"W-While I'd love to indulge in your game, surely there's something more suitable for a lady?" Shilien's voice carried a veneer of politeness, but her eyes betrayed her irritation.
"Oh, come on, Mother. I won't ask you to bite. Besides… " I smirked at Shilien. "How could you bite if you can't even bark?" My gaze locked onto hers with a silent challenge as I ensured she understood the meaning behind my words, making it clear I was no longer a child to be trifled with.
Shilien's face turned pale, the corner of her lips twitching as she glared at me in disbelief. It seemed she couldn't comprehend such insolence from her ten-year-old daughter.
"Bark! Bark!" Chrisola's cheerful chant rang out, entirely unaware of the undercurrents swirling between us.
I couldn't suppress my amusement. For my little sister, maybe this was a harmless game. But for me, it was a calculated strike at Shilien's pride… a blow that would wound Shilien far beyond today.
Shilien faltered, her shoulders stiffening. Then, in a humiliating show of reluctant compliance, she slowly lowered herself into a mimicry of a dog's posture and let out a faint bark.
"W-Woof…"
"Huh? That's so soft. What kind of dog are you pretending to be?" Chrisola tilted her head curiously.
"I-I was…" Shilien's tone strained as she wanted to answer, but I immediately interrupted without hesitation.
"A mutt! You must be imitating a mutt, right Mother? Because from what I've read, their barking is really soft, just like yours." My smile widened, venom masked by the sweetness of my tone.
Her mana flared suddenly, swirling in an almost palpable wave. Dark energy coiled around her, sharp and seething, like a cobra poised to strike.
Oh, are you going to use your DARK EMBLEM here? Go ahead, try if you dare! Show us what you truly are!
But no. Shilien was nothing if not a master of suppression. She forced her fury down, pasting on a brittle smile that barely concealed her rage.
"Yes. You're absolutely right, Luna!" Her voice wavered slightly, but she pushed forward. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it? Now, how about we—"
"Try imitating other animals in the forest?" I suggested innocently, flipping through the pages of the illustrated book on my lap. "How about a boar or a monkey?"
"Yes! I want to see a boar and a monkey!" Chrisola's eyes sparkled with excitement, completely oblivious to Shilien's escalating humiliation.
Shilien froze. Her careful and constructed mask of composure cracked as if this moment would haunt her forever as a nightmare.
***
"Damn it! Damn it!! That wretched child! How dare she humiliate me like that?!"
That evening, within the confines of her private chambers, Shilien unleashed her wrath. Her screams reverberated as she hurled a delicate porcelain vase against the wall, shattering it into a spray of jagged shards.
"If I'd known this would happen, I should've never given birth to her!!" she spat furiously, upending a mahogany chair in her frenzy. "She's a curse! An abomination! Just wait and see! She'll regret this! I'll make sure of it!"
From the shadows outside her window, Ren watched in silence, concealed behind the thick trunk of a tree. His expression was inscrutable as he observed Shilien's continued tirade, noting her every venomous word as sharp as daggers.
***
"She said that?" I chuckled, reclining lazily in my chair as Ren relayed Shilien's tantrum to me the next morning in the study room.
"You're not worried?" Ren asked, leaning against his chair, his ruby eyes observing me with a mixture of curiosity and caution.
"Worried? Pfft!" I waved a hand dismissively, studying the chessboard in front of us. "Why should I be? This little game was risky, but it paid off splendidly. I've uncovered a vital weakness in her."
"Hmm. Are you sure you can exploit it?" Ren's gaze flicked to the board as I maneuvered my pieces into position for a Scholar's Mate. "Hey, hold on! How could you do that!?"
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Women who rely solely on their beauty are fools'?" I placed my queen deliberately, sealing the checkmate with a grin. "Shilien is indeed cunning, but she's also hypocritical, power-hungry, and far too dependent on her charms. And that makes her predictable."
Ren looked at me after admitting defeat. "So, our next move is…?"
"To grow stronger." I stood, brushing imaginary dust from my gown. "The more power we gain, the more control we'll have over the board."
***
A few days later, Ren and I found ourselves back in the blistering heat of the desert, where Ixius had been training us relentlessly.
"Fireball!" I shouted, launching twin orbs of blazing energy toward the sand golems Ixius had conjured.
Standing to my left, Ren summoned his force energy into a pulsating sphere before releasing it in a controlled explosion, obliterating two advancing golems.
Unlike our earlier sessions, the golems were no longer stationary dummies. They moved and attacked with increasing aggression, forcing us to adapt our strategies and sharpen our reflexes.
"Well done!" Ixius clapped his hands as Ren and I decimated the last of the golems. "Your progress is remarkable."
He waved his staff, dispelling the remaining sand constructs and opening a shimmering portal to return us to the palace. As he stepped through, his youthful facade shimmered, briefly reverting to the visage of his true form as an old, weary man.
"Master Ix," I called, halting him just before he vanished after ending our training.
"Yes, Princess?" he replied, tilting his head with mild curiosity.
"There's something I'd like to ask," I said, wiping the sweat from my brow.
"Please, go ahead. If it is within my knowledge, I will answer."
"If… a rebellion or war were to break out in this kingdom… whose side would you and the court mages take?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard. He regarded me silently for a moment, the lines of his face unreadable.
"Why are you asking such a thing all of a sudden?" he responded finally, his tone measured.
"Well, you see… Currently, my sister Chrisola is the Crown Princess candidate, and I'm second in line," I tried to speak as calmly as possible. "But I have no desire for the throne. My only wish is to protect her. Yet, if someone or a third party tries to pit us against each other… What would you do?"
Ixius chuckled softly. "You mean like your mother? Or perhaps Duke Argenti, your maternal grandfather?"
I nodded, appreciating his candor.
"You're amusing, Princess. Only ten years old, and yet you ponder such weighty matters?"
"I'll be eleven next month," I corrected, crossing my arms. "It's high time I started thinking about these things, don't you think?"
Ixius's laughter deepened, but his tone grew serious. "Very well. To answer your question: I would remain neutral."
"Neutral?" I frowned, and even Ren, who usually feigned disinterest in such conversations, turned his attention to Ixius.
"My duty is to protect this kingdom from external threats. I may serve under His Majesty's rule, but my loyalty lies with Emeraldine itself, not any or one person. If a rebellion arose without foreign intervention, I would abstain entirely."
"I see…"
Ren and I exchanged glances, the implications of Ixius's neutrality settling heavily between us.
This was why Ixius hadn't appeared in the story of Twilight's Chronicle. Because when the rebellion tore Emeraldine apart, he simply chose not to care.