Chapter 46

“You have done well enough, my dear. However, don’t you think killing everyone is a bit too much…?” Sitana smiled wryly as she walked over, closer to Cian. “… if I didn’t catch this little girl, she would have massacred even a small child, you know…”

“That is my order… mine alone. When against an enemy, even a small weed must be uprooted.” Cian muttered indifferently, yet a cold steel-like determination could be seen surging within his tone.

As cold as an ice, every word of Cian was like the sharpest sword that stabbed those whoever heard him. Even the old war veterans shivered from Cian’s tone and unwavering cruelty…

Seeing him like this, Sitana sigh and showed a wry smile. “…my dear, return and rest. You’ve seen too much bloodshed already. Right now you, well…you are not yourself. Talking to you like this seems to be not a good time…”

“Not myself?”

Cian paused in his steps and glared at his mother. He smiled thinly. It was a cold-blooded, intense smile, like a knife made of ice. The effect was much more chilling than if he had gone mad with rage.

“…It’s not like you, to be so irritable and emotional. Is it not your method to calmly plan your moves, to avoid any and all unnecessary actions?”

“Mother, you seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“…?”

“…When in killing, showing mercy is something only a fool would do. Don’t act like you truly know me.”

Cian grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close. “…I have not changed at all. My purpose has always been to have everything… To gain the definite power to dominate all, kill those who I need and wanted to kill. That is my purpose in life if you block my path again… I will kill you as well…”

His glaring eyes bore into Sitana’s pupils. Those eyes, they were the eyes he had had when they first met; she now recalled.

Calm, collected, careful and dependable. Sitana was forced to remember that such things were only the surface, a single facet of this youth. This was the type of person who would continue to put his whole life on the line, had committed to actions that would come to nothing if there was even the slightest failure.

A man would succeed even if he needed to do something he would not like or fond of…

A man committed to success and thinks that the slightest mishap would mean failure…

For it to appear on his dearest youngest, Sitana was happy at the same time, felt conflicted.

“…As I said, your current temperament was rather strange.” Sitana reaches his hand and stroke Cian’s head, like a mother lulling his child to sleep. “You even dared to threaten your own mother…”

“… …” Cian’s vision wavered. Snap! Something snaps with him and when he shook his head, the coldness in his gaze somehow retroceded a bit.

“You, smell nice.”

“…hm?!”

Oh damn. Didn’t I make an incredible verbal blunder?

Sitana had widened her eyes in shock as Cian’s voice echoed inside the room.

A pin drop silence…

Cian ignored the awkward atmosphere around the room and buried his head between Sitana’s neck and hair, sniffing her wonderful scent. He then raised his head and his eyes met her ruby ones.

From this close, her face was unbelievably pretty.

Not only were her features perfectly formed, but her makeup was equally perfectly applied. Each one of the large jewels in her hair decoration and earrings could likely buy a small castle, yet those luxurious items looked perfect on her.

Cian’s spoiled-like action caused Sitana to snap out of her daze from Cian’s sudden change of character. Her expression turned somewhat red and smiled. “…Are you okay now…?”

“Hmmm…” Cian nodded his head. “At least, it cleared the fog in my mind. Sorry for threatening you, by the way… I don’t mean it…”

Sitana chuckled as she stroke Cian’s head gently. “I know, though I’m curious about what had happened to you—it doesn’t seem to be you, what happened…?”

Cian gently separated himself from Sitana and smiled faintly, “It’s nothing. It’s still me, though I really don’t want to admit it.” He shrugged. He turned his gaze and then, his eyes landed on the mother-daughters group who was glaring at him.

“…What never seen a handsome man before…?” Cian grinned. The mother and the two daughters shivered but they didn’t respond, instead one of the daughters; Priscilla continued to glare at Cian. Roathuaria kneeled in front of Cian and begged, “Your Highness! Please show mercy! Please let my daughters live…!”

Instead of answering Cian walks towards them. “Son,” Sitana called out. Cian raised his hand and stood before them.

“I have killed your father and husband… I will be taking everything you had as well…” Cian muttered softly. However, his face remained indifferent, “…however I won’t apologize.”

“N, no, no… your highness…! We won’t dare!” Roathuaria plead.

“…Doesn’t matter if you accuse me, blame me or curse me. That is justifiable… however, you can’t only put the blame on me. Curse your father or your family who turned their blades against me…” Cian shrugged as he grinned wickedly. He then turned around and started walking away.

However, at this moment, “You demon!!” Cian heard the scream of Priscilla as she charged at him with a dagger in her hand.

“Master!!”

“… …?!!”

“No! Don’t!!”

*** ***

Ruka and the Empress, along with the rest of the group immediately rushed towards Cian to protect him. However, Priscilla’s distance from Cian was just too short and they wouldn’t be able to arrive before Priscilla could stab Cian. Meanwhile, Roathuaria paled upon seeing her daughter’s actions and she hurriedly pounced at Priscilla, but she was still too late. Priscilla already stabbed Cian with her dagger,

With tears in her eyes, she continued to stab Cian, all while cursing him. Continuously stabbing him in the back, she was breathing heavily when Cian, indifferent called out to her.

“Are you satisfied?”

He did not even appear to be wounded and there wasn’t a single trace of blood from where she stabbed him.

“Y, You monster…”

“It’s not really nice to call people monsters… don’t you know that?”

Priscilla realizing that it was futile to continue stabbing him, dropped her dagger and hung her head down giving up. There, her mother, Roathuaria, immediately hug her, wanting to stop her from doing disrespectful things. She closely embraces Priscilla to protect her, from what (seemed to her) as a very angry Cian.

“Please………. Please forgive her.”

Just by previously experiencing the fact that she lost total control of her bodily functions to the level that she was unable to even speak a single word, Roathuaria’s mind had a seed of fear implanted deep within her. Even though she was trembling, she was still able to firmly embrace Priscilla as she begged Cian to forgive her.

“Hmm…? To attack my son in front of me…” Sitana walked over, glared at Roathuaria and Priscilla. Her gaze cold and murderous intent covered the entire room.

“Y, your majesty…!” Roathuaria bit her lips. But she knew that they had really angered the Empress—being killed is nothing but a confirmation. Thus, she just hugged her two daughters in despair.

“…leave them mother,” As Sitana was going to issue a kill order due to anger, Cian’s voice rang out. His face hanging the usual smile. “Son?” “ They are my spoils of war…mother. Their lives in my hand…”

“… …”

“Ruka…”

“Yes, master!”

“Take them to Heaven’s Fall Mansion and throw them into the servant’s ward. Put them in Nanaria’s hands and give each of them the collar of slavery and bracelet of disguise…”

“Yes, master!”

Roathuaria stared at Cian in shock, a new despair coming into her. The mother and daughter pair could only continue to tremble their bodies. They understood the meaning of his words. The only one who could not understand his intention was Roa who could only remain teary-eyed as she blankly stared at the scene in front of her. After all, unlike Roa, Roathuria and Priscilla knew about the Second Prince stinky reputation and they paled in horror.

Death is better than falling into depravation and humiliation. However, before she could say or do anything as if reading her thoughts, Cian smiled at her and said; “It seems like you like thinking too much, Aunt Roathuaria… I already have a fiancée, and I wouldn’t desire your flesh or your daughters…”

“Your Highness, you…!!”

“Let’s just have a game…” Cian cut her off.

“A game…?”

“That’s right…a very simple game…” Cian answered nonchalantly as he started walking through the door. “The blood spilled in my hand, I would carry them and would never deny them. Priscilla, right?”

“… …” Crying, Priscilla turned her glare at Cian who had called out to her. Confusion appeared on her eyes as to why she was being called out to him.

“Your courage and bravery moved me… let’s just say it was quite an interesting show. From now on, point your dagger of revenge only at me…do everything you can to kill me as a revenge, all while staying near me. Let’s just do this a game for us two,” Cian explained, surprising the people around them. A hint of amusement flashing across his beautiful yet mysterious mismatched eyes.

“What are you trying to do, son…?” Sitana furrowed her brows in this dangerous game her son was proposing.

“…it’s nothing. But, I won’t do anything to your family, you can rest assured. Starting today you all are dead, but you all as well, will live a new life—and that is, as servants of the Heaven’s Fall Mansion.”

“…?!!”

“…what is it into you?! What are you planning, you monster!!” Priscilla cried out in anger. But it was apparent for everyone who saw her, that there seemed to be a relief behind her gaze. Cian’s proposal, she wanted to take it!

“…nothing, let’s just say, you—work for me from now on!”

“What?!” Not only, Priscilla, all the people stared at Cian dumbfounded, not knowing what was happening.

“If I say you kill, you kill—that’s simple right?” Cian grinned. “I would be training you to do that, of course…”

“What do you m—”

“You can try to kill me in normal days, I wouldn’t mind. Do everything you can until you succeed that is, I wouldn’t do anything to you, in return if I found you trying to kill me. Your mother and sister would also not be implicated if you ever succeeded in your revenge, of course, if that is you succeed. Also, in our game, you can’t attack anyone other than me, you cannot betray me as well, and poach to some antagonistic group—in any case, a revenge can only be called satisfying if it was done by your own hands. Doesn’t it?”

“… …”

“In return, if I wanted you to kill someone, you will do so without question or hesitation. That is your job…entender?”

“… …”

“Think about it…this night is still long…” Cian smiled mischievously as he continued walking away.

All the people within the room, including the Empress, can only follow Cian’s back with their eyes, confusion, bewilderment, doubt, and wonderment colored their eyes. What is Cian planning, doing this kind of dangerous game…?

More and more, including the Empress, felt Cian becoming extremely enigmatic and mysterious of a being. They had realized that the Second Prince that they thought they knew, was becoming harder and harder to understand and comprehend. What is the purpose of this game…?

*** ***