She didn't have to wait long, just like vultures to a corpse, many of their political opponents began to condemn those ministers. They wouldn't be stupid enough to hand in the information they received directly to the emperor, but that doesn't mean it's useless. If they make enough trouble, the emperor will have to order an investigation, then they just put their own people in the team, and relay the evidence they have to them. This type of thing happened many times, and they were all well versed in those methods.
The princess watched with ruthless indifference as the capital that had just regained its peace, was thrown into another smoky situation, with the two opposing groups fighting overtly and secretly. News of crimes, and assassinations went hand in hand, and the newly ascended emperor watched with suppressed frustration as the ministers attacked each other, some of them were his own, which caused even more of a headache for him.
He didn't think for even a moment that it was his half sister whose palace was always silent, that manipulated these things. In fact he had already put his eyes on his escaped brothers. Mainly the second brother, who had successfully fled to his fief. Unfortunately he didn't have the time to deal with that thorn, too much had gone wrong recently, and he needed to full control the capital at the very least.
This led to Siraya who was one of the most wanted people in the empire, to be able to wander quite freely. It would be better if she was at all sober. She seemed to just decide to walk wherever her feet led her, which inevitably led her back to the border.
She knew she couldn't go back to what she was. She had no right to call herself a general any longer, so she chose to wander between the border, as if in this way, she could try and remember those relatives of hers that had given their lives to defend their empire.
As the years went by she encountered many units that were either sent to attack or simply to scout, and time after time, their corpses were left half eaten and torn to pieces. The soldiers of the northern border have come across these sites many times in the last three years. At first they were terrified, but seeing that the person only targeted the enemy, they relaxed their guard and just reported the situation back to their commanding officer whenever they found it.
Siraya had become less able to distinguish her thoughts in these years, living at the border like a mindless killing machine, only able to discern friend from foe. The armour hung on her haggard body loosely, the blood hardened over time, turning from red to black. The smell of rotting flesh was the greatest indicator of her presence, as she meandered her way through the path she had walked countless times. Surprisingly even though she had lost so much weight, her strength not only hadn't declined, but she became exponentially stronger.
Her eyes remained as piercing as they were before, but an added hunger in them could make even the most fearless men tremble. She walked on aimlessly, until reaching a group of soldiers from the northern border. Seeing that they were from the empire, she intended to ignore them and continue past, until she heard one of them speak.
"Did you hear the news?" one of them spoke.
"You do this everytime, just say it, instead of pretending to be mysterious" another one said annoyed.
The group laughed before the man who originally spoke continued, ignoring his annoyed comrade, "I heard that the eldest princess is about to get married".
Siraya stopped in her tracks. She hadn't heard that title in a long time.
"Well she has passed the age of marriage. Isn't she 19 years old this year?" another soldier asked.
"Well who's the husband? Probably some gentle scholar right? that's what all those noble ladies like" the annoyed man said with disdain on his face.
"I heard that he's the son of the minister of war. Though I don't know much about him" the original man said.
"I've heard of him. I heard he's an outright scumbag. He's already taken dozens of concubines" a man chimed in.
"How could the emperor allow his sister to marry someone like that?" the annoyed man scoffed.
"Well they were born to different mothers after all, and I heard that their mothers didn't get along well before they entered the palace" said the man who explained the identity of the princess's fiance.
"How unlucky is it for that princess? wait what's that smell? " the annoyed man asked, the soldiers around him looked at him in horror.
"No, not at me, behind me" he thought.
He trembled as he turned around, coming face to face with a terrifying person covered in rotten blood. Before he could let out a scream, the blood covered figure spoke.
"When is the marriage?" her voice was hoarse and scratchy, grating on the nerves of the soldiers.
The man who brought it up tried to maintain a sense of normality as he spoke, "It's said to be in two weeks, but I'm not certain".
Siraya looked at the ground in front of the soldiers, pondering her thoughts. The soldiers sat as still as possible, before they saw that the figure came back to their senses, and disappeared. However the smell remained, letting them know they had just met the rumoured 'cannibal general'. They were recruited after the new general took over the northern border, so they only had fear for the previous general Dren, and seeing her was enough for them to have nightmares for a month.
Siraya didn't bother to pay attention to the group, or their feelings. She had already begun the journey back to the capital. Her speed was far greater than before, and even a horse wouldn't be able to catch up with her. The only thought in her mind, was of 'that person' and how she would soon be forced to marry some licentious waste. A long lost anger began to burn through her body.