    What¡¯s this? Eleden lowered his head with an embarrassed smile, hesitating to speak out.


    ¡°My dear son, don¡¯t hide it, something very special happened, didn¡¯t it?¡± my mother said with a grin.


    ¡°... There was this princess, and we spent plenty of time together. We had our special moments that I will always remember, and I would like to see her again.¡±


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    Yeah, I was the only one all quiet as I also stared at my brother with wide eyes. Looks like the beauty of youth is blossoming for my dear eldest brother. He should be maybe 23, in this world that¡¯s a good age to marry.


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°The second princess, Lillie Eanthia Lionheart.¡±


    Wow, what a brave name. Is she also a knight? If so, damn, I better not be behind.


    ¡°Her, huh. I heard she isn¡¯t much of an active person of power,¡± said Father


    ¡°Yes, she prefers a peaceful time than being knightly. Although, she does have plenty of skills to boot.¡±


    ¡°Oh no brother, then she can beat you up whenever you act all stubborn or idiotic! Hahahaha! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll stand no chance.¡±


    Estevan made fun of him, he seemed to be amused by his own thoughts. Was he not even bothered or jealous or anything when our eldest brother had found a potential life partner? While he himself still had no one whatsoever, he didn¡¯t even have any woman he was close with.


    But I suppose to do that he first needs to move on from the lingering sister complex he unconsciously has. I wouldn¡¯t mind having his company though, he¡¯s not annoying or anything. So I¡¯m not bothered if we¡¯re gonna be stuck with each other as siblings while we end up dying all alone.


    Well, not like it would happen, chances were that he would find someone eventually, or my parents would force him to find someone as a partner. While I, on the other hand, am gonna run away!!!


    What, marry? Marry and be stuck my whole life in a house doing nothing all day and taking care of ¡°children¡±, god no. And eew, children? Ew.


    I still want to go out there in the world, free as a bird. I want the freedom to reach out for anything I want. Not be bound again. Don¡¯t go all saying I¡¯m acting like a virgin and scared of that deed. Hah! Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I already have plenty of experience in my past life, so can¡¯t I be pure here? In fact, I was forced on others just before I gradu¡ª never mind...


    Now, why don¡¯t I just run away now? Um, how? I¡¯m weak as fuck, and people are hunting me for an unknown reason, too dangerous to be sauntering around. So I¡¯m staying here for a while until everything¡¯s over.


    Eleden smiled wryly at Estevan¡¯s teasing.


    ¡°I imagine so, I¡¯m not even impressive in swordplay, so she definitely could.¡±


    Hm, the princess in that country can fight, huh. So she was definitely trained in swordsmanship. What the hell, and here I am, I wasn¡¯t supposed to learn to fight or anything¡­ Talk about the difference in culture¡­ or my parents were just different. Yeah, certainly because of both of those.


    Father then spoke with a hand under his chin.


    ¡°The marriage between the royals of both nations would be good for us. But if you become king, my son, she will need to be transferred here and become the queen.¡±


    I turned to look at Estevan to see his reaction, but not much.


    Does he even have any interest in the throne?


    Father then continued.


    ¡°However, I would like to keep you in mind, Eleden. I will not force you to marry anyone. You marry the one you love. That being said, don¡¯t take too long. Well, I still have a long way to go, so you have plenty of time.¡±


    My father may give him the chance to marry anyone he likes, but time was a restraint. It wouldn¡¯t do to find a partner when one was too old ¡ª the royals have to take politics into consideration in their decisions. The throne would always need an heir, after all.


    Well, as my father said, there¡¯s plenty of time. No rush.


    ¡°Therefore, get to know her more and grow your relationship. Perhaps someday, you couldn¡¯t bear to be separated from her anymore.¡±


    My father then turned to look at my mother with a fond smile. Mother reached out to my father¡¯s hand and held it tightly.


    How sweet.


    This nation, although they have a pragmatic side, emotions still influenced their choices. Was that for the better? Perhaps. Too pragmatic and it may grow the nation, but what about the people? A number would definitely be trampled down, so to say.


    Too emotional, and it would fall to idealism, which wouldn¡¯t always work in the real world. Failures would constantly happen if they always think ideally and make decisions through their emotions ¡ª the emotions of the leaders.


    So I think the optimal state would be that the leaders have both pragmatic and emotional sides. Compassion was great, but it would be rendered useless without pragmatic methods to carry out that compassion.


    Like how father let Eleden take his time to find a partner he likes, and not force him to marry someone. An emotional side of Father. But taking too long would be too difficult and one day he might force him to marry someone for the sake of the throne and nation.


    Now now, I wonder if the same applies to me.


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is. Pick the person that you are definitely sure is the one for you, no rush.¡±


    Yeah, I guess, they just met after all. Several weeks was not enough to determine whether someone was for you, you know. Marriage was for life! Careful! You might get stuck with someone unpleasant.


    Well, what do I know anyway?


    Eleden smiled.


    ¡°I understand, father. If given the opportunity, I would like to visit Myra again.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Or we can just invite her in some time,¡± Mother suggested.


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± father said.


    ¡°Oh, then what about the festival in four months. Isn¡¯t that a great time to spend?¡± Estevan suggested.


    The festival? Ah, that.


    I never went out to the festival. What reason could that be? Well, my parents didn¡¯t let me in the past, but of course, I also lost interest eventually and only deemed it bothersome to get out at that time. Plus, I heard a lot of people always go out at that time, it was frightening to get out.


    But now, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to go out there and enjoy the festivities, maybe? Yeah, I¡¯m going. Come on, I want to enjoy a bit of freedom.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, we should invite her,¡± Mother said enthusiastically.


    Invite a princess of another country? Yeah, whatever, none of my business to go against that, nor do I have a reason.


    ¡°Yes, I think so too, she might enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about how to send the invitation.¡±


    They would need to send that invitation way ahead of time. Traveling would take time in this world, a lot of time, so sending it months ahead would be the best thing to do.


    Another princess may be coming here to my country, but she wouldn¡¯t outshine me. She definitely wouldn¡¯t, in beauty, nor in skills¡­.right?


    Then a short while later while having a bright atmosphere, we finished eating the amount of food we could. I ate plenty.


    After rubbing my lips with a table napkin, I raised my eyes to look at Father. I was thinking of smiling purely, but I¡¯m serious about this.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You know what day it is, what¡¯s the news?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My father wasn¡¯t able to instantly reply, as though he was hesitating.


    Eleden, who was clueless about everything, furrowed his brows in confusion about the serious atmosphere.


    ¡°What could everyone be talking about? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Eleden¡­ This isn¡¯t the place to talk about it,¡± Estevan said.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s something crucially serious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go to my office,¡± said Father.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 9: Lunch With Family (Part 3)

    We left the dining room at a fine pace, encountering my servants on the way as they stood waiting by the wall outside the dining room. Seeing that I was with my family, both Mera and Vernon hesitated to follow. I was thinking about bringing them with me inside my father''s office since they could potentially help.


    However, it was unlikely. Vernon on the other hand would also surely learn of the information later on. Mera meanwhile¡­ hm, I cannot think of how she could help with this, with her being just my maid and all. But that was fine, she¡¯ll do fine just assisting me in my daily life, no need for her to be involved in matters beyond her abilities.


    Besides, we family were gathering and considering the information, my request of letting them inside would definitely be denied. That being said, after my father shared it with me, I could just tell them, no trouble.


    I gestured to them with a tilt of my head while wearing a sweet smile, prompting them to follow behind us. Along with them, I saw another man around the same age as my eldest brother. No, perhaps a little later, maybe a year older.


    He had light brown hair tied into a short ponytail and his skin had a fair complexion, his eyes bore the color of leaves on a healthy sturdy tree. Tall and walking with a straight back while donning a fine coat and trousers with dark boots. A bit handsome with all that getup, but he was nothing very special.


    I remember him, he¡¯s the assistant of my dear eldest brother. He had been helping Eleden since they were little kids, might as well call them childhood friends. Our family and his family were quite close, he hailed from a remote demesne under the rule of an earl.


    When we made eye contact while I was looking at my servants, I faintly smiled at him. What? Is it wrong to act all cute? Come on.


    He, on the other hand, returned a wide smile. Truth be told, we have a pretty decent relationship, but not very close, I think. The term ¡°friends¡± could be used, but friends who never talk much. Hehe, I don¡¯t know if you could even call that friendship. Well, not that it mattered much anyway.


    In contrast, I could see that he looked plenty confused about us royals suddenly going out together and ascending the stairs.


    I was feeling a bit excited to be honest, expecting that everything went well. I¡¯m sure no one would be stupid enough to just kill everyone, surely they caught at least one. With this, I can get closer to learning the reason why they were targeting an innocent and peace-loving beautiful girl like me.


    What if it failed though? Come now, don¡¯t be all negative. Only think of the negative side if the stake was too high and imminent, or the current situation could cause your immediate elimination¡­ Okay, I just want to be positive, okay? It¡¯s so stressful to keep thinking about this when I could instead spend my time in leisure without worrying about anything.


    ¡­. Yes, hope. That was what I was feeling.


    Eventually, we arrived at our destination, locking the door after having the staff leave. Needless to say, my servants and Eleden¡¯s assistant remained outside a bit distant from the office¡¯s door. Although the walls and doors prevent sounds from going out, I suppose it was for the sake of certain security.


    I wonder if there were spells that could do that that I could cast.


    In front of father¡¯s desk, we all sat down with Mother by my side, and my brothers in front of us, while Father sat down at his usual seat. I clasped my hands together as I waited.


    ¡°F-Father, how was it?¡±


    He gazed at me before sighing.


    Ah, what¡­ What''s with the sigh? Shit.


    ¡°The circumstances were shocking¡­¡± he then pulled out a scroll from the pocket of his coat and offered it to me. ¡°Here, as the one who made it happen, I¡¯ll have you read the report first.¡±


    I timidly took the scroll from his hand and opened it up. As time passed, after reading it, I almost crumpled the paper in my hand and had to compose myself before letting my emotions show on my face.


    My efforts were basically in vain. Shit!


    ¡°As you can see, dear daughter, the trap worked,¡± he said as he looked at everyone. ¡°It didn¡¯t go as we wanted, but I wouldn¡¯t go to say we completely failed.¡±


    What? What do you mean, father? This was an utter failure. This was an utter disappointment.


    ¡°We have discovered and confirmed that our enemies aren¡¯t humans, not just Oryn. With this occurrence we can prepare more appropriately in case something happens.¡±


    But don¡¯t we know that already!? Don¡¯t we already assume that? That¡¯s why it¡¯s a failure. It¡¯s feeble compared to learning what their motives were. Why the fuck they are targeting me!?


    And was Father saying this so I wouldn¡¯t be too angry or distraught?!


    Calm, calm down. Aren¡¯t I getting impatient¡­ but who wouldn¡¯t? A good life was already within my reach, but they would get in my way? Unforgivable.


    ¡°So father, they are indeed ¡®elves¡¯?¡± Estevan asked.


    ¡°Not just elves like Oryn, but there¡¯s another type of creature¡­¡±


    ¡°Beast-like beings who appeared mostly human but with the exception of animal-like ears on their heads. They also have the ability to transform into complete beasts but can stand on two feet,¡± I said, speaking out loud the description of the new creature I had just read.


    I had imagined that there would be other kinds of inhuman enemies, but to be honest, I¡¯m still a bit shocked reading their description. What, are they some kind of werewolves?


    Like for fuck sake, there¡¯s dog-like, tiger-like? Then there¡¯s a wolf.


    ¡°Are our enemies truly not human? This¡­ this is hard to process,¡± Estevan said as he massaged his temple.


    ¡°...¡± Mother remained silent with a troubled expression.


    Eleden on the other hand seemed confused, but he still listened, giving us the freedom to discuss.


    ¡°So, we discovered our enemies, how did it fail? Did they escape?¡± Estevan asked.


    I sighed before returning the scroll to my father.


    ¡°They¡­ they¡­¡± I tried to explain what happened¡­


    ¡°The enemies killed themselves, and each other.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Estevan and Mother both had expressions of shock. I mean, it was a bit hard to believe that they were capable of such action.


    Conviction was such a hard thing to encounter. Gathering from the report, elves were the extremist ones, one killed itself, and one other killed his own allies just so they wouldn¡¯t get captured and extract information from.


    ¡°We failed to capture anyone. But, at the very least, we have uncovered what kind of enemies we¡¯ll be facing.¡±


    I wonder. If one elf managed to kill his own allies amidst the church members, then how strong was that elf? Oryn sure did struggle with just Estevan and Vernon, this could mean their strengths vary. What a pain.


    On the other hand, how strong were the church members? I¡¯m completely clueless.


    ¡°But, tragically, we lost a few priests in the process. I might need the knights sooner or later for improved security, not just the palace but the entire city.¡±


    Then father turned to me.


    ¡°Estelia, I¡¯m sorry it ended not like we hoped after you gave us the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it, father¡­¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I will put my faith in you that you will solve this problem.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, by the way, father, how strong are the church members?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hm? Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I just want to know.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­ how do I describe it?¡± he muttered before glancing at Estevan. ¡°An average member is a little below the strength of our elite knights.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Estevan, his eyes wide in disbelief.


    ¡°Father! Are you serious?¡±


    Wow, his pride might be damaged there a little.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡¯


    This was a surprise for me also, that may be why Father let the church handle it. If I were to guess, the church was somewhat the trump card of our nation. However, they still failed to accomplish the mission, meaning that our enemy was not to be severely underestimated.


    ¡°That being said, my son, I get to say that because the church fighters are flexible with all the spells they can cast. Your knights can still put up a fight against them.¡±


    ¡°Even so...¡­ Looks like I have to harden our training.¡±


    I wonder though if I train them, how will that turn out? I¡¯m not exactly good at holding back when it comes to giving people a hard time when I want to, hehehe. But of course, they wouldn¡¯t just listen to a fragile princess, so let¡¯s leave it to Estevan. But how would I train them? Eh, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to think of with magic in the picture. But I shall make them experience hell. In any case, I have no intention of doing that, too difficult for now and a bother. I¡¯ll focus on myself first.


    ¡°Have your knights prepare for my orders, Estevan. We might need to enhance our patrols at night.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Meanwhile, I will leave it to the church to track down our enemies.¡±


    It definitely wouldn¡¯t be easy if our side required my intervention just to encounter our enemies. Now that our enemies have realized that we knew of their presence, they would be more careful from now on, even though they were already careful from the beginning.


    ¡°Now, can I chime in?¡±


    We all shifted our gazes towards Eleden.


    ¡°Alright, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Father went on to explain what the situation was. Someone was out trying to get to me and kill me, then the betrayal of Oryn, then the imprisonment of my newly appointed personal chef.


    Meanwhile, I contemplated my predicament. The mission was a failure, however, my other goal was fulfilled. The enemies walked into the trap that I initiated while there were others with me in Oryn¡¯s room. Meaning, there was no betrayer among them.


    Well, I was not testing out Mera and Vernon, but specifically the knight Rogan. The trap worked, therefore, Rogan wasn¡¯t feeding information to the opposition. So it was safe to conclude that Rogan wasn¡¯t colluding with the enemy.


    Good, I would need another asset just in case, and he¡¯ll be fine.


    As for the enemies, their strength sounded troublesome. I need to ramp up my training, tomorrow I will start training on my physical enhancement so I wouldn¡¯t be flicked away with a single finger.


    On the other hand, now that my initial hope and expectation failed, I don¡¯t know what to do. What could be useful¡­ There is a certain chef in the dungeon, but I guess she wouldn¡¯t have much use anymore.


    I¡¯m stuck.


    Haaaaah.


    For the time being, I¡¯ll focus on gaining strength while taking baby steps on the other I¡¯m thinking about.


    ¡°All of that happened while I was away¡­?¡±


    They had finished their recap and Eleden was aghast at everything that he missed. Yeah, a lot of things did happen while he was gone.


    ¡°To think Oryn was a¡­ and that girl¡­¡± Eleden looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°I will put my all into this, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help where I can, for you.¡±


    I smile proudly at my sweet brother.


    ¡°For the time being, I need time to wrap my head around this.¡±


    Maybe understandable, shit just got hammered into his head after all.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 10: Friend from Childhood?

    I exited Father¡¯s office, intending to return to my usual chambers of study immediately because I want to think more about the situation. The side objective may have been satisfied after the ambush I devised encountered oppositions that I was hoping for, the main objective still failed.


    Not everything was a wasted effort, but there sure were some wasted efforts. More than that, now I¡¯m more troubled about the possible strength of my enemies. If one elf was able to face down that many priests that could be around the average strength of the knights, then I need to keep my guard up.


    Dammit, this had me thinking if there was no magic, everything could have been handled a bit more easily. Physical abilities and raw skills were annoyingly rendered useless in the face of the might of magic. But it was such a normal thing in this world that it was nothing abnormal, maybe I¡¯m still just feeling a bit shocked and apprehensive since I''ve used my entire life without magic.


    Guns may be the equivalent to magic in my old world, however, they were not truly equal. Weapons such as guns, rockets, and such required materials and resources to create, then carrying them was necessary to use. Magic on the other hand was more convenient, you only needed to have mana inside you and practice spells, and you could have the potential to annihilate a normal squadron. Furthermore, you could basically scam everyone that you¡¯re weak and have no ability, and in actuality, you secretly have the magical arsenal equivalent to a tank.


    In conclusion, I like and dislike magic at the same time. But if I get more powerful than anyone, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll like it the most.


    The door was closed by Eleden who left with me. Eleden and I were the only two to leave the office since Estevan and Father needed to discuss how to deploy the knights, along with mother. I imagine they would also send common soldiers to patrol more into the city, maybe have a knight command each squad.


    Also likely, they¡¯ll be keeping the elites here in the palace for further security. I was planning to visit the knights, but I don¡¯t know how that will end.


    Eleden was also urged to rest for the time being after a long time of traveling. Besides, he will be briefed through the documents that will go through him. Estevan must be overjoyed that he wouldn¡¯t be the one to oversee that.


    ¡°So, Estelia, where are you heading now?¡±


    My brother spoke to me with a serious expression, he must still be thinking about what happened and what he had learned.


    ¡°Um, I will be returning to my magic study.¡±


    ¡°I see. You have become more diligent¡­¡±


    Strange, why did he sound lamenting that I am acting diligently? In curiosity, I turned to look him in the eyes.


    ¡°Brother¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because of this, you must be forced to change drastically, and immediately¡­.¡±


    He patted my head gently, and so I stopped in my tracks as I looked up at him in puzzlement.


    ¡°Estelia, you may have already heard this, but I want to say it,¡± he faintly smiled. ¡°You can rely on me, okay? I will help you whenever you need it.¡±


    He moved forward slowly until I felt a soft kiss on my forehead.


    After giving me a fond smile, he continued and I meekly followed a little behind him. Then we have arrived where my servants were, with them was Eleden¡¯s own assistant.


    ¡°Prince Eleden, you already looked stressed, with all that wrinkles on your brows.¡±


    That casual remark came from my brother¡¯s assistant. A normal subordinate wasn¡¯t supposed to interact this way with their superior, but he and Eleden were also close friends, it was no surprise either would interact casually, thus there was no need for reproach.


    Mera on the other hand though looked pretty aghast. Well, she wasn¡¯t that familiar with them.


    ¡°I came to learn of a new plight.¡±


    ¡°Figures. It isn¡¯t usually a good sign if the entire royal family gathers in the King¡¯s work office and has all servants out.¡±


    His carefree eyes then turned to look at me while a playful smirk formed on his lips. He then proceeded to bow gallantly after taking a step forward.


    ¡°Greetings, O esteemed princess, it has been a while. Did you miss me?¡±


    Ah, now I remember how he always tried to talk to me constantly in the past, even when we were young. Even though I never approached him, and would always ignore him, he still wouldn¡¯t stop bothering me. I just wanted some peace and quiet. I guess it was good to talk? But still, being pushy was annoying.


    ¡°L-Lucious¡­ Hi.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, still the same treatment, huh. Sometimes you¡¯re being distant, Estelia.¡±


    Wow, he just called me without my title, now he had to unknowingly receive a glare from Mera behind him. This wasn¡¯t exactly a formal setting, so I guess it¡¯s fine to be casual. But I guess that wasn''t a good enough reason for Mera, was she not aware perhaps of our long-time ¡°relationship¡±? The relationship where we¡¯re friends and not exactly friends since I don¡¯t exactly go interact with him but he was always approaching me.


    But I guess if we hung out often with my brothers in the past, we¡¯re somewhat friends? But not childhood friends since not exactly very close¡­.?


    Fuck, what even is friendship? Heh.


    I guess we¡¯re just casual friends...


    ¡°Am I¡­?¡± I lowered my head sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offended you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you being formal all of a sudden, don¡¯t I always say that to you?¡±


    Maybe I just didn¡¯t give a shit?


    In any case, I wasn¡¯t the old Estelia anymore, so changes were inevitable. Remember that time I said I¡¯ll show changes little by little? It¡¯s one of those. So maybe I¡¯ll be a bit warmer to Lucious.


    ¡°Yes, yes you do,¡± I gave him a little sweet smile. ¡°So, um, how are you, Lucious?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± He blinked, caught off guard by me checking how he was. ¡°Now this is¡­ Ahem, I¡¯m completely fine, though I have to admit, traveling far distances is quite tiring, and I miss the home kingdom.¡±


    Would you look at that, he looked a bit flustered.


    He might be more surprised than I thought. Let me summarize how we interacted in the past when we were young. He would greet me, I greet him back, but only briefly ¡ª like saying a short hi. He asked how I am, I replied basically okay. Then I would only respond to his ramblings with yes, okay, I see. Now wasn¡¯t that cold of me? Can you blame me? I don¡¯t like interacting with people much, it gives me anxiety, and I¡¯m not used to being too open. And sometimes ¡ª rather mostly ¡ª I want to be alone.


    When we got a bit older, he started working with Eleden, so we didn¡¯t get to talk much anymore. Even if we do, I don¡¯t normally give him the time of the day and would just mind my own business. He could be described as a fly buzzing around me, okay not exactly a good comparison, he¡¯s not exactly bad.


    ¡°On the other hand, you look as good as ever, Estelia. You are doing well, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes I am. I actually am going back to studying.¡±


    ¡°Study?¡± He slightly tilted his head.


    Hey! Why does everyone seem to be in disbelief every time they hear or see me studying hard?!


    ¡°Did the teachers give you assignments? Hehehe,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°No, I have not met my teachers in a while.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    My brother has been pretty quiet as he observed us, he wasn¡¯t even bothered by this. The same applied to Vernon, well he was pretty acquainted with Lucious and knew what kind of relationship we have. Mera in particular looked at us now with interest, perhaps curious.


    ¡°There was a situation¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn of it later on.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I see...¡­¡± with a stare at me, he muttered ¡°This is pleasant¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just my muttering. I was planning to tell you my story about my adventures in Myra, but unfortunately, you seemed to be busy.¡±


    Fortunately, I am busy. I can already imagine how long his ramblings were going to be, then I prefer to be spared from it and focus on my work.


    ¡°Then perhaps next time then.¡±


    Am I looking forward to that next time? Eh. But I need to work on my social life, so¡­


    ¡°Next time?¡± he grinned widely. ¡°S-Sure.¡±


    Ah, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Oh well, whatever.


    ¡°Now then, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. See you, princess.¡±


    I nodded at him then turned to Eleden. ¡°Later, brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, later.¡±


    We then went our separate ways, while my brother and Lucious seemed to be heading to the former¡¯s office. As I walked with my servants, I reflected on my action just now. Huh. Yeah, I think I should be more friendly, so what I did was fine.


    There is no need to be too cold to anyone if they can be used in some way, like a meat shield when the situation calls for it or calling in favors. Sometimes developing relationships than degrading them would result in something better. This thought had me recall my plan to visit the knights. But now that situation was changing, their numbers would likely dwindle in their training grounds. Aw, I really wanted to learn how to use magic on my daggers, but I guess for the time being, I¡¯ll learn physical enhancement since that would be essential.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I apologize for not updating for a long while. I had to comply with more than a dozen assignments given to us then followed by exams.  I hope my school gives me mercy lol.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 11: What To Do For The Time Being

    ¡°By the way, Vernon. Did you say something to Father?¡±


    I asked Vernon as we made our way to our destination.


    ¡°What do you mean, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Well, he was acting a little weird earlier. Did you perhaps mention something to him that should be put to my attention?¡±


    Vernon smiled.


    ¡°Princess, I only gave my usual report and observations. It depended on your Father how he took my report.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    It felt like there was more to his report that he had no intention of telling me. Not like it mattered greatly, as long it doesn¡¯t impede me, that would be fine. Actually, this kind of situation, hiding something, was to be expected when you were serving two masters and the other was your true superior.


    I¡¯m not going to become mad because Vernon tried to conceal some parts of his report to me, his true master was my father after all.


    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±


    A short while later, we arrived at our destination. After having the door closed, I sat down on the table and laid down my elbow with my hand on my cheek as I fell into thought.


    I guess all I could do now was to further improve my magical abilities. I have no cards to play in attempts to bait my enemies, at least not yet. There may be Allie, but she wouldn¡¯t be of much use anymore.


    Use her as bait? Maybe during a public execution and make the enemies save her amidst that? I don¡¯t know if that would work. It would likely end up being useless, if that was the case, I would rather use her in other ways.


    You¡¯ll never know, Allie might only be a disposable pawn to them.


    ¡°Your highness, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Please be silent, I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°... My apologies.¡±


    Resuming. I think she¡¯s merely disposable because they literally have her, inexperienced, to try and kill me, it¡¯s like they didn¡¯t care what would happen at all afterward. What do you think will happen after she carries it out? She didn¡¯t have any skill whatsoever aside from cooking, so she¡¯ll definitely get killed, or captured then killed. It was as if it didn¡¯t matter what would happen to her after she killed me.


    Furthermore, they have yet to try and break her out. Of course, they have only learned about it, so it will take time, so we¡¯ll have to wait. In addition, the enemies seemed to have lacked information, so they must have no spies left. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen for the trap, and they didn¡¯t seem to know that Oryn was already killed.


    How fortunate I am that information traveled here incomparably slower than my old world. If this was the old world, there would already be headlines all over the internet and news broadcasts. Geez, people and their phones.


    In contrast, if they have any spies left, then they should have already heard of Allie¡¯s imprisonment. But there have been no changes as of late.


    ¡°Vernon, has Allie said anything new?¡±


    I looked at Vernon.


    ¡°... I have been meaning to tell you later, but she mentioned that she often delivered messages for Oryn in the past outside the palace walls, within the city at different locations.¡±


    ¡°Nothing else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°She hasn''t yet given up on telling their whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°Sadly no.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine...?¡±


    ¡°No point in forcing her to speak about that, she wouldn¡¯t know anymore. She would likely be a few years outdated. If they are meeting at different locations, then they¡¯re not meeting at their main base.¡±


    Actually, it would be expected she wouldn¡¯t know.


    If we were to do it, after sending a spy inside an opposition, we would move to another base unbeknownst to the agent. This was so that if that agent ever got captured, they would learn of a different and completely wrong base.


    Therefore, even if Allie speaks of their whereabouts, she would definitely speak of a location they have used in the past, but that would end up empty upon searching. Furthermore, now that the ambush worked, the enemies would realize the extraction had gone wrong and move their base of operations somewhere else.


    Anyone could think of that precaution.


    ¡°Can I give my order of what to do about Allie?¡±


    Vernon blinked a few times.


    ¡°I believe a suggestion would do.¡±


    As expected, I don¡¯t have full power in this affair. I also don¡¯t want to take her under my ¡°care.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest stop interrogating her and have her rest.¡±


    ¡°... Princess, could you have realized¡­?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°What we do to get information from her.¡±


    Of course I do. But I¡¯m not gonna say that.


    ¡°Why? I can only imagine you asking and talking to her inside a room with a table and a few chairs. Are you doing something else?¡±


    ¡°N-No, we are not doing anything else.¡±


    In any case, they have to stop with the torturing, they¡¯ll overdo it. For the time being, I need her to hang around a jail cell in solitude as she wallows in despair and pain, with no decent food and living in a dirty cell.


    The loneliness would only make things worse for her, there were no other prisoners here in the palace walls after all.


    ¡°If we are stopping her interrogation, then¡­ perhaps it''s time to send her to another prison, and await her execution.¡±


    ¡°No, keep her here in the palace grounds.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    If you did so, then my little plan would be ruined before it even starts.


    He then continued.


    ¡°Keeping prisoners here in the palace grounds is not ideal. If you can give me a reason, it will help.¡±


    Damn, it¡¯s hard for me not to have any authority here. Well, I do have authority, just not to that department.


    ¡°Hmmm. Let¡¯s say if we try to move her out, our opposition would try to ambush us, and they¡¯ll likely have the advantage with the strength they have.¡±


    ¡°Their strength?¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know? That¡¯s fine, ask my father later. For the time being, let¡¯s imagine if most of them were at the level of Oryn and a few above him, and a large number of them ambushed the convoy, do you think it would end nicely for us?¡±


    ¡°It would depend on our numbers.¡±


    ¡°Would we really be sending that many knights for one person? And would we sacrifice several lives for one prisoner?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then now you see, too risky to bring her out. Furthermore, if we keep her here, she¡¯ll be no threat to us. When the enemies strike us to break her out, we¡¯ll be at an advantage within our own territory.¡±


    ¡°... Why are you so keen on letting her stay? We could have sent only a few people to bring her to a prison outside the palace.¡±


    ¡°If they break her out from a prison outside the palace, they¡¯ll likely succeed and it would be a wasted opportunity for us. We also cannot afford to send a great number of knights just to guard the sole prison, we need more swords for other purposes.¡±


    Ugh, really I would have preferred not to speak any more than this. But I don¡¯t want them sending Allie out there. Why was I so adamant about letting her stay here? Well there were a lot of things in my mind.


    One of them was that she was a talented cook. I would like to have her on my side, but there is a low possibility of that happening. Hard to fully trust a traitor.


    I can also imagine her doing a few things for us if I can ¡°convince¡± her. But I¡¯m not sure if that would work, but it''s still worth it to invest. I would also like to learn of her relationship with her friends, if such emotions were strong with each other, then I can use that to bait them to each other. Like for instance, have Allie go out there and find them, when they really cared about her, at least one would approach her.


    Even one emotional person among them would help me and have them do something rash. Like make them save Allie.


    I might need to have the enemy feel for the upcoming demise of Allie. I can think of a way to make them feel that way.


    That being said, I need to learn about her relationship with them.


    Now how was I able to think this way? My teammates and I were the same ¡ª no rather, we would try to save the other, if not for the organization''s policy and our superior¡¯s orders. As friends, we would desire to save one in plight, but unfortunately, our organization wouldn¡¯t allow that. Heh, even that handsome man who killed me would have tried to save me if there wasn¡¯t any order or policy to do otherwise.


    ¡°I understand princess, I¡¯ll send your suggestion to the king.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Vernon. Now then, I would like to inquire about what I asked you to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had sent men to investigate any other people that interacted with Allie and Oryn, as you asked.¡±


    Yes, I did. Now that I have dealt with Allie and Oryn, time to give some time to others. Did I fail to mention last time that the first thing I would do would be to check those in high and risky positions like high-ranking officials and the kitchen that always cooks my food since that would be advantageous to the opposition? Also that I would be giving focus on those close to me? I think I didn¡¯t fail to mention that.


    But now that¡¯s over, time to give some resources to small positions. I wasn¡¯t able to do much about this since, come on, I was rolling solo. How do you expect me to investigate each one of the staff, which could amount to several dozens, be realistic, of course I¡¯ll focus on risky positions first.


    But now was different, I have Vernon! Hahaha! I have manpower now.


    ¡°So, how was it?¡±


    ¡°One of the things you asked to investigate is the person and his team that always deliver ingredients to the kitchen which could send out information through. However, we have yet to find anything suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°We also ran investigations on the actions and history of the maids, but we found nothing to be wary of as of yet. Even those in the laundries, and others at lower positions, we have yet to find any dirt on them.¡±


    ¡°I understand, continue on with what you''re doing.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Now then, we¡¯re done with business, I¡¯ll return to studying. Ah, Mera, how are you faring in familiarizing the contents of this book?¡±


    I have been lending out this book to Mera every night since she was so keen on learning with me. She mentioned that she reads about one or two spells per night since that was all she could manage. I mean, she did have to wake up early, so she couldn¡¯t sleep out late.


    ¡°I believe I¡¯m doing well, milady.¡±


    ¡°Great! We¡¯ll be training together for Vernon¡¯s technique tomorrow, yes?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes.¡±


    I then turned to look at Vernon with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, your highness, I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡±


    ¡°Thank you ever so much, Vernon.¡±


    I chuckled.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 12: The Brother, and the Childhood Friend

    ¡°Hey Eleden! You saw that, right? She willingly spoke to me!¡±


    Eleden grinned at the excitement and joy that his friend and assistant, Lucious Vekenas, was showing. His friend¡¯s eyes were wide and bright with spirit and his cheeks almost flushed. He was like a child finally noticed by his crush.


    ¡°Yes yes, I saw everything.¡±


    Eleden was amused at seeing his long-time friend acting this way, and at the same time feeling wonder at why Estelia suddenly decided to give a bit of attention towards him and even tried to start a small conversation. Which was quite a bit of a sudden change.


    ¡°And the way she looked at me, my soul wouldn¡¯t stop dancing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, it might just be a one-off chance experience.¡±


    ¡°Come on El, don¡¯t be like that. Please don¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    Eleden wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to do that. He cannot control her own sister, she was always a hard one to influence. Or perhaps, Eleden just didn¡¯t want to control Estelia in any shape or form, that was why he found it difficult.


    To be honest, he was completely fine with how Estelia was. The one who was always so quiet and always alone. In his eyes, it was one of her charms, and he liked it.


    ¡°I have no control over her, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know, but at least like you know, help me out.¡±


    ¡°That will be hard to do without creeping her out. This isn¡¯t like when we were children, I imagine now she will be more sensitive. I might even drive her away. So, take it slow.¡±


    ¡°Agh, other noble ladies are easily approachable, and I don¡¯t even like them. But when it comes to her, it¡¯s hard¡­¡±


    It¡¯s not that Lucious was embarrassed to talk with her, it was that it was literally hard to speak with her. She barely interacted with anyone, no less to him. Eleden pitied him a little.


    Eleden patted Lucious¡¯s shoulder a few times.


    ¡°You can do it.¡±


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­¡±


    Eleden understood very well that Lucious liked Estelia, no perhaps one can even call it love. He already knew this ever since they were children, anyone could tell that Lucious liked Estelia just how he always tried to talk with her.


    Eleden wasn¡¯t against it though, in fact, he supported his friend. As he closely knew him as a close friend, he was comfortable knowing that he could leave Estelia to his care ¡ª if that ever happens. Eleden couldn¡¯t predict what Estelia¡¯s future would be, so it was hard to tell if Lucious and her would end up together.


    ¡°Still, I was surely surprised when she started a conversation with me... maybe she¡¯s finally warming up on me. Maybe she realized something while I was in Myra¡­ Maybe there is hope after all!¡±


    Eleden couldn¡¯t help chuckle at Lucious¡¯s enthusiasm and hopeful demeanor.


    ¡°Do your best, she is closing in on her coming of age. I imagine you know how many young nobles would be attending the party.¡±


    When Estelia hits seventeen, as the princess of the kingdom, the party would be huge and could span all nobles to be invited. If that was the case, using the palace to hold the banquet wouldn¡¯t be a good choice. That aside, as Estelia was rarely seen, one can imagine how interested people would be, and how captivated they would become if they saw her only for just a moment.


    Some young ladies might even feel inferior and insecure, however they wouldn¡¯t be able to openly show it of course. Mere nobles have no match for royalty, and also, it was a fact that Estelia was incomparably beautiful than any ladies in the kingdom.


    Eleden could confidently say that since he had already seen most noble young maidens. Lucious would surely agree with that statement. Truth be told, Eleden was a little excited that his sister would be debuting.


    ¡°Tch! Yes, I know. I have to be on guard for others, especially that son of Lady Eleanore.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you meticulous?¡±


    ¡°Of course I would know of it. I¡¯m sure that he must have tried to dance with her during etiquette lessons. No, I feel like he has already done it.¡±


    He sounded a bit irritated and threatened.


    ¡°Well, you have no need to be afraid. Estelia wouldn¡¯t become close with someone she barely knows that easily. I mean, she barely talks with you, whom she had known since childhood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to comfort you.¡±


    ¡°Haaah¡­¡± with slanted eyes, Lucious raised an eyebrow. ¡°Where are we going? Are we going to your office?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Come on, El. We just arrived. Don¡¯t you know the word rest?¡±


    ¡°Well, Estevan mentioned he had sent some documents, important ones. I want to take a look and organize them so I can work better tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s just some,¡± he heaved a quiet relieved sigh.


    Eleden mentioned the documents, however, judging by his urgent steps, they were perhaps no normal documents. He was indeed a little impatient, he was wondering, curious, and worried of what he would discover.


    Lucious noticed the urgency from Eleden.


    ¡°You look like you''re in a rush?¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­ You see, Lucious, something terrible happened here while we were out there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter we can easily talk about here. I¡¯ll tell you when we arrive, we might also find out more from the documents.¡±


    ¡°... All right.¡±


    Shortly, they arrived at Estevan¡¯s office. When they entered inside, Lucious¡¯s eyes went wide at the stacks of documents placed on the table. He was surprised they were able to move these out in such a short amount of time, as though they were already prepared to be moved out when the two of them arrived.


    In contrast to Lucious, Eleden walked towards the desk, not bothered by the volume of papers. He picked up a few documents.


    ¡°These seem to be documents Father has yet to review. Estevan isn¡¯t a quick worker when it comes to paper-based work, so it steadily piled up.¡±


    Lucious picked a few, and after reading, he took a sharp breath and closely read the contents of other sheets of paper, as if making his eyes certain.


    ¡°Eleden these are¡­ these are information gathered from espionage. Not to mention these are about our kingdom¡¯s nobles.¡±


    He looked at the documents again, one could imagine how much information was there. But there was no way all of these were all just information of a few nobles. With this much quantity, it would be unbelievable that a few nobles were only covered.


    It was then it dawned on Lucious, Eleden precisely knew what he must be thinking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me even my family¡­¡±


    He immediately searched through the pile. Panic was in his eyes as he searched for the names of his family. Being investigated by the crown was no small matter, it was almost akin to being thought of as their loyalty being doubted. Not only was it terrible and frustrating to be doubted, it was also dangerous.


    Then eventually, Lucious found a group of documents. His hand trembled slightly after he read the names written upon it.


    ¡°Eleden¡­ Even my family. My mother, father, siblings. It¡¯s not hard to think that my other relatives would be here. W-Why? What¡¯s going on? Why is the crown going to this extent?¡±


    Lucious swallowed his own saliva as anxiety rose.


    ¡°El, you know we are loyal to the crown, we would never threaten royalty and kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­ But, the situation calls for it. We need to be meticulous.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Eleden returned the documents and sat down on the chair behind his desk. He urged Lucious to sit down and he followed.


    ¡°Royalty is under threat. Or to be precise, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°What? No wait, why? Estelia has not done anything, she¡¯s the passive and most quiet one in politics or anything.¡±


    Yes, that was the case. Thus, it was hard to understand why.


    ¡°Father has yet to expand on that, and I¡¯m intending on inquiring more. But, it would seem that we also have no clear idea. In any case, the crown is working seriously on this, nobles are no exception to the kingdom¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°... Right¡­ But, I¡¯m certain my family is doing nothing that goes against the crown.¡±


    Eleden nodded his head.


    ¡°To the important matter, there¡¯s something I would like you to know.¡±


    Eleden then went on to tell him what happened in the palace while they were gone, conveyed to him by his family. The part of Oryn, and a cook, and the part where they threatened the princess¡¯s life.


    After hearing what happened, Lucious was in disbelief as he used one hand to cradle his head.


    ¡°How could that be? They even reached within? And¡­ to think Estelia almost died.¡±


    Eleden might have felt the same as Lucious when he first heard of what happened. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what he would have felt or what would happen if he arrived back home only to discover that his lovely and peaceful sister was dead.


    His world would crumble. That was the least he could ever imagine. How he was filled with relief to see that Estelia was alive.


    ¡°And Oryn, I would have never expected,¡± Lucious muttered.


    ¡°You two were quite close weren''t you?¡±


    ¡°... We are both assistants of the princes after all.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°I never would have thought that he was intending to kill Estelia¡­ That guy¡­¡±


    ¡°For now, I would like you to gather more intel about this. There might be a few things that Father will miss to tell me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the servants.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Haaah,¡± he sighed ¡°This really is troubling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This might be why even Vernon was assigned to Estelia. Also, there¡¯s a deal with the maid, what was her name? Mera, yes that sounds right.¡±


    ¡°I saw that maid, isn¡¯t she one of her rotational attendants?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, I learned while talking with them that the maid was personally chosen by the princess to be her personal maid.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, is she that skilled?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    ¡°Huh. But I suppose it¡¯s good that she can finally have friends.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, especially when all that happened to her. She must have been terrified, should I do something for her? You think giving her flowers would work?¡± Lucious wryly smiled.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to do, then go ahead. Just be careful, you might drive her away instead.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I just doubt that you¡¯re rooting for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only giving you advice. In the end, it¡¯s all up to you on how you win her heart.¡±


    Lucious often says doing bold things that would blatantly suggest his feelings towards Estelia. However, he would always find himself back out. Perhaps afraid of being rejected.


    But that was understandable. Eleden knew his sister would start keeping her distance from anyone that would dare step over her personal line, one could say. She was too introverted and antisocial to be suddenly brought into something that happens socially.


    That was why Eleden would often find himself giving advice to Lucious to be extra careful with Estelia. She was, after all, different from any other woman.


    One could imagine that one simple misstep may be enough to drive her away. One might think they were doing fine after doing a mistake they didn¡¯t realize, they might as well give up.


    Other noble ladies may be compelled to find a partner. But not Estelia, she was different. And, Eleden noticed that their parents were also not in a rush to find a partner for her.


    ¡°Haaaah, whatever you say. So, should I start gathering intel?¡±


    ¡°Later, help me with these first.¡±


    Eleden pointed at the papers.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 13: Finally Giving My All To Dancing

    Finally finished with breakfast, I made my way to the training hall. The large hall could be used for special occasions and was spacious enough to be used as a dance floor for my training.


    I dislike dancing, but I guess I have no choice but to do what I can. I don¡¯t want to be scolded again by Eleanore, no one likes being reprimanded at, right?


    Ah, breakfast by the way was okay. Only okay. But there was a bit of improvement, I think, maybe just a coincidence. Which reminds me, Father was frequently looking at me weirdly as though he was observing and wanting to speak to me at the same time.


    Maybe he truly wanted to speak with me, but well, since I have etiquette lessons he didn¡¯t get to talk with me. But why though? I didn¡¯t do anything bad, I am an appropriately behaved cute girl.


    Maybe something came up? That being said, it must not be so important when he didn¡¯t immediately talk to me. So I suppose I have nothing to worry about.


    Eventually, we arrived at our destination and immediately entered inside. Eleanore and that guy should be arriving at any moment, so I will have to wait while I sit down relaxed on the nearby chair with my servants on each side of me.


    ¡°You seem to be fully at ease, your highness. I heard Lady Eleanore is a bit strict when she teaches.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am not worrying about anything at all, Vernon... I believe I will be fine this time.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ In that case, I will cheer you on, princess.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. By the way Mera, how¡¯s your experience in your etiquette lessons?¡±


    I asked her, starting a conversation while I waited. It would be boring not to do so.


    ¡°It was all right, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t as strict as yours, milady. My mother was the one to teach and my younger sister, so she was lenient with each of our mistakes. Although, I have learned most in my training for becoming a maid.¡±


    ¡°I see. But how is your dancing?¡±


    Mera wryly smiled as though embarrassed to speak.


    ¡°My mother said I was excellent, but I never tried performing in a public setting.¡±


    ¡°Have you never been to any social events?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we are a low ranking noble family and located away from the capital, so we aren¡¯t normally invited.¡±¡¯


    But here I am in the capital and yet never went to any social events. There were a couple of occasions that events happened in the palace, but as you would expect, I never show up. Because I couldn¡¯t even bother about it. Maybe I did participate, but I must be too young to remember so that¡¯s irrelevant. Well, also there were a few occasions that involved family, but I didn¡¯t stay long.


    ¡°Hm. But your family¡¯s situation is starting to go well now, yes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, milady.¡±


    The double doors then opened up at that moment of casual conversation and entered a pair of nobles, passing by the servants which assisted them. One was an adult woman and the other was a handsome man just a little older than me, both carried themselves with dignity fitting a high-ranking aristocrat.


    All right then.


    I immediately stood up and walked towards them with absolute elegance, more elegant than I have ever done in front of her. I just don¡¯t want her to scold me.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you once again, Madame Eleanore, and Jalen. May our hallowed lord and lady bless the moment of our delightful meeting.¡±


    I said so sweetly and smoothly as I put one hand on my chest while the other lifted my skirt a little like doing a curtsy with a smile on my face.


    Normally, it would be the lower-ranking aristocrat to greet first. As the princess, I should have been the one to receive her greeting since she was only a Marquess, however at the moment, she was my teacher, and thus on this occasion, she was higher than me.


    You see, I need to do a good job now since even at this moment, she was already judging me.


    ¡°Your highness, I am glad to see you doing well. May we receive the resplendent blessing from our illustrious lord and lady.¡±


    ¡°I am as well glad to see you again, O esteemed Princess. May we receive the resplendent blessing from our illustrious lord and lady.¡±


    Eleanore greeted me back with a soothing and gentle voice as she performed the curtsy. Jalen, on the other hand, spoke a bit enthusiastically as he placed his palm on the left side of his chest while bowing deeply.


    After the tedious greeting, Eleanore looked at me with scrutinizing eyes. Apparently, she was already judging my appearance.


    ¡°You look splendid, princess.¡±


    Oh yes I am! My neatly braided long platinum hair, clean and cute face, my magnificent dress that bore no wrinkles whatsoever. How could I not be splendid? I am perfect.


    ¡°However, I must say, as this is not an official setting, I will tolerate you sitting down and only coming our way when we enter the room. During an official event, when receiving guests, await them by the entrance as you stand. Do well to remember.¡±


    ¡°I understand, madame.¡±


    The servants that brought them here had already left the room and closed the door.


    ¡°All right, shall we proceed to your practice? It has been a long time since we had our session, so I imagine your skills have deteriorated somewhat.¡±


    Jalen gave a wooden case to Eleanore which contained the violin-like instrument called vynelin.


    She walked towards a small table in a corner and opened the wooden case. Meanwhile, I was stuck with Jalen, he smiled when I glanced at him for a moment, he¡¯s really trying to look good in my eyes, huh.


    Eleanore then finally gave her attention to my two servants, giving them inquisitive looks.


    ¡°So, your highness, are your servants not leaving?¡±


    Yeah, servants usually leave during practice sessions. However, not this time.


    ¡°My apologies, but they will be staying. Having them leave will not be possible.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Is that so? Very well. I have heard there had been some troubles in the palace, but I¡¯m still surprised that you wouldn¡¯t be left alone with any servants around. Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I have the right to remain silent, hehehe.


    Seeing my silence, Eleanore understood that the answer to her question was not for her ears to hear, and thus she nodded.


    ¡°No matter. Let us proceed.¡±


    She turned to face us, leaving the instrument in its case.


    ¡°We will be starting on counting. Princess, Jalen, proceed to the dancing floor.¡±


    I nervously walked towards the center of the hall, holding my own hands. After reaching the center, I gave Jalen a twitching faint smile to show how anxious I was. He meanwhile, smiled in amusement as he oozed with confidence.


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    He presented his hand to me, and I slowly laid my smooth white hands upon it.


    ***


    Did I mention before that my muscle memories suddenly returned, right? Although I have no idea why all I know was that it came shortly after my mana went on a rampage at the library. It felt as if the old me had resurfaced just a little ¡ª I mean Estelia¡­ Like I was refreshed or something.


    That being said, I have not lost my own identity, and that puts me at ease. I dominated you ¡°Estelia¡±. Or maybe she was I and I was her¡­ Whatever¡­


    To the main topic. Eleanore started the dancing lesson first when usually we would start with etiquette. I guessed maybe because I was pretty good the last time, and I was shit in dancing. Therefore, she decided we should start dancing. Maybe we¡¯ll even dance the entire meeting. I sounded unsure because she never said anything. Doesn¡¯t matter anyway.


    So I and Jalen danced gracefully on the dance floor within the vast hall and under the magnificent chandelier. His smile, ever so charming, always faced me as my eyes averted away, avoiding his strong and dazzling gaze. Such a strong gaze, cannot be beared by an innocent maiden like me.


    My steps were graceful and almost silent, my arms waved elegantly through the air, my skirt gently fluttering at every motion. I was like a fairy gracing the eyes of mere mortals. No, I was like a goddess who graced this world with her beauty and magnificence.


    Damn, I¡¯m good.


    During the performance, Jalen would find himself awed for a moment, causing a bit of mistiming, but as used as he was, he was able to recover immediately. I caught a glimpse of Eleanore¡¯s strict expression, finally softening a little as she nodded at my beautiful performance.


    I was not fond of dancing, but I have to give it my all in this. Further headache would only incur me when I do so otherwise. Besides, it was a waste not to live this life.


    When the dance was done, Vernon applauded my performance, seeing that he did it first, Mera followed suit, she must have hesitated at first since she seemed a bit scared of Eleanore.


    ¡°You were wonderful, Princess.¡±


    Janel complimented me with a charming smile. Ugh, I hate superficial interaction and praises ¡ª wow and that came from me... This guy definitely just wanted to get into royalty. If you aren¡¯t sincere, stay away from me. And trust me, I can tell this guy wasn¡¯t being sincere at all.


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was a breathtaking performance. I didn¡¯t expect you to be that skillful. In fact, I think you were the best I have danced with.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you¡­ To be honest, it was a little difficult.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°Please, it appears you weren¡¯t even struggling. I look forward to dancing with you at your peak in your debut.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, that¡­ Of course, I¡¯m sure we will have an opportunity.¡±


    The debut, in other words, my coming of age. By the age of seventeen, a person was considered an adult. Next year, I will be becoming an adult, on my birthday. At that time, there would be a feast and celebration.


    As I am royalty, each noble family would need to have at least one representative to join the banquet. There would be numerous guests there, and I don¡¯t know if it would be pleasing for me. That aside, I would be needing to perform. Yup, perform! I would need to dance and sing as per tradition.


    One could consider this my official debut to noble society. Ugh, but why perform? And dancing? Come on.


    Not to mention all the people that would be looking at me. Well I wouldn¡¯t be bothered that much really. No wait, won¡¯t I be pressured when I come to perform? Shit, I definitely would need to look good so I wouldn¡¯t look bad.


    Fuck, there¡¯s no need to be anxious anyway. A battlefield was way worse than a bunch of eyes watching my would be delightful performance.


    ¡°I will say, that was a splendid performance, princess.¡± Eleanore approached me. ¡°You did a terrible job the last time.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes I did.¡±


    ¡°... Rest for now. I suggest having your servants send you refreshments. Or we can proceed to etiquette, seeing as you did well with dancing, it is fine to proceed to another training.¡±


    The earlier we end her lesson for today the better. I still have to practice Vernon¡¯s technique later. The more time I have doing that, the more progress I can make.


    ¡°Let us proceed to etiquette lessons after a fifteen-minute break.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a rush?¡±


    ¡°I will score almost a perfect score later, you have nothing to worry about, Madame.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow as her scrutinizing gaze was cast at me.


    To be honest, I believe in a couple of weeks, my lessons in this department will finally come to an end when she rates me at perfect or almost. With that, I will have more freedom to spend on training my combat capabilities.


    Such things as Etiquette were the lowest priority at the moment. That will not help me at all during combat. What? Am I supposed to act all cute and regal and they¡¯ll leave me alone? I don¡¯t know, I can try¡­. NO. Hehehe, how wonderful would life be if I can make people do that with my cuteness alone?


    I can say something like, ¡®You can¡¯t be violent at me, I¡¯m cute.¡¯ Then tada! They¡¯ll leave me alone.


    ¡°I wonder where your confidence is from,¡± Eleanore said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure her highness¡¯s confidence stems from her outstanding skills that she may have yet to show completely. I look forward to your spectacular demonstration, princess.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, thank you.¡±


    Dude, that¡¯s how you get a girl? Get back to your closet and relearn everything from scratch. Not working on me at all. Well, maybe on other girls, but not me. Not like he would have any influence on me anyway.


    And so, we took a break. I sat leisurely while drinking the refreshment brought by dear Mera. Silence would have been what I preferred, but Jalen just had to talk to me. Really, did he truly want to be royalty? Don¡¯t tell me he desired the throne.


    Not that he had any chance though, Eleden would certainly be the crown prince in the future. He wasn¡¯t officially declared as the ¡°crown prince¡± since Father has yet to decide whom to give. The eldest prince was the highest chance to inherit the throne but even that wasn¡¯t completely certain when the final decision fell unto the King.


    Well, when based on character and skills, we might as well proclaim Eleden as the crown prince.


    Then the time came to etiquette manners and procedures. We first started on how one should carry themselves when receiving guests. I stood straight as a pole and walked delicately to the utmost of my ability. During my demonstration, I believe I really give off the aura and presence of a beautiful and wonderful noble, or to be specific, a princess.


    Every time I walk I would also need to act perfectly lady-like, my hips swaying with every step. Of course overdoing it would not be delightful at all, so I made my movements smooth as a peacefully flowing stream, as though I didn¡¯t even need to give the effort to achieve such a captivating display.


    I could even feel Mera¡¯s strong gaze from here. At ease, girl. Vernon on the other hand looked pretty impressed as he nodded in contentment at my demonstration.


    We did the formal greeting, then the formal way of speaking. Then proceeded to table manners. I really had to be so gentle, a little shake of the spoon was unacceptable since that might shake off a bit of soup. Well, Eleanore was annoyingly meticulous with details, so I even had to put the spoon in my mouth gently and nobly.


    In any case, everything went on perfectly in my opinion. I should be fine now. I mean, I spent a lot of effort so of course I did more than well. Don¡¯t undermine how passionate I can be.


    Yeah so in the end, I got an almost perfect score¡­... Dammit! Why are some teachers so stingy?


    Fine whatever, at least the lesson has ended today since Eleanore looked plenty satisfied. As they were leaving, I gave them my pleasant goodbyes. I didn¡¯t give a lot of thought about Jalen since he was nothing special anyway. Honestly, he needs to learn how to get along with me first, you know, the first step was to make friends. That guy just took a leap of a step.


    In any case, now that the lesson for today was over, time to move on to another business.


    ¡°Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, princess. I am not going back on my word.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! Alright let¡¯s go to the learning room.¡±


    We left the grand hall and made our way to our usual room. There was another matter I needed to consult Vernon with, so I asked him the moment we arrived at our destination.


    ¡°Vernon, isn¡¯t it about time you tell me what we have learned about the poison we retrieved from Allie?¡±


    He said that the scholars would need at least a week to analyze the poison. It must be something foreign to them if they needed that much time to take a look at it.


    ¡°I received and read their letter of report last night. They stated that the poison was something that they have never seen before. We have confirmed that the poison was so potent that not even the highest detoxification spell we have can cure it or erase it.¡±


    Huh. Good thing I didn¡¯t let the food even touch my lips. Otherwise, I would have died on that cold floor.


    ¡°It was the first kind of poison they have encountered. They have no idea from what creature it could come from. They surmised since that poison was that potent, it could only come from monsters. An animal having such poison was definitely impossible.¡±


    ¡°So powerful poisons usually come from monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even a snake¡¯s cannot compare in terms of effects and agony one would feel. A snake¡¯s poison can easily be mended by an antidote, but from monsters, you mostly need the aid of magic. As for the case for the newly discovered type of poison¡­ if a human had taken it, death would have been certain.¡±


    Good thing I didn¡¯t take any then.


    ¡°Hm. Are they working on a countermeasure?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He stared quietly at me for a moment for some reason.


    ¡°They have not mentioned it yet, but¡­ it surely will not be easy.¡±


    ¡°I imagine so. Alright, tell me if they report any progress.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Now then, begin your lesson, Vernon,¡± with a delighted smile I turned to Mera. ¡°Let¡¯s listen closely, Mera.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 14: I will do it even with the smallest freedom

    As my maid and I sat together side by side, Vernon explained his physical enhancement technique with a resigned sigh, giving us a verbal warning that this would be a bit dangerous if something went wrong. He warned that we will experience pain in the process, and the amount would vary.


    I¡¯m fine with a bit of pain, but I don¡¯t know about Mera. Well, it¡¯s just pain anyway, I¡¯m sure she can bear it.


    Physical enhancement, unlike normal magic casting, has mana used within the body itself. Instead of manipulating your mana flowing through the Mystic Medium outward and giving it form and attributes, prevent the mana from going out and keep it raw. Which was harder than it sounds since it¡¯s hard to keep mana inside the body while channeling. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t keep it stagnant.


    The way Physical Enhancement is done was to have the mana flow through your muscles. When I say muscles, I mean every fiber of the body or which part you want to enhance. Vernon mentioned again that it was easier said than done since you would need to spread out the flow of mana into numerous channels going through your veins, flesh, and fiber in the body.


    Then that was the reason why it would hurt since you would be tampering with your very own flesh.


    ¡°Princess, especially you, please be careful and gentle. I don¡¯t want your family to realize what you are attempting to learn.¡±


    He pleaded to me since my family had no idea that I was trying to learn physical enhancement. If they knew, they would definitely prohibit me from doing it and have me focus on spell casting instead. This kingdom has an ideal image for women after all, women nobles at least. Why would a noble woman learn physical enhancement when they know spell casting and why not improve on that instead? When spells can be stronger than mere physical enhancement. Well, I presume they only say this because aristocrat ladies have no need to go to a battlefield. If time was peaceful, I would have been fine with spell casting alone, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    ¡°Of course, Vernon.¡±


    We started the practice after he expanded on the starting steps. He had me and Mera stand up since sitting down would be too much of a slack. Enhancing the entire body at the beginning would be too difficult and challenging for a beginner, so he had us try to enhance a single arm.


    I chose my right arm as well as Mera ¡ª right-hand gang!


    I unleashed a small amount of mana, I could feel it leave outside my body. But I retracted them and pushed them into my body, grimacing at the face of difficulty. I had it move through my flesh before they could completely go out, however, it felt like there was a wall blocking its way.


    I may have a precise control of mana now, but that was for output and giving it form, not injecting them into my flesh. That aside, I followed a tip Vernon included in his teaching. It was to use mana to find tiny gaps to get through. Were there such gaps? Must be a metaphor ¡ª or he didn¡¯t mean literally.


    I slowly thinned my mana touching my flesh and muscles and slowly spreading them out, trying to find the gap he was talking about. Those gaps were the ones to be used as some sort of channel to spread mana through my system.


    When I tried to push through the walls, there was a stinging pain on my arm, causing a twitch to my cheek. I cannot get through anything. I have already thinned out my mana into strings, but there was no gap to go through.


    I tried pushing through and my arm trembled. Strange, very strange, there was nothing. And I have already spread out my mana to engulf my entire arm.


    ¡°Princess! Lower your mana!¡±


    I flinched in surprise by Vernon¡¯s sudden outburst. Confused, I sternly raised my gaze towards him with furrowed brows. His hair was gently fluttering but there was no wind that touched my skin. I shifted my eyes to Mera and the edges of her hair were waving like Vernon¡¯s, and she looked at me with wide worried eyes.


    Ah, was it because of my mana?


    That¡¯s not right¡­.


    ¡°Princess, didn¡¯t I say to use the lowest amount of mana?¡±


    ¡°B-But I did use the smallest amount.¡±


    Of course I did. I follow instructions, you know.


    ¡°Is that so? Then why are you still affecting everything around you?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Huh. I was sure that was all I could bring out at the minimum.


    ¡°I¡¯m s-serious, Vernon! That is all I can do.¡±


    ¡°...¡± His eyes went wide in disbelief. ¡°Do you still lack the skill to control your mana¡­? No, could it be because of the amount of mana you innately have within?¡±


    Normal individuals shouldn''t have as much difficulty controlling the output of mana as I did, like Mera, she didn¡¯t have to struggle as I did in the beginning. However, her difficulties lie in giving mana form. As for me, in the beginning, controlling the amount of mana to let out and control was challenging.


    Could it be that I am still lacking? No, no way. I thought I was doing fine. So something else must be wrong.


    Then, there could only be one reason.


    ¡°Milady, your arm.¡±


    I look at my arm. My breath froze when I saw it had become tinged in red. I moved back my sleeve and the entirety of my right arm has turned red as if it was sore. I did feel pain though and I didn¡¯t try to think a lot about it.¡±


    As though panicking, Vernon grabbed my arm and checked it. He slowly pressed down.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    I expressed the pain caused by what he did.


    ¡°It has turned sore already. Could it be because of the amount of mana you flowed through it? Or could it be because of your constitution?¡±


    Maybe both.


    ¡°V-Vernon, is it bad?¡±


    ¡°You will need to rest for today. If we keep on going, your skin will tear and bleed.¡±


    Damn, so it does tamper literally with flesh.


    ¡°We¡¯re fortunately you have no tears whatsoever. Otherwise, your family might have realized, but it will gradually lessen later.¡±


    ¡°What about healing magic?¡±


    ¡°It will be too minor for healing magic, a residue of the redness will remain. You will be fine though, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any bleeding, if it did, your skin would have ripped for a little. It will slowly return to normal, and by dinner the redness should turn faint. However, your family might notice it, they have a sharp eye for you, after all.¡±


    ¡°I will keep the long-sleeved dress then, to at least cover my arm to the wrists.¡±


    ¡°That will do.¡±


    He heaved a deep sigh.


    Conclusion, I have a vast amount of mana that the minimal amount I could exude was already shocking. Ugh, do I need to practice and adjust again?! Add to that injecting mana into my body ¡ª what is this? Steroids?!


    I should also hope the redness would dissipate to a great degree later.


    Vernon had me sit down and rest, my arm was starting to feel numb.


    I turned to Mera.


    ¡°Mera, what about you? How did it go?¡±


    ¡°It is a bit hard, but I am making progress. That said, my arm is starting to ache. But it hasn¡¯t turned red, so I can keep going.¡±


    She¡¯s able to say confidently that she¡¯s making progress, so that must definitely be the case. Maybe because she has less mana than me that it was easier for her, not to mention her constitution, that¡¯s a maid for you!


    Aaaw, and I have a decently good constitution from my past life too. Do I need to workout some more here? Damn.


    ¡°Then, continue. I will cheer you on.¡±


    With a smile, I tried clapping but after one, my arm flinched due to the pain. Yeah, let¡¯s not do that for now.


    With a nod, Mera continued with her training.


    Looks like I¡¯ll be doing nothing for today, what a bummer.


    ¡°Vernon, can¡¯t I just use my other arm?¡±


    ¡°Princess, are you mad? Then which arm will you use if both are sore?¡±


    ¡°Then what about a leg?¡±


    ¡°Certainly not. Please behave for now.¡±


    With a pout, I crossed my arms, enduring the pain while doing so.


    Mera kept on going for an hour. Like how? Even Vernon was surprised about it.


    As I was doing nothing, I played around with magic spells. White mist emanated from my left hand as a small shard of ice formed above it.


    Gradually it formed into a blade those found from daggers, except there was no hilt included. Sadly, this process happened longer than I wanted. Ice was only created an inch every second, not even good to use in urgent situations.


    I pressed the ice construct between my thumb and index finger, it didn¡¯t need much strength to shatter it completely, cracks instantly spread everywhere, and then it broke apart. The ice shards fell off my hand before vanishing into mists. The frost weapon was also too fragile to be used as a poking stick.


    I will need to practice this for several days.


    As I was practicing, I glanced at Mera for a moment. She was grimacing a little. She seemed to be doing well though. I have the feeling that she¡¯ll surpass me in this department. If she manages to have combat capabilities, she will become more useful than before, so I¡¯m looking forward to her development.


    As time passed, I was getting a bit bored, while ignoring Vernon¡¯s prying eyes when I was practicing my frost magic. I was intending to train hard on physical enhancement, but it ended up otherwise. And my arm was still sore.


    A ball of golden light floated around my arm. I wanted to try the Flash Bang, but obviously I can¡¯t do it here.


    Almost two hours had passed, during that time, I would practice my spells and read the book of magic. Might as well make progress. I also took a deeper look at healing magic all the while.


    Then I heaved a sigh.


    I stretched and walked towards the windows, gazing at the outside scenery where the green grasses and healthy trees stood tall. Birds flew around, and some dived through the foliages where their nests lie. It was a peaceful view, in a peaceful place.


    I could have been there. On the grassy floor, maybe having a little picnic, relaxing as I watch the blue sky while white clouds move about. I looked at the walls from afar.


    Maybe, I could have been there outside, peacefully visiting places I have never seen. Only thinking about the leisure and the beauty and wonder of places. I could have been enjoying delicacies to my heart¡¯s content. I could have enjoyed the freedom I have received, where I could stretch my wings however and wherever I want.


    I held out my hand and touched the clear glass window, my eyes gazing beyond the walls of my home.


    I would have been free to do anything. My mind would have been at peace.


    And yet¡­


    And yet I have to think, contemplate, ponder, predict, visualize, strategize¡­ worried for my life¡­ Did the universe consider my actions a sin? What were my sins? Was the universe punishing me for that? Was sin not a matter of perspective?


    Killing? Would such a thing be a sin in a place of death? Would murder be a sin when that¡¯s all you have known to be right? If it was my punishment, then¡­ What right does the universe have to do this to me? Gods? What right do they have to me?


    I refuse to accept such a reason. Absurd.


    ...Everything was starting to feel so short, even life itself.


    It¡¯s tiring.


    What a surprising thing coming from me...


    ...


    ¡­. That¡¯s it.... I¡¯m done being restrained. After all that time I wanted to buy everything at my luxury. Wanting to experience living with no anxiety. Wanting to go everywhere I want with no eyes watching me, and voices warning me.


    I will do everything I can to taste freedom. Danger was around the corner, but I shall be prepared and also be careful, wary. No matter how small the freedom, I shall take it. I will go to the festival even if my parents demand otherwise. I shall maybe meet with other nobles, that could be entertaining, maybe I can meet with other fellow noble ladies.


    I¡¯ll also find a chance to go out into the city again. But then again, maybe I can get that opportunity during the festival. Dresses, I also want new dresses, that could also be a chance to get a special outfit made. Music, I¡¯ll also learn more about the music here.


    Yes, I shall not let anyone get in my way. If they do, they¡¯re dead. Even if there are thousands of them, I shall become a million army if it means their elimination.


    ¡­ Aaah, forming a great resolve felt good. A new ambition. A fabulous desire. A needed wish. It¡¯s a good driving force, repelling the stress.


    ¡°Your highness? Are you feeling okay?¡±


    I heard Vernon¡¯s beckon.


    I turned around, retracting my hand from the window, and faced him with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, good. Very good.¡±


    His eyes went wide, as though aghast. Mera also looked both puzzled and surprised.


    How was I smiling?


    I don¡¯t know.


    But, maybe I have gotten too honest with my wish.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Foreteller (Part 1)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 15: Foreteller (Part 1)

    A group of carriages crewed by elves entered through majestic open gates, flanked and installed upon curved sturdy trees colored with green leaves. There was quite a traffic on the way inside the city surrounded by forests.


    All manner of creatures can be seen walking on the road. There were elves, beastmen, centaurs, a few dwarves, and also a few satyrs.


    The group of elves was instantly allowed inside without any tolls since the guards had already recognized that the head of the group was an important official. She was the elf ambassador renowned through the entire population of the race of mystics who had served for a few centuries now. The one who had the ability to alter fate itself, Lieren.


    While inside the fanciest carriage, Lieren leaned her head on the window and watched outside. They passed through a joyful and proud city where different species were united with no conflict in mind. A feat possible only through the help of the gods and people of old.


    There were massive trees with doors and windows, used as houses. There were also wooden houses built on top of trees, depending on the size of the tree, it would determine the size of houses that can be built. One way to get down was to use a spiraling wooden staircase.


    These types of houses were designed and built originally by elves, but now that times had changed, other races had also begun to use these types of houses. Of course there were other houses as well built on surface level made up of woods and bricks.


    One could think this city was a mixture of different cultures as what can be expected from a city where different species live together in harmony. Lieren smiled when she saw children with their parents walking on the streets, some even curiously turned to look at her convoy.


    A short time later the scenery changed and they came across a moat under the bridge they were crossing. The bridge they crossed was entirely made up of wood, however this type of wood was not to be undervalued.


    The wide wooden bridge was as tough as steel taken from a tree called ¡°Farra.¡± It was a rare type that could only be gathered from specific areas. Regrettably, the cutting of those trees had to be prohibited since they were endangered to be wiped out.


    In the far past, craftsmen would collect wood from the Farra tree since it was an incredibly sturdy tree, the most valuable wood. That in turn increases demands, with the increase of demands, the more Farra trees had to be cut down.


    Noticing the dwindling number of Farra trees, the union of the mystic race implemented a law that prohibited the cutting of the now rare trees.


    At the end of the bridge was a gigantic and tall tree with countless healthy green leaves and long vines hanging on the branches. There was a castle built and embedded within it, big and majestic made up of white walls.


    The great castle was built by the joint workforce of different races, showing the unity between species. The sheer scale and magnificence also went to express the conviction and how far they would go to preserve their unity.


    The convoy arrived at the edge of the bridge and came to a halt. There was a translucent barrier blocking the way as one of their security features. The guards guarding the entrance approached the head of the convoy, they consisted of different races with the exception of dwarves.


    A satyr with light brown fur approached the carriage where Lieren was currently in and bowed his head before her window. Lieren smiled at him.


    ¡°Greetings, Lady Lieren.¡±


    ¡°Greetings. Please open the barrier.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    It was protocol for the head of the guards to personally meet with the head of the convoy to ensure identity. It was essential to personally see the VIP for more assurance and security. You¡¯ll never know that there might come a time a convoy came and turned out there was no VIP inside despite what they said.


    When the satyr gave the go to his colleagues, the barrier on the bridge was deactivated and it dissipated. The convoy continued on, passing the spacious defensive perimeter where guards patrolled all around.


    When the convoy arrived by the gates between gigantic protruding tree roots, the guards immediately gathered. Lieren got out of the carriage and every guard present bowed deeply.


    ¡°It is good to be back here after a while.¡±


    This was not exactly her home, but it almost completely felt like one.


    ¡°Welcome back, Lady Lieren.¡±


    The captain opened the gates and Lieren walked inside with a pair of elves behind her. Past the gate was the front yard of the castle and it was full of foliage giving only a paved pathway for people to walk through.


    Tall plants, flowers, grasses, even small trees filled the area. A few officials stood at corners discussing with each other which consisted of different species like centaurs, elves, beastmen, and so on. A thing to be noticed though that there were no dwarves and dark elves to be seen.


    As Lieren and her group walked further in, from above a wooden platform in the shape of a box with open corners leaving only the vertex descended to the ground. It was an elevator embedded within the castle wall and tree trunk.


    When the elevator reached ground level right before Lieren, a beastman with cat ears stepped forward into the pavement out of the elevator.


    ¡°Lieren, color me surprised. I was not expecting a visit.¡±


    ¡°Toshi, it¡¯s nice that you personally welcomed me.¡±


    This beastman, Toshi, was the governor of the city and a friend of Lieren. Not very close since most of their meetings were mostly about business, and Lieren wouldn¡¯t dare to call herself a close friend of his. But because of that, even though Lieren was essentially of higher status, they still address each other with familiarity.


    ¡°Of course, I rushed all the way here the moment I heard of your arrival. So, may I ask the purpose of your visit? Perhaps only to stay for the day or month? Like a little vacation.¡±


    Lieren chuckled. It would be good to have a little vacation, but she was not longing much about it. She was concentrating more on the current affair which concerns their entire people.


    ¡°Regrettably no, I came here to visit the foreteller.¡±


    ¡°...... I see.¡±


    ¡°So, how is she?¡±


    Lieren asked as she stepped onto the platform and the rest followed, meaning to talk while moving. The governor pressed a metal panel on the column and the platform began to ascend. This entire elevator was made functional by magic, making it move.


    ¡°Well, she wants to stay in her room all of the time, it was as though she was¡­ terrified.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Lieren lowered her head. ¡°It must be hard to repeatedly see the same vision, especially if it had something to do with our people¡¯s ruin.¡±


    ¡°Yes....¡±


    ¡°I need to talk to her and learn if there are any slight changes. Even a glimpse of a good change will be a great relief.¡±


    ¡°I pray that we can change the absolution of this prophecy.¡±


    Lieren wholeheartedly agreed. It would have been different if the prophecy only foretold the destruction of one city, perhaps they wouldn¡¯t have worked to their limits and be this apprehensive of the future.


    However, this concerned the entire people of the mystic race. They had to do everything to change it even with the knowledge that prophecies happened in the end even if they do something or not. If one were given the choice when something foretold that they would be wiped out, would they do nothing or do something?


    Of course they would choose to do something ¡ª they had to change fate. Lieren herself had the ability to tamper with fate, so why should they not hold unto fate that it would change?


    They later arrived at the highest floor and the governor led towards the room of the foreteller while coming across several servants of various species. Eventually, they arrived at a closed lavish door.


    ¡°Leave us alone for a while.¡±


    Lieren said to everyone around her and they dispersed the next moment. The foreteller would prefer to be alone, so having others see her, especially strangers, wouldn¡¯t be ideal for her. But it was a different case for her friends.


    Lieren knocked a few times on the door.


    ¡°Lecia, it¡¯s me Lieren. Can I come in?¡±


    She waited a few seconds for an answer, but none came.


    ¡°I just came to check on you and¡­. There¡¯s something I want to learn¡­ if there are any changes.¡±


    There was no reply. She truly needed to enter, besides, she was becoming more worried about her. Thus, she decided to enter without a response.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in, okay?¡±


    Lieren slowly turned the knob and slowly opened the door prompting a long quiet creak.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 16: Foreteller (Part 2)

    There a person was lying sideways on the bed facing towards the window. A girl that appeared to be in her mid-teens, a beautiful girl with a fairly short height. She had long silky orange hair and fair skin.


    On top of her head were orange furry ears of an animal, as well as a pair of long furry and fluffy orange tails behind her waist, both reminiscent of a fox.


    She was the person referred to as the Foreteller, a beastman and a fox type ¡ª an incredibly rare type of fox beastman who possessed more than one tail. Normally fox type beastmen only had one tail, and having more than one was considered special.


    In fact, only two fox-type beastmen that had more than one tail were known. The Foreteller, bearing the personal name of Lecia, was one of them. Young she may appear, she was actually older than she looked.


    She grew slower compared to other beastmen, almost comparable to elves. Nevertheless, she was still a young woman in the mystic race overall, as well as her mind. They work differently from humans by how they grow.


    Even though Lieren had entered, Lecia didn¡¯t turn to face her but rather blankly stared outside. Lieren closed the door and slowly walked towards her.


    ¡°Hello, Lecia, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lieren didn¡¯t expect an answer right away and she didn¡¯t think much of it, sitting down on the bed behind her. She understood Lecia¡¯s troubles, who wouldn¡¯t be burdened by a vision about their people¡¯s demise? Lecia you see, cannot control her own visions, they would just suddenly flash before her eyes, or in her dreams all of a sudden.


    Although she could see a significant future when she wished for it, it wouldn¡¯t work all of the time, and also, she couldn¡¯t stop visions whenever they came for her.  Due to the visions, it made her feel distraught, and then she eventually fell into depression, just the same images of her people dying before her eyes.


    ¡°Lecia¡­¡±


    ¡°Something changed¡­¡±


    Lieren jerked her head to the side and looked at Lecia with wide eyes. What could have changed?


    ¡°What changed?¡±


    Could it be something good, or were they essentially the same?


    ¡°It¡­ has gotten worse¡­ for me.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what do you mean?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t speaking about the people, but for herself?


    ¡°Lieren, help me¡­ help me¡­ help me.¡±


    Lecia whimpered repeatedly as she gripped the edge of her bed while curling as though wanting to shell herself, tears welling up her eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore! They wouldn¡¯t stop! It¡¯s always the same burning cities, countless bloodsheds, war¡­ death, ruin. She¡¯s there! But it changed! Everything has gotten worse!¡±


    Lecia was convulsing as though recalling something intensely traumatic. Lieren frantically climbed up the bed and held her on both shoulders. She saw the terrified eyes of Lecia as she was brimming with tears, her lips trembling.


    ¡°Lecia, calm down! I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s going to be alright.¡±


    Lieren wrapped her arms around her and tightly embraced her. But Lecia squirmed within her arms.


    ¡°No! No no no¡­ she¡­¡± she frantically shook her head. ¡°I saw... In my vision, she was there, right before my eyes, then¡­ nothing¡­...that could only mean... she killed me¡­.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lieren didn¡¯t know what to say. Last time, she never mentioned something like this. There was no need to ask who this ¡°she¡± she was referring to, for Lieren already knew the only one she could be talking about. The one fated to come and bring ruin to the golden era of the race of mystic.


    ¡°She¡­ she was also different from before¡­ Now she seemed colder and crueler¡­ I was right before her when I saw her eyes¡­ they were emotionless¡­ as if she didn¡¯t think my life was worth anything special¡­ I was no different from any of those lives she had taken¡­... I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Lieren rubbed her back trying to calm her down.


    ¡°When will this end¡­?¡±


    ¡°I will put a stop to this. I will break this absolution of the future.¡±


    How events unfold may have changed and is ever-changing, but all will end how the prophecies foretold. And that end was what Lieren and the others were trying to change, an end where their people will survive and preserve this golden era of peace and unity.


    ¡°For now, rest¡­ What about we talk about something else?¡±


    Lecia was silent for a moment before she managed to let out a word silently.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Lieren helped Lecia lie down back on the bed.


    ¡°What about we talk about the island on the far south where leaves of trees and petals of flowers glow along with minerals on the mountain slopes, glittering like jewels during the night? There are also adorable creatures only found there, small and fluffy almost like rabbits, no, almost like sheeps.¡±


    Lecia stared up at her, tears still at the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ curious.¡±


    ¡°I will take you there then, soon. But if that¡¯s the case, should I tell you about it? Or not just to keep the surprise?¡±


    ¡°No, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡ª¡±


    She was about to tell her about the island but the door suddenly loudly opened. The two instantly turned to look at the door and there they saw an incredibly beautiful adult woman who appeared to be in her early thirties.


    She wore a majestic and magnificent kimono in the color of red and white with floral embroidery. She had a very fair skin color, her eyes had mesmerizing golden irises almost comparable to gemstones. Her long golden hair went past her waist, and above her head were fox ears also in the color of gold. Then behind her waist were beautiful and fluffy foxtails, unlike Lecia that only had two tails, the new arrival sported four.


    ¡°I heard you have arrived, Lieren~.¡±


    She spoke in an endearing voice that could tickle one¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Zennia.¡±


    She was the other special fox-type beastman and held the position of Shrine Priestess in her tribe. Lieren was truly surprised to see her here, the governor failed to even mention her presence. Besides that, she just suddenly barged in, talking about rude.


    Zennia smiled with delight as she watched the two.


    ¡°She looked better already~. She wouldn¡¯t even speak to me~.¡±


    ¡°You tried talking to her?¡±


    Zennia walked further inside, her heels clacking.


    ¡°I was curious and worried you see~. Specially worried about the future~.¡±


    ¡°I see. But you don¡¯t have to barge in like that.¡±


    ¡°Kuku, then pardon my intrusion. I¡¯ve been here for two days now, I hope you understand, O great elf ambassador.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. If you want to know, the end is still the same.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, so she is still coming here?~¡±


    ¡°...Yes¡­¡±


    Both of them were silent for a while as though trying to process the situation. Then Zennia broke the silence.


    ¡°.... Lieren, have you, and the others, never thought that perhaps it is best to leave her alone?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°With you interfering with her life, it causes the end of our people.¡±


    Zennia, despite her words, smiled sweetly.


    ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s just best not to do anything~.¡±


    With curled fingers gripping tightly, Lieren pursed her lips at the absurdity of Zennia¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°How many times have we done nothing because we thought it was the best decision? But in the end, the prophecies given by the gods still happened. Do I have to single out a few of them? The rampage of the great white beasts in the northeast, wise beasts they were, and yet we did nothing to them whatsoever. Even so, they trampled an entire city, people lost their lives and their homes.


    ¡°The great volcanic disaster, even though it was natural, we still strived to prevent its eruption. We released more heat emission, created holes, making some parts of it cold, and even lastly casting freezing spells into its crater. It quieted down. But a few days later, it suddenly erupted, destroying an entire region which caused catastrophic damage to the land and people¡¯s homes. A number of common civilians even lost their lives.


    ¡°Then the ascension of the nagas from the depths of the seas, fated to take over the costs to the west. Upon realizing that, we made contact with them and made an amiable and amicable relationship so that no violence could happen between us. It was peaceful, but in the end, they still overtook the shores, slaying hundreds of people. The prophecy still happened even when we did nothing to invite their hostility.


    ¡°The large tribe of Orcs living with satisfaction with their lives and we actually had good relationships with. They never cared about the world outside their villages, and only we knew that the prophecy foretold their aggression, and Lecia¡¯s glimpses of vision of them only served to further solidify that future. And so, as we had a peaceful relationship with them, we decided to not do anything to them, we even forbade interacting with them ¡ª all because we thought that sometimes doing nothing would be best and dealing with them early on would only cause that undesirable future. And how did that end up? They raided towns and cities and took over a number of territories.


    ¡°So, with those events, Zennia, do you think it would be best to do nothing? Even knowing that our entire race is in danger, completely unlike those that came before?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zennia was speechless for a moment. ¡°Is that why you chose to directly end them before it could happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even if the prophecies were absolute, we will break through it and change fate.¡±


    ¡°Is it not foolish?¡±


    ¡°No. We cannot stand idly by.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why it is best to act early as possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So this must also be the reason why you burned the village of the Whisperers?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then what of the mission regarding ¡°her¡±? You seemed agitated. Something must have happened.¡±


    Lieren furrowed her brows then looked down.


    ¡°We¡­ We lost contact with Oryn, and it is suspected that he may already be dead or captured¡­ But, the most crucial part, the princess still lives.¡±


    ¡°How distressing¡­ it¡¯s harder than expected, huh.¡±


    ¡°Even though the prophecy told of her death, she still lived... But we have been thinking hard about the prophecy. Her death must have meant that she would die once, and return again to life.¡±


    Zennia¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps even other gods might have interfered personally with this.¡±


    ¡°Then, what will you do?¡±


    Lieren lowered her head.


    ¡°We are shifting focus for a while, for the time being, we¡¯ll focus on the royal family and the entire kingdom. We¡¯ll be using a human nation to handle that, I have already given the order to one of us that has infiltrated their palace.¡±


    ¡°So you are planning to destroy their kingdom¡­¡± Zennia nodded her head once. ¡°I will pray for our success.¡±


    Zennia approached Lecia and stroked her head gently.


    ¡°Everything will be well, little one,¡± she said, her voice and smile filled with profound care.


    ¡°.... Yes, priestess.¡±


    ¡°Take care, okay? Eat plenty of food, it¡¯s not good to eat less.¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    Zennia smiled with satisfaction and stepped back.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be leaving you for a while.¡±


    The shrine priestess turned around and began walking towards the door, however promptly stopped and turned back again.


    ¡°Lecia, an important question, for me.¡±


    With a curious look, Lecia lifted her head to face Zennia.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you see me in your vision?¡±


    Lecia seemed to recall her vision then shook her head.


    ¡°N-No. Strange, I never saw you, even in the latest one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s frightening, maybe I died in some way? Oh well, let¡¯s leave it at that. See you later~.¡±


    ***


    A beautiful tall woman wearing a fancy and elegant kimono walked with her wooden sandal amidst the grassy floor while being surrounded by a tree-filled forest. Her four majestic tails waved hypnotizingly at her every stride, the tiny animals around watched her curiously and cautiously.


    A smile played on her lips as she headed to her destination in the night with only the gentle moonlight to light her path. She was completely alone, neither did her ¡°colleagues¡± know where she was. Not like it was their responsibility to know, she had the freedom to do anything she wanted even when she had the position of Shrine Priestess.


    The position of Shrine Priestess was the highest position a woman could have in a beastman tribe. This woman, Zennia, was the Shrine Priestess of the White Flower tribe and their sole leader.


    That being said, there were also other beastman tribes led by other Shrine Priestesses, and some of those Priestesses were under a male leader called an Alpha. For the White Flower tribe though, there was no one like that, but Zennia alone was the leader as the founder.


    There may be different tribes with different heads, all tribes were united and had no strife with each other whatsoever. Then the head of the union of tribes would be someone called an ¡°Ambassador¡±, the ambassador of the Beastmen.


    To be truthful, Zennia was qualified to become an ambassador. However, she thought it would be too much for her and it was not honestly to her liking. Furthermore, there wasn¡¯t really any great reason why she should get the position.


    Even now that a prophecy appeared in favor of her, she still did not regret refusing that position. That position cannot support the goal she now had in mind after knowing the prophecy. It was hard to change the views and sides of other tribes after all.


    Thus, she would have to focus on the tribe that was loyal to her and then grow that tribe to a great degree.


    She stopped as a question came to mind while contemplating, recalling what she had heard earlier today.


    ¡­ Strange, I wasn¡¯t in her vision. Did she miss me in some way?


    The subject of her thoughts was the Foreteller and her vision of the future. Zennia was just puzzled that she was not in her vision. Surely she didn¡¯t die.


    Why did she think that? Because she was stronger than even any strong beastman. More than that, she wouldn¡¯t be on the side of the Mystic Race.


    She was sure of it.


    Everything had changed now that the prophecy had foretold the coming of the Lord and Lady¡¯s first daughter. There was no chance that she would side with the mystic race, despite being the same species as the beastmen. She couldn¡¯t care less about anyone else aside from her own tribe, nor did she care about any other species now that the daughter was coming, and not for any good or noble purpose.


    Well, there could be other reasons why I wasn¡¯t there.


    Firstly, likely that the Foreteller had died before Zennia could reveal herself to the public. That was a plausible possibility, so she made a decision.


    I shall always remember not to reveal myself to the public as an enemy, not until Lecia is dead.


    She closed her eyes shut as she made that commitment. Sometimes, you do not need to do anything drastic to make the future, there are times little things like this would work.


    Not that she was afraid to die, it was just that she preferred to live. She had to give value to the life which the Lord and Lady, more on the Lady, took care of, her life.


    I should be safe for now.


    The most important fact was that she was yet deemed as an enemy.


    She continued onward while wondering when the reborn daughter would come here. The prophecy never mentions any specific time after all, neither did the Foreteller.


    Speaking of the foreteller.


    Should I kill her?


    She was debating it. There were plenty of advantages when you have someone that could see the future ¡ª they could prepare and often predict.


    Killing her would be the best so at least one of the mystic race¡¯s eyes would be blinded. That being said, there was really no point in killing her, the prophecy after all was absolute.


    But still¡­


    She was having doubts about the prophecy.


    Why the Lord and Lady¡¯s daughter? Very strange, it had to be her. The gods hate them, so why would they make a prophecy that involves the Ruling Deity of Blood and Ruling Deity of Beasts?


    It was odd. Not to mention the scale of it.


    Then that inconsistency¡­ Maybe the first daughter, now princess, has to die once and return to life again¡­ But, is that truly possible?


    Death cannot be reversed. It was the rule of this world. Could the gods return someone to life? If that was the case, why did the first daughter die as a baby? True that she was reborn later in time, but it was not exactly resurrection.


    Zennia was confused.


    Something must be going on...


    Whatever that may be, she would never arrive at an answer, so she shelved it aside for now.


    I¡¯ll let Lecia live for a while.


    Even though Lecia was a special type of beastman, she would be easy to kill. That was why Zennia was so complacent about killing her now or not.


    Hm, wait. If I have a thought of killing her, then there¡¯s a chance I might appear in her next vision. Ah, not good.


    She made a commitment again that Lecia would not die by her hand.


    Then she arrived at her destination. There was a small pond at the clearing amidst the dense forest. The bluish light of the moon glistened on the surface of the water. A smile formed on Zennia¡¯s lips, a nostalgic one.


    ¡°This place never fails to make me feel elated.¡±


    As she spread out her arms while reminiscing, taking in a deep breath, she had the urge to stretch out her other tails, the hidden five tails. The Fox Priestess truthfully has a total of nine tails. When she arrived in this land, she decided to hide the rest to conceal her total number of tails, to be spared from too much attention.


    The originally nine-tailed fox priestess took a deep breath again with closed eyes.


    This was one of the places where she hung out with the Lady a long long time ago, a few millennia ago. She still remembered very well the moment she had with the Lady.


    ¡°Hmmm~ Hmmm~ Hmmmm~...¡±


    Zennia hummed the humming the Lady would sing to her as she went to sleep. She could still remember the feeling as the smooth and soft pale hand of the white-haired and red-eyed goddess stroked her head when she was still a small and young fox. A lone nine-tailed fox she was until the Lady took her in.


    That was why she was indebted to her, and also to her husband who treated her well.


    If only that time in the past could happen again.


    But it wouldn¡¯t¡­


    She lowered her head as sadness filled her heart once again.


    Young goddess, daughter of the Lord and Lady¡­ I shall await your descent into this world. I will be fighting by your side, I will support you as had your mother and father supported me.


    She will be waiting. There was no need to worry about the young goddess dying before coming here, for the outcome was already determined and fate was in motion, no matter what little changes it may have ¡ª the outcome will all be the same no matter what one does. That was what she believed.


    The young goddess will come and bring ruin.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next chapter will be a Short Side Story "The Sealed Thunderwrath".

 Vol. 2 Chapter 17: The Sealed Thunderwrath (A Short Side Story)

    There was a plain adequately lit chamber filled with chains attached to the metallic walls. A small amount of electrical current littered the air only to be absorbed by the metal chains. The floors were clean, the ceiling plain, and windows nowhere to be seen.


    It was almost similar to a prison cell. No, it was precisely a prison made especially for one. A specially sealed chamber where not even insects or rodents were able to enter, only having small vents to allow air to get in and out, keeping the sole person inside alive.


    At the center of the chamber was a humanoid, wrapped by dark chains and shackles on all limbs and on the neck. Her arms spread apart, and her legs folded on the floor. The person was entirely covered with metal plates, as though wearing armor for protection.


    Dark metal greaves on the legs, dark gauntlets that fit the slender arms and hands, then armor that covered the entire body fit exactly the wearer¡¯s stature. A special type of equipment. A magical item that would reshape and resize to fit the wearer. However, as though they were unable to be removed, the shackles and chains were attached on top of them.


    That being said, there were a few gaps on the suit of armor that exposes smooth and fair skin. The person had long violet hair, unkempt since she was unable to move at all. Her face was covered by a metal mask that goes around her head, only having small gaps to breathe, and visors for each glowing eye.


    Her gentle breathing expressed her resignation to fate, and also frustrations. Her arms had already become completely numb a long time ago. Hunger had plagued her stomach for who knows how many years, and yet she lived to due to her immortality. But a life of eternity was not delightful at all when living a life of agony. Unable to walk, unable to see but the same old walls and violet lightning.


    Her mind was mostly empty except for a few special memories, and heart carrying hatred. The few memories of life before the binds were the only saving grace for why she had yet to lose her mind.


    Beneath the world above, her life was a peaceful one at a small simple settlement with only a few households, not surpassing fifteen. Only they were fed through their own grown vegetables and fruits, while the men would hunt for animals, and others raise. They were all in unity, because of that they were able to survive without much contact with the outside world, they didn''t even have major roads so traveling merchants did not come across their settlement.


    She was like any normal young girl, hanging out with friends, even found romance when she reached her teens. However, her life changed when she accidentally stumbled upon which would grant her power. Power that she had no need of, nor did she desire any of it. But at the time, she was clueless.


    Upon receiving this power, a bright light of violet descended from the sky, and a roar echoed to the entire region, like thunder striking. The next thing she felt was pain all over her body as she got up, lightning cracking the rocky chamber she found herself in.


    When she reunited with her lover, the moment they approached together, lightning struck out of the blue, killing him, the person she loved. She was confused, panicking, afraid, having no idea what had just happened. How could she comprehend something so sudden and incomprehensible?


    She returned home, as lightning crackled all around her, burning leaves on the way, scarring the trees, and pain slowly searing under her skin. She would ask for help, but, as though her power raged, it went wild as pain spread through her body.


    Before she knew it, she had destroyed the entire settlement, leaving a few people to their dying moment.


    With despair, she ran away.


    A memory she never wanted to remember, but kept haunting her, even in her dreams. She didn¡¯t mean any of it.


    Not knowing how long it had passed, for many days and nights, she traversed the seemingly endless forest, while slowly taming the power she so suddenly had been given. However, it was not easy, it was close to impossible to be able to freely control it.


    Eventually, inhuman beings found her. Distraught and wary of them, she threatened them to stay away. Then, they offered her a suit of armor, saying that it could hold off the power raging out of her. After accepting and donning the set of armor, she was abducted and carried to this place.


    There, they subjected her to many things she couldn¡¯t understand, like they were experimenting on her. She had heard them mention harnessing her power and using that power for different needs. They would even extract her blood for reasons unknown to her.


    With countless experiments while bound by metal chains, she was imprisoned and made to suffer. How many years had gone by? How many meals had she missed? She did not seem to even age in the slightest.


    Frustration, and loathing, several emotions swirled within her. How could someone like a situation that she was in? She hated it. Could that be the reason why the guilt she first felt when she destroyed her home had begun to dissipate? Overwhelmed by other stronger emotions. Or could it be something else?


    Even so, in the end, she could not escape this place. The chains attached to the walls would harness her power before she could do anything with them. Due to the hopelessness, she fell into resignation.


    ¡°...¡±


    How long will they keep her here? She longed for freedom. She craved water to quench her thirst, and food to fill her belly, to receive warmth from the sun.


    But it was impossible.


    She cast her eyes down as she had always done.


    The ground shook a little, that little occurrence would have been hard to notice, but not for her who had been mostly still. However, this could be nothing but a normal shake of the earth.


    Time steadily moved by, and the shake gradually intensified, as though something was stomping on the floor. She could never sense any movement on the other side of the walls, so she was clueless of what could be happening. However, she surmised that this must be nothing special.


    But the ground shook again, and stronger. The next moment, the wall in front of her trembled as though something impacted it.


    ¡°...¡±


    The girl, Herenae, slightly lifted her chin as she looked at the metal doors, one of the obstacles that would block her way to the other side of this tiny world. While that thought crossed her mind, there were several loud bangs, the hinges shook as dust flew in the air, a dent formed on the hard metal door itself.


    The powerful impact repeated a few times before the door opened up a gap and then a hand came from the other side, prying the door open with fearsome strength.


    After the door pried open, there was a person standing there, a woman it seems. She had long blue hair tied in a ponytail, but her face was covered by a mask. She donned a black clothing, covered in plate armour along with a skirt, and for some reason, its design appeared to have been inspired a little by maid outfits.


    She had iron greaves and gauntlets, her torso and even over her breasts were protected by armor. One could imagine the weight she would have to bear when wearing those, but she appeared to be fine as she stepped inside the room untroubled, her steps followed by the clanking of her suit.


    Herenae could not begin to think why this person had appeared in front of her.


    ¡°A woman? Milady, this must be the one.¡±


    It was then a slender woman stepped inside, clad in dark leather armor, dark gloves covering both hands, dark fit trousers and a short skirt as though not only it focused on functionality, but also in decent appearance.


    That woman seemed to be young herself, a person who seemed to have reached the age of eighteen. A dark mask covered her face, but one could see a fair complexion on her neck, her long braided silky black hair were as dark as onyx.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    The black haired woman greeted her, her voice was sweet and gentle, along with a trace of innocence. How could a voice carry such a tone?


    ¡°I see you are the one they have bound here, exploited of your power. Tell me, do you wish to be free?¡±


    The woman approached, then unexpectedly she removed her mask, unveiling a beautiful young face with a pair of dark eyes, but the two lacked any significant emotion.


    ¡°... Who wouldn¡¯t want to be free from this torment?¡±


    For the first time, the woman formed a small smile.


    ¡°Of course... I can set you free, but in one condition.¡±


    The chains rattled after those words.


    ¡°A condition¡­? You think I would be fooled? For all I know, you may be no different from them.¡±


    ¡°Am I? Please, do not even compare me with those creatures... What I want from you is simple, so listen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Herenae decided to listen, there was no harm in it. If it was acceptable, then she would accept if that would set her free. However, if this freedom would result in her being chained once again, then she would rather not, there would be no difference.


    ¡°But first, allow me to ask. They have subjected you to activities that even I might struggle to learn about. For many years they have tied you, stealing away your freedom. You could have been out there, in the world, and yet, here you are. Who is to blame for that? Isn¡¯t it them? The so-called Mystic Race? I¡¯m sure you have seen what they are.¡±


    Yes, she had seen what they were, they weren¡¯t of the human race. They were strange beings, some she had heard about a few times while at home. There were creatures with long pointy ears, others had half the body of a horse, some covered in fur, and people with animal ears, and a few more. They were inhuman creatures that had entered this chamber to carry out experiments.


    ¡°...¡±


    The chains creaked as she remembered those creatures.


    ¡°Do you hate them?¡±


    The woman crouched down to her level, making eye contact.


    ¡°.... I do...¡± Herenae¡¯s quiet voice trailed off.


    ¡°Then, this is my condition. Help me in my endeavor¡­ to destroy the mystic race.¡±


    Was that all?


    ¡°Simple isn¡¯t it? Are you willing to take your revenge? Will you kill? Will you help me?¡±


    Herenae lowered her head.


    A small price to pay. Yes, a very small price.


    ¡°... Can you win?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°... Very well.¡±


    However, there remains a question. Can they break these chains? These were made from the same material as her armor and they were not easy to break at all, incomparable to the door that they had just broken through. If it was that easy, she would have destroyed it a long time ago.


    ¡°Good,¡± she looked at her companion. ¡°Break them.¡±


    The blue haired woman nodded her head and grasped one of the chains. She tried crushing it within her grasp, only to realize that she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Is it difficult?¡± the black haired woman asked.


    ¡°I think I will be able to destroy them, but it is surprisingly difficult.¡±


    ¡°Hm, so they have this kind of material¡­¡±


    The blue haired woman grasped the chain tightly and pulled it from the wall, she raised her other hand and struck down, breaking the chain.


    ¡°Fortunately, you are still able to break it. That said, we can¡¯t waste time.¡±


    A spear appeared in thin air within the black haired woman''s hand. Then with a single swing, crimson light came forth and broke all of the chains on one side, while the blue haired one broke the other side.


    Once sealed, now free, Herenae¡¯s arm went limp for a moment but she carried them up forcefully. She looked at her wrists, there were still shackles on her wrists, legs, and neck. However, she was now able to move.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± the blue haired girl asked with concern behind her mask as she extended a hand forward.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she slowly took the hand offered and helped her stand up. It was difficult at first, her feet unstable, but she had regained her balance a little.


    ¡°Do you want the cover on your face removed?¡± the blue haired girl asked.


    She was surprisingly concerned about her that it was a little unsettling.


    ¡°I will handle it.¡±


    She undid the lock on the back of her head herself and the mask fell off, revealing a youthful and pretty face with eyes of violet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move, as soon as we are out of this building the better.¡±


    The black haired woman said and immediately moved out, without waiting for the other two, wearing her mask again to cover her face. Her spear vanished from her hand.


    ¡°Come,¡± the blue haired girl told her. ¡°Will you need assistance in walking?¡±


    ¡°No, I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°In that case, please follow closely.¡±


    Herenae nodded and followed behind the armored maiden. The moment she stepped out of the chamber where she was sealed, she took in a sharp deep breath. It was an amazing feeling to be finally out of that desolate room, but there was another which contributed to her gasp.


    The hallway was littered with corpses, the walls smeared by splattered blood. On the corner laid the corpses of the very beings she despised, long ears, animal ears, horse half, furry creatures. They had their limbs sliced off, heads decapitated, entire bodies cleaved in half, bodies pounded and crushed, internal organs such as intestines spilled out and scattered to the floor amongst the pool of crimson blood.


    It was a bloodbath and complete slaughter. She found herself baffled by what she had behold. How powerful were these people that they were capable of such a feat? The black haired especially looked exceptionally nonchalant amongst the bloody surroundings, but one could see discipline in her movements.


    ¡°There they are!¡±


    ¡°Wait that¡¯s the¡­¡±


    ¡°The experimental subject is free!¡±


    In the hallway to the right, the strange creatures appeared and pointed at her. They did not hold any weapons, but it was already certain that they were already armed one way or another.


    ¡°Get them!¡±


    The blue haired girl held out her fist as though preparing to engage. However, before everything else, a sword suddenly pierce through one of the opposition.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°Looks like I missed you guys.¡±


    It was a man¡¯s voice. The sword retracted and a corpse fell to the floor.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The rest attacked, claws and magic, but the man skillfully evaded each one, his long bronze hair dancing in the air.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± with ease, he swung the swords on each of his hands until everyone was cut down. ¡°Trivial foes.¡±


    She could not see the expression the man had behind his dark mask, but he must truly be having fun. He flicked the blood off his sword and walked towards the group.


    ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s the one? Talk about oozing of power, can¡¯t you hold it back? The air feels static.¡±


    He seemed to be talking to Herenae. True, despite her armor, a small amount of her power was still leaking out. However, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it, this power was something she cannot completely tame.


    ¡°I sense divinity from her.¡±


    That voice was almost monotonous, but it was the same voice that spoke to her ever so sweetly earlier. Was this man her subordinate and was this how she normally spoke to them?


    ¡°Divinity, huh¡­ Hm, I see. Now I understand why that power is just going out like that.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand what these two were saying. As she was about to ask, the black haired woman spoke first.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    When the black haired woman started walking at a quick pace, everyone followed suit.


    ¡°How are the others?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still disposing of the remaining trash, they should be done at any minute¡± replied the bronze haired man.


    ¡°I see. Then let us give them a little more time.¡±


    ¡°Still, this surprised me, given how important this place was, I thought the mystic people would be stronger than normal.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just got stronger than their average strength?¡± the blue haired woman said.


    ¡°Yeah, you certainly got stronger, keep going though.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Steps echoed in front of them and what appeared were their enemies. Before anyone could strike them, the black haired woman waved her hand and dozens of ice daggers shot forward in frightening speed, stabbing each and every enemy like arrows.


    The spear is not her only weapon?


    Herenae thought.


    ¡°You already got them. Heh, looks like no one can match us anyway, so I¡¯ll leave everyone in your hands.¡±


    The swords in the man¡¯s hand vanished all of a sudden.


    What are these people?


    They were interesting, but because of that, she felt more cautious towards them.


    ¡°Please do not give more jobs to milady.¡±


    ¡°Come now, it¡¯s good for exercise.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    After a few moments, they arrived before a broken massive door, and on the other side was¡­


    The outside.


    Herenae could feel elation within her heart the moment her eyes perceived the soil darkened by the night. There was a faint presence of moonlight which made a few pebbles glint. When her legs went past the threshold, the cold but fresh air greeted her arrival into the world.


    She stopped in place and took an entire breath of the air outside. It was wonderful, bringing a sense of lightness into her chest, as though the cold wind brought her a healing warmth once again.


    She gazed up, the glimmering starry sky filled her eyes, welcoming her. The bluish moon was big and round, so magnificent. How long ago was the last time she saw this kind of view? She had no idea. But it must have been so long that her other memories have turned vague. This view felt like the first.


    As she gazed up at the vast expanse above, she felt something wet streaming down on both sides of her cheeks. After wiping them off with her hand did she realize it was her tears. Indescribable emotions swelled up within her heart. Joy, excitement, anger, irritation, longing, gratitude.


    She gazed up once more at the view of the heavens, savoring this special moment.


    It was then that she heard footsteps coming her way.


    When she lowered her head to look, she discovered the black haired woman looking at her, her eyes hidden behind her mask leaving Herenae clueless about her thoughts, before casually turning towards the approaching footsteps.


    ¡°We have finished our side.¡±


    The men in clothes of black said to the black-haired woman, their faces covered with masks.


    ¡°Good, we¡¯re ahead of schedule. We can wait for the remaining others.¡±


    The man with bronze hair casually approached the woman.


    ¡°We really are killing everyone here, huh.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you pity them. I¡¯m surprised to see you hesitate.¡±


    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t make fun of me. But, if we wait long, reinforcements could arrive, something unexpected could happen for all we know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have scouts, they can warn us if they are coming. Besides, we have to execute everyone here. A lot of their brilliant minds are here in this facility. Killing everyone will be a massive blow to their forces and technological progress.¡±


    ¡°You really want to harass them that bad I see.¡±


    ¡°....... We also need to make our soldiers gain experience, this will be a good opportunity.¡±


    Herenae looked back at the facility from whence she was kept. It was entirely one building but it was tall and wide, almost looking like a palace. Dark and brown walls made up of stones and bricks, small and wide window panes installed unto walls.


    This facility was surrounded by towering walls, but the front gates were now wide open. They must have used that as an entrance. But she wondered how they were able to open them, perhaps they sneaked inside?


    Herenae would have preferred to leave this place as soon as possible, she felt uncomfortable staying here. However, if they decided to wait for a while, there was nothing she could do about it, she knew she would have no say in any of their decisions.


    It was then a bright flash of light engulfed the surroundings, but it was not directly in front of them. Herenae looked up and saw a beam of light that ascended into the sky before dissipating.


    ¡°Now they have done it!¡± one of the men exclaimed.


    ¡°Now we really need to get out of here. We especially don¡¯t want any special units coming here.¡±


    Herenae lowered her eyes to look at the group, thinking what they were planning on doing now.


    ¡°Milady?¡± the blue haired woman called out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send the signal for immediate retreat.¡±


    She raised up her hand with the index finger pointed out, then a ball of light shot up into the sky in the color of red before slowly descending.


    At that moment, Herenae sensed a group running towards them from a corner. The rest of the group also turned in the same direction.


    What emerged from the path which goes around the building was a group of the mystic race. The beastmen have already turned berserk, showing their full beast form, elves readying their weapons and magic, centaurs readied their spears and axes, satyrs staying in the rear preparing to use magic for support.


    One of the elves stepped forward and glared towards Herenae, he had short blonde hair and green eyes, a sword in his hand.


    ¡°You freed the experimental subject, fools, do you even know what you are doing?¡±


    ¡°Look at these guys, do you think we¡¯re stupid enough to do something we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing? You must be the fool here if you don¡¯t think before speaking.¡±


    The bronze haired man stepped forward and spoke to them in a ridiculing tone.


    ¡°Damn you, I don¡¯t know who you are but you are making a big mistake. Tragedy will befall you if you let her be. She should never be freed, destruction only follows wherever she goes. A monster blessed with uncontrollable power.¡±


    Herenae clenched her fists. She never wanted this power in the first place. And, who was he to determine whether she should be free or not? This elf had no right whatsoever. Not anyone.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that but her power is actually a big deal, you know. Be honest, you just want to harness everything from her.¡±


    ¡°We are the only ones that can restrain her, and we can use her however we want. You humans would never understand our goals, nor do you have to know.¡±


    ¡°Well well, why am I even speaking to you, you¡¯ll be dead at any moment anyway.¡±


    Herenae stepped forward, electricity crackled around her.


    ¡°I¡­ They are mine to take.¡±


    ¡°You think you can¡ª¡±


    At that moment, like a lightning strike, she disappeared from where she stood as violet lightning zapped around in a second. Everything truly happened for almost a single very short moment as several tracks of lightning spread around the mystic race.


    Silhouette of Herenae remained at every turn of the lightning strike. Then at every strike, multiple body parts were cut and severed all at the same time, the air smelling like burned flesh. The entire group of enemies never had any time to escape nor even an opportunity to take a step.


    Like a single lightning bolt striking from the sky, it ended too quickly. Herenae appeared and stood amidst the dead, the ones she had killed.


    She looked at her own hand, there was no blood since there was no direct contact with them. However, she was the one to take their lives away. It felt bizarre. This was the very first time that she truly wanted to kill¡­


    Was she supposed to feel regret? Guilt? She should have. But, she felt nothing of the sort. But instead, there was elation. She looked at the corpse in front of her, the elf cut into pieces. She did not feel guilty, she was¡­ glad.


    Even so, the sight made her stomach churn. Somehow, this reminded her of the vague memory of her home.


    Her hand slightly trembled.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± When Herenae raised her eyes, she saw the blue haired woman approach her.


    Herenae slightly nodded her head.


    ¡°Come, it¡¯s time to get out of here.¡±


    Then several people in black had also arrived from around the establishment. Several giant beasts had also arrived. Four legged beasts that resembled both lions and tigers, but they were fiercer and sported a pair of tails. Their fangs were fearsome, and claws razor sharp.


    The way Herenae saw it, these were not mere beasts, but monsters. However, when they arrived before the group, they lowered themselves. Suddenly, several bodies of dark fogs hovered above them. Such fogs normally couldn¡¯t easily be seen in the night, however, they were so close that even a normal human eye could see them.


    Herenae had no idea what they could be, but there were so many of them that it would take a while before she could count them all.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be riding the beasts, I will be with you.¡±


    Herenae had no choice but to follow. She was wary at first, but it would seem they were tamed. No, was taming monsters even possible? Or were these not exactly monsters?


    She observed the blue haired woman and saw her grasping the fur of the beast and used that to support her climb. This implied that the beast was fine with doing that. Not that this beast would be a threat if it turns aggressive towards her, she just couldn¡¯t help but do things carefully when involving these kinds of things, she might ruin everything for others.


    In any case, she followed how the woman did it. Herenae sat down and she could feel the softness of the thick fur, it was wonderful that she could sleep on it.


    She watched the rest, and the others began climbing up, there was even a large man with a large sword climbing up with a few others and the giant beast was not bothered at all.


    Turning her eyes to the other beasts, she saw the black haired woman sitting down on a beast in a perfectly ladylike manner, while a bit apart beside her was the bronze haired man casually sitting down.


    When everyone was ready, the black haired woman gave the command to move out and the beasts sprinted instantly, everyone held tight unto the monsters and the dark fogs following above them. In no time they got away from the facility walls and towards the forest, crossing through a grassland.


    Herenae looked back and saw the facility becoming distant. She did not wish to return there ever again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be riding these for some time as we get away from the city. Ah, we have yet to introduce ourselves, my apologies.¡±


    She raised her hand and removed her mask, revealing a face with pale skin and dark green eyes. Her face was full of smiles as she extended a hand towards Herenae.


    In time, these people were the ones she will get to call her friends and comrades.


    ***


    A beam of light had just ascended into the sky.


    A young man was awakened in his slumber, rubbing his eyes, he looked up to see a large man wearing leather armor, he had dark hair and beard, above his head was a pair of wolf-like ears. At the same time, there were loud commotions outside, mixed by loud shouts.


    Instantly realizing what could be happening, the young man jerked up off the bed.  His short silvery dark violet hair jumped in the motion. He had a gentle pair of maroon eyes, on his forehead were two short red horns going outward.


    His species were part of the so-called Mystic Race, however, they were among the minority and amongst with the lowest social status and influence.


    ¡°Oni¡± they were called.


    Compared to other species within the Mystics, their common strength was low in comparison to elves and beastmen. Maybe that was why they have a small influence in mystic society.


    ¡°Young hero.¡±


    The beastman called to him in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Hero¡± that was what they began to call him. However, such a thing was not yet publicly proclaimed, having only a few to know.


    ¡°Sir Tevil. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    As he asked, he stood up from the bed.


    ¡°An emergency signal was fired from the nearby facility. Suit up quickly, in these kinds of times you have to act immediately and be alert, don¡¯t slow down.¡±


    The beastman, Tevil, said sternly.


    ¡°Y-Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°You only have two minutes at maximum, get going, Senu!¡±


    The Oni, otherwise labeled as a hero, sprang into action, removing his current clothes for sleeping and donning his fighting clothes and armor. He had no idea what exactly was going on, but he had to act quickly.


    Seeing that Tevil, his mentor, was already wearing his battle outfit, Senu felt ashamed that he fell behind and had to be personally awoken. Next time, if such a commotion happens, he needs to realize it while he is sleeping. It was unbecoming of someone being gifted such power and labeled as a hero.


    He only recently began training, and so one could expect that he would be this unreliable. He was never exactly a fighter, but he had to become one for the world. There was a common threat that had come to their lands that was prophesied to threaten the entire mystic race.


    As someone who was gifted with power, he had to do something, and indeed, he was relied upon. That being said, he was still not that powerful, and he needed to be trained and disciplined. Because of that, Tevil was assigned to accompany him and train him in everything he needed to learn.


    They came to this city so that Senu would learn how it would be like on the field and gain experience.


    Senu was frantically fitting his armor when Tevil suddenly shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re a second past!¡±


    A second?!


    He felt regret that he went past the designated time. However, he had already finished. Even so, he was behind.


    ¡°You need to be faster next time, boy.¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡±


    Tevil placed a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Well, the first batch of reinforcements have moved out, so we¡¯ll be fine for now. Now come on.¡±


    Senu picked up his sword and followed behind Tevil, walking down the wooden hallway of the barracks.


    ¡°You have improved a lot in combat, however, you still need to be alert in peaceful moments. Should we try camping out in a forest filled with monsters?¡±


    Senu shuddered at Tevil¡¯s suggestion. That may sound casual, but if he said it, it would definitely happen. Facing monsters was not entirely a problem though. If they were weak that is. Small monsters no longer have any threat to him, still Senu felt pressured when facing challenging opponents.


    Knowing Tevil, he may find a spot where only fearsome monsters could only be found. He might even try sending him to fight an entire nest of them. He may be able to defeat a group, but he never exactly tried it yet. The power of lightning may be with him, life threatening scenarios were still something he was not used to.


    Even so, he can not back down and curl like a coward. If he couldn¡¯t even face mere monsters, how can he defeat her?


    ¡°I think we can try.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Alright then.¡±


    A short while later, when they arrived at the courtyard, a number of fifty men gathered consisting of a mixture of different species. However, there was no other Oni there but only Senu.


    There were mainly beastmen, centaurs, and plenty of elves. No satyrs in sight, they might have been dispatched first.


    A captain appeared, a beastman. After seeing everyone had assembled, he gave the order to move out. Following the order, every soldier sprinted and they all disappeared from the courtyard a moment later then started running through the streets.


    ¡°Come on, boy,¡± Tevil said at the same time and began moving out.


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    Senu sprinted and followed behind Tevil, passing by several houses at each second. They had no need to use any mount when the facility was not even far from the city. Furthermore, they would be slower when using a steed compared to just using their legs. They also don¡¯t tire easily when just sprinting for a few kilometers.


    A couple of minutes later, Senu had arrived at a grassland with a few trees scattered about. When the facility was on sight, Senu gripped the hilt of his sword.


    When they arrived, the team halted before the gates. The first batch of reinforcements had already entered, however, everything was silent, no sounds of fighting nor panic.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    Senu shifted his eyes towards Tevil, the latter wearing a serious expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside.¡±


    Senu nodded his head as he took in the cold air, anticipating what could have happened inside. After passing through the gates, he froze in place the moment his eyes perceived a bloody landscape.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Corpses scattered on the ground, savagely killed, no sign of honor or dignity from what remained. There were those whose limbs were all cut, some were crushed and splattered that their innards scattered to the soil and walls, then some fortunate enough to have only sword slashes and stabs.


    When he turned his head, there he saw a group of corpses, their entire bodies were sliced into pieces, a smell of burned flesh still lingering in the air ¡ª what a foul smell.


    ¡°What the hell happened¡­?¡± Senu involuntarily asked.


    ¡°Are there even any survivors? Boy, follow me inside.¡±


    With a reluctant nod, he followed behind Tevil through the ruined doors. In the hallway, the smell of blood was way worse that Senu almost vomited. He covered his mouth with a contorted expression, sickened.


    Everyone was brutally murdered. There were even those who didn¡¯t appear to be soldiers and only wore civilian clothing. Everyone in the Mystic Race may be capable of combat, but there will always be those who were too weak or innocent that couldn¡¯t fight in a battlefield.


    The sight inside here was more bloody and sickening than the outside. The people that died here looked as though they never even had the chance to fight back.


    Senu couldn¡¯t help but look at one of the severed heads lying on the floor, an expression left frozen on its face.


    Senu felt horrified.


    ¡°Who could have done this¡­?¡±


    The more they walked within the bloody corridor, the more his stomach churn and the more his heart ached at the terrible demise of these people. They may be strangers to him, but it was heartbreaking to see this.


    ¡°Damn, looks like they killed as many as they did.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­ people were capable of such atrocities?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was sickening. What sort of evil person could do this?


    If only I was here, maybe I could have stopped something like this from happening¡­


    Regret filled his heart and mind.


    ¡°The ones who did this must be brought to justice,¡± Senu said.


    ¡°They will be¡­ let¡¯s get out of here, you already look terrible.¡±


    Senu weakly nodded his head.


    He still cannot comprehend how people were capable of such horror. Do they even have any mercy? Or even a tiny amount of compassion? Can he even fight them off?


    No, I must not lose heart.


    If he cannot defeat an opponent, then he only needs to get stronger. He will train. If he still cannot, then he can rely on the help of his allies.


    As the hero, he must defeat the evil villains that would spill the blood of his people.


    As the hero, he must protect his homeland and the world they belong in.


    He gripped his sword tightly as he made his conviction.


    I will protect everyone!


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Tried using Wombo Dream for generating images. Was trying to get a scene that might capture the moment, it took a few tries, but I got it hahaha. But it seems it''s way bloodier lol. It''s a fun app/website.


    This was supposed to be a side story, but I decided to include it in the chapter count to keep things organized.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 18: Cooperation Realized (Part 1)

    When my arm was a bit sore that time, right about nightfall the redness had mostly subsided, which was fortunate. I don¡¯t have to worry about my family noticing what I just did, except if they use their keen eyes to watch me. Quite a weird thing that they would just closely look at my state all of a sudden, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they did. Then of course they would notice what¡¯s wrong with their precious and cute daughter, that is me.


    Honestly, I am a beautiful girl, I should go out there and show that. Show my superiority to the inferiors or something like that. And don¡¯t even try to tell me something like me being raped ¡ª you think I¡¯m that simple?! I¡¯ll crush their balls to pieces and I swear men from a mile away will feel it.


    That issue aside, I tried casting healing spells to my arm. As I have only recently read it, I couldn¡¯t properly do it when I first tried it. Well, I think it took effect for a few seconds, but I think it barely helped on the whole scale of things. But good to know it worked even for just a little.


    Spells were easier than physical enhancement. I don¡¯t know why I suck at the latter. Maybe the volume of my mana does not fit much to my physical body. Mera on the other hand was handling it very well. Vernon even commended her ¡ª well I suck.


    When it was dinner, it had become less noticeable. I was most wary of Father and Estevan since they should have good eyes as being knights and all. But there¡¯s also Mother who would typically be worried about me, so she was one of I needed to be careful of. Then there¡¯s Eleden who I shouldn¡¯t underestimate his love for me.


    Dammit! It¡¯s basically all of them.


    Good thing I survived that dinner. That said, Father was strange, again. What the hell is going on? He was staring at my eyes whenever he had a chance as though trying to look through me and figure out what¡¯s behind my eyes. Vernon also didn¡¯t tell me anything.


    Well, as long as it doesn¡¯t put my life at risk, it wouldn¡¯t trouble me that much.


    During the night in my room, I tried out using my magic spells. In particular the ice magic one, I tried shaping it into a dagger but that was it. Not only did it take a while to form ¡ª which I will need more practice on ¡ª it was also as fragile as a thin sheet of ice. It would seem I need to make some calibration on shaping the mana.


    The interesting thing though, when the ice magic construct shatters, it doesn¡¯t leave any type of liquid but only turns to mist. Intrigued, I also tried placing a piece of ice on top of a surface and severed my link of mana to it.


    Gradually, mist formed going upward as every part of the shard disappeared as though vaporizing. There was no moisture whatsoever. Perhaps that was just how it was when ice was formed with magic.


    But it¡¯s one of the good sides though, I don¡¯t have to be worried about getting wet. I don¡¯t like water that much, it soaks everything and everywhere, also a mess to clean and get rid of. Ice constructs vanishing into smoke was much better than leaving water behind.


    I went to sleep shortly after a little exercise.


    Then came morning, the food was okay, as expected, not great either, quality was quite inconsistent. It was also mentioned that the library will be finishing its repair soon, so there may be a chance I get to come back there.


    Important note, mother was frequently going to the library despite the repairs. I mean, with all the guards, she should be fine, but what was up with that? Hm, I am only growing more curious as time passed, especially with all of them lying to my face.


    Maybe I¡¯ll take a look when I come back there sometime.


    There were plenty of books to read there also, so¡­


    For that grimoire¡­ I¡¯ll ask Father.


    Yeah yeah I know, I¡¯m practicing a lot of things at once. But I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be getting quantity first before going quality. That¡¯s what I¡¯ll do in this situation where the situation is tight. I have to be versatile.


    I¡¯ll also be asking one of my family to sponsor my new dresses. Well, I''m definitely not going to approach Father, that''s the last resort. What about Mother? Nah, she¡¯ll be too into it, so no go, I don¡¯t want her intervening much.


    The options left were my sweet brothers. Hmm¡­ someone that would sponsor without getting too much into my selections. I still have my gold coins from the last time I went out, there was a lot, but I don¡¯t know if that will be enough for any high-class dresses.


    Wow, I feel broke.


    So which brothers¡­ randomly?


    Let¡¯s roll the dice!


    ¡°My daughter.¡±


    As I was about to mentally roll a dice ¡ª though how that was even possible, don¡¯t question it. ¡ª my father called out to me.


    ¡°Yes, father?¡±


    ¡°I ask that you free your time this afternoon, I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    Huh. You know, when one of my family wants to speak with me privately, it¡¯s freak-out inducing ¡ª not that I would actually freak out¡­ you get the idea. Something¡¯s off.


    Does this have to do with him acting weirdly around me? I have a feeling this won¡¯t be pleasant for me. No, maybe this was good news.


    ¡°Right after lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Since it¡¯s my academic lesson today, I¡¯ll end class right before noon, so no overtime. But if it was music class though, expect some overtime since that would be more fun to do. Academics were important, but music was better, and I¡¯m tired of pretending it¡¯s not.


    ¡°Very well, father.¡±


    As expected though, this attracted the curiosity of my other lovely family members, prompting them to inquire of what was up. But Father said it was just for the two of us.


    I would have been excited if it was a special kind of gift, I would be jumping and giving ¡°I love you¡± to him several times. It would make Estevan envious ¡®cause he would never get to have that¡­ However, adding up how he had been acting just gives the impression that I''m in a bad position somewhere¡­ I can think of a few examples...


    Well, as long as I¡¯m not dying, that¡¯s cool.


    Breakfast ended and when I left the room, I gave Vernon a little glare, giving the impression I was displeased. He froze for a moment, baffled about what I did before uncomfortably asking me.


    ¡°Did I displease you, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps yes, perhaps not.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You are displeased?¡±


    Judging by how he was speaking to me and his response, I can tell he was involved in something! Dammit, whatever. This happens when I¡¯m only borrowing servants. In time I will need him completely on my side, his skills will be a great help. Besides, Father had plenty of strong ones with him already.


    For now, I¡¯ll let this slide and leave him alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you to figure out my feelings.¡±


    ¡°How harsh, your highness. If I am being honest, you are hard to read. So I would have preferred you not give me such a task.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you need to figure things out by yourselves. Of course I believe I have no need to say that to you.¡±


    He¡¯s old and has a lot of experiences in life, so no need to give him any life lessons. I mean, what young person gives life lessons to the elderly? Stop it. Well, I¡¯m not exactly the type to give respect to the elderly¡­ so you don¡¯t have to take it seriously coming from me. Listen to saints or whatever.


    ¡°I get the feeling that you truly are displeased with me. Did I do something?¡±


    ¡°I wonder, did you do something? Hm, I never saw you do something that would displease me, so none could tell what I could be displeased with you.¡±


    With a pout, I walked away and began making my way to the lesson chamber. I heard Vernon sigh behind me. That¡¯s right! Sigh in exasperation for your transgression. I ¡®may¡¯ don¡¯t have any right to be sulky with him, but I¡¯m still gonna.


    ¡°Sir Vernon, what did you do to make milady angry?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t say what exactly¡­¡±


    Hey Vernon I heard that. Can¡¯t say have two meanings, you don¡¯t know, or you know but can¡¯t tell anyone. And the way you act leans to the latter.


    I arrived at the chamber and my commoner teacher was already there. Given how she was already here in the morning, she must have awoken quite early, earlier than me. Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly wise to let a noble, or rather, a royal like me wait. That said, this woman was teaching plenty of nobles, so she should have a pretty high standing in society.


    But I guess in the end a commoner was different from a noble. People seemed to stereotype that when it comes to monarchy, aristocrats were nasty people. Well, maybe it¡¯s a bit true. But there were plenty of good ones, like my family. I mean, it¡¯s not that different from democracy I guess, some are good, some are bad. Reminds me of the time I killed an entire government body¡­ good times. Sure left the people in turmoil for a while. Was that turmoil for good reason or bad? That¡¯s a secret.


    After a short greeting, we proceeded to our lesson. As a good girl as I am, I listened closely to her and learned some things. Listen to your teachers, kids!


    I have conquered math easily of course, as what happened last time. Their math here was basic, so no problem there. Some basic history of the kingdom, but this time, we got a bit deeper about the history of other nations. While we¡¯re at it, we went into more detail about the geography of the continent.


    Maps like these were impressive enough, though they lacked small details, the roads drawn were to be applauded. And damn this continent was plenty big. I was able to roughly familiarize the map now, I gave more effort now since I am feeling a bit serious now.


    Taking the chance, I asked my teacher for us to go into our own kingdom. I want to learn more about the nobles in our homeland and their demesne. This could also be the chance to get into more detail about our geography.


    I was a little curious about one thing, namely the forest in the northeast of the capital, Elgion Forest.  A vast expanse of forest where monsters linger that not even the current knights can wipe them all out as they did with other nearby forests.


    Why did they even make a city close to that? I asked my teacher that question.


    The forest was not as dangerous as it was when the kingdom was first established. Turns out, monsters just suddenly showed up a few centuries after the kingdom was founded. Historians could not even determine the reason for that, there was also no way for monsters to have migrated since the people would have known their movements.


    So they just appeared in the middle of it? Were they perhaps just hiding all that time and showing themselves when humans started to disturb their ecosystem? I mean humans pretty much disturb everything so I can understand that, hehehe...


    Seeing a monster would be pretty interesting... if it¡¯s not threatening me.


    I studied the map of our kingdom, memorizing the location of noble households. I even saw Mera¡¯s household, talk about a remote place, and their territory was quite small compared to those nearby it. But theirs was by no means small, just small compared to areas handled by nobles around them.


    By the capital, there lived nobles that didn¡¯t have much land to govern since it was mostly under the crown. Most they could do was manage things up whenever the crown is focused elsewhere.


    There was a household on my mother¡¯s side there, a few from my cousins. Then there was also Eleanore¡¯s, and then Lucious¡¯s cousins I believe, he mentioned it a few times in the past, was it about his uncle or something? Eh, whatever.


    These house locations will be important to be memorized, even the roads leading up to them or the landscape sketched on the map. Damn, these capital nobles must be rich! I mean, they¡¯re pretty high ranking. But this homeland of mine was interesting, Marquis ranks do not govern any land here ¡ª well, those within the capital.


    When they are promoted into a higher-ranking noble, they would be asked to move into the capital. Of course most would take it since it gives more privilege and offers plenty of merits, and the land they left behind will be managed temporarily by nearby households until governed by a newly appointed lord. That said, it was also fine to not transfer.


    Basically, we those in the capital were the big leagues! Those beneath us shall lick our shoes and bow in our presence. When we lack chairs, they shall be our chairs! None could oppose us!


    And I am way higher than them.


    How bizarre if that would be the case. Yeah, that¡¯s not the case at all. In this kingdom, even the nobles were¡­ mostly kind¡­ even if they feel otherwise inside, they need to act properly on the outside.


    Being a tyrannical bitch wouldn¡¯t look good in public. Sure arrogant nobles can feel displeased or repulsed at the mere presence of peasants, they were to still act benevolently in some way. If you¡¯re too obnoxious, you¡¯ll be frowned upon and the eyes of the crown will be watching you, and not in a good way.


    Damn. Guess you gotta have a pretty tight grip on everyone, huh.


    I wonder¡­ How would my rule be if I were queen? Hmmm, yeah I can¡¯t imagine much. Likely I¡¯ll just do whatever I want¡­ and maybe I would want my strings attached unto every noble¡¯s throat, making sure they¡¯re not working against my wishes. Absolute power shall be mine¡­ Oh oh, that¡¯s pretty much an authoritarian approach¡­ What can I do about it? Sheeps need shepherds!


    Well, what am I even thinking? I¡¯m not gonna be a ruler anyway. Not my problem!


    And after a little discussion and learning, my class ended. I waved my teacher goodbye, ain¡¯t I a kind and sweet princess?


    Then time for lunch. There wasn¡¯t any tension whatsoever as it happened. So everything was pretty chill. Oh, I have made a decision on who I should ask for the new clothes. It would be big brother Eleden! Why? Well, Eldest Brothers tend to be the kindest and sweetest to the youngest sister, that¡¯s why. That¡¯s what I think anyway.


    I¡¯ll make a request when I¡¯m done with the thing with Father. I wonder what it could be. Here¡¯s hoping that this isn¡¯t the peace before something spites me.


    When we¡¯re done, my Father spoke to me.


    ¡°Daughter, are you ready to go now?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    With a nod he stood up and had me follow him to his office, my two servants following me from behind. There wasn¡¯t any tension again, actually Father looked pretty casual about it, which made me feel a bit ominous. But then again, I didn¡¯t do anything too harmful for me.


    Well, not too harmful, but still a bit problematic.


    When we were about to arrive, there was someone standing right outside Father¡¯s office. He was a man wearing a fancy knight¡¯s armor who always had that snarky smile I was familiar with.


    ¡°Rogan, good you have arrived just in time.¡±


    Yes, it was Rogan.


    ¡°I would not dare have you keep waiting, my liege.¡±


    Father nodded his head.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s enter.¡±


    Oooh, now I see.


    So, Father, you have realized, huh...


    Well shit¡­ what¡¯s he planning to do?

 Vol. 2 Chapter 19: Cooperation Realized (Part 2)

    I glanced back at my two servants for a moment before following inside. After Rogan closed the door, his smile vanished from his face, likely realizing the same as I. I sat down in front of Father¡¯s desk while Rogan remained standing.


    His eyes as I looked at him, and him at mine, seemed to say ¡°We¡¯re fucked, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Were we? I don¡¯t know yet.


    Also, um, aren¡¯t you going to sit down, dude?


    Maybe that¡¯s how things work since father merely sat down and stared at the two of us, not asking Rogan to sit down. He was just silent, eerily¡­ come on, get to the point.


    ¡°Father? Why have you brought me here?¡±


    ¡°... Daughter, are you acquainted with this knight right here named Rogan?¡±


    Was he trying to see if I was going to lie my way out? I don¡¯t get the point of testing me here, but if I lie, his impression towards me would lean towards the bad that I don¡¯t want. So I decided to be honest, not like there¡¯s any saving grace in lying.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°You immediately told the truth?¡±


    ¡°I''m not completely fond of lying.¡±


    ¡°Then Estelia, be honest with me. How long have you been acquainted?¡±


    ¡°Not long.¡±


    Wow, I feel like I¡¯m in an interrogation. He must be preparing for this moment since there were no other attendants here. Was he perhaps keeping this a secret? Not even my other family members seemed to know what this was about.


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, for you Rogan¡­ Did you receive any orders from the princess of the kingdom?¡±


    Rogan stood firmly and took a while to answer.


    ¡°No, the princess never gave me direct orders.¡±


    Yeah, I don¡¯t think I ever gave him a direct order, I don¡¯t particularly have any right to do that. I may be the princess, but it was not my place to command knights directly, they would be under Estevan¡¯s jurisdiction, or father¡¯s.


    ¡°Really? Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°I am not, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Father tapped his finger on the table a few times.


    ¡°Then your actions, spreading information about potential traitors in our midst, was that not a result of a command?¡±


    ¡°It was of my own volition.¡±


    ¡°You see, I came to realize something¡­" he took a deep breath. "Estelia, you told him about that information didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There was no one else that should have known about it. True there were rumors, but those rumors only became stronger by the information coming from an elite knight. Please do not lie to me, my daughter.¡±


    He sounded more stern now than before.


    ¡°I implicitly told him about it.¡±


    ¡°Implicitly? What do you mean by that?¡± He looked genuinely baffled.


    ¡°I mean it exactly as I said it.¡±


    ¡°Rogan?¡±


    ¡°I think that was implicit.¡±


    ¡°So in the end, you leaked the information about the situation.¡±


    Father palmed his face.


    I didn¡¯t know how this meeting was going to end, but I just have to go along for the ride.


    ¡°Estelia¡­ You did another risky thing again.¡±


    Well, technically it was the first.


    Then he suddenly continued with a loud and forceful tone.


    ¡°No, not risky, it was utterly dangerous! What if Rogan was the traitor all along? What do you think will happen?¡±


    ¡°True, Father, he could have been the infiltrator. However, it plays to my benefit to realize that.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? What benefit could there be in telling anyone that?¡±


    He asked me in exasperation and the way he said it implied that he believed it was a ridiculous thing to do.


    ¡°There are several reasons why I did what I did. And they are hard to express.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°I only did what I believed to be necessary.¡±


    ¡°That again? Why couldn¡¯t you have just told me what your plans are at least?¡±


    You would just get in the way, Father. Sometimes, thoughts just pop up you know and I can quickly simulate how things would happen and end. Things would only slow down if I had to tell them each and every one of my movements.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have agreed to it. And I do things my own way, Father¡­ I apologize if I made you angry...¡±


    I lowered my eyes after that trailing voice.


    ¡°Daughter, I want to understand your actions¡­" he sighed tirely. "The night when you set up the trap, you brought Rogan with you. So that could mean you have come to trust him after Oryn exposed himself, yes?"


    ¡°No.¡±


    Rogan in particular jerked his chin in surprise, looking at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°No? Is that not the reason?¡±


    ¡°Father, please, I need to ascertain those around me.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­ so¡­ you were also testing me at that time?¡±


    I gave him a sweet smile.


    ¡°To be honest, you were just a bit of extra benefit, and a great one at that.¡±


    He flinched.


    ¡°As I thought, you are scary¡­¡± he quietly said.


    ¡°How rude of you. Don¡¯t you just see everyone scary?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, maybe so, your highness.¡±


    ¡°You two already look close.¡±


    I stared blankly at my Father. We¡¯re not close at all. I mean, we don¡¯t have much interaction. Rogan just looks like someone who would appreciate a casual conversation, so I did a bit of that.


    ¡°We are not exactly close¡­¡± I said with a quiet voice.


    Rogan slightly nodded his head.


    ¡°In any case, allow me to know something regarding that, Estelia,¡± he sighed. ¡°How is bringing Rogan with you to Oryn¡¯s room benefit you?¡±


    Well, there were a couple of things basically, but let me give one that he wanted to hear.


    ¡°The trap wouldn¡¯t have worked if Rogan was colluding with the enemy. As I said, Father, I want to make certain of those around me.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    Father stared at me with a contemplating gaze ¡ª I can¡¯t tell what exactly he was thinking. He sighed again.


    ¡°I have the feeling that you won¡¯t tell me everything you are planning on doing. But please be careful.¡±


    I nodded my head.


    He stood up and reached out to me, then patted my head.


    ¡°Then, daughter, what about I appoint a knight for you, to protect you."


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As I was puzzled on what he meant by that, he faced Rogan and straightened himself.


    ¡°Rogan Dorien, I hereby appoint you as Princess Estelia¡¯s personal knight. Protect her with your life.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Huh?¡± Rogan was also shocked at how things unfolded. He was suddenly appointed as my personal knight after all. ¡°Ahem¡­ Yes, your majesty, I hear and obey. I swear I will carry out my duty. If it comes to it, I willingly offer my life for the princess.¡±


    With that commitment, he bowed deeply.


    I was also frantically looking at the two of them like a small child. To be honest, I¡¯m fine with this.


    ¡°Good. Start tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Um, is that alright, Father? I will be taking one of your elite knights.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s for you, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°... Okay!¡± I beamed brightly with joy.


    Father smiled in amusement. ¡°Alright, you can go now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Father.¡±


    With a little farewell, we two visitors began leaving, but I stopped halfway. This could be a good chance to bring that up. Rogan who had opened the door looked inquisitively at me.


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you can leave first, I have one thing to talk to Father with.¡±


    Rogan looked at the two of us first before nodding and leaving the room. Now the door closed, I turned to look at my father.


    Technically, I am still grounded and supposedly unable to make any request. However, this kind of request was different, and besides, maybe father had forgotten about it.


    ¡°You have something to talk to me about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father¡­ Um, will you listen?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­can I have Vernon as my direct subordinate. Meaning, he¡¯ll be my personal attendant.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Father was speechless as he watched me with wide eyes, never expecting what I had just requested from him. It¡¯s to be expected that he would react this way, Vernon was like his long-time assistant after all. However, if he refuses, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    ¡°You want Vernon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you refuse¡­¡±


    I clasped my hands together meekly.


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just, why?¡±


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s because I like him.¡±


    ¡°...... Is that so¡­? I¡¯ll think about it¡­¡±


    I nodded my head gently.


    ¡°I understand, father. Excuse me.¡±


    With that, I left the room and saw Rogan standing by a corner with his usual grin. He walked towards me with a casual shrug.


    ¡°It would seem I would be directly serving you, dear princess.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°Oh please, being a guardian knight of the princess is one of the greatest honors there is.¡±


    ¡°Your friends would be impressed then.¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯ll rub it on their faces,¡± he grinned widely.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be amused.¡±


    I started walking down the hallway with Rogan, down the halls I could see both Vernon and Mera on standby.


    ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t expect his majesty to just call me all of a sudden and you coming along. I was worried there for you for a minute.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected that Father would realize sooner or later. But it¡¯s good we moved that problem out of the way.¡±


    ¡°You know princess, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re making conversations with me.¡±


    I stopped and furrowed my brows while looking at him.


    ¡°I also talk, you know.¡±


    ¡°Now now, please do not wrinkle your brows like that, it will chip away your beauty for a bit.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Yeah, I don¡¯t want that. Such perfection of my being shall not step into imperfection.


    It was then that my two servants approached me.


    ¡°Milady, is everything alright?¡±


    Mera asked me, she must be concerned that something might be wrong since Father called me in.


    ¡°And the knight¡­ Sir Rogan is even with you.¡±


    Hm, was there a delay before she said his name? Did she forget his name for a moment there? Honestly, it felt like Mera¡¯s starting to get meaner and meaner to other people, and I am sure I have nothing to do with it¡­... Well, a boy and a girl together, doesn¡¯t exactly look pleasant to the heart of a third party that¡­ you know. Jealousy is a frightening thing.


    ¡°Um, well. Things happened. Sir Rogan, you can go ahead and explain.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Greetings, I, Rogan Dieren, will be working with you starting tomorrow. On this day, I was appointed as Princess Estelia¡¯s personal knight, as ordered by the King. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡±


    With a wide and amused grin, he extended his hand towards Mera waiting for a handshake. He must have had a feeling that Mera didn¡¯t like him that much, but that was amusing for him. This guy had some sharpness to his eyes despite his easy-going demeanor.


    Mera, still processing what she had only heard, slowly touched Rogan¡¯s hand followed by a little handshake.


    After that, Rogan offered his hand to Vernon and the latter immediately shook it.


    ¡°Then with that done, you can go back to your friends for now, Sir Rogan. I¡¯m sure you have to let them know. As Father said, you can start tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Please excuse me.¡±


    With a bow then followed by a casual wave of a hand, he left.


    ¡°I wonder why his majesty decided to appoint him as your knight,¡± said Vernon.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ But no point in pondering about it. Let¡¯s go to what we should be doing now, time is moving.¡±


    ***


    Leodoule gazed out the window, reflecting on his meeting with his daughter and the knight Rogan. He was still thinking about how to take Estelia¡¯s action, for some reason, he was still in disbelief. She had never shown that side of hers before.


    ¡°She¡¯s growing¡­¡±


    Somehow that notion pricked his heart. He just loved the cute Estelia so much that any sign of changes just stings a little. Even though it wasn''t a good thing to feel, he still couldn¡¯t help it.


    And what¡¯s with her interaction with Rogan?


    That piqued his interest, they were surprisingly very friendly to each other, the least he would expect that Estelia would do. She was never that way.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    A thought came to mind. Why Rogan specifically? He recalled that she once visited the knights and they held a mock battle between elites when the princess came to watch. If it were the battle of elites, then Rogan surely would have participated.


    ¡°Could it be?!¡± he sprang up from his chair.


    It dawned on him. There could be no other explanation. Why Estelia approached him first of all. Why she was so friendly with him. There was no other possibility.


    ¡°She likes Rogan?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but let in a loud gasp. This was the shocking news of the century, a giant leap of humanity ¡ª no rather a giant leap of his daughter.


    ¡°Is this alright though?¡±


    He had his worries. Rogan wasn¡¯t exactly a reliable type, and he was quite a playful man. Why did even the princess begin to like him? Could it be during the mock battle, he was so dazzling that it caught the eyes of the princess?


    ¡°What do I even think of this?¡±


    He muttered, he truly had no idea. To think that Estelia would like someone. It reminded him of another boy, now a young man that was blatantly in love with Estelia.


    ¡°Lucious fell behind.¡±


    Eleden¡¯s assistant, Lucious, that childhood friend of theirs.


    Actually, Leodoule sympathized with the boy, Estelia didn¡¯t even give him that much attention. It¡¯s hard being ignored by their crush.


    And Lucious had been carrying that feeling since they were children.


    No, perhaps there was still some hope for him. For now, the way Leodoule saw it, Estelia merely had an interest in Rogan. Maybe there was no intense romantic feeling yet. There was still a chance.


    Not that he rooted for Lucious, it was just that, Lucious was more reliable. If it was Rogan, one could imagine how politics would react to that.


    But in the end, it¡¯s up to Estelia who she picks. Leodoule decided to just be a normal guide for his daughter whenever she would be distraught when it comes to love. Maybe if she has troubles, he could give her advice. If she gets jealous or hurt, he¡¯ll be there to comfort her.


    ¡°I never thought her love would begin blooming like this¡­ But I guess¡­¡±


    ...This is what makes her a normal girl.


    This was what he wanted, her being normal. And he was glad.


    He looked at the window with a smile.


    ¡°... Vernon, huh.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that Estelia would outright request to have Vernon. She certainly has grown attached to him. But, Vernon was his old friend ever since he was young.


    I need to think deeply about this.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 20: Rogan Dorien

    Rogan made his way to their usual hanging grounds ¡ª meaning the courtyard where they usually train or do some stuff. He preferred to call it a place to hang out since well, it was basically a place where he can hang out when nothing else to do, and he also barely comes back home, and he preferred not to.


    It was more fun here and less annoying.


    His excited steps were a bit loud, but that was a voluntary action, which caught the attention of the common soldiers and knights. He wanted to show everyone that he was feeling good.


    ¡°Sir Rogan, you look great today!¡±


    One of the common soldiers greeted him in a friendly manner.


    ¡°Oh sure I am feeling great today!¡±


    Today, he was suddenly assigned as the princess¡¯s personal knight. He never expected such a thing was going to happen which shocked him to the core. But he had no qualms about it, one could think it was rising up the ladder.


    He never wanted to rise up the ranks, but he was not against it either. If he was promoted, that¡¯s alright, if he was demoted, that was also alright. Needless to say that he would feel bad if he was demoted, but it was not that big of a deal. The most important thing was that he wasn¡¯t kicked out of the knights'' order.


    What he did for the princess though was especially risky, but what happened today was akin to a reward for his efforts. Although he never wanted a reward, he was still thankful for it. He was fine being the guardian knight of the princess, in fact, he felt a little interested.


    The princess felt like an interesting person ¡ª he wouldn¡¯t have felt this motivated if it was the eldest prince since he was boring, and if it was Estevan ¡ª well that would never happen.


    The princess was more interesting than the two and more amusing. That being said, she felt a bit scary, like seriously. He may have said that casually previously to the princess, but he was being honest with his feelings.


    There was that eerie feeling he would sometimes feel when he was around the princess. And the eerieness was scary enough for him. Even the king was already scary for him, so perhaps he was scared with the princess and the king in the same amount.


    In short, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in something or someone too dangerous. Even so, no matter how he wanted to avoid it, something dangerous would always come, so he had no choice but to face it and get involved.


    Also, not like he can refuse to be the princess¡¯s knight, the king appointed him himself.


    He imagined how his friends would look if he suddenly announced that he was now the personal knight of the beautiful princess. That would be fun.


    Which reminds him that there was a certain teenager around the same age as the princess that would be struck hard. He was not being mean, but Rogan could do nothing about it that he was assigned to be Princess Estelia¡¯s direct subordinate.


    It might be harsh of him, but he felt like he couldn¡¯t hold himself from teasing someone.


    Yeah, I¡¯m an asshole, so what?


    On the way, he encountered another knight going to his destination as well. She was a beautiful and charming woman clad in the glamorous knight armor of Wisteria, a sheathed sword hanging on her waist. Her hair as black as the night was tied into a ponytail, keeping them from obstructing her eyes, the pair of black eyes turned to look at Rogan carrying a bit of sternness.


    Rogan grinned widely at the sight of her, she may look charming, but for goodness sake, that appearance was a bit deceitful. In short, she was a rough woman, especially to someone as carefree as Rogan. Not that he disliked her, quite the opposite actually, she was a nice friend. Just don¡¯t be deceived when she was acting like this ¡ª the charming part.


    Rogan raised his hand in greeting.


    ¡°Hey, Ayana!¡±


    With a single nod, she approached Rogan.


    ¡°You¡¯re going back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    They naturally began walking together, as Rogan was blatantly expressing his excitement, Ayana didn¡¯t miss it. She had already guessed something had put him in a truly good mood, that much was obvious immediately to her since they have been colleagues for some time now.


    ¡°What got you all worked up?¡±


    ¡°Well~, something unexpected happened.¡±


    ¡°Then it must be something great, okay. You really showing that to everyone, huh.¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not bad to show that something good happened.¡±


    Ayana nodded.


    ¡°You said unexpected, you got a new spear or something? Or did you find someone new to tease?¡±


    ¡°Wow Ayana, what¡¯s with the second part? I don¡¯t normally search for someone just to tease them you know.¡±


    ¡°Normally don¡¯t, you say. So it also implies that you also find someone to tease.¡±


    Rogan shrugged his shoulders in exaggeration. She was not exactly far from the target, but Rogan also had no intention of verbally admitting that. Incurring her usual wrath now would be troublesome.


    ¡°Hehehe, in any case, it¡¯s none of those. Much better, oh and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised. Which reminds me, this means I¡¯m of a higher rank than you now.¡±


    Ayana stopped in her steps and stared curiously at him.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you supposed to have been promoted to a captain?¡±


    She appeared to be having a hard time believing that would be the case. If he was made captain, then he would be forming his own squad of knights. That would be fine, however, he was not the type of person who was fit to be a leader ¡ª that was the impression everyone in the knights'' order had of him, he was unreliable to be a leader. That was why despite being one of the elites, he didn¡¯t have a squad of his own. Although Rogan himself wasn¡¯t bothered by that at all.


    ¡°Hmmm, well no¡­ not exactly. I¡¯ll keep it a secret until later ¡ª hehehehe.¡±


    He snickered like an annoying person always does.


    ¡°Wanna get punched?¡±


    Ayana curled her hand into a fist and glared at him. Rogan stepped back and raised his hands.


    ¡°Ah Uh, that¡¯s dangerous. Please don¡¯t damage my face this time, it wouldn¡¯t look good if I do my duties tomorrow.¡±


    Seriously¡­


    He occasionally finds himself being punched by Ayana when he annoys her often. When he had no armor on, she would either punch him on the arm or the stomach. With armor on, she would punch him on the face, but not that hard, at least she holds back in that part.


    Of course as a knight himself, he wasn¡¯t bothered by any of it that much. He deserved it after all, and he enjoyed those kinds of moments with her as his friend.


    ¡°Okay, what the hell happened?¡±


    She grabbed him on both shoulders, restraining his movements.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be mad if you suddenly surpass me, but that would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but in one way or another, I did. Hehehehe.¡±


    He grinned widely as his smiling eyes gazed at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m punching you.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª No no no wait! I¡¯m serious, don''t hit me!¡±


    He frantically slipped away from her grasp, and he sighed when he was successful.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­? Fine, you¡¯ll be spared this time. But if you are removed from that armor,¡± she smirked. ¡°I have plenty of spots to hit.¡±


    ¡°Hah! If you can hit me that is. With my new duty, I need to be waaaay better than you!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s just see.¡±


    The two gazed at each other with such intensity that they failed to notice someone walking towards them with almost silent steps.


    ¡°What the hell are you two bickering about?!¡±


    The next thing Rogan felt was a smack on the back of his head.


    ¡°Ow!¡± He immediately turned his head to look at the culprit.


    He was a middle-aged man with a scar by the side of his face, he had black hair, brown eyes, and a brown complexion. Rogan stepped back from the muscular man.


    ¡°Why do I have to be the one to be smacked by you, Elson? Ayana started it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, knowing you two, you both probably at least started it all together.¡±


    Ayana heaved a deep sigh. With Elson here, there will be no form of retribution whatsoever.


    ¡°Alright, now that you two are done bickering, you¡¯re going to the grounds, yes? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two nodded their heads and followed behind Elson.


    ¡°Ah yes, expect the decrease in the number of knights tomorrow. It would seem we¡¯ll be able to barely see some friends every day.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re done designating the knights, huh.¡± Ayana nodded her head.


    Rogan was briefed shortly about this, where knights would be sent to patrol the city, which they don¡¯t do much unless there was some big problem. The previous day, they worked out the common soldiers first, so the knights will be next tomorrow to be sent out.


    ¡°I heard from the prince that they¡¯ll be leaving the strong ones here in the palace,¡± Elson added. ¡°So I expect I myself will be staying here. I don¡¯t know about Rogan though.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m strong, so it¡¯s to be expected I¡¯ll be staying here. Well, it doesn''t matter anyway, I will be staying here in the end.¡±


    Rogan smiled widely again. Seeing this, Elson narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°What got you all smug?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been like this moments ago.¡±


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t help it, you know,¡± he dramatically touched his temple as he heaved an exasperated sigh. ¡°I am just so thrilled about it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°When we arrive.¡±


    ¡°Is it supposed to be a big deal?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Whatever then.¡±


    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t start losing interest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen, not like I have any other choice knowing that you¡¯ll publicly announce whatever that is.¡±


    ¡°When you say it like that, I¡¯m losing confidence that it¡¯ll be a big deal.¡±


    Ayana smacked Rogan¡¯s back a few times vigorously, he may not be able to feel it through the armor, but it was enough to shake his body.


    Eventually, they arrived at the courtyard, knights spread out all over, some training, and the rest conversing with each other. Well, lunch was just about over, and Rogan always found himself impressed by how others went straight to training their bodies.


    Don¡¯t they know how to chill sometimes?


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Rogan, how¡¯s the meeting with the king?¡±


    One of the knights who heard that he was being summoned by the king earlier immediately asked him.


    ¡°You were called by the king?¡± Ayana asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trouble did you do this time?¡±


    ¡°Would I be in a good mood if I was reprimanded about something?¡±


    ¡°... Wait, is it actually a big deal?¡± Her eyes widened.


    He grinned and faced the other knights, stepping forward.


    ¡°Yeah, it was great.¡±


    ¡°Woah, I thought you messed up somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Or you misbehaved too much when his majesty called for you.¡±


    ¡°Come on guys, you know I am a well-behaved knight.¡±


    Everyone laughed at his claim. Well, despite his unruly and noisy behavior, he was still a decent knight that carried his duty well.


    ¡°In any case, I have something great to announce. I am regretful to inform you that we won¡¯t be seeing much anymore.¡±


    Everyone became silent, intently looking at him, as though he had said some kind of omen. They were waiting on what he meant by that. It could possibly mean that he was fired or something, which everyone here wouldn¡¯t want to happen.


    ¡°Well, to stop beating around the bush, I am now the personal knight of the Princess of the Kingdom, her esteemed Princess Estelia! Great isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He pointed at himself with a wide grin. Everyone was silent for a moment before they start chuckling.


    ¡°Come on, stop joking around, Rogan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even that is too much.¡±


    ¡°I was a bit nervous right there.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s with the weird joke.¡±


    Rogan flinched, utterly dumbfounded that they did not believe him at all. Was that too ridiculous of a claim? Even he himself was surprised and baffled by their reactions. In contrast to most others though, a few had surprised expressions, two of them were Ayana and Elson.


    ¡°Hey yo! I¡¯m not joking around! I¡¯m serious. His Majesty literally appointed me.¡±


    The laughter died down.


    ¡°He¡¯s serious.¡±


    ¡°It appears so.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°You gotta be lying!¡±


    Everyone was in disbelief. Rogan nodded in satisfaction, this was the exact reaction he wanted.


    A few charged at him with dumbfounded faces.


    ¡°No way, why? H-How?¡±


    ¡°Why you?¡±


    ¡°How did you even manage that?¡±


    While Rogan was smiling, someone pulled him from the back of his neck on his armor. The next thing he saw was the stern face of Ayana.


    ¡°You bastard! You really surpassed me! And a personal knight?! That¡¯s ridiculous! How am I supposed to process this?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, see? I won.¡±


    Her face crumpled.


    ¡°Let me hit you.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha, no please.¡±


    He immediately slipped away from her, but Ayana didn¡¯t give chase but only gave a pout. Somehow he felt bad looking at her.


    Before anything else, other knights had already gathered before him, even the women were especially frightening in the eyes, as though they were staring daggers at her. Rogan understood all too well how these women felt. They were interested in the princess and wanted to try getting close to her.


    ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just happened.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°Did you pull off some strings?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t start thinking something nasty about me now! Maybe the royals were just impressed by my actions, you know.¡±


    Everyone gradually regained their calm as seconds passed.


    ¡°This truly is a surprise,¡± Elson said to him. ¡°You¡¯re a spear user so you can¡¯t bring your weapon freely inside the palace halls while accompanying the princess, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would be the case, looks like I¡¯ll be using a sword.¡±


    That would reduce his overall capabilities, but one couldn¡¯t say he was weak with the sword. He was just stronger with the spear since it was his favored weapon.


    ¡°Well, being the princess¡¯s knight, more work will come to you.¡±


    One of the knights said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I find it interesting anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still, this was something I never would expect.¡±


    The knights chattered.


    ¡°Yeah, like, it¡¯s the princess. Not many even get to see her, nor interact with her.¡±


    The princess was shrouded in mystery, add to that her dazzling appearance and kindness, not only those added to her charms, it also made her very interesting.


    Especially the kindness part, she came here and she was like the very picture of a saint. Not only that, but she was also the one who suggested having a feast for the knights when they returned from the dangerous forest. They have high respect for her.


    Rogan was the same. But he still found her to be a bit scary sometimes. Maybe because of that innocence of her, too innocent as though she didn¡¯t belong in this world.


    ¡°Aaah, I wish I was picked.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah me too.¡±


    A few men and women wished that.


    Well, too bad, I got picked!


    There was still a chance for them to become close to the princess though. That is if the princess hand-picked them as her retainers. But that would be close to impossible given that the princess never talked much to anyone.


    It was then a young man approached him around the same age as the princess.


    ¡°Hey, Alan.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey¡­¡±


    Oh? He looks troubled already.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Oh yeah, sorry man, I don¡¯t know what happened but it just happened.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± he averted his eyes.


    Rogan chuckled and put his arm around Alan¡¯s shoulder, leaning on him a little.


    ¡°I mean, I imagine you might feel a little jealous, you know.¡±


    ¡°J-Jealous? Why would I be?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am very lucky. I¡¯ll get to see the beautiful princess every day. She might even invite me to some tea.¡±


    Alan smiled wryly.


    ¡°Good for you, Rogan. Oh, I was intending to congratulate you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. By the way, I will likely get closer with the princess.¡±


    Rogan looked at Alan with amusement, who simply nodded.


    ¡°Maybe I can find a way to really introduce you, you know. I¡¯ll help you with the princess.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You don¡¯t need to do that¡­?¡±


    Ah yes, the reluctance of asking for help. No¡­ he¡¯s retreating. We can¡¯t be having that now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t chicken out now. I¡¯ll help you with the princess, you might get a chance to get close to her. Be honest with yourself, would you? You can rely on me.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the best-case scenario, I can convince the princess to take you as a retainer or one of her guards at least.¡±


    Alan lowered his head, contemplating it.


    Rogan let go of him and slapped him on the back.


    ¡°Stop overthinking about it.¡±


    It was then someone suddenly decided to approach him, glaring a little at Rogan.


    ¡°Someone like you, get to become the princess¡¯s knight?¡±


    It was Alan¡¯s elder brother, Alzen. He spoke to Rogan as though he was lower than him, he truly was looking down on him, thinking how absurd it was that Rogan got that position.


    ¡°Yeah? Got a problem with that?¡±


    Alzen narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I wonder what you did. Did you charm her?¡±


    Rogan almost choked himself the moment he heard those words. That was almost insulting to the princess. It would have been fine if he indirectly said it, but this time, it was too straightforward.


    ¡°Careful with your words, Alzen,¡± Rogan casually warned with a smile, but his eyes were stern.


    ¡°Why? It is only a conjecture.¡±


    ¡°An absurd conjecture that is absurd itself that you even arrived at that conjecture. You must be just jealous ¡®cause you never have a chance of even talking to the princess.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Rogan.¡±


    Alzen stepped forward menacingly towards Rogan. Alan frantically looked at the both of them, debating with himself whether to stop them or not, but he hesitated, knowing these two were elites in the order. In addition, the other knights also did not seem to be keen on stopping them, at least for now.


    ¡°Me? Watch my tongue? Please, try looking at a mirror and say that to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think we are a match if we fight here.¡±


    Rogan snickered.


    ¡°You wanna go, bastard? I never tried fighting you, but this could be a chance to show who¡¯s stronger. This is a chance to teach you a lesson of not even trying to insult the princess, directly, or indirectly.¡±


    Rogan¡¯s smile vanished and glared at Alzen. He didn¡¯t think much about this guy, he was just some annoying arrogant bastard you would see in every corner of the world. However, Rogan was truly annoyed right now.


    The accusation of charming the princess was the height of rudeness and insulting to the princess herself. In fact, this was almost akin to underestimating and undermining the princess. Rogan didn¡¯t like that at all. Rogan knew Princess Estelia was more than she seemed to be.


    Alzen glared at him, but after a moment, he shook his head.


    ¡°Nevermind. Fighting the princess¡¯s knight here would not be good for me.¡±


    Oh, he actually has some common sense.


    With that, Alzen left as though nothing happened.


    What does he even want?


    Rogan found himself wondering that.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with your brother?¡± he asked Alan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, everyone!¡±


    Prince Estevan arrived and greeted everyone loudly.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Everyone looks on edge?¡±


    ¡°Well, some things happened,¡± Ayana was the one to speak to him.


    ¡°Really? What kind?¡±


    Rogan immediately walked towards Estevan enthusiastically.


    ¡°Hey Prince! Do you know? I¡¯m Princess Estelia¡¯s personal knight now.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    I apologize that the update took a while. I''ve been sick for a couple of days now and wasn''t able to do anything. My condition should get back to normal in a few days, well... should...

 Vol. 2 Chapter 21: Music’s Back

    Good morning. What a good morning indeed. I had decent progress with my magic spells than with physical enhancement. Yesterday I tried doing the technique, but as expected I didn¡¯t progress that much, I was like a baby making her first steps and falling off after just one. Needless to say it sored my arm.


    Therefore, I decided to practice my magic spells. I focused more on healing spells since I wanted to use the spell to at least soothe my arm so I can perform more physical enhancement than before, and I can say the progress with it was decent for I have only started a couple of days ago.


    I really am talented at this kind of stuff, but alas, I still need to learn physical enhancement or I¡¯ll lose in physical combat for the most part of this world if I face someone way stronger in strength.


    In any case, today was a day I was looking forward to. Namely, music class. Let¡¯s goooo! Damn I can¡¯t wait. This was the best, and I¡¯m also looking forward to meeting Lanivia, she was the one teacher I can get along with the most. Madame Eleanore? Yeah no, no way. The commoner? That¡¯s impossible, personally, or socially.


    Mera woke me up by knocking loudly through the door. I would have preferred to sleep a little longer, but I have no other choice¡­ Wait, aren¡¯t I becoming too lax? Was this a good or a bad thing? I don¡¯t know which one was the right answer. Nevertheless, this was not a matter of life or death, so it didn¡¯t matter that much.


    I let her inside and she fixed my bed, while I sat down on a chair chilling, it¡¯s great to be rich.


    When that was done, together we left the room. I first saw Vernon standing by the wall, then when I turned my head to the right, there was a knight standing straight. It was Rogan, wearing his usual armor, and a sword on his waist.


    I didn¡¯t see him earlier since he was there away from my sight, but what¡¯s more interesting was that he was carrying a sword, and not his spear. If my memory was to be relied on, he uses a spear. Perhaps the spear was too troublesome to carry in the halls when on guard duty? If that is so, will that be alright? I mainly looked favorably upon him because he was an elite, and him losing the weapon he was used to would reduce his battle proficiency.


    ¡°Good morning to the both of you,¡± I said while looking at the two guys.


    After they greeted me back, I turned to face Rogan with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you are here, I hope I won¡¯t trouble you much.¡±


    ¡°Please, Princess, as your knight, I will share your troubles, and I shall support you whenever you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Wow, how sweet, I might accidentally fall ¡ª hahaha, just kidding. He was only a mere tool for me to use, he was nothing significant in my eyes. Rogan was only a knight that ought to fulfill his duties.


    ¡°By the way, I see that you are not using a spear?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, spears are not exactly good weapons to use in tight spaces, especially with my style of combat with it. But,¡± he grinned. ¡°No need to be anxious, princess. I am still elite level even with the sword.¡±


    He sounded quite confident, well he looked pretty honest with himself, so his proclamation can be relied on.


    ¡°Alright, I will be relying on your protection, my knight.¡±


    Now I have two fighters on my side, although the other one was not entirely mine yet, that was up for Father to decide. To be honest, there was not that a great logical reason not to give Vernon to me, he would be essential for my protection after all. True, he being lent to me with no definite time was also not an issue. But, judging from how things were going, it would be no different if he just gave him to me.


    Ultimately, father had no need for him that much anyway. He had scribes and other servants to assist him, powerful knights to guard him, and he himself was powerful. I, her daughter, would need someone as talented as Vernon more than him.


    What was obstructing him in giving Vernon to me was his emotions. Father was Vernon¡¯s friend after all ever since he was young, it would be hard to let him go. Nevertheless, if he refused, then there is nothing I can do about it. What''s important was that he wasn¡¯t gonna betray me. I¡¯m only bothered that he was also reporting to father, it¡¯s like a subtle backstab you could say. I don¡¯t like it when I¡¯m not in control.


    After that I went to take a bath, on the way inside though, Mera looked at Rogan weirdly, as if she would prefer him not to wait outside. Well, Rogan was a young man, although a little older than me by a few years, still young, and maybe me going into the bath and Rogan outside didn¡¯t sit well with her.


    Oh wait, could Mera be having some indecent thoughts about this? That¡¯s adorable and hilarious.


    Can¡¯t blame them though, I am the embodiment of beauty and perfection. It would be a great transgression if someone unworthy sees me as not in my ¡°proper¡± appearance. Well, no one but Mera can see me inside anyway so I see no problem with that.


    After bathing, I went to have dinner with my family. Estevan particularly looked fidgety, looking at me then towards Rogan. He should have known about it by now, but I guess he was caught off guard about it all.


    But Estevan didn¡¯t complain whatsoever so he must have trust towards Rogan. That aside, Father has yet to talk to me about my request, he must not have yet made up his mind.


    Mother was the same as always, come to think of it, it¡¯s been a while since we hung out. It¡¯s not like I want to be with her often¡­ just sometimes¡­


    Forget it.


    I glanced at my eldest brother, thinking how I would go asking him about my request. Surely he had yet to learn that I¡¯m grounded, good let¡¯s keep it that way. I¡¯ll do it by surprise, no way I¡¯m letting anyone else in my family realize it, otherwise, they¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m grounded, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to make a request anymore.


    When lunch was done, I returned to my room to retrieve my precious instrument called the Liathre. Vernon was the one to carry the instrument placed within its wooden case. No need for Mera to carry it when there were boys around.


    On the way to the learning room, I was already feeling a bit excited, it was a time of peace that I longed for. A moment rare in this current time.


    ¡°So it¡¯s your music training I see, princess. I am excited to see how you perform.¡±


    I wryly smiled at Rogan who said that to me.


    ¡°How embarrassing, I am not yet at the level to be called impressive. I¡¯m afraid I might disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, I am not one to judge when one makes mistakes in these kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°How are you with the Liathre, Sir Rogan?¡±


    He brought a hand under his chin as though measuring his own capabilities.


    ¡°I can confidently say that I¡¯m decent. I never put much effort into learning about it because I have no interest in it. Holding a weapon is much to my preference.¡±


    Geez, you knights are quite fierce aren¡¯t you? Really, why do people like violence and weapons that much?~


    It¡¯s sarcasm, of course, I mean, look at me!


    ¡°Are you not fond of music? At all?¡±


    Rogan shook his head.


    Hey...


    ¡°Nope. Like, it¡¯s not for me, I don¡¯t understand the great charm of it. Sure it¡¯s great to hear good music, but I just couldn¡¯t find the motivation to play one myself. It was just another skill a noble should learn.¡±


    O lost sheep who does not understand the charm and wonders of music, let thy be smote by the universe for ignoring the significance of its language.


    Ugh, so I couldn¡¯t hang out much with anyone with great interest in music. Looks like it¡¯s just me and Lanivia that could relate to each other. Hm, wait, what about Mera?


    ¡°Mera? What do you think about music and the instrument?¡±


    Mera smiled, eyes glittering. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s happy I asked about it, or she¡¯s just happy I spoke with her here, at this moment, when my attention was on Rogan.


    ¡°Oh! I would pretty much play the instrument happily,¡± she clasped her hand excitedly.


    Ooh Mera~!


    Then she continued.


    ¡°But I can only play if I know how to. Practicing new melodies takes me a long time to master than others. And I couldn¡¯t even know which chord to use just by ear. In spite of all that, I have not progressed that much.¡±


    ¡°Would you develop your skills?¡±


    ¡°... If I have to, yes.¡±


    Have to, huh...


    Haaaah, at least she had more enthusiasm in playing than Rogan. But she lacked motivation in progressing even further. That¡¯s fine...


    Not for long, we arrived at our destination. My knight opened the door for me and upon opening, there was no one there. Of course as expected, she¡¯s yet to be here.


    I sat down on the nearby chair as I waited for my teacher. She should be arriving at any minute. I am just a tad early so she had yet to arrive, nobles were pretty particular with schedules, so nobles usually never get late. They could be too early, or just in time, not late since that would be pretty unbecoming of a noble.


    Then as expected, Lanivia shortly arrived with her attendant carrying her instrument.


    I immediately stood up the moment I saw her, and she smiled in delight at me.


    ¡°It has been a while, your highness. May our hallowed lord and lady bless the moment of our delightful meeting.¡±


    ¡°I had been anticipating our meeting, madame,¡± I said with a sweet smile. ¡°May we receive the resplendent blessing from our illustrious lord and lady.¡±


    We greeted each other with the usual noble greetings.


    Lanivia scanned with her eyes towards the other people in the room, then tilted her head a bit.


    ¡°My my, it has become a little more crowded than last time.¡±


    Yeah, I too had realized, the number on my side had increased. But that was great.


    Lanivia walked towards the table and had her attendant place the instrument onto it.


    ¡°So how were you, princess?¡±


    ¡°I have been doing well, madame. That being said, I have been longing for your lessons ever since.¡±


    She chuckled.


    ¡°I am glad to hear you like my subject. I was intending to visit you this last few weeks, however I have been denied. The melody you performed last time we met has been in my mind, and I am deeply interested. Have you improved upon it?¡±


    My muscle memories had returned for some reason, the same with dancing, so I should be more used to the chords now than before. Again, something I cannot explain why. Well, as long as it worked for my benefit.


    ¡°My apologies, but I have not. I would like to take this chance to focus on it today with your guidance.¡±


    I just have to be honest here.


    ¡°Very well. Then, will you please play that song?¡±


    My servants took out my stringed instrument while I sat down on the chair in front of Lanivia¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t help but feel the excitement through my fingers, how I longed to pluck strings once again. It sucks that I wasn¡¯t able to do much of what I wanted to do, very stressful.


    Vernon handed the instrument to me, the cool sensation of the wooden instrument traveled through the senses of my hands. After securing it to my lap, I stretched my fingers in preparation.


    I glanced at everyone as I gradually gathered the courage to play after a while. Lanivia in particular was all smiles, her eyes glinted in anticipation making me wonder just how much she had been thinking about it. Well, can¡¯t blame her, it¡¯s Beethoven after all.


    Vernon on the other hand looked pretty interested, while Mera looked at me with a wide smile, can¡¯t certainly tell if she¡¯s looking forward to my playing. The one who appeared to be a bit less interested was Rogan, like okay¡­


    I touched the string after a deep breath, for some reason I felt a bit nervous. Ridiculous, me? Nervous? Why would I be for such a thing? Their gazes at me don¡¯t mean anything significant.


    Now then, if the memory was right, I should have no trouble carrying this out. I formed the first chord and plucked the first string. The feeling of the string, the vibration, and the sound it made endeared my ears greatly.


    I plucked again and slowly continued on with the song, getting warmed up. My chest warmed up as the melody spread across the room, the tune going through my ear and nourishing my heart, a smile forming on my face, losing my attention to the surroundings.


    As the song continued on, I was lost in the song, it was only me and this instrument and the sound traveling in the air. Gradually, the speed in my playing increased as though finally getting the hang of it.


    Making use of the muscle memories and recalling the melody of the song, I played the masterpiece with all my heart, taking care not to make even the tiniest mistake. I don¡¯t like mistakes when it comes to this, it ruins my immersion. Maybe I just wanted perfection even though it¡¯s hard to obtain, but at least I could make it close to it.


    That being said, this was just me playing the song F¨¹r Elise the simple way. I was still limited on what I could achieve. But this was fine for me for now.


    Before I knew it I had plucked the last string of the song, and the world returned to my presence. I consciously took in a sharp breath, I think it went well. How convenient now that I know the chords, made things easier, and I couldn¡¯t be happier.


    I looked up to see the dumbfounded face of my instructor. She should have heard it already, so it made me wonder what incited this reaction from her. At that same moment, I heard loud clappings from the corner of a room.


    Turning my head, I saw Rogan applauding towards me with a wide grin on his face. I immediately glanced at Vernon to see his shocked and amazed face, then there was Mera who looked flustered and followed clapping after Rogan, but only gently.


    Adding all of their reactions together, I must have done a better job than last time. Although, my three servants never saw me perform this song before so this reaction was much to be expected. Therefore, my conclusion was mostly based on Lanivia¡¯s reaction.


    I felt relieved that it didn¡¯t sound weird.


    ¡°Magnificent performance, your highness!¡± Rogan loudly said. ¡°It didn''t sound like a practice session at all. It¡¯s as if you¡¯re performing seriously on the front.¡±


    Rogan was openly applauding and praising my performance, it would seem he had no intention of holding back his feelings.


    ¡°Yes, it truly was a shocking and beautiful song,¡± Vernon said with a few nods. ¡°Through my years, I have never heard of it. It didn¡¯t sound like what you sang in the past.¡±


    You still remember that?


    I acted embarrassed.


    ¡°I a-also think it was wonderful!¡± Mera tried to say.


    ¡°Madame¡­? What do you think?¡±


    I asked my instructor.


    ¡°What I think you ask¡­? How should I even put it into words? All I can say is that it was so surprising and breathtaking.¡±


    They truly think that? Huh¡­ and it was a simple rendition, if I had a piano, it might have been more intense.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I even began to wonder if I have any more to teach you.¡±


    ¡°Please, Madame! I still have a lot to learn, I have yet to know everything I should learn about playing this instrument. These were just the simpler and easier chords, yes? So there is still plenty I need to learn.¡±


    Lanivia chuckled.


    ¡°Yes yes, that was just a casual remark of mine. I should say, that was a much better performance than before, maybe you did practice.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ I was just caught up in the moment.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Alright, then we¡¯ll proceed to more difficult chords and techniques. Do you remember the melodies I had you listen to first in the past?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    When Lanivia first came here to teach me, she had me listen to a couple of songs. Songs that were known by all nobles.


    ¡°You did play a song unbeknownst to us, but I hope you are able to play those I played to you.¡±


    Now that¡¯s an issue. I don¡¯t remember much about those songs, just a bunch of bits that remain in my memory.


    ¡°Um¡­ I might need a refresh.¡±


    Lanivia giggled. ¡°Very well.¡±


    She then proceeded to play a single song that was the most famous among high society. After that, she taught me some other chords. I could have known what to use by ear, but that would leave me figuring out the form on my own when it came to chords used in the song I do not know. I only asked specific chords for Fur Elise after all, so there were a few chords unknown to me. That said, there were some familiarities with some I already know of so it didn¡¯t take a lot of effort to do and remember.


    Then the obnoxious barre chords ¡ª well they were only obnoxious at the beginning of learning that thing. Yeah, it was hard for a beginner, and it took me a while to get used to them, I had plenty of hand and finger strength at that time, so what took my time the most were the switching and forming them instantly ¡ª getting used to them.


    So this time, I got used to the barre chords for this instrument pretty decently, which said to be needing a short while to get used to. My instructor let me practice those specially and she was amazed by the progress I was making.


    ¡°Incredible, you already don¡¯t seem troubled by it. Normally others would take a couple of days to do a decent performance.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    Before I knew it, she had finished teaching me all of the chords I needed to learn. A bit fast? Well, she showed them each to me a couple or few times, and I can familiarize myself with them on my own. My fingers were just so awesome that they were able to shortly form up into those chords on the instrument.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s as if you were already familiar with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    ¡°You must be incredibly talented in this, princess. I never would have expected, you weren¡¯t like this the first moments I started teaching you.¡±


    ¡°... I just like you teaching me, Madame.¡±


    Her eyes widened then a wide smile formed on her face.


    ¡°My my, you are quite a flatterer, your highness. I am honored by your words.¡±


    ¡°I was just being honest.¡±


    After that short sweet exchange, I went on to practice the chords I would need to use for a specific song. It was a wonderful and beautiful tune, though it was sung in a local language, the melody itself can speak to everyone in the universe. I could have sung it in its original language, which was Japanese, but that wouldn¡¯t work at all.


    Let the notes sing.


    I positioned my hand and fingers at the ready, after forming the first chord, I gently plucked the strings, the very first part of the song peacefully sounded. Then when came the lyrics where words were supposed to be spoken, I let the instrument sing, passing through the language barrier.


    It was not that hard of a song to play in fingerstyle, so I was doing perfectly. As I listened to the tune I myself was playing, I felt a wave of nostalgia. No matter how unpleasant most parts of my former life were, there were bright and wonderful ones. Memorable moments and experiences, and my friends. That memory from my childhood.


    The song I was playing is ¡°Eine Kleine¡± by Kenshi Yonezu. One of my favorites.


    Then with the last vibration of the last string, the song ended.


    I smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡°P-Princess¡­ what was that?¡±


    My instructor looked at me with wide eyes. Everyone else looked pretty surprised upon hearing a song they never heard before. I have been surprising everyone, huh. Well, maybe I just want to show off a little ¡ª and I just miss this. It relieves me of stress and frees me from heavy thoughts, I couldn¡¯t care less about what anyone thinks.


    ¡°Um, a song?¡±


    ¡°How are you able to play songs that I have never heard before?¡±


    I looked at everyone.


    Well, time to lie.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just hear them in my dream.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Rogan applauded loudly again. ¡°I never would have imagined you would be skilled to this extent, princess.¡±


    He truly looked impressed. Yeah I am an impressive one, give me my rightful praise. I am very good at fingerstyles, I am good with my fingers if you know what I mean.~


    Right, I¡¯ll stop with the dirty jokes.


    With a grin, Rogan approached Mera, his eyes implied he had found prey to tease.


    ¡°The lady is amazing, right? Mera? The beautiful princess playing a beautiful melody really gives you an image that a goddess blessed us. Truly, this makes my heart race, and my chest warm, giving a special feeling.¡±


    He leaned closer to her with a grin. With that, Mera furrowed her brows, glaring at Rogan then subtly pushed him away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to me,¡± she said before moving a couple of steps away, while the glare remained.


    Wow, she doesn¡¯t like him at all. There could be plenty of reasons, one she¡¯s just annoyed, the other she¡¯s feeling bitter or jealous, then it could also be both.


    With a chuckle, Rogan behaved but still wore an amused smile.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Lanivia called to me with bright eyes. ¡°I am in awe of your talent. With this, you shouldn¡¯t have to worry much about what you will perform in your debut.¡±


    Yeah that.


    ¡°So I must perform?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you need to show how impressive you can be in front of the noble society. And as the royal princess, you must not be inferior to others beneath you. But I suppose we have nothing to worry about that part.¡±


    I pondered on what I should be doing at that time.


    ¡°Do I need to verbally sing?¡±


    I just needed to make sure if I needed to personally sing.


    ¡°Not necessarily, as long as you play splendidly with the instrument, you should be fine.¡±


    Well, I can be splendid in the instrument, but in dancing, yeah I need practice ¡ª don¡¯t want to look like an idiot. A long damn time of practicing. Dammit!


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But if you are to sing, you have plenty of songs to choose from.¡±


    Yeah, there were plenty.


    ¡°Now that you appear to be doing amazingly with the Liathre, we can shift our focus on working out your singing voice.¡±


    I do have a good voice, but there were limitations I need to breakthrough.


    I nodded my head.


    My instructor then proceeded to train my voice by having me humm and other vocal exercises. There were tiny difficulties but I was doing fine. I don¡¯t really like doing very high notes, I don¡¯t get the appeal of it. I like the smooth and soft singing, I think they are more peaceful. There were songs that hit the high notes that were good, but I just like the gentle ones more.


    Then eventually our class ended, a shame she couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Reason was that, in her words, ¡°I have little left to teach you, so I believe it is alright to end our class for today.¡± Then I will be seeing her next time, she also added that I should think of what song I should play in my debut, and in our next meeting, she asked me to teach her the first song I played which was Fur Elise since we expect plenty of time to use next time.


    It almost feels like we were friends or something and doing casual stuff in the classroom. Oh well, I look forward to her return.


    For the time being, I need to change my focus on magic and physical enhancement. I¡¯ll also be asking Eleden for the thing soon. The new dresses.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 22: Requesting New Dresses

    After breakfast, I returned to studying as usual. Very soon, the library should be finishing its repairs, so I should be able to study there for non-dangerous things. I was wanting to read a few things there anyway.


    While I was reading the magic book, Mera was training on her physical enhancement, she seemed fond of it so I let her be. She was making more progress than I was anyway, so it could be a sign that was her thing. I have been slowly making progress on the enhancement though, the challenging part was thinning out my mana while slowly penetrating through my muscles.


    I have to hide it from everyone I was doing that, the forcing part. They have no need to know.


    In any case, the damn mana part was stressing, it was like ¡ª how should I say this, it was like slicing the pasta for spaghetti into half, or another example, cutting a french fry into more tiny pieces as thin as they already were.


    But whatever, I¡¯ll manage.


    As there was no class for the rest of the week, I can do anything I want. There were plenty of things I needed to think about, but I decided to focus on the more crucial part. Two hours passed since I arrived here, so it was time to take my leave.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± I said to my servants.


    I have already warned them that I would be halting my studies for a while since I wanted to go somewhere. Mera and Vernon stopped their training ¡ª damn, even though I should be the one he should be training, but I guess nothing can be done when I can barely proceed with the starting steps.


    Rogan diligently positioned at my side.


    ¡°May I ask where you are heading, your highness?¡± asked Rogan.


    ¡°To eldest Brother.¡±


    It was finally time to ask my brother about the dress thing. As we made our way to my brother''s office, Rogan asked me something.


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious, princess. You are practicing magic, right? How come you haven¡¯t done any major training on that part yet?¡±


    Yesterday after Lanivia¡¯s session, I went to training, a little bit on physical enhancement, then proceeded to read the magic book. Rogan should have seen I was practicing a little magic, but he must have been talking about doing it big, like how I did it with the fireball.


    Well, I am grounded, so I can¡¯t go outside to practice dangerous magic, that was one of the reasons. The major thing was that because I was finishing the book of magic while practicing the ice magic, I am especially wanting to improve on that part. Then often I would subtly try doing the enhancement while acting all casual.


    I should be finishing the book today or the next, so I can give more time to other matters.


    ¡°I am focusing more on familiarizing the entire content of the book first, each spell. I believe that progress will be faster if I just know in my head what steps to take.¡±


    ¡°T-The entire book? How do you even memorize the instructions and the inner workings of it without getting it all jumbled up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, right? And it¡¯s not memorizing, just familiarizing. Even Mera is doing it.¡±


    Rogan instantly turned his head to look at Mera, his eyes asking for confirmation.


    Mera responded with a wry smile.


    ¡°I am trying to familiarize it like milady, but, I end up forgetting a few contents the next days later, and even mix them up often.¡±


    She admitted she was having difficulties following my method.


    ¡°See? It¡¯s not as easy as you suggest, princess.¡± Rogan said to me.


    ¡°Really? Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re surprised? And you don¡¯t even look like you were having trouble at all.¡±


    It was not that hard really¡­


    Vernon suddenly walked a little faster and walked beside me, staring at my face.


    ¡°Your highness, are you truly confident that you are able to remember the contents of each spell in that book?¡±


    Why was he even asking me that after seeing me do that all the time? Could it be he was doubting the result but still leaving me to my own devices?


    I could lie, failing a bit, but I have already left the impression that I was doing fine, so I will be honest. Besides, I don¡¯t want them underestimating me. Seriously speaking, they underestimate me to an amount that I found unacceptable. It would be fine if they were my enemies, but to my allies, no way. I will not be looked down upon.


    ¡°You doubt my capabilities, Vernon?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly. I just want to be certain.¡±


    ¡°I have been learning to cast a healing spell, and have been applying it to certain scenarios.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you practice¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I did not demonstrate it to anyone, nor did I have any intention to.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So, princess, can you do some fighting?¡± Rogan casually asked me that.


    Vernon frowned.


    ¡°Sir Rogan, what is the significance of that question?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°Eh, nothing, I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the princess, she had no need to train in true combat, but only mostly for self-defense.¡±


    Um, Vernon, what do you mean by that? That still basically means able to fight you know? Maybe he just means intense training to achieve fighting capabilities that can go toe to toe to a real fighter, and learning fighting techniques or martial arts.


    Yeah well, the way they were letting me learn was for the reason of self-defense. But I am breaking that gradually.


    ¡°... Yeah I guess so.¡±


    ¡°I do know a few offensive spells, so I guess I can fight a little. Just a little.¡±


    I said with a smile.


    I can fight yes, but I have yet to fully feel out the powers of this world. I was used to using weapons from the old world, and not swords and magic, which we obviously didn¡¯t have. I was able to fight against Oryn, but that was in addition to taking him by surprise and using my risky ability, the raging mana. Also making him underestimate me.


    What if the time comes that I have to face someone directly and I can¡¯t do any tricks? I did see knights fight, and I had no way to fight that. But now it was different, and a firsthand experience was the best. There will certainly be differences in ways of combat here and there that I need to experience, no matter how little they may be.


    But how do I get to experience that?


    ¡°I assume they are the basic offensives, yes?¡±


    ¡°Um, I guess.¡±


    Hm, looks like I will need Rogan¡¯s help maybe. I¡¯m his charge, so I can order him whatever I need. As for Vernon, I need him to be fully by my side if I were to do that in front of him. Mera was fine, she¡¯s already mine.


    But still, not the highest priority right now.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Then we arrived in front of Eleden¡¯s office. I knocked three times on the door.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s me!¡±


    He should be able to recognize me by my voice alone. Who else had this sweet voice of mine? That¡¯s how unique and special I am.


    A second later, the door opened and who greeted me was Lucious, brother¡¯s assistant. My friend since childhood?? Yup, I still don¡¯t know how to describe our relationship with certainty.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Estelia.¡±


    ¡°L-Lucious, hi. Um, are you busy?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is always time for you, come inside.¡±


    With a nod, I turned towards my servants. ¡°Stay here.¡±


    The three looked at each other with hesitation, Rogan then merely smiled.


    ¡°Looks like as the princess¡¯s personal knight, I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡±


    ¡°You too, Sir Rogan.¡±


    ¡°.... Really?¡±


    Normally, as my personal knight, he should be with me at most times, even in situations like this, discussions, and such. However, this time, I was with family, and he wasn¡¯t required, he must not have considered that. And, I don¡¯t want this place to be so crowded, so I have them stay outside.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be alright, brother¡¯s here.¡±


    Rogan glanced at Lucious for a moment before wryly smiling.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    I saw Mera smirking on the corner, haaah, what psychological effect did I cause to her?


    I entered inside and Lucious closed the door behind me. With a wide and pure smile, I excitedly walked towards Eleden.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    He sat behind his desk with packs of paper laid upon it. His quill was already set aside as he greeted me.


    ¡°What a surprise you decided to visit, dear sister.¡±


    He fondly smiled.


    ¡°Well, I want to speak with you, brother. And I also have been meaning to check on you, so I took this chance.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°This reminds me of the time I visited Brother Estevan, he looked so cool working diligently.¡±


    I sat down on the chair in front of his desk adorably and took a peek at my brother''s work with a little tilt of the head.


    ¡°Then I imagine he must be agonizing on the inside.¡±


    ¡°Really? I think he still did a very good job.¡±


    ¡°One thing is for certain, he¡¯s a diligent man when something is at stake.¡±


    Yes, Estevan¡¯s a sweet brother. But he sure ditched the work the moment Eleden arrived.


    ¡°Was there a significant event that involved these documents, brother?¡±


    I want to know if there were some things I needed to know about. I grabbed a thin pile of papers where reports should be and began skimming.


    ¡°Hm, no, nothing too great. Mostly sanctions for nobles after the discovery of their illegal activities. Honestly, some things just evade our eyes unless looked into deeply.¡±


    As I casually read the papers with a happy smile, I sensed the gaze coming from Lucious. With no special reason, I raised my eyes from the paper to look at him. Before making eye contact, he immediately looked away. He appeared to be shy, well I can tell he was looking at me lovingly, you could say.


    Gathering from the memories of the past, I could tell he had feelings for me since childhood. The way he would bother me, wanting to get my attention, it¡¯s typically how boys act to get the attention of their crushes. But of course I ended up feeling annoyed. He always gets in my business. Maybe he was just young back then and he didn¡¯t realize he was being too much of a bother.


    But hey, aren¡¯t we young adults already? Why¡¯s he acting all shy with just that? What the hell? But I guess this was how a person could tell one''s feelings were sincere. How amusing.


    No wait, he wasn¡¯t acting like this the last we spoke. Hm, the only explanation was that he just found himself staring intently at me, and he didn¡¯t show any blush so...


    I resisted the urge to smile a little wider.


    ¡°Ah yes, Lucious. I remember seeing the name of your family amongst the documents.¡±


    He scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s really unfortunate, but I understand the reason.¡±


    ¡°Last time I checked, your household held no suspicions whatsoever. Is that still the case?¡± I asked my brother.


    ¡°Yes, their records are still clean. For now at least.¡±


    I glanced innocently at Lucious.


    ¡°But you¡¯re still looking into them, yes? Is that still necessary? They¡¯re already safe, right? I believe we have no reason to doubt Lucious and his family.¡±


    I said to my brother, my hand to my chest.


    Eleden lowered the paper in his hand and stared at me with a smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t doubt Lucious?¡±


    I tilted my head.


    ¡°Why would I? I don¡¯t believe Lucious would do something bad, even his family. Or am I wrong to feel that way?¡±


    I shifted my eyes towards Lucious, wide and sparkling with innocence. Lucious smiled a little and covered his mouth with his hand, hiding the smile.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong,¡± said my brother. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stop them, it just doesn¡¯t work that way.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I turned towards Lucious with a sad expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lucious, I¡¯m sure everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡°N-No, I, um, I am grateful for your concern, Estelia. It¡¯s great to hear it from you.¡±


    He said to me with a smile.


    But of course I knew they couldn¡¯t just stop gathering information with my words alone. I just said all that for no great reason ¡ª well, just to play around mostly.


    I nodded with a happy smile.


    ¡°By the way, Estelia.¡± Lucious said. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be on your magic study today? That¡¯s what I heard you were doing while we were gone.¡±


    Oh? Lucious strikes a conversation.


    ¡°Indeed. But I wanted to check up on both of you. It¡¯s been a while since we have seen each other¡­ but, am I bothering you? If I am, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°No, please stay, you have no need to stay. Your presence alone gives me the energy to work.¡±


    I faked a blush as I lowered my gaze.


    Dude if they said ¡°then leave¡± that would have been an epic fail ¡ª but of course that happening was the lowest as a number could be.


    ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡±


    I looked away and stared at the document after stammering in my words from his subtle ¡°flirting¡±, I saw at the corner of my eyes that Eleden nodded a little with a grin.


    Hmmm. Are they¡­?


    ¡°I m-may be bothering you w-with your work, so I t-think I should leave.¡±


    I said with blatant embarrassment and put down the documents in my hand back to where they came from. While I was standing up, intending to escape, the two panicked.


    Lucious in particular looked more scared. But before I could fully take a step, my brother saved the day and called out to me.


    ¡°Wait! Estelia, I thought you had something important to talk to me about. Let¡¯s talk about it now, don¡¯t worry about our work, we have plenty of time.¡±


    I halted and hesitantly turned back, slowly sitting back on my seat.


    If they didn¡¯t call me back, I would just act that I recalled I needed something. But everything sure went well.


    ¡°R-Right, um¡­ Brother, I have a request¡­ I want new dresses.¡±


    He tilted his head.


    ¡°Dresses?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any funds to buy them myself.¡±


    ¡°You could have asked for them, you know.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, but¡­¡± I acted more embarrassed.


    ¡°Well, I can help you with that, it will be my treat. But why ask me though? Isn¡¯t it normally Mother the one working on that?¡±


    I rubbed my hands together.


    ¡°Mother seemed to be very busy with something and always stayed in the library. Father is also a busy man, I¡¯m afraid to disturb him with matters like mine. Meanwhile big brother Estevan is mostly outside and working with the knights.¡± I paused as I looked at Eleden. ¡°You¡¯re the only one I can talk to, brother. And you are the nearest I can approach. I-I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m bothering you.¡±


    No need to mention I was grounded. Eleden was just the safest.


    ¡°I see. I understand¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°We¡¯re starting to somewhat neglect you, huh.¡± he quietly said.


    ¡°What did you say, brother?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    The voice was so quiet that not anyone should hear it clearly, but I did. With a few sounds and lip movements, I can tell what he said.


    I have no idea what he was starting to think to himself and perhaps misunderstanding something.


    ¡°Alright, Estelia. I¡¯ll handle your request. Lucious, contact our usual tailor and schedule an appointment.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    My expression brightened.


    ¡°Thank you very much, brother! You¡¯re the best!¡±


    If Estevan saw this, he would lose his mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you here right now if you want, as thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, don¡¯t you have your own studies to worry about? You can focus on that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Then is it alright I take my leave?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you have no need to ask for my permission.¡±


    ¡°Then see you later, brother.¡± Then when I turned to Lucious, I apparently hesitated for a moment, and bashfully spoke to him. ¡°S-See you later, L-Lucious.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, see you.¡±


    Then I turned to Eleden again.


    ¡°Oh and brother, please keep it a secret¡­ okay?"


    After seeing my brother nod, I left the room with a smile.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 23: The Young Man Who Has A Crush

    The moment the door clicked closed, the two men left inside the office sighed loudly in relief, their shoulders drooping.


    ¡°I almost had a heart attack when she was attempting to leave.¡±


    Lucious put his hands on his hip as he endeavored to let out his fear.


    ¡°Yeah, that was a close call. It would have been too difficult for you if she had exited the room.¡±


    The crisis was only averted when Eleden insisted for Estelia to stay. Otherwise, if she left without anything else happening, Lucious might find it harder to speak with her. Likely she would even start avoiding him completely.


    He couldn¡¯t be more relieved that Estelia spoke to him right before she left and was in a better mood.


    ¡°Still, I never thought she would be affected with only that. I thought it would take way more than that¡­¡± Lucious said as he reflected on his actions.


    He tried complimenting, or rather, flirting with the princess, but that took more effect than he had expected.


    ¡°Hmm, I agree. Even I was surprised¡­ But it could also be because she may be becoming aware.¡±


    ¡°What? Aware of what?¡±


    ¡°Well, you.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, no way. No way she would be aware.¡±


    ¡°Well, she should be aware now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Lucious wasn¡¯t sure if that was the case. But if she was aware, would that be a good or bad thing for him? Was her piecing together the puzzle better or worse? And it would have been better that Lucious himself should have expressed his feelings personally?


    Seeing how she was, he had to take a more careful step in the future.


    That aside, seeing her, captivated him more than he could remember. She was naturally very vibrant already, but it was even more when she was smiling. Her soft and smooth pale skin, he wanted to touch her even for just a moment, he had often made physical contact with her during childhood, but, as they got older, it was becoming more difficult to act like when they were kids.


    And her eyes, those astonishing crimson eyes, they were deep and mystifying, he wanted to be lost in those vast depths. Her voice was so sweet that he wanted to hear it every day. Her platinum hair was more beautiful and radiant than any jewels. She was a treasure in his eyes, she was perfect in every way. His heartbeat intensified just remembering her.


    ¡°If that is the case, I hope it goes well.¡±


    He never thought courting a girl would get this difficult. True he could be open with it here and then, but that would result in driving her away for good. He utterly didn¡¯t want that. The deeper one¡¯s feeling was, the more they wanted to be careful ¡ª and that was the case with Lucious.


    ¡°That aside, it was great to see her smile as always after what we learned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it felt bizarre¡­ but I¡¯m thankful to the gods that they have yet to take her from this world.¡±


    Recently, they have learned that Estelia happened to have a fatal fall down the stairs that should have taken her life away. When Lucious heard about it, he was so horrified that his soul almost left his body. He couldn¡¯t have imagined someone as delicate as Estelia would fall down the stairs that dangerously.


    That close to death situation he heard flashed back to his mind when Estelia entered the room earlier. That was why he could not help but gaze closely at her, trying to look at every detail of her face. Every tiny detail.


    She was lovely as always, how he loved gazing at her.


    ¡°To think my family would fail to tell me that¡­¡± Eleden quietly said.


    ¡°Still, I can¡¯t think of the reason why someone would come after her. She shouldn¡¯t be involved in something like this.¡±


    Lucious pursed his lips in bitterness. It was a terrible notion that someone was after her life when she was never threatening at all. She was always the delicate and pure Princess Estelia, he cannot even imagine her able to step on a bug.


    ¡°No use mulling our heads without any information. For now, let¡¯s focus on where we can.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Ah, are you familiar with Estelia¡¯s new knight?¡±


    ¡°Rogan, was it? Not really. But I know a few.¡±


    ¡°I only saw him a few times, but never really got to know him. What do you know about him?¡±


    ¡°You should ask Estevan about that. But what I do know is that he¡¯s a carefree person, playful and that gives the impression he doesn¡¯t take things seriously. He¡¯s still one of the elites despite that. There¡¯s also the part where he¡¯s quite friendly with the commoner guards.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Lucious pondered one thing. ¡°Him and Estelia, they were quite friendly to each other¡­¡±


    There was a weird feeling in his chest that was unpleasant.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They spoke like they were already open with each other, it gives off that kind of feeling. Estelia n-never did that with me...¡±


    He was feeling a bit threatened.


    ¡°Are you, perhaps by any chance, worried? No, rather, feeling jealous?¡± Eleden asked with furrowed brows.


    ¡°...¡± Lucious remained silent.


    Was he jealous? Was that the case? He and Estelia had been friends since childhood, but that knight that she was supposed to have met only recently now interacted closely with each other more than Lucious and Estelia ever did. He was completely bothered about it.


    ¡°Ah, you are jealous.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s just that, why him? I don¡¯t understand. Judging on the description you had just said, and the way he acted earlier, he¡¯s not the ideal knight at all. And him to be assigned as the princess¡¯s knight? It¡¯s unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°... Perhaps.¡± Eleden lowered his head as he pondered what this could imply. ¡°Father was the one who assigned him, but he never talked about it with me. It¡¯s hard to imagine Father was the one to personally select him when there are other suitable candidates.¡±


    Lucious¡¯s heart sank when he came to realize something.


    ¡°... Then the likely chance of him is because the princess recommended him?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, or there are other factors at play.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°This is bad, Lucious. This might mean that he caught Estelia¡¯s eye.¡± He said with an amused smile.


    Lucious drooped his shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking. It doesn¡¯t feel that way. And remember what I told you? Estelia is not an easy girl. Believe me, I¡¯m her brother. There may just be other reasons that Father couldn¡¯t tell me. There was a time when he and Estelia spoke privately, that may have something to do with it.¡±


    But what could it be? Lucious had no idea.


    ¡°But there is something for certain¡­ Hehe, you have another rival.¡±


    Lucious walked towards one of the chairs and collapsed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna let that stop me.¡±


    ¡°Good determination. Without that, I would have not been in favor of you.¡±


    ¡°Lucky you, El. You already have a love life.¡±


    ¡°I was extremely lucky it seems.¡±


    ¡°Please give me a little free time.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, let¡¯s just see.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    This chapter was shorter than I thought it was at first. I''ll try posting a new chapter tomorrow.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 24: The Princess Tries to Design an Outfit

    The day after I requested to have a tailor sent for me, I decided to start sketching the ideal clothes I would use in times of need. The schedule for the tailor¡¯s arrival may have yet to be made, it was still better to get sketching right away. Although I could just have him design it, I think it would be hard for me to explain and describe what I want to him.


    Plus, he wouldn¡¯t think that I would need it for fighting, not that I would tell him. I will be spending the night thinking up a design and thus setting aside my nightly training. It¡¯s fine, would do well if I shift my focus to something more pleasant.


    Not that I¡¯m saying I enjoy drawing, it was just entertaining to scribble around whatever comes to mind. Needless to say, I¡¯m a pretty good artist. I can pretty much draw from anatomy to landscapes. Although I¡¯m not much into too much detail, just enough and recognizable. That said, I am never into designing clothes, so that might be a bit of a challenge.


    Eh, how hard can it be?


    I already have a decent quill and ink in my room, so I will only need papers, and I will need a stack of them! I just hope the ink has not dried up in the time they were unused. Well, I have no need to use them in the first place, so yeah¡­ those were there for decorations pretty much.


    As we were heading to my bedroom, I asked Vernon to bring me a stack of clean sheets of paper.


    Of course, ever curious as he was with me, he raised his eyebrow while asking a question.


    ¡°If I may ask, for what purpose would you be using them?¡±


    Understandable that he would be interested in knowing, this was the first-ever I requested for such a thing.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, so please bring me some.¡±


    I said with a secretive smile, but of course looking adorable as ever.


    Vernon left, then shortly I arrived at my room. I urged Mera and Rogan that they can now leave and I¡¯ll wait for Vernon.


    ¡°Princess, as long as your business isn¡¯t done, it is my responsibility to keep guarding you until it¡¯s over.¡±


    Was that how it works? Well, fine by me, they can do whatever they want.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯ll also be staying, milady. Just in case you require anything else.¡±


    Woah Mera, getting competitive now?


    ¡°Okay, Mera, I understand.¡±


    With a smile, I left the door open and walked towards my desk where the quill and inkwell were placed. I picked up the inkwell and shook it a little, feeling the force of the black liquid from the inside. Good, it¡¯s still alright. But they do replace this every few months when they notice it¡¯s drying so I guess there was nothing to worry about in the first place.


    After making certain, I returned to the door to await Vernon¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°So princess, what are you making? Maybe writing a poem?¡± Rogan casually asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Just some personal stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. No intention of sharing, huh. I understand.¡±


    With that, he stopped showing any interest. Good thing he knew when not to intrude too much. Despite his demeanor, was a sensible man after all.


    A short moment later, Vernon arrived with a stack of clean sheets of paper in his hands. They were about an inch thick, wasn¡¯t it too much for one person to use?


    Is he playing with me?


    Agh, I guess a little extra would do no harm.


    ¡°Here you go, princess.¡±


    I received the papers around the size of an A4 bond paper with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you. Now then everyone, good night to you all.¡±


    With that done, I locked the door and placed the stacks of paper on my desk. Pulling my chair and sitting down, I picked a pair of paper and laid them on top of each other. I¡¯m intending on leaving one beneath so the feel of the strokes would be better than having the quil direct contact with the hard wooden surface.


    I removed the cap of the inkwell and dipped the quill then brought it on top of the paper. It was then that I stopped.


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at the clean sheet, then at the quill.


    ¡°What should I draw?¡±


    I can¡¯t replicate the design of my operations outfit from the old world. I need to blend my outfit into something fashionable while also promoting mobility. I need to make it look good since well¡­ the tailor was supposed to be making a dress for the princess.


    I can¡¯t just have him create a dark suit.


    I looked straight at the wall, mulling what design I should make. My face got stiff as I thought hard...


    Dammit! Why am I having difficulties thinking of the design? I need to look good, but why can¡¯t I come up with anything?! I placed the quill back into the inkwell as I palmed my face in frustration.


    Relax, think of what I want.


    Um, mix a dress-like design with a combat style of outfit? Hmmmm¡­ Shorts? And a dress¡­ What about the material to use?


    I stared at the quill¡­. Agh, would have been better if I had a pencil but whatever.


    I picked it up and scribbled on the sheet of paper. I drew a face, a beautiful one that almost filled the entire page. The perfect jaw, cheeks, eyes, forehead, neck, hair. It took some time but when I finished I smiled in delight.


    Hmm¡­ wait. It¡¯s my beautiful face!


    I was just scribbling something to pass the time while thinking, and I ended up sketching my face that was smiling so purely. Looking at it made my heart beat harder and I felt excited¡­ I can¡¯t hold that feeling.


    ¡°Damn I¡¯m beautiful.¡±


    My smile grew wider as I gazed at the fine piece of art. My sketch was accurate, anyone would praise me if they saw this.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ll set you aside for now, beautiful one.¡±


    And so I carefully put it aside. I glanced at it again.


    Damn I¡¯m gorgeous and cute, and pure and pretty, and sweet. Damn, I love me!


    ¡°!¡±


    I shook my head.


    I shouldn¡¯t be distracted! I still have something to do.


    I picked another sheet and began scribbling again. This time I drew the shape of an entire human body. Then came the long hair fluttering in the wind, then came a smiling face and beautiful eyes. Then I drew the dress waving in the wind the same way as the hair.


    Then next were the feet and beneath it, the grassy floor, grasses swaying through the blowing wind. When it was done, I smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡­. Haaah, I just drew myself again standing on a grassy plain with an elegant dress ¡ª one of the fine clothes I wear. All that¡¯s missing was a massive hat.


    Yeah, I drew myself so what?! I can¡¯t help it. I''m sorry I¡¯m an idiot. But you gotta admit, I look wonderful. Me standing on an empty yet peaceful plain.


    ¡°Wonderful depiction of myself!¡±


    Damn I love seeing myself.


    Okay, you may ask for what purpose this was¡­. The answer is¡­ nothing. Yup, no big reason at all.


    Hey, don¡¯t be angry now. I can think of a good reason right now if you want! Oh, I know! I can visualize myself through this and come up with a design. Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s done? You need to look at the subject so you can come up with a design that suits them? Yeah, I thought so. Oh I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t have a camera... so drawing is the way!


    I scrutinized the drawing of myself while mulling for a design. I put it in front of me on the wall then picked another paper.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    I tapped my finger on the table, then dipped the quill into the ink.


    Finally came up with an idea, I drew what I had just thought, just the rough sketch of the outfit. When it was done, I groaned outwardly.


    This sucks!


    Doesn¡¯t look good at all, it¡¯s awkward! Who would wear this? Fuck.


    I crumpled the paper in my hands and threw it away. See you, you piece of shit.


    A moment later, after coming up with an idea, I drew a sketch of a design again. But when it was done, I crumpled it again and threw it away out of my sight.


    This sucks! No one¡¯s gonna wear this? Who¡¯s gonna be impressed? I¡¯ll look like a clown!


    Dammit! At this point in time I should have already come up with an idea to improve upon, and I have to sacrifice my time of practice for this. Aaaaaah, right focus.


    I looked up at the ceiling while pondering.


    When I came up with a design, I sketched it down. Scrap it. Draw again. Scrap. Draw. Scrap.


    None were to my satisfaction. I¡¯m a choosy girl, what can I do?


    A lot of time passed and I finally sighed loudly without holding back.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaah¡­.¡±


    I¡¯m so irritated right now. It¡¯s embarrassing to even look at these. And my room was now a mess.


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    If my sense of time wasn¡¯t distorted in the course of my scribbling, it should be midnight now. I barely felt any drowsiness because I was so concentrated on these things.


    Fuck it, I¡¯m going to sleep.


    I have to wake up early tomorrow.


    Cleaning these up tonight was a pain, so I¡¯m just gonna leave them be for now.


    After closing the inkwell, I collapsed on the bed, fatigued both physically and mentally.


    It didn¡¯t take long before I fell asleep.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    She loves herself a lot..... lol

 Vol. 2 Chapter 25: Embarrassment

    I heard knockings on the door and I groaned awake.


    Aaaagh, I need more sleep. Time is too short¡­


    But, I can¡¯t be like this¡­ If I fell into the temptation of falling back asleep, I would be a failure.


    But it feels so good to sleep¡­ but I can¡¯t.


    I forced myself up and opened the door with droopy eyes. The first face I saw was the cute Mera, I have gotten used to seeing her face first thing every morning. I then noticed that both Vernon and Rogan had arrived.


    ¡°Your highness, you look more sleepy than usual,¡± Vernon commented.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡±


    I yawned while covering my mouth after returning to the inside of my room. Then I noticed my dirty room filled with crumpled papers.


    ¡°Princess! What did you do to your room?!¡± Vernon exclaimed in utter surprise.


    Well, my room has always been clean.


    ¡°Looks like a storm just passed through here,¡± said Rogan, he looked genuinely surprised.


    ¡°Let¡¯s clean this up.¡±


    Sweet Mera was the first to suggest, but!


    ¡°N-No! I¡¯ll clean them up myself, they¡¯re my mess!¡±


    Dammit, no way I¡¯m letting them see my cringe drawings! I¡¯m burning these to ashes.


    I hastily picked up those nearest to my bedroom since I don¡¯t want them looking down near the bed. Even though the sheets covered the under of the bed, I still couldn¡¯t take the chance.


    ¡°Milady, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s an order!¡±


    I could have not opened the door then cleaned up, but that would take time and they would surely open it up themselves so¡­ no wait, am I just making up excuses? Dammit, alright I thought I wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed if they saw these, but now they¡¯re actually here, I don¡¯t want them to see these.


    This kind of situation never happened in my past life. Every time I show off, I master it first before showing it to everyone, or to the point that I¡¯m satisfied. Like playing music for example.


    But this time, I¡¯m not satisfied with these yet! Who the hell shows something they were obviously bad at?


    ¡­ Huh, aren¡¯t I too embarrassed right now? Too embarrassed¡­ much more than I would expect.


    I am this embarrassed with such a thing? I¡¯m ridiculous.


    Of course, even though I had given an order, it was a little too late. Though Mera froze halfway, and Rogan hesitated, Vernon noticed something. He saw a fraction of my drawing! He picked and opened it up.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Mera and Rogan immediately looked at the paper in Vernon¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Clothes?¡±


    ¡°A dress?¡±


    Rogan and Mera murmured.


    I tried making these look almost like dresses, but they ended up impractical, and most just sucked.


    They got curious and so each picked up a rolled paper and opened them, seeing my sketches, with the exception of Mera who just stood there anxiously.


    But witnessing this, my face almost contorted.


    Disobeying orders! Unacceptable! How dare they! These imbeciles! They would dare disobey me?! Me?! The nerves!


    I violently snatched them from their hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Look.¡±


    I said to them sternly, holding back my anger. As Estelia, I must not lash out.


    I crumpled them again and began picking up the other remaining scattered on the ground, ignoring them. Good thing they only quietly stared at me, otherwise I might have lost my cool a little again.


    After gathering everything in my arms, I got an idea. A bit risky, but I¡¯m not alone, so it should be fine. Not like I¡¯ll mess up something so simple anyway.


    I used the barrier spell and shaped it into a ball, keeping the papers inside it. A gap opened and with a finger, I cast the fire spell, instantly setting the papers inside the ball ablaze. I closed the gap and waited until the papers burned into ashes.


    As the fire dwindled, I opened my windows, letting in the fresh air of the morning. When the fire had disappeared, I moved the hovering ball to the outside and opened it bit by bit, and the ashes flew away in the wind.


    When they were no more, the barrier vanished.


    I heaved a relieved sigh. Now, no one else will get to see my defective creations.


    I turned around to see the dumbfounded faces of my servants, I still felt a little irritated and I had no intention of hiding it, as seen through my slightly wrinkling frown. Needless to say, I don¡¯t care about what they think of my actions.


    But, this anger may be misplaced. Still, I was displeased by them disobeying my order like that, it was one simple order, and it was not that easy to tolerate. Mera was a bit safer from my wrath though, but she still took a peek at them.


    ¡°Now then¡­ that¡¯s about done, get on with it.¡±


    I said with a neutral expression. That said, there was another thing, or rather, two things that caught their eyes. Namely the sketches I did of myself. I don¡¯t really mind them looking at those, I am confident of the outcome of the two.


    ¡°Your highness, I didn¡¯t know you have a talent for the arts.¡±


    Vernon casually approached my desk and picked up the sketch of my portrait. Probably sensing my irritation just now, Rogan and Mera didn¡¯t pick any paper but only peeked at the paper in Vernon¡¯s hand and to the other drawing.


    ¡°Magnificent, such detail and accuracy,¡± Vernon said with awe.


    ¡°Yeah, I would never be able to do something like it,¡± Rogan added.


    Mera only quietly stared at my drawing with wide eyes, filled with awe.


    ¡°And this¡­¡± Vernon picked up the other one. ¡°To be able to draw your entire body, and even the fluttering dress. Not to mention the landscape and the angle.¡±


    How flattering, but now time to stop this. I snatched the papers from his hands and put them inside the drawers.


    ¡°Now I understand why you wanted paper. Princess, since when are you able to do something that amazing?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°Is the answer to that truly important?¡±


    ¡°... N-No, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then there is no urgency, nor am I obligated to answer.¡±


    I was about to walk away but Rogan casually spoke.


    ¡°Those dresses, princess, were you trying to design some clothes?¡±


    I glared at him, prompting his smile to freeze.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that they look b-bad, in fact I think they were d-decent.¡±


    No, they were defective designs.


    ¡°If they were decent, I wouldn¡¯t have thrown them away.¡±


    And they were not the design I was looking for. I did have a goal of making it at least a bit extravagant, maybe that¡¯s the flaw when it is to be made for a special purpose.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I still find the way they were drawn to be lovely.¡±


    I stared at him for a moment before nodding, no need for pointless debate.


    ¡°I also think they were lovely, milady. It¡¯s a bit unfortunate they were burned to be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    Even so, hopeless defectives must be disposed of. Drawings are not people that can be changed and improved on top of, you need to start over again on a clean slate. That said, even people can be hopeless and worthless, so they must be disposed of¡­


    Is that why I was killed? Did I become defective?


    Where did I lack? I was useful. I am happy to be free, but I still felt a bit bitter about being thrown away. But, maybe my thoughts would have been different if I wasn¡¯t brought here all of a sudden.


    The afterlife, huh.


    This made me wonder about my team. I hope they¡¯re doing alright.


    After apparently taking in their compliments with my timid nod, we continued on what we usually do. Vernon still appeared pretty occupied with his own thoughts, which I imagined he was pondering about what I just did ¡ª meaning my ¡°talent.¡±


    Well, whatever, he does what he does. I also don¡¯t intend to scold them with something so trivial, this was nothing worth lashing out about. But in different situations, I will be strict. That said, I still couldn¡¯t do whatever I wanted when Vernon was not completely mine, and Father has yet to say anything regarding my request.


    I¡¯ll wait for a while then.


    Breakfast went on as normal, and the food had improved quite a bit compared to last week. Hm, I wonder who was doing this good work. Maybe that young man, I mean, he looked motivated to improve. Now that Allie was gone, maybe his insecurities had loosened a bit.


    As I have no other purpose or reason to visit the kitchen, I don¡¯t have any motivation to visit there. But if I feel like it, I think I¡¯ll visit, that young man should amuse me, with him having a crush on me. Yeah boys, girls like to play around with boys¡¯ feelings ¡ª I¡¯m kidding, there¡¯s only so few of us, I think. Nevermind.


    On the dining table, I glanced at my eldest brother and he immediately noticed my gaze. He smiled as if we were two siblings having our little secret. Wew, good thing I¡¯m such a precious sister that my request of keeping it a secret would be carried out by my brother with no problem at all. If my other family members learned about it, my plans would be thrown in the trash bin, slash trash can, or whichever term one prefers.


    ¡°Right, Estelia,¡± Father called me amidst the dining. ¡°The library is finished with its repairs, you are free to enter now whenever you like.¡±


    Oh cool. I suppose that would be a good place for a reading session ¡ª and there¡¯s also the thing Mother was working on. Were they still there I wonder? I¡¯ll take a peek eventually.


    When we finished eating, I began making my way to the library. As I expected, Mother came along with me to the library.


    She clung to my arm and pressed herself on me. She was pleasantly soft, and the warmth was soothing. I felt a little peace when she¡¯s this close to me, making me recall our moments together in the library.


    She¡¯s growing on me¡­


    I don¡¯t know how to take these feelings. But what I¡¯m certain of was that it was more pleasant to let it be.


    ¡°My my, there surely has become a crowd of people following you, Estelia. In the future, I can already imagine a group of retainers serving you with loyalty to you alone.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Too many would be too much for me to handle¡­ so I think this number is fine.¡±


    Mother chuckled as though not believing my words. What I said might sound absurd since that surely won¡¯t be possible with me being royalty. But I was a bit serious, I mean, if I¡¯m a plain princess, what am I going to give them as a salary? If it doesn¡¯t come from my own pocket despite becoming an adult, I would feel a bit uneasy.


    Rewards also inspire loyalty to followers. Even the organization gives us a few ¡°gifts¡± depending on the handler¡¯s mood. Some free time, some weapons, and some just a rest day. Well, okay, it wasn¡¯t much, but it already felt rewarding.


    And me relying on the cash of the monarchs and not from me doesn¡¯t exactly make me feel easy. But wasn¡¯t that how it works? Paying the servants from the pocket of the monarch ¡ª ahem, tax money? I guess this was just me thinking about the depths of my follower¡¯s heart.


    I don¡¯t want something motivated by money, I want from the heart. Don¡¯t underestimate what the heart can make someone do. Such a thing was valuable, especially when it has its uses at the right time.


    But if that¡¯s the case, then I have to inspire loyalty in another way. I did it by winning Mera¡¯s heart. As for Rogan, I got it by gaining his interest, but that was not yet enough. As for Vernon, he was following me because of the orders of my father.


    I want my followers to take a bullet for me with no hesitation.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± my mother muttered.


    Suddenly she held my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since the last time it was just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    I voluntarily gripped her hand gently, a smile I was conscious of slightly curled on the corner of my lips.


    But before I knew it we had arrived at the library, it felt so short¡­


    ¡°I need to go. See you later, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh....okay.¡±


    When she let go of the hand, my own hand slightly moved forward, but I immediately held it back. I need to focus on something more important.


    With a deep breath, I began walking just a bit behind Mother and towards a bit off her direction but I kept tracking her from the corner of my eyes. When she got a bit further, I slowly followed behind her until I saw her enter a private room. I tried getting a glance inside it but to no avail.


    ¡°Princess?¡± Vernon called out to me in puzzlement.


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s inside there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    That¡¯s unfortunate.


    ¡°... Mera, just put down the book on the table,¡± I said to Mera who was holding my Magic Book, although I don¡¯t particularly need it much anymore after a few pages. If she wants it, I¡¯ll lend it to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking through the books on the shelves. Do not disturb me and do not follow me, that also applies to you, Sir Rogan. I want to be alone.¡±


    Rogan casually nodded his head.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next Chapter: Royal Disappearances


    Don''t have anything to do with the novel. Elden Ring looks pretty interesting, and I sort of want to try it. But aside from the fact that I''m broke... I never played Souls games lol. I fear that if I buy Elden Ring, I might just rage quit for dying a million times (I hate hard af games, so stressing lol) Although, I''m excited for Plague Tales: Requiem, love it! Got to try the first game when it was free in Epic, and I loved it. Also looking forward to Starfield. Any games everyone looking forward to?

 Vol. 2 Chapter 26: Royal Disappearances

    There were only very few people here in the library, unlike the last time I was here when it was only me and my gang. But I guess after the traitor was found, there wasn¡¯t much need for tight security such as keeping the staff out of the library just for me.


    As I made my way amidst the shelves, I saw at the corner of my eyes the three looking at each other. There must be hesitation, but it shouldn¡¯t be that surprising for Vernon and Mera since this had already happened before.


    I casually walked through the shelves filled with books, heading towards the section where I last knew where books about the kingdom were. I wanted to know a bit of background about the kingdom since, well, no good in not knowing much about my own kingdom ¡ª true it was taught during my lessons, but no way they go that deep with us just having sessions of a few hours. Unlike a place where school takes place for about eight hours every weekday.


    When I arrived at the section, the texts about the monarchs were of course still here, but I¡¯m not yet reading those. Not even the book that was written by that king that made the Air Step spell.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I¡¯m also not doing it completely out of obligation sort of say, this might also be a good time to have a little leisure.


    Still, these books are just about the life of specific monarchs and events that happened during their reign.


    I only wanted to read a little more detailed background of the kingdom I haven¡¯t been taught yet. And no way I¡¯m reading dozens of books just for that, too time-consuming. Not like any specific monarchs have any significance for me, well I¡¯ll learn of their significance after reading them in history.


    This will also be a good chance to learn a bit of background from any noble family, figure out who¡¯s truly close with the royal family, one with history.


    But moments later I was still looking for the appropriate book I was looking for. Come on, there has to be someone diligent enough to make a summarized history of our kingdom.


    Is there any librarian here?


    Everything would be quicker if I just talk to one. But there didn¡¯t seem to be a reception desk at the entrance, so I imagined there was no one to serve as a librarian. Maybe the palace has no need for one? Or this world just worked differently in this type of thing.


    Hm, Mother might know, but she¡¯s busy.


    I should maybe ask one of the staff when I grow impatient. Hey, I¡¯m not used to being surrounded by books, so don¡¯t blame me if I lose patience looking for a book I just want to read.


    Just as I was searching, I encountered someone, a tall slim woman wearing a professional-looking dress that covered most of her skin except for the hands, feet, and of course the neck... In short, she looked like she was dressed against the cold. But it certainly wasn¡¯t that cold right now.


    She had short black hair and dark eyes, and she stood tall with her back straight as a pole. The moment she saw me, she took a sharp breath for a second and peered at me as though making sure I was who she recognized.


    After I cutely smiled at her, she took a step back and did an elegant curtsy.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    She greeted me with surprising calmness. I expected her to be a bit more shaken or something, but I guess she was used to royals entering the library often.


    ¡°Hello. Um, you¡¯re one of the library staff, yes? Can you help me with something?¡±


    ¡°Of course, what are you searching for?¡±


    ¡°A book about the history of the kingdom. Like, the entire history being written in a single book.¡±


    Without a moment¡¯s delay, she immediately nodded her head as if she had already known what I was searching for.


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll get it for you, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She began walking opposite my direction and stopped before a certain shelf a couple of shelves away from me. Huh, so it wasn¡¯t that far. She then pulled out a thick book, my eyes widened for a moment after seeing how thick it was, thicker than a bowl of oatmeal ¡ª hehehe¡­ yeah I saw that clip.


    When she returned to me, I received the book and immediately felt the weight and I was distraught at the thickness. It was around two inches thick, a bit more. Well, what history book is thin anyway?


    I let my arms hang down as if suggesting this was heavy for me. No reason, just so I look cute.


    ¡°T-Thank you. Then, excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to help you bring it to your table, your highness?¡±


    I smiled at her kindness.


    ¡°No need. Thank you for the offer, but my table is not that far anyway.¡±


    After seeing her nod, I continued onward, returning to where my servants were. As for if I was truly struggling to carry this book, nope, way better than I formerly would. My arm strength had gotten better after all that workout every night and then.


    But of course I¡¯m not going to do it too much ¡®cause my soft appearance is very important to me like how one would take care of their romantic partner. That¡¯s why I need to be capable of using the physical enhancement so I don¡¯t have to worry about strength too much. With the amount of mana I have, I have more range of increasing my physical strength. That¡¯s what I expect at least.


    When I came back, the three gawked at the sheer size of the book within my hand, a thick and lengthy book, that looked like those old ass big dictionaries.


    With a little slam, I put down the book on the table.


    ¡°Princess, what are you intending with that?¡±


    What a foolish question, Rogan. I wanted to say that, but I¡¯m not gonna.


    ¡°To read of course. What other purpose does a book have?¡±


    As it was a fairly old book, it only had a leather cover with no writing whatsoever that suggested what this book was about. I wonder whose generation was the one covered last. I opened the book and on the first page wrote the title ¡°Wisterian History¡± with the author Staugen Lanson. I don¡¯t recall having a monarch of that name, so he must be someone else.


    ¡°The kingdom¡¯s history?¡± Vernon muttered. ¡°This is the least I was expecting you would take interest in, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, aren¡¯t you already learning about this kind of stuff in your studies?¡± Rogan said. ¡°And to be reading an overly detailed one, apparent from the sheer size of the text.¡±


    I smiled softly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? It''s going to be interesting, don¡¯t you think? History is the best subject.¡±


    No it¡¯s not.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I want to go deeply about it though¡­¡±


    Oh my Rogan, how shameful of you not to have any interest in the history of our beloved kingdom and lovely home. You should be beheaded under a guillotine. Just kidding.


    ¡°Alright, Mera.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°You can continue your training with Vernon while I¡¯m reading.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    I sat down with a sigh. At least this would be a change of pace for once.


    I turned the page and skimmed through the pages, reading the parts where there seemed to be interesting stuff going on. In the first pages though, it stated that this was written during the time of that certain king who took out the unnecessary nobles and formed a friendly relationship with the holy kingdom. So that king, fifth king back from Father. Quite recently then.


    Then after that page, as expected, it started at the founding of the kingdom where two lovers were. However, there was something new I discovered.


    That¡¯s interesting.


    There were accounts that say that the founding queen, after their children were only a few years old, barely showed herself, never appearing in public since then but only her husband the king. There were sayings that she got ill.


    However, there was another small piece of information that she was also never seen walking around the castle nor were there servants sent to take care of her. That being said, the king insisted that everything was alright and nothing to worry about. However, there was no definite information discovered. Documentation seemed to be very rare that so little information was found that talks about the founding and the first royal family.


    If that was the case though, what could have happened to the queen?


    Well, no point in mulling over it when there¡¯s barely any useful information. For all I know it was just some random politics at work, or the queen just wanted to rest and retired to the countryside. Being a leader of a country is not easy work. Sometimes, simple things just happened in the past and we¡¯re simply overthinking and going wrong about it, making assumptions.


    Moving on I skimmed through the pages again.


    Boooorinnnggg.


    Come on, give me something interesting. Yeah I¡¯m taking this like I¡¯m reading some novel or something. I kept skimming through several pages, only stopping to read the entire page when I caught something interesting.


    Then a few generations later, I caught something interesting.


    A royalty disappearing¡­


    In this one particular generation, an exceptional prince suddenly vanished from the kingdom, never seen again. He was the eldest child, but one day, he just disappeared without any warning, nor did he say he was going somewhere. It was as if he was abducted.


    That being said, there was no known feud he had with anyone nor did the royal family. They searched and searched, but to no avail. Of course, eventually, they just gave up, but it took more than a decade to do so.


    Hm, maybe he eloped?


    Then the next one after that, another record of a missing royalty, this time a princess.


    Maybe she eloped?


    I joked, but in the next generation, another prince once again vanished.


    Woah woah, what the fuck?


    This was worrisome. I mean, why were they disappearing just like that?!


    Next generation, another one also disappeared.


    ¡­ What was going on? Wait, were there any disappearances from the family before me? Something they hid from me, or from us?


    I skipped a few generations. Another missing royalty. Several centuries later, and the pattern of disappearances had changed. Instead of every new royal family, it skipped a family or so. Then during another couple of centuries, only one royalty vanished. Then, when I moved through the pages, events about royal disappearances came to a stop. There were no more disappearances¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    I put a hand to cover my mouth, just a thinking posture.


    Is this actually serious?


    I mean, I am royalty. Could this be connected to those wanting to kill me? Oryn, and those inhuman beings? But if that¡¯s the case, why? Why were royalties even disappearing? For what reason?


    Some beef with Wisteria? But to keep happening for even centuries, it¡¯s absurd for grudges to last that long. So, could this mean I¡¯m the target now? And if the ones targeting me wanted me dead, then all those other royalties were killed. Only now did it change, coming out of subtlety because I was warned and then told my family about the situation.


    If that¡¯s not the case, then could the disappearances be caused by another entity entirely? But to last for centuries¡­ and then stopping? Hmm.


    ¡°Does anyone know anything about these disappearances of royalty?¡±


    My three servants looked at me with confusion, taken aback by my sudden question. Considering the topic, it was quite a shocking one.


    ¡°Disappearances?¡±


    Vernon didn¡¯t know, huh. I looked at Mera and she shook her head, but that was to be expected.


    ¡°This is news to me. What disappearances, if I may ask?¡± Rogan asked.


    ¡°For each century, a single member of the royal family disappears, whether they be prince or princesses. It only stopped several centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°If you asked, then the reason was never discovered.¡± Rogan said.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t even found them nor was there any mention of any clue.¡± I turned to look at Vernon. ¡°Did Father never mention anything about it, Vernon? Or the royals before him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have no idea¡­ maybe because as you said, the disappearances stopped several centuries ago, it has become an obsolete topic to bring up.¡±


    I furrowed my brows.


    ¡°I wonder if the disappearance of the first queen has something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°The founder? Yes, I did hear there was something about that, just a little.¡±


    ¡°She did?¡±


    ¡°One of the founders disappeared¡­?¡±


    It would seem Rogan and Mera never heard about it. Well, I have only heard about this now, and it was never tackled in any of my lessons at all. Like, why? Maybe it was not that major of a topic? Because it happened like a couple of millennia ago?


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re connected, your highness?¡±


    Vernon asked me that. However, I¡¯m not quite sure, they may be different situations.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The timeframe when the subsequent disappearances started and the first queen¡¯s supposed disappearance has a gap of a couple of centuries.¡±


    A difference in pattern. But at the later part though the disappearance had begun to have gaps in their timelines¡­ Could they be getting tired or did some situation come up? Or the royal family was not that threatening to them anymore?


    Vernon took in a sharp breath as though realizing something.


    ¡°Princess, do you think the same thing may be happening to you?¡±


    That could be the best assumption we could make.


    ¡°Perhaps. But bear in mind the past royalties went missing, not dead. Oryn wanted me dead right there and then. That being said, we can also assume they have changed their mind.¡±


    Hehe, maybe they deemed I¡¯m so special and perfect that I cannot exist in this world of imperfections. I am too worthy that they saw me as a threat, hahahaha! I¡¯m just gonna laugh in my troubles. What else can I do!?


    I tapped my finger on the book, playing around as I contemplated. I looked in the direction of where my Mother should be.


    I wonder¡­


    Secrets, you always want to know something when it¡¯s a secret. Above all, they were hiding something from me.


    ¡°Has there been any news from Father¡¯s operatives?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Useless. Well, not entirely. But still, they failed the first, and now they¡¯re not making any progress. I might as well go out there, but openly going out would be risky without any proper precautions. I need to get a bit stronger, at least before the festival ¡ª since I was planning to go out to enjoy it. What¡¯s a new life if I don¡¯t enjoy it, right?


    I heaved a cute sigh. Yeah, there¡¯s a thing called a cute sigh, it¡¯s cute when you¡¯re cute.


    Whatever, I¡¯ll read more about what¡¯s inside this book. Particularly the noble families that were with the royal family for a long time now. I recognized the family name on my mother¡¯s side, needless to say, they started at a low rank but in time they rose. There were a few I was not acquainted with but am familiar with.


    The Yveno, Madame Eleanore¡¯s family name, also seemed to have been close to the royal family for a long time now. Furthermore, there were no significant entries about Lanivia¡¯s family to be mentioned here. Then there¡¯s Lucious¡¯s family line, the Vekenas. Lucious¡¯s parents were not that highly ranked to be offered to live around the capital. But there was a family branch of them that was offered and moved here.


    In any case, it was a bit of a relief that a lot of family in the capital were my distant relatives. Our family was not the traitorous bunch to be wary of, well to my knowledge anyways ¡ª we were a kind bloodline.


    I wonder, in the next few centuries, the capital would become crowded because families get promoted with every passing generation. Damn, now that¡¯s bothersome. Well, not my problem! Besides, I¡¯ll die of old age before that becomes a problem¡­


    Unless I don¡¯t get old. This was a world of magic, wasn''t it? Woah, could that mean there¡¯s a possibility I get to have a long life? Or better yet, to live for eternity? I¡¯m not against that idea. I mean, I sort of want that! Live for eternity? Why not?


    Oh gosh, I need to research that. At least some kind of magic that keeps me young or something. I¡¯ll sacrifice an entire city if I have to, don¡¯t care. But I guess, everything dies, unless I go against it! Hah! Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t fight fate, mostly now that there¡¯s something like magic, the potential is limitless.


    ¡­ I hope everything goes the way I want it to be.


    I heard footsteps coming my way. Raising my eyes to look at the person coming at me, I smiled when it was nothing but Lucious, which was a surprise. He casually approached me with a slight smile, none of my servants seemed to raise their guards since they knew who he was.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Thanks for reading! Consider supporting me on my patreon. Helps me save up :) Thank you.


    Next Chapter: Would You Consider Going Out With Me?

 Vol. 2 Chapter 27: Would You Consider Going Out With Me?

    Lucious glanced at Rogan who was beside me for a second, I turned to look at Rogan to see him wearing a small smile, but I could tell he was amused.


    I returned my beautiful and innocent eyes to Lucious.


    ¡°Lucious¡­ hi.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Estelia¡­¡± he glanced at my book. ¡°Is it a bad time?¡±


    ¡°... Um, no. This is merely a casual read.¡±


    ¡°Quite a thick one.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is the history of the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He awkwardly looked away as though thinking what he should say next. Haaaaah, do I need to help you with this?


    ¡°What brought you here, Lucious? I¡¯m surprised my brother let you go. Oh, and, you can sit down.¡±


    He nodded his head and slowly sat down at the chair in front of me.


    ¡°Well, we managed to finish all important tasks yesterday, so it¡¯s fine to take it slow for today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Best to have a rest once in a while. I¡¯m sure you must be stressed out by the amount of work you two have to do.¡±


    I laid my elbow on the table and positioned my hand on my cheek, squishing them a little as I stared straight into his eyes with a child-like smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a problem really. In fact, I am more concerned about you.¡±


    My eyes widened for a moment.


    ¡°.... W-What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I heard you have been working hard. And I believe it now even more seeing you read this thousand pages book.¡±


    ¡°... I did this of my own volition to pass the time, so¡­ it¡¯s not that troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing alright though? You¡¯re not feeling too much pressure, yes?¡±


    I lowered my hand and sadly raised my eyes towards him.


    ¡°I know you have already heard everything that happened, Lucious....¡± I smiled with sadness. ¡°So, do you think I would not feel any pressure at all?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry I asked. That was foolish of me.¡±


    I glanced around me and realized that Rogan had already moved off a bit away from me, his smile no longer around his face. He must have heard. The same worried expressions were also evident on Mera and Vernon¡¯s faces.


    ¡°But it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m sure everyone is working hard. I believe in them. So this is not something to be so distressed about.¡±


    I showed a forced smile, as though trying to say and express that everything would be alright. That there was nothing to worry about. I have faith in everyone.


    Lucious stared at me with a pained expression, opening and closing his mouth, hesitating to speak.


    ¡°... Estelia, do you have time for a leisure walk?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± he swiftly stood up and gracefully extended a hand before me, like a gentleman asking for a fair maiden¡¯s hand. ¡°May I take you out for a walk, milady?¡±


    How bold.


    My cheeks flushed red as I stared with shock at the hand presented to me. I seemingly became frantic, looking confused, but he didn¡¯t budge at all, he remained steadfast. No hesitating now, huh. It¡¯s like him making the conviction to not let me go this time.


    As there was no other choice, I slowly reached out for his hand. He had a smooth hand with only a little roughness, not the hand of a fighter. He gently helped me stand up, and we now stood right before each other, face to face with only a couple of inches apart.


    I immediately took a step back with embarrassment. He smiled a little, seemingly expecting this. Well, I made it blatantly apparent that I¡¯m embarrassed.


    ¡°... U-Um, w-where are we going, Lucious?¡±


    ¡°I have one place in mind, it should be peaceful and memorable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I have no idea what he''s talking about.


    ¡°Have you forgotten?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°The tree.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    That one, huh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    I followed a bit behind him with meekness. My servants followed behind me, keeping their fair distance. Helloooo? A bit of privacy? The flowers of youth are blooming here. Don¡¯t be a killjoy. Don¡¯t be the bees that suck the sweetness out.


    We walked down the corridor quietly. Um, no conversation? No nothing? Come on Lucious. Rogan way surpassed you in any type of conversation initiation. You¡¯ll be left behind. It¡¯s awkward here.


    Oh yeah I need to watch out for any family members seeing me. But they seemed to have forgotten about it, hehehe I¡¯m just a so behaved daughter that they weren¡¯t so strict when it comes to punishments.


    But, I guess there¡¯s nothing I need to worry about, everyone was busy anyway¡­ And we barely talk anymore.


    We reached the stairs and Lucious stopped in place.


    ¡°Hold my hand.¡±


    Um, what?


    ¡°I learned of what happened, and I don¡¯t want it happening again on my watch.¡±


    Yeah, Mr. Stairs was so cruel that time. Piece of shit, I almost died¡­ no wait, I did technically die¡­ maybe?


    ¡°... O-Oh¡­¡±


    I hesitantly received his hand, then he slowly led me down the stairs. Truth be told, this wasn¡¯t necessary, but of course as he only arrived and recently heard about it, the information was still fresh in his mind.


    ¡°By the way, your request, it¡¯s coming tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s great! Thank you¡­¡±


    There the conversation ended. Booooo¡­!


    That aside, it¡¯s tomorrow already?! Shit, I haven¡¯t made any designs yet. Guess I¡¯ll do some work later.


    Now then, what to do with this awkward atmosphere.


    ¡°Um, Lucious, you said you would tell me about your adventure to Myra, right? How is it outside?¡±


    Yeah, I¡¯m gonna initiate a conversation. I gave him a bit of sympathy and empathy since it¡¯s not that easy to come up with a good conversation with someone you like. I understand that, and no need to be afraid when I¡¯m the accompanying party, I¡¯m a generous girl. But if this happens again, I¡¯m not gonna do anything anymore.


    I timidly glanced his way, seeing him with a restrained smile.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I did mention that. That was my first time going beyond the kingdom. And I should say, the journey was not easy.¡±


    I quietly waited for him to continue, my eyes hinting at anticipation for his story. I am actually quite expecting what the outside would entail.


    Then as we made our way to our destination, he told me his story of his adventure to Myra. He shared to me his experience in encountering types of monsters for the first time, ones that wouldn¡¯t be found around here in the capital.


    So, could this mean certain monsters have their own habitats or something? If that¡¯s the case, they¡¯re like animals? Damn, now I¡¯m concerned if I encounter what seems like a normal wolf, but turns out to be a monster or something.


    Lucious mentioned what he heard from the knights that the monsters they encountered were easier to deal with than the monsters found in our nearby dangerous forest. I still don¡¯t have any measurement on what that means.


    He then shared that it was pretty much his first time camping out in the wilderness, but it was fun. Good for you, would be hard for a lady like me. If I¡¯m gonna go outside, I think I¡¯ll just stay around the kingdom where I have a proper place to stay. That being said, it all depends on my mood, hehehe. Also if I can find a good motel or hotel, that would be great.


    Lucious continued on his arrival to the kingdom of knights. He mentioned how he enjoyed the dances the commoners did on the town square along with the soldiers and knights. He tried participating but he did not know their dance at all.


    He described the sceneries around that nation and how they were almost similar to Wisteria. But the most noteworthy of all was the mineral called Kaleidronite, the same material as my necklace gifted to me. He still couldn¡¯t forget the moment during the night where a path was filled with Kaleidronite smashed into tiny pieces, almost powder.


    The casters of magic would cast their mana unto the stones scattered on the ground, then they would light up with countless colors, more colorful than the stars in the night sky.


    I stared up at him, he was full of enthusiasm as he described everything, his face colored and bright with a wide smile. Someone might even be charmed by his joy alone.


    Oh well.


    Shortly we arrived at our destination. A lone tree stood in the middle of the yard, a few colorful flowers scattered around, and the soil covered completely by lush greenery. I remember this place very well.


    This was the place we hung out with my brothers when we were young and had nothing else to worry about. Well, when I say hung out, I mean dragged. They say I should at least get under the sun once in a while, and they would force me out of the palace because I didn¡¯t want to get out.


    Needless to say, I stayed under the shade of this tree all of the time, no way I¡¯m getting under the sun, so bright and the heat was bothersome. Here we would just casually sit around with my brothers, Estevan, and Eleden, then there¡¯s Lucious, and rarely our female cousin.


    So, yeah, most of the time when I was dragged here, I was one of the boys basically. Whenever they play around though, I¡¯m just under the shade watching them. And I was quite satisfied with that.


    I smiled at seeing this scenery from my memory. When we got older, we of course couldn¡¯t come here anymore, so it was bizarre to see this place personally.


    We sat down on the grass, I leaned my back on the tree trunk, savoring the fresh air and cold wind. My servants were nowhere to be seen, they must be around here somewhere.


    ¡°Got some weight off your shoulders?¡±


    Lucious asked me softly.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time we¡¯re here? Five? Or Six years ago?¡±


    ¡°I think around those¡­ and my brothers were with us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring me here? Wouldn¡¯t it be more fun with Eleden and Estevan here?¡±


    I glanced at him and met his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about having fun, Estelia.¡±


    He smiled softly, telling me only just that.


    ¡°... Is that so¡­¡±


    Then there was silence, leaving only the sounds of the grass blades waving in the wind.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ will you be going out to the festival?¡±


    He must be talking about the festival happening in a few months.


    ¡°.... Why do you ask?¡±


    I shifted my eyes towards him, but he avoided my eyes, feeling shy it seems.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m just, I¡¯m just wondering if it would be alright to¡­ to bring you out and go to the festival with me.¡±


    My eyes widened a little at his proposal.


    ¡°... Y-Yes, I suppose I am planning to¡­ but I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you do, would you consider going out with me?¡±


    I retracted a little.


    ¡°W-What are you¡­ Why are you asking me?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, if you have others you plan on coming with, it¡¯s fine I won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    He looked past me, towards someone perhaps.


    ¡°N-No, I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, at least for a day, let me be your escort.¡±


    He suddenly reached out for my hand and held them gently. My cheeks flushed red and my eyes turned frantic, looking around just not his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you¡­ a-asking me? I¡¯m, I¡¯m not a g-good company. There are others that are better than me.¡±


    ¡°There are no others, I want you, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    The pressure of this moment was evident on my face as the edges of my eyes moistened.


    ¡°N-No¡­ y-you couldn¡¯t possibly¡ª¡±


    ¡°I mean it, I want no one else but you, Estelia. I want to be with you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As though an involuntary action, I pulled my hand away from his hand as my body shook, confused by everything.


    ¡°Estelia¡ª¡±


    ¡°T-This i-is¡­ I-I¡­¡±


    With trembling lips I stood up, stepping back a couple of times, breathing a bit heavily, as if shocked.


    ¡°L-Lucious, I¡­ E-Excuse me!¡±


    I turned around and walked away with hasty steps, my cheeks to my ears were beet red. My head lowered and only focused on the path in front of me, avoiding anyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°W-Wait, Estelia¡­¡±


    I heard Lucious¡¯s voice trailing off behind me, but I kept facing forward. On the way, I came across my servants.


    ¡°Princess.¡±


    Rogan called out to me, but I ignored him and went straight ahead. Their footsteps loudly followed behind me ¡ª no, there were only two pairs of footsteps.


    Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m certain it was Rogan and Mera anyway.


    Eventually, I arrived at my room and locked myself inside.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Go Lucious?? Hehehe

 Vol. 2 Chapter 28: Locking Herself in Her Room

    Lucious could only watch as Estelia rush away. He might have imagined this scenario once or twice, but it didn¡¯t help him feel any better. No, it was worse than he had imagined. Was he too hasty about it?


    Should he have done it differently? Why did he even do it so directly?


    He didn¡¯t know what came to him, but he just expressed what he wanted, said what he wanted. How else should he have done it? Maybe he should have just been slower and gentler about it.


    But¡­


    This was the kind of scenario he didn¡¯t want, this was the kind of scenario Eleden warned him about, Estelia running away. And he had done the worst-case scenario. There was a chance that Estelia would be reluctant in talking with him now ¡ª no, that would definitely be the case.


    He rubbed his hand to his fingers in regret.


    Lucious watched as the knight named Rogan, and the maid Mera followed behind the retreating figure of the princess. But the old man, the king¡¯s assistant, Vernon, stayed behind and approached him.


    ¡°Mister Lucious.¡±


    ¡°Vernon¡­¡± he forced a smile. ¡°Maybe I overdid it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, perhaps.¡±


    Lucious lowered his head.


    ¡°Did I make a mistake?¡±


    ¡°Knowing you and your charge, you must have anticipated something like this might happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think I blew it. And now¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s a mistake yet.¡±


    Lucious looked up at Vernon.


    ¡°The princess is a sensitive person, everyone knows that. And, expressing one¡¯s feelings is always the starting step. You would have likely gone through the same thing if you did it another way or in another time.¡±


    ¡°But, I still couldn¡¯t stop feeling that I made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°If you did not do what you did today, you might have regretted it tomorrow, or in the near future. I think this is a good step forward.¡±


    Lucious deeply hoped so. For a long time, he had carried these feelings, never expressing them at all. And they just burst out, failing to hold them back. On top of that, he was worried ¡ª her falling for another man.


    ¡°How, how do you think she will cope with this? How do you think she will take my words?¡±


    He wanted an answer from Vernon who was old and had experienced a lot in his lifetime. And as the person who witnessed the children here in the palace grow up.


    But, to Lucious¡¯s surprise, Vernon sighed.


    ¡°Even I do not know anymore.¡±


    Lucious was baffled.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My initial understanding and impression of the princess have distorted. I cannot tell for certain now what her thoughts would be. I cannot be of help.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    Vernon shook his head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say¡­ a sensitive lady¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°I need to go and return to the princess¡¯s side. You only need to wait, Mister Lucious. Give her time.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    Lucious watched Vernon walk away, heading towards where the princess might have gone, before sighing sadly.


    He made his way back to Eleden¡¯s office, and he collapsed on the nearest couch. Eleden narrowed his eyes seeing the weak-looking Lucious.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I think I messed up¡­¡±


    Eleden dropped his work.


    ¡°Care to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°She¡­. she ran away.¡±


    Eleden looked down with a nod of his head.


    ¡°I thought we discussed keeping it slow.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but¡­ I may have been a bit impatient.¡±


    ¡°After all the preparations. You got impatient¡­¡± Eleden sighed. ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t jump to conclusions about how my sister took your words. The best we can do is wait and give her time. Approach her when the opportunity and clarity arises.¡±


    ¡°Clarity for what?¡±


    ¡°Clarity for my sister. Let her assess her feelings.¡±


    Lucious understood what he was trying to say. But, he had already felt impatient and frightened about how the future might unfold. The longer time passes, the worse he would feel.


    ¡°What if she starts ignoring me from now on?¡±


    ¡°Then approach her, even if she avoids you, keep trying. If you give up with only just that, then your resolve and feelings are not that great then... She can¡¯t avoid you forever.¡±


    ***


    Vernon walked up the stairs, assuming that was where the princess was going. If he was right, if his impression of her still holds any value, she should be in her room. Completely avoiding human contact.


    Vernon imagined a scenario like this would happen anytime soon if such a situation occurred with the princess, but he never expected it would be now. That being said, he imagined something else would happen, but his expectations that involved the princess had become uncertain. As he mentioned before, his impression of her had distorted that he didn¡¯t know how to anticipate her actions anymore.


    She was once easy to predict.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to arrive at Princess Estelia¡¯s quarters. But outside, by the closed door, Rogan and Mera stood with worried expressions, and clueless at what they should do.


    ¡°Sir Vernon.¡±


    Mera called out to him.


    ¡°She closed herself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Vernon sighed after hearing Rogan¡¯s answer. Now, he grew even more confused about the princess. She recently was cunning, and could even be described as brave. But for some reason, this caused her to retreat.


    It was almost inconsistent with the new side he saw. That being said, there were people who are weak emotionally.


    The princess had never in her life experienced intimate moments with any man. No, not only that, she had never experienced anything romantic at all, nor did that come into her mind as she grew up. Such a thing must have been too foreign for her.


    And to be told by her friend since childhood must have come as a shock for her since such a notion never came into her mind. Even the cunning and brave have weaknesses.


    So? Could the princess be emotionally and mentally weak, personally?


    If so, this was an important thing to know about her.


    ¡°Could the prince¡¯s assistant had said something horrible to milady?¡±


    Vernon noticed that Mera didn¡¯t even call Lucious by his name. Did she intentionally do that? Or perhaps she just didn¡¯t know how to address him perhaps. Likely the latter, even she wouldn¡¯t be that rude.


    ¡°His name is Lucious,¡± Vernon said to her. ¡°And no, he did not say anything mean. Rather, it was a sincere one.¡±


    ¡°Hey Mera, weren¡¯t you there? You should have heard something about their conversation, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Mera lowered her head. ¡°Yes, but I¡­ I didn¡¯t hear all of it.¡±


    Rogan raised an eyebrow. Vernon also doubted a little, but perhaps she just didn¡¯t pay any attention.


    Rogan then said.


    ¡°Basically, the first prince¡¯s assistant asked the princess out. Like on a date.¡±


    Mera averted her eyes away for some reason.


    ¡°I....I see¡­¡±


    That was all she muttered. Vernon had noticed the same reaction from when Oryn and Allie were first discovered, Mera was flustered. It would appear she was soft when it comes to romantic events.


    Vernon approached the door and knocked gently a few times.


    ¡°Princess, are you alright? You still have your studies and practice to attend to.¡±


    Vernon intended to use that reason as some sort of bait to compel the princess to go out. She had been diligent with her studies, so he hoped this would work.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    However, it did not work at all.


    ¡°What now?¡± Rogan asked.


    ¡°We go on standby, we can¡¯t just leave her completely alone.¡±


    And so, the trio stood idle in front of the princess¡¯s room. Rogan was becoming bored, Vernon remained steadfast, while Mera was fidgety. There was no activity whatsoever that Vernon wondered what the princess was thinking all alone in her room.


    Maybe she was asleep or spacing out. In any case, she was so used to being alone that she might be completely relaxing there.


    A couple of hours later, the door to the princess¡¯s room gently creaked open. Everyone instantly gave attention and moved in front of it. The princess looked through the gap of the door, her dazzling pair of crimson eyes peered at them.


    ¡°V-Vernon¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, princess? No, wait, are you alright? You ought to come out, your highness.¡±


    The princess merely furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Vernon¡­ bring me a pile of clean sheets of paper.¡±


    Vernon was puzzled, he was sure there should be plenty of papers she could use after he brought her last time.


    Ah¡­


    He recalled when the princess had tons of crumpled pages littering her room.


    She does use a lot of pages¡­


    ¡°I understand. But will you be coming out?¡±


    Without any answer though, the princess closed the door.


    ¡°Wow, first time seeing her like that,¡± Rogan said.


    ¡°I''ll carry out her request. Be on the lookout in case she goes out. She still needs to have lunch shortly.¡±


    So Vernon brought the princess clean sheets of paper, which she accepted quietly and locked herself in again. After that, when it was time for lunch, Vernon knocked on the door to remind her, and she thankfully left the room.


    Vernon had no idea what happened to the dining room after that since he had lunch with his co-servants.


    But after lunch, the princess again sealed herself inside her room.


    Now this reminds me of how the princess usually acts.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Chapter too short, posting the next chapter.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 29: Tailor

    Dammit!!!!!!


    Fuck this shit!


    Why?!


    All of that and for nothing?!


    Yeah I¡¯m pissed.


    Right now my floor was littered with round and crumpled sheets of paper! And it¡¯s already night for fuck sake!


    This is cringy as fuck!


    I mean who the fucks designs clothes like this? T-This looks awkward and impractical! Dammit!


    Nothing has ever frustrated me so. This sucks! Why can¡¯t I design an outfit that doesn''t incite this disgust within me? Dammit, creativity be damned.


    I have been thinking and trying to draw since daytime ¡ª mostly spent thinking ¡ª but I have not accomplished anything decent. I just want to look good, elegant, badass, something charming while also good to wear in operations. But nooooooo, my dumbass can¡¯t create anything good!


    Grrrrrrrrr!


    And I began working early for this, and I missed my training!


    I threw a crumpled sheet again in the fit of irritation.


    Fatigued, my head slammed on the desk ¡ª but of course not too strong since that would be unnecessary.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaah¡­.¡±


    I always have this trouble¡­ when trying to be creative in the forms of art. I¡¯m not really into drawing, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad. And this is why I never tried writing songs ¡ª well I tried once, but I didn¡¯t get to finish one line¡­


    Am I only good at killing after all?!


    Maybe I should just give u¡ª Uh ah, was that what you expected to hear? Well, no way!


    This is n-nothing. Yeah. Yeah. I can come up with something. This was a small hurdle compared to music practice¡­


    I had to stop for dinner, so I did while showing almost a blank face, holding in the swirling emotions within me. My eldest brother tried talking to me, but when I was put in a spot, I made my response brief. I¡¯m also not being completely rude to him because, after all, he would be paying for my expenses tomorrow.


    But I tried my best to avoid anything that has to do with Lucious, making my responses vague and somewhat. He¡¯s the least of priority.


    Skipping, and next daylight came. Odd that I said ¡®next daylight¡¯, yes? Well, that¡¯s because I barely slept at all!


    I was woken up by the knockings from the door, but my eyelids felt so heavy. Dammit, even agents need decent sleeping time¡­ Well, this was my doing, but still¡­ I want to sleep more.


    Then knockings again.


    But mom! I don¡¯t want to go to school!


    No, wait¡­ it¡¯s not Mother.


    Anyway! It would be unbecoming of me to let my sleepiness do me in... Buuut, there¡¯s nothing urgent going on. The tailor won¡¯t come until later anyway. Since Lucious was not kind enough to tell me what exact time he would arrive, I had to ask my eldest brother when there was no one around, at the time he tried talking to me.


    I tried getting up, only to deliberately fall back on the soft bed and pillow. Oh no, I¡¯m getting lax.


    I rubbed my cheek on the pillow for about a minute before opening the door. My three servants¡¯ faces turned to shock when they saw me.


    ¡°M-Milady, did something happen?¡±


    For your information, I have already disposed of the trash before I went to sleep, like how I did last time. So the shock they had now was not because of a messy room. It¡¯s because of yours truly.


    You see, I am so perfect that one can easily notice what¡¯s off with me. Needless to say, it was my lack of proper sleep.


    ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong. I just didn¡¯t sleep well.¡±


    I adorably smiled at the concerned Mera, but that didn¡¯t seem to put her at ease. In fact, everyone else still appeared worried, perhaps confused as to why I couldn¡¯t get a decent sleep. Eh, it doesn''t matter, I¡¯ll look better after a fresh bath.


    I ignored them and went ahead for a bath. Then after that, breakfast.


    When that was done, my eldest brother spoke to me privately that the tailor had already arrived ¡ª wow how early, way ahead of schedule. I was to meet with the tailor first and Eleden would follow later since he had something to finish first. He assured me that he would not take long.


    Well, he has nothing else to do when the tailor¡¯s measuring me and so on anyway. So before going to meet with the tailor, I returned to my room and sneaked a sheet of paper into the sleeve of my clothes.


    When I arrived at the reception room, there were two people there, one was a young woman, and the other was a peculiar man, but familiar. The woman was someone I have never seen before, and she was young, so she must be new. She got the looks, average-length black hair, and a pair of amber eyes. Her civilian dress looked good on her, and quite fancy, working with a renowned designer seems to have its perks.


    Then who would catch everyone¡¯s eyes the most was the tall fancy looking man. His neck-length blonde hair combed sideways. His beautiful face wore a wide smile and a pair of green eyes. Then fair skin that suggested he worked mostly inside.


    He looked quite eccentric due to his extravagant outfit, colored in fairly bright colors. His boots hid the edges of his trousers, and a long coat with a short cape on his right shoulder. His slender figure was further expressed through his straight posture.


    He snapped his finger the moment he laid eyes on me.


    ¡°Aaaaaah ¡ª O gorgeous princess, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you again.¡±


    He genuflected in a theatrical manner and lowered his head. His companion on the other hand was normal.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mervizo.¡±


    Mervizo Deyaren, the number one clothes designer and the finest tailor favored by every aristocrat all across the country.


    ¡°Yes, it is, your highness. The moment I received your summons, I couldn¡¯t hold back my excitement.¡±


    He genuinely looked excited. Now that I think about it, based on memory, he always looked excited when measuring me¡­ Guess I¡¯m just so beautiful, hehe. This reminded me of my girl cousin who always makes me wear a variety of dresses.


    ¡°I see¡­ Um, may I ask who your companion is?¡±


    He nodded his head. ¡°She¡¯s my recently hired employee, an aspiring designer, Kali Eryliez.¡±


    When she raised her head to look at me after her introduction, her eyes widened as we made eye contact. She seemed to freeze, like seriously, she gazed intently at me. My crimson eyes and her amber eyes stared at each other.


    I felt like she was in awe, but the intensity, and the silence, made me think there was another emotion within her¡­


    Maybe she fell in love already?


    I¡¯m kidding, but that could be it, or it could be something else.


    ¡°Kali.¡±


    Mervizo¡¯s mention of her name appeared to have brought her back, and she frantically lowered her head.


    ¡°I-It is a great pleasure to meet you, your highness.¡±


    ¡°... The pleasure is all mine¡­¡±


    ¡°Kali pleaded with me to let her come with me today to meet you, and so, as an aspiring designer, why not let her meet the best model there is in the world.¡±


    Hey, I¡¯m not your doll¡­ But not that I mind, just don¡¯t get too annoying.


    When I heard his flattering words, a blush came to my cheeks.


    ¡°Why did you want to meet me, Kali¡­?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°E-Eh, u-um¡­¡± she stammered. ¡°... I, I heard about you in the shop, how pretty you were and how wonderful the clothes they designed for you¡­ And, they always said that you look great in everything¡­ so I became curious.¡±


    Is that so?


    ¡°I see¡­ and the stories¡­ aren¡¯t they exaggerated?¡±


    ¡°....Um¡­¡± she didn¡¯t seem to know how to respond.


    Well, she had never seen me personally dress up, so she couldn¡¯t say anything for certain.


    ¡°I vouch for the stories, your highness. Hehehe, I don¡¯t believe they are an exaggeration at all.¡±


    Such flattery, don¡¯t spoil me so much.


    ¡°Oh¡­um¡­ I understand¡­ Then can we proceed with our business?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    He walked towards his small case and took out a tape measure, with Kali by his side seemingly unsure of what she should do. She should have nothing else to do since Mervizo was always the one to measure me ¡ª except for the rare occasion he¡¯s with someone. Before this, he had brought a companion for only twice, but I think those two were the same person. My memory¡¯s hazy to recall. I didn¡¯t particularly pay attention to faces.


    ¡°So, princess, what kind of dresses do you want? And for what purpose?¡±


    He then proceeded to measure my body.


    ¡°You have gotten taller¡­¡± he commented.


    ¡°Um, I want dresses for the upcoming Festival.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ You didn¡¯t make such a request last time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I need a few now.¡±


    ¡°I see. Hm, Kali, how about you take her highness¡¯s measurements.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª M-Me?!¡±


    ¡°Relax, come one. Keep your composure. How are you going to work with nobles otherwise?¡±


    She rubbed her hands together, seemingly nervous about it. Understandable.


    ¡°Come now, this will be a good experience. Here.¡±


    He put the tape in her hands without any intention of hearing her refusal. Pushed to a corner, she had no other choice but to walk towards me. I extended both my hands and she positioned herself behind me.


    Her hands trembled a little.


    She¡¯s that nervous?


    I could hear her shaking breath from behind me.


    ¡°What purposes will the dresses have for the festival?¡± Mervizo asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I want formal dresses for formal events. Then maybe a pair of casual clothes.¡±


    ¡°Casual?¡±


    ¡°Like for a casual walk around the festival.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Kali was pretty gentle and careful as she took my measurements and then wrote the numbers on a sheet of paper.


    Woah wait, is that? A pencil?


    A shabby-looking pencil, but I knew it was a pencil ¡ª graphite okay? Graphite pencil! Dammit why don¡¯t we have that? Hmmm, I can¡¯t remember it being used in the past by the tailors, memory too hazy¡­ I didn¡¯t pay too much attention to small details! Why do we only have quills in this place anyway? Was it because we¡¯re too luxurious for mere graphite?


    ¡°S-Should I put a few extra values on the measurements?¡± She asked Mervizo.


    ¡°Just a couple of centimeters I believe will do. I trust your physique won¡¯t change drastically these few months, princess?¡±


    Like getting fat? Belly getting loose? As if I¡¯ll allow that, I work out often you know.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He nodded his head, satisfied by my answer.


    It took a while for the measurements to be completely finished. The moment it finished, I turned to Vernon.


    ¡°Vernon, brother¡¯s taking a while. Would you be so kind as to call him?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    With that, he left. Finally¡­


    ¡°Mervizo.¡±


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    I approached him and presented a folded paper, it was my design. I pulled it from my sleeve without anyone noticing, doing it while I was talking to Vernon, a trivial misdirection.


    In another scenario, I might have to forcible speak privately with Mervizo and give him this.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡±


    When he unfolded the paper, his eyes widened.


    ¡°I would like you to make this outfit.¡±


    Honestly, that took me a vast amount of time. Since I was having a hard time coming up with a cool and pretty design, I opted to have it a bit simple, but I think I¡¯ll still look good. The important thing was functionality really.


    ¡°You designed this?¡±


    ¡°Why? Is it terrible?¡±


    He glanced at me then back to my drawing.


    ¡°Not exactly, not that extravagant, but this is mostly what one would expect for this kind of outfit.¡±


    ¡°If you find it lacking, you¡¯re free to give it improvements design-wise.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ But, you drew this yourself?¡±


    He glanced at the two servants remaining. Mera and Rogan also looked surprised, too bad they won¡¯t be seeing it.


    ¡°And the detail of this illustration, and you even drew your face. Amazing!¡±


    Kali took a peek from behind him, and she also looked amazed by it. Well, they didn¡¯t expect me to make something like this.


    ¡°I never would have expected you to have a talent for designing and drawing, princess. Training would bring vast improvements to your skills.¡±


    Mervizo said to me with a wide smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. Please finish them with the ones to be brought to this festival. And is there any stretchable fabric?¡±


    ¡°... Yes there is.¡±


    ¡°Splendid! Then use it for that.¡±


    ¡°As you wish¡­¡±


    ¡°Then lastly, keep it a secret from anyone.¡± I looked at everyone in the room. From Mervizo, Kali, to Rogan and Mera. ¡°Please.¡±


    I smiled at Mervizo and Kali.


    ¡°If that is your request, we will do so.¡±


    He must have realized the bit of sternness in my voice, so he bowed his head, and Kali followed after him.


    ¡°Needless to say, my family, including my brother, has no need to learn of this.¡±


    Mervizo chuckled.


    ¡°I believe they won¡¯t ask for any specifics anyway. So I suppose we have no need to worry.¡±


    My parents didn¡¯t know about this anyway. Color me impressed that Eleden managed to keep this a secret within the palace ¡ª maybe also because my parents were busy, and Estevan was focused on his knightly duties. But I imagine they¡¯ll discover this sooner or later, and mother¡¯s gonna be bugging me how I didn¡¯t invite her or something.


    ¡°Thank you, Mervizo.¡±


    ¡°Anytime, princess.¡±


    Well, not like they can defy my request slash order. It may sound like a request, but when spoken to a commoner, you might as well consider it as an order. Famous and wealthy Mervizo was, in the end, he was still a commoner. He couldn¡¯t just defy the ¡°request¡± from the princess of the kingdom.


    ¡°But if I may ask, princess. For what purpose is this outfit?¡±


    ¡°Hm? I just want to try something new, and that type of outfit is interesting to try out.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? In that case, next time I come back, I can offer a few dresses and outfits for you to try.¡±


    ¡°N-No need, isn¡¯t that too much trouble for you?¡±


    He held out his finger and swayed it side to side.


    ¡°Nope. They¡¯re actually dresses I made in my spare time, and it just so happened that a few can fit you. If they look good, I¡¯ll even give them to you as gifts!¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness. Consider it as my thanks for years of patronage.¡±


    ¡°... If you say so¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Of course, I¡¯m not against it. Why? I can have exquisite dresses that can make anyone fall in love, for free at that! I¡¯m already perfect, but I can still further that perfection.


    A short while later, Vernon had returned with my brother, and another one with him, namely Lucious.


    When he made eye contact with me, I averted my eyes away with a little blush. But as pale as I was, it was too blatant ¡ª aaaah, the drawbacks of my peerless beauty.


    I stole a glance at Lucious for a second and oh boy, he looked pitiful ¡ª let¡¯s leave it at that.


    ¡°So, Estelia, is everything done?¡± Eleden asked.


    I meekly nodded at him.


    ¡°Hm¡­ then¡­¡±


    The tailor then discussed the down payment with my brother ¡ª well not that amount mattered that much. We have the people¡¯s tax money hehehe. Thankfully the tailor didn¡¯t mention my special request. It was a gamble, but there was no other way ¡ª I can¡¯t sew my own clothes after all.


    So, as they discussed, all I could do was behave by a corner. Need to mention that Lucious was looking so frequently at me as though he wanted to approach me. I have been thinking about his offer though, but I still have no definite answer ¡ª it might complicate things for me¡­


    Things finished when my brother gave the tailor a pouch that I imagine filled with gold coins.


    ¡°Then I shall take my leave, thank you for the time, prince, and princess.¡±


    Mervizo bowed extravagantly followed by a formal one from Kali.


    ¡°I look forward to your return.¡±


    I said sweetly to them. After that, they made their way outside. But right at the door, Kali looked back for a second, looking at me, before continuing onward.


    You know, some people were just weird.


    ¡°So, is there anything else you need, my sister?¡±


    ¡°No, that will be all. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, and thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± He smiled. ¡°Ah yes, I have something to talk to you about. Can we have everyone leave the room for a moment?¡±


    The others looked at each other before leaving the room, my servants were reluctant at first, but in the end followed my brother¡¯s request.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Let us sit down.¡±


    We sat down on the couches facing each other.


    ¡°Will you openly talk to me, my sister?¡±


    Ah I see, let me guess, this will be about Lucious. And now that I had my request fulfilled, he believed that I would be considerate enough to be open in this discussion. Well, I suppose that¡¯s alright.


    ¡°... Alright.¡±


    He smiled softly.


    ¡°Bear with me, okay?¡± After seeing me nod, he continued. ¡°What do you think about Lucious?¡±


    See? They really were endorsing him to me.


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    I looked down and pulled strands of hair to the back of my ear with a finger.


    ¡°I have been asking you why you are avoiding Lucious, but you never gave me a proper response.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you not like him?¡±


    ¡° ¡ª It¡¯s not like t-that.¡±


    Come on, that question can go both ways!


    ¡°Is that so? In that case, back to my first question, what do you think about him?¡±


    Annoying, noisy, bothersome, always disturbing my quiet times with his shenanigans. Though that was when we were younger.


    ¡°I¡­ I think he¡¯s¡­ a good person¡­¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    Dammit, this feels like a therapy session. I hate this kind of thing. Back in the organization, they often send us this fucking therapists, I¡¯m not crazy! What uses were they? If they wanna settle our mental health, leaving me alone for some alone time would have been the best.


    And they were too nosy, even asking questions about my private times, meaning my hobbies, my thoughts about things bla bla bla¡­ Though I have noticed they always go to evaluate me deeper than my teammates. I¡¯m sure the Professor requested that¡­ How annoying.


    ¡°.... Um¡­ I don¡¯t know what else¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But I¡¯m curious, why are you avoiding him? Please answer this, my sister.¡±


    I understand where this was going, he¡¯s trying to figure out if there would be any chance.


    I rubbed my hands together.


    ¡°... It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s because¡­¡± I squinted my eyes as I lowered my gaze. ¡°He s-said some weird things¡­ About going out to the festival and such and¡­. And¡­¡±


    My blush intensified.


    ¡°Are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, seeing I was unable to respond, he smiled.


    ¡°Why do you think Lucious said those to you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, no need to force yourself to answer¡­ That aside, do you like someone, my sister?¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    My eyes widened at his daring question. Me? The princess of the kingdom, liking someone? Impossible. But, if that were the case, that man must be so lucky.


    ¡°... I like everyone.¡±


    ¡°I meant, like, as in liking someone very much, so much. So much more.¡±


    I like myself very much.


    ¡°... N-No.¡±


    ¡°What about Rogan?¡±


    ¡°What does Sir Rogan have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°He was assigned as your knight, so, I suspect you recommended him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Not exactly¡­¡±


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Not exactly? Can you elaborate?¡±


    Long story, so no way. Not that I have any intention of explaining that circumstance. I assume it was supposed to be a secret between me and my father, nor did I have any intention of sharing the story.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Damn Eleden, why you pushing me this much? This was pretty surprising, to be honest. Have mercy on your sister.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°... Okay, I understand. So¡­ you don¡¯t like anyone in a special way¡­?¡±


    His voice trailed off at the end there, he sounded almost hesitant to ask that.


    ¡°Why are you asking me such a question, brother? I like everyone in their own special way.¡±


    I meekly said.


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯m sorry I asked you these questions.¡±


    He stood up and patted me on the head.


    ¡°Lucious has been so troubled lately. Please try talking to him, okay?¡±


    I gave no answer, hesitation evident on my face.


    I would have enjoyed letting him agonize for a bit more ¡ª but I guess that¡¯s enough.


    Of course my brother didn¡¯t press me for a reply whether I would really do it or not. But he had expectations, so in exchange for his kindness, I¡¯ll do what he asked.


    When we made it outside the room, I instantly hid behind Eleden and grabbed the back of his shirt with my fingers. Behind his shoulder, I raised my head to look at Lucious.


    ¡°L-Lucious¡­ I¡­¡±


    I stammered around and failed to make a sentence, but before I could continue, my brother moved aside.


    ¡°Estelia, don¡¯t hide behind me when talking, okay?¡± he kindly smiled as I was left exposed.


    My eyes begged at him but to no avail. How shrewd, brother!


    I gripped my skirt after my last form of comfort forsaken me.


    ¡°Hello, Estelia¡­¡±


    He smiled wryly, looking to be shy.


    ¡°Hi¡­ Um, I apologize for¡­ suddenly leaving you last¡­ time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright¡­ That was understandable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was an awkward silence.


    Dammit, this should be held in private, and not in the eyes where others were.


    I¡¯m not talking no more. As I said last time, I won¡¯t be helping this guy anymore.


    But enough, I have other things to do, so I¡¯m leaving. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain ¡ª brother didn¡¯t say to make a conversation anyway. Just talk, he said.


    ¡°T-Then, you two must be busy, so I¡¯ll be leaving¡­ Excuse me.¡±


    I walked past him, then behind me, I heard my brother sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    I heard him, he must have said that to Lucious.


    Yeah, he¡¯s an idiot¡­


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Chapter length will tend to get longer the closer we are to the end of the volume.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 30: Secret Hidden From Me (Part 1)

    About a week had passed, I wanted to get the major stuff done first. So I have been focusing more on my magical abilities while doing minimal social interaction. In other words, I have become an introv¡ª ahem¡­ well, I was always like that so¡­ no wait, that was the me in this world, I mean ¡°Estelia.¡±


    Of course, I did the usual. Dancing practice, academics, and music. Nothing noteworthy really happened except for the last one. Lanivia suggested I can sing an original song during my debut. A surprising and sudden suggestion to bring up, but her reason for that was because she saw me as someone talented in music and basically already ¡°created¡± some tunes. In short, performing something taken as a new original in this world.


    I refused.


    I just¡­ I can¡¯t.


    I don¡¯t know how¡­ It¡¯s hard¡­ I¡­


    I can¡¯t write a song¡­


    I don¡¯t know why¡­ but¡­ I suck at it. No, it¡¯s more than that.


    When I read my notes once, the words felt monotone¡­


    It was disheartening. I heard that you need to feel the emotions to the song, to the story or something¡­ but¡­ I don¡¯t know.


    Wait, doesn¡¯t every known song to me sound new here in this world? But that¡¯s not the point. I took this as something creating a song made myself.


    Whatever, okay? I just can¡¯t compose. Maybe that¡¯s my limit.


    Moving on! Lucious had been trying to speak with me often. It¡¯s a surprise Eleden gave him plenty of free time. So yeah, we¡¯re getting along just fine. But that¡¯s not the important part.


    I have been making decent progress in physical enhancement. That being said, it didn¡¯t change a lot ¡ª as I said, progress, not change. Mera has been leaving me behind in that department by the way.


    In any case, if I keep this up, I should be able to get adequate strength when the festival comes. When that happens, I¡¯ll be able to get some outings! Fuck those who want to target me. I have also been thinking about where I could use the Church that Father was in contact with.


    Plans plans and plans¡­


    ¡°Haaaaah.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong, princess?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    I weakly replied to Rogan.


    ¡°Is that so? Are you not practicing today?¡±


    ¡°I will, I¡¯m just resting for a bit.¡±


    I had familiarized the entire magic book days ago, so I don¡¯t have it right now and I lent it to Mera, so no reading now. I haven¡¯t really inquired about her progress in the spells department, but whatever.


    I tapped my fingers on the table as I gazed out through the windows, random thoughts going into my mind. Yeah, it¡¯s one of those times you space out and a random thing just popped up in your head, it could be good, nasty, cringy, and so on.


    Going out would be nice¡­


    Hm, oh yeah, how did mother do that bird thing?


    Mother demonstrated to me a bird made up of magic, it was very interesting. It seemed to be formed completely of mana, it also seemed tangible.


    I held out my hand and an orb of blue appeared, completely translucent. Let me start from here. I imagined what the bird would look like and slowly shaped the orb, it stretched and slowly morphed into different parts.


    I made the wings first, then the tails, then the body, and finally the head. It was firstly the general shape of it without any details. Then roughly draw the feather first and add a few fluffy stuff. This was not that different from drawing really.


    A moment later, the birb¡ª bird was complete!


    ¡°Oooh, a bird.¡±


    Yes Rogan, what the fuck else would this be?


    Now then, fly! Fly, little birdy! Make me proud!


    I threw it lightly in the air! But against my expectations, it plopped down with a loud thud on the table.


    ¡°!¡±


    No!


    My eyes widened in shock. It didn¡¯t even bounce softly as I expected, it was more akin to a rock falling to a table. More than that, I felt the mana tear off a bit there. Fuck, and I almost squealed, I carefully crafted this little thing, I don¡¯t want it to get damaged literally mere seconds after its creation.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t fly off, princess. What went wrong?¡±


    ¡°... Ever tried doing something like this, Sir Rogan?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Tch, boys, do they even like cute things? Well, I don¡¯t normally. I just like my own creations.


    I returned my eyes to the little birdy.


    ¡°Hey¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Princess did you just speak to the construct¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    Just an impulse.


    ¡°What went wrong¡­¡± I murmured.


    The moment I tried to lift it up, I realized what went wrong.


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s rock solid. I might have put in too much mana, or imagined the wrong texture¡­ and also maybe the mass.¡±


    ¡°Princess, you do know it¡¯s magic right? So weight shouldn¡¯t matter, just have it fly, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°... Sir Rogan, who would want to cuddle a bird made up of brick?¡±


    ¡°Cuddle?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    So, how do softness and fluffiness feel again? Recalling it, I applied the attribute to my little birdy.


    I smiled in satisfaction when my fingers sunk a little into the feathers.


    ¡°There it goes!¡±


    Now then, fly my child!


    You know, Rogan was right, I don¡¯t really need to add the laws of physics into the equation. Fuck physics yeah! Magic is the way! Is what I wanted to say, but I imagine it would look so unnatural without the laws of physics, it would be like any bad animation. I need it, at least a little.


    So I added physics, I think¡­. It just flapped its wings and the body followed okay?


    And so, the birdy flapped its wings around before starting to move. It looked like it was very light, but the application of magic has something to do with it, so I guess physics was not completely there.


    But who cares? It¡¯s cool and beautiful.


    It flew around with energy, leaving a trail of blue lines from its tail and wings.


    ¡°Woah, amazing princess. To be able to do something for just a few minutes.¡±


    What?


    ¡°Sir Rogan, is that something surprising?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course, not anyone could just create something like it just like that.¡±


    Eh?


    I turned my head to the dumbfounded Vernon, and the awed Mera. Those alone were confirmation enough.


    Hey, you know, I¡¯ve been thinking. Aren¡¯t I digging my own grave?


    Whatever! What¡¯s done is done.


    I¡¯ll just play around with my birdy.


    I had it land on my extended finger and played with its beak.


    ¡°Princess, you¡¯re playing around now.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    I ignored Vernon¡¯s reproachful gaze.


    My birdy is so adorable!


    I don¡¯t have time for anything else but adore this little creation of mine.


    I heard a faint creak of a door then followed by a closed one, coming from a familiar direction. Birdy vanished instantly, I don¡¯t want anything that would warrant her to stay with me. Seeing birdy, I¡¯m sure she would start clinging to me.


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Mother?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have lunch?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ you go first Mother, I¡¯ll finish the last part of my practice momentarily. I¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    She was a bit surprised. This never happened before after all, normally I would come with her.


    ¡°... Is that so? Alright, I¡¯ll be expecting you, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡±


    With that, she left the library.


    ¡°O Princess, you weren¡¯t practicing, you know.¡±


    My brow furrowed towards Rogan.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to conjure a bird, yes? Isn¡¯t that also practice?¡±


    ¡°... I guess?¡±


    I laid my elbow on the table and placed a hand on my cheek, seemingly bored. A minute later, I laid both arms on the table and laid my head there for a moment before looking up towards Vernon.


    ¡°Vernon¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please bring me, um, at least five clean sheets of paper.¡±


    ¡°Drawing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to eat?¡±


    ¡°I currently don¡¯t have the appetite. No need to be afraid, I¡¯m just not in the mood.¡±


    He furrowed his brows as he stared at me for a moment.


    ¡°... As you wish.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I smiled gratefully at him.


    After he left and after confirming that the door was closed, I stood up from my seat.


    ¡°Stay here.¡±


    I ordered the remaining two.


    ¡°Princess? You want Vernon to leave, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders and stepped away from my chair.


    ¡°Milady, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 31: Secret Hidden From Me (Part 2)

    There were still a few staff here, so maybe driving Vernon off would be useless. But not completely, the staff here can¡¯t touch and hinder me. But Vernon could. I wanted him out of here for a while to make things go my way smoothly.


    I made my way to the room where my mother was working. When I arrived at the door, turning the knob, I discovered it was locked as expected. No problem.


    Casting the barrier spell, I shaped it akin to a pair of thin slips of metal, to be specific, lock picks. One on each of my hands, I began picking the lock. It didn¡¯t take long before I heard a faint click. The repelling function of the barrier spell helped a little, but I needed to make the pick thinner than normal. But everything went well, and the picks vanished after I was done.


    But before I could turn the knob to enter, there were sounds of footsteps coming towards me. It was to be expected that someone would come to me. Turning my head to the side, there I saw a familiar girl, still wearing thick clothes and barely any skin exposed, as though she was feeling cold in this decently warm time..


    The same woman who helped me with the history book.


    ¡°Princess, may I ask what you are doing?¡±


    She asked blankly, perhaps doing her best to be impartial with this.


    ¡°Some important matter, everything is fine so there is no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty the Queen wanted that room to be strictly private and not allow anyone inside.¡±


    ¡°Does that include me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so please retract. I believe it is best to ask her majesty first.¡±


    Hm, she seemed to have not noticed I had unlocked the door already. I am not particularly fond of outright lying here, and directly involved mother, somehow I am reluctant about lying here. I¡­ don¡¯t want her to have the impression that I learned how to lie to her¡­


    How contradictory¡­


    ¡°Miss, I intend to enter here, I¡¯ll consult Mother later. I ask that you allow me entrance without any trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot do that, your highness. It is her majesty¡¯s order.¡±


    She takes her job very seriously.


    Still, even I am not allowed to enter. There¡¯s something very important here. I want to know.


    ¡°How unfortunate, I hope you forgive me for inconveniencing you on your duty, Miss. Rogan, hold the door.¡±


    He immediately appeared in front of me. As I thought, he was listening. If things went smoothly I would have no need for him, but that didn¡¯t happen. I imagine this would have been more troublesome if Vernon was here. Now then, time is ticking.


    ¡°Hold it right there, Lady.¡±


    Rogan held out his hand.


    ¡°Sir Knight, it is ordered by the Queen that this room is off-limits.¡±


    ¡°I know. Buuuut, my princess gave me the order to hold this door right here, so I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The woman glared at him.


    With no hesitation, I opened the door, prompting a surprised gasp from the woman.


    ¡°How? It should be locked.¡±


    I closed and locked the door, and silence immediately settled. In the middle of the room, there was a long table and laid above it was several objects, seemingly ancient they might as well be called as artifacts.


    There were worn out and tattered scrolls kept inside opened cases. Touching them carelessly could tear a part off very easily. I tried reading the contents without touching, but I couldn¡¯t understand a sentence.


    Some letters and words were familiar to me, but mostly they were foreign to my knowledge. Not only that, even though I recognized a few words, I couldn¡¯t completely comprehend the grammar. This felt almost akin to reading old English. Damn, the ever-changing language.


    There were single-paged sheets, but I too cannot understand them. Furthermore, there were a couple of stone tablets ¡ª clay tablets? There were writings, and little illustrations, simple ones.


    A crowd facing a pair of figures hovering in the air. And the crowd seemed to be worshiping the same two figures.


    Then on one corner by the table, there were sheets of paper there, next to an inkwell. Mother must have written what she had learned. I scanned them for a moment.


    Summarization of her discovery¡­


    I¡¯m surprised she was able to understand the old writings. She had to be smarter than I knew her to be.


    I sat down on the chair and read her work.


    The story began when two deities, husband and wife, fought for the freedom of the Wisterian people, along with their servants. The slavers of humanity were both monstrous and beautiful, bearing forms different to humans, and perceived humanity itself as inferior beings.


    These two deities happened to be the two gods we worship. The Goddess of Serenity who brought peace to the hearts of the people, and the God of Compassion who showed great kindness. There were also accounts of another who seemed to always be with the two, that my mother hypothesized to be a close confidant. But there was also a mention in the ancient documents that this other man may be a deity the same as the two.


    However, nothing was for certain, and not much information has been discovered yet about him. The servants were also written as peculiar beings, marked with fearsome might.


    The battle for freedom was hard-fought, but with the aid of the gods, the slavers of humanity were driven away, never to be seen again.


    Then came the lost and never mentioned history. The gods themselves were the firsts to establish the kingdom and not the ones who were hailed as the founders. Well, they were supposed to be.


    The two gods had a child as they were establishing the foundations of the kingdom. It was a beautiful baby girl who greatly resembled her mother, skin pale as snow, hair as white as platinum, and eyes as red as blood.


    Wait... That¡¯s¡­.


    What¡¯s this?


    But the joy of the couple didn¡¯t last long. For when the child was still a baby, she was mysteriously killed. Cause of death unknown¡­ as they were not revealed by the deities.


    Wait. What¡­ What does this mean¡­?


    Distraught by the loss of her child, the goddess proclaimed that her child was to be reborn.


    This¡­


    My mind raced trying to process this information. Amidst that, a memory came to mind.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    The vision, the faint vision that happened last time. There was a woman there. A woman who looked almost completely like me. Crimson eyes, white hair, white skin.


    ¡°The goddess?¡±


    Then, couldn¡¯t this mean I¡¯m¡­


    But there was another part of the vision. A blade descending towards me.


    If that was me¡­ someone wanted me dead and succeeded?


    I continued reading.


    The goddess didn¡¯t give a time when the daughter would be reborn. But, now, there was a girl who fit the description of the goddess. Mother wrote:


    ¡°We believe that the child reborn, the child of the goddess, is my daughter, Estelia.¡±


    I almost crumpled the paper within my grasp.


    They hid such information from me?


    Furthermore, the two gods had another child who almost resembled the father, another girl. Dark hair and violet eyes. She who we would come to know as the founder. Sometime later, the gods disappeared, no information could be found as to why. The direct servants of the deities were also never mentioned again.


    Thus, after their disappearance, during the time of the second daughter was when the Wisterian Kingdom officially came into existence.


    ¡°Second daughter?¡±


    If she¡¯s a child of the gods, then, isn¡¯t she supposed to be immortal or something? Gods are supposed to be immortal, right?


    In the last entry, the founder was mentioned to have left the kingdom, but the reason was unknown. The ancient documents given were still insufficient to give a full picture of the far history.


    I placed the papers back on the table.


    They hid this from me¡­? Why?


    I didn¡¯t know what I should feel. Should I feel betrayed? Upset? Sad? Surprise? Intrigued? Angry?


    This information would have been useful to me. And¡­


    To think they would hide my true nature from me.


    That explained a lot. My colossal amount of mana, my beautiful appearance that was so unique.


    Why did they hide? Since when did they know? Who else knew? Was I the only one kept in the dark?


    I gently slammed my fist on the table. I guess I am feeling a bit angry.


    People seemed to always want to go after me¡­ What did the goddess even do to warrant such dreadful attention?


    How many times do I have to die in history¡­? I have been killed in like, a total of three times now, counting my former life, the stairs, and the one from the vision. And now, there are even others trying to kill me. But who the fuck are they?


    This information didn¡¯t give me the specific reason, but if I were to guess, it had something to do with me being related to the gods¡ª even though my family line should have the blood of the gods, but I guess I¡¯m different. I can already tell from my power and appearance alone.


    This would have been a bit step closer to finding out the truth, or what the hell was going on. I might have gotten a little peace of mind way earlier!


    And to hide my true nature?


    Why?!


    What was the point?


    At that moment, I heard the lock click and the door opened, and the one who came in was my mother. She was earlier than expected, maybe because I took too long in going for lunch, or Vernon. The former was the more likely.


    Her eyes were wide with shock and worry. Her eyes went to mine, then to the documents. I could see a faint expression of pain within her eyes as she pursed her lips for a moment before calling to me with hesitation.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello, mother. I had been sort of waiting for you.¡±


    I tried my best to smile, but the corners of my lips felt heavy, so in the end, they drooped down. Deep inside, this was not a moment to smile, nor did I even feel like it.


    ¡°Did you read?¡±


    I stood up from the seat with agitation after hearing her question.


    ¡°I did, I most definitely did. Quite the intelligence I discovered. Not one I would ever hope to expect, nor imagine.¡±


    I caught a glimpse of Rogan and Vernon from behind her.


    ¡°Estelia, daughter, let me explain¡ª¡±


    ¡°What sort of explanation would you have for me, hm?¡±


    I realized my little facade was breaking.


    I took in a deep breath and calmly spoke as best as I could.


    ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable you would keep such a thing from me, Mother¡­¡±


    I had hoped I could believe in her with all my heart¡­ No, this was wrong to feel. I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this way. This was a wrong feeling coming from me.


    ¡°Estelia¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± She walked towards me with rushed steps but I instinctively stepped back, and yet she forcibly grabbed my hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We wanted to protect you.¡±


    I pulled my hands away.


    ¡°Protect me? Protect me from the truth?¡±


    That was an absurd reason.


    She reached out for my hand again and stroked my cheek.


    ¡°We¡­ We only wanted for you to have a normal life¡­away from these¡­ Normal, just normal. We didn¡¯t want you to be concerned about something beyond our understanding.¡±


    ¡°So Father also knew it from the beginning? You¡­ You kept everything from me.¡±


    My mother was shaking. I didn¡¯t imagine she would be this shaken¡­ Ah, I have never been this mad in front of them before. I was always the calm and gentle one.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, Estelia. Please understand, what we did was for you.¡±


    She looked so pitiful that my anger was starting to dissipate. I didn¡¯t want to see her like this.


    Just a normal person, huh. Thinking from their perspective, I understand them. Knowing that their innocent daughter was involved with the gods might have been frightening. And there was a chance something different from their expectations or imaginations might happen to me.


    Thus, they only wanted me to be normal, letting me think everything was normal. That way, I was away from anything beyond understanding, and away from danger and restlessness.


    But still¡­


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    I still didn¡¯t feel any better, but I¡¯ll take advantage of this.


    ¡°Mother¡­ I¡­ I understand¡­ But, please, let me speak with Father, with the rest of the family present.¡±


    She looked puzzled for a moment but instantly realized why I would make such a request.


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet later before sunset. I want to be alone for a while¡­¡±


    I stepped away from her, pulling my hand away. Seeing me distance myself, my mother appeared sad, no, perhaps heartbroken¡­


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡±


    I walked past her and exited the room.


    ***


    Vernon watched the princess rush out of the library with a tiny gap between his lips. He only brought paper sheets as the princess requested, but never did he expect it would end up this way.


    Mera chased after the princess while Rogan turned to Vernon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me, go.¡±


    Rogan nodded his head and went after the princess.


    When Vernon returned while bringing the papers with him, he found that one of the staff was arguing with Rogan. Something about the princess not allowed inside the private quarter where the Queen has been going. But Rogan would keep her away from the door.


    Vernon had no clue what was going on and he asked the knight, learning the gist of the situation. He never expected that Princess Estelia would force herself inside, going against the order given by her own mother which prohibits entry.


    How was the door opened?


    He knew that the Queen would never forget to lock something important. Now that he thought about it, the exact time Vernon went out to procure papers as ordered by the princess, she went on to intrude the room.


    It was then he realized that she was intending to drive him away so he wouldn¡¯t interfere. Vernon would ideally be adamant to interfere with her, however, he was now uncertain whether he would truly do it or not.


    Shortly after his arrival though, the Queen suddenly arrived looking for Estelia who apparently had yet to take her lunch. Thus, she intended to call her, only to discover that she had intruded the quarters she used. Using the key, she unlocked the door to find a very displeased princess.


    Vernon himself was feeling a little anxious, it was the first time he had seen her truly displeased, and angry. It felt like the innocent princess that everyone had seen her as had evaporated ¡ª perhaps that would be expected if she was angry. It was weird for him to suggest otherwise.


    As the door was opened, of course he couldn¡¯t help but take a glance inside. There seemed to be only old objects there, but he had no idea what those were for. Even so, he had no intention of prying.


    Vernon watched the sad Queen, whose eyes were moist at the corners, slowly exit the room with lowered eyes as she closed the door.


    ¡°My q-queen, my sincerest apology! It was my fault, I failed to stop her.¡±


    The woman, a staff of the library, frantically said to the queen. However, the queen slightly raised her hand before speaking in a weak tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, Soliya¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The woman, Soliya, seemed to try to refute, but the queen shook her head. The Queen turned to look at Vernon.


    ¡°My Queen, will you be alright? Shall I escort you to your room?¡±


    ¡°Vernon¡­ No, it¡¯s alright¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ Estelia¡­ this is the first time she felt angry at me¡­ No, not just me, but I imagine to all of us¡­¡±


    Princess Estelia was always the behaved and quiet child, rarely angry, but not deeply angry, but rather it would be more appropriate to say she had only been irritated, annoyed, or bothered. Still, those were mild.


    Now however, it was different. Her gaze was stern.


    ¡°I surmise she has learned something big¡­ Give her a bit of time to process everything, I¡¯m sure she will organize her thoughts sooner or later.¡±


    The queen nodded her head.


    ¡°Okay¡­ For now, I¡¯ll go to my husband.¡±


    ¡°Shall I escort you?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± she faintly smiled. ¡°Please tend to my daughter.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Before leaving, the Queen locked the door to the room once again.


    After exiting the library, the two of them separated and Vernon made his way to what he anticipated where the princess would run to. This side of her was more predictable¡­ the vulnerable side.


    He found relief that there was a part of her that he was able to make a prediction of.


    His prediction was proven right when he saw Rogan and Mera standing outside the princess¡¯s room.


    ¡°So she locked herself in, again¡­¡± Vernon said.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost funny that it happened twice already,¡± Rogan scratched his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s because they always mistreated milady.¡±


    ¡°Mera¡­ the two situations were not a mistreatment though.¡±


    Mera furrowed her brows at Vernon¡¯s words before lowering her head. It was strange for her to think it was that way. But Vernon understood what she meant, the princess had been feeling agitated lately, her emotions going places.


    Add to that the threat to her life. It must have been hard.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Mera quietly muttered.


    Vernon walked towards the door before gently knocking.


    ¡°Princess? Are you alright?¡±


    He beckoned, but even after several seconds later, there was no response. It was a little worrying.


    ¡°Are you sure she entered?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Vernon was content with Rogan¡¯s answer, in that case, there was nothing to worry about. The princess needed a quiet and alone time.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 32: Secret Hidden From Me (Part 3)

    Meditation is a lie.


    Yeah, that¡¯s how we¡¯re starting.


    Now, why would I say that? Because I was at the moment trying it out, expecting that I would feel something, but nope! Not wooorking for me, what a waste of time.


    Don¡¯t I sound bitter? Well I am bitter right now.


    I heard it was effective to others, but why not for me? Ugh!


    Fuck this shit what am I even doing. I am trying to think and get a peace of mind!


    Vernon even tried calling me from the other side of the door, but fuck him. I¡¯m not in the mood to play around.


    ¡°Haaaaah.¡±


    I got up from my meditation pose after a solemn sigh, yeah, I really tried doing it, so what? I¡¯m in a state where I¡¯m desperate to try something new, or rather some random stuff. But as you can see, it was useless.


    I don¡¯t get meditation.


    I don¡¯t get it at all.


    Forget it.


    I walked towards the windows and opened them, the refreshing air instantly came in.


    Wait, now that I thought about it, why don¡¯t I have a balcony? Now ain¡¯t that a bitch. Now that I mentioned it, we have no balcony! What the hell?


    Shit.


    So much for being rich.


    I¡¯m a goddess.


    Oops, that thought just popped up, sorry about that.


    No wait, I¡¯m a goddess, but not exactly? ¡®Cause I don¡¯t feel different from a normal human, setting aside my power. Well, I was born from two humans so¡­ maybe I¡¯m part human¡­ Is that how it works? Or do gods even feel any different?


    In any case, my family owes me for keeping such an absolutely essential piece of information, it would have helped progress the puzzle as to why I was being hunted.


    ¡°Haaaaah ¡ª this is pissing me off.¡±


    I lightly tapped my fist on the window sill. It was then that there were knockings on the door.


    ¡°Your highness, your Father and Mother calls for you.¡±


    It was a voice that didn¡¯t belong to any of my servants. It must be time then. I exited the room without showing any significant feelings or emotion, I¡¯m not gonna be all weepy. The woman who called me was the maid that served me during rotations in the past, before Mera became my personal maid, Urys.


    She formally curtsied, with head bowed low.


    ¡°Princess, I shall lead you to the King¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Lead the way.¡±


    I followed Urys and only glanced for a second at my usual trio, Mera in particular looked uneasy, I wonder what¡¯s up with her.


    We arrived at the office and I immediately entered inside while acting impatient. Urys turned the lock and then closed the door, now it was certain there would be no intruders or eavesdroppers. This will be an important topic.


    Inside was the complete family, Father, Mother, Estevan, and Eleden.


    There was silence as I openly showed my displeasure. Mother was looking frightened, Father stiff, Estevan nervous, and Eleden was¡­confused? Does he know or not?


    ¡°My daughter¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello, Father. Quite a secret you hid from me.¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me, Estelia.¡±


    He slowly walked towards me, but I stepped back.


    ¡°What else are you hiding from me? How cruel of you, of all of you to hide my true nature. Despite the reason I learned¡­ don¡¯t you see what¡¯s happening? To keep such a secret from me, unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a piece of astronomical information, not just about anyone, but about me! To think I¡¯m actually involved with gods. Gods! Like, fuck, gods are real, real here and they walked here, leaving a large influence. For all I know, the people hunting me could be working for a fucking god.


    I¡¯ll be a small cute puppy trying to bite a lion when I attempt to fight against that. That could have been a fatal, fatal mistake, I was preparing to fight them, you know!


    Shit! I might die in a single smite.


    Jesus! I might be vaporized with a single thought, granted if the gods were just like how gods were depicted in my old world. But still.


    ¡°And you, Estevan? You knew, didn''t you?¡±


    Estevan stiffened.


    ¡°Uh, I ¡ªY-Yes, I knew.¡±


    My face contorted into an expression of betrayal.


    ¡°So even you hid it from me.¡±


    ¡°No! Wait Estel. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, you have nothing to explain.¡± I then turned to Eleden. ¡°You too, Eleden?¡±


    ¡°S-Sister, I don''t even know what is being discussed here and what this true nature you speak of.¡±


    Eleden, so the pair of us were kept out of the loop. I¡¯m getting a little feeling of kinship. If the eldest didn¡¯t know, why does Estevan do? Was he told about it only recently?


    Doesn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Then, let me tell you what they hid from us, dear brother of mine. We are family after all. That¡¯s fine, yes?¡±


    I gently looked at the others, and there was no refusal.


    ¡°You see, Eleden. I am actually the ¡°daughter¡± of our revered gods, the Goddess of Serenity, and the God of Compassion.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to believe it at first, and his brows wrinkled in puzzlement at the outrageous thing he just heard.


    I continued.


    ¡°Given that, the founder, the first queen is also their child, we, you, are their descendents. So technically, we should have the blood of the gods, but I guess I¡¯m a special case. From what I discovered, I am the reborn first child of the gods, who once upon a time was killed.¡±


    He grasped his temple, processing what he had just heard.


    ¡°.... Is that true? Truly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, brother.¡±


    ¡°To this scale?¡± he muttered. ¡°Why? Why did you hide it?¡± he asked Father.


    ¡°This is a secret that is supposed to be only known to the rulers, knowledge to be passed down to the ruling monarchs.¡±


    ¡°What else is there, Father? What else about Estelia should we know?¡±


    Father pursed his lips for a second, seemingly hesitant to speak. But immediately gave up as he saw me watching him.


    ¡°...There is another title we know about the goddess. She is also known as the Ruling Deity of Blood.¡±


    Blood? Princess of Blood? Ah, so that¡¯s it, huh. The other title was not mentioned in the library documents.


    ¡°... So you also have realized why I was called the Princess of Blood...¡±


    ¡°That was supposed to be the title of the first daughter of our gods, yours.¡±


    My brows furrowed. Now this just made me more mad.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you already know why they are targeting me.¡±


    ¡°... We truly do not know, my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    I looked away in frustration.


    ¡°My daughter, all the blame falls to me, I made the two of them hide the truth from you. You can get angry at me, only at me... But I ask your forgiveness, Estelia. Please.¡±


    He approached me and grasped both my hands, his expression full of regret. He gently stroked my cheek, rough tough skin as a soldier, but beneath it was a softness from a father¡¯s touch.


    I¡­. I¡¯m not that soft as they think I am. They can¡¯t just ask forgiveness just like that¡­! But¡­


    I lowered my head gaze with hesitation.


    ¡°T-Then, I will forgive you if you grant my requests.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, tell me, I¡¯ll grant it.¡±


    ¡°I have two, first, grant my request regarding Vernon.¡±


    ¡°... That¡­¡±


    I have given him plenty of time to think about it, he should have come to a conclusion already.


    ¡°I have been thinking about it¡­ Very well, I will leave Vernon to you.¡±


    Oh! That was quick.


    ¡°Thank you father.¡±


    ¡°And the second one?¡±


    ¡°Give me access to the Royal Grimoire and let me read it.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing my request.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡± muttered Father. ¡°The Grimoire must only be studied by ruling monarchs, as per tradition.¡±


    ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t do it? Is that too much to ask? Fine then. We¡¯re done here. Forget everything.¡±


    I stepped away.


    ¡°Wait Estelia¡ª¡±


    ¡°My life is in danger that death may come for me next sunrise, and yet you wouldn¡¯t do only that much knowing it is for my own sake? I am willing to do whatever it takes to win, even bending traditions, for it is my life. If you wouldn¡¯t do that much for me, then I wonder what value I have to you, to all of you.¡±


    ¡°Estelia how could you say that? I am your father, I love you so much. As does the rest of us.¡±


    Their love was not to the level that they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to bend the rules and break traditions. That meant their rules and traditions were more valuable than me. I am trying to make them think that. What I¡¯m trying to say is, their rules and traditions were more important than their only daughter.


    ¡°And yet you would hesitate to grant a request that would give me safety?¡±


    If they still refuse, well, I am on the brink, I have grown impatient, I am pissed, irritated, and trying my best not to verbally swear most of the time. I don¡¯t know what will happen next if I am refused, but¡­ I hope it doesn''t come to that.


    You know, there is a way to get away from all of this. That is, to run away completely unnoticed. Everyone knows I am a plain innocent princess, defenseless, barely any useful talents in battle. Nor was I brave.


    The last thing they''d expect was me disappearing all of a sudden. Escaping from the walls is doable after a time of preparation and planning. My enemies will never realize I have gone and left this place, let them fight their fight. I¡¯ll stay away from this place.


    I had enough of this. I want to live, not to survive. Otherwise, it will be the same as last time. If I get away from this place, unnoticed, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of this. The world may be unknown, but normal people seemed to be faring well. That was better than any of this, trying to fight unknown enemies, planning and striving so hard to survive. Once I grow enough strength, I can certainly leave.


    But I don¡¯t want to.


    That was the one thing keeping me from leaving.


    This was home.


    I don¡¯t want to leave.


    But, human emotion was an unpredictable thing, even to me.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand me¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    Father grabbed my hand and suddenly pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly, preventing me from going away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I understand you, what you''re going through, what you¡¯re feeling. I understand¡­ These times are tough, especially when you¡¯re the center of it all. You don¡¯t deserve this¡­¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    I looked up at him with wide eyes. Then Mother walked towards us and joined in on the hug.


    ¡°...¡± I was left speechless.


    ¡°Estelia my dear, you carry a weight so heavy, I¡­ I should have done something to relieve you of them, even for a little. I am also at fault.¡±


    This is too much¡­


    I subtly took a deep breath.


    Eleden and Estevan not joining the hug? What a shame¡­ But men will be men¡­ But don¡¯t men also like hugs?


    I don¡¯t know anymore.


    It took a while before they let go of me. Then Father patted my head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you access to the grimoire.¡±


    A smile rose from my lips.


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    ***


    I left the room, staying close to my eldest brother. It was then some fellow followed us and called out to me.


    ¡°Estel.¡±


    Needless to say, it was my older brother Estevan. Eleden and I turned around altogether.


    ¡°Estel, I need to speak with you.¡±


    When he got closer I instantly hid behind Eleden and grabbed the edge of his torso, only peeking at Estevan from the side.


    ¡°Estel, I know you¡¯re angry, and I¡¯m so sorry. I hope you¡¯ll forgive me.¡±


    He looked so pitiful, he truly regretted it from the bottom of his heart. And he was afraid that I was so angry at him ¡ª well I am.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    I completely hid myself behind Eleden again.


    Eleden heaved a deep sigh before turning towards me, leaving me unguarded.


    ¡°Estelia, don¡¯t hide, okay? Speak with our Brother. He¡¯s being sincere, and I believe that sincerity should be requited.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts¡­ go on, at least speak your mind.¡±


    I meekly nodded my head and slowly turn my head to Estevan.


    ¡°... E-Estevan¡­ I, I understand why you did what you did, and I had forgiven you. I am¡­ I still don¡¯t know how I should talk with you after that.¡±


    ¡°...... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me, brother¡­¡±


    I saw Estevan¡¯s sad expression from the corner of my eyes. But I disregarded him.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Alright, I need to tell everyone something. As you have noticed, I am only updating once a week now. Mm... yeah reason for that is school. Being in college, now I have a major project working on. As for what project that is, I will be developing a 2D video game with my group... That major project and some other assignments from different subjects are consuming a lot of my time.


    I''m so sorry and I hope you understand.


    That said, after several chapters, chapters should become more lengthy -- around the advance chapters on the Patreon. Think of it like two chapters in one. I want to make up for the days without any updates. So I intend to make chapters more lengthy.


    Thank you everyone for the time and I hope you keep reading my story. And also thank you for the support.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 33: Spells From the Grimoire

    The next day, my father and I entered the library and made our way to the grimoire. We passed by other pedestals where other important-looking books were placed. However, the major feature here was the thick silvery book wrapped in chains.


    Only the two of us were here, it would have been alright if there were others like my servants. However, the book will be unsealed today, so it was decided to not let others come near.


    We stopped before an extravagant pedestal where the grimoire was placed. Father held out his hand and mana began to take shape then formed some sort of key entirely in the color of purple.


    He just shaped his mana into a key?


    I scrutinized the key but I would need to get a closer look. That being said, surely it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to imitate that.


    ¡°That¡¯s one simple security father. I expected it would require more than that.¡±


    ¡°Only the ruling monarch¡¯s mana can unlock the chains. There are other requirements before one can safely open the book, otherwise, well, it will be life-threatening.¡±


    When his hand with the key got closer, electricity began to appear on the chains¡¯ surface and slowly rose. He tapped the key once to the lock and the electricity instantly disappeared.


    He then proceeded to insert the key into the keyhole before turning it, then sounded an audible click. At once, the chains went loose and was pulled down onto the floor with a thud by gravity.


    ¡°There. Unfortunately we can¡¯t remove the grimoire from the pedestal. We can¡¯t risk bringing around a collection of royal knowledge anywhere. So, my daughter, you will need to read here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, father. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hm, go ahead. Try opening it.¡±


    I approached and touched the grimoire, it truly felt like a silver cover. Upon opening, the pages didn¡¯t look old at all. Peculiar.


    ¡°The paper doesn¡¯t seem to have aged.¡±


    ¡°The book has been cast by a special preservation spell.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    In any case, the first page already talked about one spell. ¡°Sound Eruption¡±, blasts off a high pitch sound in all directions. There was a warning, the user would also be affected. Well, fuck I suppose that¡¯s to be expected. Process, hm a bit complicated, but doable, I think.


    Next page, ¡°Ice Crown¡±, a blizzard, but a lot more. Constructs of beasts amidst the blizzard to be used as a small army as long as the spells persist. Hm, this would be hard. The main goal, blind and overwhelm a single enemy. In this world of frost, you hold the crown.


    Next spell, ¡°Infernal Loop¡±, creates a ring of fire around the user. Pulling enemies outside from a certain distance into the ring. Warning, may also burn the user ¡ª learning spell ¡°Immolation¡± is strictly recommended to be protected.


    ¡°Immolation¡±, covers the user with protective flame coating.


    Holy shit man, aren¡¯t these, pretty strong? Holy shit old rulers were not kidding around.


    ¡°Ripping Tide¡± conjures revolving water as thin as a blade, and hard as steel. Flexible and deadly. Able to eliminate surrounding enemies. Disadvantage, the effective radius is short ¡ª radius may vary on the user¡¯s mana.


    Dude, how many spells are in here, damn. This¡­ wow. This is awesome!


    ¡°Mirror Maze¡±, entrapping enemies into a small realm of mirrors, imprisoning them, and should induce confusion. Furthermore, if enemies attempt to break the mirrors, the shattered glasses will scatter explosively, damaging the enemy.


    ¡°Well of Life¡±, casts an area where any living lifeform inside will be healed, also granting a small amount of magical defense barrier. Disadvantage, as it will heal every living lifeform inside the area of effect, enemies will also be granted the Well¡¯s blessing. Requirements, advance knowledge and skill in healing spells.


    These spells not only seemed powerful, but pretty complicated, and there were a ton of them. It will take a while before I get to finish memori¡ª familiarizing all of it. That said, I was looking for a particular spell that would give me great mobility.


    I skimmed through the pages until I found the spell ¡°Air Step¡±, perfect!


    ¡°Have you found the spell you want to learn, daughter?¡±


    Hm? The spell I want to learn? Was he perhaps misunderstanding something?


    ¡°I intend to learn all of the spells here.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª What?! It would take at least a lifetime of training to perfect all of them. I have only learned a few, but only the ones that will be able to aid me in my swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I will learn as much as I can. I will be reading every spell first before practicing them.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, I regret to inform you but I do not intend to keep the grimoire unsealed for a long time. The most I can do is one month, too risky if we go any further.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty. Thank you, father.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty? I guess you will only be learning what you can.¡±


    ¡°I intend to learn at least most of it.¡±


    Father chuckled.


    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡±


    He did not seem to believe me.


    ¡°...That being said, when it¡¯s time, I will be practicing this one first of all.¡±


    Father stepped forward and looked at what I was pointing at.


    ¡°Oh that,¡± he smiled. ¡°That will be very useful. If you need help with this, talk to me.¡±


    ¡°You can cast this spell?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s useful in battle. You have a good eye.¡±


    ¡°I just thought it would indeed be useful in combat ¡ª or escaping.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Then I shall be leaving you to it then?¡±


    I nodded my head with a smile.


    ¡°Good luck, my daughter.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Eleden!¡±


    As the eldest child of the family was working with his assistant, Estevan suddenly barged into the office, shouting loudly that the ones inside slightly jumped in shock.


    ¡°What the¡ª Estevan, don¡¯t ever do that again. I almost had a heart attack, by the gods.¡±


    Eleden grasped his forehead.


    ¡°What was even the point of that?¡± Lucious audibly asked.


    Reflecting on what he had done, he gently closed the door.


    ¡°Right, I apologize. But this is urgent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Estel is still mad at me, I¡¯m sure of it. She¡¯s been hesitant in speaking with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course she would be. Just give her time.¡±


    Estevan vigorously shook his head.


    ¡°Let too much time pass and you may lose someone! Sometimes you have to settle the situation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t lose Estelia.¡±


    ¡°No! She may remain, but an intangible distance may form between us if I don¡¯t do something as soon as possible! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, to ask for your advice on what I should do.¡±


    Eleden winced. He should have expected that Estevan would eventually act this way. In all within the family, Estevan may be the one with the strongest love towards the only sister. And he in turn wanted affection from her. And thus he was very impatient today.


    Eleden had no choice but to help his brother.


    ¡°Maybe speak with her.¡±


    ¡°I did try earlier, but she merely briefly greeted me. And that¡¯s it. She left after that. The way she looked at me.. It was as if she was trying to avoid me.¡±


    ¡°Haaaah,¡± he sighed. ¡°Then maybe give her something special, or treat her.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Maybe cook food for her.¡±


    Estevan¡¯s eyes widened and his face brightened.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, brother! I¡¯ll also give her a bouquet of flowers while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you nee¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thanks! Alright I¡¯ll be in the kitchen! See ya!¡±


    In a flash, he left the room without giving anyone the chance to slow him down.


    ¡°Flowers, for Estelia?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sad, Lucious. To think a brother is more romantic than the man who is in love.¡±


    Lucious grimaced as if Eleden¡¯s word¡¯s slapped him on the face.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Eleden held his stomach amidst his laughter. He truly thought it was hilarious.


    ¡°Very funny¡­¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 34: Estevan’s Efforts

    Right before the strike of noon, Estevan entered the library with an assorted set of flowers in his hand. His smile was wide in excitement, he was confident that Estelia would warm up to him today. After all, he cooked the best food he could.


    It was the dish that Estelia said she loved so much the last time he cooked for her, and that was a long time ago. He knew Estelia would be thrilled to taste them again.


    When he entered, he only found her servants in the lobby. He timed his entrance, so Estelia should be going out for lunch any time soon.


    ¡°Your highness, what brought you here?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Estelia.¡±


    ¡°A bouquet, is it for her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for reconciliation.¡±


    ¡°I did notice she acted rather differently earlier when interacting with you.¡±


    ¡°I hope to fix it today.¡±


    ¡°I do not know the cause, but I wish you good luck.¡±


    Estevan nodded his head excitedly and waited for Estelia. His chest up and the bouquet were shown to all as he wore a bright and charming smile that mesmerized the young women working in the library. A few were even blushing just at the sight of him.


    But unfortunately, his ¡°romantic¡± charms were not for them.


    A few seconds later, a young beautiful maiden emerged from the numerous shelves. A peerless beauty, not even daughters of the gods could hope to compare. A pale and charming face that would steal both men¡¯s and women¡¯s hearts. Her long platinum hair that was more valuable than any jewels worn by the wealthiest men and women wave gently with every step.


    A pair of beautiful crimson eyes gazed at Estevan with wonder, then shifted to the bouquet of flowers in his hand. The princess, Estelia, curled her hand and placed it on her chest as if hesitating.


    Thus, Estevan walked towards her with a smile. Estelia was unable to move.


    ¡°Hello, dear sister,¡± he placed his left hand to his back, while the right one presented the bouquet. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    While surprised, Estelia received the flowers, allowing her to smell the pleasant fragrance permeating in the air from the flowers. She stared at the flowers before raising her eyes towards Estevan, a blush appearing on her already pale cheeks.


    ¡°B-Brother, what¡­ what is this for?¡±


    ¡°My offering to receive your heartfelt forgiveness. I committed a grave mistake, and I want to make up for it.¡±


    Estelia pursed her lips, confused by how everything was turning out ¡ª she never expected this. No one would have expected this.


    ¡°... But I already said I had forgiven you¡­¡±


    ¡°I realized I need to act more than just words.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± she lowered her gaze to look at the bouquet of flowers, a smile blossomed on her face. ¡°Thank you, for the flowers.¡±


    ¡°I have something more than flowers, Estel. Come let¡¯s have our lunch.¡±


    He gently reached out and grasped her soft and smooth hand, and the princess gracefully accepted his hold with a gentle nod.


    As the prince carefully guided her to the dining room, the princess hid her face a little on the flowers, feeling embarrassed. Of course seeing this, Estevan was feeling satisfied, this meant that his current effort was effective.


    Still, the problem has yet to be solved. However, after lunch, it certainly would be.


    When they arrived at the dining room, Estevan led the princess to her seat and pulled the chair for the lady. Once the princess had seated down, Estevan nodded proudly.


    Eleden, who was already there, palmed his face and shook his head, while their father merely looked at Estevan with confusion.


    ¡°Mother¡¯s still not here, huh?¡± Estevan said.


    ¡°She should be here at any second,¡± Estelia answered.


    It was then that the queen had arrived.


    ¡°I saw you leave the library with Estelia,¡± she then saw the bouquet of flowers in the hands of her daughter. ¡°Oh my, are the flowers from you, Estevan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How sweet~.¡±


    She chuckled as she made her way to her seat, and Estevan pulled the chair for her.


    ¡°Oh? Thank you. Someone¡¯s diligent today.¡±


    ¡°I prepared dishes for today¡¯s lunch.¡±


    ¡°Oooh!¡±


    ¡°Of course with the help from the cooks, but I have a couple I personally made.¡±


    Estevan clapped his hands.


    ¡°Bring them in!¡±


    A group of servants then entered carrying steel platters. With smooth unison they placed them at the table then opening them all at once, steam immediately rose into the air. The royal family inhaled the pleasant smell of the dishes.


    ¡°Sister,¡± behind Estelia, Estevan said. ¡°I also personally cooked the dishes you said you loved. I made them while thinking of you. Please enjoy.¡±


    Then the family started dining. Estevan did feel a bit anxious as he often glanced at his sister, he was sure that the dishes he prepared with her in mind were delicious after tasting them. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if Estelia would like them.


    But he felt relieved when he saw her smile of glee as she ate a spoonful. And thus, he continued eating in peace.


    A while later, they had almost finished eating.


    ¡°Estevan, the dishes you made were wonderful. I had forgotten the last time we ate your cooking,¡± his mother said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you love it. To be honest, I did struggle. But the cooks in the kitchen was a great help.¡±


    ¡°You should cook when there¡¯s an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I will try father.¡±


    Estevan glanced at Estelia and the latter immediately glanced away, feeling shy. He knew this reaction very well, it was entirely different from when she was mad at him. As her brother, he knew that her anger towards him had subsided.


    Estevan wanted to pump his elbow in joy but resisted it.


    When it was time to leave, Estevan encountered Estelia in the hallway. She walked towards him, she must have been waiting.


    ¡°B-Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Estevan couldn¡¯t resist grinning.


    ¡°Um¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Estelia then proceeded to spread her arms and embraced him. Estevan was caught off guard, he didn¡¯t expect her to initiate. He expected she would be meek about it when the problem had just been resolved, but it seemed he was wrong.


    He smiled fondly before embracing her back.


    ¡°You liked my cooking?¡± he said before chuckling.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you not angry anymore?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    He chuckled with a great feeling of relief.


    ***


    Vernon entered the King¡¯s office when he was summoned. There were a pair of drinking glasses and a bottle of wine on the desk. He imagined that might be one of the king¡¯s finest. Still, he wondered what they were for ¡ª no, it was obvious what liquors were for, rather the question would be ¡ª why do this?


    ¡°Hello, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s with the wine?¡±


    ¡°Have a seat, I wish to enjoy this drink.¡±


    By saying that, the king was implying they were not in a professional setting, but friends to enjoy a casual drink. Vernon sat down and Leodoule poured the wine into the glasses. Vernon picked up a glass and twirled the contents gently.


    The two then lightly clinked each other¡¯s glasses and sipped the wine.


    ¡°So, what is this about, your majesty? I have a feeling this is no mere casual occasion.¡±


    Leodoule leaned his back on his chair and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Estelia wants you to be her direct servant.¡±


    Vernon raised an eyebrow and waited for Leodoule to continue.


    ¡°... You do know that Estelia got angry with us.¡±


    ¡°I did realize that.¡±


    ¡°She had requested your transfer beforehand. I was hesitant, but now, she made the demand, I cannot refuse her ¡ª I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°What could be the cause to put that much pressure on you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot tell you, my friend.¡±


    Whatever it could be, it definitely had something to do with what the princess learned inside the library, a secret the royal family was hiding. That said, Vernon had no intention of poking his nose into it.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°So, Vernon, I ask you, will you become Estelia¡¯s retainer?¡±


    Vernon smiled.


    ¡°Boy, will you be alright without me?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I have been doing fine haven¡¯t I?¡±


    Heh, of course he¡¯ll be fine. Perhaps being at the princess¡¯s side will be a good change of pace.


    ¡°True¡­ I¡¯m flattered that her highness would demand my service. You know what that means, right? I will not be able to report to you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But with you at her side, I will feel relieved knowing that she¡¯ll be safer.¡± Leodoule lowered his head. ¡°Do you think she demanded you because she doesn¡¯t want her actions being reported?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Finally seeing her higher than before?¡±


    ¡°With how she¡¯s acting, I couldn¡¯t deny it anymore.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe that is the reason. Also maybe because she found my abilities useful. Hmph, I wonder who she takes after. Maybe she is indeed future queen material.¡±


    ¡°...Deep in my heart, I have qualms about her becoming queen in the future. But, I¡¯m sure my feelings will change. Still, in the end, if she is qualified, it is her choice if she wants to become the ruler of our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That being said, it¡¯s still a long road ahead, so no point in thinking hard about it.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ Now then, Vernon, your answer?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of me answering when I¡¯ll get transferred anyways?¡±


    ¡°I want to hear whether you want it or not.¡±


    Vernon pondered, thinking about the princess. She was not the disappointing royalty she once was, one who basically didn¡¯t seem competent in any way. But now, she was more, more than he had ever thought. Thus, serving under someone excellent¡­


    ¡°I wholeheartedly accept the princess¡¯s demand to become her retainer.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Let this be the last night you shall directly answer to me, Vernon, my friend. Serve my daughter to the best of your ability, and protect her with your life.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Next chapter: The Fallen Chef & Fighting Rogan

 Vol. 2 Chapter 35: The Fallen Chef & Fighting Rogan

    Hunger, stomach in pain. A stench of urine emanated in the air. Dusty and cold floor. Dark and barren cell. No light from the outside was able to come through to this underground prison.


    The torches were unlit, likely it was daytime outside. But the young woman inside the prison cell would never be able to see the light of the sun in this place. It was hopeless.


    She wore ragged clothes ¡ª might as well describe it as a stepping mat. Her hair was rough and muddy, and itchy as well. Her skin was now colored with dirt, her beauty as a woman had long since vanished, as well as her dignity and ambitions.


    The silence was deafening, the loneliness was suffocating.


    The food given to her was often rancid. No bathroom to use and so she had to relieve herself in this very cell, sometimes in the bucket which she would throw herself when it was time. Never in her life had she imagined she would end up this way.


    She had dreams¡­ ambitions.


    But she was already ruined.


    Regret.


    Just regret.


    What did she do wrong? She knew. Was her actions truly a mistake? Did she make the wrong decision?


    Her sin was the utmost unforgivable in this place. The attempted assassination of the princess of the kingdom.


    And her superior.


    The one who offered her a high position as a personal chef of a royalty. A great opportunity.


    But because of her actions, the fortune she obtained was taken back, everything broke apart. And now she fell deep into the abyss.


    Was it a mistake?


    She believed in her friends. Fought for her friends. Persisted for her friends.


    Was it a mistake?


    They did not come to save her.


    In her mind, she understood why. But in her heart, she wanted to be saved. Or wanted them to at least try.


    But she heard nothing about them. It was as if she was abandoned.


    She will have no savior.


    She would spend her entire life here. To suffer. To never attain the life she once had. A life where she lived in her ambitions.


    Perhaps it was a mistake.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not a mistake¡­¡± a weak hoarse voice whispered.


    The young woman tried convincing herself.


    ¡°They will come¡­¡±


    How many times had she repeated that to herself?


    She looked at her wrist, thin as a skeleton. She couldn¡¯t cry anymore, they had all but dried out. Terror filled her heart when thinking about what would happen the next day, or the next after that.


    The torture they subjected her still remained freshly engraved in her mind. At night she would have nightmares, reliving those moments once again. The whips, her bones breaking and bending, the blades, the cold, the humiliation, and many more. She trembled at the single thought of those moments.


    They gave her no mercy, but she persevered. Believing in her friends.


    But now, she was feeling doubtful.


    Why did she suffer for this? What were her friends fighting for? She ended up here without knowing the reason for it all. Had she acted foolish?


    Loud footsteps echoed through the corridor. A moment later, a guard¡¯s voice echoed loudly.


    ¡°Hey! Wake up! Get your food.¡±


    She slowly raised her head and saw a pair of guards, one she recognized, but the other didn''t.


    ¡°Oh? So that¡¯s the one, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± he answered then returned to face her. ¡°Hey!¡± he called to her again.


    ¡°What about you let me give her?¡±


    The knight she didn¡¯t recognize received the steel plate, his brows wrinkled after inhaling.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t smell nice.¡±


    The food on the plate was a piece of bread. To be precise half of what it was supposed to be. But it looked particularly strange.


    ¡°The bread¡¯s been made for a while so it is a bit¡­ well, you understand.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± he moved his hand through the bars and placed the plate right before them. ¡°Eat your fill.¡±


    Hungry as she was, she crawled towards the plate. However, when she got closer, the stranger gripped her jaw.


    ¡°Ngh!¡±


    ¡°The bitch that tried to kill the princess. I have to say, you got some nerve.¡±


    His grip was tight and painful, and she looked away to avoid his powerful gaze while grimacing.


    ¡°You should suffer a bit more. How unthinkable it would be if the princess were to die so suddenly. She had been kind to us lately, just the other day she requested a small feast for us knights. Such a kind person. Attempting to assassinate her is the height of transgression.¡±


    He pulled her closer, causing her face to be pressed against the rusty metal bars.


    ¡°I honestly can¡¯t think of any reason why anyone would try to hunt our harmless princess.¡±


    ¡°Hey stop that already, you might accidentally kill her. As I told you, she¡¯s clueless about the reason.¡±


    ¡°Then she¡¯s either still hiding it, or a fool.¡±


    He let go of her in a rough manner, almost slamming her away.


    ¡°What a waste of a woman. And I heard she was a fine chef.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to touch her weirdly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Who would touch such a repulsive thing?¡±


    They began leaving, the stranger clapping off the grime off his hands.


    ¡°Repulsive? All she needs is a little bath, you know.¡±


    Now that they had left, Allie slowly reached out for the bread and ate.


    ***


    I have a big brain.


    Metaphorically speaking of course.


    In any case, what led me to say positively about myself? I just want to compliment myself, that''s all.


    For multiple weeks I have been intensely reading the grimoire, and it¡¯s going very well! Good brain. Aside from the fact that I had to stand. It was alright for a couple of days, but doing it every day, ugh, it was tiring. But I had no choice.


    I would have started practicing the wind spell, but I have limited time on reading the book, so finishing the contents was the top priority. Of course amidst that I did some other things. Like visiting the knights and asking my family to give the knights a little feast with plenty of liquor of course.


    Also been speaking with Lucious when he visits ¡ª he¡¯s quite slow in courting, isn¡¯t he? Eh, whatever.


    That aside, I think I need a little rest. So I left the grimoire for a while and had a little peace time in the shed that¡¯s in our family garden.


    Vernon and Mera brought me some sweets and fruit juices, and in front of me was Rogan whom I invited to enjoy the sweets with me.


    ¡°Sir Rogan I have been meaning to ask, why are you so keen on having me consider to take Sir Alan as one of the knights in my service?¡±


    He had been mentioning him plenty of times lately. I¡¯m just curious why. I know Alan likes me but¡­ surely that¡¯s not the only reason.


    ¡°He wants to be under your service, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush, Sir Rogan. I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s the only reason why.¡±


    He smiled and lowered the cup containing fruit juice.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be losing confidence. I think that him becoming a knight of the princess would give him some sense of accomplishment. At least something to rub against his brother with.¡±


    ¡°I see. But, I couldn¡¯t just accept anyone.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would be less strict.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I would have considered it if he was strong. However, from what I have seen last time, he isn¡¯t. And please keep this conversation a secret.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°... Instead of Sir Alan, his brother would be the one worth considering.¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ I don¡¯t think we would get along very well.¡±


    ¡°I said worth. I won''t consider him unless he changes his attitude.¡±


    I saw him being so cold to his brother and caught a glimpse of him when I visited the knights when I wanted them to have a chill time for once. That guy always have this scowl on his face, and the knights didn¡¯t seem to be pretty friendly with him.


    ¡°That said, I am interested in the knight named Elson.¡±


    ¡°Oh he¡¯s an awesome knight. Fights like a rogue than a knight actually.¡±


    ¡°Would he be interested in becoming one of my knights I wonder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I also don¡¯t think you can force him like it was with me. He has been in the order far longer than I am.¡±


    ¡°......That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not hiring for the moment anyway. Oh yes, I have been training my magic, but they are never used in actual combat. Can I ask for assistance from our two combatants?¡±


    I may have fought off Oryn, but remember how that ended up? Many close calls and stuck on defense.


    ¡°Princess, are you suggesting¡­?¡± Of course, the one to immediately react was Vernon.


    ¡°Live combat, yes.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in surprise after my confirmation of their suspicions.


    ¡°But that¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But I need it, don¡¯t I, Vernon? Are you against it?¡±


    ¡°... A little but¡­ you do need it. Despite my personal qualms about it, whatever you decide, it will be carried out. This will benefit you more, so as your direct subordinate, I will follow.¡±


    Now this is what I like! He had no choice since I¡¯m his boss now. Awesome.


    ¡°But your family will definitely be against it, princess.¡± Rogan said.


    ¡°They do not need to know.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ What do you have in mind? I imagine we won¡¯t be using magic against you then.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°I intend to battle with you first, Sir Rogan. And use your magic.¡±


    Vernon was the one to react.


    ¡°Princess, I am against that. Magic is too dangerous to fight with when it comes to first live combat training. You will get hurt.¡±


    ¡°With me mainly casting magic it wouldn¡¯t be a fair fight, would it? If my opponent uses no magic.¡±


    ¡°But your highness, I¡¯m a spear or sword user. It will be difficult for a mage like you to fight me one on one. It would also be unfair if you fight Vernon. In short, you will be at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°I agree, you need to at least fight a fellow caster of magic.¡±


    ¡°What about Mera?¡± Rogan asked.


    ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯m not confident in my magic abilities. I am inexperienced in any type of fighting.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, you still need to learn more than just magic casting when it comes to one on one combat, princess. You understand? Like proper response when enemy got closer or training your reflexes at least. Without those, I can beat you easily..¡±


    ¡°You underestimate me, Sir Rogan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    I would have preferred not to show I can fight to preserve my innocent image, but I need more experience on how people fight in this world. A one-time confrontation with Oryn wouldn¡¯t be enough. It¡¯s not the usual gunfight after all. Magic had more flexibility. I¡¯m used to gunfights, and used daggers mainly to execute, not intense and prolonged direct combat ¡ª although I¡¯m good at it, still wouldn¡¯t recommend it, range battle would be something I like better.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s begin now.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    I looked at Vernon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the training ground we often used.¡±


    I was not carrying my daggers, so it¡¯s fine. Dammit, I have not been carrying my beloveds for a long time! Soon, you will be used dears.


    They were hesitant, but we still made our way to our destination. I am wearing a proper practical dress, and proper clothes beneath, so no peeking hehehe. Basically how I¡¯m dressed when I confronted Oryn.


    Thankfully there was no one around.


    ¡°Do we have any stadium or closed training grounds anywhere?¡± I asked, almost complaining really. Stupid question actually, I live here after all. But, maybe there was something¡­?


    ¡°We train outside, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Nothing we can do then.¡±


    Yup, nothing.


    As planned, Rogan was to fight with me. Thus, we stood ten paces apart.


    He drew his sword.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? ¡®Cause I¡¯m scared for you.¡±


    ¡°Careful to not injure her, Sir Rogan.¡± Vernon warned.


    ¡°.... I get it.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, milady! And be careful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mera.¡±


    ¡°You know, now I¡¯m here, I really don¡¯t want to do this. You have no weapon, princess.¡±


    ¡°A mage¡¯s weapon is their magic.¡±


    ¡°Crap, fine.¡±


    Trust me, I¡¯ll be more comfortable having my daggers with me.


    ¡°Vernon.¡±


    Vernon stood as the referee.


    ¡°When I say start, the training match will begin.¡± he really emphasized that. ¡°Three, two, one¡­ start.¡±


    The moment it began, I enhanced my limbs and fired a bolt of fire towards him. My firebolt moved half the speed of a bullet but he surprisingly was able to react and erected a barrier just in time to block the bolt. But he still looked utterly shocked.


    But at the same time I unleashed that spell, I had already rushed towards him with physical enhancements supporting my movement. The moment the flames dissipated, I had reached his side to the left where his hand was casting the barrier, that way I would have a little distance from his blade and give me a little more time to react.


    I used my ice magic.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    When he noticed me, his eyes widened, he didn¡¯t expect I would be this quick. But it was too late. A dagger of ice was already in my hand and was about to cut him. But he reacted also as quickly, my dagger missed by an inch when he stepped away, and at the same time repelled my dagger with the side of his shield.


    ¡°Holy shit! A mage going hand to hand?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re holding back, Sir Rogan. If you don¡¯t ramp up, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    I said to him.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    A thick mist of cold emanated around me before dozens of daggers appeared from thin air and fired towards him. As expected, he used his shield to block them, how troublesome. But my daggers of ice weren''t solid as steel, so they were more like a distraction or used when there¡¯s a vulnerability.


    I swiftly moved a bit distant to his right side, since going from the left again would be predictable. I would have tried moving to his back, but at this time, I was right in his sight, moving any further would be difficult.


    I needed to move swiftly. With a wave of my hand, a pair of fire bolts shot out. He swung his sword horizontally and an arc of light emerged from the motion clashing with the two bolts, destroying each other.


    I conjured a dozen daggers again at the same time and propelled them in his direction. He discarded his shield, instantly holding his sword with both hands. He swung his sword, sweeping the ice constructs into pieces easily.


    ¡°Defense really is not for me. I¡¯ll lower the output of my magic, princess, so as to not fatally wound you. You appear to be serious about this. Alright, let¡¯s truly begin.¡±


    Now he¡¯s going offensive.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 36: The Princess’s Surprising Abilities

    Rogan raised his guard up the moment the princess launched a surprising barrage of attacks. Never in the slightest did he expect she would immediately try to attack him this mercilessly. Her speed and magic were beyond what he had expected, not to mention her firebolts packed a serious punch.


    But that was not the most troublesome, her movement speed was. It was absurd that she suddenly was able to do such actions. And she even taunted him, it almost made his jaw drop.


    At first he couldn¡¯t go on an offensive fearing that he would hurt the princess.


    But that changed when she almost hit him with attacks that could definitely wound and injure him with no hesitation. She was serious about this.


    If he kept on defending, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a fight, as what he figured the princess wanted. Thus, he discarded his barrier and gripped his sword with both hands.


    He swung his sword horizontally shooting an arc of light, then subsequently followed by a vertical swing. He poured the lowest amount of mana in the attacks, so they shouldn¡¯t fatally hurt the princess. Though it violated his feeling of not hurting her in some way, she still requested this.


    That being said, those two arcs of light were moving with high speed that not any normal soldier would be able to dodge all of them. However, to his surprise, the princess evaded his attacks with surprising agility. She adeptly ducked the first one to keep her footing and immediately twisted her body with a little jump to the side to evade the second one.


    Rogan¡¯s eyes widened, the way she fluidly evaded those attacks, those actions weren¡¯t the movements of a novice. Instantly after evading his attacks with calmness, she fired a pair of firebolts, shooting forward with frightening speed. The speed of her firebolt was faster than they normally would, but he was still able to barely evade the two of them by leaping to the side.


    After he evaded though, he felt chills the moment he saw the princess was already in arm¡¯s reach. He saw it, her eyes. Her eyes were not of the innocence she always had. Those eyes were the eyes of a hunter, cold and direct.


    A sword of ice was now in her left hand and moving to slash him at his vulnerable neck. Rogan blocked it with his sword and as expected it easily shattered, they were as fragile as the daggers she just used. He thought he had succeeded in defending himself from her attacks, but that was a mistake.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    The middle of his blade was suddenly entrapped by a translucent crimson object, gripping it tightly. He realized immediately that it should be the barrier spell, he was sure of it. He couldn¡¯t pull away his sword, it was then he noticed her right hand moving forward, towards him. He knew instantly he shouldn¡¯t let her hand be pointed at him.


    Right before she was able to fully raise her hand towards him, he used his left hand to push and deflect it, at the same time a burst of flames passed by his ear, heat passed by his skin and his hair waved violently.


    Holy shit!


    It was her firebolt. He felt nervous upon realizing she was intending on casting it at point blank range. Before he could counter attack though, the princess turned her body and the next he felt a kick on his back. No, it was close to his neck.


    The force of the kick was shocking and it sent him flying in the air, at the same time he felt the hold of his sword stopped. His grip on the weapon was firm, if she didn¡¯t let go he would have dragged her with him.


    No, that¡¯s not ¡ª was she intending to kick me on the head?!


    Since when did she start learning some sort of martial art? Such a question was in his head. The kick was so fluid and impressive, like it wasn¡¯t the first time she had done it, add to that her movements in this battle. Athletic.


    He regained control mid-air and he slid a little when he landed.


    And she reacts too quickly!


    No one would have expected something like that from the princess. Her reaction speed was almost at the level of an elite knight that it was absurd.


    Worse yet, the moment he landed, the princess was already on the move, she wasted no time at all. Rogan immediately swung his sword several times, sending the same number of arcs of light.


    It was at that moment that a crimson barrier appeared in front of her, it just appeared from thin air. The barrier protected her from his attacks, then the one barrier split into, hovering to her sides as if they had a mind of their own.


    Of course Rogan was confused, that was not how barriers were normally used. Nor did he ever see someone do something like it before.


    Rogan fired his magic again, but the barriers moved on their own to block his attacks. But he did notice something, the princess looked at the attacks first before the barriers began moving. Even so, the fact that she was able to follow them and then designate her barriers was ridiculous.


    And I¡¯m fighting her while she¡¯s in a dress?!


    She rushed forward again and several fire bolts suddenly came storming towards him. He gritted his teeth and cast a barrier large enough to protect himself from the barrage. It was then he realized that they were all weak.


    As the flames dissipated, on the other side of the barrier he saw the princess. In her hand was a ball of flame, and when it shot forward, a strong force crashed into his barrier. The next moment, his barrier cracked then shattered while pushing him back.


    His eyes widened in surprise, she overpowered his barrier.


    The princess¡¯s other hand was already preparing another bolt of fire. Rogan quickly stepped back and turned the flat of his blade to face the attack. He expected a powerful force just like what she did with the barrier, and when her attack of flames collided, his expectation wasn¡¯t met. It may have made his arm shake, but that much he had expected. The princess didn¡¯t gather as much power into that attack it seems, but a normal person might have been scorched to near death.


    Subsequently, the princess gave him no breathing room and attempted to attack again.


    I should have used a dull blade!


    He wouldn¡¯t have been so concerned if he did so. But there was no dull blade nearby to use, nor did he expect the fight would get to this level. He swung his sword forward, he intended on stopping right before her skin, however, the princess blocked his blade with her arm.


    Not bare, but there was a barrier engulfing her arm, from the elbow to the hand. They pushed each other¡¯s attack.


    ¡°I can¡¯t defeat you in direct confrontation.¡±


    The princess said.


    ¡°So, um, time to surrender?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    With that brief word, smoke suddenly emerged from her hands, white smoke quickly spread out, covering his eyesight. Next, Rogan felt the lack of resistance from his blade.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Rogan couldn¡¯t see anything in this thick smoke.


    Another trick¡­


    He couldn¡¯t hear her at all. Not her footsteps or anything. He also couldn¡¯t find any unnatural motion in the smoke.


    Where is she?


    Light gathered in his palm, after pouring large enough mana into it, he unleashed the ball of light into the ground. A pushing force was unleashed in all directions, instantly dispersing the smoke away.


    He gripped his sword tight and swung it behind him. Then his motion came to an instant halt.


    He grinned.


    ¡°Got you, your highness.¡±


    The edge of his blade stopped right before her neck.


    ¡°If you got any more closer, I would have been doomed.¡±


    Of course the princess¡¯s eyes were wide in surprise. She sighed and eased her stance.


    ¡°I lost.¡±


    Rogan withdrew his sword and returned it to its sheathe.


    When everything was done, the princess began to breathe heavily.


    ¡°Princess?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just exhausted.¡±


    She slouched a little as she was sweating profusely. Rogan stared at her. She looked quite attractive when she was trying hard.


    ¡°You were holding back, weren¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What made you think that?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t use your lightning magic.¡±


    Rogan wondered how she knew about that and then recalled that he used the lightning element to his armament magic during the mock battle when she was watching.


    ¡°Besides, you weren¡¯t even using your spear.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, and so it would seem.¡±


    The princess lowered her gaze and furrowed her brows. Truth be told, despite how fearsome she was just earlier, she looked quite adorable at the moment.


    ¡°Princess, are you actually upset?¡±


    ¡°Forget it¡ª¡±


    Suddenly the princess began to falter on her legs when she tried walking. Her legs trembled and she lost her balance. Rogan immediately caught her.


    ¡°Princess, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ my limbs hurt.¡±


    ¡°Let me bring you to somewhere comfortable.¡±


    Rogan proceeded to carry her gently. He used his one arm to carry her under the legs, and one on her back.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    She looked up at him before looking away. Rogan could only smile in amusement. She was soft and tender. It was hard to believe she was the same person that moved with great swiftness and shocking power a moment ago.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    She leaned the side of her head to his chest armor. Rogan could feel his heart beating faster not because of the physical activity he just did, but for some other reason.


    Damn, not good. Can¡¯t help it, I¡¯m a man! Ayana, forgive me.


    He tried not to look at the princess and went straight towards the shade of a nearby tree. Not that he had any intimate relationship with his friend Ayana, nor did he ever confess, but they had been friends for some time, and he developed quite a fond feeling for her. So perhaps he was giving himself a bit of limitation.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with milady?¡± Mera immediately rushed towards them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Rogan gently lowered and put down the princess as he replied to Mera. When she made contact with the soil, she grimaced in pain. She held her leg and massaged them a little.


    ¡°Hm, the physical enhancement caused quite a toll on your limbs.¡±


    Vernon was the one to give the answer to everyone¡¯s question. As Rogan thought, she was using physical enhancement, but have overdid it.


    ¡°Normally you shouldn¡¯t get any pain. But princess¡­ you didn¡¯t apply the technique properly.¡±


    ¡°Apparently¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me call a physician.¡±


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll treat myself.¡±


    Green light then shone from her hands and held them out right before her legs. Rogan found himself surprised again, he didn¡¯t know what level of healing magic she was casting, but counting other spells she was using, it was already so impressive that she was able to adeptly cast healing magic as well.


    Of course they no longer had any need to vocalize their surprises.


    ¡°Your highness, where did you learn to move like that? Athletic, and the way you fought.¡± Vernon asked.


    Rogan was also curious. He expected she would only be barraging him with magic spells at a distance, but he never expected she would try close combat. And not just any close combat, she had moves, skillful moves. No novice would be able to easily control their movements when trying to move that quickly with enhancements and to use it, along with magic, in combat.


    She even attacked him physically and also dodged his attacks.


    ¡°... I have a lot of personal time.¡±


    That was all she answered.


    What does that even mean?


    In no way she learned all that by herself.


    Rogan thought Vernon would press further, but unexpectedly he merely nodded his head.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    If he had no intention of asking any further, then Rogan decided to do the same.


    Rogan unconsciously stared at the princess as she started healing her arms, they must be also in pain. Upon realizing he was staring a bit too much, he leaned back and looked away for a moment.


    ¡°Still, you almost had me there, princess. Really surprised me, there was a chance you might have defeated me.¡±


    ¡°...¡± She looked up at him with a nod before continuing to attend to her healing.


    ¡°I too am surprised, I expected you to be defeated after three attacks at least.¡±


    ¡°I would have if Sir Rogan took it seriously from the beginning. No, he didn¡¯t even use his full strength from the beginning.¡±


    Again the princess furrowed her brows, giving the impression that she was infuriated. Rogan felt like she was truly serious in the fight and wanted to take him down. That alone was already a terrifying prospect, there was a couple of times that her attacks may have been deadly if he didn¡¯t escape.


    What if I really died?


    He decided not to delve into it any longer.


    ¡°I have to reflect on my performance.¡±


    Her manner of speaking was almost monotonous as she spoke before standing up. She must be done with the healing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a bath.¡±


    The servants looked at each other before chasing after the princess who didn¡¯t wait for them.


    ¡°Is she mad at me?¡± Rogan whispered to Vernon.


    ¡°I think not. After all my observations, I can say she is truly thinking.¡±


    Rogan was a bit doubtful about that, she was acting a bit cold. But, the interactions after that fight with her indeed didn¡¯t feel like she was mad.


    ¡°Milady doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed when she is thinking.¡±


    Mera chimed after hearing their whispered conversation. As she vouched for it, Rogan nodded his head in belief, it would be a bit scary if she was indeed mad about losing ¡ª which would not be a good characteristic, but to be honest, she might look cute when acting like it.


    All of a sudden, the princess halted in her tracks. Rogan immediately froze fearing that she might have sensed his thoughts ¡ª although that was impossible. Even so, ladies have weird intuitions as he had often experienced with Ayana.


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s Allie?¡±


    Rogan felt relieved at her question but was puzzled at the sudden topic. If he recalled correctly, she was the person who attempted to assassinate, poison, the princess. When the knights heard about it, some were furious, while others were only relieved that the attempt failed. Rogan was on the latter side.


    But if the princess had been treating them more kindly as she just did recently, a lot of them might have been more than furious. The princess has been kind with the knights lately, the princess would definitely have a motive by doing that, like getting on the knights¡¯ good sides.


    She didn¡¯t ask that question directly to anyone, thus if any of the three knew about it, they should answer.


    Vernon was the one to respond first.


    ¡°... My apologies I have not any updates about her, but she should still be in the dungeon, as you requested.¡±


    Princess Estelia then shifted her gaze to Rogan.


    ¡°Uh, I heard no news in particular, given that she is imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°Ever since her imprisonment, has there been news of any suspicious activity? Intruders and such?¡±


    Rogan shook his head.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort.¡±


    ¡°The patrols in the city have not bore any fruit either, what are they planning¡­?¡±


    Rogan knew who she was referring to, namely those that were targeting her.


    ¡°They¡¯re still too quiet¡­ Mera, any new employees in the palace? I am not exactly one involved in the palace staff affairs.¡±


    ¡°N-No, there has been no new staff this month, nor did any leave. I heard the palace planned on becoming more strict during hiring, and opted to favor noble blood in the future.¡±


    ¡°Vernon, anything to add?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but I no longer have any major information regarding the palace system ever since I was transferred to you.¡±


    Vernon no longer worked for the king, thus he no longer had a direct information source of decisions regarding the inner workings of the palace. Furthermore, he had been working more personally with the princess and had less exposure to everything else.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If you haven¡¯t heard anything, it could mean no major changes happened. They must have decided to abandon Allie.¡±


    As one would expect, no one would risk their life raiding or infiltrating the palace to rescue one prisoner. However, why did the princess sound like she was making sure?


    ¡°Or they believed she¡¯s dead as well¡­¡±


    The princess lowered her gaze for a moment.


    ¡°Vernon, take a look and visit Allie. Give me a report on her situation, condition, and her environment, her observable behavior, the treatment she had, and your assumption on her mental state. Afterwards, meet me in the room we use during my lessons.¡±


    Rogan was baffled by the specific information she wanted. Then she continued.


    ¡°I want an unfiltered report.¡±


    Rogan already had an idea how she would be treated, and perhaps that was why she wanted a clear and true report from Vernon. If she had specified that order, then, there might have been an instance where they filtered the truth of the matter.


    ¡°... Understood, I will follow your command.¡±


    ¡°Now go.¡±


    Rogan wondered if the princess would be able to handle the truth of Allie¡¯s treatment, she had always been an innocent and pure person. One could even call her a saint.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Then they continued onward to follow the princess.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Hi everyone, been a long time, huh. I''m sorry...


    I will explain why I haven''t updated for a while.  I am at risk of failing school hehehe... mainly because of the main school project. It has been a tough few weeks as I have been focusing hard on school to evade failing... So this is the reason why of the lack of updates. I''m so sorry.


    I will still be focusing on school for the next month as my position is still tough. So slower updates will be expected.


    Thank you, everyone. I hope you understand. Have a nice day! :)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 37: Report Regarding Allie

    The feeling after a fresh bath was always a wonderful one, I smell so good. My hair was still a little wet, and so for a change, I tied it up in a ponytail to save my dress from getting wet. At the moment, I was still reflecting on my fight with Rogan, which was far from satisfactory.


    I need to ramp up my overall magical capabilities, need more power and a variety of spells. Furthermore, my stamina was not that great, I was too exhausted when it was over, I might perhaps need to strain myself. That being said, I wouldn¡¯t say my body¡¯s performance was bad, it was basically the first time I strained myself fighting while using the spells I had. And I¡¯m still technically human.


    It was different from when I was fighting with Oryn when I only used the barrier and firebolt. I need to get used to subsequently using a variety of spells so as to not strain me mentally and physically next time.


    I decided to use my fog at last by the way since I wanted to try direct confrontation.


    In a real fight and executing the opponent immediately was the goal, I could have used it at the beginning. However, would that always work though? Rogan defeated me amidst my smokescreen after all.


    More than that, he didn¡¯t use his full capabilities. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have lasted long if he did. That said, I didn¡¯t use my trump card as well. Unleashing my mana violently. Still, using that constantly wouldn¡¯t be healthy.


    Furthermore, using physical enhancement truly strained my muscles, and after the battle, my limbs hurt like hell. I took note of what Vernon said that I didn¡¯t properly apply the enhancement. But I am confident I made significant progress, I lasted for some time after all. And my flesh didn¡¯t explode or something, so that was good. Dude, that would suck now that I imagined it.


    A shiver ran down my spine.


    Dammit, I have all the knowledge in my head but still can¡¯t use them. It¡¯s a bit infuriating to be honest.


    Guess I should start learning the lightning spell. Lightning¡¯s good for quick and range attacks, my kind of style ¡ª true, firebolt was range, but lightning¡¯s neater and stronger.


    Amidst my contemplation came knocks from the door and Rogan went and opened it, letting Vernon inside. The old man wore a troubled expression, now I wonder why. He stood in front of me.


    ¡°So, Vernon, how is it?¡±


    His eyes suggested hesitation.


    ¡°Do you truly want to hear it? She is your past subordinate so¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need to hesitate. Tell me, how is she?¡±


    ¡°...... Terrible. Her cell smelled foul, her clothes ragged and beyond hopes of cleaning. The surroundings are full of dust and insects, the corners reek with human wastes. It''s dark and cold.¡±


    Rogan seemed to be unfazed by hearing it, Mera on the other hand creased her forehead and lightly covered her lips with her hand. That truly was a terrible way of living.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Good.


    ¡°Are there any other prisoners? Someone she could talk to?¡±


    ¡°None. She is completely alone, there¡¯s no one else who would commit such acts that are against the law here in the palace.¡±


    I suppose, for our enemies, this could be considered the belly of the beast. Any outright act against the crown would be met with swift penance, not any would survive. Allie was an exception since I wanted her alive and wanted to keep her here.


    ¡°Then, how is she treated? As well as the food she gets.¡±


    ¡°The knights never attempted to¡­.touch her. Although they admitted they were verbally harsh to her often because she dared try to assassinate you.¡±


    Oh my, how sweet.


    Then he continued¡­


    ¡°As for the food, nothing decent. Sometimes a small piece of bread, sometimes fresh, sometimes rancid. Having a decent meal is rare.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Princess, I can give the order to give her proper treatment if you say so.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at Vernon¡¯s absurd proposal. Why would he do that?


    Then followed Rogan.


    ¡°I can also give the guys an earful and warn them not to be harsh with your former chef anymore, your highness.¡±


    I expected Mera to have her own words, but she delayed a bit at my gaze, hesitating.


    ¡°Mera, do you have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°No, milady. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what I should say. It is a bit cruel, but¡­ she should be punished for trying to kill you.¡±


    Daaamn, Mera, what happened to you?! Where¡¯s the sweet Mera at?


    ¡°However¡­¡± she continued. ¡°I will feel bad when such treatment prolongs.¡±


    Huh, she still had some sympathy for her¡­just a little I guess.


    ¡°Princess, I take it you want to help her? That¡¯s why you wanted me to check on her, right? With your words, we can lighten her suffering.¡±


    I wanted to scoff, but I held it back.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Leave her the way she is.¡±


    Their eyes widened at my words. I will not let them interfere with this affair.


    Vernon looked down as if contemplating.


    ¡°...Princess, you don¡¯t have to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Vernon, I said, let her be. Leave their treatment be, let her environment be. Do not tamper.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he was in disbelief. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange of you, Vernon. I know you oversaw her torture, why be sympathetic now?¡±


    ¡°What¡­? You really realized it?¡±


    Vernon wouldn¡¯t normally be all this sympathetic given that he led the torture, so he must have other things in mind in why he was acting this way. Testing me?


    ¡°That aside, give me your analysis on her mental state. Was she able to talk to you?¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ I did talk with her, but her response was brief.¡±


    I sighed.


    Not enough, huh. Well, we have all the time in the world. Should I give her a small gift? Guess not yet.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°... Well, she looks lifeless, but I can still see a bit of strength in her gaze.¡±


    She¡¯s still a persevering one. That¡¯s what¡¯s often annoying with people. They deeply believed in something and that gave them strength.


    ¡°Do you see regret in her?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t tell¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    Every person regrets. If they do not, were they even human? Well, there are people out of the norm, but that¡¯s not the point.


    Allie is a normal human being.


    I would have wanted to intensify her harsh treatment, but being hasty wouldn¡¯t give the best effect, slow and steady wins the race. Human mind is a delicate thing.


    ¡°Princess, what are you planning? Asking for her psyche and her situation. I don¡¯t see any reason other than that you care about her.¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    ¡°Curious? I wonder, first you made her stay here. Do you see some use in her?¡±


    ¡°Sharp tools that have become dull are set aside and switched to a new one. However, when you have no other tools to use or chose to save it, then you can only sharpen the dull tool. Is what I want to say, but nothing is for certain now. The situation is mostly unknown, and I have to focus on other more important affairs. Let¡¯s stop thinking about this, it¡¯s pointless.¡±


    I wonder, what should I give her as a gift? Well, given her treatment, something pleasant to fill the belly would be nice in that kind of situation. Still, I need to think about this carefully¡­ But for now, I¡¯m certainly not going to involve myself with her.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary to the guards, did you?¡±


    ¡°I only garnered information, I did not express any personal opinions.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    If he had said he pitied the girl to the guards or something, that might cause a shift I do not desire. I need to make her suffer more. Make her doubt her beliefs, regret her decisions.


    Doubt and regret. The two most important things to happen.


    It¡¯s not pleasant to be abandoned after all.


    Well, if things don¡¯t happen to my expectations, throw the trash away then.


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a formal assembly three days from now regarding our plans for the upcoming festival. I have already sent letters to the heads of noble households.¡±


    As we were having our pleasant and peaceful dinner, Father informed us of the appointment with nobles. Not all nobles in the entire kingdom, by the way, only the nobles in the capital are involved in the planning since basically, they were some sort of sub-leaders of the nation.


    ¡°I wonder what other new games we can make up.¡±


    Mother placed a hand on her cheek. ¡°It is getting harder to think of something new as years pass by.¡±


    Keep thinking of something new every year, of course you¡¯ll run out of any creative ideas. With that in turn result in recycling old ideas. Being original is hard. It would be especially hard if you had already used all the ideas you could make up.


    Still, would it even be necessary to have something new every year for the festival? A grand entertainment, performance on a grand stage or something would be alright. In addition, the same old games but better rewards would suffice, I think.


    Eh, whatever, it''s not my responsibility to think. Why would I add more stress for something others can handle? I¡¯ll just enjoy the festival.


    ¡°By the way, Estelia, you¡¯re going to the festival, right?¡± Father asked.


    ¡°Hm? Oh yes, I plan to.¡±


    ¡°And you have already requested new outfits. A shame I wasn¡¯t there, why didn¡¯t you tell me, dear?¡± Mother said with an adorable pout pointed at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was scared of disturbing you.¡±


    ¡°... I see. Next time then, when preparing for your debut. You will be the most beautiful in the kingdom. Or perhaps the world.¡±


    But mother, I already am.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Finally got to update! Here''s hoping I can write more and update more frequently. School work has lessened for now, so there should be more free time for me.


    Thank you everyone for your patience.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 38: Aristocrat Meeting (Part 1)

    The gates opened as noble knights stood guard at the gate flanks, their backs straight and personal weapons on their side. Their armors reflected the sunlight of the mid-morning, and their stern faces were hidden under their helms.


    The gates completely opened with a loud thud and a few minutes later, as expected, a luxurious almost golden carriage brandishing a single flag of the kingdom of Wisteria arrived. The coachman pulled the reigns and made the horses slowly come to a stop.


    The horses neighed and snorted as a pair of knights approached the coachman and gave a brief greeting. The curtains of the carriage window promptly opened, followed by a mutual formal greeting, and the man inside presented the letter he had received from the King. The knight made sure it was the person they were expecting, one of the many.


    ¡°Confirmed, welcome Marquis Yveno, you may proceed.¡±


    ¡°My thanks.¡±


    The coachman snapped the reins and proceeded forward. The knights returned to the side of the road and waited for the next guest. A few minutes later, another fancy bluish carriage arrived. The knight in charge nodded his head as he received the letter and affirmed the guest¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Confirmed, welcome Marquis Natarel, you may enter.¡±


    After that, a few more carriages arrived, until eventually, a particular one arrived. The carriage sported the color of gold and silver, and a pair of Wisterian flags waving in the wind on each side. A small group of knights was positioned at the front and back, protecting the convoy.


    The knights waited eagerly since they had already recognized who this one should be. A relative of the Queen. To be precise, it should be her elder brother. That was why they had to show the utmost respect, they do not directly and heartedly respect the brother, but they intend to respect him for the deep respect they had for the Queen.


    When the carriage stopped before the knight guarding the gate, the curtains opened and they were greeted by a pair of bluish eyes. The man in his thirties had short crimson hair totally in contrast to his younger sister who had silver hair.


    ¡°Good morning, Marquis Teristro.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, we are just in time I assume?¡±


    ¡°A little ahead of schedule.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°A-Ahem. The invitation please.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes sorry. Mizia, the invitation.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± another person, a young woman, handed the invitation. ¡°Hey, can I see Estelia?¡± he asked the knight.


    The knight had heard of their daughter but never seen her before, so this one here should be her. The knight smiled at the mention of the princess.


    ¡°You ought to ask the palace servants, my lady. If you wish, they can lead you to the princess.¡±


    ¡°Great! I want to surprise her. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve last seen her.¡±


    The girl smiled so widely and eyes bright in excitement.


    ¡°I wonder how she¡¯ll react. Father, how do you think she¡¯ll react? I imagine she¡¯ll just raise both her eyebrows but still remain silent in the end. Which would be lackluster¡­¡± she shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°I suppose her reaction would be that simple.¡±


    ¡°...Mm¡­ It may be like that on the surface. But believe me, inside, she would be jumping in joy about seeing me, how subtle her outward reactions may be, a lot of things happen inside her. Heh, she¡¯s that easy to read.¡±


    ¡°When you meet her, go easy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always easy when it comes to her. I even brought her some clothes to try out!¡± she patted on a sizable case.


    ¡°Pardon me,¡± the knight intervened after checking the invitation. ¡°Invitation confirmed, you are allowed entry, Marquis. Welcome.¡±


    Then the convoy continued on.


    ¡°So, who else are we waiting for?¡±  A knight asked his colleague.


    ¡°The Marquis of house Vekenas. He always comes almost at the exact time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was worried he would be late¡­ So that one, the girl, is the child of the Marquis, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty. And she seems fun. I¡¯m a bit jealous Rogan, honestly.¡±


    The knight sighed, the topic suddenly jumped. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°I mean he got to personally guard the princess! Who wouldn¡¯t be jealous? If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t lose any motivation, at all!¡±


    The knight snorted after hearing his fellow knight.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, serving a beautiful woman! That¡¯s wonderful. And the princess? I have never seen anyone could match her, not even other noble women could begin to compare. And ultimately, she¡¯s so nice. Rogan¡¯s one lucky bastard.¡±


    ¡°Dude, you should really be careful on where you¡¯re saying those things.¡±


    He warned, but the moment he did so, they heard loud clanging footsteps from behind them.


    ¡°What the hell are you two talking about?¡±


    The two flinched and immediately turned around, the other knights present averted their eyes away.


    ¡°A-Ayana! Didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t expect? I¡¯m making sure everything¡¯s secure. And here I managed to hear about your topic of discussion.¡±


    ¡°He-he-he, just a casual conversation, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Well? Do it later after there are no more arrivals. Else¡­¡± she brandished her fist.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°We get it, Madam, we¡¯ll be quiet.¡±


    ***


    A young woman exited the luxurious carriage with a smile, her bright crimson hair reached past her shoulders, her blue eyes peered at the surroundings as though looking for someone. She wore a beautiful green and blue dress and heeled shoes.


    Her fair-colored shoulders drooped ever so slightly that she didn¡¯t find the one she was looking for. But she supposed that it was to be expected, that girl wouldn¡¯t leave to go outside for any reason, no less meeting other people. Still, she did carry a little expectation.


    She noticed that the royal family was not present as well but only a number of servants waiting for their arrival.


    ¡°Where are the royals?¡± she asked, and her father emerged from the carriage, wearing his formal and luxurious coat.


    ¡°The royal family do not greet us here. We are here for business purposes, not for a formal gathering, we are not here to play.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re royals, they have no need to greet every guest here in this meeting. They need to prepare themselves.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for Princess Estelia, aren¡¯t you? Speak with the servants.¡±


    The marquis faced the servants present and he looked around at each of their faces. Someone was missing, normally an old manservant would be leading the servants here.


    ¡°Greetings Marquis, we are pleased that you have arrived.¡±


    A man in his early thirties wearing a servant¡¯s outfit spoke to the Marquis.


    ¡°Hm, old man Vernon isn¡¯t around?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He is no longer at the service of his Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Why? Did he kick the bucket already?¡±


    The servant chuckled for a moment.


    ¡°No, he is now under the princess of the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Huh? He was transferred?¡±


    The marquis never expected something like that would happen. To his recollection, the king valued the old man as a servant and friend.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Alright, please guide my daughter, Mizia, to a reception room and also bring her case. As for me, I¡¯ll be heading straight to the meeting hall.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The Marquis¡¯s daughter, Mizia nodded at the servant about to grab the case from within the carriage and gave a grief goodbye to her father as he left with a guide.


    ¡°Lady Mizia, please follow me.¡±


    Another servant came and asked her to follow. She followed the servant and watched the other one carrying her case as they walked in the palace halls to the waiting room.


    ¡°Ah, after this, can you call for Estelia to meet me?¡±


    ¡°The princess? Of course, she never joined the meeting with the nobles, so I suppose it will be fine to call for her.¡±


    ¡°Of course she doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Well, Estelia never talk to any stranger in the first place, and she would dislike the professional atmosphere during the serious meeting regarding the festival. Mizia had no problem with that, she was just worried for her cousin when she approaches true adulthood. As the princess, would she be able to handle the pressure?


    ¡­ She¡¯s the princess of the country, and the youngest child, I guess she wouldn¡¯t have much any pressure to feel? The way she is, no way she¡¯s going to inherit the crown in the future.


    In short, she can be as she wants to be. As for marriage, that would be another matter entirely.


    She¡¯s complicated¡­ But don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be supporting you, my cousin!


    Eventually they arrived at their destination and Mizia immediately plopped down on the sofa. The servant put down the case beside her.


    ¡°Then go get Estelia.¡±


    And she was left alone. With nothing else to do, all she could do was sit down and tap her hands on her lap. A minute later she already found herself bored.


    ¡°Tut tut tut.¡±


    She made random melodic noises as moments went by.


    Being alone is lackluster¡­


    She ended up losing her lady-like sit in this lonely air. Mind you that it was only three minutes since she had arrived in this room.


    ¡°I need to do something.¡±


    She was impatient, and thus she needed to distract herself at least. She laid her case down on the floor and opened it, revealing an assortment of neatly folded outfits.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, maybe I should have her wear this one first? No, this one¡¯s better, yes yes.¡±


    She arranged the dresses in order of what she should have Estelia wear first. She was enthusiastically moving the folded clothes all around until there came a couple of knocks from the door.


    Mizia closed the case and stood up.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    One of the servants from earlier entered.


    ¡°My lady, I regret to inform you that Princess Estelia is unavailable at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What? Why?¡± she was in disbelief.


    ¡°She is said to be joining the meeting today.¡±


    Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock.


    ¡°You never mentioned it before!¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but the princess never mentioned anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That is going to take hours!¡¯


    ¡°My sincerest apologies. If you wish, we can bring you refreshments as you wait.¡±


    Mizia pouted.


    ¡°Why is she even attending? There is no way she is interested in the discussion, that boring meeting¡­¡± she returned her gaze to the servant. ¡°Fine¡­ bring me sweets. I suppose I will have to wait.¡±


    ***


    At one of the grand halls in the palace, this one was one of the smaller ones, walls of ivory, fine wood, and embedded gold. Shiny chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, fine arts and tapestries on the walls. At the corners, knights in flashy full sets of armor stood guard, with swords sheathed on their waist.


    Maids on standby waiting for any requests made by the guests. At the center of the room was a long table, the nobles sitting on equal sides. And a little further up away from the table were a group of thrones.


    There were fancy thrones for the King and Queen and three for their children. However, only four of the thrones were occupied. The King wore his purple and golden formal outfit, and the Queen wore a beautiful dress as beautiful as a flower garden in the morning.


    Two of the handsome young princes were as dashing as their father with their luxurious clothes and combed hair. The only missing person was the ever so enigmatic princess of the kingdom.


    As always, she has no interest in showing up.


    Marquis Teristro thought.


    The absence of the princess had no massive consequences in the current meeting. Besides, she had never joined any formal meetings of any kind, thus she had no political influence whatsoever.


    That said, not many nobles present here have seen the princess personally. Thus, she was a mystifying person with only rumors about her unmatched beauty only heard. The marquis often saw the princess, but only when he comes with his daughter that wanted to see her cousin.


    And truth be told, the rumors could not make justice to the uniqueness of her appearance.


    In any case, they were waiting for the designated time to start the meeting, they always follow the schedule. A minute before the meeting starts, the once quietly sealed doors loudly creaked open.


    Surprising as this was, everyone turned to see who else would be coming in, there should be no one else to arrive. No, that was wrong, there should be another one.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened at the new arrival. It was a beautiful young woman with a hypnotizing crimson gaze and long braided hair of platinum that was seemingly more valuable than any jewels they could afford. Then her skin was pale as snow, so flawless.


    One of the nobles gasped involuntarily.


    This young woman was the princess of the kingdom. She was intensely fitting and beautiful in her purple and golden colored dress, sleeves reaching her wrists, expensive heeled boots, and skirt just above the ankles. Diamond earrings on her ears, and a crimson necklace hanging from her neck.


    She was a peerless existence.


    The marquis turned to look at the royal family, but they were equally surprised as he was.


    The princess arrived¡­ Why? Why now of all times? And¡­ what about my daughter?


    He was worried for his daughter, with the princess here, which meant that Mizia was left alone somewhere.


    I hope she¡¯s going to be alright being left alone¡­


    Then a sweet voice gently echoed in the room.


    ¡°I apologize for my late arrival. Although I believe I am right on schedule.¡±


    Her smile was almost bewitching, but it did not drive men¡¯s lust, but rather stimulated men¡¯s drive to protect that smile full of innocence.


    Then on her side behind was a knight with a fit stature and light brown hair. The marquis knew this man, he was the one who went against his family¡¯s wishes and left for the knight¡¯s order without permission, he was an infamous one. A rebellious man.


    What is he doing with her?


    ¡°I think this should be our first meeting. I am Estelia Vernisia Wisteria, princess of the Wisteria Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you all.¡±


    She elegantly curtsied as she introduced herself, but everyone was left speechless by her sudden arrival.


    ¡°Pardon me.¡±


    She walked in, her steps faintly echoed, her back straight, and movement elegantly smooth, she was full of confidence. While the knight followed behind her with a grin. The marquis was baffled. The confidence the princess was showing, this was not the way he knew her.


    The princess stopped before the empty throne, while her family stared at her with wide eyes. The knight left her side and stood guard at the wall in line with the princess.


    ¡°... This is my seat, right?¡± she reluctantly asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The king replied.


    And thus the princess gracefully sat down on her throne right beside the king. The queen and the two princes beside her stared with wide eyes at how she handled herself.


    She crossed her legs and leaned a little to the side, elbows on the armrest. The marquis had to hold his breath for a moment as he beholden a royal image with both his eyes. Unlike the two princes, that only showed a normal level of professionalism, and gentle eyes, the princess¡¯s gaze was something more.


    The marquis could feel the intensity of her eyes from her kind and innocently smiling face, it was as if she was she was scrutinizing them. Like a person who observes whether a subordinate was worth her time.


    Why is she showing up now? And to give off this impression, what is she intending to do?


    Was that how she truly was? The marquis had encountered a variety of people, and talked with the king many times, he did not know if the others felt the same as he was, but that was the impression he felt upon seeing her. The others may only see a plain beautiful princess, but for the marquis¡¯s instinct, she was deeply observing and measuring, the way she stared at everyone¡¯s faces for a couple of seconds, and to himself, he could tell.


    But why now?


    It was then he remembered that the princess¡¯s debut would be next year.


    So that¡¯s it.


    The princess never had any influence in the politics of the kingdom, no power, no connections whatsoever. And now her debut was due next year, she needed influence. Showing herself now to the noble household leaders was a good opportunity.


    Should he see it funny knowing that the princess was always meek and now she was showing confidence? It was almost funny to think about but to make this bold decision, this was serious.


    She turned to her father.


    ¡°I will only be observing, father. You can treat me as if I am never here. So, can we start?¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, okay. Of course.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 39: Aristocrat Meeting (Part 2)

    The king rose from his seat.


    ¡°Welcome nobles of the capital. Last year¡¯s First Blooming Festival was a success. The people, as well I, had a lot of fun and the activities were quite entertaining. I would like to personally thank Marquis Teristro as the supervisor of the last festival for the success.¡±


    Everyone clapped loudly and Teristro stood up then bowed his head. When the applause settled, the Marquis returned sitting down and the king continued.


    ¡°And now, here we are once again to discuss our plans for the upcoming festival, which will come in about three months. What activities and events should be reused, or removed, and what new activity do we add? I am sure we may have exhausted most of the ideas we could think of, but if need be, we can reuse the activities from other times.


    ¡°I¡¯ll begin. I believe we should continue with the singing competition. Our people are talented, and I believe this should be displayed. And I still cannot help but be impressed by the sheer talent they showed last year, even the year before that. However, I would like to change something. Instead of only allowing a band to participate, we allow any number of participants, whether they be solo or duo, or a big group.


    ¡°Having to require a band limits the number of participants we have and the talents of others won¡¯t have any opportunity to be displayed and rewarded, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    The nobles looked at each other and nodded their heads.


    ¡°Indeed, your majesty. I¡¯m sure there are many who were unable to participate because of our prerequisites.¡±


    The one who spoke was Marquis Natarel. He then continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my wife would be excited to watch that contest even more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be. I also intend to increase the contest reward, so expect more budget. My wife and I had discussed this at length, and have thought of any problem that would come with this change. First, we need to expand the stage for more areas for the performers, since we accept any number. And also more space for the audience.


    ¡°We imagine that there may be too many who will come to audition, local or foreign, so before everything else, we should put them on screening first. If they are up to standard, we¡¯ll let them perform on stage. Well, that¡¯s the main idea.¡± He turned to the scribe. ¡°Have you written it down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± he faced the nobles. ¡°We can vote on it later, for now, let us gather your ideas.¡±


    One nobleman raised his hand, then stood up after the king nodded.


    ¡°I suggest for the event in the arena, instead of a human-to-human fight that we always have. What about we have man versus monster.¡±


    Teristro raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°How are we going about bringing a monster to our city, Marquis Jezuri?¡± Teristro asked.


    ¡°Well, we can have the knights do it. Or perhaps hire mercenaries, there are those who offer services of such.¡±


    ¡°True, but to bring monsters in our midst, not a good idea. Not only they are dangerous, but they also cannot be controlled. Once we lose control, there¡¯s no saying how many casualties we¡¯ll suffer.¡±


    ¡°Then, rather than pure horrendous monsters, what about creatures we can consider beasts? And if too many isn¡¯t possible, we¡¯ll capture one. The winner of fights against humans will fight against the beast.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so keen on having monsters?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be interesting! A single man against a powerful beast! Wouldn¡¯t that be exciting? How will a lone warrior prevail against a creature that required a group of knights to defeat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wary everything will go wrong.¡±


    ¡°We will only capture beasts that a group of knights are capable of defeating, that way when it goes out of control we can stop it before there is any drastic damage.¡±


    ¡°We are sending a beast¡­ If we do it, the death of the participant would be guaranteed if he loses. This will be unlike where two humans can communicate a surrender.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have knights stationed and have the participant signal if he wants to surrender. Besides, it has never been a hundred percent that no one dies in the arena. What¡¯s the difference? They sign up knowing death is a possibility, they know what they are getting into for wealth and glory.¡±


    Teristro sighed and shifted his eyes to the king sitting on his throne, but beside him, Teristro noticed the princess wearing a frown.


    Oh my niece, you didn¡¯t like what you heard, huh?


    What Jezuri said was true however, they get into the arena knowing they might die. So perhaps getting worried about anyone dying would be pointless. If they fear death, they shouldn¡¯t have entered. Besides, most that would join would be adventurers wanting to get rich, they risk their lives every single day, they should be prepared for death.


    But as one would expect, the princess wouldn¡¯t like that. Still, she was silent, as she said, she was only observing.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in this proposal.¡±


    The one who chimed in was the second prince, Estevan.


    ¡°Please consider it father, I sort of want to see it. The knights will find a capable beast.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you better be certain. If we go with this proposal, the knights will need to make sure nothing goes wrong.¡± said the first prince Eleden. ¡°I still think this is risky, using something we cannot completely control.¡±


    ¡°Let us think on it and vote later, add it into the list.¡± the king said to the scribe.


    ¡°Now then, I have little thing to suggest.¡± The one who stood up was the Marquis Yveno.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking, don¡¯t you think three days is short?¡±


    Three days was the duration of the festival.


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suggest extending it to five days.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t really see the point of extending it.¡± the king said.


    ¡°It would be more enjoyable if it¡¯s longer.¡±


    ¡°The citizens tend to stop working to rest or to enjoy the festival, aside from the merchants, would it be alright to extend it to five days?¡±


    ¡°... I suppose. But we can enjoy more activities if we make it five days.¡±


    The king placed a hand on his chin.


    ¡°I suppose we can extend it to five days for this year. I was intending on inviting a princess from Myra.¡±


    Teristro¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Myra? Which princess?¡±


    ¡°Only the second princess, for reasons. This could be a good way to show both our kingdom¡¯s friendly relationship.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, then three days will be too short for an envoy from another country.¡±


    ¡°And we will need more enjoyable activities, which we can make do by reusing old ideas if we have nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Displaying both our country¡¯s friendship with Myra could make the Empire hesitate from doing any hostile actions upon us.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take it into consideration.¡±


    ***


    The discussion continued on at length, gathering as much idea as they could and reusing a few activities in the past. As they took into consideration holding the festival for five days rather than three, they doubled the number of activities to consider.


    After giving the ideas as they could, it was time for a break, and the maids went on to give the nobles refreshments and snacks. While they eat they could think about what activities they should vote on, discuss what should be picked, and they could also casually converse as friends for it was rare for them to meet together.


    Meanwhile, the royal family left for another room to have their own break time. The moment they entered, everyone turned their head to look at the princess and youngest child, Estelia.


    ¡°...W-What?¡± she asked uneasily.


    She lifted her closed hand on her chest as she stared back at everyone.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong¡­?¡±


    ¡°That was shocking, Estel¡­¡± Estevan said. ¡°What made you decide to join?¡±


    ¡°Um well¡­¡± she did not continue but only wryly smiled.


    ¡°And the way you entered, was that deliberate?¡± said Eleden. ¡°Like wow, that was pretty impressive, since when can you do that? That was magnificent.¡± Eleden chuckled.


    ¡°Estel acting all confident like that in front of nobles, what a dream!¡±


    ¡°S-Stop it you two! It¡¯s embarrassing! It¡¯s not e-easy, you know!¡±


    She looked quite adorable when worked up, her cheeks completely red.


    ¡°Besides, it was not my intention to arrive at that time, it was meant to be earlier! It took a while to prepare my dress and tie my hair, that¡¯s why I only got to arrive exactly as scheduled. I¡¯m still not late! So I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. But that was still an entertaining entrance, not all nobles there have seen you before.¡±


    Estelia pouted at Estevan.


    ¡°Is that so? Maybe I overdid it? Now I¡¯m scared to look at the nobles¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, at least we can say your etiquette lessons is finally put to use.¡±


    Eleden lightly patted her head as to not ruin her hair. How to act on certain occasions was always taught in etiquette lessons, and as royals they must act with confidence and be above everyone. Her teacher would have likely reprimanded her at length for acting timid.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, sit down and relax.¡± their father patted the table and sat down. ¡°You did well, my daughter. But I wish you could have told us you planned on joining the meeting.¡±


    ¡°I was not intending to at first¡­¡± she turned at the maid. ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat, just give me juice. Thank you.¡±


    A moment later, snacks arrived but the princess was only given a refreshment as she requested. She gently drank from her glass.


    ¡°So, Estelia do you have any request you want to make? I assume you are intending to go to the festival, so perhaps there is something you want to see.¡± her mother asked.


    ¡°... Not really. I know nothing about what happens at the festival. So, I cannot suggest where I know nothing about how things work. I just want to see and experience what is in store.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? By the way, I heard Lucious asked you out, any plans about that?¡±


    Estelia froze in surprise when her mother mentioned it, no one else should have known about it. She frantically looked at the one possible culprit, since Estevan was likewise surprised and confused, the only one culprit of sharing what his friend did was Eleden.


    Eleden lightly scratched his cheek.


    ¡°I sort of mentioned it to them¡­¡±


    After hearing his answer, Estelia lowered her head with hesitation plastered on her face.


    ¡°Estelia?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what I should answer¡­¡±


    Meliya pursed her lips.


    ¡°I understand¡­ You still have months away from the festival, you have plenty of time to think about it.¡±


    Even so, it being months away was still too long to give an answer of yes or no.


    ¡°Why do you hesitate, Estelia?¡± Meliya continued.


    Estelia shifted her eyes to look her mother in the eyes and averted away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I am dangerous to be around with. I know if I go out to the festival, if we are together, he will be put in danger. I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°So you prefer to be alone?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I don¡¯t think I would be alone though, Sir Rogan will be there with me.¡± she smiled.


    Leodoule took in a sharp breath while momentarily caressing the side of his face. ¡°Rogan, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, dear?¡± Meliya noticed he was thinking about something.


    ¡°Ah! No, nothing¡­ nothing. Just my mutterings, thinking of how to handle the festival. Having Rogan stay by Estelia¡¯s side will be a great relief, so I suppose you¡¯ll be stuck with each other, Estelia. Say, let¡¯s add Vernon to the equation?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t he added to your side for protection? So, it wouldn¡¯t be advisable to have only Rogan, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Is Sir Rogan¡¯s ability not up to your satisfaction, father?¡±


    ¡°... Um, well, I just want to be more careful.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± she lowered her gaze again. ¡°I suppose we can do that. But then Mera would be left alone here. If I bring Vernon with me, I might as well bring Mera along.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a maid who couldn¡¯t fight, she would be a burden.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaaah, let¡¯s think about this some other time then.¡±


    ¡°... Very well.¡±


    The princess had such a pitiful expression that Leodoule was uncertain of what actions should be done. Therefore, he decided to throw the matter to his future self.


    ***


    There were to be two major events every day in the festival, morning and afternoon while amidst that were minor ones or none at all since they ought to give more free time so people can do whatever they wish.


    Furthermore, after a short discussion, they opted to make the duration from three days to four days, instead of the initial five days proposal.


    The nobles voted at least two or four events for each day, and end up scrapping a few ideas. And now, it was up to the supervisor to successfully implement the plans.


    ¡°Now then, who will supervise this time¡¯s festival?¡± asked the king.


    Teristro did a fine job at the last festival but selecting him again wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. If the king selected him again, it would show favoritism, thus pushing other loyal subjects to the sidelines. That was why every year the festival would have a different supervisor, giving an opportunity to anyone who has yet to have it or hasn¡¯t in a while.


    Then one man raised his hand.


    ¡°My king, please allow me. I have yet to supervise the festival, I would like to have this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Are you up for the job, Marquis Vekenas? We will have a guest from another country, bear that in mind.¡±


    Marquis Vekenas was a little plumped bearded man with short light brown hair and greenish eyes. He smiled widely as he faced the king.


    ¡°Of course, your majesty, I am prepared. But I do wish for everyone¡¯s aid when I need it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help, just ask if you need assistance. This is our festival after all, we all want it to succeed,¡± one of the nobles said, and the others agreed with his sentiment.


    ¡°I thank you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then Marquis Vekenas, you will supervise the preparations of the festival, and it will be your responsibility to make it a success where everyone will get to have fun.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely thank you for granting me this opportunity, my king. I swear to give my all for the festival.¡±


    He bowed.


    And with that, the meeting officially ended, as it ended Vekenas was given the list of plans discussed in the meeting from the scribe.


    With the meeting done, the nobles were free to leave, but if they wish to speak with their accomplices first, they could. Teristro went to approach his younger sister with a fond smile, namely the queen of the kingdom.


    ¡°Hello, my sister. It has been a while.¡±


    Meliya smiled in delight and stood up from her throne.


    ¡°Meril, my brother. I¡¯m so happy we can finally speak without any formalities.¡±


    She hugged her brother for a moment.


    ¡°So, my sister, you¡¯re not working too hard, are you?¡±


    ¡°No, not really that much work. I¡¯m getting proper sleep if that¡¯s what you want to ask.¡±


    The two princes approached the marquis and shook hands.


    ¡°You two haven¡¯t changed at all last year we met. It would seem you have reached your limit!¡±


    ¡°Well I am pretty satisfied with myself, uncle.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do when I¡¯m already past twenty, so I have just to accept I won¡¯t get any taller.¡±


    Teristro chuckled at Estevan and Eleden¡¯s remark. Then he faced the king.


    ¡°Brother in law, I can already tell you¡¯re working too hard.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you would share a little of my burden.¡±


    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t drag me into your kingly duties, it¡¯s out of my league.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Leodoule turned to the princess when he realized that she have yet to come and talk with her uncle. She was merely hiding behind him, her confidence that she had shown at first had vanished, perhaps she realized that they were now off the official setting and can now act the way she truly was.


    ¡°Estelia, come and say hi to your uncle.¡±


    She reluctantly stepped forward while grasping her own hand.


    ¡°Um, greetings, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Mm, hello, Estelia. I haven¡¯t seen you in a long while, you¡¯ve changed. You look more mature now.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you hear? Mizia came.¡±


    ¡°I heard, but I wasn¡¯t able to greet her.¡±


    ¡°To be expected when you joined the meeting. She was quite excited to meet you again after so long. I¡¯ll be staying the day here in the palace, just so you two can properly catch up. That is fine with you, right?¡± he lastly asked Leodoule.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure my daughter would like to speak with the cousin she hasn¡¯t seen for years.¡±


    ¡°She prepared a case of gifts, just something to look forward to.¡±


    Estelia immediately averted her narrowed eyes, perhaps realizing what the contents of those gifts would be. Teristro knew very well what the intent of those gifts would be, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    ¡°Estelia,¡± her mother called. ¡°Mizia has been waiting for hours, I think you should go ahead and meet her.¡±


    ¡°...Very well, mother¡­¡± she turned and faced the knight she came with. ¡°Sir Rogan, we are leaving.¡±


    The nobles that remained in the hall turned their heads and watched the princess closely as she left the room. Some had opportunistic gazes, perhaps thinking about how to get the princess¡¯s favor, since she had shown herself here, it basically meant she could be intending to enter the political circle. While some were only curious.


    That being said, there was not a lot of benefit of trying to garner her favor, she lack any true influence in the greater scope of politics. They would rather ally themselves with the first prince, or the second, with more to the former because he seemed to be the better candidate. He had been the one to closely work with his father after all.


    Teristro wasn¡¯t bothered by it, being the sister of the queen, he didn¡¯t need to work hard to gain more influence and power. Besides, if the princess proves to be a promising candidate for the throne, his daughter had already done most of the job on becoming close with the princess, even though it wasn¡¯t intentional.


    ¡°The knight, I presume he is the personal knight of hers?¡±


    He had heard talks about one of the knights being selected to guard the princess, but he didn¡¯t delve deeply into it, it was not significant to him. But he did know of the identity of the knight. And, as the person tasked with a special position by the king, he was one of the first to know about it.


    ¡°Oh yes, yes he is.¡±


    The king answered.


    ¡°Did you pick him? He doesn¡¯t particularly have a good reputation.¡±


    ¡°I did pick him. And that reputation only involved the outside, but here in the palace, he is alright.¡±


    ¡°I see. But would that be wise? His family might take advantage of this to rise up the ranks.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, they¡¯ve been requesting to have a meeting with him.¡±


    ¡°They even tried reaching him through me,¡± Estevan sighed. ¡°But, Rogan wished not to speak with them, and much more when they want to take advantage of him.¡±


    ¡°Still, he cannot avoid them forever. They are still his family in the end.¡±


    ¡°True, but he dislikes them¡­ who knows how long it will last.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that my niece would get involved in something terrible.¡±


    ¡°If they trouble my daughter, they¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Overlord season 4 is a few days away, can''t wait! But ugh, still hate the wait lol. Also Classroom of the Elite season 2 is so close, finally! Finally some good anime coming out!

 Vol. 2 Chapter 40: Aristocrat Meeting (Part 3)

    Now that wasn¡¯t a particularly thrilling meeting. Well, what else was I expecting anyway? In any case, at least I have an idea of what would be happening in the festival, which I am looking forward to. I want to enjoy life too, you know.


    ¡®But Estelia it would be stupid to go out, you¡¯re being targeted remember?¡¯ Excuse me? Are you serious? What about everyone shut it with the griping! Don¡¯t tell me you actually thought I haven¡¯t thought about that. If you did, you¡¯re a disappointment to your family.


    Why do you think I¡¯ve been grinding my ass off all this time? For goodness¡¯s sake.


    Don¡¯t underestimate a goddess! Okay, maybe that fact is getting into my head, it just makes me feel superior. I am already perfect, but add another perfection, that¡¯s just ¡ª mwah! Magnifico!


    Thinking I¡¯m a goddess just gives me the courage to snap pastas in half! That sure would piss some people off ¡ª I¡¯m joking, don¡¯t get mad.


    Ahem¡­ anyway, I just left the meeting hall and intending on meeting up with my cousin. Sheesh. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s better, being in that hall with some old timers or with my cousin. Not like I can choose anyway, my parents basically said to me ¡®go play with your cousin¡¯. In where I would be the one be played instead.


    Whatever.


    On my way though, I saw a familiar man, it was Lucious. He was speaking with a nobleman that joined in the meeting, he was the man who shared the same surname as Lucious, Vekenas. He was also the person who volunteered to supervise the festival preparations.


    They were smiling to each other kindly and spoke to each with friendliness and familiarity.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to hear you¡¯re supervising this year¡¯s festival, uncle. Hehe, I¡¯m sure such a matter is trivial for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, you think too highly of me. I am actually feeling rather anxious.¡±


    ¡°If you need help, just ask, I¡¯ll help you the best I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I know not all things go to plan, so I might certainly need the help I can.¡±


    It was then that Lucious first noticed me, and his eyes shifted to Rogan who was behind me and frowned, only to return to normal when he returned his gaze at me. The nobleman realizing there was someone behind him, turned around, and his eyes widened at my presence.


    It took a moment of delay before he fixed his posture and formally bowed.


    ¡°Greetings, princess.¡±


    ¡°... Greetings¡­ You two are closely acquainted I see.¡±


    ¡°Estelia ¡ª Princess Estelia, you two haven¡¯t personally met, but let me introduce him. Marquis Hevrik Fumine Vekenas, my uncle. He took a pretty good care of me when I was still young.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, princess. Truly, you are a surprise to behold. I have only heard stories about you from my nephew here.¡±


    ¡°Stories? What type of stories?¡±


    He shifted his eyes to look at Lucious who had an expression of someone who seemed to have been pushed to a corner, he was stiff and eyes wide as if he was trying to convey something to the marquis.


    But the marquis only grinned.


    ¡°He always mentions how he enjoys your company and how he loves gazing at you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    When I looked at Lucious, he had already averted his face away and rubbing his hand under his lips.


    Busted.


    But damn marquis, you just exposed him just like that? Have a heart. What a snitch.


    I blushed a little as I spoke. ¡°... I understand that I¡¯m disturbing your reunion, so please, continue on. I need to be somewhere else. Goodbye, Marquis.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Lucious.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, see you later.¡±


    I walked past them and made my way to my cousin. I thought about Lucious as I walked, I still don¡¯t know how to answer his offer.


    Dammit, why am I even taking that as a problem? Just adds to my headaches. I¡¯ll just toss a coin or something. Besides, my crew would be with me during my tour, so it wouldn¡¯t be like he had hoped anyway. That being said, it still needed to be pondered about.


    When we arrived at the main lobby of the palace, we searched for a nearby servants that should have been the firsts to meet the nobles at the entrance. The servants that came to let me know about my cousin earlier only told me she had arrived and was waiting for me, and never told where to find her.


    It took no time at all to find a servant that would lead us to the guest room where my cousin would be.


    When we arrived, there was another servant outside the room, must be the one to take whatever order my cousin would have.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll personally enter,¡± I stopped the servant from knocking the door. ¡°Are there no other guests inside?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Sir Rogan, stay here.¡±


    ¡°Understood, call for me if something comes up.¡±


    I nodded at him and then rapped my hand on the door.


    ¡°Mizia, it¡¯s me, Estelia¡­ I¡¯m coming in.¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for her response and opened the door. When I first saw her face, her blue eyes were lifeless as she lifted her gaze at me, before the corner of her beautiful lips rose and her eyes brightened all at an instant.


    The moment I saw that, I immediately closed the door.


    ¡°Estelia! ~¡±


    She jumped up and rushed towards me with arms forward, preparing to hug me. Her crimson hair bouncing as she came to take me into her arms, her embrace tight.


    ¡°Estelia, how cruel of you! Do you have any idea how lonely and boring it was?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She rubbed her cheek aggressively against mine.


    ¡°Wow! Your cheek has become softer!¡±


    She intensified her rubbing. A bit uncomfortable but cheeks of people were always soft. But still uncomfortable to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long! You missed me, right? Tell me you missed me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I said nothing and let things happen with a blank expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re as cute as ever. Mwah!¡±


    She suddenly kissed my cheek.


    ¡°Mwah!¡±


    She kissed me on the other cheek, her kisses were deliberately audible. Seemingly unsatisfied, she kissed me on the other cheek again, then back, then again, and back again. When she was done, she hugged me tightly once again.


    I sighed internally.


    Whatever, I¡¯m prepared for the agony.


    Do your worse!


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t look at me that way!¡± she giggled adorably. ¡°At least this never changed. How are you, Estelia? I have to say, you did get taller.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m alright, Mizia. I am more concerned about you. You must have been waiting for hours.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was. Since when have you participated in events that involves that?¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ I just wanted to try it.¡±


    ¡°Geez, you should have told me beforehand.¡±


    And precisely how am I going to do that? You never even told me you were coming.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In any case, we¡¯re way passed that. Come.¡±


    She pulled my hand and we sat down at the couch side to side and faced each other.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s catch up. What have you been up to since the last time we met?¡±


    ¡°Um, not much. Aside from the studying.¡±


    ¡°Same. They weren¡¯t not that hard, didn¡¯t even break a sweat.¡±


    ¡°Is etiquette lesson not hard for you?¡±


    ¡°Nope! In fact, it¡¯s the easiest! No, not quite, it¡¯s right next to academics. Why? Is it hard for you?¡±


    ¡°... A little.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re naturally gentle, so I thought it would be easy for you. Maybe your instructor is very strict?¡±


    ¡°... Perhaps.¡±


    She is! And the gentle side didn¡¯t help at all when I¡¯m meek.


    I needed to act confident, she said.


    ¡°Is that so? In any case, I¡¯m certain you will prevail! By the way cousin, do you have any new hobby?¡±


    ¡°... No. I don¡¯t do much of anything. I usually focus on my studies, which is all.¡±


    ¡°You really need to find a hobby, Estelia. Maybe drawing? Or music?¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can. What about you, Mizia?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been into gardening. Also growing some herbal tea, I often bring them during tea parties with other noble ladies.¡±


    ¡°Tea parties?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s great to make friends. You should come join me Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no¡­ I¡¯m alright¡­ I don¡¯t think it is necessary.¡±


    She held out her finger and moved it from side to side.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk. Estelia, it¡¯s not just making friends. It¡¯s also about making connections.¡±


    ¡°Connections?¡±


    ¡°For politics and stuff. My parents recommended that I should make connections with other aristocratic children. Otherwise, when we come of age, we will be powerless. I need allies, said father.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    ¡°I need to do it even more as the eldest child. As for your case though, I think you have more leeway. So you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Is it not hard for you?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Not really, I haven¡¯t met any hard challenges, so it¡¯s alright. In fact, it is father who¡¯s still doing most of the work anyway. I have it easy. That aside, it¡¯s not a fun topic to talk about¡­¡± She looked at the nearby case. ¡°Check these out.¡±


    With a smile she stood up and walked over to case, and excitedly opened it, revealing an assortment of outfits. They looked quite fancy. I am a little interested.


    ¡°They look great, right? Let¡¯s try it out on you now.¡±


    ¡°N-No! This is not a place to change!¡±


    Is she crazy? Want me to go nude in this place? No way I¡¯ll let any unworthy bugs see my beautiful and perfect body!


    No wait, technically Mera already saw me naked, and it would be alright if Mizia saw me nude since we¡¯re both females. But that¡¯s not the point! No one gets naked in a guest room, no less me!


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m confident with my body. There¡¯s no reason to be embarrassed about it. But I have a sense of decency! I find no satisfaction exposing my body for no good reason.


    Ugh! Why am I even explaining this?


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    She looked around.


    ¡°Hm, we need a proper place for a lady to change. Your room then.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She closed her case.


    Did she just say my room? That¡¯s not a good idea! My secret stash! No, she wouldn¡¯t touch my things carelessly, likely she would focus on me most of the time, so it¡¯s alright. Besides, she cannot be stopped.


    Mizia wouldn¡¯t just take a peek under a bed, like who would do that? So there¡¯s no need to worry.


    ¡°Your room, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I can only sigh and watch as she rushed for the door and ordered a servant to carry the case. She¡¯s totally in power here, that¡¯s fine however, there¡¯s nothing life threatening anyway. It had always been like this with her.


    We made our way to my room, Rogan following behind us and with him the servant carrying the luggage. Mizia and I led the way, she knew where my room was, so I have no need to lead her.


    ¡°By the way, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°...Yes?¡±


    She stopped and then pointed behind us with a suspecting gaze.


    ¡°Who is that? I can see he¡¯s a knight but¡­ who is he?¡±


    ¡°Um, he¡¯s my personal knight.¡±


    Her face loosened and stared at Rogan intently.


    ¡°I see. He is obedient, yes?¡±


    ¡°I suppose? I don¡¯t really give him too many orders.¡±


    As we continued walking, she leaned close to me and whispered.


    ¡°Be careful with men, okay? Especially you. As nobles, we need to be more careful. You¡¯re the princess, but you have to realize you look way more than that. Men cannot be trusted so easily, they only want mostly one thing, and it¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    I feel like I have heard this phrase before.


    ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Uh, sorry, that was a strange thing to say. Shouldn¡¯t have said something explicit.¡±


    What¡¯s up with her?


    ¡°Just be careful of their motives whenever they make some weird move on you. Nothing is better than sincerity.¡±


    Of all the things to bring up, she brought up that. What¡¯s next? She¡¯s actually romantically insecure or something? If so, I don¡¯t know if I should pity my cousin and be thankful she¡¯s concerned about me.


    Well, the concerned part I appreciate.


    But hey, Rogan¡¯s cool. But he did not seem to be interested in me, so maybe safe¡­? I got to admit, it bothers me when my charms don¡¯t work much as I expected.


    We shortly arrived at my room and Mizia at once closed the door and opened the nearby folding screen for changing clothes.


    Damn, she is serious about this.


    ¡°So Estelia, try this out,¡± she said as she pulled out a dress.


    I have no other choice but to change behind the screen. It took a while before I was finished, and I had to ask for help from her. And when it was done¡­ I actually look good.


    ¡°Wow wow! Amazing!¡± she clapped her hands as she watched me.


    I was wearing a dark blue dress and loose sleeve, the skirt was an asymmetrical, with the hem on the front being higher, just above my knees, and the back lower.


    She may treat me like a doll, but damn! She brought a nice dress!


    ¡°Beautiful! Alright, try this next.¡±


    Already?!


    But I want to cherish this appearance of mine more!


    Fine¡­


    She had me changed into another one. This time a completely dark dress, perhaps the word gothic was more appropriate to describe this. The skirt is just above the knee, and the sleeves were fit.


    ¡°You look kind of cool. Alright try this one next!¡±


    Yup, looks like I will be her doll for today.


    ***


    Fuck¡¯s sake that was tiring! We still didn¡¯t finish even when lunch time arrived. So my cousin and my uncle had to eat with us. No problem since they¡¯re family. Besides, I¡¯m feeling good being in new clothes, I look beautiful! Everything just fits me you know. How lovely can I get?


    So during lunch everyone had some conversations, not too important. Then after that, we continued the dress up the doll session. I can only surrender myself to fate as she coiled herself around me, and by fate of course I¡¯m referring to my cousin.


    The beautiful dress up doll Estelia Vernisia Wisteria, at your service.


    At least the outfits were good.


    Anyway, she was giving them to me as gifts. But as you can see, she wanted to see me in all of them. Hey, I¡¯ll get the freebies.


    So around the middle of afternoon, it was time for them to leave. In front of the palace entrance was a luxurious carriage and the family was here to give our goodbyes.


    ¡°Cousin, take care, okay? I¡¯ll see when I can visit again. Though expect it would take a while, perhaps a long while. So bear with it even if you miss me, okay?¡±


    She squeezed me in her arms. I have no opinion about her words.


    ¡°Goodbye, Mizia¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, goodbye.¡±


    And with that she entered the carriage with her father, then waved energetically at me. I waved back of course, I¡¯m not such a cold person.


    When every important people had left, we¡¯re back to normal, for now. Half an hour later, I visited father¡¯s office, he was surprised by my sudden arrival.


    ¡°Estelia, for what purpose have you visited?¡±


    My eyes peered one by one at the servants in the room.


    ¡°... Father, I am here to hear your plans on the festival¡¯s security.¡±


    ¡°My plans? The responsibility of laying out security during the festival falls into the hands of the supervisor.¡±


    I sat on the chair in front of his desk.


    ¡°So he can order the knights as he wishes?¡±


    ¡°Basically yes, he can assign them wherever he requested. That said, I of course need to review the plans, so I still give the permission in the end.¡±


    ¡°I take it the knights will be busy guarding the entire festival?¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    I looked at him then to the servants in the room. He seemed to understand what I was trying to say.


    ¡°Everyone, leave us for the moment.¡±


    The servants dispersed at once and once the door was closed, father spoke.


    ¡°My daughter, if you are worried about your safety, I will spare a number of knights for you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Have the supervisor design the security network as he wishes. You can review it if you like, you can do it as you normally would.¡±


    ¡°Then why have you come here?¡±


    ¡°Not much. I just want to make sure. As I said, no need to spare some knights to guard me, be it as normal as can be.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you really want?¡±


    Everything must be normal, giving the illusion that everything is in control. If the enemy get their hands on the plan, there must be a backup plan. There could be two outcomes when I go out in the city.


    One, if they knew too well about my security detail, they could study it and find their way to me. Second, they hesitate and find another opportunity. I want more of the former.


    That¡¯s why I need more certainty.


    ¡°As the knights will be busy and cannot completely guard me, I have a request.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­¡±


    ¡°The church.¡±


    He light raised his eyebrow. Then I continued¡­


    ¡°You are the one that sent them as hunters. And I have the impression they are stronger than average knights. Thus, I would like to involve them in my security.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ I will have the best to be by your side.¡±


    ¡°No, have them hide, do not directly make contact with me. Only guard my surroundings unnoticed.¡±


    I want them to be covert. Plus, I don¡¯t want a crowd following me when I am out on a casual tour. Like come on! That¡¯s no fun.


    ¡°If we do that, there will be a slight delay in response when you are attacked.¡±


    ¡°That will be fine. If Sir Rogan is coming with me, a slight delay will be fine.¡±


    Father sighed.


    ¡°I am worried, but if that is what you want, that can be done.¡±


    ¡°Oh another thing, father. Please have strict and strong security to watch over Allie.¡±


    ¡°Your former chef, why?¡±


    ¡°With the knights dispersed and a festival going on, that can be a good window to break her out. Therefore, better to increase her security.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But why is it you want to keep her here?¡±


    ¡°She will be a good backup plan when all else fails.¡±


    That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want her to slip out of my grasp.


    ¡°And what will be her use to your backup plan?¡±


    ¡°...... Nothing is certain yet, so I cannot say.¡±


    Father sighed, a tiny amount of sadness in his eyes. What are you being sad about, father?


    ¡°... Very well. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please don¡¯t tell the specifics of our plan to anyone. Not even to the supervisor. That is the last one.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, father.¡±


    I gave him a grateful smile.


    ¡°Then I will take my leave. I have disturbed you for too long. See you later, father.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I stood up and walked over to the door when I heard him say.


    ¡°Not telling anyone¡­ you don¡¯t trust Marquis Vekenas?¡±


    I turned to face him and smiled sweetly.


    ¡°I just think I should know them better before relying on them.¡±


    I don¡¯t trust anyone that easily.


    Especially nobles, they were no different to any politicians. I rather trust a plain soldier more than them. Politicians tend to betray the country more than any soldier.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    thanks for reading! Please leave a heart, and maybe also a comment!

 Vol. 2 Chapter 41: Stepping on Air

    Been a week passed, and now I was having breakfast with my family. I feel like I have been overworking ever since I was brought into this world. For fuck¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Estelia, what is your plan today?¡±


    My father asked out of the blue, he doesn¡¯t usually do that.


    ¡°Like usual, father. Practice.¡±


    Not like I have anything else to do, can¡¯t even have casual fun, go out or anything. Can¡¯t even have a boyfriend ¡ª just a throwaway comment, don¡¯t mind it. What I¡¯m trying to say, I can¡¯t even have nice things.


    ¡®But Estelia you have a lot of nice things, a palace, money, magic.¡¯


    If you thought of that, you don¡¯t get it, that was not the point.


    ¡°...Oh. By the way, how is your progress with the spells from the grimoire?¡±


    ¡°I was focusing on the spells I have already learned, improving now. Today I¡¯m going to start practicing one of the spells from the grimoire.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Air Step¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you going to practice at the courtyard you always use?¡±


    ¡°Mmm. Yes, I think that is a fitting place to practice.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°In that case, I can help you practice. I know how to cast the spell.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± a smile rose on my lips.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll catch up a bit later though, just need to finish a couple of things and I¡¯ll be right at you.¡±


    ¡°I will be waiting, father!¡±


    Finally, someone to tutor me. Wew, it¡¯s never easy to self-study. And having father teach, whom I trust, was a wonderful thing.


    ¡°If father¡¯s coming, then I¡¯m coming too!¡± Estevan immediately chimed in.


    ¡°No,¡± father denied without a moment wasted. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to come when you have other things to do. Estelia and I are meeting to practice, no distractions from you.¡±


    Ooooooh, that¡¯s right Estevan. Tell him father!


    ¡°.... Fine¡­¡± he dranked from his glass of water wearing a disappointed face.


    ***


    At the usual courtyard with the usual team, I was remembering the details and instructions that talks about casting Air Step. I followed the instructions, mana must imitate the wind. It all boiled down to the imagination and visualization.


    Everyone just watched me, of course. They had nothing to help me with, this training was mine alone, nor would I be able to share the details of the spell. Father specifically instructed me not to share details about how to cast the spells from the grimoire.


    The spell was about mainly using the spell on the feet, as it was opted for mobility. I shaped my mana to my feet, forming wind. It took a while before it even got to make form. That being said, the wind was too weak, like a gentle breeze.


    I formed the mana again around my feet.


    It took some time, until Father arrived.


    ¡°Daughter how is it?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s alright¡­ I am just starting after all.¡±


    He grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a tip, one I learned when I was practicing it.¡±


    I listened.


    ¡°It is best to practice forming the wind on your hand first. That way, you don¡¯t have to strain yourself when practicing for the first time. You will have no weight to worry about. Also, gives you more freedom.¡±


    I expected that with my vast amount of mana, I would be alright. But I suppose he had a point.


    ¡°Another thing,¡± he continued. ¡°Do not strictly learn to form the wind, but also learn how to move the air around you.¡±


    ¡°Move the air?¡±


    ¡°With your own wind, manipulate the air around and within them. Pushing them, or pull them, make them move however you want with the force of your own wind.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I think I understand.¡±


    So, like an electric fan? No wait, was that a proper comparison?


    ¡°Also, would you like me to show you how it¡¯s done?¡± his grind grew wider, and excitement was clear in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn a little from watching me.¡±


    Hehehe, he wants to show off.


    ¡°That would be wonderful, father. If you would please.¡±


    I felt the air shift before me, the blades of grasses waved in one direction, the wind seemed to be turning around like a wheel. Tiny pieces of dry leaves and grass floated and swirled around father, specifically, to both his feet, then additionally, to his hands.


    He was also casting wind on his hands. Gradually, he began to float a foot above ground.


    ¡°See? As floating high above for too long would only be a waste of mana, it is best to use this spell while moving.¡±


    He lowered himself again, the wind growing faint, while his body turned towards a more open area. When his feet touched the ground, he lowered his body and legs before doing a leap. At the same came a burst of wind, sending my hair violently snapping.


    Father then twisted his body and turned in almost an instant with winds only at his feet, a dangerous maneuver that no novice could immediately replicate.


    Then he held his open palms downwards and his body jumped up higher into the air, doing a flip midair. When he descended, the winds in his palms seemed to have disappeared and his feet rode the wind as he moved around me with impressive swiftness.


    His legs didn¡¯t move intensely, it was almost like he was only roller-skating in the wind ¡ª or perhaps the more beautiful word was ice-skating?


    When he returned to me, he turned his feet to the side as he slowly came to a stop. Indeed, it was as if he was skating.


    ¡°Impressed, daughter?¡±


    I clapped my hands happily with a proud smile.


    ¡°Amazing, father! You almost appeared to be dancing!¡±


    ¡°You think so? Hehehe, I admit, I did practice hard in the past just to impress your mother.¡±


    ¡°Was it worth it?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I could never forget the way she looked and smiled at me. Anyhow, while I¡¯m here, let me personally teach you.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    And so, he personally oversaw my training. He would point out my mistakes, give me tips. He was quite gentle on me, never strict or stern. He would show me a demonstration in certain parts, but of course it wasn¡¯t easy to see with air being invisible and all, so he would often demonstrate it around where there were dry leaves or dusts.


    Then noon came.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop for now, Estelia. I must say, you did an impressive progress.¡±


    He roughly rubbed my head, messing up my hair.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± I complained.


    He chuckled. ¡°Ah, your hair, my apologies. Now then come, let us have lunch.¡±


    I nodded my head and together headed to the dining room.


    ¡°I will not be able to be with you tomorrow, but I will be looking forward to your progress a week from now. I want you to perform the spell as much as you can.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Then, I will surprise ¡ª no, I will shock you, father.¡±


    ¡°Feeling confident, are we?¡±


    ¡°Of course, a week is enough for me to cast a stable Air Step.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then impress me, my daughter.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­¡± I looked away and then back to looking at his eyes. ¡°And father¡­ thank you for spending your time to teach me¡­¡±


    His smile became more fondly, and he wrapped his arm around me.


    ¡°Of course¡­ I plan to spend more time with you. Just a father and daughter time!¡±


    ¡°What about mother?¡±


    ¡°She can come if she wants. That¡¯s right, she can come with me next week to see your progress. I¡¯m sure she will be delighted to watch you.¡±


    ¡°That is a great idea.¡±


    ¡°And be sure to be careful, okay? No need to overwork yourself. Remember, safety is of utmost priority.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird to hear that from you, father. With you so eager to lead a fight against monsters.¡±


    ¡°Even so, safety is always my first priority, making sure I can defeat the opponent. Otherwise, how will I return to you if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°¡­Then, keep it that way, father.¡±


    Yes, returning home must be a priority, and alive. Even wounded would be fine, the most important thing was that he was alive. Although, I would prefer he¡¯s in full shape, and only get wounds that can heal.


    Honestly, father should have no need to personally fight out there. But he still does. I don¡¯t like that part of him.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 42: Riding the Wind

    I trained hard. And as I practiced more spells, it felt like it was getting easier to learn new spells. Still, just learning, not mastering. That said, I have focused all my time on practicing the wind spell.


    I am confident to say that I am now above average in using it, still not at the level of father, I think. But I worked hard and was so committed that I disregarded all other spells just for this one. A week was enough time to cast the spell safely and with stability. I should not fail spectacularly today.


    At the moment, I was waiting for my parents to come here at my usual place of training outside, they said they would come to see my progress after all.


    ¡°Are you nervous, princess?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°Why would I be nervous?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be?¡±


    Was I? No, I don¡¯t feel that way¡­ alright, maybe a little. I cannot explain the cause of this feeling.


    ¡°... I am not.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    It didn¡¯t sound like he took my words to heart. But whatever¡­


    Eventually a moment later, I saw two people coming towards me. It was my parents. Mother clung on my father¡¯s arm, and the latter guided the lady like a gentleman. They gazed around the surroundings, this might have been the first in a while that they hung out together outside ever so casually.


    How sweet.


    I walked towards them with impatient steps.


    ¡°You came!¡±


    Father softly patted my head, this time he didn¡¯t mess up my hair.


    ¡°Of course, we wouldn¡¯t miss this.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Besides, we wanted to go out for a while now, no matter how short it would be.¡±


    Good thing they didn¡¯t invite my two brothers, it was better they weren¡¯t here. This wasn¡¯t a family gathering. Not like they need to be here anyway.


    ¡°So, daughter, are you feeling confident now?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh? If you impress me, I¡¯ll give you chocolate.¡±


    ¡°... Just chocolate?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you want?¡±


    I pondered, something that they can grant me. But¡­


    ¡°No, there is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Really? Want a sword then?¡±


    Mother slapped my father¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t casually give a blade to our daughter, it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I was only joking¡­ But I sort of wanted to reward her.¡±


    ¡°Father, no need. Your presence here¡­¡± I looked at the two of them one by one. ¡°...is enough reward for me.¡±


    Were my words merely empty words? I don¡¯t know, I just wanted to say it. So perhaps, I was a little sincere.


    ¡°Aaaw, look at you, using clever words.¡±


    Mother suddenly squeezed my cheeks. It hurts actually.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah sorry¡­¡± she looked at me, up and down. ¡°I like your outfit.¡±


    ¡°It was one of the clothes Mizia gave me.¡±


    I wore a white blouse and frilly sleeves that reached my wrists, and a brown waist band tied by black strings. In addition, I wore dark bluish somewhat fit trousers made with fine fabric, it had a little flexibility. Then lastly dark boots. Given what the activity I would be doing today, it was paramount I wear something proper and look good as well. I must give my thanks to Mizia for giving me this type of outfit. She said she brought this type because she surmised this would look good on me as I am approaching adulthood.


    ¡°Oh¡­ and your hair, it is very long now, are you fine with it?¡±


    I touched my braided hair that had reached past my waist.


    ¡°I am perfectly fine with it. In fact, I love it this way.¡±


    Long hair for the win!


    ¡°You look good either way.¡±


    She squeezed my cheek again.


    ¡°Alright then, I heard you¡¯re going to show us your progress of what spell was it? The wind travel one¡­¡±


    ¡°Air Step,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Yes, that one. It was the same spell your father showed me when we were still a young couple, right? He was so adorable when he¡¯s trying hard.¡±


    ¡°Meliyah¡­¡±


    Mother chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t act all embarrassed now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ Estelia, are you now ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes I am.¡±


    ¡°Alright, honey, let¡¯s stand there by the tree.¡±


    Father led her to the shade of the tree.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what you got, daughter.¡±


    I nodded my head and began distancing myself from them before casting the spell. Wind gathered at my feet and hands, I lowered my legs a little and jumped forward, the wind propelling me forward.


    When I was a few feet up from the ground, I stopped the wind on my hands and focused everything on my feet, conjuring wind and moving the air around it. I smoothly moved my foot back as if I was pushing myself, like how would one do skating.


    I was still a little slow, but as I kept flying around the courtyard, I moderately gained speed. I also performed little risky maneuvers when turning, that I of course will be able to do. Feeling comfortable while flying around the courtyard, I lifted my one leg and allowed only one leg to have wind, and I performed a beautiful spin as I slowly spread my arms.


    I am doing something like a performance, applying what I learned from my dancing lessons, and some that I saw from ice-skating from the old world.


    My two legs returned to normal after the turn and I folded my hands, wind gathered around me, lifting the leaves from the ground. After a moment later, I burst wind from my feet and throwing me upwards, while I spun gracefully, the wind at my feet gone, and the wind from my now spreading arms caused the leaves to revolve around me.


    After descending a few feet back to the ground, wind returned to my feet, and I slid forward. I did not promptly drop the leaves but rather slowly weaken the wind from my hands as I went past my parents and the tree they were at.


    I went around them as the leaves slowly returned to the soil while fluttering in the air.


    This magic burned an uncomfortable amount of mana at every second, depending on the strength of the wind. So not many can easily cast this with ease. But it was different for me, after this brief performance, I will still have a lot to spare.


    I slowly stopped in front of my parents, while still hovering a little away from the ground. Truly I felt like I was skating.


    ¡°... So, how was it?¡± I said with a triumphant smile.


    Mother and father looked at each other before applauding.


    ¡°That was incredible, Estelia!¡±


    ¡°Daughter, truly, that was shocking. It was brief, but I was impressed!¡±


    I guess it was brief. Making choreography was not exactly my strong suit.


    ¡°Indeed, to think you are already that skilled in casting the wind.¡±


    I descended and once I touched the ground, the wind vanished.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved you liked my performance.¡±


    ¡°Dear, what about you and Estelia ride the wind together?¡±


    ¡°Great idea! Though a little dangerous, we can go around the palace.¡±


    ¡°Then come back here to me.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be quick, my love.¡±


    ¡°No, take your time and enjoy. Besides I¡¯m not alone, so you can leave me for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Have fun!¡±


    Father turned to me with a prideful smile.


    ¡°So, daughter, are you sure you can catch up? You still have a chance to give up.¡±


    I furrowed my brows.


    ¡°As if. I won¡¯t fall behind.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe of course. If you fall behind, I will turn back to you,¡± he patted my head. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    Wind burst forth from father and he leaped up into the air, flying towards the distance and landing upon a shorter rooftop. I turn to look at Mother to check on her before I go, when she caught me looking, she nodded her head, and so I nodded back with a smile.


    Wind swirled underneath my feet and on my palms then I propelled myself into the air.


    I landed right next to my father, I pretended to almost fall off and he caught me by the hand.


    ¡°Careful now.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°This can be a good training, getting used to the motion and various maneuvers. But don¡¯t overdo it, safety is utmost priority.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now then follow me.¡±


    He rode the wind, and I jumped off the roof, following father as I too rode the wind. He went under small sheds with impressive agility, and I also went through the same path he did. A moment later after gathering descent speed and momentum, the wind at our hands disappeared, with only staying at our feet. Our speed was nothing to be laughed at, if untrained one would be rattled in this amount of speed.


    We swiftly went under the branches of the nearby trees, causing the leaves to shake violently at our passing.


    Then¡­


    ¡°Slow down here, daughter!¡±


    As father was about to directly go straight at a wall, he twisted his body and his feet faced the wall and subsequently came a burst of wind, pushing him forward at an opposite direction of the wall.


    Needless to say as I was following, I was about to come in contact with the same wall. I could slow down, but he didn¡¯t, so why would I? I already got my competitive spirit writhing, no way I¡¯m gonna back down.


    I know parkour myself. You know, losing yourself in the moment is great!


    I optimized the flow wind at my feet as I turned my body, making the bottom of my feet face the wall. Then my wind made contact with the wall, I felt a little force from my wind, I folded my legs with the wind acting as a cushion to soften contact.


    My movement was smooth and soft before I propelled myself with the wind at my feet and right hand pushing me outward. Father¡¯s way of sudden turning was too direct and reckless, very sudden. Have mercy on my internal organs. And thus, my way was to soften contact first, like landing on a bunch of pillows or a thick pile of snow. Maybe father was able to do that kind of maneuver because he¡¯s one tough guy.


    I caught a glimpse of father having an expression of surprise on his face. He slowed down and moved next to me.


    ¡°Very good, daughter! But don¡¯t scare me like that again, that was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ But I was confident.¡±


    ¡°... Alright, but don¡¯t get overconfident, overconfidence often causes failures. At the first feeling of doubt, retract.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    At that moment we passed by the knight¡¯s training courtyard, and warriors as they were, they became alerted immediately and jerked their heads to look at us. Although they immediately realized who we were. There were only a few numbers of them, other¡¯s might be assigned somewhere.


    We only passed by them for a couple of seconds, and we were already gone. Father climbed up to the roof of the palace by sticking close to the wall. I followed.


    He turned towards me, and let himself fall at the edge, then halfway down riding the wind once again. He truly was showing off.


    But this is fun¡­


    It warmed my heart that we got to hang out like this, I was constantly smiling in excitement, and my body was full of energy.


    I followed behind him as he performed various of stunts. I barely did anything myself because of course I don¡¯t need to, nor I should, besides, I enjoyed watching him having fun. Fun¡¯s great.


    Amidst that, I often looked up at the sky, I was curious. Couldn¡¯t I fly up there? I wanted to see and feel how it would be up there. The marvelous sky, a sky one would always see when flying in a plane, from where you can see the land below stretching on the far horizon. But this time, it was a different world.


    A few minutes later, we were nearing back to where Mother was.


    ¡°I have almost drained most of my mana, let¡¯s get back.¡±


    Father said with fatigue clear on his face.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I was feeling fine, sure I did feel a lot of mana being drained, but I haven¡¯t really felt anything significant, mostly just physical tiredness with all the physical activity I just did.


    It only took a moment and we arrived at the courtyard. Father landed back on the ground and took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.


    ¡°That was great. Honestly, it drains so much mana.¡±


    ¡°How was it, dear?¡± Mother approached father and rubbed the sweat off his face with a handkerchief.


    ¡°It was a pretty great exercise, and Estelia was exceptional. I found myself surprised at how she was able to keep up with me.¡±


    Mother turned towards me.


    ¡°Estelia, why are you still up there?¡± she asked cautiously.


    Indeed, I was still hovering in the air, looking up at the sky. It was still morning, and the natural wind was still a little cold. I still have plenty mana left, and when I say plenty, I meant a lot. With this, I can get a glimpse of this new world.


    I shifted my gaze to my mother and smiled.


    ¡°I would like to try something, so don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Daughter¡­?¡±


    ¡°This will be brief.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 43: The View in the Sky

    The wind around me intensified to a great degree that it made my parents¡¯ hair snap in the air violently. I saw Rogan stepping forward as if going after me, he must be concerned about what I was intending to do.


    They¡¯ll be fine.


    Then I was propelled upward by the force of my winds, causing a single blast of powerful gale to scatter throughout the courtyard below me. I flew like a plane ascending, the wind crashing into my face. I conjured a colorless barrier to my eyes, like a goggle.


    With the amount of force and wind I was using, I was burning twice the amount of mana than earlier at a rapid rate. But I have calculated what should be calculated. If I reach a certain amount of consumption, I¡¯ll stop ascending.


    Just gonna hope no bird¡¯s going to hit me, that would suck.


    I looked down and how tiny everything had turned. The palace looked small and still shrinking, the city was at full view, truly a large city. I turned my body and saw the green distance. Right next to the wall was a large and shady forest, must be the Elgion forest, and another normal looking forest opposite of it.


    Then further was a vast expanse of seemingly endless land, I smiled as I beholden the view.


    Beautiful.


    Truly. I rarely able to enjoy this kind of view from a plane, but now I have complete clear view of the surroundings, I could appreciate the beauty of this world, how little of a glimpse this may be.


    Such a vast world, I could have had a leisure of traveling, discovering, adventuring, even for just a little. Just a casual tour. Everything was ripe for the taking and seeing.


    A new world... With that thought in mind, my smile turned somewhat sorrowful.


    My view changed suddenly as I was covered in white mist ¡ª it was the clouds. I slowed down. Now, I was around the middle level in terms of typical cloud heights, but hey this is already very high, I¡¯m like maybe around seven thousand feet? Not sure, didn¡¯t really count, nor was I very knowledgeable about clouds, like come on, they¡¯re clouds¡­


    I halted, now only hovering high up in the sky. The forceful wind in this high sky pushing me, only mostly resisted by my own wind. I took a gently breath, watching the world before me.


    I genuinely wanted to go out there in peace, anywhere. But I cannot yet, not with threats beyond my palace walls. How regretful, truly regretful. I wanted a little leeway, just a little, to do whatever I want. It was what I wished, perhaps do what normal people do. At least that looked safer and more comfortable than the usual one.


    However¡­ even though now my life changed, I was still so limited. It felt like I cannot take another step towards the path I wanted to taste. If I did, I would be slain¡­ It¡¯s irritating¡­ stressful to think about. I just want to relax.


    But not yet¡­


    Even so¡­


    For now, let me enjoy this moment of tranquility.


    I flew within the clouds, my winds scattering them. It was fun. I¡¯m almost like a kid, am I? Now that¡¯s embarrassing.


    But hey, still fun. It felt cold, but that¡¯s not enough to stop me.


    But amidst all my leisurely flight, my head suddenly felt weird and the surroundings in my eyes distorted for a moment.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    I suddenly felt dizzy, and my wind weakened. Now unstable, I began to descend.


    What happened? Did I overdo it?


    I was certain I was casting the spell perfectly and I have been mindful with my mana. So, what could cause this? Damn, everything¡¯s hazy.


    I was gaining speed as I fell from the sky. What the hell happened?


    Was it my blood pressure? No way, I¡¯m still way too young¡­


    My eyes felt heavy. I still cannot tell what caused this, but this was still not enough to knock me out.


    I cast the barrier on my eyes again and turned to face downward and spread my limbs. Not so different from skydiving, except I don¡¯t have a parachute. Fun fact, you can skydive without a parachute ¡ª okay, not a suitable time to joke around when I feel dizzy.


    Judging it was the right time, I turned my body upward and burst out as much wind as I could.


    ¡°¡ª Ngh!¡±


    For some reason, my head was feeling a lot worse. No way, are they connected? No, impossible, I was doing completely fine earlier, so what could be the cause¡­


    My wind fluctuated, but I forced them back. Dammit, my magic was a mess, the weaving was horrible. I am doing my best, but it¡¯s not resulting in what I wanted.


    This was going to be a rough landing. But I¡¯ll live. Maybe a little bruise, but that can be healed. My limbs trembled, not because I was afraid, but because I was using as much strength as I could muster.


    Almost there¡­


    My descent slowed down, but I would certainly still get hurt. Just then, my father appeared below me and sent his wind towards me, prompting my descent to slow down. Slowly and gently, he caught me in his arms.


    ¡°Estelia!¡±


    ¡°Father¡­ Thank you, that was close.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, why did you do that?¡±


    His eyes were stern, but I only formed a strained smile.


    ¡°It was beautiful, father¡­ Truly¡­¡±


    I can lose consciousness now, right? I¡¯m safe. And I don¡¯t feel so good. I also don¡¯t want to be scolded right now. Yeah, they would surely scold me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Drained mana wouldn¡¯t do this¡­ so what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t weaken this much when drained of mana. If that was the case, I would feel just a little fatigued, and not to this extent.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    I still have plenty of mana left, so¡­ I wonder. Could it be¡­?


    ¡°Father¡­ can I sleep?¡±


    ¡°Sleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    He returned to the ground.


    ¡°... Alright, sleep. We¡¯ll talk when you wake up.¡±


    Guess there¡¯s no escaping this one. Damn, I don¡¯t really feel good, not like when I was raging my mana though, that was worse. I just felt dizzy like I just spun around. I could have remained standing even though difficult, but I¡¯m feeling comfortable right now.


    So, goodnight.


    ***


    I slowly opened my eyes to see a familiar ceiling, my room. A second time I fell to self-inflicted fainting. What a relief I didn¡¯t dream this time, dreams suck, they were never good. The thought dreaming about something that involves the Professors, the first and the second, was dreadful.


    The second was shitty. And the first one was equally¡­ no¡­ never mind.


    I cast side the sheet covering me and took a deep breath after sitting up.


    ¡°Milady¡­¡±


    I failed to notice Mera was there, dammit¡­ I guess when you¡¯re in a comfortable environment, you just lower your guard¡­


    Mera stood up from the chair at the nearby small round table and walked towards me. She crouched down and looked at my eyes.


    ¡°Do you still feel unwell?¡±


    ¡°Mera¡­ what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, milady¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, I¡¯m only asking.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I was ordered to watch over you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I stood up and walked over to the window, drawing the curtains open. It was already dark.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been with me since morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I turned to look at her now standing while facing me. I could see fatigue in her eyes. She may have been perhaps sitting there, but waiting was also exhausting, in more ways than one.


    ¡°Did you have lunch?¡±


    She slightly smiled.


    ¡°Yes, Vernon brought me my meal here.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t switch places?¡±


    ¡°It was decided it would be proper for another female to watch you in your personal quarters, given that you are a lady, and the princess. Furthermore, it was taken that you would be more comfortable that way if you wake up.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t really mind it if it would be Vernon or Rogan, but if that¡¯s what they thought, I have no problem with that. It would be problematic if it were a stranger to me, but my family wouldn¡¯t be that idiotic.


    ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s good you got to have meal. I was concerned there for a moment. Missing one¡¯s meal is not so delightful.¡±


    She looked down as if embarrassed, but I could see a tiny smile on her face.


    ¡°You were concerned?¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­?¡±


    She looked at me, weirdly. How do I describe it? Like her soul was about to jump out of her eyes. It¡¯s just weird. Almost like she wants to jump at me¡­ Okay¡­ I¡¯m getting a different vibe from this, a not so safe vibe.


    What could cause this? No wait, she¡¯s been here for basically like the entire day. Just the two of us. She could stare at me uninterrupted for hours. Who knows what has been going on in her head!? Fuuuuck¡­ what have I done?! I caused those feelings!


    ¡°M-Mera, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Eh! Uh¡­¡± She shifted her eyes away. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±


    I¡¯m worried, not for anyone, but for myself. I teased her too far.


    ¡°Really? Okay¡­ Um, you can tell everyone, and have Vernon tell my parents I¡¯m awake. After that, take a proper rest.¡±


    ¡°B-But I¡¯m fine, milady. I don¡¯t particularly feel tired.¡±


    No, it¡¯s not your physical body that needs resting, it¡¯s your mind!


    ¡°I insist. For your health. Rest early for tonight so you can serve me at your best tomorrow.¡±


    She looked down again, expressing hesitation.


    ¡°As you wish¡­ milady.¡±


    With that, she stepped out of the room. When the room settled, I sighed.


    I looked at my hand then I went to the mirror.


    ¡°Did she do something to me? No, I would have woken up if something touched me amidst a comfortable sleep. And Mera wouldn¡¯t be that bold as to do something while I¡¯m sleeping¡­¡±


    If she did! If she did ¨C NO ONE DOES ANYTHING TO ME THAT WAY! NO ONE!


    Only did I realized that I have raised my fist to slam into the desk.


    ¡°Haaaah.¡±


    After the sigh, I retracted my hand.


    I took a deep breath.


    Memories¡­ Memories¡­ Touching¡­ Vulnerable¡­ Unable to do anything¡­ Never wished, never knew, never expected¡­


    Strange¡­ Why am I more affected by¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be this¡­¡­. Psychological changes¡­


    I do tease¡­ but to touch me without permission¡­ something like that, something in that way, I cannot allow. Oh god, I¡¯m getting sensitive¡­ like what happened plenty of times ever since I came here¡­ my reactions have become more sensitive¡­ emotional reactions.


    ¡°Stop it¡­ Stop thinking¡­¡±


    Nothing happened.


    I tried convincing myself.


    I stared at my own reflection, it looked back at me with a strong yet cold gaze. I¡¯m changing¡­ That being said, I don¡¯t like being touched without consent or my will¡­ A casual touch was fine, but something else¡­ I don¡¯t like it.


    This never affected me this much before¡­


    Estelia¡­ Were you ever this sensitive?


    No point in rejecting this. I am Estelia¡­ I am also Rena¡­ I have a part of Estelia, I have a part of Rena.


    Still, weird that I feel to be the dominant one ¡ª the Rena part.


    I still cannot wrap my head around this¡­ Whatever. Honesty to oneself is often the greatest delight one could feel. However, I need to mentally train myself. This wasn¡¯t a good part, I still believe my past self the best part. Even if psychological changes occur, I need to try to return to my old mentality. Being this sensitive was not pleasant.


    I just raged there for a moment after all. If there was evidence that Mera did something unwanted to me¡­ I don¡¯t know what would happen. She may be a precious subordinate, but some things cannot be tolerated.


    This characteristic of mine may not be thought of much within the organization, but to people outside, we would be described as wicked and heartless. Take that how you will. Although, it was annoying to hear that. Like, fuck off, leave us alone.


    In any case, I need to avoid any sudden outbursts¡­ not healthy, I had better control of my grievances, never let it show, nor let it grow.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    This was only a minor setback, and only a minor occurrence, and minor recollection.


    I was broken off from my cycle of thoughts by multiple knockings on the door. I fixed my hair and checked my appearance at the mirror before heading for the door.


    ¡°Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Princess, dinner will be held shortly, your parents want you to head straight to the dining room.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I said with a neutral expression.


    ¡°Had Mera taken a rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she has gone to their quarters.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    I¡¯m already expecting to have an earful.


    ***


    Mera was relieved of a heavy weight in her chest that she was enduring most of the day. Collapsing on the bed, she snatched one of the pillows from the back of her head, hugging it tightly as she gazed up at the ceiling.


    Watching the princess was a strenuous task, despite doing nothing else but watch. Her heartbeat rose as she recalled what happened.


    ¡°Nnnnnn¡­!¡±


    She squirmed with the pillow in her arms, rubbing her face into its softness. She hid the redness of her cheeks. The princess was so vulnerable as she laid on the bed, and her beauty was for Mera to behold as she delighted.


    And that made things difficult.


    But that wasn¡¯t the worst part.


    ¡°... By the gods¡­ what was I attempting to do?¡±


    Along the way, she almost succumbed to temptation. Her heart shouted, and her mind forced her. She recalled standing up from her chair and walked over the side of the princess¡¯s bed.


    She kneeled beside it and stared closely at the princess. From the hair on her forehead, to her closed eyes, and then lastly¡­ her lips.


    How she wanted to touch her at that time. She recalled holding out her hand, about to stroke the princess¡¯s cheek, but she hesitated and retracted. But that did not erase the stirring warmth and emotion in her chest.


    She recalled the face of the sleeping princess.


    And she recalled the moment she moved her face close to the princess¡¯s and looked at her lips with a strong gaze. Mera¡¯s lips moved closer. She was about to kiss the princess.


    When their lips were only a couple of inches apart, Mera realized the transgression she was about to commit and pulled herself back.


    Mera squirmed again and turned on her bed.


    ¡°... I was trying to do that? How could I?¡± she muttered quietly. ¡°I was about to take advantage of her¡­¡±


    She felt remorse. If she didn¡¯t hold herself back, she would have committed an unforgivable sin. It was so hard to hold back her desire that the entire time watching the princess from a distance was tremendously exhausting.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot¡­¡±


    Idiot¡­


    If she got carried away, the princess might have hated her. As a woman herself, Mera understood how one would feel if someone suddenly did something like that to someone vulnerable.


    When the princess woke up, Mera was feeling shy and tensed in that short amount of time, remembering what she was about to do. And truth be told, she was glad she could let off some steam now. The princess was kind enough to let her rest. Thinking that fact, Mera involuntarily smiled.


    The door opened.


    ¡°Mera? You¡¯re here early. And what¡¯s with your posture? Fix yourself, you look like a child.¡±


    Mera furrowed her brows at the harsh words directed at her.


    ¡°Macey¡­ what¡¯s wrong with my posture? I¡¯m only laying on my bed.¡±


    Macey, her fellow maid, flipped her hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming of a lady of your household.¡±


    ¡°This is not a formal setting.¡±


    ¡°True, but at least don¡¯t casually display your legs while on your bed. You should have a little decency as a woman.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, right.¡±


    Mera moved her skirt down to properly cover her legs. She didn¡¯t even realize her legs were exposed all that time.


    Macey walked towards her bed and gently sat down at the side.


    ¡°I notice something from your face, are you agitated?¡±


    ¡°No not really.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re here earlier than expected.¡±


    Mera was thankful that Macey didn¡¯t press further with that specific question. If Ellie was here, and especially just the two of them, she would have pushed Mera to share what she was feeling and thinking.


    ¡°Her highness ordered me to rest.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I finished early. Although I must admit, I may have rushed a little. I¡¯m feeling more tired today than usual¡­ I did sleep a little late.¡±


    Mera smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s unbecoming of a lady, Macey.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! I know that. I just couldn¡¯t stop thinking about someone.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    ¡°When I was assigned to clean the outside of the palace, I met Alan¡­ and we had a pleasant chat.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us that¡­¡±


    ¡°I was hesitant to tell you¡­ Anyhow, how I miss our casual conversation together. He seemed to enjoy it too, which is a relief. I feared that he has disliked my company, which was a mistake.¡±


    Mera gazed up and thought about Macey¡¯s feelings about that knight. Macey would often share lovely moments and much more about this knight named Alan. She also liked romance stories, so when she read a book about it, she would tell them enthusiastically about it in a lot of details, that anyone intending to read that book would be spoiled of the story. Even so, she does not know how to hold back.


    ¡°Macey, you love him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? I, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you confess your feelings?¡±


    Macey¡¯s eyes widened for a moment before avoiding Mera¡¯s eyes and pursed her lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you hesitating? You are friends since childhood, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve been together for a long time, know each other deeply. I don¡¯t see the reason for not confessing your feelings now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ I¡¯m scared, Mera.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends since childhood, and that makes me more afraid. If I confess my feelings, I fear he might reject me¡­ And that¡¯s not all¡­ I¡¯m afraid that after I confess, we won¡¯t be the same anymore.¡±


    ¡°You doubt your love would not be requited? Why?¡±


    ¡°Alan¡­ he doesn¡¯t seem to see me anything as special¡­ I have always looked specially at him, I love watching him, but he doesn¡¯t seem to look at me the same way.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    The knight gives no sign of having a special feeling for Macey¡­


    Mera thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s top talking about this, Mera. It makes me anxious.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ Then, Ellie, you seen her? I expected you would be together even though you finished earlier than usual.¡±


    That¡¯s because Ellie always finishes way earlier. She always does her work fast.


    ¡°She¡¯s on cooking duty for our meal tonight, remember?¡±


    Maids cycled on who would cook their meal every day, they wouldn¡¯t normally be provided food from the royal chef, except for special occasions or a surplus. Plus, some maids were still excellent cooks.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t exactly blame you if you often forget about the switching, being a personal maid and all.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I always get my meal for special servants.¡±


    ¡°In any case, we should check if they¡¯re done. Or come hang out with us, it has been a while. We can talk more as we watch Ellie cook.¡±


    Mera nodded her head with a smile.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 44: Visitors

    It had been a somewhat tiring few months ¡ª no wait, not somewhat, but exceedingly tiring! What a fancy, word¡­ exceedingly... I have been training really, reeaaallyyy hard, just to prepare for this upcoming festival. I have been lying low, time to go higher.


    We have eight days before the great festival! To be honest, I¡¯m quite excited. I didn¡¯t get to enjoy festivals much in my old life¡­ Well, rarely did I even get to be around a festival. That aside, a couple of days ago I received the new outfits made by Mervizo, the tailor, and along with the girl from last time, Kali.


    The outfits were stored in a box, and beneath all of those was the outfit I designed. We didn¡¯t speak anything about the special outfit, but he did wink at me with a grin. Once I checked it out in my room, with I alone and during the night, he really did improve it.


    Like, wow! Mervizo! It was¡ª mwah! Chef kiss! Amazing! He¡¯s as reliable as ever. Truly beautiful!


    That aside, I presume Vernon still had no idea about it. Oops.


    Anyway¡­ Want to see it? Heh, only when the time¡¯s right.


    As for the dresses I would get to wear during the festival, they were beautiful as well. Quite fancy and flamboyant, I should say. He didn¡¯t seem to hold back in designing and expressing his designs. Like wow, I¡¯ll stand out in those, counting my beauty of course.


    Moving on, I have visitors coming today. And I when I say I, I mean truly for me. A surprise, isn¡¯t it? Who would visit a beautiful princess such as me? My cousin? Well¡­ not her.


    I was on my way to the guests¡¯ room with my usual gang. Father was said to be there already, so I shouldn¡¯t dawdle.


    Eventually I arrived at my destination. When I entered, I gathered the attention of multiple pair of eyes, three to be precise. One of them was my own father seated down on a one soft chair while facing the two other people sitting on the couches, they must be discussing something before I came.


    One of the two figures on the couch was a girl in her teens, black hair, and dark purple eyes looking at me widely. The girl wore a fancy white garb with golden embroidery all over.


    Then for the other was a woman in her early twenties, her dark eyes looked at me disinterestedly, pretty in contrast to the other female. She had long black hair and a light complexion.


    She wore clothes like someone from the church, but hers differed a little. Hers was more fit and expressed her exquisite physique. I find it surprising that their outfits varied.


    Her beauty was fine¡­ but her blank face was almost worrisome. It almost reminded me of myself, which was not good. It¡¯s hard to tell people¡¯s feeling if they look that emotionless.


    And she was indifferent to my arrival, to my beautiful form! Like wow¡­ At least the other female human being had a reaction.


    ¡°My daughter, good you have come. Sit.¡±


    I entered inside with only Rogan with me, as Vernon held back Mera from entering and stayed outside after the door was closed. I sat down on the sofa opposite of the two holy persons, while Rogan stood behind me.


    I sat on the sofa with a straight back, poised and regal as I looked at the two visitors before shifting my eyes to Father.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce to you the two priestesses that will be the core part of your security, as requested. The High Bishop specifically sent them as they are one of the most dependable in the order.


    ¡°This one here is Tina, and the other is Astine.¡±


    He pointed with his hand at the younger girl, then to the older one, respectively.


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡­I am Estelia.¡±


    I slowly lifted my hand forward towards them to have a handshake. As one would probably expect, Astine shook my hands with no hesitation, as the other one hesitated. Astine¡¯s hand had some roughness in them, suggesting she could be working a lot physically.


    Well, they should be fighter themselves.


    We let go and shifted my hands towards the other young woman, Tina, and held out my hand in front of her. She shook my hand gently. Her hand was smoother than Astine.


    We let go.


    ¡°I look forward to us working together.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor, princess.¡±


    Astine said with a slight bow of the head, still wearing that indifferent facial expression. Damn, not easy to tell what she¡¯s thinking. Tina was easier, she¡¯s a bit restless, staring at me with a surprise. At least that I can tell emotions, but Astine, it was just blank.


    ¡°Now then, daughter, tell them your plan.¡±


    I turned my head to my father, surprised.


    ¡°Me? I thought you have briefed them.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°I figured it would be best you take it from here.¡±


    Come on, father¡­ What are you trying to do here? Ugh. Fine.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± I faced the pair. ¡°You will be guarding me, along with a small team, just small, perhaps around six will be fine. But I prefer they be competent.¡±


    ¡°You have no need to worry, your highness.¡± Astine said. ¡°I believe you will find us reliable in times of danger. However, I will prepare strong individual for your security.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Then, you will be hiding amongst the crowd whenever I go out in public. Wear civilian clothing, act as how a normal civilian would be. In short, you are going incognito. Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Astine nodded.


    ¡°Two main objectives. First, to protect me from any danger that my personal guards would be hard pressed to fight. Second, driving our enemies out into the open, meaning I will be bait.¡±


    For the first time, there was a little shift of expression on Astine, she seemed to be actually surprised.


    ¡°You would use yourself as bait?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have faith you will protect me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If they expose themselves as they try to take me out, expect chaos. Civilian casualties may be inevitable, but I hope we¡¯ll suffer no losses. This is only if the second objective goes through. After all, there is only two ¡ª no, three outcomes.¡±


    I stuck out three fingers.


    ¡°First,¡± I lowered one finger. ¡°They take the bait, and we capture them. Don¡¯t kill them, capture. May be difficult, but we must.¡± I lowered another finger. ¡°Second, they don¡¯t show up, which would be weird, and one I would be displeased with. This may render our efforts and plans useless, but better safe than sorry.¡±


    I lowered the last finger.


    ¡°Third outcome, all else fails. I die, and they succeed in their mission. You could either capture a few or one, but I imagine it would be pointless in the end. For me at least. I won¡¯t even get to feel anything once I¡¯m dead.¡±


    Or I may get another life, who knows. But I wouldn¡¯t take my chances.


    ¡°See? Simple. No need for any complicated plots. Simplicity is best. Ah, if they do attack, best to take out the elves first, one way or another.¡±


    Elves were crazy, they would be willing to kill their allies and end their own lives.


    ¡°I have given you the main points of the plan. I will leave everything else to you, as you will be assembling the team and know their capabilities. We can discuss in depth when the festival is closer, and the team finalized.¡±


    Astine nodded her head, showing that she understood what I was trying to say.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s done, I would like to ask you of your abilities. That way I¡¯ll at least know how capable you are and what you can do, might help if everything goes down.¡±


    Astine shifted her eyes to look at my father, seemingly asking for permission, on which Father nodded his head.


    ¡°I understand, princess. Ask away.¡±


    ¡°So, how do you fight? Bladed weapons? Or martial arts?¡±


    ¡°... I mainly use a spear, so I fight in close combat. I am also proficient in hand-to-hand combat.¡±


    ¡°Magic?¡±


    ¡°I use the magic we in the order use¡­¡± she paused for a moment. ¡°As for other kinds of magic, Tina is talented in support magic.¡±


    ¡°Support magic? May I ask what consists of support magic?¡±


    I faced Tina, she composed herself, her face now wearing a neutral look, as if she was trained to do just that. I wonder why she didn¡¯t just do that in the first place, well, this wasn¡¯t exactly a dangerous place to hide one¡¯s emotion. Maybe Astine was the weird one after all.


    ¡°I mainly focus on assisting my allies, healing them, casting barrier, and cast to them spells that will be helpful in various situations.¡±


    I noticed something when they were explaining to me their abilities. Their choice of words was¡­ vague. Not much of any specifics. I see, they didn¡¯t want to tell much of their skills.


    Astine didn¡¯t even tell or mention precisely what kind of magic their order use. Maybe I could ask for specifics, but they intended to hide them in the first place, given they were vague.


    Hm, best not to earn their ire, no matter how small they may be. No point in learning any of their specific spells anyway, I already have the spells from the royal grimoire in my head. Also, I may be able to ask father later.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m satisfied with what you told me. I will be relying on you during the festival.¡±


    ***


    It was only a brief meeting, perhaps that was why they didn¡¯t send a very important person such as the High Bishop or something. No, they were important enough to become representatives. Well, us meeting each other was particularly important, especially so I¡¯ll get an idea who they were.


    And they seemed reliable enough, I think. I don¡¯t know really, but they should be strong. I still haven¡¯t forgotten the time they failed last time after I gave them the chance to catch the enemy. But nothing can be done about it now, damned elves were crazy.


    Oryn didn¡¯t seem that crazy¡­ was he? Well he did attempt to kill me in the middle of an enemy base.


    In any case, let¡¯s just see how things will turn out.


    Security would likely be thick and strict in the upcoming festival with a royalty from another kingdom coming, whom could be arriving in the next couple of days. Yeah, that princess from Myra, the one my eldest brother was close with accepted the invitation and coming our way.


    Not exactly thrilled about it, don¡¯t hate it either. But to be honest, I¡¯m quite curious. As a fellow princess of a kingdom, it should be interesting to meet a counterpart. Needless to say I have to prepare for the envoy to come¡­ Whatever.


    I¡¯m looking forward to the festival by the way. I¡¯m finally getting out once in a while. That being said, I fear that my revealing myself to the public I would get involved in the kingdom¡¯s politics ¡ª well I have already revealed myself to the nobles¡¯ meeting. I might be involved already. Don¡¯t worry, I did that knowing the possible repercussions ¡ª I just don¡¯t mind it that much yet, I¡¯ll just do what needed to be done when the time comes.


    Good thing politics here don¡¯t involve killing royalty. The nobles both respect and fear the ruler of the kingdom. More on the respect I assume. This kingdom was more like nobles ascending the rank, and if too many were already at the top the ones beneath would drag down those at the top. Not many get to be successful.


    Yeah, I suppose nobles also get demoted and promoted. The ones hard to demote were the ones in the capital, however. Especially the ones close to the royals. I¡¯m not really a juicy one for the nobles to get close with, so I guess I¡¯m safe.


    At the moment, I was making my way to my eldest brother¡¯s office.


    When I arrived, I left my servants outside and entered inside. Now it was just the three of us. Eleden, Lucious, and I.


    ¡°Sister, I¡¯m surprised you visited.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a reason to be here¡­¡±


    I glanced up at Lucious before going ahead to sit down on the chair in front of the desk.


    ¡°So, brother, are you feeling excited?¡±


    ¡°... For what?¡±


    ¡°Well, your friend from another kingdom is coming.¡±


    ¡°Friend, huh?¡± he giggled. ¡°Yes, if I¡¯m to be honest, I am excited.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is she? Should I be careful?¡±


    ¡°She is a kind person, Estelia. You have nothing to worry about. Just act as yourself, and you¡¯ll be fine. She is very friendly, so you two should get along just fine.¡±


    ¡°... I hope so¡­ Have you made any plan what you¡¯ll be doing this festival?¡±


    ¡°I did make a plan. Touring, watching events, dinner for just the two of us¡­ As for other else, I suppose I¡¯ll just go with the flow. She is also trained as a knight, so I imagine she¡¯ll be pleased to see our knights.¡±


    I heard that before. But damn. She¡¯s a knight¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised she is the princess and yet she is trained as a knight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in their tradition, knighthood is essentially the identity of their kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ She must be an impressive person then.¡±


    ¡°Is something bothering you, sister?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m just a bit anxious to meet another princess. And our values and way of living is different¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Just relax. You don¡¯t have to force yourself to be directly friendly with her. Just take it slow. I have told stories about you, so she should have an expectation when she meets you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Woah woah, don¡¯t just go telling about me to anyone!


    ¡°So, is there anything else you are worried about?¡±


    ¡°.. Um no¡­¡± I looked at Lucious again, on which he grew puzzled. ¡°I came here for Lucious.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    I took a deep breath and stood up from my chair.


    ¡°...Um¡­¡± I rubbed my hands together gently. ¡°About your offer, Lucious¡­ For the festival¡­ I¡­¡±


    I looked at him directly in the eyes, he was eagerly waiting for what I was going to say. He was almost leaning forward. My brother remained silent as he seemed to not want to miss any of my words.


    ¡°I¡­ I would like to take you up on your offer¡­ Um, let¡¯s go out together sometime in the festival.¡±


    Both Lucious and Eleden¡¯s eyes widened as if their eyes would pop out of their sockets. They almost seemed to gasp as they looked at each other in disbelief.


    ¡°R-Really? Truly?¡± Lucious asked as if asking for a confirmation.


    ¡°Truly.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha!¡± he smiled ears to ears, his short laugh was loud with joy. His face so bright with life and happiness. ¡°Yes¡ª Ahem, thank you so much for accepting my offer, Estelia.¡±


    I smiled shyly and lowered my head, my cheeks red.


    ¡°Mm. Then, that is all I came for¡­ Um, see you.¡± I said to Lucious.


    ¡°Y-Yes, see you.¡±


    With that I left timidly out of the room.


    You heard me right, I decided to give him a chance. I also sort of wanted to try it. Not for romance, but for a genuine joyous experience.


    ***


    Three days later, the palace was in a fuss, nervousness was written on several servants¡¯ faces as they scrambled around, making sure nothing was amiss. Before this day however, everybody was already cleaning and fixing the hell out of the palace, despite the fact that there was nothing wrong with it in the first place.


    As for the reason today was different was because a messenger arrived in advance that the princess from another kingdom sent. The messenger arrived way early in the morning, and thus, I had to wake up earlier than usual.


    Good thing they sent a messenger first, well it should be done whenever a diplomat was about to arrive anyway. Proper procedures.


    I have to bathe early and change into a fancy dress.


    Mera as usual tied my hair, which was getting longer and longer. Good thing my long hair would not affect my height ¡ª yeah, long hair does not affect growth! My hair gets longer, I also get taller. Yes, I¡¯m still growing! I feel it and see it, don¡¯t doubt me ¡ª seriously I am slowly growing.


    ¡°Milady, your hair is becoming longer and longer, might I be so bold to suggest we have it cut later on?¡±


    Mera suggested, she must be concerned that it would be more difficult to move with this long precious hair of mine. But I like my hair long¡­


    ¡°No, I prefer it this way.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    She tied my hair with a little bun on the back of my head and let the rest flow down, to compensate for its length. Then she braided the rest of my loose hair. I¡¯ll let the little bun be since it helps shorten my hair even for just a little.


    Mera applied makeup on my face, but I urged her to apply it as light as possible. I¡¯m already very beautiful, to be honest, makeup might just soil my appearance. There are other beautiful women out there, naturally beautiful, and goodness when they apply makeup, they begin to look like shit. I suppose sometimes natural beauty triumphs. Or maybe because the makeup was just too thick, heh.


    Anyways! I¡¯m satisfied with a slight makeup, my natural beauty will carry me.


    This was just an early preparation, so I lingered in my room until I was called.


    It wouldn¡¯t take that long because since the messenger first arrived, I had used plenty of time to prepare.


    ¡°Haaah¡­¡±


    I tapped my finger on the wooden table. The sound. I have been practicing on how to produce sound for my alternative flash bang. But imitating sound was a bit tricky. But I was doing well, I believe. Sound is a vibration in the air. So, I just need to move the air molecules or something.


    Flash bang has science-based explosion and imitating it through magic was easier said than done. I need a burst of deafening sound. And that¡¯s what I have been practicing. Replicating chemical reactions with magic was complicated, magic and science two different things. Once I figure out how things work, casting that sound spell from the grimoire wouldn¡¯t take too long and along with it producing a sound for the flash bang.


    ¡°Princess, it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    My thoughts were interrupted by Vernon.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I made my way to the palace entrance along with my knight, Rogan. For the other two servants they¡¯ll be staying behind. Rogan was more essential than them and bringing a personal knight in greeting a diplomat was all right. Here in the kingdom at least. I don¡¯t know about others.


    I met with my brother Estevan on the way, wearing a formal outfit, and quite fancy. Majorly white clothes and golden embroidery at the seams. His hair was combed neatly, and his face clean.


    Looking good, brother!


    I on the other hand wore a purple and golden dress with a long sleeve, and a skirt that reached above the ankle. Then boots with the same color scheme. Gotta have that uniformed and matched set of outfit.


    We arrived at the entrance, and mother, father, and Eleden was already there. I observed Eleden, particularly him since he was a fling with that princess. He looked a bit nervous, fixing his collar and checking up his clothes.


    Truly, men acting like that was amusing. Estevan on the other hand seemed pretty casual. This guy really needs to get some romance. Honestly, sometimes Estevan felt mature and immature at the same time.


    While we stood at the sidewalk, waiting for our visitor to arrive, a sound of a loud horn came blaring. The visitors were coming to the gates.


    Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.


    A short while later, a group of Wisterian knights in full set of armor were leading the way at the frontmost of the convoy, they must have been sent when we received the message to meet with the envoys in advance.


    The convoy consisted of three total carriages, with one being the most lavish of them all, with the two that have similar design were second only to it. The most lavish and extravagant, the one at the center, was an intricately carved and designed carriage with the color of platinum and gold. Truly, that would catch everyone¡¯s eyes.


    I can imagine that was where the princess was riding in. Honestly, why do these royalties love to be the most distinguished amongst others. Assassins would be thanking you for showing where the fuck you at and saving us a lot of time. We could just blow it to hell to make things easier, but more conspicuous, but you get the idea. We of course need some sort of confirmation but that¡¯s also beside the point.


    However, if this was the means to deceive assassins, that would be good. Well, we¡¯ll find out if she¡¯s really there.


    As for the other carriages, there must be knights in there or officials. There were also knights on horses donning a full set of armor. Eye catching designs, but our knights had more style. Hey, I¡¯m proud of my own nation.


    Our knights on the walkways fixed their postures even more and stiffened up the moment the carriages grew nearer. By the side of our palace doors were two men on each side, hoisting up a flagpole, waving the two countries¡¯ flags. One was our own, the flower wisteria in the center with streaks of purple and red on the sides, and the other was the flag of Myra, a single flower of pink with a shade of blue, and a sword and a shield on each of its side.


    Both our kingdom¡¯s flag had flowers on them. Hm. One would have thought we were already close in the beginning since we are technically neighbors though distant, but we have only started nurturing and strengthening our relationship.


    The central carriage stopped right before us, meaning the princess would be there indeed. Eeeeh, assassination prevention fail. I could have just fired a lightning bolt at it, perhaps several times subsequently, high chance of killing her.


    No wait, why am I simulating assassination attempts now? Silly me.


    The door opened and came out a knight with an armor in the color of onyx. He had a brown skin on the lighter side, brown eyes, and a short dark hair. Good looking man that seemed to be around in his early twenties. A sword was dangling on his waist, sheathed in a black scabbard.


    He looked at us with a kind smile, and he stopped his eyes at me for a second with interest. But he instantly continued and extended his hand towards the door, and a fair skinned hand came out to accept it.


    A glamorous heeled shoe stepped on the carriage steps, the edge of the dress¡¯s skirt revealed. I watched closely with an innocent expression as a beautiful figure came out of the carriage. Damn brother, really you¡­ Should I be proud? I think I should be.


    A golden-haired young woman in her late teens wore a somewhat simple yet extravagant white and blue dress. Her hair was just above her shoulders, her blue eyes were soft and tender, and smile so precious.


    Hmph, my smile is more precious, right? Come on, be on my side here.


    She walked forward with elegance befitting of a princess.


    My father stepped forward.


    ¡°Greetings to you, esteemed Princess of the Myra Kingdom, Lillie Eanthia Lionheart. I am Leodoule Erestro Wisteria, king of Wisteria, it is an immense pleasure to finally meet you.¡±


    Father didn¡¯t use our traditional greeting since she was from another nation. Also, our greeting involved our gods in it, no need to use it to someone from another country that could believe in another god.


    ¡°Your majesty, the pleasure is all mine. I am overjoyed to finally meet you. Although I was a little taken aback that you would personally greet me here.¡±


    She smiled kindly.


    ¡°Here in Wisteria, we greet our important visitors the moment they arrive, no matter our status may be.¡±


    ¡°I see. On behalf of my home kingdom, and from me personally, thank you. All of you, for greeting me personally on my arrival.¡±


    She curtsied.


    ¡°Truly, I did not expect. If it were in my home kingdom, the visitors would be brought to the throne room.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard. Now then, how about we enter inside. You must have yet to have a pleasant breakfast, we have prepared a banquet just for you, our esteemed guests.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Also, no need to worry about your knights, we have prepared meals for them as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you ever so much, your majesty. I¡¯m sure they will be overjoyed to finally eat delicious food to their heart¡¯s content. Oh, may I bring my personal knight, Jaiden Redmoore, with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The knight, Jaiden, bowed his head, before catching the eye Rogan. I caught a glimpse of Rogan giving a smug look, but still managing to look friendly. What¡¯s this? Maybe Rogan was feeling a little kinship or something.


    The foreign knight nodded back at him with a smile.


    I wonder who¡¯s stronger. This guy right here had a pretty unique suit of armor, completely different from the other knights they brought. Or personal knights of princesses in Myra have different armor? Or maybe he¡¯s one of those Exemplar Knights I heard about. I mean he looked important enough.


    The princess from another kingdom, Lillie, shifted her eyes to my eldest brother and her smile widened for a moment as they gazed at each other for a couple of seconds before we continued on, heading to the grand dining hall.


    I half expected they would try to do a little sweet thing, but I guess this was not the place for it.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 45: Dining With Foreigners, & And I An Anomaly?

    We were in a grand dining hall, the same one used when the nobles from the kingdom came to visit for the planning of the festival. Although this time there was no throne anywhere, and more decorations were placed all throughout the hall.


    The chandeliers weren¡¯t changed but wouldn¡¯t be necessary to change them in the first place as they already looked wonderful and intricate. The lamps on the walls, and the multiple chandeliers hanging on the ceiling brought light into the room, along with the opened window letting the sun¡¯s light and the morning breeze enter.


    An assorted number of foods were prepared and placed on the table, not only cooked by the chef, but also by the other servants who would also cook whenever a special occasion comes, so more like they were collaborating and didn¡¯t mean the chef¡¯s skills were put to doubt. The dishes were somewhat delicious. But there were some that were actually good. All for my taste that is.


    Father was sitting at the corner of the table, the seat of honor. On one side was mother closest to father, then next to her was me, then on my side was Estevan.


    All of us were around a couple of feet apart.


    On the other side were our guests, along with Eleden. With him nearest to Father and next to him was the princess from another country Lillie and was thus right in front of me. Then lastly was the knight, still wearing his armor. Quite a breach of etiquette actually, but I¡¯m not really that strict, nor do I mind.


    Hehe, not like I can do anything. I am but a meek princess, tolerative, and slow to anger. A passive character.


    We began our banquet and ate like royals. Gentle and elegant, very neat. Though yeah, a bit boring. Good thing there was a small group of musicians there! At least there¡¯s music making the atmosphere a little livelier. Using the instruments such as the one that¡¯s the same as a violin, a lute, then the one I used in my music lessons.


    ¡°What do you think of our traditional dishes?¡± my mother asked the guests.


    ¡°It was pleasantly fascinating, soft and on the sweeter side. Something I¡¯m not used to, but a welcome experience.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Now I am curious about your nation¡¯s cuisines. I have never been to any other nation.¡±


    ¡°If you wish, I can cook a few cuisines from my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Truly? But I would not dare trouble you.¡±


    ¡°No, it is completely fine. Cooking is a trivial thing.¡±


    My mother chuckled. ¡°If you say so, I will not be holding you back. Feel free to tell me if you want to start cooking.¡±


    Wow a princess who knows how to cook, and quite confident about it¡­.


    I can cook by the way. Also I¡¯m good at it¡­ surely even I the princess of this kingdom won¡¯t be behind a foreigner¡­ Hmph!


    ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡±


    Princess Lillie shifted her eyes towards me. Her eyes narrowed as she smiled kindly at me.


    ¡°Hello, Princess Estelia¡­ I have been looking forward to meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± I said, a little timid. ¡°I have also been curious about you¡­¡±


    Damn, what should I talk about with her?


    ¡°... My eldest brother, Eleden, mentioned you a few times.¡±


    ¡°Gh¡­¡± Eledens seemed to almost choke drinking his glass of juice.


    ¡°My¡­¡± Lillie covered her lips with her hand. ¡°I wonder what those entailed.¡±


    ¡°He was quite enthusiastic talking about you¡­ he would smile ear to ear every time he describes you.¡±


    I saw a little blush on her cheek as Eleden beside her acted stiff. The knight on the other hand seemed unbothered about it. So nothing¡¯s going on, huh. That¡¯s good. Brother¡¯s good to continue with no obstruction.


    I¡¯m rooting for him of course.


    ¡°Ahem ¡ª of course, her highness princess Lillie is a wonderful person. Who would not speak positively about her?¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯m flattered, Prince Eleden¡­¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    I expected they would act more casual, and not like this. But I suppose this was a formal setting so they couldn¡¯t exactly act the way they want.


    Should I stop? Naaaaah, this was amusing.


    To be honest, it¡¯s a bit hard to tease in this formal place, ugh.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    As I was thinking on what I should be speaking next with careful consideration, Mother cleared her throat quietly that I was able to hear just enough. I glanced at her and she smiled at me.


    Aaaaw, I need to stop? Come on.


    Can¡¯t do anything then¡­ And I was just getting started.


    I behaved myself and ate my meal slowly like a proper lady. Father then spoke with the princess.


    ¡°The festival is days away, so I hope we can keep you entertained until then. Eleden volunteered to manage that part. I assume a tour around the palace would be a start?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father¡­¡± Eleden replied.


    ¡°That will be remarkably interesting indeed. Oh, would it be all right to see your knights? As one from a kingdom that centered around knighthood, I am curious as to how knights are in another.¡±


    You might as well say you want to check on the capacity and ability of our knights. But of course, Father caught that. She could be sincere, but that still applied. That being said, we should be allies now so no need to be stingy. Besides, Eleden should have seen the capabilities of the knights in Myra first, so better see this as a fair trade.


    ¡°Of course. I would be interested what a princess like you would like to say. Which reminds me, you also know swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°I have been trained since I was young. Truth be told, it was more obligatory than voluntarily. However, I did not train as hard as my other siblings, so I might be a little lacking.¡±


    ¡°You are still better than an average knight, princess.¡±


    The knight suddenly chimed in.


    ¡°I may be. But there are people stronger than me. Although, I suppose being able to fight is important than not, especially in our nation that favors knighthood.¡±


    Sounds like a tough place to live compared here where we are pretty casual about stuff. We have more leeway in what we wanted to be. Like Eleden who was a prince, but unable to fight like a knight, but focused himself more on diplomacy.


    Estevan who¡¯s more brawns than brains, no ¡ª he would rather use swords than use his brain in diplomatic and office stuff, I could imagine him agonize when he starts being diplomatic. I mean, look at him now! He has not spoken at all!


    While me on the other hand, was useless in summary. Not like it bothered me. I would rather not do anything than do a thing if you get my drip. But of course things didn¡¯t go my way.


    ¡°I see. Then feel free to visit the knights training ground if you decide to visit. You can consult Eleden if you need it, he will guide you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Father nodded his head then shifted his eyes to the knight. ¡°Sir Jaiden, am I correct to assume you¡¯re one of the Exemplar knights?¡±


    ¡°Your majesty, there is no need to add Sir, my name alone is sufficient given that you are a monarch and I merely a knight. But to answer your question, yes. I am the commander of the 7th Legion.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Truly I am thrilled to meet a fellow warrior, a knight who is renowned as one of the best in their nation. The princess surely found herself a dependable guard and escort.¡±


    ¡°It is rare to send one of our royals to another nation for a formal visit. We saw it fitting to send a renowned knight to guard her. No, this might be the first in a long, long while.¡±


    So they don¡¯t normally send royals to other countries ¡ª well duh, they¡¯re royals, no one would send an important person for any trivial reason. They normally send an envoy for that kind of stuff.


    But I suppose this time was different with the Empire at our doorstep. Honestly, politics never change, world leaders always find a way to fight each other. Well, we were pretty behaved, so it¡¯s the empire that¡¯s a piece of shit. There¡¯s always that one guy¡­ dammit¡­. I¡¯m not gonna stress on that yet. Not like I can just go there and wipe the floor off their government anyway.


    That aside, we did just send a royal to their kingdom of Myra, seems my home tends to do the initiative.


    ¡°With the empire acting up at our borders suspiciously, it is time for us to help each other. Showing our trust to each other might make the empire hesitate.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. For centuries they have expanded, and now they are trying to expand to their west after a time of silence. Do their desire for conquest know no end?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Some leaders want something more I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Are you not like that, your majesty?¡±


    My father smiled as though he was about to laugh.


    ¡°My home is rich of history and good people. What else is there to desire beyond our kingdom? Our founders raised this kingdom for peace, not for conquest and destruction. Our kingdom is built upon the foundation of life and peace of humanity.¡±


    ¡°And seeking conquest like the empire goes against that foundation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. For us in Myra, I observed that we always walk in the path of the golden light. We uphold honor and principles of goodness, never to be cruel. Treat our enemies with respect. All so our people would be paragons of everything that is good. Are we different from yours, your majesty?¡±


    Damn that sucks. Paragons of goodness? The golden light? If I lived there, I would feel a little incompatible.


    ¡°Perhaps. We strive for the best of humanity, and kind to our allies and friends. And the most important of all, we protect our own people and most of all our family. Is that not the path of the golden light?¡±


    Golden light. From my recollection, they worship someone they call as the Lord of Golden. I learned in my lessons that this light was some sort of symbol. It was clearer for me now what this light meant. A path of good. I had a rough idea before, but this made it a clearer, I did not think much of any other country¡¯s religion since they were of no significance to me.


    The knight smiled.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, it is.¡±


    Hang on, we are not entirely in this path of the ¡°light,¡± like what? Hahaha! Sure we have some ¡°light¡± but we have plenty of ¡°dark¡±, remember the time when a ruler cut off nobles unnecessary for the future of Wisteria? And what about the part of Allie? The torture and stuff.


    Nah, no way there¡¯s a paragon of perfect goodness out there. No way. Those who say that tend to be hypocritical, right? Or am I the one with weird sense of morals here?


    But I guess that was where our difference lies. If they were paragons of goodness, then we in Wisteria were in the side of good but willing to dirty our hands to achieve our goals for sake of humanity. Fitting to say we do not have much of a boundary.


    But whatever.


    So our dining ended after a more casual conversation like the nice spots here in Wisteria, what they the guests would like to do and some casual stuff. Not like I can casually join anyway, I¡¯m not one to chime in this kind of stuff.


    ***


    After that decent meal, the guests were guided to their rooms and sorted out their luggage. As for me, everything went on mostly normal. I¡¯m still with Rogan, my two other servants should be at the usual courtyard where we hung out, as I said where we would meet at this time.


    I¡¯m still wearing the dress I wore earlier, no reason to be changing. I¡¯ll only be practicing my spell casting primarily for today. I have a trick I was trying out, well a few of them. Just mastering them further that¡¯s all.


    But on my way, about to go outside, by the wall was the knight from Myra, Jaiden was it? He looked like a proper guard there, just a blank face and stern posture.


    He noticed me right away and bowed his head when I got closer. How polite.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    ¡°Sir Jaiden, may I ask as to why you are here? And alone? I expected you would be with your charge.¡±


    ¡°At the moment, she is speaking with Prince Eleden outside.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    I¡¯m curious as to what they could be talking about. Hehe, let¡¯s see.


    What? I¡¯m curious about the love life of my brother.


    I slowly went to the peek at a corner and there I saw the pair standing by the pathway.


    ¡°Truly, to see such many things is amazing,¡± said the princess, Lillie.


    ¡°Indeed, amidst the hard journey, you can find several interesting new sceneries.¡±


    ¡°I cannot wait to look around this kingdom, your home. Like our tour when you visited, except this time, you will be the one guiding me.¡± she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you volunteered.¡±


    ¡°Of course I would. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll be a decent company to you. Foremost, I want it.¡±


    The princess smiled. ¡°I¡¯m relieved though.¡±


    Eleden reached out and grasped her hand. ¡°I hope I will truly be a good company.¡±


    ¡°To be honest Eleden, your presence with me is good enough company.¡±


    Brother giggled. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, but I still want you to enjoy the experience here.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Let us have fun together, especially at the festival. I hope we can go out in public peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be going incognito again?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡± she giggled.


    Hey! What the! I intend to go incognito with Lucious! Stop ripping us off! What¡¯s up with royals sneaking out and some shit.


    ¡°By the way, I recall your sister mentioning that you talked about me.¡±


    ¡°... Yes I did.¡±


    ¡°So they know about our¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s alright though. Not like I can bear to hide my feelings.¡±


    I retracted back and turned to the knight. I half expected he would not let something like this happen. That part where my brother and the princess get all giggly.


    ¡°You know about their relationship?¡±


    ¡°I was accompanying them when the prince, your brother, visited Myra. Their forming bond was too apparent to be missed.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re fine letting this happen?¡±


    ¡°I do not see why I would rationally go against it. She is forming a bond with a prince of an allied kingdom, which will be beneficial for the kingdom, and yours too.¡±


    Hm? Did I just catch something there? It¡¯s kinda weird that someone would just include the word ¡°rationally¡± there. Also accompanying them when brother was there, so maybe him and the princess were close to some extent? Hmmmm. Hmmm¡­?


    Yeah, I¡¯m not going to ask anything about that.


    ¡°I understand¡­¡­ I don¡¯t want to disturb them.¡±


    I looked towards the other pathway, thinking where I should go through. They just had to have a sweet time in the direction I¡¯m going.


    ¡°May I speak freely, princess?¡±


    I returned my eyes to Jaiden.


    ¡°¡­You may.¡±


    ¡°You are quite a unique individual, aren¡¯t you, Princess Estelia?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I mean your appearance. You are too unique and beautiful that I am in shock that moment I saw you.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Um¡­¡± I blushed; he was surprisingly being too direct. I even heard Rogan let out a faint whistle behind me. Shut it Rogan!


    ¡°My apologies if my words troubled you. But¡­ princess Lillie, and other princesses in our kingdom were praised as the most beautiful, they may be the most beautiful women our entire people have ever seen. And then when I saw you, I had this feeling¡­ your presence felt so unique, as if you stand out in this world, as if you originally are not from here but from somewhere beyond. It is hard to explain this feeling, and a foolish one, my apologies, please forget it.¡±


    What the hell? I should keep my distance from this guy. He almost hit a homerun, what¡¯s up with him? To say something so accurate¡­ Nah, what sort of sorcery is this? Lot of weird people in this world of magic ¡ª wait no, there are a lot of weird people in my old world too.


    Well, I do stand out like intensely, and this guy just felt something exaggerated. Intuition? Nah, that¡¯s kind of bullshit. I believe intuition comes when you¡¯re feeling paranoid, like how you¡¯re in a bad place and have a bad feeling about it. But this was not intuition.


    So rather than intuition, it should be more like he was pretty vocal about his deep feelings. I mean, I do stand out so much¡­ so what he felt should be what other should feel when they see me first time.


    If he¡¯s this vocally honest, if he had feelings for that princess, shouldn¡¯t he have confessed or something? Or perhaps he had already, and he just got rejected. Oof.


    In any case, got to get out of here, just had a shiver from this guy¡¯s words of me being from a place beyond this world. I mean, he¡¯s technically not wrong¡­? I¡¯m both goddess and from another world¡­ and I¡¯m a goddess¡­ Yup I just said it twice.


    ¡°Mm, yes¡­ okay. Then, see you later, Sir Jaiden, I need to be somewhere else.¡±


    He nodded.


    I went the opposite way and rerouted myself. When I was far enough, I spoke to Rogan.


    ¡°Sir Rogan, is that how you felt the moment you saw me?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, puzzled.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What Sir Jaiden said, about me standing out in this world, like I¡¯m not from here?¡±


    ¡°Oh that? Hmmm¡­¡± He placed his hand on his chin. ¡°I guess something like that.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Princess, honestly. You are too bright, sort of say. Like a sun shining brightly in this world, a sun walking among us. And existence so unique and special that should not be found in this world. So it¡¯s to be expected anyone who sees you the first time would feel that way, and apparently some are pretty vocal about it ¡ª Jaiden¡¯s the one I¡¯m talking about. I guess he¡¯s weirded out by it.¡±


    ¡°Now that stings, Sir Rogan, being weirded out because of me.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s more weirded out in a good way.¡±


    ¡°... So¡­ that¡¯s how people see me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You are incredibly special.¡±


    He said as he looked me in the eyes and with a sincere voice. I instantly awkwardly looked away. And then he followed when he realized what he had just said.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry, shouldn¡¯t have said something like that.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ think nothing of it. You only answered my question.¡±


    You basically admitted you guys see me as some sort of anomaly! But whatever¡­

 Vol. 2 Chapter 46: Prelude to the Festival

    My family wanted me to get along with the princess from another country¡­ Like okay? I mean, I don¡¯t have many friends, but I don¡¯t really see why it had to be her? Haaaah, it had to be the VIP. Needless to say, they urged me to be careful with how I carry myself and what I say, only to be added that they had no need to worry about it since I wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem when speaking anyway. Given that I am mostly a quiet girl.


    Pfft.


    Furthermore, Eleden was going to be with the princess, so I should be fine. Besides, if my brother was serious about this, she would eventually become family, only need to worry about political complications. But Myra seemed to be fine with it so not much of a problem now that they seemed keen on making friends, hm.


    The empire sure was a threat. Everyone could have just cut off the dragon¡¯s head and everything else should stop moving. That being said, there should be a lot of baby dragons, so kill them too, kill them younglings. Add to that inciting rebellion in the states they control or make them declare independence. No way could an empire manage to give something good to all states if they¡¯re that big, adding the empire¡¯s characteristic on top of that.


    Unless they have good leadership or something. In any case there should be at least one that yearns independence.


    Moving on, at the moment I am with my knight walking down the hallway in the palace. I left my pair of servants again since they would only get in the way if they also came with me. On the first floor I met with my eldest brother, and with him were Lillie and Jaiden.


    The knight now wore formal outfit, coat and trousers, with only a sword on his waist. Guess wearing an armor was unnecessary.


    Then Princess Lillie wasn¡¯t wearing a dress, but this time was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a waist strap. Brown trousers and brown boots, almost like what a horse rider would wear. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. Still, with her beauty, she still looked fancy.


    Judging from the way she was dressed, she was intending to do something that required an intense physical activity¡­ She¡¯s intending to spar with the knights, wasn¡¯t she?


    Is everyone from Myra battle hungry?


    Like¡­ okay¡­ can people at least be gentle and peaceful as me?


    What? I¡¯m not a peaceful and gentle person? What are you talking about?


    ¡°I apologize for making you wait.¡± I said to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we just arrived a moment ago. Besides, you arrived right on schedule, there is no need to apologize.¡± she assured me with a smile. ¡°Are we ready to go?¡±


    With nothing else to wait for, we were all ready to go and started heading to the courtyard where the knights usually hang around. I wonder if the knights were notified, or this was a surprise visit. I hope it was the former, I would be concerned if my knights were thrown into a situation they weren¡¯t prepared for¡­ he-he¡­ I¡¯m a kind princess, aren¡¯t I?


    On the way, Lillie started a conversation with me, a friendly and casual one. As we weren¡¯t exactly close and given that she was a princess of another country, I opted to call her as ¡°Princess Lillie.¡± But in the process of our conversation, she had me call her by her name alone.


    Why not¡­


    As for our topic, just casual ones, like hobbies and interest. She spoke quite softly to me actually, as if she was extra careful with her words. I¡¯m cool with it. I wonder how this brother of mine described me that called for this kind of interaction with her.


    I am acting interested though, but of course sprinkled some meekness here and there, acting adorable. To be honest, I am a little curious what skills this woman had.


    N-Not because I feel my precious princess position was being threatened of course¡­. Not at all¡­


    No way she¡¯s better than me.


    I¡¯m sorry, okay?! It¡¯s hard not to feel competitive to your parallel! I¡¯m used to that environment! I can¡¯t be a loser! I¡¯m not going to be the inferior one!


    We arrived at our destination to discover less than a dozen of knights doing their own businesses in their training grounds. Some were sparring with their swords, some exercising, some target practicing with bows.


    ¡°Oh! Splendid! Wasting no time at all and training to keep their skills sharp!¡± the princess from another country said with blatant anticipation. ¡°Although, I expected more of them, are their other training spots?¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, a lot of the knights has been dispatched and assigned in preparations for the festival.¡± My brother answered.


    ¡°Oh I see, understandable.¡±


    The moment the knights saw us arrived, they stopped all what they were doing and focused all their attention at us. With no hesitation, Lillie stepped forward and smiled widely in a friendly manner.


    ¡°Greetings, everyone! I am Lillie Eanthia Lionheart, Princess of Myra. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to be acquainted with you, knights of Wisteria. As someone from a nation with heart filled with chivalry, I am interested about knights from another kingdom, and their skills as well. Feel free to think of this as our nation kindling their relationship further.¡±


    The knights fixed their postures and bowed deeply at the princess.


    ¡°We greet and welcome the Princess of Myra!¡±


    They said in unison.


    Wow, did they practice that or something? No, that aside! Dammit! I hate looking at them bowing at another princess, and from another nation no less! Not like they had any other choice, but still¡­ Ugh, whatever, I¡¯m just being bitter. It¡¯s not pleasant.


    ¡°Thank you. Now then, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to spar swords with someone. As I have no sword in hand, I would also be borrowing one. So¡­ anyone?¡±


    The knights looked at each other with hesitation. Of course no one would just casually say they would spar with an envoy of a foreign country, no one would be that insane. What if they accidentally injured her? And what if she was displeased about the match? Gotta to be careful with this kind of stuff.


    The knight, Jaiden, stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are concerned. But the princess is proficient in swordsmanship, I¡¯m sure you will find her challenging.¡±


    Still, no one came to volunteer.


    Amidst that, Rogan suddenly whispered.


    ¡°Princess¡­ Can I?¡±


    The hell? Is he crazy?


    He hesitated when I asked him to duel me, and he¡¯s volunteering here to fight this woman?


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see. As your personal knight, in case something small happens, it wouldn¡¯t be that damaging given that I am your knight. It would be different for the other knights here, children of nobles they may be.¡±


    Well, true. But to think he would actually volunteer.


    ¡°I¡¯m also worried about my friends so¡­ Oh, and I imagine you would like to measure the princess¡¯s abilities. I can give you my thoughts afterwards.¡±


    No, I¡¯m not really. Just a little curious¡­


    Ugh, whatever.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    He grinned before stepping forward and raising his hand.


    ¡°Me! It would be an honor to have a spar with you, O your highness.¡±


    He said so casually as ever as he bowed.


    ¡°Oh! Interesting, Princess Estelia¡¯s knight? Certainly. But will that be alright?¡±


    She asked as she looked at me.


    ¡°Yes, it is alright.¡±


    ¡°Very well then¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡±


    ¡°As I am, I¡¯m curious what a princess like you can do.¡±


    ¡°Please go easy on me, just use your average strength. I¡¯m quite concerned I would be defeated at the first minute.¡±


    Rogan smirked. ¡°If you say so, princess.¡±


    ***


    During Rogan and Lillie¡¯s match I merely sat down on the chair offered to me by the sweetest knights, with my brother sitting beside me. Everyone watched with interest, anticipating how the match would unfold. Well, I imagine mostly because they haven¡¯t seen a princess try to fight sword by sword.


    ¡­Okay¡­ whatever¡­ melee fighting sucks anyway. I like guns, guns were better, safer distance. When enemy get near, just gun-fu their asses. Oh, what was I talking about?


    Ahem¡­


    Anyways, the fight was pretty simple, not as intense as the mock battle I watched in the far past. They start swinging their swords at each other slowly, as if getting the feel for each other first.


    Gradually, the fight increased in intensity. Now that I have observed Rogan, he¡¯s actually handling the sword pretty well, despite having his main weapon as a spear. As for the princess, he was matching up with Rogan quite well, her form and stance were fine, and the way she swung her sword with both hands was swift and skillful.


    Her training became more apparent at every move she displayed.


    By the way, they were swinging their swords without any magic involved. They did discuss about it beforehand, like notifying the other party if one decided to use magic. But I don¡¯t know if it would escalate to the point that they would use magic.


    As for the foreign knight, he was serving as the referee. But I can tell by way he sharply kept watch at Lillie that he was being careful that no fatal attack would hit her. Severely injuring a foreign princess wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Rogan¡¯s movement was more on the practical side. Lillie on the other hand was graceful when she moved her legs and shifting her body. Still, I do not know if that was her full ability. Brother did mention she wasn¡¯t really very strong compared to the other knights. But Jaiden seemed to be impressed, but maybe that¡¯s just him complimenting her.


    Their fight grew tense as the two swords hitting each clanged loudly. Rogan narrowed his eyes as he stepped back for a moment before charging again. The princess seemed to be having a difficult time following his attacks.


    And then the moment Rogan deflected her blade, he swiftly moved and pointed his sword to Lillie¡¯s chest.


    The princess smiled in delight as she acknowledged her defeat. Seriously? Being happy after being defeated? I would not be wholeheartedly smiling in that situation.


    ¡°Magnificent sword dance, Sir Rogan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ The sword is not my main weapon, by the way.¡±


    I sense Rogan being a little cocky there.


    ¡°Truly? Then what weapon do you use normally?¡±


    ¡°A spear.¡±


    ¡°Oh my,¡± she sheathed her sword. ¡°If you¡¯re this strong with the sword, I certainly wouldn¡¯t challenge you in a serious fight.¡±


    ¡°You honor me, princess. You are surprisingly skilled yourself. I didn¡¯t expect you would worry me this much.¡±


    ¡°Well, I still lost in the end.¡±


    Lillie pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off the sweat off her face. Rogan pulled his own and rubbed his face.


    Hm, no intention of using magic? Alright then¡­


    The two of them then drank from the glasses of water offered to them.


    Big brother stood up and approached Lillie.


    ¡°Beautiful while fighting as ever. Truly dazzling.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you¡­¡± she smiled lovingly.


    Look at these two¡­


    Meanwhile Rogan had a smug all over his face.


    ¡°So, any word of compliments for me?¡±


    I furrowed my brows as he asked me that.


    ¡°What do you want to hear?¡±


    Want me to go ¡®Oh my god Rogan! You were so cool!¡¯ or maybe ¡®Kyaaa! So handsome! The way you fight makes my heart jump!¡¯?


    ¡°Maybe something along the line of ¡ª you fought so valiantly, Sir Rogan!¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± I involuntarily let out a giggle. As thick faced as ever. ¡°Sir Rogan, you fought brilliantly. Truly like a knight in shining armor found in any story book. Seeing my knight fight so valiantly fills me with pride.¡±


    I said sweetly and a bit loudly as I could, humoring him for a little.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, your highness. Your words give me the greatest of pleasure.¡±


    He theatrically waved his arm towards to his chest while bowing deeply. I was only making fun of him a little and he got along with it. The surrounding knights looked weirdly at us, then staring at each other with frowns and winces.


    ¡°Did you enjoy the spar?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, yes indeed. I¡¯m quite relieved she wasn¡¯t as scary as the last one I sparred with.¡±


    He looked at me with raised eyebrows, implicitly saying he was talking about me. I do remember blasting him with a fireball right next to his face. That would hurt him, but nothing a little healing magic could heal. You think it was cruel and unnecessary? No, it was not. Okay, maybe I disregarded his feelings that time¡­ juuuust a little.


    ¡°Oh my, I wonder who you are referring to. But I¡¯m certain they are apologetic about it.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡± he bitterly smiled.


    ¡°Ahem!¡±


    Suddenly that deliberately loud clearing of throat came from Eleden.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Sister¡­¡± he glanced at Rogan for a second. ¡°Lillie wants to speak with you.¡±


    With a puzzled face, I shifted my gaze towards Lillie beside him.


    ¡°Nothing important¡­ I just want to know you better, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Your knight has a fine swordsmanship skill. You must find him quite reliable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, he is.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± she stood beside me as others went away a little to mind their own businesses, leaving us two. ¡°... Um, can you use a sword?¡±


    ¡°... No¡­ I was never taught.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what about a knife?¡±


    ¡°¡­I was not trained to fight, I¡¯m no use when it comes to fighting.¡±


    ¡°Really? Huh¡­ Bizarre. Truly bizarre. So it is not mandatory for you to have any combat training it seems.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Is it for you¡­?¡±


    She nodded her head. ¡°Yes, all royalty, prince or princesses, must be trained in the way of a knight at a very young age. If your skills are below average, you would be labeled as a failure of a royal.¡±


    ¡°M-Must be hard.¡±


    ¡°I never thought of it as hard, as it is normal for us. That is why I¡¯m quite shocked to learn you weren¡¯t trained for any combat. Though I shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised given that Eleden wasn¡¯t trained in swordsmanship, I still feel surprised.¡±


    ¡°I cannot imagine what experience a princess would go through when trained at an early age that would normally be for men. As weak as I am, I must rely on my knight.¡±


    I glanced at Rogan with a smile, and he merely pursed his lips and looked away. He must be thinking I was deliberately not sharing a few things.


    ¡°Ever thought of training as a knight?¡±


    ¡°... No¡­ I see there is not much need for it.¡±


    I¡¯m just not going to mention that my parents would be against me learning the way of the knight. Heh, nor would I like to. I¡¯m already on the path of the mage, which I believe was much better by the way. And I¡¯m already an ¡°assassin¡± so no sword plays for me. Not much for melee anyway.


    Safe distance fighting¡¯s the way.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She looked around until her eyes caught the figures of a couple of knights shooting arrows at the round targets, with paints of rings and red circle at the center of them. A knight nocked and then loosed an arrow, hitting a ring away from the bullseye.


    ¡°Oh, archery, I know how to do that. Let¡¯s check it out?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I let her slowly drag me to the archery range. She asked to borrow a bow, and of course she immediately had it, a recurve bow. She picked an arrow and nocked it to the bow. She pinched the arrow between her thumb and index finger.


    She slowly drew the string back.


    Then loose.


    The arrow pierced through the air before piercing the targeting board, inches away from the center.


    ¡°Aaaw, I was close.¡±


    ¡°That was impressive your highness.¡± One of the knights praised.


    ¡°Thank you, though I had hoped I hit the center.¡±


    ¡°It is never always easy, and what you accomplished was impressive enough.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I trained a decent amount, still rarely I get to hit the perfect spot.¡± She turned to me. ¡°A bow is a fine weapon and safer. If you wish to practice a weapon, I suggest this.¡±


    I merely nodded my head. Archery, huh. I have trained in archery, they were one of the modern weapons after all, technically. Well, modern, but bullets versus arrows? Arrows stands no chance, and they had no beneficial use in my missions. Using bow and arrows were obsolete.


    But we were trained using it to train our accuracy and precision, and at least learn another type of weapon. As for swords, nah, we used light weapons such as daggers¡­ The organization didn¡¯t like training us with swords when they¡¯re obsolete, and we wouldn¡¯t have much time to train for it when we are to graduate around the time we reach our teens. Better for us to have mastery over what was the most optimal and most used.


    I used bows in other occasions though, so I am adept at it at least. A sniper rifle was still better.


    Lillie put down the bow on the table and caught an interest of another group of knights exercising with spears. She¡¯s really into those kinds of stuff, huh. And to think she wasn¡¯t super powerful.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check that out, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡±


    And she went ahead. I stayed by the shooting range, then stared at the bow on the table.


    ¡°Princess¡­?¡± Rogan called out to me in a whisper.


    You know, I hate being overshadowed. Being overshadowed meant death. And it irked me being behind someone else. I must not be inferior.


    ¡°You know how to use a bow, Sir Rogan?¡±


    ¡°Eh, no¡­ not really. Not into it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    With my left hand I picked up the recurve bow. With my right hand I picked up an arrow. I nocked the arrow with three extended fingers, the index, middle, and ring. I fixed my posture, straightening my back.


    I pointed the bow forward, drew the string with the three fingers, the arrow between the index and middle finger. I could feel the pressure of the string on my fingers. The wind was mild, the drew length enough.


    I fixed my eyes at the target and took aim.


    Then I let loose, letting the finger go with the momentum of the release, like letting it slide on my finger. The arrow whizzed, neatly penetrating the air as it shot towards its target.


    Then, it hit¡­


    The knights¡¯ faces at the range, and Rogan¡¯s were dumbstruck. Their eyes wide as they fixed their eyes at the center of the target, where an arrow was firmly planted. I put down the bow back to the table.


    ¡°Oh my, what a lucky shot. Lillie was right, this is a good weapon. But this isn¡¯t for me¡­¡±


    A bow was too slow, I don¡¯t like it. You need to grab an arrow and draw it and stuff. Not my style.


    ¡°Y-Your highness¡­ That was impressive, how did you do that?¡± the knight in front of me asked.


    ¡°Hm? Didn¡¯t I say it was a lucky shot?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ it¡¯s just. It looked like you knew what you were doing¡­¡±


    ¡°I just imitated how you did it. I was watching everyone, and you one of them.¡±


    ¡°I see. I should say, luck as it may be, that was still very, very impressive. This deserves an applause¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. No need, let¡¯s not disturb everyone, okay?¡±


    He lowered his hands.


    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I will be going.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I began walking over to Lillie, as I did, Rogan whispered to me.


    ¡°You surprised me, princess. Did you really just imitate what you saw?¡±


    ¡°Of course, how else would I be able to shoot an arrow otherwise? I never trained in it.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Does your finger hurt?¡±


    ¡°Well a little. Maybe I should have used a little physical enhancement to lessen the burden on my arm.¡±


    A lie of course, it didn¡¯t hurt, it was just one shot.


    ***


    Afternoon. We spent a decent amount of time with the knights earlier, and Lillie seemed pretty pleased with the time. In addition, she didn¡¯t seem to have noticed that I hit the bullseye earlier, she was focused mingling with the knights. It was good though, I didn¡¯t have to explain anything to her.


    Not that I dislike her. In fact, I think she¡¯ll be nice to be with my brother, they seemed to get along just fine. And she had been friendly with me. However, I won¡¯t close our distance. She was still a foreigner. Didn¡¯t mean she was in romance with my big brother I would be lax with her.


    ¡­ Okay, I¡¯m not exactly the type to be instantly genuinely friendly with someone I just met.


    At the moment, I walked down the hallway heading to one of the guest rooms. As usual I was only with Rogan. Busy were these times with the festival ever closer. As for the guests I¡¯m meeting with, it¡¯s the church order. I¡¯m about to meet with the team.


    On my way there, I encountered the foreign knight. What¡¯s he doing walking around?


    ¡°Sir Jaiden¡­ You¡¯re alone, where is Lillie?¡±


    ¡°She is at her room at the moment, resting. As she gave me the freedom to move around, I took this opportunity to tour myself around the palace. I still haven¡¯t taken a look at the outside, but for now, I¡¯m taking in the interior of the palace. Your palace is more colorful than ours.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Then I hope you find pleasure in seeing the sights this palace can offer.¡±


    He nodded his head. ¡°... By the way princess¡­ I saw that you shot an arrow, splendid work. I thought you weren¡¯t skilled in any weapon.¡±


    So he saw it, huh. Then Lillie not seeing it was pointless, then? Eh, not that it matters.


    ¡°That was just a lucky shot. And I was only trying it out, I actually was quite surprised I managed to achieve what I did.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I should say, you holding a bow was fitting. That weapon will be good on you.¡±


    I lowered me head, embarrassed. ¡°Is that so? But I honestly have no intention of dedicating time for it.¡±


    ¡°A shame¡­ your form was exquisite as you drew the string. But I understand. Wisteria truly has a different culture. Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me, princess.¡±


    I watched him leave. He tends to really express his thoughts, huh. That¡¯s an exemplar? I expected they would have more restraint in expressing with words. Well, who am I to judge? I mean look at this elite knight beside me! Does he give off the vibe of an official elite knight?


    I continued onward and momentarily arrived at my destination. I glanced at Rogan and he opened the door for me.


    Inside were the two females that I had met and then a few others. To be precise, there were five new people wearing priests¡¯ robes. Two females, three males.


    Inside already was my father.


    The guests bowed the moment they saw me followed by a greeting.


    I stepped inside. ¡°Hello, nice to meet you.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 47: The Pure Princess Has Come

    The street was abuzz with activity and chatter, crowds gathered, and couples leisurely strode. Local vendors busy serving customers in the early morning amidst the heavy traffic of people. Traveling merchants arrived to take advantage of the festival, quickly setting up shops at free corners.


    Assorted, bright and colorful flowers decorated the buildings and homes, on the walls, columns, and windows. Stream of ropes tied from rooftops to another, with countless colorful lanterns of cloth and fabric hanging from them, enclosing the cityscape and giving shade to the busy streets.


    People smiling and chatting. Music loudly played at small stages set up where people cheered and danced. Restaurants filled to the brim with tourists to taste the local delicacies. Groups of children rushing wherever they went, playing and laughing.


    Truly the city was full of life for the biggest day of every year had come. The First Blooming Festival.


    Amidst the crowd of common folk where the wealthy and poor mixed, fancy carriages passed through. Luxurious carriages where the most expensive of metals like gold and silver were used to craft such transports.


    Horses loudly traversed the pavement as the wheels of carriages clanked and bounced, coachmen driving slowly so as to not hit anyone in their way. But seeing how fancy each carriage was, every time they saw one, the common folk would immediately step aside and let them pass.


    This was a normal occurrence as nobles from all over the kingdom comes to the capital city for the festival. However, the carriages would all arrive firstly at the grand cathedral. Carriages stopped in front of the entrance, then nobles stepped out adorned in expensive clothes and fancy pieces of jewelry.


    The common folk standing outside of the cathedral gasped and were in awe every time a noble came out. In this city, commoners have respect for nobles as they were the leaders of the kingdom. Neither were they cruel or needlessly prejudice against the common folk. They were only leading the nation to prosperity.


    That being said, it should be the same for remote regions. But there were always unusual cases where nobles grew too arrogant and instead of improving their domains, they degrade it. As strict as the crown was, once discovered they would be met with swift penance. Going against the kingdom¡¯s progress was essentially a crime against the king.


    After several expensive carriages later, the knights with spears on guard to the door made sure that none of the commoners could still enter, for there were still ones that should be the last to arrive. The citizens waited until a few minutes later a group of carriages came into sight, coming from the direction of the palace.


    Four luxurious carriages brandishing the Wisterian flag rode into the clear road, where knights on horses laid guard, and beside each coachman were knights as well. The first carriage stopped in front of the entrance.


    The knight on the front jumped down and announced.


    ¡°Presenting our monarchs! His Majesty Leodoule Erestro Wisteria and Her Majesty Meliya Helvinia Wisteria!¡±


    The knights on guard of the church entrance rapped the bottom of their spears to the floor, and they kept rapping them while the announcer opened the door of the carriage where the couple emerged.


    The king¡¯s hair was combed backward and wore a fabulous version of white formal outfit, where golden chains hung on each side of his torso. Meanwhile the queen wore an extravagant gown of white with streaks of purple, and long white gloves covered her hands. Her hair freely flowed down. Jewelry hanging on her skirt, gem earrings, and golden necklaces.


    ¡°Long live the king and queen!¡±


    ¡°Hail!¡±


    The civilians clapped their hands loudly and cheered with their hands high, watching the couple with wide and bright smiles.


    ¡°Lady Meliya! Looking beautiful as ever!¡± a woman¡¯s voice shouted.


    Meliya turned her head in the direction of the voice and smiled with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Lord Leodoule you look so cool!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡±


    Leodoule waved and nodded his head at the man¡¯s praise. The couple felt fulfilled that they received such a warm welcome. Truly being loved by the people was the best option in ruling.


    When the couple arrived right before the door, the knights stopped rapping their spears. Then the king and queen entered inside.


    The carriage they rode in left and came in the next one.


    The knight beside the coachman got down and announced the person inside this carriage.


    ¡°Announcing the arrival of the second prince of the kingdom, his highness Estevan Verziniel Wisteria.¡±


    The door quickly opened before the knight could open it. Estevan emerged from the carriage with a wide smile. He wore a white and gold coat, white pants, and white and gold colored boots. His hair was combed to the side.


    With a refreshing face, he waved his hands to the crowd.


    ¡°Hello, everyone!¡±


    The people cheered and applauded enthusiastically at Estevan¡¯s friendly greetings to them.


    ¡°Notice me, your highness!¡±


    Estevan immediately shifted his eyes towards that woman¡¯s call.


    ¡°Hey there.¡±


    ¡°Kyaa!¡±


    The group of young women almost collapsed at how the handsome prince actually turned to look at them with his charming face. Estevan kept waving until he reached the entrance.


    The next carriage came in, but this time there was another knight in dark armor with a beautiful face. The two knights got down and the Wisterian knight announced.


    ¡°Presenting his royal highness, the first prince, Eleden Venzura Wisteria! With him our special guest from the kingdom of Myra, the second princess, Lillie Eanthia Lionheart!¡±


    The citizens began to murmur amongst the crowd, surprised that there was a princess from another nation, and was with the first prince. They had indeed heard that important guests came to the kingdom, and they believed that it was just an envoy. However, there were rumors that it was a princess from another nation, but it was not officially announced by the palace.


    But now the people have realized why the princes were in different carriages when in the past they would be together in one.


    The door of the carriage opened from the inside and went out the first prince with his mostly white formal coat, and purple at the seams. And matching colors on the rest of his outfit. On his wrist was a golden bracelet. His hair combed back.


    He stood in front of the carriage door before extending his palm forward, on where a fair-skinned hand received it. A blue and white heel stepped out. Followed by a beautiful young woman with golden blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes. Her blue and white gown was so glamorous that people gave an audible gasp upon seeing her.


    Her earrings had hanging diamonds and a silver necklace hanging on her neck.


    Of course seeing this, everyone had formed a suspicion, which would be likely true, that these two were in a romantic relationship.


    The crowd clapped and waved their purple cloths high up in the air. For those who didn¡¯t have any purple fabric in hand, they used their handkerchiefs. Loud cheers along with it.


    The foreign princess looked curiously at the waving of fabrics.


    ¡°Why are they waving with those fabrics?¡± she asked the prince.


    ¡°Um, well. It means¡­¡± he seemed to hesitate, shy to say the meaning. ¡°It means good wishes for the new couple. May their love last until the sun dies.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± she smiled and tightly grasped Eleden¡¯s hand. ¡°I hope so.¡±


    The two smiled at each other fondly before going into the church entrance holding hands. The knight in dark armor followed far behind.


    Now there should be no other royalty that should arrive. However, curiously, there was still another carriage that came. The citizens murmured and whispered, speculating who would come out of there.


    The knight beside the coachman came down and grinned widely as he scanned the crowd. He stood before the door and stood appropriately, legs together and back straight, his hands on his back.


    ¡°Announcing the arrival of the princess of the Wisteria!¡±


    The commoners looked at each other in surprise along with whispers. The knight¡¯s smile grew when he saw the crowd¡¯s reaction and continued.


    ¡°Make way for her highness Princess Estelia Vernisia Wisteria!¡±


    The knights on guard rapped their spears loudly while the knight opened the door of the carriage. He extended his hand forward.


    Then came a pale and smooth hand to receive it.


    A glistening heeled shoe stepped out into the carriage steps. Then the gown¡¯s skirt revealed reaching about her ankle. When the princess emerged, those who laid witness, their eyes widened in shock.


    The princess wore a glamorous, extravagant, and grand gown. The purple of her gown came from her torso and connecting down to the edges of her skirt, the purple divided into shapes akin to a triangle, then the rest were in the color of white. The purple of her torso, chest to the waist was emblazoned with golden patterns as if they were sewn using golden threads.


    The patterns were a mixture of triangles and flower petals, where a parallel of each pattern was right next to each other. The thin forms of the patterns went all the way down to the edges of her skirt where it was decorated with golden flower petals.


    Her shoulders and neck were covered, her sleeves reached to her fit wrists, gold at the seams. White fabrics hung on the back of her arms, frilly. Her dress completely showed her slenderness, her hourglass figure shown to all.


    She was pristine and pure.


    Two fingers on each of her hands wore rings made up of gold, and silver, with a design that would require fine precision from the craftsman. Then her ears wore cuff earrings of gold and gems, each going from the lobule to the helix.


    Her hair was something that everyone had not seen before. Her extraordinarily long hair was in the color of platinum. It was tied into a long braid that reached past her waist. The top side of her hair was decorated by strings of golden jewelry.


    And the most incredible part of her was her beautiful pair of eyes, red as blood, which scanned the surroundings with a gentle and pure gaze. Her skin was surprisingly so pale as if she had never been under the sun, not even once. She was as white as snow.


    The commoners were hard-pressed to process what they were seeing.


    A beauty so great. An appearance so innocent that it softened the heart. Her movements so graceful, elegant, and gentle.


    The moment both her feet were on the ground, the rapping of the spears came to a halt.


    The princess with a straight posture looked around with a small smile. A smile so charming that stole the hearts of both men and women, even those who were married.


    She was an overwhelming presence, a presence so out of place yet so welcomed. As if a goddess had graced the unworthy mortals, and those mortals were uncertain on how to react. She was a perfect existence, an existence so great that the common mind was having difficulty processing what they were perceiving.


    That was why, instead of the loud cheers that came before, there was utter silence.


    ¡°...¡±


    Indeed, there was only silence.


    Never did they expect that the ever so mysterious princess they have heard about, but barely, would have this kind of beautiful presence ¡ª the princess who has finally shown herself after so many years.


    The citizens could only watch in complete utter silence, staring at an existence way greater than them.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Wew.


    The princess is so beautiful that she surpasses the beauty of the goddess heralded as the Deity of Beauty. (Yes, it''s true)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 48: The Festival (Part 1)

    Excuse me? Hello? Where¡¯s my cheer? My warm welcome where I bask in the smiles and words of praise?


    And¡­ what I got is a silent treatment?! Fuuuuuck, this is embarrassing.


    Here I was, wearing the most beautiful dress I got from Mervizo. This fancy dress was one of the few that instead placed in a big box along with others, this one had its own special big, big box where it was spread out to avoid any wrinkles.


    I even tried to think what simple pieces of jewelry I can wear. I imagined so many times and, in much detail, how people would react to my revelation to the public. And this was all I can get?


    My family before me even got loud cheers and a warm reception. It¡¯s all unfair!


    I prepared for this day¡­ this was upsetting. It was like preparing to look good for your boyfriend, but he didn¡¯t even seem to recognize your looks and efforts.


    Shit!


    What? They¡¯re just shocked? True¡­ but silence?? Seriously? I have been standing here for a few seconds and they still gawked at me silently¡­


    To think they would loudly welcome a princess from another nation, and not their own. How insolent. I¡¯m not mad, I¡¯m just disappointed¡­


    And I was confident too.


    I wanted to slouch in dejection, but I cannot. Need to give off a great image!


    Rogan also looked pretty baffled by the silence, he too was excited to show me to everyone else. Apparently, we more or less imagined the same. Dammit.


    Guess I should just go straight out of here.


    With gentle and graceful steps, I walked towards the church entrance with Rogan following behind me. While planning for this day, I have thought of having Lucious as my escort here. However, that was not plausible when there was nothing going on with us.


    That¡¯s why I am here all alone. Guess I understand. I mean with how they welcomed my eldest brother and Lillie, with the fabrics in the air and stuff, if I get Lucious to escort me here it would be akin to announcing we¡¯re having a legit relationship ¡ª which something we definitely did not have.


    In any case, wow, I looked beautiful! Like damn, Mervizo outdid himself again! I looked like someone from another wealthier nation. I have almost mistaken myself as a goddess ¡ª no wait, technically I am.


    But before I could step inside, the crowd gradually began to clap. I stopped in my tracks and turned towards them. Their applause was weaker than before, but at least they were clapping. I lift my smile a bit more at them before entering the cathedral.


    The cathedral was truly grand. A lot of beautiful ornaments and decorations placed all around. Golden finishing on the walls. The first floor was full of chairs, and at the frontal parts was where the nobles sat. A gap separated the seats for nobles from the commoners. There was also a second floor on the sides. Must be another place where the rest can position themselves when the first floor is filled. I expected a little this place would be three stories considering the height, but I guess not.


    The nobles that were standing turned to look at me, all ranging from those in the capital, and outside of it, from adults, elderly, and their children with several around my age. Their eyes went wide in fascination as they watched me walk on the red carpet at the center of the hall. I noticed young noblemen blushing, and others blatantly infatuated with me the moment their eyes saw me.


    Gentle music from Liathre, flutes, vynelin, and a small group of choirs playing together a gentle melody. Nice song¡­ peaceful. That being said, I couldn¡¯t relax, everyone was looking right at me. These are nobles, best to give a good impression at least. Show a bit of confidence, make my parents proud. This was my first appearance in public, don¡¯t fuck it up.


    I should say, this place truly was magnificent. Paintings depicting the gods, stories filled the ceiling. The walls and columns were embedded and decorated with expensive metals such as gold, silver, and beautiful carvings and paintings. This place was almost luxurious as the grand cathedrals back in my world. No, looking at it again, this one here was grander.


    At the edge of the stage was the statue of the lord and lady. Hm, should I call them daddy and mommy next time? That¡¯s weird.


    I stopped at the forefront chairs and turned to the right side where the royal family was ¡ª plus Lillie ¡ª and sat down on the empty seat and everyone else followed given that I was the last one. I smiled at Mother who was beside me, she took and grasped my hand and fondly smiled at me as if saying excellent job.


    Thank you, mother¡­


    I felt warmth in my chest. It was a good feeling.


    The commoners then began flooding into the cathedral with the knights and church people in white garbs guiding them, making sure they won¡¯t get unruly. It took a while before everything was done.


    I have never been to a church ¡ª and when I say that I mean entering one with sincerity, you know, going to church for God, or in this case, for gods. Not that I didn¡¯t believe God isn¡¯t real, it¡¯s just that¡­ they don¡¯t mean much where I''m from. We weren¡¯t groomed to believe and praise God.


    But then again, I¡¯m not against an existence of a deity, or many. There¡¯s a lot of religions, okay?! And that just made things confusing! So, in the end, I just didn¡¯t care¡­


    During the time I infiltrated the Vatican vault was creepy though¡­ I¡¯m serious. Almost like there¡¯s something else there¡­ Very concerning stuff. Felt like supernatural. Good grief, my old world has a lot of secrets¡­


    Then the next moment, an old man followed by priests and priestesses appeared from the back of the front stage. His was a white robe with golden seams and wisteria sewing. They stood in front of the statues and bowed before turning to face us and walking to the altar.


    His gaze went at me and stayed at me for a few seconds as the music played in the background. He smiled before grasping a small and thin cylinder with a blue gemstone at the tip after the music stopped.


    ¡°Today we celebrate and show our reverence to our Lady of Serenity who taught us harmony among our collected existence, and to our Lord of Compassion who taught us to be kind to our fellows.¡±


    The bishop¡¯s voice was amplified as he spoke with the cylinder before his mouth.


    ¡°¡°Lord and Lady, we give our thanks.¡±¡±


    Everyone in the cathedral said in unison, voices echoing in the chamber. Everyone meaning of course including me. My family didn¡¯t want me to embarrass myself, so they taught me beforehand the proceedings of this occasion.


    ¡°Let there be peace and unity among humanity, in the name of the Lord and Lady.¡±


    ¡°¡°Amen.¡±¡±


    ¡°Divine saviors, our gods, who freed us from the darkness and brought us into the light of day, who freed us from our suffering, hear our prayers. We thank you for the blessings you give us every day. Protect us from the evil lurking in the shadows, waiting to take our peace away. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. We implore you to give us strength, guide us in our hardships, help us preserve our serenity, and may compassion and goodwill grows in all of us. Amen.¡±


    ¡°¡°Amen¡±¡±


    Came in the choir playing their instruments and singing a gentle melody. It felt a bit weird ¡°worshipping¡± and ¡°praising¡± religiously. I¡¯m a bit uncomfortable, I¡¯m not used to this kind of stuff at all.


    That aside, aren¡¯t the gods technically my family? Hey, mommy, daddy? You hear me? I need help! Yohooo! Oh, wait, were they even omniscient? The gods here were different, belonging in different stuff like Myra¡¯s Lord of Golden. The gods here were entirely different from the gods in my old world.


    The song continued, while the priestesses on standby swayed their censers, releasing smoke into the air. The smoke¡¯s odor had a particular smell, quite pleasant to the nose, a sweet smell. They must have mixed something in.


    When the singing stopped, the priestesses left the front to the back.


    ¡°I welcome everyone here today. And most importantly, welcome our dear nobles of the kingdom. How wonderful it is to see you all gathered here once more.¡±


    The bishop smiled kindly, like any harmless old man you would find at any street corner.


    ¡°We are gathered here today for the First Blooming Festival. The day of the founding of our homeland when we officially became a dedicated kingdom of Wisteria. But, let me remind you how we arrived here.¡±


    Then he began his story.


    It all began when humanity here in our lands was in a dark age. Strange beings with fearsome power ruled the land with might and fear, where humanity was enslaved to do their bidding. Humanity was completely inferior in the face of these creatures, completely powerless to win their freedom.


    That was until our gods arrived and drove away the savage creatures. The creatures full of arrogance, were powerless in the might of the gods. The Lord and Lady drove them into the dark corners of the world, places unknown to everyone but to them alone. And the creatures were never seen again.


    The gods guided the remaining humanity in the lands, taught them, encouraged them. Eventually the gods left, but humanity lived on, using the values and knowledge taught to them by the two gods. Subsequently the two founders formed the kingdom, who shone brighter than any other humans at that time, they were true leaders.


    ¡°The kingdom started small, until eventually, we became what we are now! A nation full of smiles. Life may be full of hardship, but its people pushed forward and lived. Here we live in peace and singing the glory of the gods! Now people of Wisteria, receive the holy sigil and have it placed on your forehead.¡±


    The servants of the church, priests and priestesses, scattered all throughout the cathedral. In their hands were porcelain bowls.


    They divided themselves, others on the second floor, and the rest were on the commoners at the back. A few were assigned to give the mark to the knights that were on guard. Inside the bowls were white wax. The church servants dipped their thumb into the wax and then drew the outline of a wisteria petal on the foreheads.


    In contrast, servants were also assigned to the nobles. As for us, we should be going for the bishop.


    The bishop stood in front of the altar with a bowl of his own. First to go was Estevan. The bishop drew the outline of the petal on his forehead. Estevan nodded with a friendly smile at the bishop as if they were familiar with each other. Which I suppose would be expected, I think I¡¯m the only one who never go to church.


    Next was my eldest brother, Eleden. He left Lillie¡¯s side and made his way to the bishop. Lillie¡¯s not doing it obviously. When Eleden was done, Mother went on ahead.


    Yeah, I¡¯ll be the last one. Not my fault, I didn¡¯t ask for this, okay? It was my family. They really took the ¡°save the best one for last¡± line to heart during our discussion beforehand.


    After mother, father followed.


    Then when my father left the bishop, I rose from my seat and slowly made my way to the bishop. I could feel the gaze of countless people on my back. Imagining how they see me, I must look like a bright figure rising up into divine heights.


    I recall what the foreign knight and Rogan said about me. The part that I seemed so out of place in this world. Truth be told, that made me feel special.


    I arrived in front of the bishop, his eyes widened, and his smile grew. He peered deeply into my eyes before bowing his head, and it remained lower for a few seconds. Curious, he didn¡¯t do it for my family.


    ¡°Your highness¡­¡± he slowly raised his eyes. ¡°May the gods grant you protection.¡±


    His hand trembled a little as he slowly drew the sigil on my forehead. I don¡¯t feel the vibe I feel from the others charmed by me, this one here almost felt like reverence. I don¡¯t recall having done anything that warrants that reverence.


    Unless¡­ Huh.


    Seeing he was done, I stepped away and returned to my seat.


    It would seem the bishop knew some secrets.


    ***


    When the mass came to an end after some other things like more prayers, the commoners got out of the cathedral first while we of the higher class waited for them to all leave. I noticed a lot of gazes from the nobles all around me, from high to low-ranking ones, blended with whispers hard for me to understand or hear.


    If they think I¡¯m going to be active in the political circle, they¡¯re mistaken. I only did this to my self-satisfaction and some other goals in mind. Furthermore, I have no intention of getting into politics when I as the princess and youngest child is not compelled to do so. But rather, this was more of a backup plan, just in case. That also meant I need to be careful before I get caught in their bullshit politics.


    I am too much of a higher being to be bothered by their trivial matters. Why should I care about mortals and their inconsequential affairs? ¡®But Estelia it is consequential to you!¡¯ Shut it, okay? I know that, and that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to think about it! Too many things to think about¡­ that¡¯s why, let¡¯s chill out. I was only playing around.


    Don¡¯t want to think about things, but I need to. Damn adulthood sucks. Bring me back to my carefree childhood! The childhood here in this world, not the other one!


    I tried to avoid looking at anyone, with a little peeking here and there. I¡¯m only a timid girl originally, please don¡¯t harm me.


    When the cathedral had quieted down from the noisy footsteps of the commoners, the nobles began walking out in a more organized manner than the common folk did. We the royal family were the last one.


    When we were lining up, Estevan deliberately positioned himself on my back. I looked up at him puzzled and he merely smiled at me with a nod.


    Trying to protect me, brother? Thank you.


    After walking for a while, we arrived at the exit, the morning light touched my face, my skin and jewelry glistened in the global illumination. Holding my hands together right on my belly, I elegantly walked the pavement, my heels faintly clattering.


    I tried to look as someone befitting of my status. Chest high, back straight, head lifted. In truth though, pretty easy actually. And being the most beautiful being in the world, it¡¯s inflating my pride and ego.


    Filling this vast open area in front of the cathedral were the citizens watching us.


    A moment later, we arrived before an elevated platform. The royal family plus Lillie climbed up the wooden stairs, leaving me behind. Rogan stood by my side and opened an umbrella to cover me from the sun. We could have shared, but oh well¡­


    This spot was safer than standing on top of the platform, so tightening knights around me wouldn¡¯t be that much of a necessity. I have Rogan beside me anyways, and I must trust his skills. Having guards all around me would be against the plan, so I must do the hard thing, whether I like it or not.


    However, I want to be a bit more certain about my survival, so the safer option was to stay away from the top of the platform where I am completely open for everyone to see and strike.


    Well, my mother was against me not having more guards, and it was hard to calm her down. We didn¡¯t mention the church fighters hiding amongst the crowd since it was my plan with my father to begin with. She had no need to know.


    I turned my gaze at my surroundings, looking out for stuff. But all I saw was the nobles being shaded by umbrellas held by their servants weirdly looking at me, but I didn¡¯t bother myself with their stares.


    Eleden shared an umbrella with Princess Lillie on the platform ¨C as for her foreign knight, he remained on the ground. Fret not, this has been discussed beforehand, no need to worry about the other party being offended, and the knight wasn¡¯t bothered at all by it. There were two knights close to her anyway, namely Estevan and my father. Estevan shared an umbrella with Mother. Then Father on the other hand was at the front preparing to address his people.


    ¡°Greetings people of Wisteria! Today we celebrate the founding of our beautiful nation! Let joy and smiles fill our days of festivities and may fortune and your wishes be granted! May love blossom, and peace triumph! The festival is not a time for troubles nor dismay, but for us all to have a good and pleasant time, with our friends, family¡­ all our loved ones! Now smile and shout out for this joyful season!¡±


    The people cheered loudly, excited for the official beginning of the festival. I guess they would be, it was a time when people are free to rest from work, relieve their stress and spend time with their family. And there are the rewards in the events that I¡¯m sure the participants are quite looking forward to.


    The cheers and shouting of the crowd were so loud that I was tempted to cover my ears. I¡¯m not into loud places. Of course, if the cheers were for me, I wouldn¡¯t mind. But in this case, it wasn¡¯t.


    Father held out both his arms and faced the palms together, purple colored magical energy gathered in his hand. It didn¡¯t seem to be any particular spell but only mana extracted and given color.


    Gradually it turned into an orb of purple.


    ¡°Now begins the festival!¡±


    He unleashed the orb upwards, and it fired up into the air towards the sky. Then like a firework it exploded, the sparks spreading like countless branches of trees in the sky. Unlike a firework there was no audible explosion, but this one here was brighter as the purple light was still visible in the day.


    It was wide enough that it halfway covered the entire city. That didn¡¯t cost much mana anyway, it was just colored mana without much other properties. And they were thin enough to scatter. In short, just a light show.


    Before, I could only see that light from the palace window and could only hear what my family had to say about it. Unlike in the palace where it was completely silent as the festival officially began, here it was so loud that it was almost piercing to the ears.


    At least it¡¯s nice to experience this for once instead of staying at the palace. Definitely going to join next year.


    ¡°Now then, for the participants of our first event, come and step forward!¡±


    Groups of people from a specific part of the crowd came in front of the platform and momentarily forming lines. There was a total of five groups, with members of ten. Father then went on to explain the new game.


    The five groups will be searching the city of flower petals made up of bronze. Each petal was scattered all around the northern region of the city. Hints in the form of true flower petals will aid them in their search, giving a sign that a bronze petal was in the area.


    There were thirty-three bronze petals in total. The group with the greatest number of petals will be the winner. Reward will of course be a sizable amount of gold. Quite a safe game.


    ¡°You have an hour to find as many bronze petals as you can! Are you all ready? Then begin!¡±


    The participants at once scattered.


    ¡°And there they go. As for the rest, you are free to do whatever you wish! May you have a pleasant festival.¡±


    With that, the crowd slowly left, with a few managed to find and stare at me. Honestly, I¡¯m so beautiful hehehe¡­ but this made things a bit difficult though, hard to find anyone suspicious with everyone gawking at me like that.


    My family and Lillie went down the stairs. Afterwards, we made our way to a grassy area beside the cathedral where trees give plenty of shade, with sets of chairs and tables.


    This was where we aristocrats were to hang out for a while. Even with our number, the place was big enough that there were still spaces left. This was the only proper place nearby where aristocrats could have a little rest.


    Additionally, this was a good place for us of the higher class to casually greet each other and socialize. I wanted to chill in this cozy place but as a royal, I just can¡¯t catch a break. Representatives of households one by one approached us.


    However, not all of us needed to gather actually, father and mother would do just fine to greet those who want to speak with them. I mean, look at Eleden! He¡¯s with his girlfriend at the moment, away from us! Smiling! The nobles seemed to be giving them space.


    How respectful.


    I could separate from my parents, but I would definitely have some nobles greet me.


    You know what, I¡¯m just gonna act all passive and cute at a specific spot. The first representatives who greeted my parents first turned to greet me and Estevan. When they left, I asked to leave.


    ¡°Father, Mother, will you excuse me? I want to sit down.¡±


    ¡°Of course, dear, go ahead.¡±


    Having my mother¡¯s permission, I left and went to sit down on the spot for us royalty. Estevan stayed with my parents. When I approached a chair, Rogan pulled it back and let me sit down, acting like a true gentleman.


    ¡°Tired, princess?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, yes¡­ It¡¯s my first time to be around too¡­ too many people.¡±


    ¡°Of course, understandable. You¡¯ve never been to the festival.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Did you have fun at last year¡¯s festival?¡±


    ¡°I have a few enjoyable times. But being a knight and all, I was occupied with work mostly. But it was a bright time. As it always has been.¡±


    I played around with my fingers for a while.


    ¡°So, Sir Rogan¡­ noticed anything?¡± I quietly said, enough for him to hear.


    He looked around before leaning a little closer to me.


    ¡°Nothing. I expected them to do something in the open earlier, but nothing happened. Nothing strange at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡±


    The church fighters haven¡¯t yet approached me, so it could mean they didn¡¯t notice anything strange. Looking around, no commoners either. Just us aristocrats except for a few church staff.


    Were they perhaps waiting for a safer opportunity?


    Could they have perhaps realized it? No, too early to say that¡­


    Dammit, can¡¯t enjoy the festival to its fullest when you¡¯re disturbed.


    In that moment, a trio of nobles came walking towards me, parents, and a son. The son appeared to be the same age as me. When they got closer, I rose from my seat. They greeted me in the textbook noble greeting, and I tried my best to respond to them.


    They seemed to be nice, all smiles and stuff. But cannot let down my guard to these kinds of things. They introduced their son, and he was stammering a little as he spoke with me. Heh, you know men fall in love quickly. As the innocent princess, of course I was exceedingly kind with them. A bit timid, but my voice was sweet and soft.


    This young man here was also on the timid side, shy perhaps. Yes, shy talking to girls.


    When nothing else was to be said, they left. Of course that was not the last of it. Another family approached.


    This time there were two young men, one being a year older than me and another two years younger. The younger one appeared to like me, obviously, but he didn¡¯t try to talk much. The older one on the other hand was acting more confident. He was smooth with his speech, might catch the interest of any other woman.


    When they were done, this time two young men followed, without their parents. These ones were on the cocky side, evident in their voice and mannerisms. Annoying. These two were inferior to me. I am the only one allowed to be arrogant here. Get lost.


    Honestly, who speaks that way to the princess of the kingdom? They really trying to make themselves look valuable and trying to impress me? Zero points! No, that¡¯s a negative! If you gonna act arrogant in front of me, at least don¡¯t look like an idiot. There was impressive type of arrogant people that were actually decent people to be with. But these two? Nah. I can already tell they¡¯re no good at all.


    Their parents must have realized they were walking on thin ice as they chimed in and brought them away from me. Actually, it¡¯s hard to get some interest in these men that I know nothing about. Them being nobles didn¡¯t help at all.


    I¡¯m only comfortable around Lucious and Rogan. As for why? Let¡¯s see, Lucious¡¯s is truly in love with me, and he¡¯s a good person. Downside on the cannot really fight side, but other than that, he¡¯s alright.


    Rogan on the other hand is a carefree person, hard to tell if he¡¯s really a good person that would carry out a good deed without any reward. But he¡¯s a good person to his friends and acquaintances. He¡¯s also reliable as a fighter. Downside, he¡¯s too carefree often, and he needs to tone down that smug.


    Of course I am favorable towards them because I am acquainted with them. That being said, I¡¯m not looking for a partner. I¡¯m still too young, you know. Let¡¯s take searching for a cool man another time, shall we?


    Although I would prefer not to get any romantic commitment. Not really interested in love. Buuuut, when it comes to it, I would prefer a decent and dependable man. A man that is smart. I like smarter guys better than those who are the brawny type. Really don¡¯t matter if they are impressively physically strong, as long as they¡¯re smart. Of course, smart, yet a man with a heart.


    What would I do with a smart man who does not even have a heart?


    ¡®But Estelia you don¡¯t have a heart!¡¯ Excuse me? How rude! I am not without a heart! At least I care about some things. Besides, what¡¯s wrong with having preferences? So what if I have an underlying interest in smart men, hm?


    But I should mention interest is different from love.


    Moving on!


    I had to talk with a lot of people today. Aristocrats are fascinating specimens, aren¡¯t they?


    But in the end, nothing happened. My enemies did not try to attack.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 49: The Festival (Part 2)

    Mid-afternoon, and we switched venues nearby. Needless to say, we have to use a carriage. This area was larger where wooden seats at the center and at the sides. Then at the front was an elevated platform, wide and long. To be precise a stage. All in all, this place was like a theatre ¨C or it could be considered a theatre, just not too grand?


    I heard they expanded the stage twice the size, and now the stage was wide enough to keep a choir of more than ten people. We the royal family were in the frontmost row, with the exception of Mother as she was at a long table in front of the audience chair and a bit elevated. Along with her were five other nobles. One of them was my music instructor. I smiled when I saw her. As you can see, they would be the judges.


    This venue had several tall trees and thick foliage; thus, we were shielded mostly from the heat. However, I should say, the heat here was not so bad compared to the old world. I guess the air and atmosphere were cleaner here or something, no global warming and all that. Plus, it¡¯s afternoon, so we¡¯re not completely under direct sunlight.


    I looked around, numerous guards were positioned at every corner. Even so, sitting here in public and stationary was not particularly comfortable.


    I could have not come here. Buuuut, the princess leaving suddenly wouldn¡¯t look good apparently. Still that would have been an option. But the main reason was because I want to experience the festival¡­ and I am bait, so¡­


    Yeah¡­


    But they haven¡¯t taken the bait! Ugh, who would deny a beautiful bait such as me?


    ¡®Estelia are you serious? Setting yourself as bait, that¡¯s stupid!¡¯ Wow, really? What have I grinded my head and body for, hm? I prepared for this! This was one of the ways. If they won¡¯t come out, I¡¯ll make them come out! Besides, Rogan was right beside me, so I¡¯ll be fine.


    Even as casual as I look, I¡¯m still looking out at my surroundings. Plus, the church members were positioned everywhere, not only in the crowd, but possible locations where I could be spotted safely, and also nearby houses.


    Will they attack?


    That¡¯s the question.


    Would I be safe?


    Of course not.


    Would I die?


    Of course not, at least, not without any wounds at least. Hey, sometimes you just must be confident with your skills. If you aren¡¯t, you can¡¯t hope to achieve anything significant.


    In any case, my plan¡¯s simple, you see. No need for that complicated stuff. No scheming, no manipulation, no reading people. I mean, why do people like to complicate things and do something complicated? Simplicity works!


    Why use chopsticks if you don¡¯t know how to use it? Use a fork! If there¡¯s no fork, then you¡¯re fucked. Nothing we can do about it. Yeah, my metaphor wasn¡¯t that deep¡­


    Moving on, I must comment that there¡¯s a lot of people! And I stand out so bad, dammit. Maybe this place here was too much of a risk than its worth¡­ Yeah, it feels that way. Should I leave? I¡¯m really getting cold feet here. I don¡¯t like sitting down right now, too restful¡­


    No, can¡¯t back down. I thought a lot about this¡­ There¡¯s no need to worry, I have my guards. And this world has no such things as a sniper rifle¡­ Can¡¯t change the plan suddenly when I get cold feet. So what if there¡¯s something akin to a sniper rifle that I knew nothing about? Don¡¯t worry, sometimes you just have to adapt.


    I have survived several shootouts, this was no big deal¡­ I have dodged bullets several times¡­ by accident! And luck!


    What? I¡¯m no superhuman that can evade bullets at will.


    Besides, if I get injured, I can use healing spell. In addition to that, I have physical enhancement to enhance my body, more survivability for me. As I said, I¡¯m prepared¡­


    Okay¡­ Haaaah¡­


    Damn the assholes that are targeting me! I can¡¯t even have a leisurely time! Fuck! I¡¯m so angry right now! I have been for months! Okay, sorry¡­


    As a psychologist ¨C of course I¡¯m not ¨C I can conclude I am not emotionally stable right now¡­ Like I¡¯m on period¡­ which I have never experienced before actually¡­ Oh yeah, even in this world I haven¡¯t had a menstruation¡­ Which was weird certainly I had menstruations as ¡°Estelia¡± so maybe something¡¯s wrong. No not maybe, something''s definitely wrong! Maybe I¡¯m pregnant! Pfft, I¡¯m joking, I''m not pregnant.


    There¡¯s definitely something weird going on with me.


    But can¡¯t worry about that now!


    The show seemed to be starting as a host stepped on stage and began greeting everyone followed by introducing the aristocratic judges the performers will have to impress to get to the next stage.


    There¡¯s only this performance and the finals, so there¡¯s only two times the event would occur. As it was a mystery whether the performers would get to the finals, I heard they have a performance for both preliminaries and finals prepared. As this was a singing competition, it didn¡¯t need a lot of practice I suppose¡­?


    There was no need for dancing while singing and such. Just pure singing, whether alone or with a band. They are scored by their musical performance, not by physical performance. Eh, I don¡¯t like dances anyway, so no problem for me. Excuse me while I watch the show¡­ while looking out for myself of course.


    ***


    A show where one would get to display their musical talents, whether solo or with a group. Sound amplification tools were placed on the stage as many as was requested, like the one used by the bishop earlier. Without those, we wouldn¡¯t be able to hear the performers.


    Came performers of various kinds, some with confidence, and others seemed to be nervous and apparently be their first time performing in front of a large crowd. That being said, some that were obviously nervous, their singing voices were appealing and impressive.


    High notes were not what made one¡¯s performance worthy of a high score ¨C thank goodness ¨C but rather by the melody and the way they carry their performance. There were a lot of soft and gentle songs sang in solo, ones that were so pleasant that you want to sleep because it¡¯s so soothing to the ears and mind.


    Those who performed as a group leaned towards an energetic kind of music. They used round wooden instruments as drums, and other instruments consisted of stringed instruments and windpipes. When the audience was familiar with the music, they would sing along. But there were those songs one would think to be sung in taverns with drunkards, and people seemed to enjoy them. But the quality of the performance varied.


    When the audience found a performance delightful, they would cheer so loudly that it shook my eardrums. Needless to say, there were others that have someone to root for, and it was enjoyable seeing them cheer for them.


    But of course, there were those with less than average performance. But they were so meager, after with the screening and all. Not only were the performers from Wisteria, but there were tourists at well. Traveling musicians and traveling bards. While there were those from villages somewhere within Wisteria that has heard of the reward.


    Everything was entertaining to watch.


    There were two solo performers that I particularly liked. A male bard singing with a lute in hand, singing tales, tales about prominent figures he encountered or stories he had heard. Then a local girl who lived here in the city, who sang with a harp. It was a sizable harp that I wondered how much that would be to have. She sang with a soothing melody that touched one¡¯s heart, and a story of love and heartbreak.


    Dammit man, love songs always get the good stuff.


    Of course I clapped to those two. I¡¯m a bit confused about who I should really root for.


    At the end though, when showing the results, half of the performers remained. So it was seven performers for the finals. I know, it¡¯s unlike the nationwide talent shows from the old world, but hey this was just a city-wide contest.


    And then, in the duration of this entire contest¡­ None of my enemies made their move. I looked around in confusion. I was utterly confused¡­ like what? I¡¯m here and they¡¯re not doing anything. What¡¯s wrong? Maybe the security was too much? No way, they would be suspicious if the security was too thin.


    One of my imaginations suggested that they would go absolutely nuts somewhere I¡¯m at. With of course causing collateral damage during the battle with the knights as they go at me.


    Hmmm¡­


    Maybe they¡¯re still observing?


    None of the crowd particularly stood out. I mean, a lot of people dress bizarrely you know. Cloaked, hooded, hats, masks, and so on. A lot of them even dressed like adventurers or something.


    Those that would be suspicious for me were not suspicious in this fucking world. Dammit. However, they were checked before entering, so I guess that helped ¨C at least that would hold back non-humans, and weapons were taken away.


    Even so, things were not going as expected.


    When the competition came to an end, the crowd slowly dispersed out of the venue, the knights making sure everything goes smoothly. In the end, nothing happened to me. Very strange¡­ That of course made me worry more than anything else.


    When the commoners left, all that remained were the nobles. I made my way to my music instructor, Lanivia, and greeted each other with friendly smiles.


    ¡°What do you think of the show, princess?¡±


    She tilted her beautiful face to the side a little. She was clad in a beautiful blue and white dress, with diamonds as earrings and necklace.


    ¡°I find it very entertaining. It was thrilling how talented everyone was, I never saw that many perform music before.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, of course. This is your first time coming out. I am happy that you finally have decided to go out to the festival. Make sure to have fun, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. So, which performer do you find noteworthy?¡±


    I placed a finger on my cheek as I pondered.


    ¡°I was greatly impressed by two contestants¡­¡± I then went ahead to tell her about the two that I was looking forward to seeing in the finals.


    ¡°Oh, them two, huh. Indeed, fascinating performance. One would endear you with tales from other lands, carried with a dramatic voice. While the other was a soothing and calming tune, with a voice full of emotions that speak with one¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I hope they¡¯ll have a great performance in the finals. Aside from those two, the others were also incredible.¡±


    ¡°Let us hope they¡¯ll show a magnificent performance in the finals which we all will be entertained and amused.¡±


    ***


    I met with Mizia before we go on our way back home when the sun sets.


    ¡°Honestly Estelia, you look very, very lovely today. And the dress is magnificent! If today has a fashion show, you would dominate everything and everyone!¡±


    Surely without any expensive and exceedingly extravagant dress I would dominate everything and everyone. With my beauty alone I will be the only and rightful winner of any beauty and fashion contest.


    Imagine if I joined Miss Universe, wew! Call me the Queen of the Multiverse, will you? My beauty was after all is so divine! Get it? ¡®Cause I¡¯m a goddess and all¡­ okay¡­


    ¡°What are you talking about, Mizia? You look wonderful yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, I can see so clearly how the boys around look at you.¡±


    And so I noticed. Hm, if this place was of a different culture, let¡¯s just say more showy and less reserved, a lot would have given me gifts every single day. Like how you would see in stories where people constantly give all kinds of gifts to beautiful beings or something like that. But unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the case ¨C and I¡¯m an introvert¡­ I like it this way.


    Okay¡­ I was not exactly an introvert in my former life, okay? I talk to people often. It¡¯s just, being a little anti-social was actually pleasant¡­


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really think much of anyone¡­But I admit, I don¡¯t like being stared at too much. But surely you must have received your fair share of staring.¡±


    She looked good actually. With that fine and an almost glimmering red dress that matches her hair, and expensive pieces of jewelry and gems like rubies and diamonds, she looked truly brilliant. She didn¡¯t fall behind me¡­ okay she¡¯s behind buuut, not that far behind me.


    ¡°¡­ There was¡­ Some men have actually approached me¡­ But I don¡¯t know¡­ The ones from the capital are more noteworthy. But we need to be careful, there are not so good men around.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get careless about it, Estelia. You need to think more carefully before you try to be more friendly to a guy. Trust me, men are often deceiving. You need to see through it now that you¡¯re about to be an adult.¡±


    She¡¯s so bitter about men, what gives? I wonder.


    ¡°Um, Mizia, did something happen to you that involves¡­ men?¡±


    She looked hesitantly at me before looking away at the distance.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Her eyes toured around until she stopped. I followed where her eyes stopped and saw a group of nobles, where young men gathered having delightful conversations it seems. I don¡¯t recognize them except for one¡­


    It was the son of my etiquette teacher, Jalen. Hard to tell where exactly Mizia was looking.


    ¡°Um, Mizia?¡±


    She turned her eyes at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to share¡­ I¡­ I was getting along fine with a young noble man¡­ I believed we had something special going on¡­ I enjoyed his company¡­ But I discovered sides of him that are not so pleasant to me.¡±


    I slightly tilted my head with concern clear on my face.


    ¡°What happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ he¡¯s pretty close to other women¡­ a different kind of close¡­ And I couldn¡¯t believe how easily he turned the cold shoulder at me¡­ next I heard he was planning to make a move on¡­¡±


    She lowered her gaze, hesitant to continue.


    ¡°On¡­?¡± I was genuinely curious.


    ¡°On...¡± she raised her gaze at me with a pained smile.


    The way she said it and paused I can make a guess who that was. Then she affirmed my suspicions.


    ¡°¡­You.¡±


    I shook my head in confusion. I was trying to process what she had just said. Let¡¯s see, those who were making a move on me. Only Lucious would immediately come to mind. But no way she was talking about him, I don¡¯t remember them being that close. And Lucious was a good boy¡­


    Then the guys that interacted with me? Rogan was impossible¡­ So there¡¯s only the son of my etiquette teacher who was so obvious that he was trying to make me fall for him¡­ Oh ¨C shit.


    ¡°¡­ D-Do you mean Jalen?


    She meekly nodded her head as her eyes were full of sadness. A heartbreak, huh.


    ¡°R-Really? Um, I¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ I never even met him before practicing with him during etiquette lessons. Uh, I never would have thought¡­ Mizia, are you mad at me?¡±


    I asked her while leaning forward a little, speaking in a weak tone and wearing a face full of maiden innocence as someone completely clueless about everything.


    ¡°What? No. I¡¯m not mad. Why would I be mad at you? You never did anything bad¡­ You didn¡¯t even do anything at all.¡±


    She grasped my hand while she stroked my hair on the other.


    ¡°¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like his fault¡­ I don¡¯t ever want to talk to him.¡±


    Came footsteps coming towards us. As Mizia was looking in another direction ¨C at me ¨C she was unable to see the one coming towards us. You must have guessed already. A typical occurrence. Like come on, this just made things more awkward.


    ¡°Oh, Mizia, is that you?¡±


    Once my cousin heard that ever so familiar voice, she froze and failed to immediately respond. She took in a subtle deep breath before slowly turning around to the man. Yeah, needless to say, it was the devil ¨C like from the line ¡°speak of the devil.¡±


    I stepped a little to the side to have a glimpse of Mizia. Her brows furrowed and lips pursed, giving the impression she was slightly annoyed and disturbed.


    ¡°Jalen¡­ I never expected you would talk to me ever again.¡±


    Jalen raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do not seem pleased. Are you angry? What is there to be angry about? If it¡¯s because of what I think it is, there was nothing between us to begin with.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mizia looked away before returning a stronger gaze after gathering her courage. ¡°Yes, indeed. There was nothing. And how I¡¯m glad that it didn¡¯t escalate any further than that.¡±


    The young man smiled.


    ¡°Good then! No grievances whatsoever, so you can stop staring daggers at me now. Besides I¡¯m not here for you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m relieved. So why are you here before me?¡±


    Jalen shook his hand as though dismissing my cousin.


    ¡°You were just in the way. I have come hoping to have a delightful talk with the great princess.¡±


    Uh, dammit. Please don¡¯t talk to me. I¡¯m so stressed out right now, I don¡¯t want some nobody add on top of it.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°So please excuse me.¡±


    As I was hiding a little behind my cousin, Jalen stepped to the side and politely spoke to me.


    ¡°Hello Princess Estelia. Would you mind if I have a little of your time? As friends, I wish to just have a casual conversation. By the way, I must say you look rather brilliant, not any being can hope to match your presence.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I acted as if I was hesitating to speak.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, conversation? What would you even talk about, hm?¡± Mizia chimed in.


    Jalen had a look of tiny annoyance as he stared at the interloper.


    ¡°Well, we are dance partners during practice sessions. There are plenty of things to talk about and reminisce.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? If I recall correctly, it shouldn¡¯t be that long ago. So there¡¯s not much to reminisce about, is it?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of things that can be conversed about, so I don¡¯t see why you have to bother us, Mizia.¡±


    ¡°Really now? Well, I was talking with Estelia first. You are the one getting in the way.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But you seemed to be done already, so what about you leave us alone for a while?¡±


    Huh, he¡¯s pretty adamant. Jalen had never done any obvious courting moves on me, just complimenting me and stuff. So it was a little doubtful that he was truly aiming for me after moving away from Mizia. That being said, I¡¯m not exactly an easy to approach person.


    Not only I didn¡¯t talk much, but I also don¡¯t make friends that well. More than that, I barely leave the palace, very barely. Maybe those contributed to why his actions were very limited.


    Well, not like I would ever fall for this guy. Well, I exactly never have fallen for anyone. I just mean I won¡¯t get along with this guy. I didn¡¯t like how he treated me during the lessons, I already had a feeling he wasn¡¯t a good man to be with from the beginning.


    He got the looks of a womanizer, he even acts like one, I could see it even though he tried to hide it. I saw that trait through his eyes and well¡­ manners. And also he¡¯s a bit cocky ¨C unrighteous cocky man. He didn¡¯t have the right to be that cocky in front of me. More than that, those flirting of his. Boring! He could have made things a bit fun.


    In other words, he¡¯s on my worthless list. I care not about this guy.


    I just don¡¯t want to be annoyed right now by some bug! I have more important matters to worry about.


    ¡°What about no?¡± Mizia answered.


    ¡°Who are you to answer for the princess, Mizia?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± she glared at him. ¡°Her cousin.¡±


    ¡°Not enough reason. Princess¡­¡± he again politely spoke to me. ¡°Would you please have Miss Mizia leave?¡±


    Haah, fuck it.


    ¡°I apologize but it is time for me to leave. I wished we would have gotten more time, but it seems it is not meant to be today. I will be returning to the palace momentarily. Please excuse me.¡±


    And so I walked away from them. It was nerve-wracking. Not because of them but because of the other issue ¨C the danger to my life and all.


    ¡°Princess wait.¡±


    ¡°Estelia.¡±


    I looked back at them and smiled before continuing onward.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 50: The Festival (Part 3)

    My brother, Estevan, promptly walked to my side.


    ¡°Got quite a tension right there.¡±


    He seemed to have noticed the hostility between those two.


    ¡°They have issues to settle.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Back home.¡±


    ¡°Already? The sun¡¯s still there.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten, brother? It is dangerous for me here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Especially the night. It will be hard to detect enemies at night and the more risk it had to remain here. Thus, I will be moving out while the lights were still here. Okay well, part of it was because of those two. But nighttime was just generally even more dangerous.


    Besides, everyone¡¯s moving out later anyway. If I alone left before others, means my carriage will be alone. And you know what that means. An opportunity. Not for me, but for my enemies.


    ¡°For that reason I am leaving early.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m coming with you.¡±


    Hm¡­


    ¡°That is alright with me. But would you be?¡±


    ¡°Of course if it¡¯s for my sister.¡±


    ¡°I mean there are a lot of people here you can talk to. Ultimately, there are a lot of ladies you can talk to.¡±


    ¡°Ladies?¡± he asked, puzzled. ¡°Why would I prioritize them?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more important, Estel.¡±


    ¡°Do any of the ladies even interest you?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, there is. But that¡¯s not important right now. Your safety is the priority.¡±


    Wow, I¡¯m surprised he even has an interest in any girls except me.


    So, do I leave Estevan here and perhaps give him an opportunity to have that bloom of youth? Or do I take him with me for my selfishness? Pfft, you need to even ask? Of course it¡¯s the latter!


    ¡°Very well, brother. And thank you. Then can you please tell our family that we¡¯re leaving?¡±


    Estevan looked behind us where Rogan was following me as my bodyguard. Apparently, he was making sure that I have someone to watch over me as he tells our parents.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be with you in your carriage shortly.¡±


    And then he left to notify our parents.


    ¡°Nothing happened huh, princess.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Yes, Rogan. Nothing, a shame. But be on guard until we reach the palace.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your highness.¡±


    I entered the carriage and Rogan closed the door. I limply sat down on the soft seat as the heavy weight on my shoulders lessened for a little. It felt a little safer here, and I can rest finally. Interacting with strangers was straining, especially the unremarkable ones.


    Some of these aristocratic children were quite annoying, their ego was distasteful. And oh yeah, I never got to interact with other noble ladies but my cousin. I did notice they seemed wary to approach me. To be expected I suppose, I may be a little hard to approach. I¡¯m like the alpha female after all, hehehe. But that¡¯s alright, socializing can be done later.


    Eventually, Estevan joined me in my carriage, I smiled sweetly at him giving the impression I¡¯m relieved. Shortly the carriage shook as we began moving.


    ¡°So sister, did you enjoy finally going out?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ a little yes.¡±


    ¡°A little? I suppose it would be like that¡­¡± he looked outside through the window. ¡°What happened with Mizia? She appeared somewhat displeased.¡±


    I debated whether to tell it, but whatever. Just something to pass the time. I¡¯ll just keep it to the minimum.


    ¡°Something happened she did not like¡­ it involved¡­ love.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± he nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ It¡¯s Jalen, isn¡¯t it? I noticed something was going on with the two of them in the past. But suddenly they turned cold to each other.¡±


    ¡°So you are aware.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s our cousin, I notice a thing or two. But judging from the way she acted earlier, I guess she has hate for Jalen.¡± He smiled a little.


    ¡°Are you close with Jalen?¡±


    ¡°No, we wouldn¡¯t really get along. We are too different from each other, and sometimes I don¡¯t like the way he acts. But I do wonder why he stayed away from Mizia, she¡¯s a lovely woman.¡±


    ¡°You do not know?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Do you know, sister?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ maybe he saw another girl he liked?¡±


    Estevan shrugged. ¡°I guess. I couldn¡¯t think of why he would hate Mizia, so maybe that¡¯s the reason.¡±


    I gazed out at the window, watching the buildings pass by, the people enjoying the festival. Them eating outside, full of smiles. Despite the darkening sky, it would seem they have no plan of stopping the fun just yet.


    ¡°What about you, brother? Do you have any girls you fancy?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± his voice trailed off. ¡°There are an abundance of beautiful noble women, and quite lovely in personality. But I don¡¯t have the motivation just yet to pursue one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because I¡¯m not yet ready for that. The commitment. Besides, I am still committed to you my sister, you are the most important to me.¡±


    I subtly sighed. Somehow, I don¡¯t like the way his love for me is keeping him from meeting someone that would accompany him in life. He was a normal human being, unlike me. As his sister, it¡¯s not good that he was giving everything to me at his own expense.


    ¡°Estevan, my brother¡­ You¡­ You don¡¯t have to give everything to me. You can focus on yourself, your experiences, and your future.¡±


    ¡°Estel, what are you saying? I want to do this.¡±


    ¡°¡­ B-Brother¡­ shouldn¡¯t you try meeting other people? At least meet a woman that would become someone important to you.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ are you driving me away, Estel?¡± his eyes widened, and he shook his head then looked away. ¡°This is what I want¡­ I don¡¯t want some people, some stranger, to intervene.¡±


    He sounded a bit more forceful than before.


    It warmed my heart to see and feel his love for me, an intense love. But¡­ I want something good to happen to him as well.


    ¡°My beloved brother, I am not driving you away. I would never.¡± I reached out for his hands and gently held them. I looked at his eyes, but he kept them away. ¡°Estevan, please look at me.¡±


    He slowly turned his head at me, his eyes conflicted. I fondly smiled.


    ¡°I love you, brother. That is why I am concerned for your well-being, your heart and mind, and most of all your future. I want you to be truly happy, happy to meet and live with someone very special. And that someone could be even more special than me. If you do, I will be relieved knowing that you wouldn¡¯t grow and live alone.¡±


    I stroked his cheek gently and caringly.


    ¡°You are the most important person to me,¡± he said.


    I shook my head. ¡°I know¡­ and I couldn¡¯t be happier. But I know your commitment to me is not completely of heartfelt love, but also due to obligations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I may be wrong. However, there might come a time when I have to go somewhere without you¡­¡±


    If that happens, when I no longer need you to always stay by my side¡­ what will you do?


    ¡°There may be a time when you will become alone, a time where your family has other matters to give attention to. Don¡¯t you want someone to be with you? A special someone to be with you when you are alone, in sickness and in health?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± he pursed his lips. ¡°You are the most important person to me, Estelia¡­ no one else. Even if you find someone you love more, you will always be what my heart contains. I will protect you when you are in danger, I will be your shield and your sword.¡±


    I gently shook my head.


    What a stubborn older brother.


    But I¡¯m sure that will change.


    ¡°¡­ I understand, brother. But I will hope you find someone special someday.¡±


    He furrowed his brows and looked through the window.


    There was silence for a moment.


    ¡°...Alright, Estelia¡­ I will think about what you said.¡±


    Glad that he will take my words to heart, I gently kissed him on the forehead.


    ***


    We had arrived home with no problem at all, that caused a bit of frustration within me. The moment the staff heard of my arrival, my two servants that remained here, Mera and Vernon, immediately went to meet me. But our reunion didn¡¯t take long as I wanted to rest in my room.


    I left my brother and headed for my room. My servants remained outside my room, I told them to go and leave me alone and they can go rest. They hesitated of course, and adamant as they were in staying, I was left with no choice but to be forceful. Since I insisted, they left me.


    ¡°Haaaah¡­¡±


    I heaved a long heavy sigh as I covered my face with both my hands, then roughly sat down on the bed. My chest warmed up as I lightly bit my lip. I raised my hand and pulled my hair a little, ruining my hair¡¯s arrangement. But I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Nothing happened¡­¡±


    Nothing happened¡­ Not even when I was out in the open, not when I was going home in the carriage.


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    I jumped up and paced around the room, breathing heavily. It was a simple plan but should be very effective! A target running around in the open, a very good opportunity to strike. But nothing!


    I stopped before the desk and slammed my hands, before staring at the mirror in front of me. It didn¡¯t make sense¡­


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong¡­ something¡¯s totally wrong.¡±


    I grew anxious. Don¡¯t even tell me it¡¯s just the first day. No stupid fuck would miss that fucking opportunity!


    Goddammit!


    I have grown impatient. Months of preparation, and the first attempt failed. Did they perhaps sense it was a trap? No, impossible. I oversaw it. Only I, Father and the church people knew of the plan. Could it be a leak? But why would it be? A spy? Impossible, the church fought with them, and it was unlikely that someone like Oryn would just sneak into the church. Still¡­


    Leaked or not, they could have made a counter plan¡­


    My fist tightened. My blood boiled and my heart raced as I glared at myself.


    Patience? A hunter has to be patient? It was a different case with Oryn. Now, right now, I was not the hunter, I am the hunted. I don¡¯t like being hunted!


    Could it be I¡¯m a failure?


    First it didn¡¯t go as I expected now. Then before this, the attempt to capture the enemies using the fake message failed. Failure to get even the slightest of information about why they hunt me. Then that one significant failure¡­ my death¡­


    My failure caused my death, my blunder. Was that why I was disposed of? I was¡­ deteriorating? The professor¡­ seemed to have noticed something strange from my actions beforehand¡­ maybe that was what started it all... I have become dull, so instead of being resharpened, I was thrown away.


    It c-can¡¯t be.


    It can¡¯t be¡­ No¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m n-not a failure¡­¡±


    They¡¯re wrong¡­


    My head lowered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a failure¡­ I am excellent¡­ I am remarkable¡­¡±


    I¡¯m tired¡­


    I slowly sat down on the chair.


    I miss my old team.


    Sometimes it¡¯s lonely.


    I closed my eyes.


    ¡­I must wait. Shouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by emotions. I need to wait until after the festival finish, then I can get on with the other plan. Follow the process.


    I just want to have a little fun.


    Ah, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m about to have a date with Lucious tomorrow. That¡¯s good¡­ that¡¯s great. Exciting stuff. What do people do during dates anyway? Walk around, eat, talk, enjoy the view or something.


    Ugh, I hope I can have a little joy.


    Well, I also hope nothing goes wrong tomorrow¡­ even though it goes against the plan¡­ but I feel like I want some freedom from these stressful thoughts. But it would also be good if something happens.


    Haaaah, conflicted thoughts.


    Ah, I¡¯m not going to act like any teenager squirming as she feels restless for a date that¡¯s coming tomorrow. Like pfft, who does that¡­ not me¡­ I¡¯m only looking forward to it.


    ***


    I was laying down on my bed when I heard my mother¡¯s voice on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Estelia, may I come in?¡±


    I opened my eyes and slowly got up. I walked over to the door and opened it.


    ¡°Mother...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, dear? Are you unwell?¡±


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Alright¡­ is it okay if I enter?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    She entered and I closed the door after. We sat down on the bed side by side.


    ¡°Estelia, did you have fun?¡±


    I stared up at her. ¡°¡­ Yes¡­ it was interesting and fun.¡±


    She pouted. ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t sound like it. Be honest with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡­. It¡¯s not completely fun¡­ It was tense, I was restless the entire time.¡±


    She held my hand. ¡°I understand¡­¡± she then wrapped her arms around me and pulled me towards her.


    ¡°It must be tiring¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Estelia¡­ you can stay here in the palace. Isn¡¯t it safer?¡±


    I looked up at her. ¡°But it¡¯s the festival.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ it is dangerous for you out there.¡±


    I lowered my head. I knew it, she was against me walking out there. When we were discussing the plans when going out for the festival, she seemed to want to refuse from allowing me to go out. But just couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it given that the others were fine with it, and it was my will.


    And now she was offering to let me stay here where it¡¯s safe. Like it had always been. Always kept here in the palace walls where it was safe. But I can¡¯t¡­


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s alright, mother¡­ I can take it. There are people that will protect me, right?¡±


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ it is alright.¡±


    With sadness in her eyes, she lowered her gaze. ¡°Very well¡­ I won¡¯t press you any further.¡±


    She then kissed me on the cheek.


    ¡°You need to change clothes before coming for dinner, okay?¡±


    I was still wearing my formal dress even as I was laying down on my bed. I didn¡¯t feel like changing my clothes when I arrived here. It¡¯s hard to take these off, okay? Plus all the accessories.


    ¡°Okay, mother.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 51: Date (Part 1)

    Hello! Estelia here! It¡¯s a big day~! It¡¯s a big day! Second day of the fest! And you know what day it is! A time where everyone can freely have fun and tour around the festival, a time where your attention won¡¯t get divided to official events! That¡¯s right, this was the time to spend the festival with someone you like!


    ¡°Life could be dream~ Life could dream~ Do-roo-do-do, sh-boom¡­ Hmm Hmmm~¡±


    I was walking down the hallway with prancing steps with my servants behind me when I quietly sang that particular song. Just the first line, I sang the rest in my head. That just slipped by because of a little excitement. Finally doing something new in life!


    ¡°Excited, princess?¡±


    I turned my head to look at Vernon who asked that question.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I have been waiting for this time with Lucious.¡±


    I smiled. That¡¯s right, the time of the date, it was today! A lot of discussion took place with my family while thinking of how to handle this day with Lucious. But after some compromising and a little of my convincing, everything turned out well than initially thought.


    ¡°Good for you princess, it is important to experience the wonders of youth as you are still young.¡±


    ¡°Really? Yes, I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± I nodded, agreeing with him.


    A true youthful experience! What people around my age tends to do. I have watched plenty of movies that goes through it, I watched mostly action movies by the way, so not much experience. That being said, young adult movies or series were not that great to watch¡­


    There may be a few wholesome ones, I guess. But mostly those that star young protagonists don¡¯t sit well with me. What¡¯s up with people writers going straight and go into sex? Where¡¯s the wholesomeness? All people seem to care about were getting laid. Bleeeh, it disgusts me! And oh gosh the shows in the later years of my life have been bad, all politics and shit. They don¡¯t even make it subtle!


    So much for escapism.


    If some show tries to shove politics into my eyes and throat, get the fuck out! I want to relax, not get stressed!


    There are a few that are actually pretty good, that you just enjoy that you won¡¯t notice anything strange and anything preachy, you just get immersed. But they were so few that I might as well consider them rare treasures. I heard it was not that bad under 2020. I mean it¡¯s not just the entertainment that changed a lot or have gotten terrible or annoying to my tastes, the society as well. Private organizations rose to power way more than in the last decade, and now they can control governments outright, there have been plenty of wars going on because of that. People notice, but what can they do? Damn, there was even one time when a nuke was close to being used, the people mattered little.


    Time of dystopia is coming for sure! If it¡¯s that bad in 2029, I can only imagine how it would be in 2050. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing I got out of there before things got worse. I fear next thing I¡¯ll know there¡¯s a chip in my brain.


    Rogan chuckled from behind. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lucious himself is anxious, so in case your nervous princess, remember that the feeling is mutual. Good luck with the date!¡±


    ¡°U-Um H-Hm¡­ yes, I suppose that can be called a d-date.¡±


    ¡°A d-date¡­¡±


    I turned with narrow eyes at the girl a little behind me, namely Mera. She cast her gaze downward without looking at anyone. She only heard about this today, and she¡¯s been out of it since earlier.


    Really. I went too far with her. What do I do with her? It would be wrong if she expected something big will happen between us. Her feelings were doomed to fail. I only intend to be her ¡°friend¡± at most. I emphasized that word because it wasn¡¯t really that genuine.


    Besides, everyone around me, all of them¡­ were outsiders¡­


    Rogan, Vernon also¡­


    It was different to be accompanied by those that grew the same as me, and those who didn¡¯t. In the end, my deepest and true nature will never change¡­


    My inner feelings say¡­. They are only ¨C no, never mind, that would dampen the mood now, wouldn¡¯t it? People may start to hate me if I speak any further.


    I¡¯ll just ignore Mera for now and focus on my joyful day. Rogan and Vernon of course noticed something was weird with Mera but they didn¡¯t check up on her yet as they have their hands full with me.


    ¡°I would not worry you princess, but be careful of your surroundings, okay?¡± Rogan said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be there beside you.¡±


    ¡°As will I be.¡± Vernon added.


    ¡°Indeed, but you will still be watching over me from afar.¡±


    A bit creepy to be honest. But nothing can be done about it. Lucious of course wouldn¡¯t know about this, don¡¯t have to ruin his day because of me. I can ignore the hidden guards, but I don¡¯t think he could.


    ¡°Hard to be a princess, huh?¡± Rogan remarked.


    It¡¯s not hard to be a princess, but rather it¡¯s hard to be hunted. I swear I¡¯ll end this sooner than later.


    ¡°I just hope nothing ruins this special day¡­¡±


    To be honest, I¡¯m a bit confused about what I want today¡­ My right brain says it wants the enemies to attack, but my left brain says it wants this day to go smoothly. Not literally the brain so metaphorically speaking.


    But if something bad happens, I¡¯m worried Lucious might die. He cannot fight after all.


    We arrived at the lobby and at the same time encountered Eleden and his girlfriend, Lillie. My brows knitted a little for a moment. They were going to do the same thing I was supposed to do with Lucious.


    Going incognito. Royal hiding in public as they have fun. It was supposed to be my unique moment that happened today. But nooo¡­ these two lovebirds just have to do the same, so much for being special.


    I am a bit displeased, no matter how unreasonable that may be. I am only honest with my feelings.


    ¡°My sister, you look fabulous.¡±


    Eleden said to me with a nod.


    I was wearing a laced beautiful white and red dress, and then brown boots. One of the clothes made by my tailor. Simple enough for a casual outing, but beautiful enough that it screams I¡¯m rich! Not that I¡¯m against it of course, I love to look good.


    ¡°I should say, Princess Estelia, your hair is so lovely. The braiding is wonderful as well, the way it shortened the length but still looked neat.¡±


    ¡°Um, thank you. Mera braided it; she has been a great help when handling my lengthy hair.¡±


    ¡°No plans to cut it then?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I see. Reminds me of my little sister. She likes her hair kept long and would run whenever someone comes to cut it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    I want to verbally say ¡°long hair supremacy¡± but of course I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Then, my sister, we¡¯ll be going first. Lucious will arrive shortly. He was being too meticulous with how he looks.¡±


    He chuckled then grabbed the two cloaks presented by the servant and gave one to Lillie. Eleden should really stop exposing Lucious like that.


    ¡°Okay, brother¡­ um, have fun.¡±


    With that, with cloaks covering them, they left the lobby. Now I¡¯m just waiting for my date¡­ It was still ahead of schedule anyway, so there¡¯s no problem. I¡¯m not gonna get mad because someone¡¯s late, okay? I¡¯m not that type of girl. I am an understanding girl.


    I sat down on the nearby chair and gracefully placed my hands on my lap. While waiting, my fingers tapped on my lap. Happens to anyone who were a bit restless or excited. It¡¯s a bit nerve-wracking to say the least, my first time going on an actual date.


    ¡®But Estelia you¡¯re an assassin and you get nervous by a date?!¡¯ Shut it! I¡¯m still a girl through and through!


    Is it wrong to feel this way¡­? Hmmm?!


    I waited for about a minute until the one I was waiting for finally came right about time.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for making you wait, Estelia¡­¡±


    I kindly smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You look good, by the way¡­¡±


    He looked like a proper young gentleman. His dark blue coat and shirt under were neat without a trace of wrinkle, his trousers just appropriately fit, and black boots. His outfit fit him perfectly, stylish, and attractive. His hair was combed nicely and he looked cool. He looked even more handsome now that he prepared himself.


    ¡°Really? Thanks¡­ And you, you look absolutely¡­ mesmerizing.¡±


    ¡°U-Ehm¡­ mm, yes¡­¡± I pulled my hair behind my ear. ¡°A shame I would get covered by my cloak in the end.¡±


    ¡°There are places where no one should constantly go, you can freely remove your cloak there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    He nodded his head and turned to face the nearby servant. ¡°Is the carriage ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The carriage we¡¯ll be using was going to be a simple one so we wouldn¡¯t stand out. Then we¡¯ll be dropped off just outside the city. Wouldn¡¯t be a good date if we just ride the carriage around the city streets.


    I received my cloak.


    ¡°Let me help you.¡±


    Lucious offered help, so I accepted. This was another cloak, so two cloaks for me now. I drew the hood upon my head and made sure to cover my face as much as possible, especially my precious hair. Lucious wouldn¡¯t need to wear a cloak since no commoner knows him to begin with. He was just an assistant to the prince, and he didn¡¯t need to go out often where the public can see him.


    Besides, the common populace wouldn¡¯t go crazy for someone who wasn¡¯t a royal. But I guess he¡¯ll just wear the hood to make sure.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we can go.¡±


    Vernon bowed his head. ¡°Stay safe, you two.¡±


    Rogan smiled at me. ¡°Have a pleasant time.¡±


    Mera seemed to panic as she was yet to speak, and she frantically lowered her head. ¡°H-Have f-fun.¡±


    I nodded at them with a smile and walked out of the palace beside Lucious.


    Oh wait, there was one problem.


    ¡°Um, Lucious¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I have no money.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His eyes widened before his cheek puffed and when he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer, his repressed laughter escaped. ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sorry. Hehehe. I just didn¡¯t expect you would be worried about that. You don¡¯t have to. As the man, it¡¯s all on me. I mean, that¡¯s how it normally goes since I asked you out.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­? Alright.¡±


    Wew. Thankfully it went as I expected. Well, would be weird if I must spend when obviously I¡¯m broke.


    How could I be so poor yet so rich?


    ***


    The carriage stopped and I got down with a hand from Lucious. We were a bit distant from the majority of the crowd and the carriage had to move around a little to avoid it being obvious that the carriage came from the palace.


    I pulled my hood down as I scouted the loud and filled street. People seemed to be really having a good time, food stands on the sidewalks and people eating and chatting. Lucious particularly picked this side of the city as this area was where most activity was. Of course, where the thickest traffic was, was where there were a lot of things to do.


    Lucious audibly inhaled as though nervous as he stared at the crowd of people. I turned to the carriage as it moved to the side of the road, here it will be staying until we¡¯re done.  I gazed up at the blue sky, a morning given life and brightness by the sun.


    Alright, a good day to have a leisurely fun. Just a normal day!


    I stepped forward.


    ¡°Lucious let¡¯s go. I want to check that food stand!¡±


    I excitedly pointed at the stand where there appeared to be a crowd gathering. If there¡¯s a lot of people, it means it¡¯s good. I am of course looking forward to the foods the festival offers, it¡¯s one of the main attractions of every festival. What sort of festival without any special food, eh?


    Lucious chuckled. ¡°Of course, take the lead.¡±


    I moved onward with energetic steps, letting out a little hum of a song. I slowed down when the number of people in front of me increased and I stayed close to Lucious. Shortly, we arrived at the food stand, I stood on tiptoe as I took a peek from the people¡¯s shoulders.


    From what I can see, the stand was selling fried vegetables dipped in some kind of sauce. Some vegetables were familiar of course, and I¡¯m curious what made it different with it being fried.


    The person in front of me left and I took his place.


    ¡°Woah.¡±


    It looked delicious. They were sliced in flat circles, while some curling, reminded me of fried potatoes. All in all, the food here looked pretty interesting.


    ¡°Looks delicious, want some?¡± Lucious asked me.


    I looked up at him and gently nodded my head. He bought one stick for each of us. It smelled good which I think is mainly because of the sauce. One should be cautious when eating street foods. But you know, screw that! I¡¯ll eat whatever for today.


    And so I did bit on the food. As expected it was delicious, the sauce truly gave it some apt sweetness, with the vegetables had a little bit of saltiness but not too much, mainly it had flavor.


    No wonder a lot of people gathered here. Before I can bite more, we needed to leave the stand as more people were gathering. Standing at the side of a building, we finished consuming the food.


    ¡°Interesting that commoners are able to create such a delightful food.¡± Lucious said after he slowly chewed.


    ¡°Indeed¡­ reminds me of the time Estevan had me eat some worms.¡±


    ¡°W-Worms?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, worms. Never seen it before?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ but worms? Are they even edible? Is it delicious?¡± he asked hesitantly. It must be unthinkable for an aristocrat to eat something such as a worm.


    ¡°Yes, it is delicious in fact. However, I will not be eating those again.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s for the best.¡±


    ¡°Do you go out to the city often, Lucious?¡±


    We were childhood friends, but when he started to really work for Eleden, we didn¡¯t get to be in touch much as before. So I wonder if he often went out to the city for a variety of reasons. But in my recollection, Eleden never goes out much as Estevan unless for official business. Still, Lucious could be going around places when he¡¯s free.


    ¡°Not really. For sightseeing and scouting sometimes, yes. But for casual visits and such, no.¡±


    ¡°Even during festivals?¡±


    ¡°Festivals are times when it¡¯s usually the busiest. My time to take a look at the festival is scarcely limited. Plus, it is lonely to go out when you have no one else to be with.¡±


    ¡°What about Eleden?¡±


    ¡°Well, he is royalty. It is hard to bring him around.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Which reminds me, I wonder where the two of them now.¡±


    ¡°Eleden and Lady Lillie? Should not be far from us. We might encounter them by luck later on.¡±


    This could have been a double date, but what¡¯s the fun in that?


    When we finished eating the food, we threw the wooden stick at the nearby wooden trash box. We went around places. Taking a look at what people were selling, from souvenirs to craftings and carvings. Most of the products were wooden as expected.


    That being said, the craftsmanship was exquisite. I¡¯m still impressed at how people were able to do all of that detail manually. Lucious asked me if I want to buy some, but I denied him. Not really my style to keep stuff. And I don¡¯t want to be carrying things on my date!


    Walking further into the crowded district, we encountered a small open area where a group of musicians were playing music with a crowd. Drums, windpipe, and stringed instruments played beautifully, along with them were the classy vocals.


    People danced to the music; smiles filled their faces. Their dance was something I was familiar with, it was taught to me in my etiquette lesson once, one that was only tackled a little as it was only simple. The men and women on the dance floor laughed heartily and joyfully, some looking for partners as they dance, while some brought their true partners with them.


    One of the singers walked to crowd while singing and pulled a couple into the dance floor. They were embarrassed at first but shortly danced with the others. It was particularly not a romantic song; it was a song about companionship. The instrumentals were so catchy that one might be urged to dance.


    I liked it. I smiled at the scene in front of me. I could truly feel the joyous atmosphere. Suddenly, one female singer noticed us and immediately walked over to us. I noticed it a little too late as I was enjoying the scene and would be embarrassing to walk out now.


    She grabbed my hand and Lucious¡¯s. I turned to look at Lucious with wide eyes, surprised that this was happening. Without waiting for a reaction, the woman pulled us into the front.


    Lucious and I ended up facing each other, I looked up at him with a concerned smile.


    He lightly scratched his cheek. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± he quietly chuckled, his cheeks red. ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡±


    He looked quite cute when he was hesitant and embarrassed. He wanted to dance but was hesitating because I may not like doing it. I smiled sweetly and held out my hand to him, waiting for him to receive it.


    He stared at it and smiled, but the corner of his lips was shaking a little. He gently took hold of my hand, and vertically raised our hands while our palms touched each other. The same we did on the other hand.


    After that, we slowly let go of one hand while the remaining touching palms held their position as we stretched away and slowly made a tiny distance. As we were about to get separated, we swirled while keeping the momentum of our prior motion.


    After that single swirl, we faced each other. I lifted the sides of my cloak, a curtsy, while he bowed, his hand on his chest, while the other was on his back. We waited for that little change in the music. A second later, a shift came, as if it was deliberately changed for us.


    I took a step forward while making tiny stationary steps after one step, all in a timely manner with the music. The vocals were out and only the instrumentals remained. My body swayed with every step.


    Mine and Lucious¡¯s palms touched. We stared each other in the eyes as our faces got closer. We stepped to the side and switched the palms touching each other, with my free hand spread out.


    Feet dancing, body swaying, we swirled and returned touching our hands. We keep our eyes on each other. Our dance was completely in sync, and it was satisfying. I never liked doing it with my dancing partner during practice.


    Lucious¡¯s gaze felt more peaceful. His touch was more pleasant. His presence was gentle. I was lost in the moment. The heavy weight in my heart lightened as all worries slowly slipped out of my mind.


    My smile became involuntary.


    This moment was¡­ enjoyable.


    The next part of the dance, this was the gentle part. With him holding my hand, he gently pulled me. He then gently placed a hand on my waist, while I put my hand on his shoulder. Our faces were closer than ever.


    My body became a little warmer. I lowered my head.


    The dance continued. Footwork silent.


    Eventually, we reached the ending. We separated but keeping the palms of our hands touching each other as we slowly moved back away. After that, we bowed at each other once again.


    With that, our dance came to an end. How unfair, they switched to a romantic song. I knew about it from my music lessons. They may have removed the vocals, but I still recognized that song.


    The people around us applauded. I took a look around, and I was relieved that there were other people dancing with us, so we weren¡¯t the center of attention. My hood was drawn back a little, but thankfully still hid my white hair, I pulled it in further.


    Lucious suddenly grabbed my hand and brought me out of the crowd. We stopped at a corner. We stared at each other, smiling together.


    ¡°That was fun¡­¡± I quietly said.


    ¡°Indeed, it was. A little nerve-wracking though, I have not danced in front of that many people. But I still enjoyed dancing with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Mm¡­ It was lovely¡­ dancing with you¡­¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    "Date" only has two parts.


    Also, 2nd volume has ended in Patreon -- the volume will end in chapter 64. It''s close. :)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 52: Date (Part 2)

    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Posted a new chapter ''cause it''s Overlord Tuesday XD. The new episode is so exciting, been wanting to see it animated since I read that part of the novel. Awesome!


    Enjoy the chapter :)


    We went around the city, and truly every corner was busy, bustling with activity. We entered a building where they displayed beautiful and distinguishable paintings drawn on both big and small canvases. Lucious and I discussed a lot about the art, speculating on how some things were done.


    He was quite well-versed in painting it appears, and it was pleasing to speak with someone that can be finely spoken with about art. While looking at the paintings, it was wonderful to see such illustrations where artists get to show their own art styles.


    I can get to look at how they have done perspective, anatomy, and the way they drew colors. I even saw one that was almost reminiscent of Van Gogh¡¯s paintings, I imagine the artist carry the same hardship.


    Back on the old world, I often take a look at paintings whenever I have the time. I may not favor drawing but watching and seeing paintings was still a pleasant time.


    Lucious spoke about his time in his art lessons that his mother inserted among his other studies. His mother loved paintings, and she was exceedingly talented in that field. Which of course the reason she forced Lucious to at least have little training in art.


    We were tempted to buy one of the paintings, but it would be difficult to buy now when we were still planning to go everywhere else. Later on, we decided to return when we were about to go back home.


    After the painting gallery, we encountered a colorful and lovely decorated booth, not a small one but a whole building. Before we knew it, the staff dragged us inside. They assured us there was no need to pay, but that was not the issue here.


    Then shortly we discovered it was a love booth. They forced us to hold hands and then they tied our hands together with a red string. The holding of hands was a shock to me and it felt a little embarrassing. Our grip was loose, but our hands still touched. I looked up at him and he awkwardly smiled, and I averted my eyes away, my cheeks blushing.


    We walked through the passage, and colorful flowers filled the walls, while the staff showered us with red petals.


    This should be illegal!


    I pulled my hood down further.


    There were people here that watched us with bright eyes. Then there was a girl who led us to a small room that seemed to replicate a small park and garden. Then they gave us a red fruit stuck to a stick and requested us to offer the fruit to each other ¨C that meant of course I would feed Lucious the fruit, and his to me.


    How the hell did this end up this way? This was too sudden! So weird.


    But still in the end we carried it out. I felt warmth in my chest, and it was hard to breathe.


    Afterward, there were other moments in the booth that would be deemed special. Embarrassing yet memorable¡­


    But I will not be talking about it!


    I felt a bit relieved when we left, and it felt more awkward to be standing next to Lucious.


    After a bit of walking, we found ourselves going towards a riverbank where there were no other people around.


    ¡°This is a nice spot, we should rest here for a while if you are tired, Estelia.¡±


    I gently nodded my head.


    We gently sat down on the grass, and I gazed at the clear river. I saw fishes swimming in the water, then a few leaping up in the air, leaving a splash as they returned into the water.


    ¡°So um, Estelia, where do you want to go afterward¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I wish to stay here for a while with a clear mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ If I am right, this is your second time casually going out of the palace, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, Eleden and I just heard about it. Some of the staff knew about it, and Estevan mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see¡­ I was with Estevan last time¡­¡± I returned my gaze to the river. ¡°¡­ He said we can go fishing the next time we go out.¡± I smiled. ¡°But I imagine it would be a while before that.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Estelia¡­ will you be going out frequently from now on?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to say. I cannot even go out without having to hide myself. It will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°But if there comes a time when you no longer have to, where do you wish to go?¡±


    I looked up at the sky as I pondered.


    ¡°Firstly I wish to venture around the entire capital, take in the sights. After that, outside the city. Anywhere pleasant will do.¡±


    I¡¯m not really choosy, I mostly don¡¯t have any leisure of picking places I want to visit. Back in the old world, I could only go to places I am interested in if I¡¯m lucky my mission would take place there, and if I survive afterward, and if I don¡¯t have any more orders.


    ¡°If there¡¯s an opportunity, you can visit my family¡¯s demesne if you wish to do so. I¡¯m certain you will have a peaceful time there.¡±


    I turned at him with a wide smile. ¡°Then I can also meet your family!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°That would be wonderful indeed! I will be looking forward to it, Lucious.¡±


    ¡°Well, an initial schedule would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I cannot say for certain yet, but someday.¡±


    I cannot go out for any leisure outings yet. After I have taken care of the problem, I would need to let off some steam. Meaning, I don¡¯t know, have a peaceful sleep for a week ¨C I haven¡¯t had that for months now, and my body has started to feel a bit heavy. High blood pressure is a bitch.


    A big fish jumped out of the water. It had a beautiful colorful scale like a rainbow. Like wow, I have never seen such a fish. And its tail almost looked like a fan.


    ¡°That fish looks lovely!¡±


    ¡°I never saw like it before.¡±


    We rushed to the side of the river to watch the strange fish. I want to catch it and find out what it tastes like. What? Expecting me to make it as a pet? Pfft, noooo¡­ Oh wait, colorful things in nature tends to be poisonous. So could that thing be poisonous? Dammit.


    Nature and its beautiful, alluring, and deceptive creatures. Beautiful yet can kill you easily.


    Like me¡­ Get it? ¡®Cause I¡¯m beautiful and¡­ ugh, never mind ¡ª this is getting old.


    ¡°Want me to catch it for you?¡±


    I looked at Lucious with wide eyes after hearing his offer.


    ¡°No! You don¡¯t have to drench your clothes. Let¡¯s just admire it from a distance.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Well, I could easily capture it with magic, but what would I do with it anyway after catching it?


    We watched it together for a few seconds before I sensed Lucious gazing at me, at my beautiful face as if remembering every detail. I curiously looked back at him.


    ¡°¡­ L-Lucious?¡±


    ¡°My apologies¡­. I, I just love looking at you.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying so suddenly?¡± I straightened myself as I felt a bit cautious.


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡± he slowly reached out for my hands. ¡°I cannot hold back my feelings for you, Estelia.¡±


    He stared at my eyes intently.


    ¡°My feelings only grow stronger at every moment I am with you, at every moment my eyes perceive you. I want to spend my life with you and build our little castle.¡±


    My eyes widened. I know that indirect phrase, that last sentence of his. It was meant to be used when one was serious and wanted to confess their feelings ¨C used between aristocrats. He was asking if I would requite his love.


    I took in a deep sharp breath. Why so sudden?


    ¡°L-Lucious¡­ why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°I love you, Estelia.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Why? I am uninteresting, boring¡­ I¡­ I have no usefulness ¨C¡±


    ¡°Estelia, it¡¯s hard to put into words but¡­ I love spending my time with you. My heart grows warm when I hear your voice, my soul celebrates whenever I talk with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are perfect in my eyes. I have loved you ever since we first met.¡±


    I looked down at his hands warmly holding unto mine. This was the first ever that something like this happened, one that was truly sincere. So sincere that it felt like it burns my flesh.


    Do I want this?


    But there was no way.


    I¡­ I feel no love towards him.


    Am I truly far from being human? No, impossible¡­


    Thinking deeper. I have this strange feeling in my chest. So pleasant. One so small waiting to grow. But I was still uncertain.


    Yes, still uncertain. That was why¡­ I need to be.


    ¡°Lucious, I must ask you to wait for the flowers to bloom during springtime.¡±


    He blinked and lowered his eyes, and then smiled.


    ¡°Then, I will keep on going, until the garden is vibrant with color.¡±


    I decided to have more time and give this progress a chance. Perhaps in the future, a little castle might be built.


    ***


    We returned home around late afternoon. I retired to my room shortly after arrival. I was pretty tired, it was fun yes, but of course I would get tired after all that walking around. Although I really didn¡¯t feel the tiredness until I arrived back home.


    I was so tired that I collapsed on the bed deliberately and heaved a deep sigh. I grabbed a nearby pillow and embraced it. It was a very pleasant time, and it was surprisingly productive.


    I thought back, and a smile slowly rose at the corner of my lips. Lucious¡¯s face flashed in my mind. That felt like the most casual time I ever had in my entire life, there might be others, but they never came to mind at the moment.


    Yeah, so casual that I had forgotten about¡­


    Oh yeah¡­


    Remembering my plight put me off the mood. I rose from my bed and looked in the mirror.


    ¡°It would seem joyful moments are fleeting.¡±


    With sad eyes, I averted my gaze away from myself, then gently set aside the pillow. I rubbed my fingers together, pondering.


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­¡± I sighed.


    I went over to the door and locked it, then properly closed the curtains before stretching an arm under the bed and pulling out a bag. I removed the contents and placed them on the bed.


    ¡°Preparation in case of failure¡­¡±


    No time to feel all tired, no time to rest for now. I then grabbed the smaller leather straps and picked up a small dagger then began tinkering around. As I held the dagger in my hand, I felt a cold sensation, not from the physical contact with the hilt, but from the cold sensation of calmness.


    My anxiety lessened somewhat at the touch of my blades. Then, a feeling I have buried deep inside began leaking out. A craving. A desire I have suppressed for a very long time. An aspect I have been carrying in my entire life that I will never be rid of.


    I did not know whether I should be glad, or sad¡­


    But as I had always done, it was often best to be honest with my feelings.


    And thus, I let that feeling grow.


    Then I continued with my work.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 53: Colosseum (Part 1)

    Way early time of the day, before the sun even began to rise, the entrance to the colosseum has already been opened for the audience. In no time at all, people gradually began entering, seemingly looking forward to the event.


    This particular event, where warriors or fighters fight together in a non-lethal battle, started a long time ago by a warrior king of Wisteria. That particular king loved battle, he loved the thrill of combat, the adrenaline, and dancing with death. He was both respected and feared, but that also made him one of the most difficult rulers to like.


    Bored to death and looking for a challenge, he built a colosseum to satisfy his own needs. It was where he would be entertained by the struggles of other people as they overcome harsh and hard challenges. And perhaps, find someone that he might be on par with.


    But such a plan was frowned upon by his subordinates and members of the family. If he carried on with this, where blood would be needlessly spilled and life taken, they would be no different from the nearby barbaric empire.


    But the king remained stern and proposed that deliberate killing will be forbidden and winners shall be aptly rewarded. If he found someone he wanted to spar with, it would be held in private.


    He indeed was a disliked king because of his nature. But in the end, the colosseum was built and it lived on for centuries and had thus become an essential part of the annual festival.


    But at present, there was a change, the people had heard that not only humans would be coming into the arena, but a monster as well. This made people curious and excited about the upcoming event. A lot had never seen a monster before and were looking forward to seeing one. While others just wanted to see a fight between man and monster.


    It would appear that the people longed for something new. It even came as a surprise that such a thing was allowed as monsters were uncontrollable. But no one would be foolish enough to bring a monster they cannot neutralize, and with the number of knights present, the monster would not be able to do anything too chaotic.


    A middle-aged man walked down the dark corridor of the colosseum, his hair was dark, his eyes brown, and a brown skin complexion. He had a muscular physique and a long scar on the side of his face. Daggers on his belt and sword at the side of his waist.


    He was the knight named Elson Metrial. He was the one assigned to manage the monster that was captured, and also the one who led the capture. It took a lot of deliberation on which creature they should capture as they had to be very cautious of what to pick. If they didn¡¯t, it would risk causing a monster to run rampant in the city that they couldn¡¯t subjugate.


    He nodded at the knights guarding parts of the corridors until eventually he arrived at a wide chamber where knights sternly stood guard as they glared at the cage at the center of the room, with a large beast chained inside. It growled disturbingly, glaring at them with intense pressure.


    The knights had never tried to keep guard a captured monster as they never wanted to before. Monsters were meant to be eliminated after all. This one here was captured before the festival began, meaning they have been keeping this monster in a place that it was not supposed to for a while now. To keep it from going berserk, they would need to feed it with a large amount of meat four times a day.


    ¡°Feed it twice the amount for today. We don¡¯t want it to weaken for its performance.¡± Elson ordered.


    The knights then proceeded to throw large amounts of meat at the monster, an amount that would feed a family for days.


    ¡°Damn, the winner will be fighting that? After duels against multiple enemies?¡± a knight asked.


    That would indeed be difficult to do. No, it would be absurd to expect.


    ¡°This is the first of its kind, the event. I¡¯m sure we can adjust next time.¡± Elson responded. "Besides, this is why this place is also called the Arena of Perseverance.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Humans overcoming hard challenges, and persevering in the end. The purpose of this event.¡±


    ¡°Adding a monster into the number of challenges would make things more meaningful.¡±


    ¡°Man against a monster. Would make for a good tale. Although I worry that it would be too difficult for the person to fight this, we had a hard time capturing it after all.¡±


    ¡°The intent is different, therefore the result will not be the same.¡± their goal was to capture which would naturally make things more difficult. But in the arena, the goal will be to eliminate the monster. Thus, there would be no need for a human to hold back.


    Elson watched as the monster violently chewed on the food it was given.


    ¡°What if it kills the contender?¡± a knight asked.


    ¡°It won¡¯t, or so I hope,¡± Elson said. ¡°We will be watching closely, and we are free to intervene when we think it is getting too deadly or if the contender is about to die. Besides, they are free to pass, we¡¯ll have participants who would be willing anyway, the reward is quite the sum.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope nothing bad is going to happen. We never have done this before.¡±


    ¡°Everything has a beginning. If this is a success, I¡¯m sure this will go on for centuries. Don¡¯t you want to be a part of history?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then keep up. Make sure everything is prepared to move out in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ***


    I slipped into my white gloves as Mera decorated my hair, just on the light side of things. I was clad in a white and black dress, extravagant, almost like a gown, but light enough that I can walk with ease. The event I¡¯m going to had no need to wear a heavy dress like going out on my wedding day.


    I admired myself in the mirror, truly I looked so lovely, so pure, so wonderful, so perfect. That may be the most important part, but time to talk about the next part. Okay, namely about the event.


    The tournament, where people fight each other bla bla bla. In any case, I¡¯m pretty excited about it, time to get all bloody! If you know what I¡¯m saying. Except, there would likely be no death. A shame really. But if someone accidentally dies or something in the match, that would be cool.


    More than the human performers, there would be a monster. Ooooh, I am very curious about them given that I have never seen one before. Finally gonna get a glimpse of one.


    I do hope to be entertained.


    When the preparation was done, I went down to the palace entrance where everyone would be meeting to go to the colosseum. The moment I get outside I will be going into serious mode, but I need to be even more aware and observant when I arrive at the colosseum. I already had a leisurely time yesterday, time to get back to work.


    Dammit, when am I going to have a lazy time?


    On the way, I played around with my bracelets of diamonds, yup, diamonds with silver! I¡¯m such a big-timer. Honestly, they really love covering me with jewelry and treasure¡­ even though I am already a treasure, hehehehe.


    I united with my family and began riding in our carriage. This time there were only two. With me are Estevan and my two parents, while Eleden was with you know who. We got up pretty early, so we shouldn¡¯t be late if we take our time getting there.


    Time passed and we arrived at the colosseum which was around the southeast part of the capital. It was so big, like damn. Could fill like more or less than 50,000 people? Do we even have that many people living here in the city? Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t matter, I guess. Important thing was that it was impressive.


    We were brought to the rear of the building and entered inside. We were first greeted by the supervisor of the festival, Lucious¡¯s uncle, Hevrik Fumine Vekenas. He rubbed his hands together as if relieving himself of anxiety before greeting us. It was a bit lengthy since he had to greet all of us.


    When that was done, he led us to the royal box where we could oversee the arena. I inhaled sharply the moment we entered our box, at the front I could see the countless people. Holy shit, I¡¯m gonna be in front of this amount of people? Fuuuuck. First time this ever happened. This was even more than the first day ¨C or perhaps because I was not able to see everyone.


    But still¡­


    Fuck it, whatever.


    I turned to look at the back side of the box and saw tables, and then inside my mind, narrowed my eyes at the dishes and desserts placed on them already. Strange, there should have been no food delivered yet. How do I know? That¡¯s because we the royal family should have been the ones to provide with our own servants.


    More than that, I know all proceedings and security procedures. Every single detail. I discussed and reviewed it with my father. And¡­ I precisely said not to let anyone else outside to prepare our food. That was indeed how it normally goes, but I still heavily suggested it. Too dangerous.


    And this was not part of the plan. Nor was this ever proposed. My chest burned in anger at the inconsistency, and my mind raced and became more alert.


    Who the fuck caused this?


    ¡°Oh, we have food, I don¡¯t think our servants have delivered yet?¡± I asked no one in particular.


    ¡°I prepared them, for you the royal family. As a surprise.¡± The one to respond was the Vekenas, the uncle. ¡°I have prepared special dishes, and to show my greatest resolve to his and her majesty, I will be here to serve you. Just call on me if you need anything.¡±


    You motherfucker.


    Unacceptable. Does he have any idea what he just pulled? This piece of shit. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s related to Lucious, but this? You just made things more dangerous for me.


    One of the most dangerous things was inconsistency. Inconsistencies are signs which could mean anything, but anything could mean everything.


    The Vekenas was smiling, but I see a strain in his smile. The edges kept going down slightly then back, as if he was forcing his smile. He was a little oily despite being morning, he could just be feeling warm. He had been rubbing his thumb to his own hand, I didn¡¯t notice that mannerism when we first met.


    ¡°My household, specifically my wife, prepared them. I hope everyone will like it. Truth be told, she was very nervous about offering the dishes to the royal family. Please feel free to check them later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you, Marquis.¡± My father responded. ¡°We¡¯ll be consuming them later then, we have only had our little breakfast. Give my thanks to your wife.¡±


    Hm? Father seemed to not be very bothered by it, in fact, he didn¡¯t seem too surprised. What? This does not ¡®normally¡¯ happen but does it happen often?


    ¡°Of course, I understand. Then, please sit.¡±


    I walked ahead first, faking it with a smile and prancing steps of excitement. But I was intending to look at the chairs first, at every one we are about to sit down. I first checked mine, it was clear. Then while I turned around and slowly taking a seat, I looked at the others.


    ¡­ Nothing weird.


    You¡¯ll never know, you know. There could needles there doused in poison. One prick and you could die. But still, I worry that I missed something, I didn¡¯t take quite a good look at every single one. That being said, I know this was just me being paranoid.


    When everyone sat down, there was no issue whatsoever. My parents, my brothers, and Lillie had no complaints.


    I wonder if my father also found it suspicious in any way, in my impression they were friends, maybe. I¡¯m afraid that might blind him. That being said, I need to think about what I can do myself in the future just in case. If it comes to it, I¡¯ll handle it myself, to make sure everything goes well. Remember the time I relied on others? Yeah, it failed.


    I turned my gaze at the Marquiz walking over to the side of the royals and stood, on standby for any order. It would seem I will need to keep an eye on him. Tch! There goes what was supposed to be my time of tiny leisure. Was intending to enjoy the fights a bit more, but that has gone to smoke.


    And I was pretty interested in how people fight in this world¡­


    Ugh.


    A few minutes of waiting later, a presenter stepped foot unto the arena with a cylinder object in his hand. The same one the high bishop used as some sort of microphone. Technology in this world was fascinating, although inferior, but fascinating, I want to get ahold of some items they have one day, things that look magical.


    I want to tinker around with them.


    The presenter greeted the audience and then proceeded to announce the presence of royalty. All of us in the VIP booth stood up, and my family with Lillie began waving in the deafening and echoing cheers of the people upon thousands.


    This number of people is insane, and I¡¯m one at the center of attention.


    As confident as I am with myself, still to face this number of people was a bit hard. I would have waved, but bear in mind I am the ever so innocent princess. Thus, I only stiffly smiled at everyone and stood.


    This reminded me of the time I first came to the cathedral, the silent treatment. Made me think the people here were not cheering for me at all. Ugh dammit, my self-esteem is taking damage ¡ª stop!


    When the waving was over, time to proceed to the main event. The presenter started with the rules and the reward of being the champion, then the fight with the monster later on.


    Ah yes, the monster. Oooh, very exciting. I never saw what one looks like, apparently there were many kinds. But I¡¯m still pretty excited to see one. I swear if they were just oversized animals, I¡¯ll be damn disappointed. But the knights fight them like they were big deals, so they may not be normal oversized animals.


    Is there an oversized hamster or puppy?


    Okay, ignore that thought.


    Then, it was time for the first duel.


    The knights with us stepped forward to the edge and held out their hands. They cast a spell and a transparent barrier formed to protect us. It was to protect us from misfires. Not only us, but knights deployed around the colosseum conjured barriers to protect the audience, creating a dome that covers the arena.


    I was already aware this would happen, that was why I was feeling a little safe. Not until this damn Marquis did something without telling us! Fuck you, Marquis!


    The presenter announced the participants.


    First was a man around his late twenties, with twin blades on his waist. He looked quite confident. His name was Rikus, and adventurer in the city. He was quite a high-ranking one as mentioned, so he should give a fair challenge, assuming that his enemy would be the same as him.


    He stopped at his side of the arena.


    Then it was time for his opposition.


    The next person that came in was named Taneva.


    He walked almost haughty, smiling widely as he peered around while mildly waving his hand. He was a handsome young man, I could tell from this distance, then he had long smoothly flowing bronze hair. In his hand was a plain simple spear, quality was no way near the weapons of his opposition.


    Even so, he seemed confident, with no sign of nervousness or stiffness at all. Which was a little bit disturbing given his weak weapon.


    But I suppose we should wait.


    The presenter let the two of them speak to each other ¡ª well, not speak but rather taunt each other. I couldn¡¯t hear what they were speaking of course. But the man Rikus seemed to feel confident about his victory, but Taneva gave a smirk of his own.


    When they were done, they stepped away from each other and kept a distance between each other at ten paces. The presenter left the arena, then a moment later, a trumpet roared signaling the start of the fight.


    The adventurer Rikus wasted no time and charged toward Taneva with his swords in hand. He moved faster than any normal human that if this was in my old world I would have screamed bullshit. But now I wasn¡¯t surprised, fighters in this world have skills that are considered normal here but not in my old world.


    Rikus was on the move to make his strike, however, Taneva failed to react. Or rather, perhaps he was too slow to respond? His eyes did seem to follow Rikus¡¯s movement, but perhaps his body was slower than his opponent''s. Taneva held his spear in both hands and placed the pole in front of him as if to block the attack he was anticipating.


    However, Rikus seemed to have expected this, and with swift feet, he slid behind Taneva. Taneva tried to turn around in response, but Rikus had already swung his blade, slashing Taneva¡¯s back. He immediately bled and collapsed to the ground.


    Hm, so much for a safe competition. And¡­ that was disappointing. I was expecting something special from his confidence. In any case, it was still in accordance with the rules, that slash wasn¡¯t fatal. I slightly covered my eyes with a hand, apparently bothered by the blood. But of course I was taking a peek. Hm, I¡¯m acting here but everyone¡¯s attention was on the fight¡­


    Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Taneva who collapsed on the ground suddenly stood up, his face lacked any sign of pain.


    He then spoke to Rikus. I can barely make up what they were saying, but Taneva should be saying something like ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Taneva sighed, looking genuinely disappointed. Then I surmised what he said next was ¡°You have nothing special.¡± I might have missed some, but you have to give me credit I could tell from this distance. But my guess consisted of assumptions, mostly, so take it with a grain of salt. I should learn the eye zooming spell thingy from the royal grimoire.


    Taneva appeared to continue speaking and Rikus looked like he was pretty offended and disturbed. He slashed Taneva¡¯s torso, prompting Taneva to step back in the attack but remained standing. The latter shook his head. It all seemed like he deliberately let Rikus strike him.


    ¡°What is going on? What is he thinking? Father?¡± Estevan asked Father, as he was pretty confused himself.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t understand. But any more, the fight must be stopped. Otherwise, he will bleed to death.¡±


    Yeah, he really took that deadly hit. Does he have a death wish or something? No one sane would do that. I wouldn¡¯t let even anyone do me like that.


    Then green light appeared on Taneva¡¯s hand, the light was so bright as he directed it at himself, I had a guess at what it was, but it didn¡¯t seem necessary to directly point the light at his wounds. All his bleeding stopped, and his wounds healed. My eyes widened at that powerful healing spell.


    I leaned forward and observed closely.


    Taneva flourished his spear and pointed the tip at his opponent. He stepped forward and did a strike. Rikus slashed his spear with his swords and tried to cut him, but Taneva trivially blocked his swords with the tip of his spear. He did it so casually that it was almost hilarious, like an adult playing with a child.


    Then as if tired of it, Taneva spun his spear and struck his opponent on the stomach with the bottom of his spear. Rikus¡¯s face distorted in sudden pain, causing a pause in his defense. Taking this opportunity, Taneva pulled back his spear, then with an arcing flourish, he stepped forward and slammed his spear on the back of his enemy.


    That knocked the sense out of his enemy, and Rikus fell to the ground.


    It went pretty easily to Taneva.


    Um¡­ was this normal? Was that what an average battle would look like? I was following Taneva¡¯s attacks, but you¡¯ll never know, you know.


    ¡°Huh, that was an impressive skill set.¡± my father remarked.


    ¡°Indeed, I imagine he would be around the level of an elite knight, at the level of Rogan.¡± Estevan added.


    Those two are so into this. Rogan, as the one mentioned, combed back his hair.


    ¡°Oh please, how could you say he¡¯s at my level with only seeing that, your highness? Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m something more?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s just what I think after seeing his movements and skills in the spear. Technique is still a deciding factor.¡±


    ¡°And magic. He also didn¡¯t use any magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed.¡±


    Seeing that Rikus was out of commission, Taneva was announced to be the winner of the duel. The crowd cheered, with some sad and disappointed. Looks like someone lost some bets. Might be wondering how I could tell¡­ there are some people close to us okay? Enough that I can roughly tell from their faces.


    Taneva bowed deeply at the royal booth and then waved at the crowd with a bright smile.


    What a weird guy. Who the hell takes some hits and then demolishes someone shortly after? You flexing or something? It¡¯s insane and almost stupid that someone just takes attacks as if they believe they were durable enough to take all kinds of attacks.


    I would rather take the first shot. Better safe than sorry.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    "Colosseum" has 3 parts.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 54: Colosseum (Part 2)

    This was honestly a battle of endurance, sort of say. You may have finished one battle, but you also have another one in the coming hours. There may be healers available at all times, but it will still be straining to the person in some ways.


    Hard the last battle may be, the next battle may even be harder. Thus, the ideal situation would be to take little damage and use little effort as much as possible in the early battles to save some energy. But that was easier said than done. Everyone in this tournaments works hard and fought hard. Only the bravest would try to join this tournament.


    Heh, I would not even try to join this stuff.


    Anyways, there was some weird one joining in this tournament ¡ª if I say some weird one, I meant one weird one. Namely, the participant named Taneva. Like what the hell¡¯s wrong with him? In this next battle, like before, allowed his opponent to hit him with an almost fatal attack. That guy¡¯s insane.


    Then after feeling some sort of disappointment, I guess, he starts beating his opponent no sweat. Almost like he found this tournament trivial. I don¡¯t want anything to do with that guy. Stay away from crazy to be safe, I say. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if he would just randomly ask me to stab him.


    That aside, he wasn¡¯t the only strong one here. There were plenty of contestants that ¡°played¡± around with their opponents. Some with strong martial arts, while some with magic, while some with pure skills.


    I was particularly fascinated by the spells being thrown around. That said, I was already familiar with what the spells they were using, I did read a lot of spells in my books. Still it was fun seeing how magic casters survive enemies that physically attacks and how the casters keep their distance. Was not easy of course, but doable.


    I took grapes from the bowl near me and gracefully ate. No need for concern, these particular grapes that we were currently eating were prepared by our own servants. Besides, I let Rogan eat a few before I ate myself. Hehe, needless to say Rogan was a little bitter about being a food tester, but that was expected of his job, so he had to do it.


    I did my best to comfort him though.


    We have not ate the Marquis¡¯s foods yet. They were still being food tested as they avoided procedures. Don¡¯t think you can just do anything out of the plan pretty easily. That¡¯s right, as I said before ¡ª Fuck you, Marquis!


    Despite that, I¡¯m still being wary about my surroundings here in this booth. Even I was still checking out the food testers if they¡¯re doing their job properly. So far, nothing weird yet. When they were done, the testers left, not ideal to leave the booth crowded.


    Alright boys and girls, looks like I¡¯m living today! Hehehehe.


    In all seriousness, the end of the day was still far ahead.


    Time passed and after many battles in the arena, an hour before noon, Marquis Vekenas approached the king and queen.


    ¡°Given that the servings have been checked, I am excited to show you the finest wine in my collection. Would you be interested to have a taste, your majesties?¡±


    ¡°I assume that your bottle of wine has been checked as well?¡± Father asked.


    ¡°Of course, you majesty. Protocols must be followed after all.¡±


    My father turned to mother, and the latter smiled and nodded her head. Then father returned to face the marquis.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll judge this wine of yours.¡±


    ¡°Shall I prepare a glass to each member of the family and the guests as well?¡±


    ¡°I have no problem with it, give me one.¡±


    ¡°Lillie and I will also accept your offer.¡±


    Estevan and Eleden agreed to have a sip of the wine. Then everyone turned to look at me.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Dear, you don¡¯t have to drink if you don¡¯t want to.¡± my mother said.


    I looked gently at the marquis, but behind my facade, I glared at him. Fucking casual!


    This game of his I am already too familiar with. Lack of evidence, but I know. Damn you.


    Tch, either way, I need to be certain.


    ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯ll have a little. The Marquis appears to be very confident about his wine.¡±


    On the contrary, he seemed to be hiding his nervousness. His smile was twitching ever so slightly that no one could easily notice, his gaze seemed to be a little troubled but being suppressed. He held his palms together as he spoke and rubbing them, but I noticed they were a little sweaty.


    This might be the pressure of anticipating what his hosts might think about what he was to offer, but this nervousness might be because of something else.


    The marquis bowed and proceeded to head to the back of the room where the table was set. I reached out for the back of my neck and unhooked my necklace that was given to me by Eleden. I grasped the gem.


    Everyone was busy with the intensifying fight in the arena, wisely timed. I poured mana into the gemstone and gave it the properties and attributes I wanted. The gemstone turned from red to white then silvery. But that was not all, the color was still shifting as I was still finding the right color. Then, I stopped when the gemstone reflected my beautiful face. It only took around three seconds.


    I subtly shifted my right hand to the right and faced the mirror to the back of the room.


    ¡°... Princess¡ª¡± Rogan picked up what I was doing and grew confused and was about to look back. I didn¡¯t see that he was about to look back, but that would be a normal human response to look where I was looking, so I assumed he was about to. I raised my left hand to stop him. He understood and he froze.


    I was giving the Marquis an opening he wanted.


    He took the bottle from the box, and true that was checked earlier. However¡­


    The Marquis prepared several glasses and placed them on top of a steel plate. After arranging the glasses, he opened the bottle and poured them into the empty glasses. When that was done, after placing back the bottle to the table, he paused.


    He turned his head slowly as if looking out of someone, or anyone. Then he turned in our direction. As he did so, I closed my fist for a moment. Afterwards, I looked at the reflection. He seemed to be pulling something out of his coat pocket.


    Shortly, with his back on my direction, I saw his arm motioned as if he was pouring something into the drink. Sneaky fuck. He was using his body as a cover, but I saw through it. Poison wouldn¡¯t work on the royals because we have anti-poison spells.


    However, this reminded me of the time when my chef tried to poison me.


    I noticed that he seemed to be pouring on different glasses.


    No way¡­


    I closed my fist and stood up from my seat. I cocked my head forward in front of Rogan, and he nodded. As I walked, I locked my necklace back to my neck.


    Then when I got close to the Marquis.


    ¡°Marquis, do you have a moment?¡±


    He froze for a moment before slowly moving his hand to his coat pocket. He turned around and I leaned a little to the side, there was a different color slowly mixing into the red wine. They have already blended too well, but saturation differs to a couple that I presume to still be clean.


    ¡°Princess, how may I serve you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really, I just want to talk to you.¡±


    I walked over to the side of the table and looked at the covered dishes. I raised a lid and inhaled.


    ¡°You have prepared quite an impressive group of cuisines.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your highness¡­¡±


    He was restless a little, but he was suppressing it. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t get past my eyes.


    ¡°That aside, I just want to speak with you, and perhaps get to be acquainted.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, that¡¯s a surprise. I didn¡¯t expect this,¡± he said as he stole a glimpse at Rogan.


    ¡°Well¡­ you are Lucious¡¯s uncle. Um,¡± I blushed a little. ¡°I want to hear what you think about him. And knowing that you are related, I think it is best to hear it from you.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so what do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can rely on him?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°You are quite close, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t have an answer yourself?¡±


    ¡°I have strange feelings¡­ I want to hear the thoughts of others.¡±


    ¡°Well, he seemed to be serious about you, if that is what you want to know. Seeing how important you are to him, I¡¯m sure you can rely on him.¡±


    I touched my fingers together. ¡°Does¡­ Does Lucious have other women that¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean, ah, if I remember correctly, yes there are women that have an interest in him in their family¡¯s neighboring domain.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry princess. He hadn¡¯t pursued anyone else, in the past or the present. Honestly, to think he would fall in love with the princess and try to aim for your heart.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, but rather difficult.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    ¡°To make things easier for him, he would need to reach a higher rank. But I guess anything is possible, the choice falls to you in the end.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ Thank you, Marquis.¡±


    I gazed at the wine of glasses and reached out for what I recall were the clean ones. The suspicious substance had blended with the wine leaving no traces, but I have memorised which one¡¯s which. With a clean wine in my hand, I timidly swirled it.


    ¡°This is a bit hard for me¡­ Oh, as thanks, what about we drink together, Marquis?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I picked up one of the tainted wine glasses and offered it to him.


    ¡°Come on, take it, please drink with me.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± he hesitantly took the glass.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you take the lead given that you are more experienced in liquors.¡±


    ¡°Um, princess, shouldn¡¯t we drink with¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, everyone else is still busy. Come now.¡±


    I extended my hand and waited for him. He hesitantly clinked with my glass and I stared at his eyes with a friendly smile.


    This was supposed to be the part where he starts drinking. However¡­


    ¡°Marquis, what¡¯s wrong? Come on, drink. Is there a problem?¡±


    He looked at the glass of wine in his hand then at my innocent face.


    ¡°... P-Princess I¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm? You seem troubled, Marquis.¡±


    He held his stomach as if in pain.


    ¡°Pardon me, princess, my stomach doesn¡¯t feel well.¡±


    ¡°Just a little won¡¯t do?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no I mean that I will need to excuse myself for a moment.¡±


    I deliberated whether to kill him right here and then, or expose him. However, I cannot think of a motive why he would kill the royal family. He didn¡¯t seem to be treated harshly, my family were not cruel. In fact, he was even given the chance to be the supervisor of the festival.


    So why?


    Should I expose him? However, if he was pressured to do so, it would complicate things. I looked around at my surroundings. If he was exposed and captured, he might be killed before we get anything from him. Hard to protect him without knowing where the enemy might strike if all things fail.


    That aside, I have a desire. A desire that has been slowly gnawing me down.


    Besides, I believe a one on one session would be the most ideal and safest. Not only would the hidden opponents that might be there would not expect it, people should be a little more honest when in private. I need to be careful. He might be being blackmailed for all I know, depending on the value, he might be a hard nut to crack. I also don¡¯t want to suddenly lose him.


    The safest route¡­ I wonder¡­ I need to choose one route.


    The best route¡­ to handle this myself.


    Can¡¯t rely on anyone else. Father? Things would need to go through process and protocols, will open a gap and expose the situation to a lot of people. Also too slow. Rogan? What¡¯s he going to do? Estevan? No. Eleden? Useless, too soft to do what¡¯s necessary and occupied with his love life. Mother? Out of the question.


    I¡¯m doing this my way. I believe in myself more than anyone.


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Then, you can go ahead.¡±


    He returned his glass to the steel plate and left the booth in a hurry.


    The marquis¡­ is my prey.


    I looked at the trey of wine. Best to get rid of them before someone accidentally drink them.


    ¡°Princess? What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, Sir Rogan.¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­ what are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll take these to everyone.¡±


    I picked up the plate and took a step forward. But I made a misstep and almost slipped to the floor, but that in turn cause the entire contents of the plate to fall to the ground, the glasses shattered and the wine scattered to the floor.


    ¡°Princess!¡±


    Everyone turned at me while Rogan assisted me up.


    ¡°Oh no, I made a mess ¡ª I¡­¡±


    My father immediately rushed towards me. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry father, I was intending to bring the drinks to everyone. I, I was only trying to help.¡±


    Father sighed and then patted my head. ¡°Important thing is that you¡¯re alright. Where is the Marquis anyway? I thought he was the one make the serve.¡±


    ¡°He said his stomach was not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well then, let¡¯s just go back to our seats. Let the servants clean this up, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ And I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡±


    ***


    There was a couple of battle after lunch, then after that was the finals. At lunch though, we left the booth and went to a private room for the royal family right around this colosseum, so basically the food in the booth were a bit wasted ¡ª or completely wasted, can¡¯t really say when we can eat them whenever we want still.


    As for the Marquis though, he came back after lunch, he seemed demotivated. But still, I wouldn¡¯t give him another chance. Thus, after having our lunch, I instructed Rogan to stand by the wall that can oversee the entire booth, this of course counts the back part. There should have been a guard or something that can see the entire booth ¡ª but perhaps the Marquis did some work on that, or that the guards were a little distracted. Could be both to be honest. In any case, the Marquis¡¯s attempts were unexpected to everyone, so that could be understood.


    As for the tournament, the suicidal man Taneva reached the finals and was on his way to battle his final enemy. Taneva was disturbingly strong. Heck I don¡¯t think I even saw him fight someone with a struggling face. Could it be that his enemies were just a bunch of sticks? I have no damn idea.


    But let¡¯s see, there sure was a bit of challenge the more enemies he fight, meaning his enemies were getting stronger. Now in this final duel of his, I assume his opponent would be no easy guy.


    Honestly, we should have mic right near them so we can hear what they¡¯re saying, that would have been interesting.


    They started fighting, but everything went on the same as before. Taneva deliberately received an attack, only to heal himself afterwards then start fighting back. But it would seem this wouldn¡¯t be an easy game for Taneva compared to the others.


    His opponent was actually giving a good fight. They attacked, they blocked. Magic emerged from Taneva¡¯s opponent¡¯s weapon, raw magic from using armament magic. The opponent seemed to be using physical enhancement as well judging from the way the ground cracked and rattled when he leaped back or forward.


    Taneva was handling his opponent very well, dodging them with no problem. That¡¯s the troubling part, Taneva was able to dodge the attacks easily, but he seemed to be having trouble getting through his enemy¡¯s defense. But he appeared to still be pretty chill about about it, can¡¯t tell if he was playing around or just that he had a pretty good poker face.


    As time passed, the battle intensified, Taneva¡¯s opponent seemed to be slowing down. Getting tired most likely. Taking this opportunity, Taneva ramped up his attack and slammed the blunt of his spear, hitting his enemy at multiple spots. His opponent tried counterattacking, but Taneva would evade or parry them.


    Until eventually, after all of those hard and painful hits, Taneva¡¯s opponent kneeled in pain. Taneva pointed his spear at his enemy¡¯s face and spoke ¡ª he must be saying admit defeat or something.


    After that, his opponent dropped his weapon and raised both hands, signifying his surrender.


    The crowd cheered deafeningly loud. Taneva got himself hundreds or perhaps thousands of supporters. The presenter stood beside Taneva and lifted his hand declaring him the victor. Taneva smiled proudly at the audience then looked up at us.


    Father stood up from his seat and received the sound amplifier crystal from the servant.


    ¡°Congratulation, Mr. Taneva. Truly your show of strength and skills baffled yet impressed us all. Your reward awaits! However, before that, another challenge awaits you. Will you accept this challenge? If you do, know that your enemy will be a monster, one of the fiercest in our land. It is the monster hailed as the Steelreaver!¡±


    A great number of the crowd gasped audibly.


    Um, what¡¯s that? Should I be scared and disturbed as well?


    I¡¯m sooorrryyyy for being ignorant ¡ª shut it.


    The presenter gave the amplifier to Taneva. Then, for the first time, I heard his voice.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take on the challenge.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 55: Colosseum (Part 3)

    Taneva was given only two hours to rest and revitalize, which would be like pretty harsh after all the fights he just went to today. But I guess that¡¯s why this place was called the Arena of Perseverance, ¡®cause that¡¯s fucked up. But I guess that¡¯s just that for me.


    If anyone wants to know, the marquis was still pretty behaved, I gave him no opening after all. So everything¡¯s should be safe for now.


    Given that Taneva has some time to rest, I have nothing else to do but sit around, I¡¯m not really in the mood to eat. I did not have the luxury to enjoy. Well at least Estevan was trying to talk to me, it was mainly about the matches though, all that I could give was some ¡®oh yes¡¯, ¡®that¡¯s impressive¡¯, ¡®fascinating¡¯, and so on.


    He¡¯s the sweetest.


    Then, the time came, Taneva entered the Arena, waving casually at the cheering crowd. Dude, hard to tell whether the crowd just wants to see humanity win or they¡¯re just a bunch of bloodthirsty folks that just want someone to die. I mean, it¡¯s a monster ¡ª ugh whatever, I¡¯m not getting paid enough to think deeply about this. He dies, he dies. No loss for me. Besides, no way our people are that kind of people, and I mean that in the most serious way possible.


    The presenter entered and said some introductory stuff and then came the time to bring the beast!


    A giant gate opened up, and several knights emerged from the darkness, rope over their shoulders as they all pulled something into the Arena. Judging from how they struggle it should be quite heavy, meaning it was massive.


    Oh oh oh, I¡¯m so excited!


    Then a cage slowly came out of the gate, slowly revealing what was imprisoned inside. I leaned forward with wide eyes.


    Woah.


    It was a massive beast indeed! It was like five or six times the size of an adult lion. The beast was being tied by chains even from the inside of the sizeable cage, keeping it pinned to the floor.


    Its fur mainly had the color brown and a little black. Its teeth were coming out of its mouth, so sharp and I could already tell the strength of its bite, one that could bite me in half without breaking a sweat. Its four legs feature talon-like razor-sharp claws. It had a tail that was tied down, but I can tell it was long, the point of it had some sort of shell, a sharp one, that reminded me of a scorpion¡¯s. Then the freakiest of all, it had four sharp bloodshot eyes glaring all around.


    Fuck, this was so bizarre but thrilling. Amazing! So that¡¯s what a monster looks like?! Yeah, I¡¯ll keep away from it, fuck that. To be honest, I was a little disappointed, I mean, it¡¯s just like an oversized lion. Hmm, maybe that¡¯s why they also refer to it as a beast. But, this should be one of the many so-called ¡°monsters¡±, there must be truly horrifying ones. I imagined monsters as you know, repulsive or horrifying ones.


    But hey, this was a good start, should help when I see one in the future, I won¡¯t be more shaken or dumbfounded. Maybe the uglier the more dangerous it is.


    The monster called the Steelreaver rattled the chains as it writhed, longing for release.


    The presenter cleared himself out of the arena and Taneva got into position. The gates were closed and were made sure that they were sealed properly. The knights waited for the signal as they positioned themselves right next to a group of chains connected to the cage itself.


    They lifted up the chains, and when the horn sounded, they pulled, unlocking the cage. At the same time, they rushed out of the arena and leaped up to the audience stand where then that part was covered by a barrier.


    The metal bars fell to the ground and the chains pinning the beast loosened, on which the beast slowly stood up and slid off the chains. It glared around frighteningly and then its eyes saw Taneva.


    It seemed to growl, aaaw it¡¯s just a like a cat ¡ª kidding! Yeah, that ain¡¯t no cat.


    Don¡¯t like cats anyway, puppies are better and cuter.


    The beast crouched while glaring at its prey, then it lunged. Taneva swiftly dodged out of the way and stabbed the beast in the side. Huh, he didn¡¯t try receiving its attack. Hm, I guess he would die if he did.


    The beast leaped away the moment it was stabbed by the spear. It really is agile despite its size. It roared and suddenly its body began bulging and squirming. Then suddenly from underneath its fur, heads suddenly grew out.


    Ugh! Oooh, what the fuck is that?! Egh! Yuck!


    Ew! What came out was covered in blood, and not just one, there were four! They had heads like a lizard, and then a body like a snake, they were all rooted in the monster¡¯s body.


    I didn¡¯t expect that at all! Now that¡¯s a monster! Holy shit! Keep that away from me!


    It¡¯s looking less like a giant lion and more like a mix of different oversized animals stitched together. And the way the snake shits slither ugh, I hate reptiles fuuuck.


    The snakes snapped at Taneva, he dodge but he failed against another. It bit his arm. It wouldn¡¯t let go due to its firm jaws, so he thrust his spear into its throat, piercing it through the other side.


    The snake apparently felt the pain seeing that it recoiled and released him, surprising it was still alive. Wait, I imagined that its skin would be hard, if so, how strong was Taneva? He definitely used physical enhancement.


    Taneva then smirked, he waved his hand and a fireball suddenly emerged shooting towards the beast. But the snakes blocked the ball. Either way, he fired a couple more fireballs while running towards it.


    He dodged and stabbed a snake head coming at him directly into its forehead, it staggered and writhed before falling limp. The other heads seemed to be in shock, and he took this chance to fire two fireballs at the main body, hitting it and setting it ablaze.


    The beast ran away to keep its distance from the incoming Taneva. It shook its body to get rid of the flames, but a little remained.


    That was surprising, that thing seemed to be smarter than I thought, it kept its distance and used the snakes to attack at a certain range. Come oooon, a smart monster, you gotta be kidding me. Can¡¯t we just have a stupid thing that just charges? But I guess even normal animals have a level of intelligence. I¡¯m just saying stupid enemies are much easier to deal with.


    Lightning crackled and scattered from Taneva¡¯s hand, striking all of the remaining snakes. The snakes were electrified so hard that they were smoking a little. Using this chance while they were neutralized, Taneva rushed to the beast.


    The beast tried to run away, but then Taneva threw his spear at it so strong that left white streaks as it went. The spear struck the soft neck of the beast, and it cried loudly. Then Taneva fired another lightning strike again, directly at the spear. Damn, the metal tip of the spear really be getting all that electricity.


    The beast grew numb, but before it could react, Taneva was already right next to it and pulled the spear out only to stab it into its eye. Taneva pushed the spear further into its eye. The beast was about to push him away but Taneva electrified it again before pushing the spear even more intensely. Then eventually, the spear got through its head, and the beast froze and instantly collapsed to the ground, the snakes completely stopped writhing as well.


    Seeing that the monster has been slain, the people in the arena erupted into cheers way louder and more powerful than any before.


    Taneva stepped away from the monster and waved at the crowd with a wide smile. The audience was full of energy having to witness a single human take down a monster where a normal human would die upon facing it. I mean, I also can¡¯t tell if I can take one down myself, but I¡¯m not willing to try. Besides, my enemies were not monsters, but technically like humans ¡ª humanoids? While some others can transform into a beast ¡ª ah crap¡­


    My father congratulated Taneva after the crowd¡¯s cheers dwindled. Made a declaration of victory and some speech for him. Then some finishing touches like fireworks ¡ª like one from the start of the festival.


    Then after that, the tournament was over. But Taneva was invited to a private room where his reward would be waiting and where royalty will be speaking with him. I will be included. Besides, I¡¯m curious what he¡¯s like up close.


    We left our booth and made our way to the private room, all of us that were in the booth, including the knights and the Marquis. The private room was adequately spacious and grandly designed, befitting of royals, like me!


    We sat down on our special chairs and waited for the champion to arrive. Several seconds later, a knocking came from the door and one of the knights took a peek and announced to us that it was the one we were waiting for. My father gave permission to let him in.


    The door opened and a knight first entered followed by Taneva. He kneeled in front of us.


    ¡°Greetings, your majesties.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Taneva, I am pleased to finally see you this close.¡± my father said. ¡°Your matches were sublime. Where did you train, if I may ask?¡±


    Taneva smiled. ¡°Anywhere, your majesty.¡±


    That was quite a vague statement, even father was for a moment dazed.


    ¡°I see. I have not become aware of your existence before, where do you hail from?¡±


    ¡°I have no residence anywhere. I am just wandering eternally until my life ends.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you might have encountered a lot of opponents in your travels then, that may explain the level of skills you showed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I decided to try out your tournament. Although, it was disappointing.¡±


    The knights around gloomed. It took some nerve to say to a king that his tournament was disappointing.


    ¡°Although I have expected it to be as such,¡± he added.


    ¡°I see. What do you find disappointing?¡±


    ¡°I did not find what I was searching for, none of the challengers was able to give it to me.¡±


    ¡°Are you perhaps searching for a challenge?¡±


    That may be it, he was strong after all. Perhaps he was bored to death that no one can match up to him and give him a good fight.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all. In any case, your majesty, may I receive my reward?¡±


    ¡°... Of course.¡±


    My father signaled a servant and the latter brought a bag of coins to Taneva, two of them in fact. One for the human fight, and the other for winning against the monster.


    Taneva received them.


    ¡°Is there anything else you wish for? Perhaps we can give it to you.¡± my father said. All of us turned to look at him, a little surprised.


    ¡°Hm.¡± he seemed to ponder, and then his eyes shifted towards me.


    It only took a moment before he remove his gaze from me.


    ¡°No, I have no wish to make.¡±


    He stood up. ¡°I will take my leave.¡±


    Without waiting for anyone¡¯s say, he left the room with a smirk on his face.


    ***


    We returned to the palace, and after retiring to my room for a while, I gathered my servants to the room we always used during lessons. I stood by the window and gazed outside, it was now dark as the sun had just set. I was thinking about the earlier events, my servants seemed to have realized my mood as they remained quiet.


    ¡°Lock the door.¡±


    I said, and Mera quickly locked the door with an audible click.


    ¡°Your highness, what is this about?¡± Vernon daringly asked.


    I stared at him for a moment with a blank expression. ¡°Say, tell me about Marquis Vekenas.¡±


    ¡°Lord Lucious¡¯s uncle? What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ tell me how close he is with my father.¡±


    Vernon placed his hand on his chin. ¡°I can say they are friends, a bit close, but not very very close. He and his family have been serving loyally to the crown ever since the Marquis went into power.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Indeed, better I take care of this on my own to speed things up and safer for the intel.


    ¡°Princess, may I ask what this sudden interest with the Marquis is for?¡± Vernon inquired.


    ¡°Nothing. He caught my eye.¡±


    Rogan stepped forward. ¡°This has something to do with what happened earlier in the booth?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°... Her highness suddenly approached him, and stuff happened, nothing of note. But it was weird¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rogan¡­¡±


    Rogan paused and turned to look at me, he understood what I was trying to say, and he sealed his mouth.


    ¡°Why the secrecy, your highness?¡± Vernon narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You have nothing to be concerned about. Think nothing and only answer my questions.¡±


    ¡°... Very well.¡± he hesitantly agreed.


    ¡°Now then, tell me about his family.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has two children, still around ten years old, I think. Wife is well, and active in the social circle.¡±


    ¡°Can the Marquis fight?¡±


    ¡°Fight¡­?¡±


    ¡°His magical abilities, physical skills, et cetera.¡±


    ¡°... To my knowledge, he has not honed his overall fighting capabilities. He has a good amount of mana as a noble, but he didn¡¯t train it much. His wife is more skilled in magic than him. He focuses most on office work.¡±


    He¡¯s like Eleden then, and Lucious. Nobles that were not trained for combat. But his wife? Huh, noble ladies have some secrets. But that was good. I am already aware of where the Marquis¡¯s manor was and the routes available, learned that stuff in my lessons, and I already have the map memorized.


    I inhaled sharply.


    ¡°Is there anything else I should know about him?¡±


    ¡°Your highness, I don¡¯t know what it is you truly want to know about him, so I couldn¡¯t tell.¡±


    I turned and faced him. ¡°What makes him dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Dangerous¡­? I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s not very noteworthy in anything that involves danger.¡±


    A weak man, then? If that¡¯s the case, then it could mean he was not only physically weak but emotionally as well. Even so, that was just a hypothesis, so I could be wrong.


    Not that it matters much.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I sat down on the nearby chair.


    ¡°Are you suspecting him with something, princess? If so, I suggest telling your father.¡±


    ¡°No need. This is only a little doubt, no need to be so concerned.¡±


    My servants looked at each other, puzzled.


    ¡°We are done here. Swear to me that you will not tell anyone about what happened in this room, not what we talked about, not anything. This meeting didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    One by one they swore.


    ***


    The night has deepened, it was late, a little more than an hour before midnight. The moon was covered by the night clouds. I took a breath of tranquility before closing the curtains.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I turned to look at the daggers and straps placed on the bed. Then I went over to the case where my clothes were and then brought out the special outfit I had the tailor specially made. I caressed the wardrobe and smiled.


    I removed my dress, exposing my beautiful skin and body. I slipped into the torso and the fine shorts, then locked in the belts of those two before wearing the boots that almost reached my knees and tied the laces tightly.


    I straightened my sleeves and stretched my body, the outfit stretched with me, magnificent. I then picked up the leather straps from the bed and tied them on my thighs, one on each. I placed the small and medium daggers into their tight sheathes. Then I tied the belt on my waist, placing medium size on my sides.


    Then lastly, I pulled out the special dagger from its box. There was gold along its hilt and some silver. Then on its guard, there were fine carvings of flower petals. At the center of the blade were lines of gold and shapes of flower petals and vines highlighted by a golden hue. A beautiful dagger.


    I caressed the blade, savoring it, before sheathing it behind my waist.


    I stood in front of the mirror, admiring my cool and stylish outfit of black. One that will allow me to move with more flexibility and mobility, and allow me to blend in with the darkness. It was so beautiful and amazing to the eye.


    I rounded up my hair on the back of my head, like a bun, while leaving some hanging, then used hair sticks to hold them.


    I finally brought out the detachable black hood that was included in the outfit and wore it around my neck, and then drew it in to cover my head before pulling my hair outward.


    I nodded in satisfaction and walked over to the window, set aside the curtains, and opened the glass window before stepping onto the windowsill.


    Time to hunt.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 56: A Devil In Disguise (Part 1)

    A shadowy figure moved in the darkness, a small distortion in the eyes of anyone that would luckily see it, but of course, none would have the chance. Even the castle guards patrolling the grounds and the walls would fail to see it.


    The shadow jumped to the rooftop with the wind on the bottom of its legs, following its bidding. Its movement was swift yet graceful and elegant, its form was perfection itself. It was like a bird ¡ª no, rather, a beautiful hunting beast finally freed from its shackles.


    That beast had found its target after a long time of enduring its hunger.


    After it passed over the roof, it peered unto the battlements where soldiers stood guard, torches, and lamps giving them light to fight the darkness. It waited for an opportunity, and when it came, it flew past the walls with extreme silence and nonchalance.


    None saw it pass by.


    The figure dove into the forest like diving into the water, but before hitting the ground, the wind engulfed it and it shot upward before entering the forest. It went through branches, and small crevices, it did it all without a break of momentum. The leaves on the trees shook as it went passed by.


    The figure, or to be precise, the princess of the kingdom, smiled in delight. She never felt so liberated in a long time. She felt so much joy at finally moving as she wanted, it was as if her heart was about to explode in the warmth of happiness and freedom.


    She could traverse this forest with her wind while going through risky maneuvers for hours, and she would still feel happy about it. She felt more liberated than the freedom ever granted to her in her former life. But she cannot remain in bliss forever, her target cannot remain an annoyance, a risk, a threat. And thus, she was about to do something she once did, a part of her that she would never reject, but rather embrace and welcome. There may be sides she disliked, but the rest she accepted.


    Perhaps that was because she was nurtured that way, or that was all she knew. But it didn¡¯t matter. She was the way she was, and she was honest to herself.


    And one of that honesty was to acknowledge the rage she was feeling inside. A rage bottled up inside her heart, one that was not pleasant to keep, it never was. She wished for many things, envy many things, wanted to experience what she wanted to experience, live the way she wanted. And yet, she was denied that chance in so many ways.


    She was at an edge.


    With wrath raging in her heart and soul, she made her way to her target.


    High above in the air, beyond her gaze, dark fogs that completely blended with the darkness, watched her with shock. Disbelief was also among the other things they felt as they witnessed her movements. They never expected such a thing, too shocking that they began to question who she was for a tiny moment.


    But they, the Cursed Children, were certain it was her.


    Multiple figures of men appeared amidst each dark fog, dumbfounded as they tracked the princess with their eyes. Their entire bodies were covered, even their faces were covered by masks or clothes, not even a tiny amount of skin to be seen.


    ¡°Is she a fool? What is she intending to do?¡±


    ¡°You would call her a fool?¡± one man seemed to be particularly offended. ¡°What about I pull your throat out and feed you to the wolves until you fully regenerate, hm? Respect the goddess¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°You are a fool as well, protecting the blood of who caused our curse!¡±


    ¡°We deserved it.¡±


    ¡°The sin of one is not the sin of all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it was.¡±


    Suddenly, another fog approached. ¡°Stop your bickering lest I have you return home.¡±


    One stood down but the other glared at the new arrival. ¡°Heneis, what do you plan to do now?¡±


    ¡°You will stay here, watch over the palace. Stay on guard.¡±


    ¡°You would prevent me from approaching her eminence?!¡±


    Heneis, the leader of the Cursed Children, grab ahold of the man¡¯s throat and tightened his grip. ¡°I allowed you to come here on the condition of following my orders. Do not break our deal.¡±


    ¡°You hold us away from our destiny.¡±


    ¡°I am leading us to our future.¡±


    ¡°Your future is bleak, dimmed in the cowardice of escaping from our ancestors¡¯ sin.¡±


    ¡°What happened is in the past, now be quiet. Stay here with the others, and keep watch of our enemies. You don¡¯t want her ¡°eminence¡± to perish, don¡¯t you? So calm down.¡±


    The man growled before being released. Heneis decided to tolerate him for now, it was understandable since it was night time, everyone was agitated with all the pain they were going through. This curse pushes them to the edge every night.


    Heneis was one strong enough to get a grip of himself and remain calm as much as possible.


    He then proceeded to point at the ones that would come with him in following the princess to wherever she may intend to go. Because of the bizarreness of her actions, Heneis deemed it was best to observe for a while, the unknown when it came to the princess only increased, he needed more leverage if he wished to manipulate the princess into following him.


    ***


    The Marquis, Hevrik Fumine Vekenas, gazed fondly at his two sons on the couch reading a book altogether. He leaned his elbow on the table, enjoying the smiles and the cuteness of his twin children. He was proud of them, they showed promise, and they were particularly smart in their studies. Although their interests were divided, one wanted to be a knight, while the other wanted scholarly duties.


    He envisioned the future, his sons all grown up. One was among the knights of the kingdom, renowned as one of the elites in the order, a dashing, hero-like figure. While the other was a proud diplomat who represented the nation in other countries and successfully made allies and had great contributions to the nation.


    Such a bright vision. But could such a thing come to pass?


    That was the question that snapped Hevrik back from his imagination. His feet began to feel cold as he recalled what he attempted to do earlier today. It was treason, but he was unsuccessful. He didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or upset. He wasn¡¯t certain which one he should fear the most.


    He looked at his children again. If he was ever discovered, things wouldn¡¯t end well for his children, and for his wife as well. So perhaps should he be happy that he failed? But now that he failed, he was afraid of something else as well.


    Perhaps, only if the mysterious princess didn¡¯t intervene, things might have ended differently. He was feeling suspicious at that interaction with her, something felt different, as if he was seen through. But he deemed it was his paranoia that made him think that way, he was too apprehensive at that time. Either way, he did not believe that the princess have seen through him, after all, she only asked about his nephew.


    But even so, it was because of her that things didn¡¯t go the way he expected. But then again, he didn¡¯t know what would be the most terrible outcome, him succeeding or failing. It all came to the hands of those in power.


    But now that he had failed, he wished people would leave him alone. But that was not a possibility unless he convinced them.


    ¡°Something troubling you, dear?¡± suddenly, a voice he so loved spoke from behind him, and a hand gently clasped his shoulders.


    Without looking back, he held the hand softly holding him. Her touch alone brought him great relief. ¡°Nothing particularly troubling. I was just thinking about how I miss your cooking. Having to eat them again was wonderful, thank you.¡±


    He looked up at his beautiful wife, the treasure in his eyes.


    His treasure smiled sweetly at him. ¡°You have been working hard, so I prepared my special dishes for you. I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±


    ¡°You were there with me the entire time, that helped me a lot. Don¡¯t worry, the festival¡¯s about to end, after that, we can go on a short outing. How about it?¡±


    ¡°That would be delightful indeed. Where would we go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking something along the lines of a simple picnic. Just us family.¡±


    ¡°I like it. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Hevrik kissed his wife¡¯s hand and forced a smile. It was getting late, thus they approached their children.


    ¡°Alright you two, time to go to sleep.¡±


    He said to them while confiscating the book from their hands.


    ¡°Aw, it was becoming interesting.¡±


    ¡°...¡± one merely pouted.


    ¡°You can continue reading it tomorrow. Now let¡¯s go up.¡± his wife said to them and the children followed.


    The couple entered the two children¡¯s room, which had two separate beds. Soon, they will need to have separate rooms, but as twins, they preferred to stay together. But once they reach at least twelve years old, they have no choice but to have separate rooms.


    They tucked them in and kissed them on the foreheads before shutting off their lights and closing the door. Subsequently, the couple came to their room.


    Hevrik¡¯s wife raised an eyebrow. ¡°Will you not change to your sleeping attire?¡±


    ¡°I have somewhere to be tonight.¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­ What is it about?¡±


    ¡°Some business partners that have crucial matters that I need to address.¡±


    ¡°Why does it have to be this late in the night?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the festival, it¡¯s hard to make vacant time.¡±


    His wife lowered her head. ¡°... I understand.¡± she appeared to be sad.


    ¡°I love you, Beia.¡± he approached and held her hands. ¡°You are the brightest treasure in our castle, my light in the darkness.¡± he kissed her on the forehead.


    ¡°My light will always remain with you. I love you.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    "A Devil In Disguise" has 8 parts.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 57: A Devil In Disguise (Part 2)

    Hevrik lingered in his office while drinking a hot tea by his desk, his heart racing gradually at every second that passed. He already wore a presentable outfit for formal occasions. He could have gone ahead, but he needed time to calm down.


    The one he would be meeting was not to be trifled with, absolutely. They could do anything to him if they wanted, thus he was trying to think of a way for him to survive. He sighed and finished his tea. In the end he could not stay here forever, he needs to face the deadly threat head-on.


    Now his cup empty he turned to his window and took in a deep breath. About less than an hour now before midnight. The meeting spot was not that far, and he had already gone there before, he knew how much time it takes to arrive there, thus he should be able to get there in time.


    He left his office and traversed the empty manor halls, everyone else including the servants have been sent to their rooms to rest for the day. Guards may be designated outside the building, but they will not be coming with him.


    When he exited the front doors, a carriage was already waiting for him. The coachman tipped his head to greet the Marquis.


    ¡°Good evening, Marquis.¡±


    ¡°Evening, Eto. How¡¯s the wife?¡±


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    ¡°A second child then, congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I hope for it to be a daughter this time.¡±


    ¡°Not a son?¡±


    ¡°For variety. Already have a son who¡¯s totally stubborn, I don¡¯t want another one. A daughter might save me from the stress.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I suppose it would.¡±


    The Marquis opened the door of the carriage. ¡°Same place last time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    When he got in, the carriage began moving and left through the gates.


    ***


    Eventually they arrived at their destination, it should be around the strike of midnight now. Although the carriage stopped a small distance away from the point of meeting as the coachman had no business hearing nor seeing anything. He was a loyal servant, Hevrik helped him on some occasions and saved his wife when she was sick by giving them medicines.


    That being said, there were things even a loyal servant must not learn about their master. Even now, the servant only knew that this meeting was a meeting with a business partner, and nothing else. Something top secret that it needed to be taken place in a secluded area.


    Never does anyone knew that what was discussed here would harm the kingdom severely.


    ¡°Behave as always, we don¡¯t want to disturb my accomplices.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The meeting place was surrounded by vegetation and trees, the ground filled with grass, and insects sounded in the area. No one particularly lived here now as people were moved closer to where the people were centered, to enhance traffic, as was said. In particular, to develop the traffic of goods.


    Now, what remained here was an old house made up of bricks and wood, the roof had already gone with only the walls remaining. But to Hevrik¡¯s surprise, a lone person was already standing by the door. He appeared to have been waiting.


    They were early.


    The guard in the cloak with a hood covering his head, glared at him before opening the old wooden door. Inside was a man in average clothing sitting on a chair, the hood of his cloak drawn over his head, his hand playing on the table.


    He turned to look at Hevrik with displeasure apparent on his face.


    ¡°Sit.¡± he briefly said.


    Hevrik complied with no hesitation. ¡°My apologies¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, you failed. It made a great setback to our plan. For such a simple thing, you are a disappointment.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If we at least had the king killed, it could have shaken the entire kingdom, just enough for us to grab the opportunity. But now¡­¡±


    Hevrik bit his lip. These people¡¯s target was the head of the kingdom, all in order to continue with their devious plan. A plan that will bring chaos upon Hevrik¡¯s dear homeland. He would have fought against them, but he cannot, they have ahold of his weakness.


    ¡°If you have succeeded, we would have given you an enviable position in the new regime. But, if you fail, remember what we discussed? Come on, say it.¡±


    Hevrik lowered his head. ¡°My head, and my family¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m surprised you even dared to show your face here. Need I tell you this isn¡¯t bravery but rather foolishness?¡±


    ¡°There is still a chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Hevrik clenched his fists. ¡°The festival is yet to be over, I will find an opportunity in the next event.¡±


    ¡°Did you not even think that you are already suspected?¡±


    ¡°If they did, I would not be here now.¡±


    ¡°... I suppose. But you failed the deal, that was a one time opportunity. A clean one. And the poison, that¡¯s all we had.¡±


    ¡°I still have enough for one cup.¡±


    The man scrutinized him. ¡°... Very well. You and your family will be spared for now. But if you fail tomorrow, everything ends for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely do not fail. Kill the king, add the queen as a bonus if you can. Myra¡¯s guard is tightening, and Wisteria is bolstering its army, moving more soldiers to their borders. If it fails tomorrow, we will have to delay. I would be deeply displeased if that happens, you and your family¡¯s fate will not be a swift death.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Coming here is not a waste, after all. Remember, if you get discovered and apprehended, mark my words, you won¡¯t reach a jail cell.¡±


    Hevrik understood that all too well, he will likely even be taken down on the spot without being able to say anything.


    ¡°We are dismissed.¡± The man stood up with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint, Marquis.¡±


    Hevrik remained sitting as he watched them go and disappear into the darkness. It was at that moment he let out a heavy sigh, the weight on his back lightened a little. He controlled his breathing.


    I need to finish this.


    He could not handle it any longer. He cannot bear the thought of his family under threat. Thus, he must kill the king tomorrow.


    He stood up and left the ruined building. When he reached his carriage, the coachman curiously looked at him.


    ¡°Something troubling you, sir?¡±


    Hevrik looked up at him and shrugged. ¡°A little, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, I need to rest as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Hevrik entered the carriage and then sat down on the soft seat with relief. He waited for the shake of the carriage, but after a few seconds, the carriage never moved.


    ¡°Eto? We can go.¡± He said.


    However, there was no response. In that same moment the carriage door opened and a hooded person appeared.


    ¡°What¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± the person threatened him with an exquisite dagger in hand. The voice was feminine, so soft and sweet, it was familiar.


    ¡°You would threaten a nob¡ª?¡± he said in an attempt to threaten the intruder but stopped immediately when the stranger came into the light.


    That was because he saw a glimpse of her hair as she stepped inside ¡ª white hair. Then a pair of eyes looked at him from underneath the hood, they were as beautiful and mesmerizing as crimson jewels. The stranger sat down on the seat across from him and closed the door. It was then that after the stranger lowered her hood that Hevrik was made certain of who this person was. Skin so pale, and a face so beautiful.


    How could someone not recognize this person at a single glance? She was a girl that would leave a mark on anyone¡¯s mind.


    In shock, Hevrik muttered the person''s name. ¡°P-Princess Estelia¡­?¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 58: A Devil In Disguise (Part 3)

    The princess was the last person he ever expected he would see here ¡ª no, it would be more accurate to say he would never even imagine it. So to see her sitting across from him was too much of a shock that he was unable to squeak a voice out after muttering her name. But what was most baffling of all was the dagger she held in her hand and now laying on her lap.


    She looked at him with a lack of emotion permeating from her face. Her gaze almost felt empty, no joy, no sadness, no life, no light. With those eyes she gazed at him, causing him to feel a slight chill on his spine. When Hevrik regained a little amount of composure, his brain began working again and his heart pumped hard at what this could imply.


    There was no way that the princess came here alone. No, that was not only it, why would the princess be here if he was ever discovered? It didn¡¯t make sense. It would have been more acceptable to his thoughts if one of the princes came, but to be the princess herself? It was absurd.


    He gulped and forced himself to speak.


    ¡°P-Princess, what a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Stop with the pleasantries, marquis,¡± she said in almost monotone. ¡°I am sure you are aware why I am here before you.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Traitor.¡±


    He put a palm on his forehead, his sweat sticking to his skin. That made it certain, she knew. There was no escape, if she knew, then the crown definitely does as well.


    ¡°I suppose knights already await me outside.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    He pursed his lips, she may have answered with a question, but it made him feel certain.


    ¡°What of my coachman?¡±


    She slightly tilted her head. ¡°That? He¡¯s outside.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± he slightly smiled, feeling relieved. But then the princess added¡­


    ¡°... Lying dead.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± In utter shock, he jerked up. His eyes widened so much that it seemed they would almost pop out. However, suddenly, before he could make any other moves, red transparent restraints suddenly formed around his arms and legs, holding him in place, locked down on his seat.


    ¡°Behave yourself if you want to live for a while.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ Why have him killed? He¡¯s innocent!¡±


    ¡°Really? He doesn¡¯t seem like it. Isn¡¯t he the one that brings you to your meeting place?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, but he knows nothing. Killing him would not have been necessary, he would have surrendered without doing anything.¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°He has a family¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she sounded unbothered. ¡°Even so, he is still an accomplice of yours. It¡¯s my choice whether to kill him or not, even if he has a family it does not matter at all.¡±


    ¡°W-What¡­?¡±


    Who is this?


    He could not believe his ears. Her behavior, her ruthless words, it didn¡¯t sound like the innocent and pure princess he met and heard about. It felt as if he was speaking to a different person.


    ¡°In any case, let¡¯s chat. If you respond properly I will think about sparing you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak out¡­¡±


    ¡°Those you are afraid of are not here, nor do they have any idea this is happening. You are fine. Either way, if you don¡¯t, you will be punished and lose the chance of safety. Will you cooperate?¡±


    ¡°...¡± he had no other choice, if he wanted to live and save his family from terrible punishment, he needed to comply with her highness. ¡°Yes, princess¡­¡±


    ¡°Now then, you put poison in the wine in the colosseum, yes?¡±


    She realized?!


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, you seemed to put them on several glasses.¡±


    ¡°I was ordered to kill the royalties, meaning the entire family.¡±


    There were no changes to her expression and she merely gave another question. ¡°This poison, where is it? Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°I have it in my pocket, may I take it out?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The transparent restraints on his left arm disappeared, his less dominant hand. He pulled out a vial from his coat pocket containing a small amount of suspicious liquid. He slowly extended his hand towards the princess, the shackles appeared again while the princess reached out to grab the vial. Then his arm was forced back down.


    She scrutinized the poison. ¡°It¡¯s the same¡­¡± she then looked at Hevrik again. ¡°Who are your masters?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know their name¡­¡±


    She narrowed her eyes slightly.


    ¡°B-But I know where they came from! From the Empire, they¡¯re from the Empire!¡±


    For the first time, there was a slight change of expression on her face as if surprised. ¡°Tornridge?¡± she asked as if to make certain of something she didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are they seeking to destabilize Wisteria?¡±


    ¡°P-Precisely¡­!¡±


    ¡°... Now then, tell me why they specifically after me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hevrik was struck by confusion from that weird question. Didn¡¯t he have technically answered it already?


    ¡°Did they not give you instructions to particularly kill me especially?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ my main target is the king.¡±


    ¡°I see... Then you know nothing else? Something that¡¯s of value to me?¡±


    ¡°N-No. They only told me what to do.¡±


    ¡°... You are but a disposable pawn then. But I wonder, why did you betray my father? After everything he has done for you.¡±


    ¡°P-Please forgive me, your highness. I never wanted this! I was threatened. If I do not follow their orders, they¡¯ll kill me and my family!¡±


    ¡°And you did not even try to tell us?¡± her voice was stern as she sharply glared at him.


    ¡°The Empire is strong, I have no choice. They can kill my family before the crown could do anything.¡±


    ¡°Are you the only one they have in the palm of their hands?¡±


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯m the only one.¡±


    ¡°You better not be lying to me, Hevrik.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m n-not, princess.¡±


    ¡°Then you have no use to me anymore.¡±


    The restraint tightened, and Hevrik began to wriggle in panic. ¡°What?! P-Princess! You said you would spare me!¡±


    ¡°I said I would think about it, and my I answer is no. I will not spare you.¡±


    His mouth opened in realization. ¡°Y-You¡­ You never intended to spare me.¡±


    ¡°You are more of a liability than an asset.¡± she lifted her dagger. ¡°Besides, you¡­¡± she pursed her lips for a moment. ¡°You tried to kill my family, I will not let you live after all that.¡±


    ¡°No! Please! I beg you! Spare me! Please!¡±


    A tiny smile slowly lifted on the side of her lips. ¡°How I miss this¡­¡± her cheeks slightly turned red as if she expected pleasure from what she was about to do. ¡°Ah, I think I should also pay your family a visit.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be with them forever? I can help you with that. Of course, I might do more than a swift death after what you attempted to do.¡±


    Hevrik¡¯s lips trembled, her words shook him to the core. She was not trying to scare him, she appeared to be serious. There was no hint in her eyes that she was bluffing. Her small smile, her chilling eyes, it brought terror to the depths of his heart. He squirmed in hopes to escape, but the restraints wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Await your family in the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°N-No! Please wait! I beg you please! Spare us! I was only forced to do it!¡±


    She inched closer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    It was at that moment that Hevrik saw the truth about the princess. She was not an innocent and pure girl, one so fragile, so kind, and generous. Not one so elegant and beautifully gentle that should be protected. No, she was not that at all.


    She deceived the world that she was so precious, so innocent, so pure, one that should be protected and kept safe like the most valuable treasure. No, she was something worse than all evil he have ever encountered.


    A great deceiver. A heartless witch.


    A devil in disguise.


    His muscle stretched and strained, struggling to free himself. He even resorted to using his untrained magic, but the restraints covered his hands and muffled his magic. Before he could shout, another crimson restraint covered his mouth.


    Then, she slowly pushed her blade into his chest, precisely to his heart. She did it so carefully as if she didn¡¯t want to be smeared by his blood ¡ª and perhaps savoring it as well.


    The last thing Hevrik saw was the apathetic eyes that looked at him as his life slowly dwindled.


    There Marquis Hevrik Fumine Vekenas died.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    "You look like an angel


    Walk like an angel


    Talk like an angel


    But I got wise


    You''re the devil in disguise"


    Check out the song You''re the Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley, it''s cool.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 59: A Devil In Disguise (Part 4)

    Four men in simple clothes watched the palace from a distance. Two wearing hats, while the other two wore their hood, all of them hiding the features that differentiated them from humans. At the moment, deep in the night, they observed the kingdom¡¯s palace, as they usually do so.


    ¡°Dammit, still can¡¯t forget how we left the princess alone when she¡¯s so clear in sight.¡± a particular bulky man wearing a hat begrudgingly said in a rough voice. ¡°We were this close!¡± he showed his fingers an inch away from touching each other.


    One wearing a hood placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Lower your voice, Felsurd.¡±


    ¡°Henfred, you should have gone against Arnaut¡¯s decision.¡±


    Henfred shook his head. ¡°I still won¡¯t be able to change his mind, he was given an order to stay low for a while.¡±


    ¡°That was such a wasted opportunity.¡± Felsurd clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression.


    ¡°We cannot go against ambassador Lieren¡¯s orders. Whatever that is, I¡¯m sure it would help in our goal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Felsurd. We cannot mess up the plan the ambassador has concocted.¡± chimed in the other hooded man, Isen.


    ¡°What even is the new plan? They never said anything.¡± the other man with a hat asked, named Welmut.


    Henfred shrugged. ¡°We weren¡¯t told.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡± Felsurd scowled as he asked. It didn¡¯t sit right with him.


    ¡°Of course. If this plan is sensitive as I believe, then it should be best if we know nothing. Otherwise, if we get captured, we might spill the beans.¡±


    Welmut shook his head. ¡°Do you really think we would just reveal everything if we get tortured? Don¡¯t underestimate us.¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯re not being underestimated.¡± Isen bitterly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just being more careful. After what happened to the team that was meant to extract Oryn, can¡¯t blame them for being more careful than before.¡±


    Welmut lowered his gaze and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s tragic what happened¡­¡± he was close friends with one of the team that was supposed to get Oryn, and it grieved him the next day that they haven¡¯t returned. ¡°Who would have expected that¡­¡±


    ¡°But still! It sucks knowing nothing.¡± Felsurd crossed his arms with a displeased expression.


    ¡°We just have to be patient. Trust the ambassador.¡±


    ¡°That plan of hers better be worth it. Best if it would burn this kingdom with it.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Isen nodded. ¡°Best to get rid of the traces of those deities,¡± he said so with apparent disdain.


    The deities he referred to was the two gods that Wisteria worships. Their entire race carries grudges to the two of them because of their history. But even more so to the goddess who was the most prominent figure in their tragic history. It would please them if the land they treasured was destroyed as revenge. But such a thing would be difficult and require a lot of resources. Realistically speaking, it would be best to just live in their thriving homeland than waste resources in the human lands for a war. But that didn¡¯t stop them from wishing.


    ¡°As for me, I just want to go home.¡± Welmut scratched his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡± he sighed. ¡°If only the Cursed Children stopped interfering, we would have been done with it.¡±


    The cursed children swarmed the palace, making it nigh impossible to assault the palace and go straight for their target. They could try but that would require more men, and the power of the cursed children was not to be underestimated as well.


    Even now, they could see dark fogs surrounding the palace, blending in the darkness. They could be lurking in the trees, the dark corners of the walls, or high above. If even one race of mystic stepped in there, the fog would swarm them in no time.


    The darkness of the night would be an advantage to the mystic race, but the night was even more advantageous to the cursed children. Although, if more men were sent, they would have gotten more options. However, options were even more reduced after the loss of one team.


    Now they had to rely on the plan being set by their superiors.


    Felsurd, while looking at the palace, narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. ¡°Speaking of the cursed children¡­ Welmut, look there.¡± he pointed at the palace.


    Welmut squinted his eyes. As one of the beastmen, both Felsurd and Welmut could see in the darkness to just enough degree to see far to the palace. Welmut curiously tilted his head.


    ¡°The fogs¡­ they are moving away?¡±


    ¡°Moving away? Are you sure?¡± Henfred asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°They have never done that before.¡±


    ¡°Do you think something is going on?¡± Isen tried squinting his eyes towards the palace, but no use. He couldn¡¯t see that well in the dark.


    ¡°Dozen of them are moving away from the palace.¡±


    ¡°Dozen? Something¡¯s definitely going on.¡±


    Indeed, a dozen of them moving at once was too interesting to be disregarded. It was strange that they would remove that many when they were supposed to be guarding the person most important to them.


    ¡°Should we tell Arnaut?¡± Welmut asked.


    ¡°Do we really need to?¡± Felsurd looked at them. ¡°He¡¯ll just tell us to step back. I suggest personally taking a look, we will definitely find something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s risky.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but we¡¯ll just be scouting. I have a feeling it will be valuable to us.¡±


    The others looked at each other, hesitating.


    However, Felsurd merely shook his head. ¡°Fine then, stay here and be cowards.¡±


    ¡°Wait Fel¡ª¡±


    Before they could stop him, Felsurd had already begun sprinting towards the palace with great speed.


    Henfred clicked his tongue. ¡°Let¡¯s catch up to him.¡±


    ***


    There were a group of people casually sitting on a balcony of a building, with one sitting on the railing fearless of falling to the ground. There were four in total, three men, and one woman. They all looked like completely normal humans.


    One man clapped his hand one time and stood up from the chair. ¡°Alright, as always, boring. I¡¯m getting some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oi, Droz! You slept first last night too. So this time, stay awake and I sleep.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Venzus. Chew on a stick or something.¡±


    Without waiting for another word from Venzus, Droz promptly went inside and probably jumped directly unto the bed. Venzus sighed and leaned back.


    ¡°So much for a special operation. I thought we would be getting some action! Not this.¡±


    Venzus upon being assigned to a mission in the human lands felt very excited the first time. He believed it would have been a thrilling experience, but to his disappointment, it was not that at all. Instead, this mission almost felt like a common reconnaissance mission.


    They called their group the ¡°Imp Special Black Ops Company¡± which was unofficial of course, it was a stupid name. It was made as a joke by their leader, which became their pseudo-official group name for some reason. Their leader at the moment was tapping his feet on the wooden floor while staring at the palace of Wisteria, the group was annoyed at first by all the tapping but they got used to it.


    They had to stay up all night watching the palace to wait for an opportunity. They could do that with no trouble, their kind can keep on going for days without sleep. Droz was an exception since he wanted to go to sleep whenever things get boring. Indeed, no rest they could handle, but the boredom was something else.


    ¡°Rytus,¡± Venzus called to their leader. ¡°You should try removing your eyes away from the palace for once.¡±


    Rytus, almost looking like he never blinked, glared at the palace and it was a bit disturbing for Venzus. He was too diligent.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, not like there¡¯s anything else we could do. It¡¯s more entertaining to gaze at the palace than doing basically nothing.¡±


    ¡°You need to redefine what you mean by doing nothing.¡±


    Him staring at the never changing scene of the palace was akin to not doing anything. He might think he was doing something because he was watching out for anything, but if nothing was happening, then he was doing nothing, basically.


    Rytus shook his head and turned towards Venzus.


    ¡°... I need to watch out for any opportunity, even more so when it¡¯s this nation¡¯s festival. You should remember that the fate of our god rests on our shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no pressure.¡±


    Venzus turned his head to look at the woman sitting on the railing, munching relentlessly on the food from the basket on her lap. She was full of smiles and was consuming a large amount of food in one bite. She appeared to be enjoying herself, complete in contrast to the others.


    ¡°Arashia, slow down or else you¡¯ll choke to your death.¡±


    While her mouth was still full, she responded to him. ¡°Hah! As if I would die becau¡ª Gah!¡±


    And indeed, she choked. She slammed her hand on her chest while coughing.


    ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s going to die¡­¡± Venzus sarcastically said.


    ¡°W-Water!¡±


    She fell to the floor right before Venzus as she reached out her hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he placed his hand on his ear.


    ¡°W-Water.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, and what do we say if we ask for something?¡±


    ¡°P-Please¡­¡±


    ¡°There we go! Now then, where¡¯s the water¡­?¡± he acted as if he was looking hard for water but stayed in his seat.


    ¡°Stop teasing her Venzus, she¡¯s actually suffering, not like it would kill her, but still a painful experience. Spare her.¡± Rytus said.


    Venzus chuckled and grabbed a cup of water. Arashia aggressively chugged in the water.


    ¡°Aaaaah. Much better.¡± she glared at Venzus. ¡°Would you please stop being an asshole for once?¡±


    ¡°What? I help you didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous I¡¯m enjoying myself!¡±


    Venzus bitterly smiled, feeling surprised at how she got to that conclusion. ¡°I am not. Perhaps I just want you to stop eating through our budget as well!¡±


    ¡°We have plenty!¡± she said with a grimace then grabbed another batch of food she bought from who knows where. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you think we should at least enjoy the festival? The food is great, much greater than what we go back home.¡±


    As much as Venzus hated to admit it, it was true. Humans were certainly skilled in making food that it almost made him feel jealous. Unlike demons, humans carefully season their food, add necessary spices, and so on. The demons just do the minimum and eat ¡ª well, perhaps it was a bit different for the high-ranking demons but the point still stands.


    ¡°Here!¡± Arashia shoved food into Venzus¡¯s hand. ¡°As thanks for the water.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you? Giving food for free? Haha!¡± he laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not free, payment for the debt of helping me. Debts should be paid, as dad always says.¡±


    ¡°Alright, whatever you say.¡± Venus took a bite and found it delicious.


    It was then that Rytus suddenly stood up and squinted his eyes. ¡°Hey guys, you seeing what I¡¯m seeing?¡±


    Venzus looked at the palace, the same place that Rytus was looking at ¡ª Arashia on the other hand was busy eating. Venzus took a while but he saw something weird. ¡°The Cursed Children are dispersing? That normal?¡±


    ¡°Not dispersing, dividing. Something¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a closer look. But remain vigilant and stealthy. The last thing we want is the two factions becoming aware of our presence.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Oi, Arashia.¡± he snatched the food from her hand and stole her basket. ¡°Focus, we¡¯re gonna be working.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaaw, fine¡­¡± she begrudgingly stood up.


    Venzus entered the room and placed the food on the table then headed to one of the beds where Droz was sleeping. He vigorously kicked him with the bottom of his boot, causing Droz to fall off the bed.


    ¡°Wake up you shit bag!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡¯s wrong with you!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re too loud. And be serious, we¡¯re gonna be working.¡±


    Droz got up and glared at Venzus before scratching his head. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll pay you back later.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 60: A Devil In Disguise (Part 5)

    The squad of men belonging to the mystic race ran at a speed that normal humans wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve. They avoided the open to avoid the eyes of the guards from the palace or anyone in that matter. They ran towards the direction of where the other fogs were moving, expecting that they would find something.


    However as expected, it wouldn¡¯t go smoothly. A dark fog suddenly crashed into the ground in front of them and was subsequently followed by four others, forcing the four non-human men, Felsurd, Welmut, Henfred, and Isen to stop immediately.


    The two elves, Henfred and Isen, drew their swords.


    Felsurd promptly transformed into his Berserk form, his body enlarged and fur instantly grew all over his body, his head turning into a familiar animal with pointy ears, a form reminiscent of a grey wolf ¡ª he was a Wolf type Beastman. While the other, Welmut, transformed into a Lion type. They firmed up their pair of legs, and pointed the claws on their hands at their enemies, their sharp teeth showing, eyes fierce.


    Each fog gathered and figures began emerging, their bodies completely covered with their clothes. One stepped forward imposingly.


    ¡°Ah, the race favored by the gods revealed themselves,¡± he said from behind his face coverings.


    The mystic race began coating their weapons with magic, the elves¡¯ blades glowed faintly, while it was the claws for the beastmen. Physical attacks would be commonly useless in the face of the monstrosities called the Cursed Children. They might be damaged when they were currently in their physical form, but when they turn to fogs, pure physical attacks would be rendered useless.


    Everyone single one in this thin part of the forest prepared for battle, there was no option for peace or dialogue. They were enemies ever since the beginning, no hope for peace, but only violence. Felsurd and the others couldn¡¯t afford to hold back either, the Cursed Children must not be underestimated, even more so at night. That was why he and Welmut wasted no time to transform. That being said, in spite of taking the Cursed Children as a threat, that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t defeat them in some other way.


    There was always something that will hold the Cursed Children back in the night. It was the perpetual pain they suffer after every sunset, when the night comes.


    Henfred then whispered to Felsurd. ¡°You are the fastest, when there¡¯s an opening, run through them.¡±


    Felsurd nodded.


    The two sides glared at each other with no words spoken, for there was no need. In the end, they will clash, one side hated the master the other ones served, while the other merely disliked them and goes against their goals. There was no option for a peaceful resolution, only violence.


    The elf Henfred fired the first shot when he waved his hand and thorny vines instantly spurred out of the ground heading towards the monsters of the night. But the cursed children dispersed and avoided the vines. The other elf, Isen, used his magic and wind engulfed his blade, with a swing, a slash of razor-sharp wind shot forward.


    One cursed child turned into a fog to evade in response. However, given that the wind was magic, it slashed his arm. It pushed him out of his fog state for a moment but left no time to stay still and charged forward.


    The cursed child¡¯s right arm pulsated and squirmed, and at an instant, the fabric covering it broke apart. What came out was an oversized hand with half the fingers turning into a bony blade with bones protruding through his knuckles. The skin was deformed and repulsive, twisted and disgusting, rough and hairless.


    The monster of the night swung down his arm, the elf barely parrying it.


    The beastmen on the other hand fought hand to hand with the other cursed children, both their clawed hands clashing against each other. Felsurd sternly watched out for the attacks of his pair of opponents. As he expected, they were slower than he was. However, their strength may surpass him a little.


    He leaped back and swung both his hands in the air, sending an arc of light towards his enemies, to which they blocked but still resulted in cuts. He clicked his tongue and his fight continued on ¡ª he hardened his furs.


    The fight of the two sides with intense magical capabilities shook the earth with their stomps, trees and rocks cut into pieces, blood soiled the soil, lights of magic upon magic lit up the area. However, despite being outnumbered, the mystic race was still able to survive. As expected of the ones favored by the gods, unlike those who were cursed by one.


    That being said, the cursed ones have yet to show who they truly were, nor would they easily do so. Despite the mystic race fighting so well, it would not last long. They will get tired, but the cursed children not. Both sides knew this.


    Then, a trio of cursed children watching from above descended to join the fight.


    At the same time, Henfred gathered his magic and shouted. ¡°It¡¯s time!¡±


    The two elves gathered a vast amount of mana and wind began to gather, a tempest starting to form. The two¡¯s magic synchronized with each other, matching each other¡¯s storm in every way, merging into one. Then the storm began to pull everything around them.


    Isen then turned to the Lion type beastman. ¡°Welmut! Full power!¡±


    Welmut growled and his eyes sharpened, his body hardened and became stronger. His blood boiled and his heart raced, his emotions rising. His sanity slowly slipping away as it was slowly being taken over by his bestial instincts.


    A beastman reaching his full potential as he became a true beast with little sanity left, a beastman truly going Berserk.


    With sharp teeth and lengthened claws, he charged toward his enemies, leaving small craters on the ground, and his speed doubled. He pushed the cursed children into the storm and even pulled those turning into fogs with magic-coated hands. The cursed children attacked him, but he merely shrugged all of it, ignoring the pain and the wounds.


    One by one, the cursed children were sent into the center of the storm. Even so, that will only hold them for several seconds. But that was enough time to give an opening.


    Henfred turned towards Felsurd while pouring as much magic into the storm. ¡°Go!¡±


    With tremendous speed, Felsurd escaped the battlefield and entered the thick forest while a wind barrier formed behind him which kept everyone else inside the dome of wind. Felsurd headed towards where the other cursed children went.


    ***


    I have never felt so good for a while, if while I meant ever since I arrived in this world. I felt as good as a bird flying in the air while riding the wind. The way I skated and leaped around the forest, it was so wonderful that I wanted to go through it again.


    The air step spell truly made traversing tough terrains easier, felt like I did peak parkour. In any case, I couldn¡¯t keep having fun forever and focused on my mission. I already knew where the Marquis¡¯s house was, it was part of my lessons, thus I shouldn¡¯t get lost.


    It took a while to arrive there. I was intending to sneak into their house and interrogate him there. Would be best if the wife was out of commission. I was pondering whether to kill everyone else outright before talking with the Marquis as it would make things easier.


    However, that would mean I would lose the leverage to make the Marquis talk honestly. Thus, I would need to find a way to speak privately with the Marquis, but if any of the family was around him and I have no other choice, then I just have to neutralize that person. It could be non-lethal, or lethal which would be collateral, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    When I arrived at his manor though, I saw the Marquis leaving the building and entering a carriage. It was suspicious to be going out in the middle of the night. But I had an idea for what purpose it could be, not like I didn¡¯t imagine this could happen ¡ª I left at a certain time for a reason and not just because it¡¯s a safer time to kill.


    I mean, he did just fail.


    And so, I followed his carriage which led me to a run-down building where two guys were waiting. I listened in to their conversations by the wall at a secluded spot. I could jump in there but there was a guard outside, who knows how threatening that guy can be, or perhaps this leader of them might be more powerful, who knows, magic is an ass. They must be strong I guess since they were able to threaten the Marquis.


    When they were finished, I had to make a choice of who to follow. If I follow the Marquis now, I will be able to get the best time and opportunity to ask him questions with no one to bother, and can take my time. But I will lose track of his masters.


    If I follow the masters, I might get the risk of being discovered, despite the chance of happening low, but still a possibility. But I might not get every answer I want and they might be more difficult to deal with than the Marquis.


    Have to give up one side, can¡¯t have everything.


    And thus, I chose the Marquis. Lucky you Marquis! You get to be chosen by none other than the precious me!


    So when the Marquis entered the carriage, I threw a small dagger at the driver in the throat. I then killed the horses as they were more trouble than anything. I pulled the dagger out of the driver and rubbed the blood off with his shirt.


    With all of that done, I entered the carriage and ¡°interviewed¡± the dear Marquis. After some surprising information and disappointing ones, I killed him by stabbing him in the heart, then slashed his throat just to be sure. I shielded myself from the blood with my magic barrier.


    Don¡¯t want some blood splatter on me, not just because I don¡¯t want any evidence on me, but also because eeew. Red is cool, but come on that didn¡¯t mean I just casually dive in blood. Who knows what kind of diseases the marquis have? Imagine if blood splashed on my eyes or mouth, the disease might get into my system. So yeah, be careful around with blood, people!


    Besides that, my precious dagger finally got its first kill! Good for you buddy!


    I heaved a satisfied sigh, I exited the carriage and grabbed the lantern from beside the driver, and threw it at the inside of the carriage, the flammable liquid and fire spreading quickly, crawling on the wooden chairs and burning the clothes of the dead Marquis.


    I stepped back and extended my hand forward to cast my fireball spell, engulfing the carriage. Not yet satisfied, I cast another.


    That should be fine now.


    It should burn nicely. I don¡¯t expect they would get rid of the bodies of course. I just want to get rid of a clear picture and make sure I leave nothing that would give the idea that I came here ¡ª though unlikely that would be. In short, I just want to be safe, and burning everything down helps a lot! Burn any evidence even if there¡¯s no evidence, you know what I¡¯m saying?


    Given that fire is bright as hell in the night, I cast my wind and left the scene quickly and entered the forest while making sure to blow off the tracks I left on the ground.


    I did say I would be paying a visit to the Marquis¡¯s family and snuff their candles, but I changed my mind immediately ¡ª I did scare him though! Hehe!


    Killing the entire family of a household would be more trouble than its worth, the whole resources of the capital might be allocated just to find the perpetrator. Someone capable of killing an entire aristocratic family would cause fears all around, too much trouble. I just have to be satisfied with the Marquis.


    I¡¯m a bit sleepy now anyway, time to go home. Aaaah, such a peaceful forest, cool and silent.


    Yes silent ¡ª but then, there came sounds of shrubs being moved aside. I held my breath and turned towards the direction of the sound, my sleepiness disappeared instantaneously when what seemed like claws were coming at me.


    ¡°!¡±


    I pushed out double the mana and blasted my wind to throw me in the opposite direction, barely dodging the sharp razors passing right in front of my face.


    I roughly landed on the ground and glared at a strange creature.


    It was silver and big, furry and standing on two legs, its ears pointy. Almost looks like I¡¯m looking at a werewolf¡­?


    Thats¡­


    I pulled out my daggers on each hand and formed my stance.


    ¡°I know this smell, I smelled you in the festival¡­¡±


    The beasts slowly turned and gazed at me with sharp eyes. ¡°Princess.¡±


    The fuck, this was too sudden, my face almost got torn apart just a second ago. I never expected they would find me here¡­ Was it alone?


    I looked around and immediately returned my eyes to it. It seemed to be alone, but who knows.


    It continued speaking. ¡°This is perfect, with you here, I can accomplish the mission myself.¡±


    ¡°... Why are you after me?¡±


    It glowered. ¡°You are a threat to us, that is why we must kill you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to tell you, you will die here either way. But curious, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s pointless to tell you, it will only be a waste of breath.¡±


    Pieces of crimson barrier formed in the air and positioned themselves on my arms, legs, torso, and on my back that would serve as my armor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you intend to fight? Hahahaha! I can¡¯t believe my eyes, don¡¯t think a sheltered princess such as you can defeat me.¡±


    I used my physical enhancement to give strength to my body and harden my muscles. Speaking with this guy would be a waste of time, he won¡¯t tell me what I want ¡ª then I¡¯ll make him talk later.


    With both strengthened legs and wind pushing me, I charged at him with incredible speed. When I got closer, he swung his claws at me, but I dodged it and slipped through to his back and thrust my blade.


    ¡°?!¡±


    But something unexpected happened. I ducked when another attack was coming at me and slashed my dagger at him again, but the same thing happened. I can¡¯t pierce him.


    His fist hit my barrier, normally my barrier would have eaten the impact, but he was strong, thus to be safe I let the impact push me away. Taking the brunt of the attack would only serve to damage me.


    After gaining distance, I looked at my daggers¡­ they were chipped on the edges. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Good thing I didn¡¯t use my precious blade but only the medium-sized ones.


    ¡°Your blades will not get through my fur,¡± he said haughtily.


    His furs were hard and almost seemed like they were steel. That¡¯s just bullshit, how could hairs be hard as steel?! Was it magic again? Fucking magic, shit!


    ¡°It is futile if your weapons won¡¯t work on me, what hope do you have?¡±


    I tilted my head and angrily glared at him. Nothing¡¯s ever easy, is it?


    I sheathed my daggers and formed my stance, with one fist forward, and one right beside me. If blades won¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just have to shatter the steel protecting him.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll beat you to submission.¡±

 Vol. 2 Chapter 61: A Devil In Disguise (Part 6)

    Felsurd couldn¡¯t have felt luckier upon encountering their target right here, nor did he ever expect it. No way in the world could one think that the sheltered princess would leave her fortress in the middle of the night. Imagine his surprise upon smelling her familiar scent.


    Upon seeing her amidst the forest, he intended to kill her in a surprise attack. But to his shock, she dodged his attack ¡ª how she even managed such a feat was a mystery to him. Whatever made the princess leave, Felsurd was not very keen to know. All that was important was killing his target.


    The princess moved surprisingly well at their first exchange of attack, and the shield was a bother as well. But her blades weren¡¯t able to get through his fur. His fur was hard as steel, but his movement wasn¡¯t stiff as they were still bendable. One could imagine each hair on his body was thin steel wire.


    Only the special beastmen have special capabilities, this particular ability of his was from his family bloodline. A way to tell if a beastmen has a special ability is if they possess True Berserk where their bestial instincts take over.


    He tried to taunt the princess, but it didn¡¯t make her give up. She had sheathed her blades and prepared her fists. The princess appeared to be more of a fighter than he had expected.


    More of her crimson barriers appeared and began covering her limbs and the side of her face. More than that, four small shields floated around her, two on each side. Felsurd resisted the urge to chuckle, to think the sheltered princess would think those would protect her for long.


    Felsurd spread his fingers as he waited for the princess¡¯s next move. Then, she took her first step forward, running towards him with baffling swiftness. She folded her arm as she prepared to attack, Felsurd prepared to take her fists.


    But to his surprise, the crimson barriers on her wrists increased, layering on top of each other. When she was a few feet apart from him, the princess swung her arm towards him and at the same time, her layers of barrier moved and extended forward, following the motion of her swing.


    What?


    It extended around three meters and lashed out towards Felsurd like a whip. Felsurd frantically raised his arm beside his face, and the whip barrier clashed with his arm. Given that it was originally the barrier spell, objects that collided with it will bounce away, this caused Felsurd to stagger.


    Preventing Felsurd from recovering in that single second, the princess swung her other arm, sending another whip of crimson, hitting him on the other side of his face. Felsurd readjusted his footing so he could back away and recover, but suddenly the whips broke apart and flew towards his arms.


    ¡°!¡±


    They engulfed his arms and they extended into the ground. His arms were spread apart and being tied down, he was defenseless. The princess took the chance to punch him on the stomach, her fist digging deep into his flesh. The flesh beneath his skin folded and crushed with sheer power, his steel fur unable to protect him.


    Physical enhancement, this much?!


    His eyes widened in shock as he took a few more punches from the princess. Felsurd firmed and strengthened his muscles and pulled his right arm with all his strength. His shackles cracked and broke. The princess noticed and she took a step back, but Felsurd took a step forward and horizontally slashed his hand towards her.


    But the princess jumped with her wind, going over his arm. Then, as the bottom of her foot faced Felsurd, a small ball of flame flashed, and in an instant, a ball of fire erupted, crashing into his face.


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    Felsurd broke his other shackle and his claws glowed, he slashed the air, sending several arcs of light towards the princess that was moving away with her wind. The princess frantically responded, the floating barriers gathered before her and clashed with his magic attacks. But the barrier shattered, and a couple of slashes passed through. The princess braced for impact, and the arcs of light crashed with her magical armor, breaking off some pieces.


    The moment when all the attacks coming at her disappeared, she stomped her feet and ice instantly spread on the ground, moving towards Felsurd with staggering speed. He leaped back, but the ice grew up and caught his leg, and subsequently grew past his waist.


    Before he knew it, the princess had moved right beside him, her shields restored. She cast fireballs from both her hands, sending Felsurd flying away, and he crashed into a pillar of ice. At that moment, the princess leaped up and drop-kicked him on the back, pushing him further into the hard glacier.


    Felsurd groaned and instantly twisted around and kicked the princess away, making her crash into a tree. Without giving her time to regain her footing, Felsurd rushed towards her sending a handful arcs of light. Again, the princess¡¯s annoying floating shields moved to protect her. But when Felsurd got close, he swung down both his hands. In an emergency, other parts of the princess¡¯s armor flew to reinforce her forward shield.


    The princess promptly used her wind to push herself to the side right before her shield shattered. Then as she turned around, her crimson whips formed again and lashed toward Felsurd. But, as he already knew this attack, he already had an idea of how to counter it. Felsurd shot out arcs of light towards the whips, destroying them.


    The princess furrowed her brows, then several sharp bodies of ice formed around her and shot toward Felsurd with incredible speed. Felsurd launched slashes of light to intercept the ice projectiles, then crouched and pounced towards the princess.


    She cast a blast of wind on her feet to propel herself away, but Felsurd had her in reach and swung down his hand. The princess¡¯s shield cracked terribly and caused her to twist, but as it happened, the barriers on her left leg extended, and with a kick, the barriers moved like a whip and lashed at Felsurd.


    The whip impacted his neck and pushed him sideways, roughly landing on the ground.


    ¡°Grrr!¡± he growled in annoyance. To think she was able to respond to his attacks that quickly, simultaneously while receiving an attack. He never expected the princess to counterattack while receiving an attack, nor did he even imagine she would fight this hard.


    The princess landed on the ground, and she seemed to be breathing heavily from the way her chest and shoulders move. Felsurd narrowed his eyes and understood what was happening ¡ª she was mortal in the end, a human. Humans tire. Perhaps this should be expected, she may be the daughter of gods, but she had no godhood.


    Divinity stored in human flesh.


    But this was for the best.


    Felsurd fixed his posture and placed his hands on the ground before charging toward the princess with startling speed. A black ball appeared in the princess¡¯s hand which she threw at him. Felsurd was clueless, but he planned to evade it. But a couple of steps away from him, the ball suddenly erupted into a white blinding light along blared a deafening shrieking sound.


    ¡°Gaaaah!!¡±


    He promptly stopped as he covered his eyes after that blinding light, and his sensitive ears were ringing. Then, as he suffered from that black ball¡¯s explosion, a hard punch hit his back followed by several more.


    When he suffered the pain of those sudden attacks, he blindly swung his hand to his back, but only hit the air. Then he felt a hit on the side of his body, he waved his hands, but hit nothing again, then came another attack.


    Felsurd gritted his teeth and inhaled deeply, then he followed the familiar smell and opened his hand, and swiftly reached out.


    ¡°Wh¡ª!¡±


    Felsurd caught the princess in his hand, and then he slammed her to the ground.


    ¡°Gh!¡±


    Felsurd could feel her barriers breaking, and her feeling some pain. Before he could slam her again however, pain crawled all over his arms. He retracted his arm and when his vision had partially restored, he saw lightning dissipating on his arm, while the princess retreated with her wind.


    Not letting her get away, he pounced and thrust his fist towards her, causing her to fly away towards a tree upon impact. Before she could slip away, Felsurd clasped her with both his hands and tightened.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting away this time.¡±


    Her armor slowly began to crack. Felsurd saw the glare she was giving him, full of irritation. White mist emanated on her left hand, then lightning cackled on her right hand. At the same time, she fired frost and lightning magic toward Felsurds arms. The pain was searing, but Felsurd endured it just to crush her.


    But a pillar of ice rose from the ground below his elbows, causing him to let go. The princess slipped away at the same time.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    He immediately punched the ice pillar. The moment it happened, he saw another black ball coming at him and he instantly closed his eyes, looked away, and covered his ears with his hands. The ball exploded and he immediately looked at the princess.


    However, white smoke began filling the area around him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The princess was nowhere to be seen. He searched for her scent, but the smoke had a salty smell that prevented him from doing so. Thus, he used his ears, there was a sound of soil being moved. He charged in that direction and discovered the princess. But she instantly responded by backing away and extending her hand.


    A swarm of blue small birds suddenly emerged from the smoke and all revolved around him as the princess vanished into the smoke. The sound of the flapping wings from the swarm, and how the ones flying below scattered the soil, got in the way of his hearing.


    Suddenly, a black ball fell down from above him, too late he noticed, it exploded, temporarily blinding and deafening him once again. The swarm of bird constructs gathered and pushed him back, then he was hit by a powerful kick on his back, feeling the intense pain in his spine.


    Magic gathered on his claws and blindly swung towards his back, sending arcs of lights, but hit nothing. His mana was almost depleted, and that magical attack costs a fair amount on each claw. Unlike the elves, the common beastmen were less gifted when it comes to mana, but they made up for it through their physical body, their strengths, and durability. They were apex predators.


    Felsurd felt so bitter that he was struggling to hunt a single human.


    Her and her tricks!


    He felt a punch on his belly, and then the crimson shackles just like before wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him down, causing him to kneel. When his vision returned, shackles wrapped around his neck, and the princess before him slammed her fist into his face.


    ¡°Gh! Damn you!¡±


    The princess smiled. ¡°How many of you are there?¡±


    ¡°As if I will ever tell you.¡±


    She struck him again. ¡°Where is your hideout?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! You¡¯re wasting your time.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ what should I do with you¡­ Perhaps turning you in might do¡­ but I will be¡­¡± she shook her head gently.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you take me anywhere. You¡¯ve fought well. But now, I have no other choice.¡±


    His muscles expanded and became firmer, he slowly stood up, going against the force of the shackles. His eyes grew fiercer as he glared at the princess.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the princess stepped away.


    Felsurd pulled his hand and the shackles cracked. He growled, saliva dripping out of his mouth. His mind losing sense, being taken over by his bestial instincts, going feral. He didn¡¯t want to use his True Berserk as he had no allies around to stop him once it was all over, nor did he even ever expect he had to resort to this.


    When his body fully enhanced, and his mind losing rationality, all shackles shattered into pieces. He growled grimly, the princess promptly flew back, but the beast caught up to her pretty quickly. She controlled her swarm constructs, going around into her back and going forward, crashing into the beast.


    But it merely slowed him down for a moment as he cleaved through with his claws.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 62: A Devil In Disguise (Part 7)

    I was getting tired, my muscles throbbing painfully. I thought I finally had the bastard under control, but to think he had a trump card like this. He basically had lost all reason, would have been less surprising if his trump card was some kind of magic. But to completely become a rabid beast? Didn¡¯t expect it to be something like that.


    I flew through the forest, keeping my distance, but the wolf beast was mowing through everything. I was starting to get worried that this situation was getting too conspicuous. But that was only the second concern, the first was getting through this problem.


    I threw lightning bolts and firebolts at him, I should have done some damage judging from the darkened and damaged fur and skin. But he was ignoring them completely as if he felt no pain whatsoever.


    Fuck! How the hell do I restrain that?


    I turned around, trying to catch it at its openings. But it just grabbed a tree that fit its hand and threw it at me. I frantically evaded, but as I did so, the beast caught up to me and clawed down at me. I barely readjusted the barrier on my limbs, they protected me, but they shattered. I pulled away with my wind pushing me, and at the same time I had my floating shields move towards the beast and they twisted to become shackles, holding it down. At the same time, I restored my body armor.


    I produced additional shackles to hold it down, then cast ice magic to cover its body. Fire gathered on my left hand and lightning on my right, and fired the spells at its face. It didn¡¯t kill him of course, so I fired another volley and held up my hand, a giant ice pillar formed in the air, and shot towards it. The impact was so powerful that the pieces of ice scattered in all directions.


    But it was still moving.


    I gritted my teeth and glared at it. Spamming my spells did some damage, but spamming it further was risky for me. I feel a little dizzy already, reminded me of the time I flew into the sky. Can¡¯t just casually punch it either, very dangerous going against that close.


    I threw a lightning bolt at it, but it broke through the restraints and pounced at me. I evaded, but it responded more quickly and punched me, I crashed into a nearby tree. My shields may have protected me, but that didn¡¯t make things more pleasant.


    I had no time to rest as it pounced at me again as I was still laying on the ground with my back on the tree, its mouth wide open.


    It plans to ¡ª?


    I shifted my armor, from the torso and the other hand, into my right arm, forming several layers of shields. I intercepted its jaw with my right arm and it bit on it. It did not let go, just kept on biting down as it stood on four limbs like a true animal. I used my left hand to support my right.


    Shit¡¯s gonna kill me!


    I was in a momentary dilemma. I would like to keep it alive to get intelligence. But this monster had gone mad.


    My outmost layer of the shield between its teeth broke.


    Do I risk it by finding a chance to restrain it? No way! My life was more important than some shitty intel!


    Another layer broke.


    I was left with no choice but to kill it. The shields on my legs moved towards the beast and tied around its head and neck to hold it in place. I opened my right hand that was inside the beast¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Lightning crackled, and a blast of lightning exploded inside its mouth, going into its throat. The lightning crawled on the flesh of its insides, then spread further by all the liquid in a living being¡¯s body. I kept pouring the lightning in.


    The odor of burned flesh began permeating the air, then smoke began leaking out of its mouth. The force that was biting on my shielded arm weakened until it was no more. I kept the lightning on for a few seconds to make sure.


    When I was done, I pushed the damn thing aside. I panted heavily as I slowly got up while leaning on the tree. I looked at the corpse with a strained expression.


    Shit!


    I¡¯m getting tired of this.


    I walked forward, but my legs were weak, and I fell to my knees. My muscles hurt, likely because of the intense usage of physical enhancement, even though I thought I have practiced it fine, it still had some side effects. Not only that, my head felt heavy and at the same time dizzy, like what happened when I flew into the sky.


    ¡°Haaah, haaah.¡± I audibly panted while my sweat dripped from my chin.


    Fuck it.


    I almost died, again! That¡¯s it, I have enough! I didn¡¯t get any meaningful information, but at least I know now they were still around. I had some doubts that they were still in the city because they didn¡¯t do anything to me while I was at the festival.


    This experience pushed me to the edge, and now I know what I should do. Time to change my primary object from understanding why, to just killing them all outright. Knowing why was now secondary.


    The most important thing is to get rid of them from my life!


    I forced myself to stand up, I was still applying my physical enhancement since I feared that removing them might result in my body completely turning into jelly.


    I used the wind and made my way back to the palace.


    Time to put you to use, Allie.


    Plan A was now almost a failure. Once the festival¡¯s over, time to use plan B.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Sorry this part is short ''cause I realized the next part wouldn''t fit right if it was included here. I''ll be posting the next part soon (Could be tomorrow or the next)

 Vol. 2 Chapter 63: A Devil In Disguise (Part 8)

    The company of imps hid behind the tree lines as they watched the battle between the mystic race and the cursed children. The mystic race definitely saw the cursed children moving away and decided to investigate.


    But then pushed into a confrontation.


    The imps looked at each other. Their leader, Rytus, signaled for them to back away. He must be intending to speak with them. Given that beastmen have powerful hearings, their whispering might be heard. They may be busy fighting, but they shouldn¡¯t let their guard down. Most of all, they didn¡¯t want to get the attention of the cursed children.


    After moving far away from the battle, Rytus crossed his arms.


    The others waited for his command.


    ¡°... Things have gotten tensed, huh. Which side we helping? Or should we take them all out?¡± Droz flexed his fists.


    Venzus smacked him on the back of his head. ¡°Ow.¡± he reacted but in a small voice then glared at Venzus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fucking stupid, we¡¯re siding with no one.¡±


    One side wants to protect the princess, the demons¡¯ target, while the other faction wanted the princess dead, which the demons definitely do not want. There was no side to help, nor could they even handle killing all of them ¡ª much more the cursed children, which would be basically impossible.


    ¡°Alright ¡ª fucking piece of shit.¡±


    ¡°You two love each other so much, reminds me of my siblings.¡± Arashia casually said to them while sitting on a tree branch.


    Venzus grimaced. ¡°How is that damn love of all things? This guy¡¯s an annoyance.¡±


    ¡°What a stupid thing to say.¡± Droz scoffed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid,¡± she pouted. ¡°Dad said the more two guys fight, the more they care for each other. In other words, they love each other.¡±


    ¡°You should really stop listening to your old man¡¯s ramblings. It¡¯s rotting your head.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡ª Dumb Venzus ¡ª jerk¡ª¡± she immediately covered her mouth as she was about to shout, realizing that would be a mistake.


    ¡°Alright, stop it you guys. I have thought of what we can do.¡±


    Everyone quieted down and listened to Rytus.


    ¡°We definitely are not going to fight, it will be a waste of our people.¡± They have other members in other parts of the city, but there was no way he would call them here for a reconnaissance. ¡°We also can¡¯t risk exposing all of us here. We need a safer and more quiet approach.¡±


    Rytus looked up at Arashia. ¡°We will be withdrawing, but you Arashia, with your stealth skills, will be able to navigate this forest with ease. Figure out what¡¯s going on. If going further is going to risk your discovery, you are free to retreat. I don¡¯t want our enemies to know that we are here.¡±


    Arashia nodded her head. ¡°Alriiiight. But I would definitely retreat when it¡¯s very risky. Dad wants me to return home.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Now go.¡±


    Arashia stood up and left the vicinity.


    Rytus faced his remaining allies. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the safe house.¡±


    ***


    The lion-type beastman, Welmut, huffed loudly, wounds all over his body. He growled as his mind succumbed to the bestial instinct while glaring at a pair of cursed children. The wind covered the area, keeping everyone in, still howling.


    Welmut stiffened his body as he endured the fatal wounds he received, but thanks to going into true berserk, he was still able to stand. He lunged at his enemy and swung down his magic-coated claws, missing a few but hitting one, wounding a cursed child. The latter groaned, but after stepping back, the wound gradually closed.


    It was one of the reasons why the mystic race in the human capital refused to fight the cursed children head-on. The cursed children were basically an undying army, no matter how many fatal wounds they receive, they will heal, as such their curse. It would be foolish to fight outright against such creatures.


    Welmut was starting to feel weak. Even a beastmen tires and weaken after suffering a number of powerful attacks. A cursed child charged at him and Welmut received his attack, then another came right behind him and struck with his monstrous hand, piercing through Welmut¡¯s body.


    The moment Welmut paused after taking the attack, the one in front of him took the chance and thrust his hand through Welmut¡¯s neck. Welmut wheezed as he fell to his knees, unable to resist anymore.


    But then all of a sudden, a sharp wind cleaved through Welmut¡¯s body, cutting his body in half, along with him was a cursed child ¡ª but the cursed child promptly began regenerating.


    Needless to say, the one who killed Welmut was one of the elves, Henfred, his ally. He committed such a treasonous act after concluding that Welmut would no longer be helpful, thus he made sure the opposition would find no use for him in the future.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen this before¡­¡± a cursed child right next to the regenerating one muttered, recalling the time when the mystics encountered the Church.


    The two elves standing next to each other sent numerous slashes of wind in all directions. Some cursed children dodged, while others merely took it all and immediately began regenerating.


    ¡°Should we retreat?¡± Isen asked.


    Henfred shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t let them follow us to base.¡±


    ¡°Then, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Buy as much time for Felsurd.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    They clashed once again, burning through their mana. They swung their swords along with magic, but all their efforts would only amount to buying time. Then after a couple of minutes, Isen lost his sword after being grabbed by his enemy.


    With mana almost depleted, he only had one choice, and thus he instantly aimed a slashing wind at his neck, blood spurted as his head went flying.


    ¡°Gah! I hate it when they do that.¡± one cursed child said bitterly.


    Henfred furrowed his brows, the wind barrier slowly disappearing. He gathered his mana, and then a powerful blast of wind exploded around him pushing the cursed children away. With that, he aimed a slashing wind at his neck, killing himself.


    It was silent for a moment.


    The cursed children in the area walked toward the corpses.


    One kicked an elf¡¯s corpse. ¡°They¡¯re crazy, but I¡¯m envious. So easy to their own life.¡±


    ¡°Suicidal acts is not one to be envious about.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re saying that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I suppose we have different mindsets. After all, I have hope that we get to return to what we truly are through her eminence. While you just want to end it all.¡±


    ¡°... Apparently so¡­¡±


    Another cursed child stepped forward. ¡°Is this a waste? We could have used them in some ways.¡±


    Another one joined in. ¡°I don¡¯t think this was a waste, we can just kill them whenever they appear anyways. So I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    They had utter confidence they can take care of anyone that may go against them, as they never die. Besides that, it was not like they were planning to take one in as a captive.


    ¡°Enough talk,¡± another chimed in. He pointed at three people. ¡°You three, chase down the other one that got away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with th¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not you Mr. her miss eminence, you¡¯re staying here.¡±


    He paused and glared. ¡°Damn you.¡±


    The three that were pointed to go, immediately left the area as just the tension in the air was rising. They traversed the forest by turning into fogs until eventually, they noticed a battle happening in the forest.


    It was then one of their comrades appeared in front of them. ¡°Stand back and be quiet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing anything?¡± one asked quietly.


    ¡°No, we have a plan. So let this fight unfold for a while.¡±


    ***


    The moment the princess left the scene, the Eternal Wanderer, Taneva, whistled as he stared at the dead beastman. Imagine his surprise upon watching everything unfold, how the princess fought hard and even defeated her adversary while showing impressive skills.


    How did she even manage to do all that? I don¡¯t recall her ever being trained to have that skill set.


    He scratched his head, utterly confused by everything. Not only that, he felt some disbelief when the princess went after some noble and burned his carriage down. She must have killed him, she even casually killed the coachman with no regrets.


    Never did he imagine she was capable of such a deed.


    What the hell is going on¡­?


    He had no idea.


    He looked around.


    ¡°Oi, Heneis! Don¡¯t just hide around!¡± he called out.


    A dark fog emerged from the darkness and a man covered entirely in clothes appeared. ¡°Wanderer, of course, you would be here.¡±


    Taneva chuckled a bit after hearing him speak as if he just discovered he was here, acting all casual.


    ¡°I have a job to do, you know.¡±


    ¡°And what is this job?¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to worry about. That aside, did you just watch your precious princess get attacked by a beastman?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, Taneva smiled, he seemed to have hit the mark.


    ¡°Now why would you do that?¡± he began pondering and shortly came up with an answer. ¡°Could you have been planning to save her before death, and that in turn cause her to be in your debt? Since you saved her, she might do what you want as a favor or something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Again, he was met with silence, but that was basically a confirmation. He shook his head, they basically planned to manipulate her.


    ¡°How underhanded to do that to the daughter of your old mistress.¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°Does not matter.¡±


    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you even feel bad? You think she would be pleased if she knew what you were trying to do with her daughter?¡±


    ¡°Again, what we do won¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, yeah whatever. But things didn¡¯t seem to go as planned, huh?¡± Taneva returned to gaze at the beastman''s corpse. ¡°You still think you can manipulate her after what you have seen?¡±


    ¡°... I admit, we didn¡¯t expect this outcome. This will make things difficult.¡±


    ¡°Or this might change your entire plan¡­ To be honest, I myself was taken aback. Did she ever train?¡±


    ¡°To get to that level of fighting skills? No. She had only started learning magic, no way she could do that much and go against a beastman. This is unlike with her spar against her knight.¡±


    ¡°As I guessed. You think it''s her godly instincts at work?¡±


    ¡°You really think that?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just a random thought.¡±


    There was no way that some person was born with a natural skill and knowledge of fighting. Even gods should need experience. But the princess was not moving like an amateur at all, all were expertly done, calculated, and she responded to a situation instantly.


    ¡°... I will need to reflect on today¡¯s event. Farewell, wanderer.¡±


    ¡°Leaving already? Alright, bye.¡±


    Heneis turned into a fog and left for the palace.


    Taneva sighed and began leaving the area. But after several steps, he froze in place, his breathing trembling. He felt something weird, something that gave him the chills despite himself being immortal. But it was a familiar sensation.


    He looked around.


    ¡°So, are you just gonna keep watching like a creepy pervert?¡±


    At that moment, intense power assaulted him, enough that would make a normal man tremble and collapse on their knees. A presence way beyond any mortals slowly appeared. In front of Taneva, a giant eyeball formed, floating in the air, the edges faintly glowing.


    Taneva smiled as he greeted the guest. ¡°Long time no see, Observer. Well not personally since you¡¯re here as an eyeball, but whatever.¡±


    ¡°Taneva.¡± A powerful voice spoke from the eye that shook the air, like thunder after the strike of lightning. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you well.¡±


    ¡°You as well. Especially after I heard that you started fighting against the other gods. You¡¯re one hell of a guy, I tell you.¡±


    In front of Taneva, this powerful presence was a god. He was a god called the ¡°Neverending Observer,¡± the one who watches everything. He can see everything and thus know everything.


    An omniscient being.


    He could see what was happening all over the place, he could see one¡¯s mind, one¡¯s heart, the past, the future, literally everything. But he was not as famous as the other gods, very few mortals or inhabitants in this world knew about him.


    With that knowledge, Taneva decided to have a little fun.


    Damn your eyeball is nasty and disgusting. Looks like a deformed fetus that never got to be born, or a child from someone who slept with their sibling.


    The eyeball narrowed its eyes. ¡°Very funny, never change,¡± it said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid. So, how¡¯s your war?¡±


    ¡°For now, everything is alright, as you can see, I am here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What are you even lurking around here for?¡±


    ¡°Something interesting happened that I wanted to watch... No, not precisely, I have been watching for some time, I just want to take a look at what happened here earlier.¡±


    ¡°Earlier¡­ you mean the princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Taneva furrowed his brows. ¡°I take it that you already knew this would happen.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have watched this unfold from the future, and the present.¡±


    ¡°To think that you have an interest in what¡¯s happening here¡­¡± Taneva then came to realize something. ¡°Hey, do you have something to do with this? With the princess, with the prophecy?¡±


    The eyeball narrowed its eyes. ¡°I have no direct involvement in what is happening here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    The eyeball froze for a moment. ¡°I have to go. They¡¯re closing in on me. We will meet again soon.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª Wait! Is she sti¡ª¡±


    Taneva frantically reached out to the Observer, wanting to get an answer to an important question. Something personally important to him. But before he could finish his question, the eyeball vanished, and the surrounding air finally relaxed.


    He closed his hand and shook it, and sighed with sadness.


    ¡°Soon then¡­¡±


    Taneva woefully gazed up at the sky.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    next chapter is the epilogue of the volume.

 Vol. 2 Chapter 64: Not Meant To Be (Volume Epilogue)

    I awoke from the knocking on the door, but I remained lying down on the ever-soft bed. I quietly groaned as my body ached. I healed my body before going to bed, but it would appear I didn¡¯t get all of it. I was pretty drowsy when I arrived though, I had to remove my work clothes and weapons, then wear my sleeping clothes.


    Then heal my body while I was feeling dizzy. At the first sign of relief, I fell asleep. Even now, I still felt tired. I didn¡¯t even get around six hours of sleep I think.


    ¡°Princess, wake up.¡± came Mera¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m opening the door.¡±


    ¡°Wait, not yet!¡±


    I got up from the bed and cast healing magic on my body. I just want to get rid of as much pain as possible.


    I sighed. I felt drained. After the pain had dissipated, I went over to the door to open it. As usual, Mera and Rogan were here. However, strangely Vernon was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Vernon?¡±


    ¡°... He said he¡¯ll catch up later, and he apologize for it.¡±


    ¡°Why? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    I shifted my gaze towards Rogan, indirectly asking if he knew something.


    ¡°Must have something to do with an incident somewhere, I heard something from the other knights. For now they¡¯re still investigating, given that I¡¯m here, I didn¡¯t get to you know, to see what it was.¡±


    ¡°And Vernon just left¡­ where? Surely he didn¡¯t leave the palace.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s fine¡­I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come to tell us later.¡±


    I went on and did my normal routine until it was time for breakfast. But upon arriving in the dining room, only Mother, Eleden, and Lillie were there. I curiously looked at the empty seats.


    ¡°Where are Father and Estevan?¡±


    ¡°Good morning dear¡­¡± my mother warmly smiled at me. ¡°There was an emergency, so your father and brother had to handle it. To be precise, they¡¯re at the moment coordinating with the knights.¡±


    With a concerned face, I sat down on my chair. ¡°Did something bad happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    I looked at Eleden and he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve sent Lucious to take a look at what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself, dear. Let¡¯s eat.¡±


    I hesitantly nodded my head and dined.


    A few minutes later, Father and Estevan arrived with troubled faces.


    My mother spoke to Father. ¡°So, any news?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to be talked about while eating. But we¡¯re still figuring it out.¡± my father smiled.


    Father and Estevan joined us.


    Several minutes later, after eating and cleaning the table, a knight arrived. ¡°Excuse me, but we have identified the victim.¡±


    My father nodded. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Marquis Vekenas, Hevrik Fumine Vekenas.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Mother covered her mouth, and father had a grim look on his face. Of course I also appeared surprised.


    ¡°He has yet to show up for overseeing the festival, and his wife coming forth that her husband has yet to return after leaving last night. Add to that identifying objects at the site, and analyzing the body. We came to the conclusion that it is indeed the Marquis.¡±


    ¡°Is it murder?¡± Estevan asked.


    ¡°Definitely, aside from the charred remains, he also has a stab wound, and a cut to the throat.¡±


    ¡°A marquis¡­ murdered? Or assassinated?¡± Eleden muttered in disbelief.


    This was of course a big deal. Someone just killed a high-ranking aristocrat. Who would have the nerve to kill a man of that standing? That would incur the wrath of the crown.


    ¡°Who could have done this..?¡± my mother asked to no one in particular, horrified.


    I looked at my mother with a melancholic expression, somehow I felt a little prick in my heart looking at her this way.


    ¡°This is an unprecedented incident.¡± my father grimly said. This was unprecedented in his term, and a few rulers before, it was incredibly rare for this to happen, sometimes never at all. ¡°To think this would happen in the capital. Any leads?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, your majesty¡­ Marquis Teristro is still investigating the scene of the crime.¡±


    ¡°Good, he should find something.¡±


    Marquis Meril Helvinia Teristro, my mother¡¯s brother, and my uncle ¡ª and Mizia¡¯s father. I didn¡¯t expect him to be sent to investigate. I wonder what his role in the kingdom is. Father seemed a bit relieved that uncle went to investigate.


    ¡°Keep me posted.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    With that, the knight left.


    ¡°What are we going to do? Should we continue the festival?¡± my mother asked Father.


    ¡°We continue it. For now, I¡¯ll leave the events in your hands, my love.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª Um¡­ isn¡¯t the marquis Lucious¡¯s uncle¡­?¡± I timidly asked with a fearful expression. ¡°Where¡¯s Lucious¡­?¡±


    Eleden bit his lip. ¡°Estelia, come with me, let¡¯s find him.¡±


    ***


    Eleden and I searched for Lucious in his office, expecting he would be there, but he was not. We went to his personal quarters, no one was there as well after calling out from the door. We searched outside the palace but he was nowhere to be found. Then we met the knight from earlier that brought the news and told us that Lucious went out in a hurry.


    It would seem Lucious left to where the incident happened. Feeling a bit disappointed, I decided to stay in my study room while Eleden left to try and help where he can. I wonder how long until Lucious comes back.


    Ever since we arrived in this room, Vernon has been staring weirdly at me. In fact, he started acting weird ever since he returned earlier. Good grief.


    ¡°Vernon, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Whatever do you mean, your highness?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t notice it, it¡¯s a bit uncomfortable how you¡¯ve been staring at me.¡± I looked at him with a strained smile.


    He averted his eyes away and took a deep breath. ¡°I hesitate to speak my mind.¡±


    ¡°What does it entail? My guess it involves me?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    My other two servants wrinkled their brows as they stared at Vernon.


    ¡°Given that it has something to do with me, speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I sighed. ¡°After today¡¯s incident, I don¡¯t think I can be patient, Vernon. Please speak.¡±


    ¡°... Very well¡­¡± he turned to Mera. ¡°Please lock the door.¡±


    Mera looked at me with a concerned expression, asking for my permission, to which I nodded.


    After Mera locked the door, Vernon began asking me. ¡°Princess, did you do something?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Princess please don¡¯t pretend. You asked questions about the marquis, then the next thing we discovered is that he is dead.¡±


    My eyes widened in shock. ¡°Are you implying I k-killed him?¡± to think he would think that about me.


    ¡°Hey hey, that¡¯s going too far, Vernon.¡± Rogan came to my side to defend me.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right sir Vernon, that¡¯s stepping over the line.¡±


    ¡°... But it could not be far from the truth given how things were yesterday.¡±


    I twiddled around with my fingers. ¡°V-Vernon¡­ I only asked about the marquis yesterday because he was acting strange.¡± I then raised my eyes to look at him with a distressed face. ¡°I could never commit such a thing¡­ Please don¡¯t make assumptions like that¡­¡±


    I lowered my eyes. ¡°There are those that are hurt, I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing¡­ never¡±


    ¡°Princess¡­ I am only speaking my mind¡­ but¡­ are you truly being honest here?¡±


    ¡°V-Vernon¡­ I didn¡¯t do it, I swear. I swear I didn¡¯t do it.¡± my voice slowly trailing off. ¡°It was a surprise to me as it was for everyone.¡±


    Rogan shook his head in exasperation. ¡°Vernon, that¡¯s a dangerous accusation. If she did it, how could she even get out of the palace without getting caught?¡±


    He averted his eyes as he pondered. ¡°...... I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you think the princess can just casually kill someone in cold blood?¡±


    Vernon stared at my troubled and fearful face. Of course I¡¯m afraid, he just basically accused me of murdering a high-ranking noble.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. The princess had never killed someone before¡­¡± he slowly kneeled on one knee right before me. ¡°My sincerest apologies, your highness. I made a mistake. Please know that I had no intention of speaking my mind to anyone else. My loyalty lies to you alone.¡±


    ¡°Um, thank you, Vernon¡­ You m-may rise.¡± after he stood up, I continued. ¡°... I know you are confused as to why this happened. So what about we theorize? Theorize about why the marquis was killed.¡±


    ¡°... I could not think besides other nobles giving the order.¡±


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°They can do that? Do they not fear the repercussions?¡±


    ¡°Some nobles are braver than others. I¡¯m sure they think they can get away with it. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s someone that¡¯s in a feud with him.¡±


    ¡°...Could it be a personal grudge?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anyone that could have a grudge, but perhaps. Highly unlikely it would be a commoner, but it could be an adventurer besides assassins sent by nobles. But I just couldn¡¯t think why, the marquis doesn¡¯t have a particularly bad reputation.¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s not personal, let¡¯s expand the scope further¡­ What if it¡¯s a conspiracy? A conspiracy that runs deep and that everyone is not aware of.¡±


    ¡°Conspired by whom? Would there be a group of powerful people that would want the wrath of the crown?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it was just a random thought¡­ This is going nowhere is it?¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood¡­ that was foolish of me.¡±


    Vernon¡¯s eyes widened for a moment. ¡°Please princess, no need to deprecate yourself. It was my fault, to begin with. I started it.¡±


    I was about to respond, but knocks rang out from the door. Mera went and opened it, she spoke with the person and turned to me. ¡°Milady, the knight said that Mister Lucious has arrived.¡±


    I stood up and took a deep breath. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say.¡±


    I left the room in a rush and headed to Eleden¡¯s office. I entered after knocking. I looked around.


    ¡°Lucious is not here?¡±


    ¡°He has arrived?¡± Eleden said. ¡°I expected him to head straight here¡­ Perhaps in his room?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡ª¡± I paused when a place came to mind.


    He surely would be there. I faced my servants. ¡°Please don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    ¡°But princess it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± I interrupted Vernon and then left the office.


    I went down the stairs to the ground floor and then went outside until eventually, I arrived at a green place with a tree at the center. A place filled with childhood memories. Then, there Lucious was, sitting by the tree.


    His head was lowered, and I saw tears welling up in his eyes. I bit my lip for a moment before going toward him. He heard my footsteps and the moment he saw it was me, he frantically rubbed his eyes and stood up.


    ¡°H-Hey, Estelia¡­ I, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    With a sad expression, I spoke to him. ¡°Lucious¡­ I¡­ I heard what happened.¡±


    He forced a smile, the corner of his lips shaking. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ it was an¡­ an unexpected news.¡±


    He strained his eyes, holding his tears back¡­ Not good.


    I walked up beside him and sat down on the grass.


    ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    He was hesitant at first but he slowly sat beside me.


    ¡°Estelia, what are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lucious¡­ I¡­ I spoke with your uncle in the colosseum¡­ you seemed pretty close.¡±


    I looked at him with a faint smile.


    His eyes began to moisten.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I¡­ I um, used to tell him a lot of what happened in my life. I told him about my achievements, my joyful moments, and even my failures¡­ He always listened to me with a proud smile. I¡­¡± It would seem he could no longer hold it in upon recalling the past, and tears began welling up in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry Estelia ¡ª I just¡ª¡±


    I reached out for his hand. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± I slowly took him into my arms and pulled him close, his head to my chest as I caressed his head. ¡°Let it go.¡±


    His body shook as he began to sob.


    ¡°I-I s-still can¡¯t believe he¡¯s g-gone¡­¡± he paused for a moment as he took a shaky breath. ¡°The w-way he w-was¡­ i-it was too cruel¡­ too cruel¡­¡±


    I gently caressed his head and tightened my embrace.


    Then, he muttered. ¡°W-Who could h-have done such a thing ¡ª to such a thing to a good man¡­?¡±


    I did.


    I took away one of your family, Lucious. I killed him and I savored it. I set his body afire. I took the life of someone very important to you. It caused a tiny pain in my heart to see you like this. But I have no regrets in killing him. Whether he was a good man, I¡¯m sorry but it never mattered to me.


    I killed him. But that fact will forever be hidden. You will never know, no one will.


    I don¡¯t know what will happen if you ever find out. That is why it will never be discovered that it was me.


    Lucious¡­ Oh Lucious¡­ how I wanted to give it a try¡­ I chose you at first, I chose to give the two of us a chance, a chance to grow this strange feeling in my heart.


    But that feeling has now disappeared, and that is regretful.


    I truly wanted to give this a chance. But¡­ it would appear some things, some people¡­ are just not meant to be.


    ***


    The room was dark, it smelled foul, the corners filthy with feces. There was nothing beautiful in this room, a room underneath the ground with no light that can pass through. The room ¡ª this jail cell was not a place where a human being should live. But one human being did.


    This human being was a woman, and her state, from her body and mind, reflected the miserable state of the room she was in. Her clothes were torn, she had not changed any kind of garments ever since she was brought her.


    Her hair was sticky and messy, her skin full of dark muck, her throat dry as she barely drank any water. Her eyes darkened by eyebags were completely lifeless as she stared emptily at the floor.


    The girl that was supposed to have a bright ambition, was now lost in the darkness that devoured both her mind and soul.


    Then, there were sounds of footsteps coming into this usually silent dungeon. The footsteps stopped right at the entrance of her cell. Metal clinked, and the door lock clicked.


    The knight who came spoke to her in a stern tone.


    ¡°Allie Jelimis, her highness, Princess Estelia, wishes to speak with you.¡±


    Allie, who almost seemed like a dreary statue, slowly looked up.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Here ends the 2nd Volume! Will be posting the synopsis of the third volume (The Wicked Princess Part 2) soon. The third volume will be the end of the current arc, things will step up.


    Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you liked this volume!


    This volume has around 170k words, more than the last volume -- but this time has a lower number of chapters.


    Again thank you everyone for reading this far, and please look forward to the upcoming volume.


    Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Will be a great help in getting the budget to getting art to some characters. Thank you!

 Estelia Vernisia Wisteria [Character Sheet]

    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Character is drawn and designed by Elouise Moon


    Commissioned an artist and finally Estelia has a character design! Thank you everyone for reading this story! And I thank my Patreon supporters for making this possible! :)


    Feel free to enjoy the character sheet and admire the art :)


    Have a good day, everyone!

 Royal Princess of Blood Volume 3 Synopsis

    Volume 3: The Wicked Princess (Part 2)


    I have been learning and practicing my new abilities, and now, after facing that beast, I believe I am ready. Mostly because I have had enough of this crap, this has to end.


    But I will not do it alone, my servants, the church, I will have them help me. Then, Allie, time to bring her out. I will personally oversee this operation.


    Furthermore, all of a sudden, the Tornridge Empire suddenly sent us a message. Two princes are coming to our kingdom as envoys. Now what?! Dammit! Leave me alone!

 Vol. 3 Prologue: Tornridge Empire (Part 1)

    Giggles gently echoed in the wide and luxurious chamber fit for royalty. A pair of chandeliers hung on the ceiling, lights off, with only the lamp by the royal bed giving light to the room. The room was filled with sensual fragrance, an atmosphere growing in carnal desire.


    The doors locked, the windows closed, curtains spread out. None could see what was going on inside. A sweet female voice moaned followed by a giggle, the sheets ruffled, and the bed creaked. The bed was starting to slightly be stained by the sweat of a man and woman.


    The man kissed the woman¡¯s fair-skinned neck and his hand raised to the woman¡¯s bare breasts, holding them in his hand. The moaning continued as they held each other close, embracing their bodies together so tightly as they savored this special moment.


    The pleasure made them ignore the world outside the room. Now it was just the two of them. The outside world did not matter, no matter how they may see what was happening here.


    The heat of their love only intensified with every moment they share.


    The beautiful woman, eighteen years old, kissed the man¡¯s bare chest with extreme passion as her cheeks flushed. Her long straight hair was in the color of red, her eyes sporting the beauty of azure. Her bare body was smooth and without flaw, her breast ample, thighs seemed comfy. Her face was beautiful, one that could be considered among the most beautiful in the empire. She smiled as she made eye contact with the man on top of her.


    The man, twenty years old, looked down at her with intensely passionate azure eyes, his heart warm in absolute love and adoration for the woman before him. He had short light brown hair, smooth and shiny. He had a muscular body as what would be expected of a warrior. He was handsome, one smile was enough to charm any woman he desired. But he only had eyes for one woman.


    Their motion slowed and shortly came to a stop as they caught their breath. The man rolled to the side and looked up at the ceiling. The woman placed her fingers on the man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wonderful as ever, the more we do it, the more my love intensifies. How I wish we could do this every night.¡±


    The man gazed back at her and fondly smiled. ¡°I as well.¡± he stroked her cheek. ¡°So beautiful. I swear no one can match you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Sounds like you¡¯re just trying to flatter me.¡±


    ¡°You doubt me now? If I lied, I would have looked at other women. But no, all others are so dreary. You are the brightest.¡±


    The woman covered her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re making me blush, I might let you do me another round.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± he slowly inched his face close to hers and they kissed.


    His hand touched her bare waist and then down to her thighs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do one more, Zara,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Oh my, but a lady can only take so much, my prince charming.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡±


    He was certain it was a lie, she was more of a beast than he ever thought when they first did it. She was so wild that he was almost ashamed as a man.


    ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s a lie.¡± she chuckled. ¡°But you can¡¯t stay here any longer, Ali. You need to go while you can still sneak out of my room.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± she gently pushed him with a joyful smile.


    It was currently around past midnight, and most of the staff should be asleep with only a few guards patrolling inside the castle. It was his chance to go back to his room silently.


    ¡°He-he, alright my love.¡±


    Alistor left the bed and walked over to where his apparels were. Zara watched lecherously as he slipped into his clothes.


    ¡°Will you come here tomorrow?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Things have gotten busier than usual.¡±


    ¡°You boys and your love for politics.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the princess you know. You should try getting into it.¡±


    ¡°I am occupied with winning the adoration of the people, as the job Father told me to do.¡±


    Basically, it was to get on the good side of the people to increase support for the royals. But this was only done mostly in the capital region though. She was putting to use her charm as the princess.


    ¡°Ah right.¡± he closed the buttons of his shirt. ¡°As much as I would love to visit you tomorrow night, I can¡¯t make a promise. I don¡¯t want to make a promise I can¡¯t keep.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, this is why I fell in love with you¡­¡±


    ¡°And my heart always jumps in happiness every time I think about it. I¡¯m so lucky.¡±


    Alistor walked close to her and kissed her on the lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He walked over to the door, and before he turned the knob, he turned to look at Zara. He adored her nude body laying beautifully on the bed. His heart grew warmer at the sight of her.


    ¡°Goodnight, my little sister.¡± said the first prince of the Empire, Alistor Tarquen Celum Tornridge.


    ¡°Goodnight, my beloved big brother. Sleep well.¡± the only princess of the Empire, Zara Marcella Celum Tornridge, saw him off with a lovely smile.


    ***


    Alistor awoke in the morning in a good mood but only to be told to assemble in the throne room after breakfast. He sighed, expecting another order to come from his father the Emperor. But he couldn¡¯t be lax if he were to inherit the throne. Every order from the Emperor, he carried out as best as he could, just so he would win the throne.


    Despite being the eldest child, he was not the crown prince as the inheritance was determined by merits. With the most merits, they will take over the throne, and they have to show it to their father. Alistor wanted the throne, he believed it was his destiny to rule the empire. Aside from that, the power and authority a ruler has could help him with his wishes that involved his younger sister. Wish to make things easier for them both ¡ª in short, safer for them.


    Being a ruler grants many capabilities. He wanted that versatility.


    He took a bath and was afterward helped dressed by the maids who always blush whenever they do so. Alistor was quite amused every time, and they were quite beautiful. But he only has a heart for one. If he did anything to the maids, his sister would hate him. Besides, the maids couldn¡¯t match his sister¡¯s beauty and overall appeal.


    He arrived at the dining room, his younger brother the second prince, Cilas Alvis Celum Tornridge, was already eating at the table without waiting for anyone. He had red hair and azure eyes and was a little muscular and a foot shorter than Alistor. He was sixteen years old.


    ¡°You could have waited for your siblings.¡±


    ¡°There is no rule for that. Why should I? Besides, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Alistor shook his head and sat down but he didn¡¯t touch any food. Cilas didn¡¯t bother asking as this was already a normal occurrence, Alistor would wait for their sister. He wanted Cilas to wait for everyone to gather once in a while given that they as siblings only have each other to rely on, that was why he often tells him he could wait. However, he still receives more or less the same reply. He had to annoy him every morning more, then.


    Shortly, their sister, Zara, arrived.


    ¡°Good morning, my dear brothers. Oh, Ali, thank you for waiting as always.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll wait for my sister. Unlike someone here.¡±


    Cilas furrowed his brows and continued to eat, ignoring Alistor.


    Alistor presented a chair and allowed Zara to be seated. His heart warmed just at the sight of her. She was beautiful, elegant, and perfect. He started feeling this kind of emotion years ago, this romantic feeling. But it didn¡¯t always start this way.


    When they were still very young, Alistor saw her as a normal sister. No romantic feelings whatsoever. However, they were always together, helping each other. Then when she reached her teens, she grew even more beautiful and became sweeter.


    Alistor couldn¡¯t help but grow some special feelings. However, despite his conscious and unconscious pursuit, his feelings were not reciprocated. He knew he shouldn¡¯t feel this way to his own sister. But, he couldn¡¯t contain his feelings, his heart would warm up, and his groin would harden just looking at her. He wanted to touch her, be more personal, be more intimate.


    Zara was weirded at first by his actions, but Alistor didn¡¯t stop. He kept courting and seducing his younger sister. Then eventually, they reached beyond the boundary. They became more open to each other, in more ways than one.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s our youngest brother?¡± Zara asked as they began eating.


    ¡°He¡¯s hard in his study,¡± Cilas answered.


    ¡°We should pull him out of his room and force him to join us for once,¡± Alistor suggested.


    Their youngest brother would barely come out to join his siblings as if he didn¡¯t want to get near them. Thus, he always ate in his room and go out to his study without talking with his siblings. Not like he hated them, it was more like, he didn¡¯t want to speak with people. In any case, he was still under ten years old, he must be changed.


    ¡°You do that.¡±


    ¡°Cilas¡­ you should try convincing him, this isn¡¯t healthy.¡±


    Cilas grimaced at Zara¡¯s words. ¡°No way, don¡¯t throw that task on me. Dealing with kids is annoying. You¡¯re good with that kind of thing, aren¡¯t you? You do it.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­? Do it for your dear big sister.¡± she cutely smiled.


    Cilas sighed. ¡°Whatever¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Cilas put down his spoon and fork, his plate now empty. ¡°I¡¯m going, don¡¯t be late for the assembly.¡±


    Cilas left the room, Alistor and Zara stared at each other, with the former shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°By the way, you look brilliant this morning,¡± Alistor said to her. ¡°Something good happened?¡±


    Zara pulled her hair to the back of her ear. ¡°Well, there were plenty of things that happened last night.¡±


    Alistor chuckled, he could have touched her hand, but he had to be careful with his actions even in the palace where anyone could see. ¡°Really? I wonder what those could be.¡±


    ¡°What I can tell though is that I had a wonderful dream.¡±


    Alistor took a spoonful of food. ¡°Mind sharing?¡±


    ¡°I was in a beautiful place, where the clouds touch the land, and trees full of color. Cute and fluffy animals all over the place.¡±


    ¡°That sounds adorable.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes it is, I almost didn¡¯t want to wake up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did then, would hurt if you left us to live in the dream world.¡±


    ¡°Of course, why would I leave my dear brother, and my other siblings behind?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re as sweet as ever, my sister.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Alistor and Zara continued savoring the food before them but mostly savoring each other¡¯s company.


    ¡°So, what plans do you have today, Zara?¡±


    ¡°None, in particular, studying I suppose. There are plenty of books to read where knights triumph and all heroic.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t read the entire library?¡±


    ¡°Books are endless in the Empire I guess. In seriousness, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll read all the books in the library, a lot of boring ones mixed in there as well. Books are just a good way to pass the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you should find another hobby then.¡±


    ¡°What other hobbies?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, improve your musical skills maybe?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s tedious. Painting is much better than that.¡±


    Alistor recalled the times she painted, the paintings were beautiful in his opinion. Perhaps he was just being biased, but truly they were beautiful. The servants or her teacher didn¡¯t particularly complain about her art, so it must be objectively good. How she looked so beautiful when she sat before her canvas, waving her paintbrush.


    ¡°Then paint.¡±


    ¡°But I have painted all that I can see here.¡±


    ¡°Well, you could draw me, if you like, eh?¡±


    Zara smiled adorably as she thought about Alistor¡¯s offer. ¡°... I would like that.¡±


    Alistor moved a bit closer and whispered. ¡°You can paint me naked if you want.¡±


    Zara laughed quietly and slapped his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t even try.¡±


    A short while later, they finished their food. Afterward, they made their way to the throne room.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Finally starting the 3rd volume. And starting with characters from the Tornridge Empire. Along with it two siblings that love each other lol XD


    Prologue has 2 parts.

 Vol. 3 Prologue: Tornridge Empire (Part 2)

    The hallways were tall and wide, gold embedded in the fine columns. From the windows, the buildings of the capital city can be seen, even to the horizon beyond the two protective walls surrounding the city. The walls were divided, there was an inner wall where in the center the castle was situated along with other buildings. Then there was an outer wall, with buildings between the first one.


    Everything within the protective circle of the inner wall was the first part of the city, then beyond it was the expansion. With the long history of the Empire, the city inevitably grew. And thus after the second wall was built, the capital city was divided into two districts ¡ª the first protected by the inner wall, and the second district by the outer.


    Standing at the center of it all was the majestic and high-reaching castle where the royal family resides.


    As Alistor and Zara got closer to the throne room, they began to see painted portraits on the hallway walls, placed on each side. With each painting, there was a different art style. These were the paintings of the Emperors of the past, forever remembered in their portraits.


    Alistor savored the sight with a sharp breath, feeling the pride as royalty of the great empire that had stretched far in the continent. At the edge of the hallways lies a giant set of double doors, right by it was the oldest painting of the first emperor. His younger brother, Cilas, looked up at it with slightly squinted eyes.


    Cilas glanced at Alistor upon hearing his footsteps. ¡°We need to wait for a while.¡± he then returned his gaze to the painting.


    ¡°I see¡­ Why are you staring at that portrait so much?¡±


    Alistor stood beside Cilas and looked up at the painting, trying to figure out what his brother was looking for.


    ¡°The first emperor when our nation ascended from a mere small kingdom. He was the one who led our people to greatness. His feats are a subject of adoration.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes of course.¡±


    ¡°But I noticed something, and have been for a while.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Despite his achievements, in this very portrait where his face be saved, he did not smile.¡±


    Alistor looked at the first king¡¯s face. He had golden hair and azure eyes. Fair skin and a beautiful face overall. And indeed, his lips were not smiling.


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just a serious person?¡±


    ¡°Most of the former emperors smiled. I just find it strange that despite being the one with the greatest achievement, he did not express joy.¡±


    ¡°What? Is he supposed to be upset?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure. Perhaps he is¡­ sad.¡±


    Alistor shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡±


    The empire was once referred to as a mere kingdom, the underdog amidst the other hostile nations. But the young king led the nation to greatness, where they began to conquer the nearby lands, expanding their reach, and enhancing their power. With the guidance of the God of Valor, they attained prosperity and grew into the new Empire. At present, now conquered half the continent.


    As the first emperor who led the nation and brought it great change, there was no way that he was sad or upset. All rulers would be happy when their nation became better than before.


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    The doors to the throne room opened with a loud thud. The royal children quickly straightened themselves up. Alistor stood in the middle, on his right side was Cilas, and on the left was Zara. Once the doors were fully opened, the three began walking inside.


    On the elevated platforms on the left and right sides sat down the people of status ¡ª nobles yet serving directly to the emperor, ambassadors. They help the emperor in making decisions and often represent him on some occasions.


    At the frontmost center of this wide chamber was a throne above a set of stairs. Behind it was the statue of a man in full plate armor with swords on both hands, crossing them on his chest. It depicts the God of Valor, the deity the nation worships.


    Not all didn¡¯t begin worshipping the deity before the first emperor got into power. It was said that the God of Valor himself stood beside the first emperor and guided him to the right path when he was still a young man, and a young king, around two and a half millennia ago. And now, he was all there was to worship.


    On that lone throne sat a middle-aged man, clad in a luxurious formal outfit ¡ª red and gold colored coat and trousers, and leather boots. His hair was red and his eyes were in the beautiful color of azure. Beside him was a sword stand where his precious sheathed sword was kept. An emperor would never be away from his sword.


    Alistor turned his gaze to his right, and with the ambassadors, sat their mother. Her hair was silky brown, pinkish eyes, and she had a fair complexion, clad in a glamorous dress. Despite being the wife of the emperor, she was not an empress as there could only be one ruler. Therefore she only had the rank of a duchess, with no power and authority matching her husband. Although, being the wife of the emperor in and of itself brought pressure on other people.


    When they were close to the stairs leading up to the throne, the siblings stopped and genuflected, their heads bowed.


    ¡°We answer your summons, your imperial majesty,¡± Alistor spoke as their representative.


    ¡°My children, I have orders for you. The situation has shifted greatly, and you will be needed.¡±


    Alistor took a deep breath. An order from the emperor himself. Fulfilling this would certainly bring him great merits and get him closer to the throne.


    ¡°Anything you ask, we will fulfill it.¡±


    ¡°Good. But first, I shall tell you your task, Zara.¡±


    Zara subtly swallowed and suppressed her nervousness ¡ª she always would feel apprehensive whenever their father was acting this seriously and professionally.


    She looked up at her father.


    ¡°There is a disturbance in the distant state of Fetreus, civil unrest. There is a concern for revolt or a formation of a rebel force. Ease their hearts and calm everything down.¡±


    ¡°Understood. If they do not listen?¡±


    ¡°Do what you must.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°General Berial will be coming with you along with a small army. May you have safe travels in your journey.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your imperial majesty.¡±


    With that done, the emperor shifted his gaze towards Alistor and then to Cilas.


    ¡°Now with the two of you. Your task will be most important, so do not fail,¡± he paused for a moment as he sternly stared at the two. ¡°Our plan of invasion rests in this plan. Myra has strengthened the security of their borders which will prove difficult to break through. However, we must focus on Wisteria, if we do, we can isolate Myra. However, our plan had unexpected setbacks¡­¡±


    ¡°The plan to assassinate the Wisterian royal family? Did it fail?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately yes, we lost the noble under our control. And then suddenly, Wisteria tightened their grips to their nobles even tighter.¡±


    ¡°Did they realize it?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. That is why we must delay our assault and coordinate with our agents in Wisteria. But before that, preparation will be needed¡­ You, Alistor, and with you, Cilas, will be going to Wisteria.¡±


    Alistor and Cilas fell into confusion. It was unexpected.


    ¡°D-Do you mean we¡¯ll personally lead an army and attack Wisteria?¡± Cilas asked with shaky lips. As always, he was afraid of his own father.


    ¡°Not exactly. You will go there as official envoys.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You will be on a visit to a neighboring country, make friends with them. And perhaps, convince them to go to our side. But that is most likely not going to happen¡­ That is why you will act yourselves. Prepare accordingly until your time comes. This is what you will do ¡ª¡±


    Then the emperor gave his order.


    ***


    When the door closed behind them, they were relieved of the heavy weight on their back that they had while inside the throne room.


    After walking a distance away from the throne room, one started to speak first.


    ¡°That was one hell of an order¡­ How are we supposed to do that in the center of their nation?¡± Cilas heaved a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°We just have to figure something out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a thing we can easily figure out. We would definitely die afterward, like a pair of sacrificial lambs.¡±


    Zara furrowed her brows. ¡°Our father wouldn¡¯t be that heartless to send you to your deaths.¡±


    ¡°I would think of the same for you, Zara. You might encounter some people that are willing to kill royalty.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic, Cilas.¡±


    ¡°You need to always expect the worse of things to survive. Remember that.¡± he shifted his gaze to Alistor. ¡°And the worse thing I can think of for our task is our certain death as we are trapped at the core of our enemy.¡±


    ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s still months away, we need only think of a safe way to escape at least.¡±


    Cilas shook his head with annoyance. ¡°I would have preferred to stay here, but I can¡¯t go against Father¡¯s orders. Whatever, I need time to think about what just happened.¡±


    Cilas walked away while wearing a troubled expression. He never was the type to just dive into danger, so the order was hard for him to take in. One may call him somewhat of a coward, or just an overly cautious man that was always concerned for his own safety.


    ¡°Are you going to be alright, brother?¡±


    Alistor turned towards Zara with a fondly smile. ¡°Of course, I can handle myself. I am more concerned about you though. Father has given quite a fairly dangerous job.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, and I am feeling a bit nervous.¡±


    Alistor reached out for her hand and held them tightly. He didn¡¯t hesitate to do this as, in context, anyone who might see this would think it was just a brother comforting his sister after being given a difficult task by the Emperor.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain you can handle this and see through the end. It¡¯s you after all. Just, if you need help don¡¯t hesitate to call anyone.¡±


    Zara smiled. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡±


    Alistor moved his lips close to her ear and whispered. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too,¡± Zara whispered close.


    After that, they went their separate ways. Zara left to speak with the general she was to be with on her journey and mission. She should be leaving in a few days, Alistor considered having more special time with her before that.


    He stood by the window as a cool gentle wind touched his face. He gazed at the city before him. The houses were brightly colored with red rooftops, not all of them, but most of them. Not exactly a requirement to do but the people just did it in their pride for the nation, to show their support.


    Their citizens looked very fondly to their own empire, prided themselves on its greatness. They were the greatest of all people, one full of might and prosperity. With everything the empire touches, it turns out for the better. They even support the empire¡¯s endeavor to expand even further despite its size already.


    Alistor pondered what to do for today. He was not given a specific task as all the work that involves the empire was divided among the emperor¡¯s direct subordinates. Thus despite being a prince, he had nothing else to do.


    Guess I¡¯ll do some sparring.


    He made his way to the training grounds, and the place was filled with knights in red armor doing their usual routines like sparring and training. He looked to the side and saw Cilas sitting down on a chair reading a book.


    ¡°What are you reading?¡± Alistor asked as he approached him.


    Cilas looked up at him. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°You know, knowing what we are about to do, you should train up.¡±


    Alistor went and picked up a sword and presented the hilt to Cilas. The latter frowned.


    ¡°Now? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not like you have anything important to do.¡±


    ¡°And this is important?¡±


    ¡°Yes of course, it¡¯s to improve your swordsmanship.¡±


    Cilas was trained in swordsmanship of course, so he would give someone a good fight. But he was not exactly that great either as he didn¡¯t take such skill seriously. That was why Alistor wanted to toughen him up more.


    Cilas sighed and put down his book then received the sword. Alistor picked up another one and the two of them stood in an open area.


    Cilas took his stance, it was a basic stance, so he was fine. Alistor did the same.


    A moment later, they stepped forward and started clashing swords.


    It was coming out fine at first, but Cilas began to struggle as he was slowly overwhelmed. Alistor was, truth be told, not taking it so seriously, as one in the same level as an elite knight in the Empire. Cilas on the other hand was fairly below him.


    Alistor strengthened his strikes as he firmly held his sword with both hands. Shortly later, with a deciding strike, he made Cilas drop his sword. Cilas had a somewhat displeased expression as he clicked his tongue.


    Given that the match was over, Alistor sheathed his blade with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re much better than before.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still better than me.¡±


    Alistor shrugged. It was then that a man they knew came and approached them, wearing a formal suit. He had dark hair and sky blue eyes, and a brown complexion.


    ¡°Your highness, I would like to speak with the two of you, privately. Please follow me.¡±


    This man was the personal adviser of the emperor himself. Alistor grew curious as to why this person would want to have a private talk with the two of them. He and Cilas stared at each other and Alistor nodded.


    ¡°Sure, of course. Lead the way.¡±


    The two princes followed the adviser to a private room, at the center placed a group of couches and a table.


    ¡°Shall I prepare liquor?¡± the adviser asked.


    ¡°No thank you.¡± Cilas shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a glass,¡± Alistor said as he sat down on the couch, then Cilas followed, sitting opposite him.


    The adviser took a glass of champagne from a cabinet and filled a single glass before offering a filled one to Alistor.


    ¡°So, why are we here, Alred?¡± Alistor asked as he sipped on his wine.


    Alred sat down on a chair. ¡°You have another priority target, on the same level as the enemy¡¯s king.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are aware that there is a princess in Wisteria.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, what was her name again? El ¡ª Er¡ª¡±


    ¡°Estelia Vernisia Wisteria.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right, thanks Cilas. So, Alred? What about her?¡±


    Alred formed a friendly smile. ¡°You are to kill her personally. Make sure she is utterly dead.¡±


    Alistor furrowed his brows, wondering what was with the task. ¡°Aren¡¯t we just going for everyone anyways?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she is the greatest of targets. Kill her alongside the rulers if you must, but make sure she is dead. When you do, you will be given the highest merit to obtain the throne in the future. It¡¯s more appropriate to say that no one else will be able to catch up to you.¡±


    Alistor held his breath as he paused drinking his wine. ¡°Father really said that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why not say it in the throne room?¡±


    ¡°This mission is specific and must not be heard by anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s so important about her anyway?¡±


    ¡°You have no need to ask questions. Make sure it is done and you will have a sure way to the throne.¡±


    Cilas didn¡¯t seem too motivated, but it was different for Alistor. His eyes were practically shining with anticipation.


    Alistor smirked. ¡°Sure sure, I¡¯ll see to it. I¡¯ll take her head here if you want.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±

 Vol. 3 Chapter 1: Intuition (Part 1)

    A carriage was found burnt by the road this morning. A marquis also has yet to be found, and his wife came forward to the authorities that her husband has yet to come back. It couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence.


    Concerned, the crown sent its own forces to investigate until eventually, it was confirmed that the missing Marquis was the corpse found in the carriage. However, the crown made no public announcement as of yet and kept the identity of the one murdered. Furthermore, that marquis was not the only one that was killed at that place.


    A luxurious carriage arrived at the scene of the crime, and an aristocrat stepped out. He had crimson hair and bluish eyes. The knights guarding the perimeter stopped and greeted the man.


    ¡°We have been expecting you, Marquis Teristro.¡±


    The knight in charge said to the Marquis, the brother of the current queen.


    ¡°I will be taking a look.¡±


    ¡°Of course, please feel free to look around.¡±


    Teristro approached the burnt carriage with watchful eyes. Good thing the crime scene was untouched for the most part. First, he gazed at the horses, stricken down.


    To prevent the carriage from running.


    Then he shifted his gaze to another person burned to the point that he was unrecognizable. Teristro walked over to it and took a closer look. Pierced through the throat, must be a stealthy approach. Whoever the culprit was, they were skilled in their craft.


    Teristro stepped back and walked over to the side of the wreckage and crouched down to see the corpse of Marquis Vekenas inside. He furrowed his brow.


    To think this kind of thing would happen to you.


    Teristro was the Head of Intelligence. He was the one to send and receive crucial information from all around, but most of his attention, for now, was focused on outside the nation, from the reports of their spies. He was also the one who supervises everything when it comes to gathering intelligence, this also includes handling and assigning spies. But as far as everyone was aware, the king was the one handling it.


    It was so that other nobles wouldn¡¯t be so on guard with Teristro.


    As the Head of Intelligence, he knew Vekenas was not exactly a bad noble. They were not particularly close, but it was a shame to lose a decent aristocrat.


    What are you doing here anyway, Marquis?


    Even so, it was suspicious that the Marquis was out here at night. Likely he was meeting someone, and that someone could have killed him. Or it was some third party.


    ¡°Cause of death?¡± he asked the knight.


    ¡°Stab in the heart, a cut to the throat.¡±


    ¡°For a thorough kill, I presume.¡±


    The culprit wanted to make sure he was dead, and for healing magic to fail. A stab in the heart, a healing spell might save him if he survived in time, which would be unlikely, but a small chance. It depends if it¡¯s a clean cut. However, Vekenas was no warrior, so he would not survive. A warrior would have a longer time of surviving and perhaps can cast healing spells to themselves.


    But the culprit cut his throat. With two fatal wounds, healing spells would not be able to save him. However, not only that, the culprit burned the entire carriage, ensuring the marquis¡¯s fate further. But that may not be the only reason for setting this afire.


    They might have wanted to burn any evidence.


    His eyes shifted to a lantern inside the carriage. Must be used to start a fire. But that might not be enough and would take some time to spread.


    Teristro stood up and faced the knight.


    ¡°Identity of the driver?¡±


    ¡°A servant of the marquis.¡±


    ¡°Does he have a family?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Send a knight to make sure they spread no word of who is the murdered. We can¡¯t let the public know a noble was killed while the festival is still taking place.¡±


    The knight left to send an order to his knights.


    The marquis returned his gaze to the wreckage. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    Magic¡­ the fire is caused by magic.


    He could not tell what spell it was specifically, but he could tell what element it was. The magic residue was still thicker than he had expected despite hours having passed.


    Teristro possessed a gift unique to him, he had the power of ¡°Intuition.¡± With that Intuition, he can sense the strangest presence in an area. He could sense sadness, anger, grief, even bloodlust, even the use of magic, and so on. Not only that, he gets a strange feeling when looking at a person and observing their actions, which in turn, results in him having to look deeply into a person.


    To put his power into a single word, the word was ¡°Intuition.¡±


    That was why he was given the position of the Head of Intelligence. The king and his sister only knew this strange ability of his.


    Anyhow, now he knew the culprit can use fire magic.


    He followed his intuition and turned his back.


    The dust scattered, the grass slapped and waved.


    He saw some of the grass was bent down.


    A force, pushing it down. Wind¡­ the wind.


    It was then that particular element piqued his attention.


    Wind¡­


    He recalled there was a situation the king was working on, that he even prevented Teristro from personally being involved. But he did share some information, they were looking for enemies in the kingdom. But that was in the domain of the church and Teristro was prevented from prying for information as he was allocated to foreign matters. So all he knew was the power of the enemies they were searching for.


    Can manipulate wind was one of their abilities.


    Could those people be involved?


    However, the wind used here, is coming down from above as if pushing something upward.


    It was a familiar spell. Yes, he did get a familiar feeling, one from the past. The king, his brother-in-law, used a spell to fly using the wind.


    But if the culprits are not from here, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they can use something similar.


    He followed the direction the wind was going towards. It was going into the forest.


    He followed the tracks.


    ¡°Marquis! Where are you going?¡± the knight rushed behind him.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± he pointed at a few men. ¡°You come with us!¡±


    Teristro traversed the forest with a group of knights following behind him. The forest was normal as ever.


    ¡°Marquis, may I ask what we are doing here?¡±


    ¡°The culprit seemed to have traversed here to escape the scene.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the knights followed quietly, their guards raised. True, there wouldn¡¯t be any monsters here as this was in the middle of the city and this was unlike the Elgion forest, but they still need to be alert.


    They kept walking for several minutes until they stopped and arrived in a clearing. No, it was not precisely a plain clearing.


    ¡°What happened here?¡±


    The trees were cut down, broken apart, branches and wood scattered all around.


    ¡°Did someone have a fight here?¡± one of the knights asked.


    ¡°Let us follow the chaos.¡±


    They followed the trails of the damaged and cut-down trees. The battle seemed to be intense, there were even trees that were neatly cleaved through. One reminiscent of the knights if they used their armament magic.


    Teristro sensed the massive expense of mana, residue of magic being cast over and over.


    Magic similar to the knights, one they used on their swords. Then¡­ fire, the same one. But now, there is ice¡­ ice magic. The air¡­ it¡¯s salty. The wind magic, the same one. The air shaking. The flap of wings, countless flaps, scattering the soil.


    He couldn¡¯t make complete sense of the last one, but it was what he felt.


    Then he stopped when he saw something laying on the ground.


    The knights quickly stood in front of him to protect him from danger. But that thing was no longer moving. It was a beast, perhaps a monster? It was reminiscent of a wolf, but something that felt different.


    A knight slowly approached and poked it with a stick he picked up.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡°What is that? Doesn¡¯t look like any monster I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    Teristro stepped forward and approached the beast.


    I sense lightning.


    ¡°It is burned from the inside,¡± Teristro said as he looked at the mouth of the beast.


    ¡°Who could have faced this thing? Do you think it¡¯s what killed Marquis Vekenas?¡±


    Teristro shook his head. ¡°If it did, I don¡¯t think it would kill Vekenas that way. Look at his hands. Claws. I feel it wouldn¡¯t end up the same if it killed the marquis.¡±


    ¡°Then something else killed him¡­? What happened to this thing?¡±


    Teristro stood up and looked around. When he focused, he was assaulted by the emotion of frustration¡­ and anger. It was so strong it almost made him nauseous. This occasionally happens whenever he went to a place with an emotion this strong.


    He followed his intuition and thought back before entering the forest, taking into consideration the direction the culprit was heading towards. He couldn¡¯t sense where they were going, but all he had was a rough direction before entering the forest.


    He looked in that direction.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 2: Intuition (Part 2)

    Teristro returned to the crime scene as the knights rushed to get a big piece of cloth to cover and drag that corpse of some beast and take it somewhere appropriate. Upon returning, he stopped in place when he saw a woman he recognized on her knees.


    She was crying as she faced the side of the wrecked carriage.


    It was the wife of Marquis Vekenas. Teristro heaved a sympathetic sigh. Their children were not around, they might have been left behind in their home. Whether they know or not, it was not of Teristro¡¯s concern.


    He approached the woman.


    ¡°Lady Vekenas, I am sorry for your loss,¡± he said as gently as possible.


    Lady Vekenas wiped off her tears with her handkerchief and slowly stood up to face him. Her eyes were red in tears.


    ¡°Lord Teristro¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, no need for any format greeting. I¡¯m sorry to disturb you, but may I ask for your statements?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ if it may help find the one who did this.¡±


    Teristro nodded then turned to the leading knight. ¡°Come with me, I will need another pair of ears.¡±


    They led the lady to her carriage where she entered and sat down, followed by both Teristro and the knight sitting opposite of her. Teristro waited for the lady to gain some calm before asking.


    ¡°At what time did your husband leave before he disappeared?¡±


    ¡°W-We last spoke around after dinner time. Then, he said he needed to leave.¡±


    ¡°For what reason?¡±


    ¡°He said he had some matters to address with his business partners.¡±


    Teristro raised an eyebrow. ¡°Business partners? At night?¡±


    ¡°He said it was his only free time.¡±


    Teristro found it strange, of all time, it had to be at night.


    ¡°What time did he leave?¡±


    ¡°I heard from the guards it was around before midnight.¡±


    Suspicious¡­ why wouldn¡¯t they just meet in the Marquis¡¯s house? Also, why does it have to take place at midnight? Something shady was going on here.


    ¡°Lady Vekenas, are you aware of what business he does with these partners of his?¡±


    ¡°N-No, he never mentioned. When I asked, he was quite vague, saying that it was a personal investment.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    There¡¯s something going on here. Something more than just simple assassination¡­ but then again, when is an assassination simple?


    He had a feeling that it involved the entire kingdom. But he best not probe harshly into this matter, in consideration for the grieving wife. He could not just mention that her husband seemed to be involved in some shady matters.


    ¡°Does he have any enemies?¡±


    ¡°No, there shouldn¡¯t be any.¡±


    ¡°Has he been acting strangely at some point?¡±


    She pondered. ¡°... I¡¯m not sure if this is right but, around five months ago, he seemed to be out of himself. He seemed paranoid, nervous, afraid. But he returned to normal soon after.¡±


    ¡°Notice him acting strange recently?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Did he meet with other nobles?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me the names of the people he interacted with around five months ago. Just those you can remember.¡±


    Teristro listed down the people Marquis Vekenas spoke with, and after that, asked a few more questions.


    ***


    It was only when noon came that Teristro was able to meet with the king in the king¡¯s office in the palace, after lunch of course. Teristro had written down his report to better transmit what he had learned, which the king was currently reading.


    ¡°Those beings are in the area, huh. And more than just one.¡± The king muttered.


    After finding that one beast, Teristro ordered a full sweep of the forest. It was then that they found other corpses left lying on the ground. There was another animal-like beast, but different from the first one they found. Then there was also a pair that appeared to be humans, but with long pointy ears.


    The king sighed and lowered the report.


    ¡°Thank you for this, Meril. We might have no clear idea of who the culprit is, but at least we are aware these creatures were around the area¡­ Let¡¯s see, the culprit can cast, fire, wind, and ice magic. Not exactly unique elements.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°With those magic in mind, I wouldn¡¯t say these strange beings are not responsible for it after what information we have about them.¡±


    ¡°Leodoule, what are these creatures? They¡¯re the ones the church is tasked with hunting, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, strange beings with abilities that match even the church fighters. They can cast wind, transform, even manipulate and grow plants.¡±


    Teristro nodded. If these strange beings are capable of various magic, then it wouldn¡¯t be impossible that they were responsible for what happened to Marquis Vekenas. But that didn¡¯t explain how those beings died.


    ¡°Tell me, Leodoule. Who are they?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Teristro was in disbelief for a moment, to think that a threat lurks in the capital that even Leodoule didn¡¯t know what they were exactly.


    ¡°In that case, why are they here?¡±


    Leodoule seemed to hesitate as he pressed his fingers on his forehead.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I will tell you their goals. But that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°... These strange beings, are aiming for my daughter¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Teristro wrinkled his brows. ¡°Estelia? What sense in the world would they want to do that?¡± He fell into momentary confusion, failing to make sense of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to find out. In fact, they almost succeeded one time, or twice. Heard about our traitorous servant Oryn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did hear. He confronted your son and your old butler. So he was after the princess¡¯s life, huh.¡±


    ¡°Then, a poison attempt from my daughter¡¯s own personal chef.¡±


    Teristro heaved an exasperated sigh. ¡°This is absurd¡­¡± he recalled the face of Estelia, one so pure. ¡°Now why would they¡­?¡± strangely, when he recalled the moment Estelia showed herself during the nobles¡¯ meeting, he remembered the strange feeling he had. ¡°... Leodoule, you¡¯re keeping crucial information from me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But this is a secret I cannot allow anyone else to learn.¡±


    ¡°... I understand. Then, what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be preoccupied with your other work, but I hope you also help investigate the death of Marquis Vekenas.¡±


    Teristro nodded.


    Now that his business here was done, he left the king¡¯s office and began heading his way out of the palace. But on the way to the stairs, he encountered his niece. Princess Estelia, wearing a beautiful dress that beautifully matches its wearer. She was with her three servants.


    Upon seeing Teristro, Estelia smiled tenderly and bowed her head. ¡°Greetings, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Estelia. Are you doing alright?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I am.¡±


    Teristro found it doubtful, for he felt different. Strange, he couldn¡¯t tell exactly, but she was not precisely alright. His intuition couldn¡¯t sense it properly. And it surprised him. There were several emotions coming from her, and all of them were vague, like a mixture of different kinds.


    Normally, it was the same for other humans, he could see through their eyes, and with his intuition, what one was feeling. And at least one emotion would be clear. But with her, he could not tell. The fact that his intuition was acting strange right now disturbed him. It felt like something was blocking his gift from working properly, an obstruction¡­


    ¡°How about you, uncle?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a bit on edge after what happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. That¡­¡± as she realized, she looked down, sadness in her eyes.


    And indeed, strangely now, when she did it, he could tell it was genuine sadness.


    What¡­what is this?


    It was the first time something like this happened, where he only felt it was genuine or tell someone¡¯s emotion if they show it themselves.


    ¡°... So, did you learn something about what happened to Lucious¡¯s uncle?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But not much. You should ask your father if you want the details.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Something was going on with his gift. But he set it aside for now.


    ¡°By the way, my niece, I heard you have been practicing magic. I never thought you would take such study.¡±


    She had always been a well-behaved girl and never seemingly had an interest in most things. That was what his intuition told him when they saw each other in the past. So this was a surprise for him.


    ¡°Ah, yes I did.¡±


    ¡°So, what magic spells did you learn?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s a secret, uncle. It is e-embarassing to tell.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    If she was training for magic, then she might definitely start in the basics. Like for instance emanating plain mana, or learning about some elements like fire ¡ª it was then that Teristro caught on to something.


    ¡°Estelia, let¡¯s play a little game.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What game?¡±


    ¡°... Well, not precisely a game. Just a short activity. We need a table.¡±


    ¡°But uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°We have time, don¡¯t we? Come now, just something short. Please, I insist.¡±


    ¡°...Where would we go?¡±


    ¡°Princess,¡± Vernon chimed in. ¡°Your study room should suffice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose. But why, uncle?¡±


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t I spend time with my niece?¡±


    Estelia slightly tilted her head, and seemingly giving up, she told him to follow. She led him to her study room.


    ¡°Have your servants stand to the side, this will need focus,¡± Teristro said with a smile as he sat down.


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    The servants stood by the door but faced the two. Estelia slowly sat down on the opposite side of Teristro. Teristro inserted his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. There was a total of ten cards, and he shuffled them in his hand, but he kept anyone from seeing what was on them.


    Estelia had a curious expression as she stared at the cards.


    ¡°Now then, Estelia. Tell me what you see, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uncle this is¡­?¡±


    ¡°You will find this very interesting. Okay, I¡¯ll be placing one.¡±


    He pulled out a card and placed it in front of Estelia.


    ¡°What do you see?¡±


    Estelia seemed confused at first, but intensely looked at the dark illustration on the card.


    ¡°......... a butterfly.¡±


    ¡°Okay. How about this?¡±


    He placed another card.


    ¡°... a group of people?¡±


    Another card was placed.


    ¡°... some sort of four-legged animal.¡±


    Then another.


    ¡°A spider.¡±


    Then another.


    ¡°A flower.¡±


    It went on until all ten cards were finished.


    ¡°See? It wasn¡¯t so hard.¡±


    ¡°So, what was that about, uncle? It almost felt like some sort of test.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was.¡±


    ¡°Then, what was it all for? Did we learn something?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I think this test did not work well. I couldn¡¯t learn anything.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s a shame then, but it surely is a unique activity. Did you draw them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And the process was not easy at all.¡±


    Estelia gently nodded. ¡°... Then, uncle. I must take my leave, I need to leave for my preparation for the final event of the festival. Farewell.¡±


    ¡°Farewell, Estelia.¡±


    Estelia stood up and left the room with her servants. The moment the door closed, Teristro sighed and leaned his back on the chair.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡±


    It was true, the test didn¡¯t work well as he had expected. Which was strange. Some of her answers did not correspond well with some. It always worked out well for other people he did this test with. Even with the king, which his test was proven to a degree accurate.


    But for Estelia, it didn¡¯t match well. It was full of inconsistencies. Almost as if she was answering at random. But there was no way, there was no need to answer at random. Anyone could easily say what they see. Then if that was not the case, then perhaps the test really failed. Or there was another possibility¡­ it was that she lied.


    ¡°Lie¡­¡±


    It then dawned on him.


    ¡°A liar.¡±


    He took in a sharp breath. A liar should not end this way in the test. But, it was a possibility in this scenario.


    Estelia? A liar? There¡¯s no way. She would never.


    It didn¡¯t match her nature.


    He could be mistaken. She couldn¡¯t be a liar.


    Teristro denied that she could be a liar.


    Because of this confusion, this uncertainty, he wanted to look through her nature more. There was a mystery at play here.


    However, why was it? His intuition has not been working properly with his interaction with his niece. So, why was working now?


    His intuition was screaming.


    Screaming not to pry.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 3: Loss of Friends and Allies

    A sigh escaped from his lips, feeling frustrated, very frustrated in fact. Add to it the irritation he felt in the foolishness of what his subordinates did, resulting in their disappearance. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they were dead already ¡ª worse, they were captured.


    Upon realizing that a group of his team has disappeared, they had to move to another safehouse, although still in the capital city Serene. He looked up at the wooden ceiling while leaning back, his brown dog-like ears drooped down.


    He had lost a lot of men.


    First, there was a time when a team was sent to retrieve Oryn. However, they never returned. Yes, they have indeed considered that it could be a trap. But the voice was Oryn¡¯s, and they wouldn¡¯t believe an elf like Oryn would ever betray them.


    Furthermore, there were those here that was concerned for Oryn and wanted to get him back if he was in danger. Oryn was a brave elf, one who was willing to cut off his ears for the cause. And that garnered the respect of everyone.


    That team was so adamant about saving them, and he as the leader was hesitant at first. However, he couldn¡¯t abandon an ally to his fate. So, he agreed and allowed those who were the most eager to extract Oryn.


    But the next day, that team never returned. Realizing that, the entire force needed to move to another safehouse.


    Needless to say, it was a great loss on their part. They lost a good amount of power, and they lost their friends. And it was heartbreaking.


    And now so recently, they lost another group. All they knew was that they suddenly disappeared from their post. Where could have they gone? No one knows. It broke his heart once more, realizing that they could be captured or dead.


    Furthermore, it was hard to send for reinforcements, most that their homeland had a plan in mind. With their meager forces remaining, how can they hope to even push back the Cursed Children when the time comes?


    No, there should be no need to be so worried. Trust only the plan.


    Even so, for him, it was heartbreaking to lose this many allies.


    He was concerned about one person as well. A girl. A human. She was a human who was sent to cooperate with Oryn. They once discovered her in the middle of nowhere and discovered that she lost her home and family because of monsters.


    The others did not care. However, it was a different case for him. He saw potential, she could be used in some ways. But that was only a small thought. In truth, he took pity on that child.


    The other mystic race doesn¡¯t take kindly to humans, but despite that, he still took care of the girl. And as time passed, a few also began to care for that girl, even for just a little. Although it was hard to see what the elves were feeling.


    That being said, she couldn¡¯t be taken care of without return. With the pressure from other members of the team, he had no choice but to send her into the enemy¡¯s nest. How he missed her cooking when she left.


    Thankfully, she often leaves the palace to give her reports, and he would mostly meet with her. He would always ask how she was. If not given the opportunity, other beastmen would meet with her. The elves, on the other hand, didn¡¯t like the idea of meeting that human girl, so they never did.


    But then, after the failed extraction of Oryn, that human girl no longer came out. Even in the months that passed by, she was never seen again.


    And it concerned him greatly.


    Was she still alive? Or was she dead? Was she imprisoned? Interrogated? And worse of all, tortured?


    She was an ambitious girl, warm and somewhat charming. He dreaded to think if she suffered in the hands of the humans. He wanted to save her, or just know what happened. But there was no information, and he couldn¡¯t infiltrate the palace either.


    He couldn¡¯t jeopardize the mission, and he was the leader. He shouldn¡¯t be selfish.


    He couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Allie¡­


    Her name echoed in his mind. It upset him greatly that he couldn¡¯t do anything. Perhaps it may have been best that she died, might save her from a much harsher fate. However, it pained his heart to think if she was already dead.


    When the time comes, he would definitely check her fate.


    He was the odd one in the group, as the first to care for that human girl. One would think it was strange for him to be assigned as the leader. But it was because of that kind heart that he was selected as his team should easily like him if he was being kind and thus obey his orders heartily. Not only that, but he was also an experienced high ranking officer in their homeland.


    Not all beastmen had a heart of stone, as others of the beastmen began to care a little for the girl. But it was a different case for the elves. That was why any of them couldn¡¯t be the leader, they wouldn¡¯t coordinate well with the other beastmen. Charming they may seem, they have a much harder heart than the beastmen.


    His ears twitched as he heard footsteps coming up, familiar footsteps. The footsteps stopped at his door.


    ¡°Arnaut, a bird arrived at our old safehouse.¡±


    Their abandonment of the old safehouse was sudden, and a Puppet Courier occasionally comes to give orders or ask for reports, coming from a faraway place. Thus, he had sent someone to scope out the old safehouse to wait for the next bird to arrive.


    They will have to wait until they get the bird. Otherwise, the bird will stay there until someone interacts with it, it wouldn¡¯t do well if the courier ended up in a stranger¡¯s hand. Once they have their hands on the bird, they will reactivate it in the new safe house, thus saving a new point of destination.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Arnaut said.


    An elf entered inside and walked over towards Arnaut, placing the dark bird on the table. There were two small pouches, tied on both its legs. Arnaut removed them and took a look inside. There was glittering blue dust in the pouches.


    Arnaut tapped the bird¡¯s head two times, then a man¡¯s voice spoke.


    ¡°Make the circle somewhere hidden, mix it with the empty dust that you have. Already have prepared and laid out the circle with the same dust on my end, only need yours now. After that, we wait for the opportune time. Spend all the dust.¡±


    Arnaut deeply exhaled.


    ¡°So this is the plan they have come up with¡­¡± the elf said.


    ¡°It appears so¡­ and this amount to mix¡­ it will be one big circle.¡±


    ¡°Your orders?¡±


    ¡°Call everyone, I want to look at all of us. Things have gotten harder.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    If this was the order that was given, given the importance, they must carry this task out immediately. Their numbers were thinning, he couldn¡¯t risk all of this to fail now.


    ***


    In the lobby, Arnaut stood in front of his team. Or what remained of it. There were only merely ten that stood in front of him. Five being elves, and the other five being beastmen. Counting himself as well, there were only eleven of them in total left active in their mission.


    He had asked for additional forces but was rejected. The response was that there would be no need once the plan has begun. However, that was when they only lost one team. But now they lost another. Losing even one team leaves a huge blow in their ranks.


    He had finished reporting the situation and will need to wait for the response for reinforcements. But given that they will spend their Dust, receiving backup from their own people would be doubtful.


    ¡°How our number has been reduced to this, very concerning¡­¡± he muttered but deliberately made his men hear it, which prompted them to frown. ¡°We have received a new instruction. However, before that, there are matters that need to be settled.¡±


    He looked at one of the beastmen.


    ¡°Did you find out something about what happened to Henfred¡¯s group?¡±


    ¡°Remember when a noble was killed, and a huge bag was brought by the human knights?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what of it?¡±


    ¡°Turns out there were several bags pulled out of the forest, away from the eyes of the normal citizens. But a few of course had a glimpse.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than three, so yes, I think it is them.¡±


    Arnaut shook his head in exasperation. ¡°What the hell were they thinking¡­? Do you think they killed that noble?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    If they were the ones behind the death of that noble, that was a nonsensical action. There was no reason to do that at all. But they were close proximity to the area where the noble was killed. Even so, it was hard to think that they were the ones who killed that noble.


    There must be something that has happened.


    Even if the mystic race was not behind their murder, the humans would think they did. It would only make things difficult to keep hiding at this rate.


    ¡°This situation is not making sense.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the other team from the empire was behind it?¡±


    ¡°If they did, they would have told us. In any case, let¡¯s set this aside for now. Listen,¡± he paused and stared at his team one by one. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything reckless, don¡¯t just go around places without telling me first. Do you understand?¡±


    The team responded in the affirmative.


    ¡°Our numbers have dwindled, we would no longer stand a chance against the Cursed Children. And a confrontation with the human knights will prove to be more dangerous and more difficult. I want you to be extra careful, and follow the plan.¡±


    He continued after his team understood his words.


    ¡°Now then, for the next instructions,¡± Arnaut pointed at two elves, one being the elf that brought him the bird from earlier. ¡°I will assign this task to you. Come with me in my private quarters.¡±


    Arnaut found a need for utter secrecy, just to be safe. The two elves followed him to his quarters and gave them an order for only their ears to hear.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 4: Farewell and Sleep

    It was mid-morning. Foreign knights from Myra gathered at the front of the palace, them already on their mounts and carriages. At the front and back of the convoy were the Wisterian knights that would be escorting them until they leave the territory. Today was the day that the envoys of Myra be leaving Wisteria.


    The foreign princess, Lillie, dined with the Wisterian royal family before gathering at the palace''s front doors. Now it was time to say their farewells.


    ¡°Thank you for the hospitality, I have enjoyed my stay. I hope to visit once again.¡±


    Lillie bowed her head to the two monarchs.


    The king nodded. ¡°Of course, you are free to visit any time. Although it is saddening that not everything came out peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I will be sure to convey to my home palace what happened to one of your nobles. We must prevent this from happening to ours.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    Lillie shifted her gaze to the beautiful girl with ever so unique physical traits, Estelia. She gazed back at Lillie with her bright and innocent eyes, which alone made her smile. Lillie found her extremely adorable. And the way she was so timid about her actions, and how gentle she was, gave her the urge to squeeze Estelia¡¯s cheeks and tease her ¡ª like how one talks with a baby.


    Indeed, Estelia to her was like a baby. So fragile and so adorable. She almost wanted to keep her as her little sister. But that wouldn¡¯t happen until she marry Estelia¡¯s brother.


    But to think the Wisterian family was hiding such grandeur of a gem. Even in her homeland, there was no useful information about princess Estelia at all. Almost like she was a ghost. Some knights and some officials were not even aware of her existence.


    Lillie had once spoken with the officials and knights that came with her, there she saw how flabbergasted the men were upon seeing such a beautiful young woman. They were unprepared. Even Lillie felt the same, but had only composed herself.


    Eleden has shared things about his sister with Lillie, and he did mention she was beautiful. But even that word was an understatement, it almost made Lillie jealous. She imagined that Estelia would be at least as beautiful as her older sister, but how wrong she was.


    Not only her appearance, her movements, her actions, her voice, her soft manner of speaking, the way she carried herself ¡ª it was almost perfection, so endearing.


    And she had heard Estelia was kind as well that the local knights favored her so much.


    If Estelia were in Myra, and always show herself to the public, numerous ladies would be both envious and jealous of her. But perhaps that was one of the reasons she was hidden like a valued treasure.


    If she were in Myra, Lillie could imagine Estelia being called the ¡°Treasured Saint of the Golden Light.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, it was nice talking with you in the short time we had.¡±


    After the festival, the two of them had opportunities to speak casually, like a pair of friends. Lillie quite enjoyed it, Estelia was pretty accommodating.


    ¡°I too enjoyed it, Lillie. I hope we meet again soon. Take care, and stay safe.¡±


    Estelia smiled, her cheeks slightly raising, giving a little puff. Lillie resisted the urge to squeeze Estelia tight, it would be unsightly. And they were not yet that close to be doing that.


    Lillie shifted her gaze to Estevan.


    He was a light-hearted fellow, and he gave off a casual air that lessens your stiffness. He was very approachable in fact, she might have a higher level of friendly relationship with him than Estelia.


    ¡°Estevan, you were a very enjoyable company. Thank you.¡±


    Estevan brightly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way. I hope to meet you again soon. Perhaps, I might even try visiting Myra in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh that will be delightful! Feel free to contact me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Great! So¡­ take care out there. Farewell.¡±


    ¡°Farewell.¡±


    Then lastly, Lillie faced Eleden. Her heart warmed as she walked closer.


    ¡°The days never felt so short when I¡¯m with you, Eleden my love.¡±


    Eleden slowly reached out for her hand and smiled. ¡°It pains me to part. But I know we¡¯ll be reuniting soon.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Indeed, but I will need to speak with my family at length. But I am confident they wouldn¡¯t reject our love for each other.¡±


    Eleden¡¯s parents had no problem with their relationship at all. There was this little sense of liberation here in Wisteria, unlike in Myra. Here, they seemed to be more open.


    The men of status in her homeland should have no problem if she and Eleden would marry. There were no drawbacks to it. Although the political side of things might make their plan of marriage longer. But they had expected all that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, Eleden.¡±


    ¡°I will also miss you, Lillie. I will miss you so much.¡±


    Eleden kissed her on the forehead, and she smiled sweetly with a blush. There was just something so special, so warm when the one you love kiss you so gently there. Lillie found it so pleasant and soothing. She resisted the tears that threatened to come out.


    Lillie stepped back and once again said goodbye to everyone.


    She entered inside her personal carriage, then followed by her knight, Jaiden. Incidentally, the carriage they used this time appeared less luxurious than the one they used coming here, the inside was alright though. The royal carriage they first used was positioned at the center of the convoy.


    It was a change suggested by, who would guess, princess Estelia. She brought up the topic during dinner, saying that it would be safer as those who wish Lillie harm would be baited to attack the royal carriage first. If not, they would still need to find out which carriage Lillie was in ¡ª putting the enemy into momentary confusion and deliberation.


    It was a sound reason, so they used her idea, and had to set aside a little pride just to increase safety.


    Lillie looked through the window as her carriage began moving, her gaze directed at Eleden until he was no longer in sight. She felt a little empty.


    She took a deep breath and then looked at Jaiden sitting across her.


    ¡°Did you enjoy your time here?¡±


    Jaiden looked down for a moment as he searched for the words he wanted to say. ¡°It was alright.¡±


    Lillie felt a little disappointed by his response. She wanted him to at least say ¡®it was great¡¯, but she guessed the reason why that was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you were stuck to your duty most of the time.¡±


    ¡°It is to be expected of my station, there¡¯s no need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°When we arrive home, I¡¯ll let you have a couple of rest days, do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°... Very well.¡±


    Lillie smiled, delighted that he took the offer. ¡°So, what do you think of them? Wisteria¡¯s royal family, they¡¯re very kind, right? As expected of my future family.¡±


    There was a little twitch on Jaiden¡¯s brow. ¡°... Yes, I suppose. The monarch couple is actually friendlier than I had expected. Prince Estevan was a decent person. As for the princess, to be honest, she¡¯s an enigma for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are you interested in her?¡± Lillie smiled, her eyes narrowed, as if she was implying something.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t start lying now. I get it, she is pretty charming.¡±


    ¡°Yes she is, but that¡¯s not the point. I couldn¡¯t understand her¡­ I wanted to but¡­ we never had the chance to speak again. It¡¯s as if she was avoiding me.¡±


    Lillie recoiled a bit and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°You spoke? And what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I just relayed my thoughts.¡±


    Lillie palmed her face. ¡°I told you many times, hold your tongue sometimes, learn restraints. Relaying all your honest thoughts will drive people away.¡±


    Lillie could imagine him creeping out Estelia.


    ¡°... M-My apologies.¡±


    He apologized here now, but how would he even recover from that now that Estelia was keeping her distance from him?


    ¡°When there¡¯s an opportunity, I will help you with her.¡±


    ¡°Princess, you¡¯re jumping to conclusions. Stop it.¡±


    Lillie turned her head away. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ***


    I closed the door of the room in time for sleep. I wanted to sleep, but I just don¡¯t want to. You know, like when you are really sleepy, but you¡¯re just not in the mood to close your eyes. Or just can¡¯t sleep.


    Ah, insomnia. Was that it?


    Hello, darkness my old friend. Been a while.


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­¡± I heaved a deep sigh.


    Finally, Lillie has left. Can¡¯t really act with an envoy still present, thus I had to wait for a few days after the festival ended. As for the festival, it ended up being stale in the end ¡ª but that was just me. I was no longer in the mood to enjoy that time.


    Such a fucking waste.


    The more time progressed, the more things I have to worry about. It just felt weird you know, it¡¯s like the whole world was looking at me and finding ways to fuck me up. It¡¯s fucked! Everything¡¯s fucked up, fuck!


    Really ruined a lot of things in the short time I¡¯ve been here in this fucking world. How hard was it to just leave me alone? I didn¡¯t do shit here to deserve this.


    Fucking bullshit.


    I laid down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling. I wanted to sleep. I want to close my eyes with peace of mind. But it¡¯s hard to drift off.


    ¡°Calm down, calm down. Breathe¡­¡±


    I said to myself, closing my eyes and taking in several deep breaths.


    Guess I¡¯ll do my old method of calming down.


    Except there was no phone, no mp3 player, no computer, or anything to listen to music from. That made things more difficult to cope with the stress. In the past, how easily I could listen to music to at least have a peace of mind. I just lay down on my bed and pull out my phone and headphones.


    I could close my eyes and listen to soft and relaxing music, and I¡¯ll drift off to sleep. But here, there was none of that. There wasn¡¯t even a recording of any music. And it¡¯s hard, harder than I thought it would be.


    Furthermore, I have no friends. They¡¯re not here.


    I recalled the time when that friend of mine, the one who killed me, took me to a magic show. That was around after I took down a deserter. I was not feeling very nice that time, and he seemed to take notice and asked me to watch a magic show with him.


    A smile grew on my lips.


    That was such¡­ such an amazing time. Simple yet so comfortable. How nostalgic. And it¡¯s saddening. I could still remember how I clap at the cool magic tricks while eating popcorn. Heh, it was his treat, so everything was nice.


    It was a nice time that removed some unpleasant things from my mind.


    How I miss him.


    How I miss them. My old team.


    I shouldn¡¯t dwell on such thoughts, but it¡¯s hard to hold them back. The moment they¡¯re no longer with you, the harder to deny the feelings.


    I hugged my pillow, so soft. But it was not enough.


    I got up from my bed and walked over to my cabinet, pulling out a wooden case. My liathre.


    I took the stringed instrument out and then sat down on the side of the bed. I placed the instrument on my lap and touched the strings. Holding a musical instrument at least calmed a little of my nerves.


    Let¡¯s see, I guess I¡¯ll go for something fun.


    I began plucking the strings, my head bobbing a little. Nice, giving some energy. Not really in the mood to vocally sing, but this was already fine with me.


    As for the song, the lyrics go a little like this:


    ~But you didn''t have to cut me off.


    Make out like it never happened.


    And that we were nothing.


    And I don''t even need your love.


    But you treat me like a stranger.


    And that feels so rough.~


    Pretty iconic song, I should say.


    The artist made a banger and never came back.


    I guess if someone asked who¡¯s the artist, I¡¯ll just respond, he¡¯s just somebody that I used to know¡­


    That¡¯s corny¡­ I¡¯m sorry for that I just¡­ I¡¯m just trying to lighten things up, I need it. But¡­ haaaah, not working.


    I stopped playing and thought of another song. After picking one, I began plucking the strings. Sounds echoed.


    ¡°~I-I w-walked across an empty land¡­~¡± my plucking froze for a moment when I tried to sing.


    My throat felt dry, and my voice was raspy right there. I cleared my throat and started again.


    ¡°~....I knew the pathway like the back of my hand¡­~¡±


    I sang softly. A rough start, but was getting there. I closed my eyes as I did so, to get lost in the moment, just so I can get a peace of mind.


    ¡°~Oh simple thing, where have you gone¡­? I''m getting old, and I need something to rely on¡­. So, tell me when you''re gonna let me in¡­. I''m getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin¡­~¡±


    I sang, paying no mind to anything else.


    It did bring me peace.


    But what time did I manage to sleep¡­ it will remain a mystery.


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Thanks for reading! :)


    Got a glimpse of Estelia''s mental state.


    Please consider supporting me on Patreon, and you''ll have access to advance chapters! Thank you :)

 Vol. 3 Chapter 5: Meeting With My Father (Part 1)

    Despite having to sleep late, I still woke up earlier than I wanted. So early that none of my servants have yet to even knock on my door. I heaved a tired sigh and combed back my messy hair. I gently rubbed my eyes before glancing at the mirror and looking at myself.


    Hm, at least I still look pretty beautiful... Yes, I just used two synonymous words.


    The sight of myself gave me a little energy, just a liiitttle. I smiled at myself.


    Right, no time to feel all tired.


    I still had one thing left to finish, one that I have been planning to do after the encounter on that pleasurable and rough night. I know that almost sounded like some sort of innuendo ¡ª which I may have done on purpose ¡ª but I was referring to the night I killed that Marquis and faced that werewolf shit.


    And oh gosh! Imagine my fucking shock when I learned there were others there as well. Like fuuuuck! I should have brought some soldiers to catch those motherfuckers. Or perhaps, if I was aware of where they were, I could have sent a signal or something. At least for a chance to have a showdown.


    Although, perhaps that would be too dangerous to do. I was so weak after my fight to the point that I didn¡¯t know what moment I would faint. Better safe than sorry. Besides I never expected I would face a damn werewolf.


    But, can¡¯t cry on spilled milk, or beans ¡ª whichever you prefer. I prefer beans to milk ¡ª like eeew, milk? Fuck that, it¡¯s disgusting.


    I walked over to my personal desk and placed upon it were sheets of paper pinned down by an ink bottle with a quill. I was writing. Oh my, what could I be writing? Could it be a wonderful, lovely, and peaceful story, a novel? Where an innocent maiden as a protagonist? The most beautiful of all? One with platinum hair, snow-white skin, and dazzling red blood eyes?


    Ahem! Yes, yes that would be great to have. But a shame it¡¯s not.


    I was writing a proposal for my dear father. It concerns the damn foreign nation that¡¯s threatening to destabilize my home kingdom. Hah! As if I would let that happen and give me even more headaches. Fuck them!


    Okay sorry, lot swearing today. I¡¯m just so angry, okay? Swearing helps lose some stress. Try it.


    I sat down on the chair and began writing down. I should finish in several minutes. Just polishing out some details. When this is done, I¡¯m just gonna submit this personally to my father, so I¡¯ll be meeting with him later on in his office. After that, to the main business.


    Wow, there are a lot of things to worry about. My life, my life, and my life.


    A small amount of time passed and I set down my quill back to its container and I leaned my back then started stretching, my arms spread out.


    ¡°Aaaaaah.¡±


    There were cracking sounds in my spine.


    Damn, that felt good.


    It was then knocking came on my door, I sighed the moment they reached my ears. When I open that door, reality will come in ¡ª yes reality, technically it¡¯s already here, but that¡¯s not the point. The point is, I have to do stuff again, serious stuff.


    Fucking hell, it¡¯s like waking up in the morning knowing that you have to go to work you hate, thus suffering continues. Although I didn¡¯t exactly hate my old job, just some things were annoying. So I didn¡¯t particularly go through that, but I just know it¡¯s a thing, okay? I¡¯m a sympathetic, and empathetic girl.


    I did my usual morning routine, and a thought came to mind. I haven¡¯t had a casual time with my servants for a while now. Not exactly a requirement to do that, but it¡¯s boring to be all business all the time.


    I had breakfast with the family, looking at the food reminded me of my old chef. Hmm, I wonder what she looks like now, guess it won¡¯t be a mystery for long.


    ¡°Father, I have something to discuss with you later.¡±


    ¡°How later?¡±


    ¡°Shortly after breakfast. In your office.¡±


    ¡°Why not we just go together?¡±


    ¡°You can go ahead first, father. I still have to grab my papers.¡±


    ¡°Papers?¡±


    ¡°You will see.¡±


    When eating was done, I made my way back to my room while Father went ahead to his office. I rolled the sheets of paper ¡ª oh yeah, I don¡¯t have a pocket. When I came outside my room, I presented the rolled sheets in front of Vernon.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± he asked with an inquisitive look.


    ¡°Just a plan I intend to give to my father. Keep it in your pocket for the meantime.¡±


    He received the papers, he seemed to be having the desire to take a look at the contents. But he still ended up inserting it inside his coat pocket.


    Rogan on the other hand, didn¡¯t even bother hiding his curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s that about, princess? For what purpose did you make a plan?¡±


    ¡°I can tell you, but I don¡¯t want the risk of it being discovered by other people when it has yet to be carried out.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust us?¡±


    ¡°Not like that, I am merely concerned about any eavesdroppers. Besides, you will learn of it when it has been started.¡±


    I know they wouldn¡¯t blab around about the plan, but I rather choose secrecy in the meantime. As we began making our way to my father¡¯s office, Rogan who was walking beside me, kept bothering me about the papers.


    ¡°Come on princess, care to give a little hint?¡±


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°Why are you so keen on learning about the contents of those papers? It is nothing too grand.¡±


    ¡°... Um, well, it¡¯s just...¡± He sighed.


    I stopped in my tracks and narrowed my eyes. ¡°Sir Rogan, your prying can bring suspicions about you.¡±


    His eyes widened and frantically shook both his hands and head. ¡°No no, princess. It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that you have been, um, acting strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I? What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°How do I say this¡­¡± he looked at Mera.


    Mera seemed to panic for a moment as he received the gaze from Rogan, who seemed to be asking her to explain.


    Mera had no choice but to speak. ¡°...Milady, you seemed troubled when not in a formal time or with your family. Your eyes had darkened ever so slightly.¡±


    I touched the skin under my eye.


    Mera what the hell, they¡¯re barely noticeable. How close were you observing me? Damn.


    She continued. ¡°We just want to relieve you of a little burden and help you in whatever way.¡±


    ¡°Aside from that,¡± Rogan said. ¡°You¡¯ve been acting a little too serious when it¡¯s just us around. Are you okay?¡± he asked, a genuine sign of concern in his eyes.


    I shifted my gaze at Vernon with furrowed brows, which he nodded.


    ¡°We three had a little discussion¡­¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I appreciate the concern, but you will only have to fulfill the roles you have been given. There is nothing you can do to alleviate my troubles, no one can act on it but me¡­ for now¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to know how to respond to my seemingly final words.


    ¡°You will be ordered upon when needed.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Rogan responded with a strained smile.


    I continued on.


    My servants often stared at each other with troubled expressions, but I ignored them. Yes, perhaps I am feeling a little irritated, and they sensed that as well. But I can¡¯t help it.


    Eventually we arrived at my father¡¯s office. I knocked on the door. A second later, the door opened. Upon seeing who it was that opened the door, I recoiled a little.


    Him again?!


    Now who was it that was smiling at me by the door? It was my uncle Meril. Mizia¡¯s father, and my mother¡¯s brother.


    I subtly gulped as I stared up at him.


    ¡°Hello, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°H-Hi, uncle. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I am giving my report for the investigation of Marquis Vekenas¡¯s assassination.¡±


    I glanced inside and my father waved at me. ¡°Come in Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be outside for the moment?¡±


    ¡°Oh no worries I was about done.¡±


    I hesitantly stepped inside while subtly glancing at my uncle. He¡¯s pretty disturbing, he always seemed to look deeply at me as though trying to see through me. Furthermore, he did some psychology shit on me all of a sudden.


    Oh trust me I was familiar with what he damn did. It was something similar to the Rorschach test where they basically try to deduce your personality or something. How effective that is, I don¡¯t know. But I was given that test in the past by my doctors.


    I hated it. So damn annoying. Those sessions were always a study of my psychological state, not only that, they also try to find deterioration of the mind. Not figuring out if I have gotten stupid, but they were searching for changes psychologically, like for instance, dwindling loyalty. In addition to that, yes they also try to figure out if I¡¯m still stable.


    Strangely, I was given more psychologist session more than I ever saw with my colleagues. They were closely monitoring me. Of course, I knew who was behind that¡­ the P-Professor. I don¡¯t want to talk about him.


    Given that I was familiar with the concept of my uncle¡¯s sudden test, I knew what to do. I didn¡¯t want him to see through me, so I answered in the opposite of what I saw in the pictures first. Sometimes I say what the second thing I saw. Basically just jumbled things up. I did what I could.


    But who knows, he might come to a conclusion of his own despite all that. Psychologists, they have a lot of secrets, can¡¯t even see through them¡­ or perhaps that¡¯s just the doctors I encountered. Our doctors were just built differently you know. Heh, some even will shoot you in the head despite being a child if you performed poorly.


    Fuck that lady doctor, she was one of my trauma when I was a kid¡­ But I got over it of course.


    In any case, the point was to confuse my uncle. If that didn¡¯t work, well shit.


    ¡°Um¡­ have you found the killer of Lucious¡¯s uncle?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± my father responded before looking at my uncle. ¡°Investigate the nobles on the list, subtly at first before going in person.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Alright. So Estelia, what is it you want to talk about?¡± father asked as Uncle was just leaving.


    ¡°I have a proposal, a plan that will encompass the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My uncle stopped in place while my father seemed to have lost the words.


    Father after a moment regained his wits. ¡°O-Okay¡­? This is a big deal then, good thing Meril is here, he might be able to share his thoughts on your plan. Close the door.¡±


    Rogan closed the door.


    I stared at my uncle inquisitively. As I thought, he must have a special place in this kingdom given that Father trusted him this much and was assigned to oversee the investigation. Doesn¡¯t matter, everyone will know of this in the end.


    ¡°Uncle? What¡¯s his position in your service?¡± I looked at my father.


    ¡°Something crucial.¡±


    ¡°Crucial? I don¡¯t recall him being a member of military affairs. Or perhaps he is involved in the intelligence department?¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Father let out a sound while uncle remained quiet. Military affairs had soldiers, and uncle didn¡¯t look like a soldier, and he never looked like one judging from all my memories with him. So I just randomly said something that is crucial for me, the intelligence department. Which was our lifeblood in the organization.


    And looks like my random guess hit the bullseye. Wow.


    ¡°I¡¯m right, am I?¡± I asked as I sat down on the chair in front of my father¡¯s desk.


    The two looked at each other reluctantly.


    Father formed a strained smile. ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°The thought just came to mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is something that just comes to mind, Estelia,¡± Uncle said as he sat down opposite me. ¡°How did you arrive at that guess precisely?¡±


    He¡¯s doing it again, giving me that piercing eye.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. If you uncle, are part of intelligence, then you might contribute greatly to my proposal, if it shall be accepted.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Then, daughter, tell us about this proposal of yours.¡±


    ¡°Vernon.¡±


    Vernon pulled out the sheets of paper and gave them to me, which I passed on to my father. ¡°It has all the details I think you will need, so you have no need to question me¡­ on the most part.¡±


    Father, with a curious look, read the contents of the papers. A moment later, he froze with wide eyes. ¡°Estelia, how did you even come to this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Continue reading please.¡±


    ¡°...¡± He returned his gaze to the papers.


    A couple of minutes later, he lowered his hand and sighed.


    ¡°Allow me to read.¡± uncle received the papers and read them whole. ¡°... So princess, are you implying that the Empire has infiltrated our nation¡¯s system without my knowledge, as the head of intelligence?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Head of Intelligence? I see. If that¡¯s how it is, then it is. It should be acknowledged that the Empire¡¯s spies are skilled enough to quietly get through our defenses, we cannot remain to undermine their abilities. As doing so would be our undoing.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure how they got through, but things happened. Perhaps one of the reasons why the Empire managed to do so is because Wisteria is more focused on the outside, rather that within our own system. That focus must be shifted.


    ¡°Princess¡­ alright, I will take this criticism¡­¡±


    ¡°It was not intended to be a criticism, but for us to be aware of different methods on how the enemy might go about things.¡±


    ¡°Like how they will destabilize our nation from the inside, like seizing control of our nobles. And as well as killing the royals, bold as it is.¡±


    ¡°Daughter, how did your thoughts come to this point?¡±


    ¡°I thought about it when Marquis Vekenas was¡­ was killed.¡±


    ¡°If we bear in mind your writing here, it is possible that the Empire was behind the elimination of the Marquis. But what of those strange creatures?¡±


    Ah about that, I think they might have moved out because of me. Even though I did everything perfectly stealthily. How they figured it out, I don¡¯t know. It almost felt like something gave me away. But that also didn¡¯t explain the other guys that were killed at another place.


    ¡°I think that is a different matter entirely.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But to think you would go to this much detail.¡±


    I didn¡¯t just state that an enemy nation, which at the moment was only the empire, might destabilize our nation from within, but also the methods and steps they might use. You can think I just wrote pages worth of how to destroy a kingdom from within. Even I delved into the market and how the enemies might manipulate the flow of goods and such.


    Food is a crucial aspect of a nation. Hinder it, well a lot of bad things happen. Wisteria after all, both import and export. I even added to keep watch of the Republic which we traded a lot.


    That and some other stuff.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Father said. ¡°The contents of this paper cannot just fall to anyone¡¯s hand. Daughter, you have written something dangerous.¡± he looked at me with stern eyes.


    Um, oops?


    ¡°I made it for us to use, to fight against it. How can we hope to resist if we do not know how they will attack? Please bear in mind that our enemy is an Empire that has conquered dozens upon dozens of states. We must use as much knowledge as we can.¡±


    The Empire is used to that kind of shit. Who¡¯s to say they wouldn¡¯t do the same to Myra?


    But they might you know, try to take Wisteria out first, then as they do so attack Myra¡¯s border to divide their attention. Once they have taken care of our kingdom, they¡¯ll enclose on Myra.


    There is the Holy Kingdom, but to achieve the Empire¡¯s goal, with the help of efficient and proficient soldiers, they only need to take half of Wisteria at most and lock down Myra. Given how big the Empire is, they have nothing to worry about the number of soldiers.


    In short, the Empire likely had already planned very far ahead.


    But I managed to stop them from their schemes, for a while. And I plan to keep doing so.


    ¡°I understand that daughter but¡­ has anyone else seen the contents of this?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Aside from my servants hearing just a little of what¡¯s inside, nothing else we have to worry about.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright then.¡±


    ¡°Estelia¡­¡± Uncle looked at me with a little concern. ¡°This is a conqueror¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Huh? Excuse me? Fucking hell, uncle¡¯s weird as fuck. Suddenly saying some stupid crap. As if he¡¯s implying something. Even Father was shocked by what he said.


    ¡°... Um, w-well the empire is what I¡¯m worried about, they are conquerors. So, one needs to see from their perspective.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ The point is that you even came up with all of these. To see from a conqueror¡¯s perspective.¡±


    Ugh, this was irritating me so much. I¡¯m just doing what must be done to get rid of these problems from my life. I don¡¯t even have a conqueror¡¯s mindset! I¡¯m a damn former assassin.


    Uncle looked at my father with concern. But I replied to him.


    ¡°Uncle, what does it matter? What¡¯s important is how we respond to those who might try to attack us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It does not matter if I made something, what matters is that we have an idea of what to do. So I recommend doing what I suggest in that paper. Especially one that involves the aristocrats first.¡±


    ¡°...To send an operative, a loyal operative to the houses of nobles¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Indeed, to send an operative of the crown to the houses of every single noble. They would be the ones to report the noble¡¯s every action, of course the nobles would be aware as they will be living under the same roof.


    ¡°The nobles will not like this,¡± he added.


    ¡°That is to be expected. But it is a small price to pay. If they have nothing to hide, then they have no need for concern, do they?¡±


    Father took a deep breath. ¡°Good thing Meril is here. I need to discuss this with him in depth. Give us some time, daughter. This will take some time, go do something you enjoy.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But I have another matter to discuss with you, something very important.¡±


    Father formed an expression of worry. ¡°Another one? Then tell us here now.¡±


    ¡°No, it is a personal matter. I will tell you when you are done and it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    I stood up and began leaving the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in my study room.¡±


    Concerning the plan about obstructing the Empire, it must be approved. If not, I will convince my father in some other way. I cannot let it be rejected. Otherwise, I fear my home wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    I left the room with my servants and made my way to my study room.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 6: Meeting With My Father (Part 2)

    The door clicked closed when the princess and her servants left. The two that remained in the room, Leodoule and Meril, stared at each other as they pondered altogether. Leodoule leaned back on his chair and Meril returned his gaze to the sheets of paper in his hand.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Leodoule asked.


    ¡°What I think? Well first things first, I¡¯m baffled by how she even came up with all these.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°The detail she went through it is staggering.¡±


    ¡°This is more than staggering, Leodoule. I stand with my sentiment, this is too dangerous to be seen.¡±


    Just imagining it falling to the wrong hands made Meril shudder. It concerned Leodoule as well. If someone read it, they would definitely be tempted to study it deeply. And if they plan to use the methods written in the treatise, that would cause drastic damage to their targets. And if that was aimed at Wisteria, one could imagine how much a person could accomplish if they¡¯re confident and competent enough.


    Despite being a countermeasure against being conquered, the contents of the papers would be enough for how a person can learn to damage a nation from within. Imagine how it would all end up if it falls to an enemy nation.


    ¡°This is a double-edged sword,¡± Meril warned as he placed the sheets of paper in front of Leodoule.


    The king stared at the contents and read them again. ¡°I never imagined she was even capable of a thing such as this.¡± he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious at the prospect that Estelia had a mind enough to think from a conqueror¡¯s perspective. Also, he felt even more anxious at how much more she could do with that intellect of hers. ¡°I could never expect¡­¡±


    ¡°She took me by surprise as well.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you¡¯re here. If we are to carry this out, your help will be absolutely needed.¡±


    ¡°The plan she wanted the most, the one concerning the nobles. It will be easier said than done, the nobles will go against this.¡±


    ¡°But what she said makes sense too. If they have nothing to hide, then there is nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Meril heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Those that resist, they will be the ones we have to look closely¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But the nobles are not the only ones laid out here to watch out for.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. If we are to do this, I will need most of the operatives I have available here in the capital.¡±


    ¡°At least we have a guide written, a very detailed guide¡­¡±


    ¡°Leodoule,¡± Meril said in a low voice. ¡°I know Estelia will be displeased about this but¡­ these papers¡­ they need to be destroyed. Some knowledge must not be known or written.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Leodoule furrowed his brows. ¡°Meril, this is a good study material. With this, we will have an idea of how nations will conquer others. We can prepare and counter. Obviously, I can¡¯t do the studying myself, but we can have trusted scholars work on it.¡±


    ¡°Sensible. But I couldn¡¯t help but feel concerned about this. I admit, I also feel it would be alright for our nation to study it¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I am in a dilemma. Where did she even learn of such things?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea¡­ That aside, do you think the Empire is behind the assassination?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel that¡¯s the case. But¡­ there seems to be a link.¡±


    ¡°... It looks like we have to do what¡¯s inside my daughter¡¯s treatise. Even if nobles won¡¯t like it, they have no choice if it¡¯s my decree. I will need you to work alongside me for the time being.¡±


    ¡°What about the investigation?¡±


    ¡°Give it to someone else.¡±


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to her papers for the meantime while I think of what to do with them after studying them myself. I should admit, she did impress me.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed, she¡­ she is more than she seemed.¡± he nodded. Meril recalled his and the princess¡¯s last meeting before this.


    ¡°My daughter turned out pretty smart, eh?¡± Leodoule smirked with pride. ¡°What was it that you said about her a long time ago? She was no one very remarkable? Hehehe.¡±


    Meril chuckled. ¡°Did I? She is charming ever since I met her, but yes in skills, she was unremarkable.¡±


    ¡°You were wrong I guess.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ But I should say, this is more than her turning out pretty smart. Please guide your daughter before she makes up something that will be too much.¡±


    ¡°... Y-Yes. Now then, I suppose I should call for her, she still has something else to talk about.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me prying, what will she be talking about?¡±


    ¡°As she said, something personal.¡±


    ¡°No intention of sharing your thoughts? Honestly, the crown has a lot of secrets, which I imagine my sister has become aware of.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, yes, she is aware.¡±


    ¡°... I am aware she has been studying old documents and some others, all being sent to her personally. I never thought she would be one be interested in those things nowadays. Although the old relics had stopped coming, I imagine she had run out of materials to take. Does the secret has something to do with those old things?¡±


    ¡°None can easily get past through you, huh?¡±


    ¡°So I am correct?¡±


    ¡°Heh, who knows? Now then, I should have her called.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Meril stood up and went to the princess¡¯s study room.


    ***


    ¡°Now I¡¯m very curious to read what you have written, princess.¡±


    I turned my gaze towards Rogan standing beside me.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you got both the king and the marquis pretty shook. What is it about exactly?¡±


    ¡°Just countermeasures. But if you want to know, I won¡¯t stop you. Just¡­ given how worried my father and uncle were, well, you have to be prepared for the consequences of knowing what is written.¡±


    I was merely scaring him a little, just teasing. Definitely nothing very bad would happen to him if he knew.


    ¡°Is that what you have been busy with, your highness? That written work.¡± Vernon asked.


    ¡°Mm, yes. Well, one of them at least.¡±


    ¡°I see. Ah, given that you might be busy for a while, when are you going to continue your training?¡±


    ¡°Soon. I don¡¯t know. I will be busy for a time, that is certain.¡± I turned to Mera. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mera, looks like we have to pause our training.¡±


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t mind, milady.¡±


    ¡°By the way, have you been progressing well?¡±


    Mera hesitated as if she didn¡¯t know how to answer it, and shifted her gaze towards Vernon. I guess that¡¯s understandable, Vernon was the teacher after all. Only he can tell how much progress a student was making.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing well. As what is surmised, she has more affinity towards Physical Enhancement than of magic spells.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great Mera. Congratulations!¡± I said with a wide and sweet smile.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡± She lowered her head with a smile, a blush on her cheek.


    She¡¯s blushing with just that much of a compliment? Oh goodness, I really perhaps went over the line somewhere¡­ let¡¯s um¡­ carefully traverse this moving forward. I have to, you know, minimize that feeling of love she has¡­ I kinda feel bad for letting her feel some unrequited love.


    Ah crap, since when have I started worrying about this kind of normal stuff? Been for a while, it would seem. This made me recall Lucious¡­ Haaaah, things always do not go smoothly¡­


    And this was one of the things that made me so pissed off about all this crap.


    A short while later, came knockings on the door. I indicated for Vernon to open. Turned out it was my uncle¡­ dammit¡­


    Anyways, I let him enter of course.


    ¡°Hello Estelia, we have made the decision, come meet your father.¡±


    They made their decision pretty quickly.


    I nodded before standing up and walking beside my uncle to my father¡¯s office. First things first, I was about to either go in front or behind him. But he just moved beside me. Dammit Mizia, your father¡¯s annoying as fuck. Yes, I get annoyed when there¡¯s someone concerning that just popped up that I can¡¯t do anything about.


    ¡°Estelia, are you now fond of reading?¡± he suddenly asked.


    ¡°.... N-No¡­¡± what a weird question.


    ¡°Have you been studying hard?¡±


    ¡°I at least am taking it seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s good. Did you reference your plans from somewhere?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know how to answer that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± he stared at me with a neutral expression. ¡°I hope to talk with you more, your insights might be needed to carry out your plans in the actual field.¡±


    ¡°All details, precautions, and responses have been laid out, I don¡¯t think I will be needed.¡±


    ¡°Even so, those written cannot always work in the real world. Given that you are the one who made it, your input will be essential when adapting to unexpected situations.¡±


    ¡°So it has been agreed, huh.¡±


    ¡°... Let us talk when I return next time, I¡¯ll even bring Mizia.¡±


    Crap¡­ He¡¯s up to something¡­


    Shortly, we arrived at my father¡¯s office.


    ¡°Leave your servants outside for the time being.¡±


    I agreed to what my uncle said and entered inside without my servants. I sat down on the chair by my father¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Uncle said it has been agreed, father.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes¡­ But your plans here will be only in my hands and a few others.¡±


    ¡°That is fine by me.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll also be studying it.¡±


    ¡°S-Studying it¡­? For what?¡±


    ¡°This will be a good study material for the future, a way to counter any threat to the nation.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­? But if you think it¡¯s that big of a deal, it should only be studied by a handful of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then you will allow it to be read by scholars then?¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ huh¡­


    ¡°Before that, I want you to give me the details of the scholars to be involved. Their background, personal details, personality, just important and deep details.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. I can provide you with that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, uncle. That said, I request that you hold off on studying the material for the time being, until I finish my other matter.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to divide my attention to something else yet.


    ¡°... And what is this matter, daughter?¡±


    ¡°I will only talk about it with you, father.¡±


    ¡°...Hmm, alright¡­ Meril, leave us.¡±


    Meril excused himself out of the room and closed the door.


    ¡°Father, I will need your permission and support to finish those in the city that are hunting me.¡±


    ¡°You mean those strange creatures?¡±


    ¡°Yes. First I will need the soldiers of the church.¡±


    ¡°That can be arranged¡­¡±


    ¡°And some knights.¡±


    Father frowned. ¡°... What exactly are you planning? Are you planning to breach every city door?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so crude. I have my plan, but nothing is certain yet. I only want to make sure I have the support I need when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°What are you planning exactly, my daughter¡­?¡±


    ¡°I expect there will fighting depending on where the enemies are hiding. Which is likely anywhere in the city.¡±


    Father narrowed his eyes, there must be something he disliked. ¡°Estelia, you¡¯re planning to have a battle in the middle of the city? I can¡¯t have that.¡±


    ¡°... Collateral damage will be at a minimum in a controlled environment. That is why I need numbers to also handle the civilians in the area.¡±


    ¡°Estelia, I won¡¯t allow magical battle in the middle of the city.¡±


    ¡°If you fear that there will be sudden breaches on every door and an all-out uncontrolled battle, there will be no such thing, if it goes according to the plan. Chaos will be at the minimum I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Father, are you just going to allow enemies of the state to roam freely on our streets? The ones you have ordered to hunt down those creatures not only failed the opportunity that I gave them but also never made any kind of progress on finding them. This has gone long enough.¡±


    Father looked away as if pondering. A moment later, he looked at me again.


    ¡°The damages must be minimal.¡±


    ¡°Of course. If we¡¯re even luckier, they might be situated outside the city.¡±


    Which might complicate things.


    ¡°Then, I assume I will be leading this mission?¡±


    ¡°No, I will personally oversee this operation.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± his eyes widened as if in disbelief at what he had just heard. ¡°Estelia, you have no experience in leading a group of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I will lead this operation, I will take command, full authority. I will not allow any more failure.¡±


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    My father shook his head, disgruntled. ¡°This is too much, Estelia. Ordering a large group of soldiers is not easy, even more so to one who never experienced doing so.¡±


    ¡°I need to do this, father. Rogan and Vernon will be beside me, in case I need help.¡±


    ¡°... Of course¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Very well. When you need men, you will have it and I will have you in command.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, father. Then one last thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­?¡±


    ¡°I want Allie, my treacherous former chef, to be under my jurisdiction. I can do as I please with her. Until I am done with her¡±


    ¡°Why would you want her?¡±


    ¡°She is a crucial part of the plan. I will need her help. If everything goes well with her, expect collateral damage to be at a minimum.¡±


    ¡°... Your plans¡­ Sometimes I find it hard to understand. But fine, she is yours.¡±


    I smiled softly. ¡°Thank you, father. I am grateful. You¡¯re the best.¡±


    Tearing_Sanctuary


    Hello! I need to tell everyone that there may be delays to my usual update time. The reason for this is because of an important school project, and I really need to give it more focus and take it more seriously. It should last until the end of the month or early December.


    However, I will try to update close to the usual time if possible. I''m sorry for this...


    I hope for your understanding, and thank you.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 7: Salvation

    Sometime after breakfast, I made my way to my father¡¯s office. When I got there I discovered that my eldest brother, Eleden, was with him with the other scribes.


    ¡°Estelia, what brings you here?¡± my brother asked.


    ¡°Just have something to tell Father. Are you here to help him?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Given that Lucious left for the time being, father and I decided to merge our job for now.¡±


    After the death of his uncle, Lucious left to return to his household to grieve with their family. It might take more or less than a month for him to return. As for the funeral, would be sooner than expected given the state of Marquis Vekenas¡¯s corpse, or they would just seal the coffin tight. It¡¯s up to them.


    Nobles would be invited to the funeral. As for the royal family, we all don¡¯t need to go. For example, the monarchs can¡¯t just go out of the city for a funeral, dangerous. The least we could do was send a royal child.


    I don¡¯t think I would be able to attend. I would be busy. Mostly depend on the time of the funeral and my activities.


    ¡°Father also ordered my help in checking the flow of goods¡­ Which is a sudden pile of work,¡± he added as he looked at father with a somewhat annoyed expression.


    Father merely smiled. ¡°It is an important job, my son.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course...¡±


    ¡°So, daughter?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I am here to tell you that I will be visiting Allie.¡±


    ¡°Now? Just visit?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to check on her.¡±


    ¡°...Alright sure. I have already told the knights what you requested yesterday, so you need only speak with the guards.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ um, be prepared for what you may see,¡± he said with concern.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I think I know what he was talking about. My visit was quite sudden, so they must have yet to make her quite ¡®presentable.¡¯ Well, I did say she was to be under my jurisdiction and I didn¡¯t say anything yet about what to do with her. But given Father¡¯s reaction, she must be the way she was.


    ¡°Estelia, you¡¯re visiting your former chef? The one that almost killed you?¡±


    I slowly turned to my brother. ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like to come with you.¡±


    ¡°Eleden, what are you thinking of doing?¡± my father asked, a bit of sternness in his voice.


    ¡°... Father¡­ I just want to see something. I would pretty much like to come with Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Being stubborn now¡­?¡± father lowered his gaze, contemplating. ¡°Fine, see what you want to see. And I hope you get to learn something.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Eleden didn¡¯t respond but merely bowed his head before facing me. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Uh, y-yes.¡±


    I left the room and together we walked down the hallway, my servants following behind us. I turned a curious look at Eleden.


    ¡°Brother, why do you want to come with me?¡±


    He looked at me as if hesitating to answer. ¡°... I want to confirm something¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I have been meaning to see this former chef of yours¡­ Mainly to check how she is being treated as a lone prisoner.¡±


    Ah crap. Dammit. I didn¡¯t have the chance to deny him, everything just happened. Father didn¡¯t even try to stop him.


    He continued. ¡°Father has been keeping me from doing so.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Fuck, whatever, do whatever you want brother. Just don¡¯t intervene with my business.


    When we reached the first floor, I stopped and turned to look at Mera.


    ¡°Mera, the cuisine I had the kitchen made, bring it.¡±


    Mera bowed her head and left for the kitchen. Eleden gave me a curious look.


    ¡°Are you giving it to your former chef?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I just think that she might appreciate food from the royal chef for once after being in her prison cell for such a long time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ She certainly wouldn¡¯t have any good food to eat in there.¡±


    It took a while, but Mera returned with a covered tray in her hands. Afterward, we made our way to our destination.


    Moments later, we arrived at the dungeon entrance, a pair of guards stationed at the door. They straightened themselves as they greeted me with a smile, add to that my brother of course.


    ¡°Princess Estelia, Prince Eleden, how may we help you?¡±


    ¡°I am here to see the prisoner,¡± I replied.


    The two knights looked at each other before one responded to me. ¡°Of course, princess. We¡¯ll take you to her.¡±


    They opened the metal door with a loud creak of metal. The smell of air from the inside came to my face, I wrinkled my nose slightly. Dusty and grimy. Like any other unsanitized prison.


    ¡°Please be careful with your steps, princess. And I apologize, but everything is dirty.¡±


    ¡°That is fine. Let us go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    With the knights taking the lead, I stepped inside.


    ***


    She clasped her shoulders, sitting at a corner, her knees by her muddy and dirty face. Her lips were dry, her hair sticky and grimy. The cell was cold and smelled foul, one she had been enduring for a very long, long time. She slowly breathed as she stared emptily at the dreary floor.


    She heard footsteps echoing across the corridor. They stopped right before the metal bars, there was a click and the door loudly opened with a metallic creak.


    Then, a voice spoke in an ever so familiar stern tone.


    ¡°Allie Jelimis, her highness, Princess Estelia, wishes to speak with you.¡±


    She twitched slightly at the mention of that name. One she remembered so brightly, so pure and wholesome. One that treated her kindly and sweetly. One that she attempted¡­ to kill. She hesitated to gaze at that person, fear crawling into her heart.


    Indeed, she carried regrets.


    Even so, knowing that kind princess was here to meet her, brought a tiny amount of relief. Along with it curiosity.


    Allie slowly looked up when a single footstep stopped close to her. And she saw her, that ever so sweet and kind face¡­ But now looking at Allie with concern. It pained her heart to see the one she attempted to kill still showed concern for her.


    The guilt was eating her, she didn¡¯t want to see her. The princess was like the sun, one she cannot endure gazing, lest she would be blind.


    The princess slowly kneeled down before her, the edge of her dress darkened on the dirty floor. Nobles should have not been willing to do so, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind. There was pain in the princess¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Allie¡­¡± the princess whispered so softly before slowly reaching for her. However, Allie recoiled and turned away her face.


    She was afraid for the guilt to grow. If the princess touches her, she was certain that with the guilt she was now feeling after all that suffering¡­ she would suffer once again. She didn¡¯t want that, never again. How she would give her hands away just to save herself from torment.


    Stay away¡­ please¡­ please.


    She begged within her mind, as she could not bring herself to speak. However, she felt the gentle touch from the princess even still. Her extremely clean fingers were now smeared with her grime. The princess slowly turned Allie¡¯s head until they were looking at each other.


    Allie slightly trembled.


    The princess did not smile, but her gaze remained so tender. Then her gaze shifted away toward her servants. Aside from the knights guarding the dungeon, there was that familiar maid, the personal maid of the princess, one that Allie had made acquaintance with. Then the other was a man Allie did not recognize.


    ¡°Water...¡± the princess said.


    The man picked up a glass of water from Mera¡¯s tray and gave it to the princess. The princess returned her tender gaze toward Allie.


    ¡°Drink.¡±


    The princess slowly extended her hand. Allie hesitated, but in the end opened her mouth and drank the water from the cup in the princess¡¯s hand. Thirsty as she was, she did not pause drinking. The water was so tasteful, extremely tasteful. Delicious.


    Her dry throat now felt a little better, and her tongue felt more energized. Allie savored the taste of plain water. Every last drop she could have.


    When none was left, she couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected.


    ¡°... There is more, but, let¡¯s clean your face first, okay?¡± said the princess.


    The princess was given a wet piece of cloth, which she used to gently wipe the grime off Allie¡¯s cheek. Allie was confused as to why was the princess doing this. But this time, she did not resist. That was because everything felt so pleasant.


    She had not felt this much peace in a long time. The sensation as the princess wipe her face was soothing. Allie gazed at the princess¡¯s face, to her eyes. She was so lost in the moment that she had forgotten the other people that came with her. But in this world with the princess alone, it made her forget all the suffering, the loneliness, the cold¡­ the doubts, and abandonment.


    Which that had been lost in darkness, has found its light.


    The princess¡¯s touch halted when she was done cleaning Allie¡¯s face. After returning the cloth, she rubbed her hands on her dress and received a bowl from Mera. A soup still steaming just a little.


    ¡°I have prepared a soft food, your stomach might not take well to any other kind.¡±


    The princess scooped a spoonful and offered it to Allie.


    ¡°Eat.¡±


    And Allie did. The sensation of decent food filled her with vigor. Never have food tasted more delicious. Tears began welling up in her eyes. She wanted to hold them back but they would not stop. She couldn¡¯t help it.


    But the princess gently wiped her tears with her hand. Allie looked at her, she saw a smile. Small, and yet a beautiful and peace-bringing smile.


    The princess fed her. Then gave her water when she seemed to need it. And continued feeding her until the bowl was empty.


    Allie¡¯s belly was full. The first she had felt after so long.


    The princess gave the empty bowl back to her servants and then returned her gentle gaze to Allie. She raised her hand and slowly patted Allie¡¯s head.


    ¡°I hope that this helped you, at least for a little.¡±


    Allie¡¯s chest grew warm, life growing. The princess¡¯s touch was so soothing, so peaceful as if she was sent by the gods to save her from her torment.


    However, the princess stood up and began stepping away. Allie¡¯s eyes widened as she gazed desperately at the princess, her hand lifted a little as if attempting to reach out to her. But before she knew it, the door of her cell closed and locked again.


    Her only light was now standing on the other side, and Allie was left behind. The princess smiled at her before walking away.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Allie tried calling out, but her light had already vanished.


    And now, she was left here once again in this dreary dark cell. Left alone to suffer in solitude. Tears fell down from her eyes.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 8: Outraged Brother

    ¡°Princess, wipe your hand.¡±


    I received the white clean handkerchief from Vernon.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I rubbed off my dirty hand, but I should say there was still a bit of that grimy sensation, I will need to wash off my hands with water. After rubbing the smears from my hand, I looked at my dress, dirty¡­ Not like I had any other choice.


    I returned the handkerchief to Vernon. By the way, I prevented Vernon from being seen by Allie. You know, Vernon was definitely there during the torture. I don¡¯t want Allie to panic. Don¡¯t want to trigger her PTSD, I wanted her focus to be only on me.


    Besides Vernon, I had my eldest brother stay back.


    When Vernon received the handkerchief, I saw that my brother had a displeased expression ¡ª no wait, perhaps it was disgust. Ugh, this was precisely why I didn¡¯t let him enter the cell.


    ¡°Brother, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°This cannot stand¡­¡± he said in a grim tone. ¡°I must speak with father about this.¡±


    Hm, not only disgusts but anger as well.


    ¡°I will be going ahead, my sister.¡±


    ¡° ¡ª No, wait!¡±


    He ignored my call and rushed towards the palace. I knew it! I knew this was going to happen! I wanted to palm my face but my hand was dirty, don¡¯t want to ruin my beautiful face.


    Brother, how impatient and so soft.


    But as my father said, he needed to learn a thing or two from this if he was to become king in the future. This kind of attitude would not do being king.


    Guess I¡¯m chasing him down, just to make sure he doesn¡¯t make father do anything stupid that tampers with my plan.


    ¡°Sir Rogan you come with me. Vernon and Mera, go take that trey back to the kitchen. I will be going to father¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°But princess, you need to clean yourself first,¡± Vernon frantically said.


    Oh yes, would not be a good idea to just walk around like this. But Eleden¡¯s already running.


    ¡°I will clean myself shortly.¡±


    With rushed steps, I made my way back to my father¡¯s office with Rogan behind me.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with his highness?¡± asked Rogan.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t like what he saw.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t imagine he would be that mad. But, you seem to be alright though.¡±


    ¡°I am disturbed myself, but why would I just blatantly show that, hm?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was a lie, of course, Allie was exactly what I wanted her to be.


    A moment later we arrived at father¡¯s office. I opened the door¡­


    ¡° ¡ª That was cruel, father!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? And yet you didn¡¯t make me show you the dungeon before this.¡±


    ¡°I never imagined it would be to that degree. It¡¯s inhumane!¡±


    ¡°Inhumane, huh.¡±


    Eleden was right before father¡¯s desk, the scribes looking at them with shock.


    I turned towards one of the scribes. ¡°You, can you all please leave us for a moment?¡± I asked with a kind smile.


    ¡°Uh, y-yes, princess.¡±


    The scribes left quickly and closed the door.


    Eleden seemed to have regained a little calm after realizing my presence, and he inhaled deeply.


    He faced father. ¡°I never expected something that terrible from you, father.¡±


    ¡°And now you have seen it. This is how it is, Eleden. I am sure you are aware of this, but you cannot reject anymore how this world works.¡±


    ¡°Cruelty is not always the answer.¡±


    ¡°Cruelty often is the answer. Force is necessary for a lot of scenarios. You cannot expect the world to treat you with kindness, and thus we must be the same. Besides, you cannot expect the kingdom to deeply care for one lone prisoner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one prisoner! One! How hard could it be to treat her better than she is?¡±


    ¡°She attempted to poison your sister, even knights want her to suffer for her transgression.¡±


    ¡°Ggh¡­¡± He lowered his head, his face still defiant. ¡°Even so, her treatment was too inhumane. You should have seen her cell, how dirty, the terrible smell, the terrible state she was in.¡±


    ¡°I have seen my share of nasty prison cells, my son. Hers is no different.¡±


    ¡°What else have you done to her before throwing her into a damn cell?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to spell it out loud?¡±


    Eleden curled his fists, his lips pursed.


    ¡°I do not like this¡­ If I become king, I won¡¯t allow such a thing.¡±


    Father raised an eyebrow and leaned his back on the chair. ¡°I see¡­ I had hoped you would learn something from this¡­ But you must contemplate this in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°...Change how she is treated, father. Give the command to your knights.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But why?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because that prisoner is no longer under my jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Impossible, who else could have jurisdiction other than the king?¡±


    My father gazed at me. ¡°Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Estelia¡­?¡±


    ¡°The power over that prisoner now lies in the hands of Estelia.¡±


    Eleden slowly turned his head to look at me, confusion all over his face.


    ¡°What, since when?¡±


    ¡°Just yesterday,¡± father answered.


    ¡°I see. Estelia, can you please stop what is being done to her?¡±


    His tone shifted from forceful to a gentle and calm one when he asked me. How sweet.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy nor will it be swift, brother. Despite having jurisdiction over her, that does not mean I control the knights guarding her. I can¡¯t just renovate the entire dungeon. But I understand what you want, I will see what I can do, but please be patient.¡±


    ¡°Very well, my sister.¡±


    ¡°Preparation is still needed on my part to change her ordeal. But I must ask you to control your impulses.¡±


    I will have to stop him from causing my heart to jump or cause headaches for sudden things.


    ¡°Alright, Estelia.¡±


    ¡°Sit down and relax for a while, my brother.¡±


    Eleden nodded and slowly sat down on the nearby chair.


    My father shifted his gaze at me. ¡°How is your visit, daughter? You do not seem as disturbed as your brother.¡±


    ¡°Do I? Then I have done well to hide my emotions.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I suppose. Thinking back you never do much, or just don¡¯t show much. I had expected you would be disgusted about what has been done.¡±


    ¡°... That is not important right now. Now that my brother has relaxed, I will be cleaning myself.¡±


    ¡°Right, what did you do? Your dress is dirty.¡±


    I sweetly smiled. ¡°I gave Allie food.¡±


    ¡°F-Food?¡±


    ¡°Yes, delicious food and tasty water.¡±


    Father slowly nodded, as if baffled by my answer. ¡°Alright¡­ Then, you may go, daughter.¡±


    With that, I left the room. At least I got Eleden to stop bothering me for the time being, but who knows how long it will last. That being said, he was manageable. If he was to be an efficient ruler, he needed to learn how cruel that world was, and when you need to be one.


    The world will not always be kind¡­ I mean¡­ look at my situation right now. That was why one needs to play the world at its own game.


    I will need to keep visiting Allie a few more times. The look in her eyes when she looked at me¡­ was fascinating. Those eyes finally seeing hope.

 Vol. 3 Chapter 9: Longing

    Allie, from the far corner of the prison cell, now moved to the metal bars, leaning to her side. The metal bars were rusty and rough, the tiny pieces of rust stuck to her fingers, but she didn¡¯t mind. What little stain would change how dirty¡­ how disgusting she was now.


    But yes, something did change, for the whole time she had been staying at the far corner, she was now closer to the one obstacle that prevented her freedom. The cause of that change, even so little, was a little glimmer of hope.


    But it was far too little to change her heart completely. Even so, she could not take it off her mind¡­ or rather, her¡­ Seeing that light made her recall her past life, one that was basking in a bright day, a colorful life.


    One where she always did what she loved, living a dream.


    She let out a trembling cold breath as she gripped the bar in her hand tighter. The thought of how better her life was before pained her heart. She had dreams, and yet she gave them away for others. She knew it as she decided it.


    Sacrifice her dreams for her friends.


    What was the point of it all to begin with? What was the goal, the dream her friends had that she had to sacrifice her own? One where she had to suffer to this extent.


    She doubted, but at first started only for a little bit. For deep in her heart she had hope. Hope that she would be saved. She believed in her friends, they would save her from her torment. And yet, hours became days, days became weeks, and weeks became months.


    Doubt grew in her heart as time passed.


    Eventually, she reached a certain point, the point of hopelessness. They would never come to get her. There was no sign of them, no warning from the guards, no commotion, just nothing.


    She was abandoned.


    She felt betrayed.


    With those feelings came regret. Indeed she felt regret at what she had done, even though it ended in failure. In the end, she attempted to take someone¡¯s life. The life of the person that had treated her so kindly. But she buried that regret as she could no longer endure all the terrible emotions wreaking havoc inside her.


    However, that regret returned to the surface at the princess¡¯s touch. Despite having attempted to poison her, she still treated her kindly. She gave her water, wiped her face, and fed her. How could someone be so kind? She should have not done something so atrocious to that person. That compassionate girl.


    As she leaned to the prison bars, she felt confused. She didn¡¯t know what to do, nor what she was doing right now. What brought her to this part of the cell? She could not understand herself.


    She had doubts on all sides. One that had abandoned her, and one side that made her suffer. Her friends, and the crown where the princess belongs.


    Allie stayed there by the metal bars all night, even as she fell asleep. Her sleep was a little better than before, perhaps because she had a proper meal for once in this one day. It may be only once, but it was enough.


    Morning came.


    Footsteps resounded in the corridor, so familiar. The guards change every day, but Allie now recognizes the knights that always guard the dungeon at every shift, ones that bring her food ¡ª could anyone even call it that¡­


    The footsteps stopped right before the cell bars. Gentle footsteps stopped beside her, Allie slowly looked up. Her eyes slightly widened.


    It was the princess.


    Why had she returned? Allie could not understand. This dungeon was no place for a princess.


    The princess looked at her with compassion, so saintly. But when Allie¡¯s gaze shifted to the one behind the princess, her breath suddenly got stuck to her throat and her eyes widened with terror.


    How could she not recognize that face, that face that was there in her suffering and despair. She felt all the pain again as she remembered each moment as if she was relieving it all again. The torture, that she could never forget. Despite coming out strong at that time, it still haunted her.


    ¡°Eeeh!¡± she squealed and whimpered in reflex.


    Allie dragged herself backward in panic, crawling away on that dirty floor while trembling. But then she hit the wall, she could no longer get away. Tears flowed out of her eyes, and then she folded herself as though for protection.


    Allie could not bear to look at him, at that old man. She didn¡¯t even want to be near his presence.


    A soft voice spoke. ¡°... Vernon, leave the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But princess¡­¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Allie heard footsteps echoing away and gradually fading. She had heard what the princess ordered to that person, but Allie couldn¡¯t feel at ease.


    Gentle footsteps entered her cell after the door opened, and stopped in front of her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have been more aware¡­¡±


    Her voice spoke, that sweet and soothing voice that made Allie¡¯s ears flutter. Suddenly, she felt warmth slowly enveloping her. Allie paused as she comprehended what was going on.


    The princess was embracing her.


    Allie¡¯s mind went blank, she never expected such a thing. And it caused cracks to form in her heart, and tears burst out from her eyes even more so.


    The princess gently rubbed Allie¡¯s back.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, everything¡¯s going to be alright.¡±


    The princess whispered into her ear, and it brought comfort. Gradually, Allie regained her calm, and she slowly looked up at the princess¡¯s eyes.


    Then, the princess asked. ¡°Are you feeling a little better¡­?¡±


    Allie moved back and looked at the princess from top to bottom, her dress had already become dirty at that just simple physical contact with her, but the princess paid it no heed. Failing to comprehend everything, Allie asked a question in her mind ¡ª how could she be this kind?


    ¡°...I-I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Allie immediately lowered her head. Was that an apology for smearing her beautiful dress? Or was it for something else? Even she herself could not find the answer.


    ¡°... Alright then, the important thing is you¡¯re feeling a little better. I have brought you food. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t visit you always.¡±


    Just like yesterday, the princess made her drink water before feeding her. Once that was done, she left once again. It was then Allie¡¯s feeling of longing grew and made even clearer. She longed for the peace and comfort the princess brought.


    Several minutes after the princess had disappeared, Allie rubbed off the tears on her cheeks. She was weeping. Guilt and regret, as well as confusion. All those things swirled inside her heart.


    She didn¡¯t want to feel this way, it was terrible. She dreaded it, but she couldn¡¯t do anything to mitigate them, for she deserved it. She deserved to wallow in despair after what she had done.


    Was what she did truly a mistake?


    Was doing it for her friends a mistake? The friends that had abandoned her?


    She had no definite answer.


    And as hours passed, she kept dwelling on that thought.


    ***


    Another day came since the princess¡¯s last visit. Allie once again leaned on the metal bars. She was waiting.


    She felt a longing, and it grew ever stronger than before. And thus, she waited and waited. She had felt a bit more energetic than before, only for a little. She remembered the rough time the princess would come from referencing her arrival on the first and second day, despite having no sun to see. Furthermore, she could roughly tell how much time had passed with the help of when the guards came to reignite some torches.


    Add to it counting in her mind. Not specifically counting each number, but roughly with feeling.


    However, time had passed since the rough schedule when the princess would come. Was she wrong about the time? She could be. And thus she patiently waited.


    Waited. And waited.


    Perhaps an hour had passed now, but the princess hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The corridor was still silent.


    Another hour passed. There was nothing.


    She waited another hour. Then another, and another.


    And yet, she did not come.


    ¡°...W-Why¡­?¡± for the first time on this day, she muttered in confusion, shaken.


    She raised her eyes as she looked at the corridor, she perked her ears as well. There was nothing but the same dark and dreadful walls, and piercing silence. Her lips trembled with what could perhaps be fear. Fear rooted from losing something, or something casually breaking into pieces.


    She waited and waited.


    No change.


    But half an hour later, footsteps sounded. Allie jerked her head, as the light shone a little in her eyes. However, it dimmed immediately when he saw a knight she was familiar with, carrying a steel plate.


    ¡°What a surprise, you moved closer. Makes my job easier then. Here. Eat.¡±


    He slipped the steel plate in and walked away without showing any interest. Allie gazed at the food, the same stale food she was always given¡­ before the princess. Her body weakened, and the longing grew.


    But she ate nonetheless. Suffering returned.


    When she was done with the food, she returned to the far corner of the cell. The hope in her heart was crumbling.


    Once again, she wallowed in despair.


    Another day came. While she was at a corner curling, footsteps echoed again. It was a familiar time and came with familiar footsteps. She looked up, and her eyes widened. It was the princess.


    She has returned.


    Allie¡¯s eyes glistened with hope.


    Once the door has opened, the princess approached Allie and gave her water. Allie was once again filled with life.


    The princess gave her food. Then she patted her head.


    Allie almost smiled in joy, in comfort.


    But once the princess left again, she felt longing once more. She wanted the princess to be with her.


    Another day went by.


    She waited for the time. But, the princess didn¡¯t come. Even as hours passed, no one came. A knight later entered and gave her the usual stale and nasty food.


    She ate, and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Once she was done, she remained by the metal bars.


    In this torment, she had come to realize it¡­


    The princess¡­


    Princess Estelia is peace.


    That sentence echoed in her mind for hours and hours until another day came. Then another.


    Afterward, the princess arrived once more, and Allie looked up at her. Hope shone in her heart at the glimpse of the princess¡¯s face. But when she shifted her gaze to the side, her heart jumped as her trauma resurfaced at the face of an old man, the princess¡¯s servant.


    ¡°Egh¡ª¡±


    She was about to recoil and move away, but a hand grabbed her wrist. Confused, she looked towards the hand while trembling, only to trace it back to the princess.


    It was the princess¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, he won¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Allie frantically shifted her eyes between the princess and the old man.


    ¡°Allie, breathe, no one will harm you here.¡±


    She listened to the princess¡¯s words. The princess held Allie¡¯s hand with both hands.


    ¡°Come closer.¡±


    The princess had a faint smile as if to calm Allie down.


    Allie moved closer while looking at the people with the princess. The old man, the maid, and the young man. The knights that were on guard were not around. Just the princess and her servants, and no one else.


    ¡°I want to talk, Allie¡­ I am in trouble, my life is under threat. But of course, you know about it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Allie¡¯s heart throbbed as she was made to recall what she had done. She was fully aware that the princess¡¯s life was in danger, she herself was one of those dangers.


    Allie weakly nodded her head.


    ¡°I am frightened, Allie. Not a day goes by that I am not haunted by the fear and nightmare of the danger.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Allie gazed at the princess''s eyes. Fear was indeed evident in her eyes, and Allie sympathized.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to suffer this anymore, Allie¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your friends, you are close with them, yes?¡±


    Allie hesitated for a moment but then nodded.


    ¡°Were they truly kind to you?¡±


    Allie nodded.


    ¡°Do you think they truly cared about you?¡±


    Allie failed to nod, for she was confused about what was the truth.


    ¡°I see¡­ But, is there someone that you cared the most among them, one that cared about you as well?¡±


    Looking away, Allie tried to recall her moments with her friends. And there was one that stood out from the rest, one that was the softest and the kindest to her. The one with dog ears above his head.


    While recalling his face, she meekly nodded.


    ¡°... Allie, will you help me?¡±


    She returned her gaze to the princess.


    ¡°Help me, Allie. Help me catch them.¡±


    Allie averted his gaze, her eyes restless as her mind swirled. She didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Allie, if you help me, you will be freed from this place.¡±


    Allie instantly gazed back at the princess.


    ¡°You can return to the kitchen. Cook again, return to your dreams.¡±


    Allie inhaled sharply. But she couldn¡¯t just betray her friends. What would the kingdom do to them?


    ¡°Allie, help me, and I swear¡­ no, we swear¡­¡± the princess turned her gaze to her servants, and Allie followed her gaze. ¡°We swear we won¡¯t kill them.¡± After the princess said that, her servants nodded their heads.


    Allie returned her gaze to the princess, which the latter gazed back with her beautiful crimson eyes.


    ¡°Please Allie, I need you.¡±


    Need me¡­?


    Need.


    The princess needed her. That stuck with her the most. Her light, her hope, her peace, needed her.


    ¡°... I¡­¡±


    With her dry throat, she forced her answer out.


    ¡°... I w-will help¡­¡±


    The princess¡¯s smile widened, so precious of a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Allie,¡± after saying so with a sweet and gentle tone, she stood up and looked at the old man. ¡°Call the guards, and tell them to open this cell, Allie will be removed from this place.¡±


    With that, he left. A moment later, the old man returned with a pair of guards in tow. Confusion was all over the faces of the latter two.


    ¡°Princess, is it true?¡± one knight asked. ¡°You want this¡­ her to leave this dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous? What would you do with her?¡±


    ¡°She will be under my care.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s too dangerous to be close to you.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t do anything to harm me, right Allie?¡±


    Their eyes met and Allie subsequently nodded her head. Of course, that was certain, she wouldn¡¯t do anything bad to the princess. She regretted what she had done, there was no way she would do such a thing ever again.


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°But princess¡­¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, but it will be alright. Open it.¡±


    The two knights looked at each other with hesitation, but in the end, had no choice but to follow her orders. Once the cell doors were opened, the princess entered with no hesitation and approached Allie with a smile.


    She presented her hand towards her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    Allie slowly raised her hand and accepted the princess¡¯s hand, and the latter helped her stand up.


    ¡°It is settled.¡±


    The princess walked out of the cell and waited for Allie to come out.


    Allie looked at the boundary between her prison and the corridor to the outside. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Upon taking that single step, she was overwhelmed with relief that she had to hold back her tears once she was out of her cell, that dreadful prison cell.


    ¡°First, you must be cleaned up. Then afterward, we¡¯ll eat together.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mera,¡± the princess called. ¡°Once we return to the palace, call for your other fellow maids to help you. Clean up Allie.¡±


    The maid, Mera, reacted a bit severely as if she didn¡¯t want to do it, her lips pursed. But of course, as it was ordered by her superior, she had no choice.


    ¡°...Yes, milady.¡± she bowed her head, in an attempt to hide her disdainful gaze at Allie.


    Vernon stepped close to the princess. ¡°You need to at least have a guard to keep her on watch.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Sir Rogan. You are one of my trusted aides, watch over Allie for me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, princess.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go out into the sun.¡±