Chapter 54: Causing Her to Blush!
The Second Princess of the Freista Empire—
Isadorella von Freysburg.
The person from her dreams had appeared in reality.
And it seemed she had witnessed the entire thing through the Astral Realm’s channels.
It was…
Quite embarrassing.
It had the same vibe as that campus romance anime Shaya had watched in his previous life, where the male and female protagonists confessed to each other using lines like “You were the object of my jacking off fantasies.”
Shaya hadn’t exactly ruled out the possibility that the mastermind behind Diris was the Second Princess, Isadorella—
After all, only a handful of people in the entire Freista Empire possessed the capability and status to shelter a member of the Abyss within the Imperial Capital, and even to represent the Empire officially to some extent.
Excluding a few high-ranking nobles who wielded immense power, the only other individuals were the few princes and princesses qualified to vie for the throne.
However, he had assumed that the task of probing and testing an insignificant figure like himself, who hadn’t even reached the Four Rings, would be handled by her subordinates.
From Shaya’s understanding, this Princess was almost single-handedly keeping the Empire from falling apart; describing her as working tirelessly day and night wouldn’t be an exaggeration—
He hadn’t expected her to personally come and see him.
It seemed the Second Princess’s capabilities and methods were even more formidable than Shaya had imagined.
Not only the Ash Cult incident, but other hidden details about him must have been detected by her intelligence network, which was why she was placing such importance on him now.
Within the light screen formed by the Astral Realm communication channel.
The silver-haired, red-eyed Princess turned her body, her gaze scrutinizing Shaya.
After a long moment, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her crimson beautiful eyes.
She gently swirled the wine glass held between her fair fingers and spoke in a clear, emotionless voice.
“Shaya Egut.”
“Is there nothing you wish to say to me? As the male protagonist of the dream.”
Meeting her stern gaze.
Shaya replied, neither subservient nor arrogant, “Your Royal Highness, I did make a mistake.”
“However, I believe it’s a mistake any normal man would make.”
He sighed softly.
“As a subject of the Empire, I should hold reverence for Your Royal Highness, a member of the Royal Family.”
“But, Your Royal Highness…”
“You are simply too much my type.”
“There’s an old saying in my hometown: we’re all silver-hair enthusiasts…”
“Not to mention you have red eyes as well, you’re practically a beautiful girl sprung from my very ‘XP’.”
“Coupled with the contrast between your majestic military uniform and your petite maiden physique…”
“What I want to say is, you are my ideal woman.”
“Frankly, although it’s a little embarrassing…”
“When I first saw you as a guest at a certain school festival at Saint Roland Academy, there was a moment when I even thought about what names to give our future children.”
Silence and stillness.
Within the entire Astral Realm communication channel, only Shaya’s sincere confession echoed.
On the other side, high above the Northern Territory, above the Black Scale Lesser Dragon.
Fiolen’s gaze paused.
She noticed that before her, the Princess, who was always calm and unreadable, no matter the time—
Although her expression remained outwardly serene, for some reason, her body was slightly tense.
This would seem incomprehensible to most.
After all, although the Second Princess of the Empire wasn’t old, she had personally led troops to the front lines of border battles years ago.
The Empire’s current ability to maintain a precarious balance amidst encroaching wolves—
Was entirely dependent on the fearsome reputation forged by this iron-blooded Princess.
How could she, who had never once flinched before the might of a Legend from an opposing faction, become emotionally stirred by a mere Astral Realm communication?
However, the Astral Realm communication mode had been switched to private conversation, and Fiolen and Diris could no longer view the dialogue within the Astral Realm communication, leaving them only to ponder pointlessly from the sidelines.
“You… are very interesting.”
After a moment of silence, Isadorella nodded.
Even so, her tightly clasped fingers around the wine glass indicated that the Princess was not as outwardly calm as she appeared.
As the Second Princess of the Empire, due to her extraordinary talent, Isadorella had borne the hopes and gazes of countless people since her childhood.
Her supporters expected her to become an outstanding Empress and lead the Freista Empire to greatness once more.
Conversely, her opponents, day after day, year after year, relentlessly observed and analyzed her every word and action.
They sought to find her flaws and emotional vulnerabilities, aiming to strike down this young candidate for the throne with a single blow.
Therefore, to meet the expectations of others, Isadorella had always held herself to the strictest standards.
While other noble maidens gathered together, discussing the latest fashion trends in dresses and romance novels from the book clubs, Isadorella had to navigate the military, the Directorate, and the Adventurers’ Guild, undergoing the most rigorous imperial education.
Accompanying her day and night were not the teddy bears, flowers, and pretty clothes beside her peers, but rather cold military dispatches and a sharp, icy practice sword.
She gave up the leisure of appreciating blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies.
She gave up on sweet, affectionate romance.
And she had no close friends like other girls her age—
Such an upbringing had destined Isadorella to have almost zero experience in matters of the heart; a random female student plucked from Saint Roland Academy would likely be more experienced than her.
In her past life, both allies and adversaries had viewed her solely as a powerful political machine.
And because of this—
This praise, which disregarded her status as a candidate for the throne and treated her as a maiden of the opposite sex, bordering on a confession, had indeed caught Isadorella completely off guard.
After witnessing Shaya’s dream, Isadorella had intended to use the topic from the dream to seize the initiative in this conversation.
But thinking back now, that had likely been the wrong choice.
She had been somewhat overthrown from her position.
In front of Shaya, her usual experience as a superior seemed to be somewhat inadequate.
Isadorella reached out, tucking a stray strand of silver hair behind her ear, concealing the fleeting embarrassment.
Then, she subtly shifted the topic away from her inexperienced territory.
“Shaya Egut.”
“Have you heard of the Sword Holders?”
