Chapter 190: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (54)
Chapter 190: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (54)
Creatures with thick, hard shells often hide tender flesh within.
This tendency isn't limited to biology; human psychology is much the same. The more formidable the shell, the more fragile and soft the core.
Cien, the Fifth Princess of the Empire, was no different.
Her childhood was marked by countless wounds. Her 'Dragon’s Eye' possessed the power to read the inner thoughts of others, a gift that struck those around her with an indescribable terror.
Every person she encountered reacted with fear or loathing. It was an experience even strong-willed adults would find difficult to endure, let alone a young girl who had only just begun to speak.
Thus, invisible scars accumulated within the Princess’s heart, and her world began to shrink inward.
It was inevitable that she would come to distrust everyone, for everyone seemed to hate and despise her.
Perhaps this outcome was predestined. To read someone’s mind is to see the very bottom of their soul.
Through the 'Dragon’s Eye,' no creature was as hideous as a human being. They were all driven by nothing but their own desires; at times, Cien felt the urge to gouge out her own eyes.
Her exquisite beauty only fueled her misanthropy.
A noble and beautiful woman was a prize more precious than any gem.
Men felt possessiveness, and women harbored jealousy. Forced to perceive and absorb these primal instincts, Cien naturally came to a realization: the reality of humanity was this ugly.
The Princess had no choice but to believe that words like 'purity' or 'sincerity' were mere fantasies.
This belief often left her with a hollow, aching loneliness.
To live without ever treating anyone with sincerity, and without anyone ever showing it to her, was a solitary and desolate existence.
There was not a single exception.
Her life was filled with false relationships built on fabricated emotions.
Even Irene, whom Cien cherished, and the Head Maid were not free from this truth. They followed her because of their own calculations—be it greed for wealth, fame, or even lust.
No one approached Cien without self-interest. This was why she had misjudged Ian on the day they first met.
Ian Percus was human.
And all humans are masses of desire. Therefore, it was only logical to assume that Ian Percus also moved according to his desires.
It was a clear syllogism, and it was nearly impossible for Cien to doubt it.
Of course, she had been a bit confused when she first met him.
Even with her 'Dragon’s Eye,' Ian’s inner thoughts were vast and unreadable.
It was an experience she hadn't had since meeting the Empire’s Sword Duke in her childhood. Nevertheless, she chose to believe in the wretchedness of humanity she had witnessed countless times before.
The result of that choice was the humiliation of being drenched in water.
That nightmare had fueled a fire in Cien’s heart for a long time.
Still, it became slightly easier to deal with Ian afterward, as she began to see glimpses of his psyche, however faint.
Yet, this did not change the relationship between the Princess and the man. Even if Ian had changed, the world Cien was trapped in remained the same.
The girl deliberately denied and distorted the emotions the man displayed.
To her, all those feelings felt like hypocrisy and mockery. Furthermore, she could not stand the fact that someone might be pitying her.
She never wanted to return to those days.
She could not return to the past where she huddled in her bedroom, trembling at the thought of meeting anyone. She had vowed countless times to sever ties with that weak, pathetic girl.
Perhaps that was why she had bristled so fiercely and pushed Ian away. Though it yielded no real results, it was a defense mechanism.
The more one expects, the greater the disappointment.
She told herself dozens of times that his feelings were merely a temporary facade—that a fleeting moment of goodwill had simply triumphed over desire. She vowed never to trust him, and her desperation manifested in an over-the-top reaction.
But the moment she faced the man in the cave, Cien’s thoughts ground to a halt.
How can he do this?
How can he accept all that malice and pain without asking for anything in return?
She thought it was impossible. She thought it was a lie.
However, as the Homecoming Festival began, the assumptions she had held were overturned.
As soon as they entered the cave, her trusted confidants were manipulated, and the other escort knights were blown apart. Cien’s mental fortitude was reaching its limit.
It was then that Mitram’s words pierced her mind like a needle.
As the hidden truths were revealed, Cien’s mind began to deduce a clear answer. Yet, she wanted to deny that conclusion until the very end.
To accept the truth would mean acknowledging the weight of the sins she had committed.
She had repaid Ian’s kindness with hatred, and the consequences were horrific. Promising knights had lost their lives, and the Princess herself was facing death.
If Mitram’s words were true, how could she ever look that man in the eye again?
She would have to apologize even in death.
Thus, Cien was plunged into a pit of despair.
That was, until the man she had so internally criticized and insulted appeared.
Blood sprayed in a sudden arc.
Just before Mitram could gouge out Cien’s eyes, a sonic boom echoed, and both of Mitram’s arms tumbled to the ground.
It was Ian Percus. He had arrived to save the Princess.
Though she suffered the humiliation of having her head stepped on afterward, her tears were not because of that disgrace.
Mitram’s words, spat out one by one, were too painful to bear.
When the dark priest told Ian to leave Cien behind and go, she had even found herself agreeing. She felt too shameless to ask for rescue now.
Nevertheless, the man saved her.
His body was visibly battered. When he slapped Cien’s cheek as she repeatedly apologized through her tears, she was startled, but simultaneously relieved.
She almost wished he would beat her to a pulp.
Then, at least, she could feel she was being punished. But Ian did not grant the Princess’s wish.
Instead, as he held up the collapsing cave, he merely offered a bitter smile and spoke.
“……I am glad you are alive.”
That day, for the first time, Cien encountered someone’s unvarnished sincerity.
There wasn't even a shred of desire. If he were that kind of person, he wouldn't have prioritized the Princess’s life in a situation where his own death was certain.
I see, the girl whispered to herself as she burst into a fresh wave of tears.
Sincerity did exist in this world. Not a fake, but the real thing stood before her eyes. But by the time she realized this, it was already too late.
The cave was shaking and collapsing.
Her tongue barely moved due to the anesthetic, but the Princess sobbed and pleaded.
“I-Irene... we have to... save Sir Ian...”
“……I am sorry, Your Highness. But we cannot let Sir Ian’s sacrifice be in vain.”
Irene’s voice was thick with unshed tears. The Princess could only weep, cursing her own immobile body.
No, I only just found it.
The only 'real' thing in her life, the only person who treated her without a speck of hypocrisy.
The memories of the past became blades, hacking at Cien’s heart. Why hadn't she realized sooner? That the man she had hated so much was her one and only lifeline.
But regret, no matter how early, is always too late.
The moment Irene threw herself out of the cave, a thunderous roar erupted, and a deluge of earth began to bury the tunnel.
Like a gravedigger interring a corpse, the mounds of soil poured down. Cien’s eyes filled with despair as she watched.
Unable to bear the agony, the girl beat her chest and wailed for a long time.
Irene’s expression also sank into a hollow daze.
She, too, bore responsibility for Ian’s death.
Because she was lacking as a knight, her master’s life had to depend on the mercy of another.
Thus, Irene could only bite her lip and bow her head, blaming her own inadequacy for only being able to mourn his end as a knight.
It was several hours later when news arrived that the man had been miraculously rescued from the cave.