"Aurianna Vanluad killed Russel," Duke Huns spoke coldly as his brown eyes were dark and he scanned his people across the room with a furious gaze.
Zorian, his son, confird his father’s words, "Yes, Father, it was indeed her."
Duke Huns couldn’t contain his frustration. "That troubleso brat!" he roared, unleashing a powerful blow that shattered the office wall to dust, leaving a huge hole on his wall. He roared loudly causing the foundations of the office to tremble trendously.
He turned to Zorian, seeking answers. "Has her body been taken to the healers, Zorian?"
Zorian nodded, though the news was far from comforting. "Yes they healed her body, but since there’s no Saintess in our continent there’s no way to revive her."
With a heavy sigh, Duke Huns sank into his chair, his anger slowly subsiding, "Then I’ll arrange for her to be transported to the Nobolia continent for revival."
Zorian wasn’t so optimistic. "I fear that may be a futile action, Father."
Duke Huns furrowed his brow, his frustration evident. "Why do you say that?"
Despite their blood connection, Zorian bore little resemblance to his father, except for their shared brown eyes, a fact that Duke Huns didn’t particularly favor. He didn’t have the sa robust build as his father and appeared on the lean side. Zorian’s delicate features resembled that of his mother Duchess Huns which his father wasn’t very fond of. What’s more he spoke with a graceful and calm tone, which always seed to hide sothing, which made Duke Huns despise him more since he wasn’t as honest as Russel.
Zorian explained his findings with a calm gaze. "I already did so investigation and from the maids, they claid she was wearing shoes that looked like combat gear. And if my hypothesis is correct it ans she’s wearing the shoes that grants her the to render a Saintess’ ability useless."
The wrinkles on Duke Huns’ face deepened, giving him a fearso appearance. But Zorian remained composed in his father’s presence.
"Have you uncovered her motive for killing Russel?" Duke Huns inquired, his mind was now in a calr state.
Zorian shared the insights he had gathered. "Unfortunately, I haven’t found her motive. But the girls who attended the tea party claim Russel continuously provoked Aurianna."
Duke Huns nodded, as he had begun to understand the situation. "And her reason?"
"They said she was defending Prince Ralph from Aurianna’s bullying and was also envious of the princess," Zorian revealed.
Duke Huns sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as he contemplated, "I see it clearly now. My dear daughter acted to protect the boy she loved. Who would have thought the princess could be so unreasonable?" His gaze shifted to an image on his desk, a mory of Russel sitting on his lap, smiling.
The re thought of Aurianna’s actions caused him to tighten his grip on his trembling hands.
Duke Huns leaned back in his chair, "Aurianna and prince Ralph were never on good terms and that talented boy beca a shadow of himself as the years went by and it was all because of his sister," Huns said lightly with a displeased look. ’I planned for both of them to get married since Russel loved him alot. I should have intervened earlier and stopped his bullying, I thought as a young man so things he must solve himself.’ He thought.
"Where are her files?" Duke Huns inquired, extending his right hand casually.
"Right here, father," replied Zorian, handing Duke Huns a scroll.
Without hesitation, Duke Huns opened the scroll, revealing srizing light of text and images that jumped out of the scroll and suspended in the air around him. "Aurianna Vanluad, aged nine, the first daughter of Queen Amber. She’s a rather selfish, unhinged, and materialistic young lady. Among all the princesses, she has killed innocents due to them annoying her. Mistakenly killing bystanders on her mission. And ruthlessly killing criminals who deserved trials. But what makes her weird is that no one is able to know what she’s thinking because she always acts strange. Talks to herself acts without care about the consequences, abuses her power to suppress nobles," Duke Huns muttered as he perused the information presented before him.
"However, all her motives had clear motives. The bystanders in her missions were supporters of the criminal groups. The innocents were commoners and nobles who dared to disrespect Royalty. And killing off noble children was because they stole from her mansion and so even tried to bullied her. All of her actions had clear reasons. What’s more her personality is cruel allowing her to easily dominate others. With her charm she easily avoided any serious consequences. And she technically didn’t break the law so she only gets a slap on her wrist," Duke Huns frowned as he continued to read, "Yet, most of the nobles are furious with her and call for a severe punishnt for her actions. She has annoyed most of the nobles in the kingdom due to how she disregards societal norms and etiquettes. It’s clear she despises alot of people, but I can’t tell the reason. What’s more her actions seem oddly strange for a nine year old."
Duke Huns turned his face to the people before and commanded, "I want you all to dig deeper into Aurianna’s past and uncover any cris she may have committed. I refuse to let that young brat dare to kill my precious daughter and get away with it!"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused, bowing respectfully.
"And here’s more information on the princess, sir," one of the knights in the room added as he stepped forwards and handed Duke Huns yet another scroll.
"Two years ago, she freed a group of slaves and killed a noble without adhering to the proper procedures," Duke Huns read from the file with a sly grin.
"Let’s gather more information, and I need those reports on my desk by tomorrow morning!" Duke Huns proclaid as he rose from his chair, his towering height casting a shadow over the entire office.
"Absolutely, sir!" they chorused in unison before filing out of the room.
Duke Huns approached Zorian, placing a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. His voice softened as he spoke, "I understand you’re feeling down, Zorian, but rest assured, your mother and I will ensure justice is served for Russel’s tragic end," he reassured with fervor.
"Thank you, Father. We can’t let Russel’s killer escape unpunished," Zorian added with a serene nod.
"Indeed, but I’m curious why you missed the tea party," Duke Huns inquired coldly, casting a stern gaze down at his son. The atmosphere in the room getting suffocating for Zorian due to Duke Huns’ aura. "Your duty was to be by your sister’s side, safeguarding her at all tis. So why did this mix-up occur?" Duke Huns questioned, applying more pressure to Zorian’s shoulder.
"I believe you may have forgotten that I had to manage a mountain of files, that were dumped on my desk, courtesy of soone who was consistently unwilling to take on her task and complete it herself," Zorian replied calmly, ignoring the pain he felt from his father’s grip.
Observing that Zorian was speaking the truth, Duke Huns withdrew his hand from Zorian’s shoulder and headed towards the door and left the room.
"Anyone who makes my daughter cry or suffer will co to deeply regret it, regardless of their status," Duke Huns muttered through clenched teeth as he walked through the corridors.
Zorian, now alone, couldn’t help but laugh maniacally. "Father, you foolish, misguided old man," he scoffed while rubbing his aching shoulder. "You intended to hand over this esteed dukedom to a brat like Russel, despite being your firstborn son! I should rightfully inherit it when you retire. Instead, you favored Russel, the incompetent girl whose errors received re pats on the head, while I faced harsh penalties for minor slip-ups." Zorian clenched his teeth but couldn’t help the sinister grin that spread across his face.
"Well, it’s always been clear that Russel was your favored daughter. But now that she’s dead, this dukedom is finally mine. No more distant relatives competing for the throne, as they’re all six feet under!" Zorian chuckled, his satisfaction evident.
"It’s like a blessing in disguise. I can only imagine how Russel would’ve brought this dukedom to ruin with her rule. But don’t worry my dear sister, Russel, your sacrifice wasn’t in vain, for I shall govern this dukedom to the best of its potential," Zorian declared, hand over his chest as he strode toward his father’s vacant chair.
"Princess Aurianna, you have indirectly done a great service, and I intend to repay the favor," Zorian said with a sly grin, taking his seat in Duke Huns’ chair.
____
In Aurianna’s luxurious bedroom, a crisp pa cut through the silence, as Aurianna wore a smug expression while locking eyes with Queen Amber.
"Are you finished, dearest mother?" Aurianna inquired, her tone icy, her cheeks barely registering the impact of Queen Amber’s slap.
Queen Amber’s anger flared as she demanded, "What on earth were you thinking, killing a Duke’s daughter? Are you out of your mind?" But Aurianna seed unfazed by the scolding.
"In order to give you and the other girls a pleasant environnt, Duchess Huns decided to lessen the security in the garden. You, however, saw fit to exploit that situation and kill Russel. Care to explain?" Queen Amber’s gaze bore into her daughter, her tone stern.
"Why not, mother? Russel had the audacity to provoke , and she continued to disrespect as a princess," Aurianna replied coldly, causing Queen Amber to feel uneasy.
"But this matter could’ve been resolved without resorting to death. How can you hope to beco a duchess with such behavior?" Queen Amber’s frustration and disappointnt were evident on her face as she placed her hands on her hips.
Aurianna’s response ca with a chilling smile. "Mother, the only way to ensure no one dares to underestimate is through instilling fear. The more people fear , the more cautious they’ll be around ," Aurianna said with a bright smile which made her seem innocent but her words were more like a poisonous snake that seed to crawl around Queen Amber.
"That’s not how it goes Aurianna," Amber said as she held Aurianna’s hands, attempted to reason with her. "I know this from my 197 years of life. Those who always used such a twisted way to rule over others t their downfall."
"True," Aurianna acknowledged, her tone remaining cold, "but who t their demise quicker: Those who governed a country with the people’s respect or those who ruled through fear?"
Aurianna noticed the unease in Queen Amber’s expression and couldn’t resist a laugh. "You’re silent because countries ruled through respect were inherently weak. Their people took the respect of those in power for granted. Yes, there was mutual respect for a ti, but once the disparities in power, authority, wealth, and well-being beca apparent, they begun to get jealous. Respect alone wasn’t sufficient; they craved more. So began to challenge their authority," Aurianna explained. "Now, consider those who rule through power and fear. People wouldn’t dare cross them because they know the dire consequences that await them if they do!"
Queen Amber looked nervously at Aurianna and tried one last argunt to change her daughter’s mind. "But, Aurianna, if what you’re saying is true, how could your father’s High Land be thriving as it is?"
"You know," she began, her eyes shining with an almost a crazed glow, "There are plenty of ways to rule a country, and one of them is through manipulation. It’s a whole different ball ga compared to ruling with either fear or respect. With manipulation, you can turn everyone into your loyal puppets by providing sothing they can’t get from anyone else. They’ll be left constantly craving for more, and only their rulers can satisfy that itch. It’s like a blend of fear and pleasure, before you know it, has an entire country dancing to the ruler’s tune. They follow the system without question, no matter how twisted it might seem. It’s a masterful puppetry of the human mind, creating an illusion of freedom when there is control, while the people crave their hunger to be satisfied!"
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