Omen (3)
Omen (3)
"I greet Her Highness the Princess."
I said something roughly like that and bowed once more. I didn't even know the proper formal greeting, so being suddenly told I was meeting the imperial Princess left my head spinning. Zhuge Yeong-yu still maintained a respectful posture, but the one flustered by our appearance was the Princess.
"There is no need to be so deferential. Everyone, raise your heads. What use is formality in a situation like this?"
The Princess seemed genuinely at a loss. The sight of her floundering and waving her hands in the air was almost endearing. Even beneath the mansion's muted lighting, her purple hair held a unique luster and stood out vividly. When I straightened up at her command, she cleared her throat and spoke.
"So, Sect Leader Docheol of the Crimson Ring Sect. I have heard you rendered great service in eradicating that vile merchant faction, the Venerable Geumbok. Yeong-yu spoke highly of your cleverness and your good looks."
"Y-Your Highness the Princess...!"
Zhuge Yeong-yu cried out in alarm. I couldn't stop myself from frowning at her words either. What? My good looks? A bastard praising another man's looks? What the hell is with this guy? When I shot Yeong-yu a look, he desperately fixed his eyes on the Princess and said,
"Your Highness the Princess, that was merely praise offered in passing."
The Princess narrowed her eyes languidly at his words and looked at Yeong-yu.
"Ah, right you are. How loose my tongue is. I was simply excited to meet the man you praised so highly. Forgive me, Yeong-yu."
"N-no, Your Highness. Saying forgive is out of the question."
Watching the atmosphere between them, they seemed quite close, but oddly, the subtle tension that usually flows between a handsome man and a beautiful woman was absent. There was only a pleasant, friendly cheerfulness. The Princess looked at me and said,
"So, Sect Leader of the Crimson Ring Sect. Docheol."
"You may simply call me Docheol, Your Highness the Princess."
"Ah, yes. Docheol. I shall address you comfortably then. The Imperial Household will never forget the service you rendered in this operation, and once the world under heaven is stabilized, you will be granted a fitting reward."
"I am grateful."
No fool takes those words at face value. In the end, history is the epitome of a brutal chronicle where purges and backstabbing intertwine until even good and evil blur. Right now, both Zhuge Yeong-yu and the Princess were whispering sweet words to me, but if I just played along like a willing slave, it was obvious I would be discarded like a used hunting dog the moment it was all over.
My goal was to become the supreme master of the martial world who reigned over all the world under heaven, while Zhuge Yeong-yu and the Princess's goal was to pacify this world and re-establish a ruling system under the Imperial Household. We were cooperating because our aim of seizing control in Shaanxi aligned, but at some point our paths were bound to diverge.
And at the moment when they had to weigh the world under heaven against me, what choice would Zhuge Yeong-yu and the Imperial Household make?
Between cutting off my head and stabilizing the world under heaven, which would they choose?
I stared at the Princess's face. A broad forehead and sharp eyes—she was quite a pretty beauty. What kind of inner thoughts did this woman really harbor? Did she truly trust me? While saying words like this, wasn't she scheming behind my back to cut me off once my power grew larger?
Wasn't calling me out here to show her face a calculated deception meant to lull me into complacency? Among those who don the official hat, there's not a single sane man, and among those who bear the blood of kings, there are no ordinary men. I found it hard to believe that she and Zhuge Yeong-yu had summoned me out of pure goodwill and trust.
"Is there something on my face? You are staring quite intently."
She tilted her head as she spoke. Her purple hair swayed like a beaded curtain. I shook my head and answered.
"Ah, no. Purple and blue are rare sights in the Central Plains, so my eyes kept drifting to them."
At my words, she stroked her own hair. When she grasped her straight hair and pulled down in one motion, it rippled like gathered silk threads.
"Ah, that is understandable. There is no one else in the Imperial Household with this color, after all. I've heard that one of my mother's distant ancestors possessed the blue-eyed purple flame, and that bloodline manifested in my generation. It is quite a mysterious thing, isn't it?"
It truly was a mysterious thing. A stranger's bloodline, having nothing to do with purple, mixing in and leaving its own traces upon the Imperial Household. And that this woman was now striving to re-stabilize the world under heaven. She lifted her hair proudly.
"I consider my hair and these eyes to be among the splendid things that express who I am."
Her chest was not particularly large. But her pertly rising breasts clearly asserted their presence whenever she moved her arms. Her lively expression, her gentle and slow manner of speaking. And her title of Princess.
Watching her defenseless state, I couldn't help but think this.
Even someone with no prior ties to the Imperial Household had left their own trace called the Blue-Eyed Purple Flame. If I could seduce the Princess and make her fall for me by any means, wouldn't I also create ties to the Imperial Household and carve my own trace there? If I melted her down so thoroughly that she couldn't betray me, couldn't I approach the throne of Number One Under Heaven even closer through connections that could overwhelm Zhuge Yeong-yu?
It's a world where even a mendicant monk can raise an army and become emperor. Toppling the already-present Princess, receiving her submission, and wielding real power over the world—that was an even simpler task.
"I think so as well, Your Highness the Princess."
When I tossed the compliment laced with ulterior motives, the Princess laughed, seeming pleased. But the laughter held no meaning beyond politeness. She covered her mouth with her hand and said,
"Hehehe, you say such embarrassing words."
"Lacking in learning, I merely spoke the truth. I apologize if it was rude."
"Not at all. It is rare to receive such direct praise. I hope you will continue to stand with us. This path will be arduous, but the reward will surely be certain."
Even if they showed me a concrete reward before my eyes, that is a line not to be trusted. All politicians spout sweet words while hiding a knife behind their backs.
"For martial artists to covet the order of the world under heaven is a wrongful act. To prevent it, I will burn my very body."
The Princess shook her head. Narrowing her brow, she said,
"Docheol. I have nothing with which to properly repay such devotion at the moment. There is no need to resolve to burn your body, so prioritize your own life over the operation. Our power is weak, so a talent like you is more important than the mission."
She spoke like that and gave me a smiling glance. Despite having a rough and prickly-looking face, her skill at cajoling people with her tone was first-rate. The moment I believed those words at face value, felt moved, and threw my body into danger, I would become a discardable pawn to them.
I don't get fooled. In this heartless world, it's only natural that the fool gets eaten. Right now, in this moment, a certain desire regarding the Princess and Zhuge Yeong-yu had arisen within me.
First, to have the Princess writhing beneath me with that cute face of hers ruined. Second, to ruin the Princess to the point where I could bend all her connections and power into my own hands, and to thoroughly drive out Zhuge Yeong-yu.
My bowing my head here and now was nothing more than preparation for that time.
I bowed my head to her and said,
"It is only regrettable that my strength is insufficient to throw myself into such a heavy responsibility."
When I raised my head, she wore a vaguely moved expression. She briefly dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a smile, then gave me a satisfied smile and said,
"Truly, I am most grateful. I have heard that in the past, chivalry and righteousness existed among martial artists. My heart is racing, as if I am witnessing things I thought had vanished from the world, right before my eyes."
As she said this, she placed her hand upon her chest. I momentarily glanced sidelong at her chest. It was a pity the tightly bound and unrevealing clothes hid her shape.
The Princess continued.
"Docheol. So, is there nothing you are curious about? Meeting the Princess must make your head spin, so if there's anything you wish to know, I shall answer whatever it is."
She truly seemed in a good mood. She spread her arms wide and urged me to speak of anything. I focused my mind on her purple hair and blue eyes for a moment and thought.
Is her body hair purple as well, perhaps?
"What is it? Did you think of something?"
Just as I was entertaining that absurd thought, the Princess questioned me again. I blinked like a person roused from sleep and hastily shook my head.
"No. No. I wasn't thinking anything at all. Yes. Well... Meeting Your Highness the Princess so suddenly has made my head go blank, and I cannot think of a single thing. If we happen to meet next time, I will be sure to prepare a question for then."
"Ah, I see. I shall look forward to our next meeting, then. I hope you remain safe until that time."
The Princess nodded her head smoothly at my words. To the very end, she worried about me and tried to brainwash me with loyalty. She was truly a frightening woman.
"Yes, Your Highness the Princess. Then, I shall take my leave now."
I turned my body, and the bead curtain closed. I briefly observed the curve of her round buttocks below her skirt, and took a deep breath to calm myself.
Her waist was thin, but her hips were bigger than I'd thought.
"Huu...."
"You must have been quite nervous, Great Hero."
"Well... I suppose."
Avoiding his gaze, I could only manage that much.