Chapter 197: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (61)
Chapter 197: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (61)
A chilly silence descended for a moment upon Delphine’s appearance.
Regardless, Delphine’s demeanor remained utterly composed. She merely let out a curious hum, her gaze shifting back and forth between Sienne and Elsie.
Unusually, Delphine was not holding an umbrella.
Despite this, there was no sign of her being wet; the raindrops evaporated the instant they touched her body.
It was an application of Aura.
By enveloping her entire body in Aura characterized by high heat, she employed a technique that vaporized the rain before it could even land. As proof, steam rose continuously from Delphine’s body accompanied by a faint hissing sound.
Beside her, a girl with gray hair caught the eye.
The girl, who possessed a gloomy complexion, harbored a particularly cold gaze only when looking at Sienne. That expression, resembling an icy sculpture, was practically her trademark.
Seria Yurdina—Delphine’s half-sister and the illegitimate daughter of the Yurdina family. She was also a genius who held the position of top student in the second-year Swordsmanship Department.
Two familiar faces had appeared. Since both seemed intent on restraining Elsie, Elsie had no choice but to hesitate.
Of course, that hesitation did not last long.
Elsie’s arm trembled for a moment before she finally let out a sigh and loosened her grip on Sienne’s collar.
With a dull thud, Sienne’s body, which had been lifted slightly off the ground, fell back down.
The Princess coughed several times, gasping for air, and looked at Delphine with a bewildered expression.
Why had she saved her?
Wasn't Sienne the enemy of everyone for misunderstanding and tormenting Sir Ian? Was Delphine taking Sienne’s side simply because she was the successor of the Yurdina family?
Naturally, that hope was shattered instantly.
Sienne’s 'Dragon's Eye' reflects a person’s true heart. Before it, pretense and lies held no meaning. Aside from extraordinary powerhouses who had reached the level of Master, no one could escape its gaze.
Delphine, one of the strongest in the Academy, was no exception. She was still among those whose psychology Sienne could read, however faintly.
And the emotions Sienne read in Delphine’s blood-red eyes were far from what she hoped for.
Faint hostility and displeasure were billowing up like smoke.
It was rare for such strong emotions to be visible from someone of Delphine’s caliber. It meant she disliked Sienne that much.
At the very least, she was not on the Princess’s side.
Sienne ultimately had to abandon her brief hope and settle for a sorrowful smile.
“Your Highness, please forgive her. Lainella has been acting as damp and gloomy as a rain-soaked dog lately…”
“I—I wash every day because I might meet Master! Wh-what do you mean damp? I smell fragrant, so take a sniff! Hurry!”
“…As you can see, she is in a very sensitive state.”
Delphine and Elsie exchanged jests as if they were used to it.
As their back-and-forth continued, the Princess was forced to realize the truth: that she was nothing more than a foreign object between the two of them.
And even Delphine’s words, which seemed to show concern for the Princess, were in fact nothing more than a formality.
Delphine advised in a calm voice.
“Your Highness, it would be best if you did not come here for a while.”
Sienne was not so oblivious as to ask why.
The girl merely hung her head with a gloomy face. It was something she had already heard several times.
Delphine let out a deep sigh at the sight. Concern seemed to drip from her tone.
Of course, it was all a facade.
She might have fooled others, but she could not deceive Sienne.
“Public opinion is not good. Please, take some rest and…”
“I know.”
Sienne had no choice but to cut her off.
Delphine’s blood-red eyes briefly flickered toward the Princess. At a glance, they looked like the eyes of a loyal subject worried for her liege, but the object of that loyalty was different.
It was clear that, at the very least, that object was not Sienne.
It’s actually more familiar this way, Sienne thought, shaking her head with an expression that looked ready for tears.
No one was on her side.
“I’ll… I’ll go back now… Thank you, Sir Yurdina.”
Delphine silently observed Sienne’s face. Her gaze, piercing the girl intently, seemed to unravel the Princess’s feelings even without the 'Dragon's Eye.'
Did she read Sienne’s inner heart, which looked as if it might burst into tears at any moment?
It was impossible to tell. However, the only sound that escaped Delphine’s lips was a sigh.
“……Seria.”
“Yes, Sister.”
The gray-haired girl immediately stepped forward.
Though she was drenched from not using an umbrella, her stride was dignified. She was the one who had stubbornly insisted that a vassal could not use an umbrella when her liege did not.
Her attitude suggested that being hit by a downpour was only natural. It formed a strange contrast with Sienne, who stood under an elegant umbrella.
And the blue eyes Seria used to stare at her were so cold that Sienne lost her spirit and lowered her head once more.
“Could you escort Her Highness? These are turbulent times, and I am worried.”
“Don’t worry too much, Sister.”
The words exchanged between Delphine and Seria were plain. It was a dialogue that left no room for misunderstanding.
However, the hidden intention was plain to see in Sienne’s pale gray eyes.
Delphine was displeased that Sienne was here, and Seria hated Sienne even more. Thus, the two sisters had agreed to get rid of her.
It wouldn't have been strange for Sienne to show her own displeasure.
And yet, Sienne didn't even have the right to express dissatisfaction with that decision.
She merely forced a smile back at Seria. Sienne’s lips trembled as she struggled to maintain the awkward expression.
“Your Highness, shall we go?”
“……I’ll be in your care, Senior Seria.”
The world was filled with nothing but pretense and hatred.
With the sole exception of one man, Ian Percus.
Sienne felt as if she might retch.
That night, Sienne had a nightmare.
She dreamed of the Head Maid strangling her, and of herself rolling down a hallway in a frantic attempt to escape. After running for a while, Sienne found she had returned to her childhood.
At the end of it, her mother was waiting.
And then she was being strangled. Even as she gasped and pleaded, her mother only glared at her with bloodshot eyes.
She whispered.
“Everyone hates you.”
No, Sienne thought, tapping her mother’s strangling arms, but it had no effect.
It was then that Sienne woke up, gasping for air.
She was drenched in cold sweat. The girl stumbled to her feet and gulped down the water from the cup the maids had prepared the night before.
The dawn chill seeped in, making her body shiver. Before she knew it, clear sunlight was filtering through the curtains.
It was morning.
On that particular day, Sienne was afraid to go down the stairs.
She didn't know why.
It was a premonition that could be called instinct or intuition. Perhaps she was acting this way because she had heard so many painful things the day before.
From the Saintess, to Elsie, and even the inner thoughts of Delphine and Seria.
Every single one of them was an element that pierced Sienne’s heart like a needle. Every time she recalled those memories, she felt as if her breath was being stifled.
It would only be painful to go down the stairs and start another day anyway.
No one takes Sienne’s side.
Everyone hates her, and those who stay by Ian’s side despise her.
Ian was Sienne’s only hope.
But what if she couldn't be forgiven by that man?
To offer a more optimistic outlook, Sienne’s life wouldn't change much even if that happened.
She would simply wander through her days with a somewhat lonely heart, just as she had lived until now. In time, she might find something 'real' again.
However, due to her experiences over the past few days, Sienne was in a state where normal judgment was impossible.
What if she couldn't be forgiven by Ian?
After that, a life where death was preferable would surely await her.
It might be an absurd exaggeration, but at the very least, that was how Sienne felt.
Because Ian was the only person who had cleared away the deep-rooted distrust of humans she had carried since childhood.
With a slightly trembling gait, Sienne slowly descended the stairs.
Since it was still early morning, the lobby was deserted. A small sigh finally escaped Sienne’s lips.
It was a look of blatant relief. As the Princess caught her breath, she suddenly noticed a luxurious envelope sitting on the lobby desk.
It was a letter from the Imperial Household. The dragon-like crest on the seal proved it.
It was a symbol only the Imperial Family could use.
Strangely, the moment she saw that envelope, Sienne’s anxiety reared its head again.
It was a sensation that transcended any logic or reason.
Sienne swallowed hard and slowly picked up the envelope. The sender was written in elegant gold script.
‘Imperial Treasury’
With trembling hands, the girl roughly tore open the envelope. She pulled out the pristine white stationery inside and began to read it urgently.
The letter was filled with long-winded flowery language.
But its core message was short and clear.
‘As per your instructions, we have confirmed the bankruptcy of the merchant guild.’
With a soft flutter, Sienne dropped the letter.
Her face turned deathly pale. Her trembling hands signaled her fading sense of reality.
“Ah… ugh… ah…”
Sienne couldn't form proper words. She merely stammered like that for a long time before suddenly bursting into a fit of laughter.
And then came the mad laughter.
“Pfft… hehe… ahaha… heehee, haha, ahahahahahahaha!”
The woman, seeing the one outcome she desperately hoped would never happen come true, was not in her right mind.
She was laughing like a madwoman, but tears were streaming down her face. After finally managing to stop laughing, Sienne’s eyes were bloodshot.
What should she do?
No, there was no way.
Hadn't they already gone bankrupt? Discussing the next step now was like debating treatment for a corpse that had already been declared dead.
Her reason told her so, but her emotions could not accept it.
She could not be forgiven.
That fact tightened around Sienne’s chest. Then it began to mangle her heart. Her gasping breath grew increasingly ragged, and Sienne bit her lip until it bled.
No, no. This can’t happen.
He’s the first ‘real’ thing I’ve ever found.
He’s the only one in my life; there might never be another.
Even a woman who has done bad things should be given at least one chance. Please, give me just one more chance. I’ll do something, anything.
Accumulated mental fatigue began to scramble the girl’s mind into a mess.
Sienne stumbled up the stairs and returned to her room.
She rummaged through her dresser. No, she opened every storage unit her hands could reach. The items she had cherished tumbled out in a heap, but she didn't even care.
With a series of loud crashes, she heard footsteps hurrying toward her room.
It didn't matter. Sienne only focused on frantically rummaging through her belongings.
Someone threw open Sienne’s door and burst in.
The sound of heavy breathing could be heard. It was Irene, the beautiful female knight with blue hair.
Though she had recently begun to seclude herself again, she had no choice but to rush out of her room at the suspicious sounds coming from her liege’s chamber.
However, Irene, who had entered so urgently, could only fall silent.
All sorts of clothes and objects were strewn across the floor. In the middle of it all, Sienne was hollowly scratching at an empty drawer.
Sienne was clutching something tightly to her chest with one arm. Sensing Irene’s presence, the girl slowly stood up.
Her pale gray eyes were filled with despair. Along with tears.
A single trail of tears rolled down her cheek.
“A-Irene…”
“……Your Highness.”
It was a word that sounded like a lament.
Irene found it too painful to see her broken liege and ended up averting her eyes.
Regardless, Sienne stumbled toward Irene. She held out the documents she had been clutching so dearly.
They were promissory notes, certificates—documents that could substitute for cash.
As a member of the Imperial Family, the amount was not something a typical Academy student would possess. However, even after scraping together every bit of her balance, Sienne looked anxious, as if it were still not enough.
“D-do you happen to have any money saved up? No, no… before that… do you know anything about merchant guilds? This money, what can I do with this money?”
“Your Highness, please…”
“I asked what I can do with it!!!”
At the Princess’s scream, Irene turned away with a pained expression.
She knew what her liege was hoping for.
She likely wanted to save the bankrupt merchant guild.
Unfortunately, there was no such way. To a merchant, trust is more precious than gold, and as long as they carried the terrifying risk factor known as the ‘Imperial Household,’ the possibility of a comeback had essentially vanished.
But Irene did not have the courage to convey that fact.
She only squeezed her eyes shut, avoiding Sienne’s desperate gaze.
Eventually, Sienne collapsed on the spot. Only the sound of the girl’s sobbing was heard, sounding utterly pitiful.
“Please, please… I was wrong… I—I won’t… I won’t ever do it again. Forgive me…”
Without even knowing who she was speaking to, Sienne simply repeated words of apology.
That day was cruel from the very morning.
It was the day when the foundation for all future pain was laid.