Chapter 237: Each to Their Own Path
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Each to Their Own Path
"Am I right, my dear fiancé... who will be officially engaged to me in a few short months?"
Celicia’s voice, clear and cold as a breeze laced with snow, echoed through the street. There were no bystanders here, only a "pond" full of great white sharks. For a moment, it was as if a supreme deity had stripped the world of sound; the silence in the street was terrifying.
Muen’s lips trembled. Under Celicia’s calm, slightly mocking gaze, he didn't even have the courage to look back.
The powder keg had been lit.
"What? Engaged?"
Sure enough, Anna’s eyebrows shot up instantly.
She knew that Muen and the girl before her had a genuine marriage contract, and that an official engagement was only a matter of time. Furthermore, it was an agreement personally set by the Emperor himself, making it nearly impossible to change. However, she hadn't expected this moment to come so soon.
Moreover, this Princess, famous for her icy detachment, had actually said it out loud in public.
What did this mean?
Was this a declaration of war?
Anna’s expression darkened. Her beautiful hair began to flutter despite the lack of wind, and deep within her gemstone-clear eyes, the faint silhouette of a full moon began to rise.
She was angry.
On the other side, An was much calmer. She had known this news for a long time, so she naturally didn't have a massive reaction to Celicia’s words.
However...
Her hand still gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, and the faint hum of vibrating steel echoed in the air.
As the Young Master’s personal maid, she should have anticipated this scene long ago.
She shouldn't have had any objections.
And yet, now that it was happening, she still felt...
Extremely displeased.
The night grew deeper.
A thin mist drifted over from the nearby riverbank, but it was quickly dispersed by invisible ripples of energy, leaving the air exceptionally clear.
The icy atmosphere shifted into a faint, lingering killing intent, poised to strike within the stagnant air.
Drip.
Drip.
Time moved slowly.
Like the sweat currently dripping from Muen’s forehead, the atmosphere was heavy enough to make breathing difficult.
Finally.
Celicia shifted her gaze away from Muen. She brushed back the silver-white hair at her forehead, her beautiful eyes remaining as calm as a frozen lake. It was as if she didn't care about the two sources of hostility at all. She spoke indifferently:
"What? Are you two going to make a move against me?"
There was no surge of mana.
No display of Fighting Spirit.
No hostility.
No killing intent.
The words were as mundane as casual small talk.
And yet, at that moment, the girl’s airy words made An and Anna feel a mountain of pressure. Their brewing hostility ground to a sudden halt.
This didn't just stem from the unfathomable strength of the Pure White Witch, the Empire’s most renowned genius; it also came from her status.
She was the Third Princess of the Leopold Empire, the most noble person in this country.
Given An and Anna’s current status, the fact that they could even stand before her and speak was already a sign of her mercy.
If they truly attacked an Imperial Princess in public, they would likely face the wrath of the entire nation’s will.
Thus, the girl’s arrogance was perfectly natural.
...
"It seems you two have no objections to me taking him away."
Celicia’s cold face remained expressionless.
"Then let us go, my fiancé."
"Eh? That... is leaving right now a bit..."
Celicia gave Muen a cold sidelong glance. Without a word, she reached out her jade-like hand and grabbed him by the collar. Like picking up a kitten by the scruff of its neck, she dragged Muen away.
Muen looked back with a woeful expression, pressing his hands together in a silent, sincere apology to the two girls.
It’s not that I don’t want to resist, it’s just that this lady is way too hard to mess with!
Don't bite me later, I'm innocent too!
...
Watching the two disappear from sight, both An and Anna remained silent.
After a long while, they looked at each other.
Anna said, "I’m leaving."
An said, "I’m leaving too."
"Then, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Anna set off on foot first.
However, she did not take the path back to the Academy.
The road beneath her feet led toward the Silence Bureau.
"I didn't want to fight for it originally," Anna murmured.
In this world—where even someone like Ariel, the ultimate lesbian, could openly build a crystal palace and even use magic to have children—it was perfectly normal for a powerful, high-status man to have several women.
Given Muen’s status and his future potential, Anna had long since prepared herself for the fact that there would be other women by his side.
She wasn't the type who liked to fight for things, nor did she care about a formal title.
As long as she could stay by the side of the person she loved, it was enough.
Her so-called greed was merely the hope that the person she loved could give her a little more warmth and affection.
But.
At this moment.
No matter how gentle or indifferent to the world her personality was, she could not endure someone stepping directly on her face and "flaunting their power" just because of a marriage contract.
Even if that person was a noble princess.
"So, just you wait, my high and mighty Princess."
The seductive charm faded from Anna’s face, replaced by a rare majesty that even Muen had never seen.
Moonlight spilled from her gemstone-like eyes.
With every step she took, the deep shadows around her began to twist and dance frantically, as if surrendering one by one beneath this supreme Authority.
"I don't care about being a Duchess.
But...
I am truly looking forward to it."
Anna’s gaze was firm as she whispered to herself:
"The moment when you, the noble Princess, will have to bow your head... and call me 'Big Sister'."
...
After Anna left.
An stood in place, staring in the direction Celicia and Muen had gone for a long time.
On that dignified, pretty face, a flash of something twisted and ferocious appeared—though it might have been an illusion.
"As expected, if I want to clear out the pests around the Young Master, the current me is far from enough."
She looked down at her hands, recalling the intense sense of crisis she felt when facing Celicia just now.
That was her intuition. Through that intuition, she knew clearly that she was still far from being Celicia’s match.
After all, though they were both Divine Blessings and she believed her talent was not inferior to Celicia’s, the time the Princess had spent practicing and the resources she possessed were things An couldn't hope to match.
Not just Celicia—that woman named Anna also brought her a strong sense of crisis.
She was a troublesome opponent as well.
And as the Young Master became more and more outstanding, god only knew what level of seductive vixens he would attract next.
"I can't wait any longer."
An sat back in the carriage and softly gave an order.
"Let’s go."
The carriage lurched into motion, heading toward the city gates.
An rested her cheek on her hand, watching the city recede. She rubbed a key she had produced from somewhere—it looked as though it were carved from blood-colored jade.
"The Abyss..."
She seemed to be talking to herself.
"I wonder... if I kill tens of thousands of demons, will I become strong enough?"