Everyone watched with baited breaths, waiting for the princess's decision.
The villagers wanted to treat their leader but could not move until the princess said it was all alright.
'Hurry up and decide, Princess Yunjin. Fuck! Does she truly intend to let this man die? If that were to be the case, then I should have killed him myself. That way, I would not be in this awkward situation.'
Sui was sweating bullets on the inside while she remained calm on the outside. She did not want the princess to see how much she affected Sui.
The princess continued to look at Sui, and the poor leader was becoming pale now.
Sui was worried about the man, but the princess worried her even more.
'Oi! Hurry up and decide!'
Just as Sui was about to open her mouth and remind the princess of this, the princess decided to speak up.
"I've decided to forgive your village for this. You should thank my guard for her generosity. Get your leader treated, and then bring him to me. I need to ask him some questions regarding the demon sightings."
The princess finally gave the order, and everyone relaxed.
The villagers quickly came forward to grab their leader and take him in for medical treatment.
Sui also breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had successfully tricked the princess.
The cut she had made on the leader's eye was shallow and would heal over time. It had bled too much, but it was far from fatal.
She had been careful not to damage his eyesight any more than she needed to.
"You were too soft-hearted this time. You did not even blink the leader properly. Should I punish you for this?"
Princess Yunjin asked in a low voice while she stood behind Sui.
Her presence made Sui nervous and scared because the princess had realized the trick Sui had pulled.
But there was no point in denying or defending herself now.
"I saw no point in punishing someone who only tried to defend his family. And the villagers never attack us. If I had punished him too hard, the princess's reputation would have been affected. I wanted to avoid it."
Not that it would have mattered.
Princess Yunjin was already known as a bloody princess and a tyrant. It would have only added to her reputation.
However, Sui found this idea a little… disturbing.
Princess Yunjin was not half as bad as people made her out to be and had moments of mercy.
But most of all, she was nice to Sui. That was all Sui needed to be biased toward her.
'I don't care how the public sees Princess Yunjin. As long as Princess Yunjin continues to be nice to me, I will keep serving her. Although, maybe Princess Yunjin can go easier on teasing me.'
Sui breathed a sigh of relief.
But when Sui opened them, she was looking directly into the princess's eyes.
"Sui, you are an amusing and fascinating person. When I think I have you all figured out, you show me something new. I wonder how much more you will grab my attention."
The princess asked, and Sui felt her leaning closer slowly.
The intense blue fascinated Sui, and she unconsciously leaned forward. She did not realize what she was doing until one of the villagers returned.
Loud footsteps broke Sui's concentration, and even their princess slowly turned away from Sui.
"E-Excuse me, princess. But our leader is fine now. M-May I lead you to the guest pavilion for your talk with him?"
The villager sounded nervous when she informed the princess of what happened.
"Thank you for informing us about this. Please lead us toward the pavilion where your leader is waiting."
Sui was quick to offer her thanks to the villager.
She felt that something unspeakable would have happened if the villagers had not arrived.
The villager quickly avoided the princess's eyes and focused on Sui.
"It is not a problem. It is our honor to host the Imperial Princess while she is here. Now, please follow me."
The female led Sui and the princess toward the central Pavilion.
The village looked emptier than Sui expected, and she noticed that some of the houses were falling apart.
"Are you surprised to see a lot of empty houses here? There used to be a lot more people living in this village, but then people began to disappear from this area. It scared the locals, and they decided to head far away."
The lady informed Sui that it was important information that Sui would store inside her brain for the future.
"I see. What about you? Did you not run away from the monsters? Are you not scared?"
Sui asked their guide, causing the female to giggle.
"I am not afraid. The monsters are scary, but my god will save me from them. The only reason these other people were killed was because they followed a false god who did not care about them. But my god is different."
The female assured Sui that her voice's devolution caused Sui to become alert instantly.
'A cultist! What a mess. It would be best if I kept the princess away from this person. It would be a tragedy if the princess fell into ridiculous religious affairs and caused a mess.'
Sui did her best to maintain her smile when she looked at the villager.
"I see! It sounds fascinating. But it looks like we have reached our destination. Princess, let's quickly have this talk and then head back. The emperor must be getting worried by now."
Sui could see the interest swirling inside the princess's eyes. She needed to change the subject now or the princess would end up asking about the cult.
But Sui ended up changing the subject before that could happen.
The villager blushed as soon as she remembered just how excited she had gotten about her god and her babbling.
"A-Ah sure! If you ever want to worship the 'real' god, come meet me in this village. I promise you that you will not regret your decision."
The villager finally left Sui and the princess alone and Sui breathed a sigh of relief.
"A cult, huh? I don't think I've ever seen a cult before. It sounds interesting. Maybe I should take that offer and try out this cult myself."