The appearance of Delphine brought a brief, chilling silence.
Regardless of that, Delphine’s demeanor was remarkably relaxed. She merely made a strange sound of ‘hmm’ and alternately looked at Sien and Elsi.
Unusually, Delphine was not holding an umbrella.
Nonetheless, there was no sign of being wet from the rain, as the raindrops vaporized immediately upon touching her body.
It was an application of aura.
This technique surrounded her entire body with the property of aura that emits high heat, evaporating the raindrops before they could touch her. As proof, with a crackling sound, steam was continuously rising from Delphine’s body.
Next to her stood a gray-haired girl.
The girl, with a gloomy complexion, possessed an exceptionally cold gaze when looking at Sien. That expression, resembling an ice sculpture, was almost her symbol.
Ceria Yuridina, Delphine’s half-sister and the fourth daughter of the Yuridina Clan. She was also a genius who held the top position in the second-year Swordsmanship Department.
Two familiar faces had appeared. Both of them showed signs of wanting to dissuade Elsi, causing her to hesitate momentarily.
Of course, that hesitation did not last long.
Elsi briefly trembled her arms, sighed, and loosened her grip on Sien’s collar.
With a thud, Sien’s body, which had been lifted slightly above the ground, fell back down.
The imperial princess coughed a few more times and looked at Delphine with a puzzled expression.
Why did she save her?
Wasn’t Sien the enemy of everyone who had misunderstood and tormented Sir Ian? Was she possibly siding with Sien as the heir of the Yuridina Clan?
Of course, that expectation was immediately shattered.
Sien’s ‘Dragon’s Eye’ reflects a person’s true heart. In front of it, pretense and lies had no meaning. Excluding formidable beings that achieved Master status, no one could evade this.
Delphine, one of the strongest in the Academy, was no exception. Even she still belonged to the category where Sien could faintly read her psyche.
And the emotion read in Delphine’s blood-red eyes was far removed from Sien’s wishes.
A faint hostility and displeasure were swirling within.
It was rare to glimpse such feelings in a person of Delphine’s caliber. It indicated just how much she disliked Sien.
At the very least, she was not on the princess’s side.
Eventually, Sien had no choice but to abandon her brief hopes and force a sad smile.
“Your Highness, please forgive me. Rainelle has been acting like a wet dog lately…”
“I-I wash every day because I might meet my master! What’s so smelly about it? It smells fragrant, so smell it! Quickly!”
“…As you can see, she is in a very sensitive state.”
Thus, Delphine and Elsi exchanged jokes as if accustomed to it.
As the banter continued, the princess had no choice but to realize the truth: she was merely a mere presence between the two conversing.
And even Delphine’s seemingly concerned words towards the princess were, in fact, mere formalities.
Delphine calmly advised, “Your Highness, it’s best if you don’t come here for a while.”
Sien was not oblivious enough to ask why.
However, the girl merely bowed her head with a gloomy expression. It was a story she had heard many times before.
Delphine sighed deeply at that sight. By now, her tone was soaked in worry.
Of course, it was all just pretense.
She could not deceive Sien, unlike others.
“The public sentiment isn’t good. Please rest for a while…”
“I know.”
Sien had no choice but to cut off those words sharply.
A faint glimmer of Delphine’s blood-red eyes turned towards the princess. At first glance, those eyes seemed to show the concern of a loyal subject for their lord, but the object of that loyalty was different.
It was clear that Sien was not that target.
In fact, Sien was more accustomed to this treatment. She thought this to herself, shaking her head with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
No one was on her side.
“Now, I’ll be going back… Thank you, Lady Yuridina.”
Delphine silently observed Sien’s complexion. The scrutiny in her eyes, which seemed to pierce through the girl, was as if she were uncovering the princess’s true feelings, even without ‘Dragon’s Eye.’
Could it be that she had read Sien’s heart, which seemed about to burst into tears at any moment?
It was unclear. However, all that escaped from Delphine’s lips was a sigh.
“…Ceria.”
“Yes, sister.”
The gray-haired girl stepped forward immediately.
Though she was soaked from the rain, since she wasn’t using an umbrella, her stance was dignified. She was the one who insisted that a vassal should not use an umbrella that their lord didn’t use.
It was as if being caught in a heavy rain was perfectly natural. This created a strange contrast against Sien, who was holding an elegant umbrella.
And Ceria’s icy blue eyes, fixated on her, made Sien feel despondent and lower her head once more.
“Will you escort the princess? I’m worried during such turbulent times.”
“Don’t worry too much, sister.”
The dialogue exchanged between Delphine and Ceria was straightforward. There was no room for misunderstanding.
However, the hidden intent was blatantly evident in Sien’s gray eyes.
Delphine was displeased that Sien was present, and Ceria disliked her even more. Thus, the two sisters had decided to remove Sien.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if they showed their displeasure openly.
Yet, Sien had no right to voice any dissatisfaction with that decision.
All she could do was give Ceria a smile in response. Ceria’s mouth trembled as she forced a stiff smile.
“Your Highness, shall we go?”
“…Please take care of me, Senior Ceria.”
The world was filled with nothing but pretense and hate.
Except for one person, Ian Fercurus.
Sien nearly retched.
That night, Sien had a nightmare.
In her dream, the head maid was strangling her, and she scrambled to escape, running through hallways. After running for some time, she found herself back in her childhood.
At the end of it, her mother was waiting.
And she was being choked. No matter how much she gasped and pleaded, her mother merely glared at Sien with bloodshot eyes.
She muttered.
“Everyone hates you.”
No, I protested, striking at my mother’s arms that were choking me, but it had no effect.
Sien gasped and opened her eyes at that moment.
Cold sweat drenched her. The girl stumbled to her feet and gulped down the water from the cup the maids had prepared for her overnight.
The morning chill seeped in, making her tremble. Before long, the clear sunlight was breaking through the curtains.
It was morning.
That day, Sien was afraid to go down the stairs.
The reason was unknown.
It was a feeling that could be described as instinct or intuition. Perhaps it was because of all the painful words she had heard the previous day.
About the Virgin Saint, Elsi, and even Delphine and Ceria’s true feelings.
Each and every one pierced her heart like a dagger. Every time Sien recalled those memories, she felt suffocated.
After all, going down the stairs to start another day would only bring her more torment.
No one was on Sien’s side.
Everyone hated her, and those who stayed close to Ian abhorred Sien.
Only one person, Ian, was her hope.
But what if she couldn’t be forgiven by him?
To put forth a more optimistic outlook, even if she couldn’t, it wouldn’t change her life.
It would just mean bullying her way through another day with a lonely heart, and perhaps then she might find the ‘real’ again.
However, due to her experiences over the past few days, Sien was in no state to make rational judgments.
What if she couldn’t be forgiven by Ian?
What awaited her afterward was surely a life worse than death.
It might be an exaggeration, but at the very least, that was how Sien felt.
The only person who had managed to dispel her deeply-rooted distrust of humanity since childhood was Ian.
With somewhat trembling footsteps, Sien slowly descended the stairs.
Since it was still early morning, the lobby was deserted. A small sigh finally escaped Sien’s lips.
It was an overt expression of relief. Taking a moment to catch her breath, the princess suddenly noticed an elegant envelope lying on the desk in the lobby.
It was a letter from the Imperial Court. The dragon-like emblem printed on the seal confirmed this fact.
It was a symbol that only the royal family could use.
Strangely, upon seeing that envelope, Sien’s unease reared its head again.
It was a sense that transcended any reason or rationality.
Sien swallowed hard as she slowly picked up the envelope. It bore the sender’s name written in flowing golden letters.
‘Imperial Treasury’
With trembling hands, she roughly tore open the envelope. Then she hastily pulled out the pristine white letter inside and began to read.
It contained a lengthy embellishment.
Yet the essence was short and clear.
‘As you commanded, I have confirmed the bankruptcy of the company.’
With a thud, Sien dropped the letter.
Her complexion turned pale. Her trembling hands indicated her fading sense of reality.
Ah, uh, ah.
Sien couldn’t form proper words. After stumbling for a long time, she finally burst into laughter.
And then a fit of insane laughter.
“Puhaha, hahaha… Ahaha… Huh, ha, ahahahahaha!”
The woman for whom the prospect she fervently wished would never be realized had become a reality; she was now out of her mind.
As she laughed madly, tears cascaded down her cheeks. After finally stopping her laughter, rage filled Sien’s eyes.
What should she do?
No, there was no way to resolve it.
Wasn’t it already bankrupt? This was like discussing the next steps for a corpse that had been deemed irretrievable.
Reason told her so, but her emotions simply couldn’t accept it.
She couldn’t be forgiven.
That realization gripped Sien’s heart and then pierced her. Her breath became increasingly labored, and she bit her lips as if she were bleeding.
No, no. This can’t happen.
She had finally found the ‘real.’
It was unique to her life and might never come again.
Even if she had done something bad, one opportunity should be granted, right? Please give her just one more chance. She would somehow make it work.
The accumulated mental exhaustion began to muddle Sien’s mind.
Staggering, Sien ascended the stairs back to her room.
And she rummaged through her drawers. No, she opened every storage space she could find. Precious belongings poured out, but she didn’t care one bit.
With a clatter, someone hurriedly approached Sien’s room.
It didn’t matter. Sien was focused solely on her frantic search for her belongings.
Someone barged through Sien’s door.
Rough breathing filled the air. The beautiful lady knight with blue hair, Airen, had finally emerged.
She had recently begun to retreat into seclusion again, but the suspicious aura from the lord’s room had driven her out.
However, upon barging in so urgently, Airen had no choice but to close her mouth.
Clothes and items were strewn across the floor. In the midst of it all, Sien was mindlessly scraping the inside of an empty drawer.
Sien was cradling something precious in one arm. Perhaps sensing Airen’s presence, the girl slowly raised her body.
Despair filled her gray eyes. Tears began to flow.
A single tear trickled down.
“Ah, Airen…”
“…Your Highness.”
It was a word bordering on lament.
Airen, finding it painful to see her master in such a state, turned her gaze away.
Regardless, Sien trudged over to Airen. She offered the important documents cradled in her arms to Airen.
They were notes, certificates, or anything that could substitute for cash.
As a member of the royal family, the amounts were far beyond what an ordinary academy student might have. Yet, even after scraping together all her balances, Sien still appeared anxious, as if it was insufficient.
“D-Do you have any money saved up? No, no… Do you know anything about the company? What can this money do?”
“Your Highness, please…”
“What can it do!!!”
Sien’s outburst made Airen turn her head away in agony.
She understood what her master was hoping for.
It seemed she wanted to save the bankrupt company.
Regrettably, though, there were no methods to do so. To a merchant, trust is more precious than gold, and with the terrifying risk factor of the ‘Imperial Court’, the possibility of revival had vanished.
However, Airen could not muster the courage to convey that truth.
She merely kept her eyes tightly shut, avoiding Sien’s desperate gaze.
Eventually, Sien crumbled to the floor. Only the sound of her sobs echoed mournfully.
“Please, please… I was wrong… I-I won’t do it again. Please forgive me…”
Unaware of whom she was directing her words to, Sien merely repeated her apologies.
That day was brutal from the morning.
It was a day when all the groundwork for suffering was laid.
