The Axis of Evil (3)
"Do you have something to say to me? Or perhaps, something to say to the others?" His face was twisted in an obvious sneer, radiating absolute confidence that I wouldn't dare do a thing.
"Something to say, is it...?" I slowly uncrossed my legs and stood up. "Isn't that a bit dangerous? Speaking to me like that."
At my words, Sein widened his eyes in mock innocence, as if he truly didn't understand. "How could the heartfelt advice of a loyal subject ever be considered dangerous?"
There was no way the bastard didn't know I wasn't just talking about his little "heartfelt advice" comment, but he stubbornly maintained his clueless facade.
"Is that so?" So that's how it is... I muttered to myself, then walked over to the three maids who still hadn't dared to lift their heads. "Hey," I said coldly.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness..." I felt Sein glancing over, likely expecting me to start taking my anger out on the maids.
"This isn't a conversation meant for the ears of lowlifes like you, so cover your ears. If I catch any of you eavesdropping on even a single word, you'll be working without fingers from now on."
After confirming that they had all turned pale and pressed their hands tightly over their ears, I turned back to Sein. "Sein."
"...Yes, Your Highness." Sein looked at me, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"As you know, I'm not an eloquent speaker like you."
"What do you mean by—"
"So, I have no choice but to show you through actions. Shall we start with knocking?" I gestured with my chin toward Sein, who looked utterly baffled. "Go back out and come in again. This time, act like a proper secretary. You enter only when I give you permission."
"...Ha!" Sein snorted, realizing I was trying to discipline him. "Is this 'dog training' the best your brilliant mind could come up with?"
If necessary. I shrugged in response.
"As you wish, Your Highness. Though I highly doubt you'll be able to teach me properly, no matter how many times we repeat this."
He stomped out of the room. If he actually asked for my permission before entering, I was planning to let it slide this once. But he probably wouldn't. Just as he had hinted, he was clearly determined to show me that he wouldn't obey, no matter how many times we repeated this little exercise.
After all, with his pride, he wouldn't want to back down and act submissive after picking a fight first—especially not in front of the servants. Still, hoping he would make the wise choice, I toyed with the handle of the porcelain teapot.
Knock. Knock. Knock.Creak. After a sharp knock, he flung the door open and walked in without waiting for my permission, just like before.
He stared at me for a moment, his eyes challenging me to do something about it. But that look didn't last long. The moment his eyes fell upon my hand, sheer horror washed over his face. Crash!"Aaargh!" He instantly curled into a ball and collapsed to the floor.
The teapot I threw grazed his left side, smashed against the wall, and shattered into pieces with a loud crash. The warm tea inside splattered in every direction.
"W-What is the meaning of this...?" He looked up, his eyes trembling with terror.
"Since you couldn't understand my words, I had to teach you physically." I smirked as I patted his slightly trembling shoulder. "Do you realize how dangerous your actions were now?" I added, but he didn't seem to be listening.
"You may leave for today. If you ever need a refresher course, feel free to come back anytime." I grabbed his arm and pulled him up. He stumbled to his feet like a paper doll. "Though next time, my hand might slip, and I can't guarantee where it will land."
Pale as a ghost, Sein dragged his trembling legs and quickly scurried away. That should do it. Believing things would be quiet for a while, I approached the three maids who were still tightly covering their ears. Catching sight of my boots, they slowly raised their heads. When I gestured for them to lower their hands, they hesitantly let go of their ears.
"Clean this up and get out." Watching the three of them move even more stiffly than before, I sat back down. With this, rumors would spread once again that the Seventh Prince was still a lunatic who threw dishes at people.
Sein kept a low profile after that incident. The servants, who had despised Sein for strutting around as if he owned the castle, were quite abuzz with the news. A small commotion also stirred in the maids' quarters after they finished their daily chores.
"Do you still think the prince has changed lately, Anna?" Anna pouted at the older maid's teasing question. Seeing this, Rin, who was sitting next to her, patted her shoulder and spoke up.
"Why are you teasing the poor girl? No, Anna, you were right. He really has changed."
"You think so too, right? He's a bit..."
"He's gotten scary as hell." The other maids, who were getting ready for bed, burst into laughter and jeered at her words.
"Hey! I thought you told her not to tease the kid!"
"No, seriously, I'm telling the truth! I was there when that whole mess with the secretary went down. He was violent before, but now... he's calmly violent."
"What on earth does that mean? Is that like being beautifully ugly?" Rin glared at her roommate, who was teasing her as if she were talking nonsense.
"...I'm never swapping meal shifts with you again. Hey, Ann. You know what I mean, right? You saw it with me!" Rin turned to the other maid who had served that fateful lunch alongside Anna.
Ann briefly looked up from sewing her apron, then focused back on her repairs and muttered dryly, "His aim seems to have gotten worse, though. Seeing how he missed that nuisance's head." Her deadpan response triggered another round of laughter.
Soon, the lights in the quarters were turned off, and a quiet stillness settled over the noisy room. While everyone else slept, Anna lay awake, quietly reminiscing. She remembered the Seventh Prince's gaze just before he threw the teapot—how he had briefly checked to make sure they were tightly covering their ears.
He really is a bit strange... "I think he's gotten kinder..." Anna murmured softly, closing her eyes. Though, in a way, he's also gotten scarier than before.
The reason Anna had ended up working in the imperial palace at such a young age wasn't just because no one else wanted to work under the Seventh Prince; it was primarily because she was highly perceptive. Realizing from this incident that the prince wanted to appear rough and violent, she resolved to keep her mouth tightly shut. With that determination, Anna drifted off to sleep.
Ran's performance ended up achieving only half of its initial purpose. Sein stopped opening the door without manners. In fact, he stopped coming this way altogether. Fortunately. I had never been called a nice person in my life, but I didn't have a hobby of smashing people's heads with teapots either, so I was somewhat relieved.
Furthermore, perhaps because the servants had grown more terrified after the incident with Sein, no one dared to step into my bedroom or office without orders anymore. Aside from the essential times for cleaning or laundry, everyone kept their distance as if this place were a haunted house. Thanks to that, I was quite free. I could sit in a tree like this, enjoying the breeze and relaxing. I could flap my wings a few times, preen my beak...
Yes, I was currently transformed into a crow, perched on a tree. To be precise, on an oak branch right outside my office window. After my first transformation, I had tested it out a few more times. Not too often, just once or twice. This was another reason why I kept people out of my office and bedroom. This was the most baffling part. Why could I turn into a crow?
Dark Header was an old-school fantasy novel. It featured magical powers, terrifying monsters, and non-human races. In this world, there was a force called Manis, and those who possessed it could wield extraordinary power. Only a select few were born with Manis. The Seventh Prince's miserable treatment was entirely due to this. He was the only member of the Imperial Family born without Manis. It was the very setting that had turned the original owner of this body into a giant ball of complexes.
But no matter how I look at it, this transformation ability of mine must be because of Manis...
"Caw! Caw!" I could never get used to this damn sound. Anyway, Manis manifested as a different ability for each individual. The abilities featured in the novel were all related to nature. For instance, the Emperor wielded fire, the First Prince possessed the Manis of water, and the Second Prince used fire. But what on earth was this? A Manis that let you turn into a crow was an ability I had never even heard of in the novel.
I had considered whether the crow I grabbed by the neck on my first day had cursed me, but it wasn't like I was trapped as a crow waiting for a princess's kiss to turn back. Seeing how I could shift between human and crow forms whenever I pleased, that didn't seem to be the case either. I didn't know why I had this ability, but one thing was clear: I had to keep it a secret from everyone. After all, I wanted things to proceed exactly as they did in the novel.
Sure, the protagonist might suffer a little less, and maybe take a slightly easier path, but I wanted events to unfold safely according to the original story I knew. The reason I could afford to be so relaxed here was partly because I knew the original story wouldn't start for another year, and I had three years before my scheduled death, but above all, because I knew the entire plot. Dark Header was a novel I truly loved. That had been an unchanging fact ever since a fourteen-year-old kid first discovered the dusty, old fantasy series tucked away in a corner of the local public library. Having read it over a hundred times, I wanted this story to reach the ending I knew. Of course, if my body didn't return to normal after about three months, I was going to bail immediately.
I flapped my stiff wings, listening to the murmurs of people echoing from all directions.
"What are we doing today?"
"T-The evening r-ritual is being held. You must attend today as well, Your Highness." The servant, who had come to deliver the message in the secretary's stead, did his best to fulfill his duty while constantly eyeing me as if expecting me to start screaming at any moment.
"I get it, so leave."
"Yes, Your Highness." The young servant was undoubtedly convinced that my scowl meant an inkwell was about to fly at his head. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to keep his eyes glued to my desk while practically sprinting out of the room.
"Damn it." A sigh escaped my lips the moment the door clicked shut. A gathering with the Emperor and my siblings. Once a month, or sometimes more, the Emperor held these sacred rituals with his children. They called it a ritual, but it was essentially a test for the succession. Naturally, the Seventh Prince didn't even qualify as a contender, making him nothing more than a useless prop. If that was the case, they might as well not invite me at all, but the logic was that all direct descendants of the Emperor had to attend by custom.
The thought of sitting for hours in a place bound to be far more uncomfortable than a corporate dinner did not put me in a good mood. Besides, even if we rarely met, some of my siblings might know the original prince well. They might notice something off about my behavior. It was only because I was an avid reader of Dark Header that I knew even this much about the Seventh Prince; in reality, the owner of this body was a minor extra villain, so his specific habits, daily life, and personal relationships were never detailed in the book. I'd better keep my face scowled and my eyes glued to the floor as much as possible. I made up my mind, telling the servant who came to help me dress to just leave the clothes and prepare some digestive medicine instead. Even if I ate nothing today, I was bound to get indigestion.
Guided by the servant, I arrived at the banquet hall. Compared to the dilapidated dining room of my own palace, this place was beyond luxurious—it was practically radiant. Since not everyone had arrived yet, there were empty seats scattered here and there. Naturally, the Emperor's seat at the head of the table was vacant. I walked as naturally as possible and took my place at the very foot of the long table. Fortunately, this detail had been mentioned in the novel. As expected, no one seemed to pay me any mind.
I took a brief look around. After all, these were my siblings, whom I was meeting for the first time. My very first impression of them was, first of all, that they were blinding. I didn't mean "blindingly beautiful" as a figure of speech; my eyes literally hurt. Every single one of them possessed brilliant golden hair, and the glare reflecting off the chandeliers made it difficult to keep my eyes open. Sitting among them, the black-haired Seventh Prince certainly looked like a stray crow.
If I just sat quietly, pretended to participate in the ritual, and then went back to my room, I would have another month of peace. In other words, I only had to repeat this tedious routine two or three more times.
"A half-breed bastard holding his head high without an ounce of shame." Do I really have to come to such a flashy place every single time?
"Hey. Are you ignoring me right now?" At least corporate dinners save you money on food, but this...
"Hey!" Was he calling me? I turned my head toward the voice dripping with irritation that I had been faintly hearing for a while. It was a young man with reddish-blonde hair and crimson eyes. He glared at me with utter contempt as he took his seat. The Eighth Prince, Selos Abaran. He was half a head taller than me, but he was my half-brother, two years my junior. Ah, I had a strong premonition that this was not going to be a very pleasant evening.