3. Dragon’s Eye, Human Mind (23)
Recently, Cien’s mood hasn’t been very good.
She was born as the 5th princess of the empire and lived with a decent authority. Dozens of attendants were assisting her, and the money was overflowing.
It was an environment where there was not much to be offended by. Nevertheless, these days, Xien’s feelings have fallen to the level of depression.
It was after a conflict with a certain man. From then on, her mood was always on the decline.
It was as if the whole result was saying that it was a mistake to look down on the man.
Nothing was gained, and much was lost.
First of all, the honor of the escort knights was tarnished.
Four escort knights were annihilated against the academy 3rd year students. That too was overwhelming, so there was no room for excuses.
No matter how outstanding the academy students were, they were nothing compared to the royal guards. However, even with a pincer attack, the game was won with only one or two attacks.
It was to the point where I couldn’t keep my head up.
And the honor of subordinates is directly related to the prestige of their lord.
They are talented people who have been picked and picked in their own way, but with just one defeat, the public’s evaluation of Cien has rapidly deteriorated.
Not to mention that there are no eyes to see people, and there are even voices that good talents are not gathered because there is no popularity.
In the meantime, it was XN who was struggling to form a positive perception. It wouldn’t be strange if he went crazy and jumped up and down.
Her eyes weren’t wrong.
Popularity, of course, was not lacking either.
She might not know what she was thinking, but on the outside, Shien was the ideal princess herself. There were many who would bow their heads if she tried to seduce them.
Even so, the reason why all the knights she trusted were defeated simply because the opponents were outside the standard.
Ian Perkus, a man who suddenly rose to prominence.
I just thought I could make her into her person cheaply. Shien was fluent in human psychology and sensitive to desire.
I was as confident as I could see people.
However, that confidence was quickly shattered.
Those indifferent eyes that seemed to have no desire for money, power, or even honor.
Can such a being be called a human being?
Maybe I should rather call him a monster in a human shell.
No, it wasn’t a monster, it was a demon.
no no. he was a bad guy And trash, a disloyal servant who doesn’t respect the imperial family, and an ugly man who doesn’t even know how to consider women.
Dare to the subject of lower nobles, the subject of lower nobles… … .
Shien chewed on his lips and cursed at Ian inwardly. In resentment, she stomped her feet on her own.
“Ian Perkus… … !”
Thinking of that day alone made Shien burst into flames.
Even losing was understandable. To be honest, there was no such thing as shame, but it was understandable if you lost your mind for a while.
But more than anything else, what he couldn’t bear was the feelings engraved in Shien’s heart that day.
fear?
It was not a feeling suitable for a member of the imperial family who visited the continent. However, Shien clearly felt fear that day.
I didn’t even dare to meet Ian’s eyes.
It was engraved in Shien’s mind like an indelible wound. It seemed that he would not be able to bear it if he did not repay the humiliation.
No one should have ignored her.
Cien waited for a while. If Ian came to ask for forgiveness and kissed her feet, he thought that even the rudeness of the day would be unheard of.
But now too much time has passed.
There is a price to pay for irreversible choices, and in the end, Shien chose the most brutal method.
She already knew well at what moment humans feel the most intense pain and loneliness. Shien immediately started attacking people around Ian.
It was the result of daring to insult the imperial family.
As a child, Shien was determined never to be looked down upon again. Since that day, her world has changed completely and should continue to do so.
It was a short life of only about 20 years, but it was the first time I had ever met.
I will show you an example by thoroughly trampling.
He intended to attack his family and the people around him, to bring his perceptions down to the abyss, to let the world know what it felt like to be hostile to him.
Of course, hesitation still remained. It couldn’t be fun to unilaterally destroy someone just because it was Shien.
But if the opponent won’t bend, it’s best to break it.
Once that conclusion was reached, all that was left was action.
Shien moved the academy branch of the Imperial Secret Service under the guise of the newspaper department.
Immediately, rumors spread, an atmosphere was formed to harass Ian and his surroundings, and as the five most prestigious families of the empire moved, the Percus territory was also expected to be in crisis.
It was perfect.
At this point, I only knew that Ian would come crying and clinging to her.
If it had not been for some time after that, the academy’s identity department had not suddenly changed its tone.
[The truth of the day that 98% of the academy students did not know! In fact, Ian Perkus has no weaknesses? The Yurdina family was surprised, and the imperial family was also surprised! “If you touch little Ian Perkus, you will be so f*cked up.”]
“… … What is this rubbish title?”
Seeing the headline on the front page of the day, Xian had a plain impression.
Newspapers sold on the street were not likely to have such headlines. Shien thought for a while.
Should I make a suggestion to Obama about improving the quality of the Imperial Secret Service?
But what was even more surprising was the reaction of the people around him.
The woman, who glanced at the newspaper Shien was holding, smiled bitterly. She was a dignified maid with elegant black hair.
She was the head maid who had taken care of Shien since she was a child.
Along with Irene, he was a person who could be said to be Cien’s closest friend, but he was serving Cien for a while on behalf of Irene, who was discouraged by the recent defeat.
The maid-in-waiting was also excellent in her own strength.
Of course, it was nothing compared to Irene. Still, it should have been enough to buy Shien time to evacuate in case of an emergency.
She once served in the Imperial Intelligence Service. That’s why the maid’s evaluation was trustworthy, Shien thought in her heart.
Until you hear the words that follow.
“It’s a title I did my best.”
“… … this?”
Shien looked at the maid with eyes full of distrust.
Her appearance was beautiful, so even her behavior had to be cute. Not to mention, the lady-in-waiting was a person who had been helping her since she was a child.
The lady-in-waiting laughed as if the princess was cute. Shien made an awkward expression at the warm feeling that came from her.
She was a princess who was as sensitive to hostility as she was weak to favor.
He had no choice but to be weak against opponents who consistently showed his favor, such as the maid of honor.
“Yes, it reflects the current trend well. If you write a provocative title like this, more people will see it. And regardless of the level of content, once read, the information becomes impactful.”
“… … The Newspaper Department turned to the side of that lower noble?”
“Ha,” Shien laughed in disbelief.
However, the more I listened to the maid’s explanation, the more obvious it became.
I roasted and boiled the newspaper. This meant that the academy branch of the Imperial Intelligence Service had been taken over by the lower nobles.
But how?
Unable to figure out the reason, Shien tried to contact the newspaper department. But the answer that came back was always cold.
The Newspaper Department always respects the right of reply of the target of coverage or something.
It was funny. They were masters of demagoguery and manipulation of information.
Even though dozens of people witnessed Ian slaughtering the Sien escort knights, aren’t they the ones who skillfully distorted their testimonies and memories?
It was absurd that people who made it their business to turn lies into truth in the first place talked about the ‘right to object’.
What was even more unbelievable was that the maid’s prophecy had come true.
As the newspaper department began to incite public opinion in earnest, the perception of Ian deteriorated at once.
The problem was that that aggravated perception had turned him into a ‘crazy guy who would cut off his limbs without caring about expulsion or anything.’
Until then, students who had been trying to attack the weakness of ‘expulsion’ with the princess as their back had no choice but to hesitate.
No matter how they were, I had no desire to deal with a mad dog that would bite anyone. This was a conclusion that anyone capable of common sense judgment could draw.
Buying the princess’ favor is important, but isn’t life more precious than that?
It was the moment when the bullying toward Ian and the people around him was wiped out at once.
Around that time, Shien was standing in front of a door with a sad expression on her face.
As if making up her mind, she cautiously knocked on the door.
There was no answer from inside.
Shien sighed deeply and had to add one more word.
“It’s me, Shien.”
Then I felt a startled look inside.
After a long time, the door that had been firmly closed opened slightly.
It was a woman with mysterious blue hair. She was a female knight who boasted the beauty of a single flower, but now she seemed rather powerless.
It was unavoidable because I was locked in my room all day. Since I haven’t been outside for a long time, even those strong muscles seemed to be getting softer.
Seeing the downfall of his favorite knight, Shien’s eyes darkened.
“… … Her Highness the Princess.”
She bowed her head as if she had no face. A look of concern came over Shien’s face.
“Irene, stop coming out now… huh? It’s not your fault what happened that day.”
Shien’s tone when he said that was earnest. She was the one I valued the most. There was no way I could feel comfortable seeing Irene, who had become a loner in the corner of the room.
Not to mention, Irene was just trying to protect Shien.
However, Irene only smiled bitterly at the request of Jeju lord.
“Sorry, just a little more… … .”
“Well, you said that two days ago, huh? Go outside for a walk, meet people… Hey, would you like a vacation? I’ll give you any amount, so please go out for a while! That, Geumilbong! Yes, I’ll give you a golden salary too! Zeros, whose arm was cut off last time, is now going back to his hometown for treatment… … .”
With a thump, the door closed again today without a doubt.
A small, barely audible voice flowed through it.
“… … sorry.”
To think that Irene, the daughter of the noble Luphemion family and a loyal knight, would be defeated with just one defeat.
It was a yard where you could hear laughing at Irene and other escort knights from everywhere. This would be the same for the Luphemion family and the Royal Guard Knights.
Shien knew well what it felt like to be ridiculed and ridiculed by everyone in the world, so he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
I just moved my steps with the grass dead.
After trudging down the stairs and arriving at the lobby, she found two old-fashioned envelopes.
A crest resembling a dragon was peeping out from the seal. It was the pattern of the imperial family.
Shien opened the two envelopes one by one with puzzled eyes.
[Sien, I heard that you are having a hard time these days. Will this brother lend me an escort knight?]
[My younger brother, it doesn’t matter what you do, but please don’t tarnish the honor of the imperial family. Hundreds of years of history are on our shoulders. You’re not going to rise to power anyway, but keep that in mind. Always be careful and act.]
After reading those short words, Shien’s hands went into strength.
Shien’s shoulders trembled as he crumpled up the letter. There was no need to look at the sender to find out who sent it.
It must have been a letter from the first prince Vilteon and the second princess Iris. Cien’s disgusting older sisters who go crazy for power and even kill their own flesh and blood.
The thought of them holding on to ridicule in the imperial palace made Shien even more insane.
No, I’m already crazy.
Shien put a hand on her forehead while exhaling heavily.
Then, as I was pulling back my bangs, I couldn’t stand it at all, so I started messing with my hair.
Her hand was gaining more and more speed. Before long, her beautiful dark blue hair was disheveled.
Even so, Shien couldn’t hold back his resentment, so he let out a scream.
“I-no… Percushhhh!”
I couldn’t stand it any longer. No, I couldn’t live like this.
Shien’s light gray eyes, filled with anger, cooled down. However, there was a subtle heat in his eyes, proving that Xian was insane.
He took control of the newspaper department, made his cherished escort knight a loner, and the evaluation of his surroundings and the imperial family was so severe that he was even ridiculed.
It was the first time in my life since I was a child that I had never been able to solve this problem. In Shien’s eyes, hostility like madness dwelled.
Yes, it was all Ian Percus’s fault.
So it was enough to get rid of it. I had the feeling that if I didn’t go and get an apology right away, I wouldn’t be able to solve my problem.
So, Shien shouted in a voice that was uncharacteristic of her, salted with anger.
“… … Maid-in-waiting! Bring Irene!”
The head maid widened her eyes at that angry order.
It had been a long time since I had seen Shien so excited. But thinking back, I thought it was worth it.
It’s already been over a week since I felt extreme mental fatigue.
The reputation he had built up with so much hard work was crumbling one by one, and even his favorite knights had been ruined or had long since returned home.
In the midst of that, the opponent who had promised to trample on them, on the contrary, took control of the organization under Shien. Because of that, it didn’t really do any harm to him.
It was a car that was ridiculed side by side by an older sister and an older brother with whom they were not on good terms.
Nevertheless, the maid-servant showed her loyalty and tried to dissuade Shien.
“Your Highness, however, Lord Irene needs some time to calm herself… … .”
“It’s okay, tell them to come down immediately! I’ve heard that excuse dozens of times already! I’ll go first, so Sir Irene told me to follow her!”
The head maid listened to Shien’s words and tilted her head as if it was strange.
“You’re going first, where?”
As if waiting for that question, Shien smiled coldly.
“… … If one piece leaves my table, why not bring in a new piece?”
It was not too long before she had accumulated another regret.