Leave a comment

Lesiah’s consciousness began to blur.

The extreme temperature, suffocation, and dehydration eroded her consciousness all at once.

While struggling, countless thoughts coursed through her mind at high speed as she looked for a turning point.

Her battle qi was running out faster than usual.

The temperature in the steamer wasn’t just merely a few degrees higher than the boiling point of water. It was at least over a thousand degrees, enough to pose a threat to even a rank nine warrior like her.

Neither her metal restraints nor this steamer was made of ordinary materials. At least with her current capabilities, there wasn’t any hope for her to destroy them.

Not even the slightest bit.

Desperation started creeping in as Lesiah’s skills in escaping were proven to be completely ineffective in this situation.

Any schemes she had were rendered useless in the face of absolute power.

And she found herself stuck in this rut ever since she stepped foot into the Ancient Ruins.

First, it was Golden Demon Htilil. Then it was Shiloah, the strange man.

However this time, it wasn’t just her strength being undermined, but also her intellect.

“Ohoho, are you still keeping up with your futile resistance, princess? I’d suggest you give up. This steamer is specially made to keep the temperature rising against battle qi. The more you struggle, the worse you suffer. You might as well give in and surrender yourself to a peaceful death.”

“Dream… on… I’ll… never… give in…”
“Ohoho, really? On the contrary, I think you’ve given in countless times.”
“What… do… you… mean…?”
“Ohoho, am I not right? Princess Lesiah, haven’t you been doing that for years ever since the death of your father?”
“What do you… know…?”
“I know you’ve given in to your destiny, responsibilities, the expectation on you, your useless mother, as well as your weakness and incompetence…”
“Shut up… You can insult me, but not my mother…”
“Insult?”

Shiloah laughed so hard that he could barely remain standing straight. “Aren’t those the thoughts in your heart? Your mother is useless, your sister is a doll and your father is just a phantom sealed away in a picture frame.”

“Nonsense…”
“Ohoho, I don’t think it is nonsense. Don’t forget, I am omniscient. I know your every thought, princess.”
“……”
“They are all nice to see, but of no use to you…”

The strange man leaned closer to the streamer, his voice clearly reached Lesiah’s ears like he was whispering directly in them.

There was nothing she could do to block it out.

“Rather than being useful, they only know how to put constant pressure on you. But there’s nothing you can do but to resign to your fate. After all, you are the only one who can shoulder these responsibilities. You’re only barely able to cope with it for now, but no one knows when you’ll cave in. That is why you started running away all the time. You tried escaping every day through various methods. Over time, escaping becomes your instinctive reaction.”
“Shut… up!”
“Ohoho, did I hit the nail on the head?”

Excitement filled Shiloah and he couldn’t stop himself from dancing.

“Can’t face the death of your father? Escape. Can’t face the pressure from your mother? Escape. Can’t handle mountains of official duties? Escape. Encountered a strong enemy? Escape. Something seems off to you? Escape. Escape. Escape. Escape. Even if it means you have to abandon your subordinates and your companion. Are there any problems you can’t solve with escaping?”
“Shut up! It’s not…like that!”
“Not like that? Then princess, explain to me what it is?”

I’m not escaping… I’m just…

“Lesiah, you’re the only one I can rely on now…”

The boundary between memory and reality blurred once again. The queen’s beautiful face reappeared before her eyes.

On her twelfth birthday, she stood on the highest peak of the Macedonian Empire with her father. Gazing at the everlasting snow-capped peaks, her father pointed to the picturesque scenery and told her, “Lesiah, you shall eventually succeed the throne and inherit this empire…”

“Play with me, sister…!”

Lesiah saw the flashback of herself with her head buried in work while her little sister pestered her to play with her.

“Your Royal Highness, there are still matters that require your attention today…”

It was Miss Sheila, her loyal servant.

“Your Royal Highness, the northern land is experiencing a harsh winter. It has killed a large number of the people there and destroyed the land. Look…”

It was Duke Roger, who always harbored ill intentions.

“Your Royal Highness…”

Coleman…

“Your Royal Highness…”

Her people…

“Your Royal Highness…”

A splitting headache assaulted her. She was surrounded by countless people that kept calling out to her, screaming and crying.

“Your Royal Highness…”
“Your Royal Highness…”
“Your Royal Highness…”

There was expectation, ridicule, reliance, respect, and disdain in those voices.

Every voice was like a link in a chain that bound her heart. It wrapped around her tightly, squeezing her fragile heart with the intention of crushing it.

I don’t want to escape. No one likes escaping. But… I… I… Never wanted to become a princess. I don’t want to be the next queen. Like most teenage girls… All I yearn for is an adventure or love story like those written in books. I long for it and wish that one day, I can let go of everything and experience this strange world that is filled with excitement.

I want to see all the good and the bad in this world. I want to experience a fight that I will never have to run away from. A fight where I can draw my sword and face my enemies with courage. A fight where I will never give up even if I am covered in wounds. I wish there will be someone shielding me when I’m in mortal danger. With an air of mystery shrouding that person, that person would turn to look at me and tell me a gentle smile, “Go ahead first.”

“Ohoho, what a beautiful fantasy.”

The voice that disgusted her the most shattered her fantasy and pulled her back to the cruel reality.

“My dear princess, you should know that none of your fantasies will happen.”

Shiloah paced around the steamer, his every footstep sounded like the tolling of death’s bell.

It cleared the haze in the princess’ mind.

He was right and Lesiah knew it.

The things that she wanted were out of her reach ever since she was born into the Macedonian royal family.

Her destiny had completely trapped her and the death of her father only accelerated the process of her assuming her responsibilities.

Even if the life she led resembled more like a warm family of four, it didn’t change the fact that she was the eldest princess.

She was destined to lead an extraordinary life that was nothing like the stories she read in books.