5. Bread and dagger (33)
As a child, the princess was fond of rare animals.
She was a woman who was born with the blood of the imperial family. It wouldn’t be strange if he had one or two lavish hobbies.
Wasn’t it even more so at the time when he was suffering from a deep-rooted distrust of humanity?
Shien loved animals more than humans.
Humans adorn themselves with all kinds of faults, but animals couldn’t. The princess loved that social incompetence.
At least you won’t be betrayed.
He was not an emperor who could not fathom his daughter’s heart. Under the tacit consent of the Absolute, the princess was allowed to raise several exotic animals.
There were also days when foreign envoys, hearing rumors, brought animals from their hometown.
It was obvious. It was the intention to win the favor of the princess, who was the emperor’s sore finger, and gain even a small profit from negotiations with the empire.
Of course, the princess did not stop it.
Anyway, everyone who treated the princess had the same intentions. The only difference is whether you hide it well or not.
On the contrary, the princess preferred to openly reveal her desires.
There was no reason to refuse the rare spectacle brought by the envoys.
However, the only complaint was that some uninvited guests used to come to see the rare spectacle.
Most of them were famous people from the imperial family or the five noble families of the empire.
It was fine until the emperor.
He was a father who knew how to care for his daughter, and he was one of the few supporters for the princess.
But not as much as the two people chasing after him.
First Prince Vilteon and Second Princess Iris.
Out of all the siblings, they were the two people Shien hated the most.
The two were said to be the closest to the next seat of power. They lived for power that much, so there was no way their hands were clean.
Above all, Xian trusted the emotions reflected in my ‘eyes’.
Vilteon and Iris had a very dark shade of ambition. It was a color so intense that other emotions were colorless.
So, whenever Shien faced the two of them, he would choke on his breath.
People who would give up anything for the sake of their goals.
They were willing to give up their limbs even if asked to cut them off. Not to mention, he would kill his half-brother, who was far behind in the right to succeed to the throne, without batting an eye.
That was the reason Shien hated her first brother and second sister.
Because I was scared.
Fortunately, the fact that the princess and the two of them ran into each other was that the emperor was usually with them.
No matter how great the prestige, the owner of the empire was definitely the emperor.
Vilteon and Iris used to act as gentle sheep whenever they stood before the emperor. Although the details of the situation are unknown, at least in the presence of the emperor, the two showed a friendly attitude toward their brothers and sisters.
However, Iris, who was born cold, did not seem warm no matter what she did.
Only Vilteon, who was cheerful and bold, threw a joke at Shien.
“Shien, did you hear what country the envoy is from today?”
It was a question asked by Vilteon with twinkling eyes before revealing the animal the envoy had brought.
He was a man with dark blue hair and blue eyes. Rumors were circulating that there were several women who had already cried because of his well-trained body and sculpture-like appearance.
Of course, it was an appearance that did not give any inspiration to Sien.
Will there ever come a day when Cien gets excited over someone?
All humans are just liars.
However, it was Vilteon who spoke to her now.
There was no reason to go against the heart of the person who might become the next emperor. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t afraid of repercussions.
Shien replied in a polite tone.
“I know you are from Trialde Kingdom, brother.”
The Southern Ten Kingdoms were a kind of alliance created to oppose the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
It is a place where each of the small kingdoms are gathered, and ‘Trialde’ was one of them. It is also famous for the excellent quality of timber harvested from the thick jungle.
What kind of animals live there?
Shien’s only concern was him, but Vilteon didn’t seem to want to let her go yet.
He continued talking with a mischievous smile.
“I heard that the snakes of Trialde Kingdom are so good for the body. Especially women with husbands turn on the lights in their eyes and try to save them… … .”
“… … low quality.”
It was a word that was spat out as he folded the fan.
Vilteon’s gaze slipped to the side. There, a woman with silver-blue hair was sitting with a cold expression on her face.
It was Iris, the second princess.
Suffering from a serious illness as a child, her complexion was always pale. It meant poor blood circulation. Not only his complexion, but also his hands and feet were cold.
So, those who even shook hands with the second princess would testify unanimously.
It was like touching a craft made of ice.
Shien thought in his heart that the evaluation was not wrong. She was a woman whose expression was so rare.
“Brother, please keep your chest… Seeing them say naughty things in front of my little brother, I feel ashamed.”
It was a tone of blatant criticism.
Even so, Vilteon shrugged once and shrugged.
“No, aren’t you too old to know love now? So just in case… … .”
It was then that the Trialde envoy took out the wriggling flesh from the box.
It was a snake of amazing size.
It was thick enough to barely fit in the arms of a strong adult man holding it with both arms. It was so long that if you pulled it out like a skein from a large wooden box, it would flow endlessly.
Shien was startled and stopped talking.
Vilteon and Iris also fell silent. However, the two did not look surprised.
It was a virtue that he knew a lot as much as he was aiming for the highest position in the empire.
Vilteon swallowed and murmured.
“Double-headed… … .”
“A person of that size must have been affected by magic. Half of it must be a witchcraft… If so, it is a special item brought from the center of the Great Forest.”
After adding Iris’ explanation, Shien became even more excited and looked at the black scaled snake.
It was too big.
Shien had seen all sorts of reptiles, but it was the first time he had ever seen a snake that big. I was really scared, so I didn’t want to raise it.
Even more surprising was the fact that the two-headed lion had no tail.
Where the tail should have been, there was another head. Shien’s eyes twinkled as to which of the two heads would have the upper hand.
Trialde’s emissary seemed to be just about to resolve the question.
His voice rose, and cheers erupted from the audience. A few men burst into laughter as if they were about to see a fun spectacle.
However, Vilteon only smiled, saying that he was somewhat troubled.
“Uh, um… Sien? Can you look away for a second?”
It was an unpleasant offer.
Shien asked in a voice that was somewhat sharp, not like her.
“why?! Now it shows which of the two heads has the initiative… … .”
Even so, Vilteon only made a puzzled expression, but was unable to return a proper answer.
It was Iris who stepped out to break through that difficulty.
She let out a deep sigh and told Shien as if she couldn’t help it.
“Then take a good look, it will be a study.”
“Hey, hey! Are you crazy?! Shien is still thirteen!”
“Someone said that, brother… If you stop, you will be old enough to know love.”
That moment when the high voice and ridicule of the two intersected.
The two heads of the two-headed warrior began to show their teeth at each other. And, unlike snakes, each of their tongues were rolled round and stabbed like spittle.
At first, Shien wanted the two heads to physically fight over the initiative.
However, that naive idea was soon shattered.
It was because he soon realized what the function of the double-headed snake’s curled tongue was.
Shien had to watch the scene in awe.
The twin-headed warrior’s body became entangled, and heat gushed out. Seeing this, the nobles burst into admiration, but Shien couldn’t even afford to do so.
Eventually, Vilteon covered his face with his hand and spat out a word.
“… … It looks good on your body.”
The mating of the two-headed snake continued for several hours.
It is said that the twin-headed snake was originally an ordinary snake, but as the tails fought each other for the head, two heads appeared. Even after that, they always didn’t get along and fought over the initiative.
It was just mating in that way.
According to mythology, it is regarded as a pawn of Delphirem due to its endless sexual desire and jealousy.
Shien had to sit all day with his face reddened.
Vilteon silently stroked the princess’ hair, and Iris, as usual, left a cold advice.
“Shien, remember it well. This is the essence of life… Everything has a sequence. Even between males and females.”
It was a word that clearly revealed Iris’ way of thinking.
Of course, Shien could not accept this. On the contrary, I was overly shocked by the enthusiastic mating of the two-headed warriors, to the point that I even felt a strong sense of rejection of the union between a man and a woman.
How could you do something so stupid?
It was an act in which not a single grain of reason existed. The appearance of pursuing only peripheral pleasures, relying only on physical desire.
At least not as much as Shien.
I promised so much, but why?
“Huh, uh… hahahaha… … .”
Shien gasped, exhaling an excited breath.
It was the conduct of a female in name and reality.
Acho que foi ela que vou a serie
So it was her