Chapter 78

---Flashback---

"Tell me what happened," Duke Barcley has been worried sick since learning that her daughter will be imprisoned.

They are inside Katherine's room. The curtain was drawn, and no sunlight entered the room.

Katherine's body was covered in bandages after getting healed. Tears began to form in her eyes as she opened up.

"While I was on a mission, a lady pulled me somewhere. When I was trying to get out of her grasp, she started to speak and then there, I recalled mother's voice. I looked at her and saw her.

Katherine wiped off her tears as she continued, "she told me that she will kill you if I didn't do whatever she told me."

"And what is her request?" The Duke asked.

"To stab Nash. She gave me a sword that could be resized."

"And you did it?"

Katherine nodded, "But I didn't want to!"

Katherine started crying as she hugged her pillow. The duke drew her daughter close to him and held her tightly.

"Nash despises me now..."

"No, she will not... You've been fighting since you were a child."

"But this one is different. She stated it right in front of my eyes... She despises me now."

"Apologize. When the time comes and she regains consciousness, pay her a visit and apologize to her and tell her what happened," Duke looked at her daughter and wiped away her tears, "Understand?"

Katherine nodded.

"Now get some rest, I'll bring you dinner later, okay?"

Katherine nodded.

The enemy was not really the real Cerine, who had died years ago. It was just a sorcerer in disguise. The sorcerer could copy the dead's appearance. The sorcerer had been watching Nash and Katherine since they were kids.

When Cerine died, that was the time when the sorcerer copied Cerine's appearance and began wandering across the empire trying to gather various species, one of which is wyverns. She spent the rest of the years taming it and spent more years planting the gemstone portals.

---

"Come inside."

Duke Barcley took a seat in front of the emperor, "You look stressed, need help?"

"You're originally supposed to be helping me,"

Duke Barcley chuckled, "Oh... right. But why do you look disappointed?"

"Nash saw me kill someone before."

"Isn't that normal?"

"She wasn't even seven at the time."

Duke Barcley's eyes widened as he asked, "And she didn't fear you? How did you find out?"

"Those are full of Nash's letters from when she was a kid," Roven said, pointing to the box, "The first letter she wrote was in response to witnessing me murdering someone."

"That's..."

"Horrible."

Duke Barcley got his tongue tied, "Is it the same time when Nash began to do worse things?"

"It was," Roven sighed, "Just help me with these papers."

"Alright,"

...

(6 year old Nash)

"Should I ask father about what happened yesterday at the jail?"

She was lying on the Bermuda grass in her mother's garden, looking at the orange red sky as the sun set.

"No... He looked mad, he might think I'm bothering her."

"Nash?"

Nash looked at her side and saw her uncle Lawrence approaching her. Nash sat up and watched as his uncle sat beside her.

"What are you doing here all alone?" Lawrence brushes away some grass from Nash's hair, "You look like you're in deep thought. Want to share it with me?"

"Uhmm..." Nash hesitates whether to tell her uncle about the situation she witnessed yesterday or not.

'I guess it's fine since uncle is my father's brother.'

"I saw father kill someone yesterday."

Lawrence's mouth opened wide, "Wait, what?"

'kill?'

"I saw father slice a man in jail yesterday, like this." She waves her hand in the air, copying what she saw the day before.

Lawrence was taken aback, and he found himself in a situation where he didn't know what to say to his niece, 'What the hell am I supposed to say?'

"Why did father kill the man?"

"Ah... because the man was a bad guy. All bad guys deserve to be punished and that is what your father did. I won't say your father 'killed' him, but I guess you can call it 'punishment'."

"Ahh..." Nash nodded innocently and stared at the grass, "So all bad guys deserve that, I understand! Thank you uncle!"

Lawrence was taken aback, and he found himself in a situation where he didn't know what to say to her niece,

"Did I use the correct words?" he asked himself.

'Shit, brother will kill me.'

...

Few days later.

"Your Majesty!" Vernon ran towards Roven.

"What is it?" Roven asked.

"The young princess..."

"Father! Look!"

"Ah!"

"Princess!"

A few maids began screaming as Nash ran down the hallway.

Roven peered behind Vernon and saw her daughter's blood-splattered dress. Nash had a wicked smile on her face as she ran towards her father, brandishing an alligator's head.

"What happened?!" Roven approached Nash and looked for wounds on her body, but there were none. "Whose blood is this?"

Nash pointed at the alligator's head, "He was trying to kill a deer so killed him before he did. He was a bad animal so he deserves a punishment."

Nash smiled at her father innocently,

"No that's—" Vernon was cut off by Nash.

"Miss maid!"

A maid approached Nash, shivering in fear.

"Here, bury it for me, please." Nash gave the maid the alligator's head.

The maid reached for the alligator's head, but before she could grasp it, she moved away, causing the alligator's head to fall down the marbled floor.

"What..." Nash looked at the alligator's head, "Why didn't you reach for it?"

Nash became agitated, her eyes became brighter, and her nails began to grow long and sharp.

The maid's legs gave out and she collapsed, shuddering in dread at the sight of Nash. The maid became unconscious after seeing a demon aura behind Nash.

Despite that, Nash was about to attack the maid when Roven pulled his daughter and placed two fingers on her forehead, calming her down. Her long sharp nails disappeared and her red eyes had lost their radiance.

"Vernon, take the alligator's head and bury it." Roven carried Nash in her arms, "Also call for Rosa, tell her to come to Nash's room."

"As you wish, your majesty."

Nash smiled innocently as she waved her hand at Vernon, who was carrying the alligator's head, and said, "Put some flowers on top, okay? Sir butler?"

Vernon smiled and nodded, "As the young princess wishes."

As Roven approached Nash's room, a few thoughts came to his mind.

'What makes her act like this?'

...

A week completely passed by and every day, Nash would bring a dead animal's head and always told her father that it was a bad guy who was supposed to be punished.

Roven considered summoning Serio on the first day, but he was not in the capital, so he waited for a few days until Serio arrived at the Imperial palace.

"What happened, your majesty?" Serio asked. He's looking at the Imperial Family not knowing who needs the consultation.

"It's Nash!" The 10 year old, Celeste, pointed to her sister, "It's been a week since she started bringing dead animal's heads! It's getting creepier day by day!"

"I am?" Nash pointed to herself. She was seated in between Roven and Ivelisse.

"I see. So the one who needs consultation is the young princess?" Serio took a second glance at Nash who was chewing on a chocolate macaron, before returning his gaze to her family, "Then why are you all here?"

"We need to know what's going on!" Daniel exclaimed, "It's been a week since she started bringing dead animal's heads! It's getting creepier day by day!"

"That's what I just said a few minutes ago!" Celeste yelled at her brother.

Serio sighed, "I need a private consultation with the young princess. It'll make things clearer to me. I'll tell you afterwards."

"Will you be fine with Serio?" Ivelisse asked Nash.

Nash nodded as she wiped off the crumbs in her fingers.

Nash and Serio stayed inside the room. The atmosphere turned quiet as soon as Nash's family left.

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

Nash nodded, "It's okay!"

She raised her thumb as she smiled innocently.

"Then I'll ask you, what makes you bring dead animals?"