A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 141

Her smile overlapped with that of a demon, and she bestowed a Hell Pass upon her subordinate.

"what!!"

Then, amidst screams, the man burst into flames on the spot. The fire started suddenly and burned fiercely; in just a dozen seconds, he was reduced to ashes in the terrifying heat.

As the wind blew, the humanoid gray figure vanished without a trace.

"Pass on my orders: continue searching for the Sixth Princess. Remember, I want her alive."

The woman gave a cruel smile and then issued orders.

"Yes, Lady Ruby."

The other communications soldier was meek and submissive. He dared not utter a single word, for fear of incurring the wrath of others.

He didn't want to follow in his colleague's footsteps so soon, so his expression was impeccable, as if no one had died and nothing had happened.

"Alright, now that the passage is open, let me witness the old man's end."

Ruby, the red-haired woman, steps forward.

Her eyes were deep as she gazed at the chaotic palace, listening to the painful sounds of the wind, her heart as still as a deep well.

Finally... she's back. After being exiled and imprisoned for so many years, she's finally returned from the border city.

Seeing this beautiful city engulfed in war, she felt no pity, nor any regret; in her heart, there was only the burning flame of revenge.

She wanted to take back everything she had lost. She wanted to show that old man just how serious the consequences of her past mistakes could be.

The seeds of hatred have been sown and are now taking root and sprouting. Ruby feels it's time to meet the high and mighty old emperor and reap the rewards.

The majestic emperor should be replaced.

……

Inside the palace, the old emperor was handling state affairs, and the court, where he had to attend the morning court session every day, was in complete chaos.

The flames of war engulfed the entire city of Faro, reaching right up to the palace gates. Had it not been for the royal guards and generals holding the gates, the rioters would have stormed in long ago.

"Doesn't any of you even know who's in charge?!"

In the imperial court, the old emperor's angry voice resounded like a thunderclap.

The once mighty Toran Empire suffered not only in its capital, Faro, but also in the surrounding cities, which were engulfed in riots after a messenger reported that he needed military support.

Some cities have even disappeared without a trace... presumably, they have already been captured.

"I apologize, Your Majesty... We are incompetent."

The ministers below the throne looked at each other, exchanging bewildered glances. None of them could identify the intruder.

“These thugs came too suddenly… However, based on their fighting style, they are very similar to the regular army of our Toran Empire. We suspect they may be retired veterans, or even rebels.”

An old general who had once led troops stepped forward. He had now retired and was working at home in the imperial court.

"My God! Rebels! Look at what you all have been doing all this time! Has peace ruined your brains? It's not a foreign invasion, it's rebels!"

The old emperor was not pleased at all when he heard the news; on the contrary, he became even angrier.

He was so angry that his white beard trembled and stood on end, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

"It is our incompetence! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

They're incompetent when it comes to getting things done, but when it comes to admitting their incompetence, they all kneel down on the ground, putting on a show of great power.

The roaring waves were even more orderly than a harvested golden wheat field.

They acted in their own self-interest, so that the old emperor, who loved peace and adopted a benevolent rule in his middle age, would not cut off their heads to vent his anger.

"Oh my, this is truly an eye-opener for me. The outside world is in complete chaos, with riots everywhere, people suffering terribly, and families torn apart. Our Emperor, the renowned monarch of the Toran Empire, is actually showing off his power in his own palace."

When everyone else was kneeling, this standing figure stood out.

It was a seductive female voice that could make your bones tingle. She seemed to have arrived just in time, and stepped gracefully out of the shadows, her movements elegant and charming.

Red hair and red eyes are symbols of royalty. The woman's face resembles Curtis's; she has a beautiful face.

The old emperor's initially wary eyes instantly turned to shock, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"What? It's only been twelve or thirteen years since we last met, and your memory has deteriorated to this extent? You don't even recognize your own daughter?"

Ruby's lips curled into a mocking smile, and her words were unusually sharp and unforgiving.

"Ruby..."

"Hmm, it seems you're not so old as to lose your memory, Your Majesty."

"No...no, how could you be here? The palace is in such chaos right now, you shouldn't be here. And you're not..."

"Why can't I be here? Shouldn't I be in a border prison? Right?"

At this point, Ruby's mocking smile vanished, replaced by an icy expression.

"I deserve half the credit for the prosperity of this empire. I fought in wars when I was young, and they discarded me after I was done with me. No wonder he is the great emperor of the Toran Empire. He is ruthless and can even abandon his own daughter. He is a cold-blooded royal creature."

The Toran Empire has existed for several hundred years. Previously, human countries were repeatedly conquered by the demons. About fifteen years ago, the Toran Empire clashed with the demon army.

At that time, Ruby was a general, fighting on the front line, commanding her country's army to fight against the demon army.

However, Ruby's magic was dark magic, a forbidden art that humans were not allowed to learn. She shone brightly in the war, but afterwards, she was brought to trial for secretly learning dark magic.

However, this was merely a fabricated charge; any pretext would suffice. Her achievements far outweighed this minor offense.

The problem was that at that time, the Lorian Empire was plagued by corrupt officials and its national strength was declining, making it an opportune time to attack. The old emperor only wanted to maintain peace in his country and did not want to fight, but Ruby was a warmonger who wanted to conquer the Lorian Empire and turn the neighboring country's territory into the territory of the Toran Empire.

Having tasted the sweetness of war, she could no longer bear the boredom of a peaceful life. Besides the Lorian Empire, she also had various plans to conquer other human nations. What began as arguments escalated, and Ruby even secretly cultivated her own power, intending to seize the throne herself.

Thus, due to differing political views and the inability to persuade his daughter, the old emperor had no choice but to take the initiative and send troops to surround his daughter's residence. The encirclement was as solid as an iron barrel, and it happened late at night.

This was very dishonorable, but his daughter was powerful and deeply loved by the warmongers. To reduce the loss of national strength, he had no choice but to resort to this disgraceful method.

At that time, the old emperor was only in his fifties, in the prime of his life, and he easily subdued his daughter.

Ruby probably never imagined that her father, who always spoke of peace, would do such a disgraceful thing.

Next came the imposition of the magic-suppressing shackles, personally supervised by the old emperor, who personally placed these humiliating chains on her. He accused his daughter of learning black magic and treason, demoted her to a commoner, stripped her of her royal status, and exiled her to the cruelest prison on the border for her to serve her sentence.

This was probably because the old emperor couldn't bear to see his daughter suffer, or perhaps he thought that the militants in Faro prison would still manage to rescue her. Even if it wasn't a direct prison break, he would certainly try to find a way.

Therefore, the escort of prisoners to the border prisons was carried out by the old emperor sending his most trusted confidants, forming a team of less than ten people, to conduct secret escorts.

This makes it very difficult to find the prison where she is being held.

"Time was endless. A young girl in the prime of her life spent more than a decade in a hellish prison. Meanwhile, her biological father sang and danced every day, shouting for peace, and did nothing to enjoy the prosperity after the war."

Her mother, unable to bear seeing her daughter suffer such a fate, became depressed and died of illness the following year, leaving behind only her young daughter, barely old enough to remember things.

Those crimson eyes burned with flames. They were burning hatred.

"My poor sister, she lost the protection of her older sister and mother and can only live alone in the palace. And you, you seem to dote on her, indulging her every whim, spoiling her to the point of being unruly, but in reality, it's compensation for your sins. Sending a daughter who has done nothing wrong to prison for life, she is so young, so talented, so gifted in magic, you are just comforting your own heart."

Ruby's relentless attacks tore open the stitched wound, revealing the secrets within.

Some of the ministers in the court knew the inside story of that year, but most were completely unaware. More than a decade had passed, and the court officials had changed several times over.

They were so shocked their mouths were agape, wide enough to fit a large duck egg. Their faces showed extreme fear, as if they were terrified of hearing royal secrets, wondering if they would be beheaded, or how this person had returned and what his purpose was.

What's even more terrifying is that the old emperor didn't deny it; he accepted it all and even offered affirmation and an apology.

His already aged face looked even older, as if he had aged more than ten years overnight. His wrinkled, tree-bark-like face was filled with guilt towards his daughter.

"Ruby, I'm so sorry, my daughter. It's all my fault, my personal sin."

If I had taught you more diligently, you wouldn't be so eager to fight. You would be more peace-loving... and we wouldn't have ended up in this father-daughter relationship...

You were once very talented; I even considered passing the throne to you rather than my other children, because your talents were exceptional—in magic, politics, and military affairs. All my children combined were not even half as strong as you. They were no match for you.

I was already over fifty years old then, and you were only in your twenties. If I hadn't imprisoned you, even if you hadn't fought while I was alive, after my death, no matter who passed the throne to, it would ultimately fall into your hands. The people of the Toran Empire would never enjoy a peaceful life, but would be trapped in war for their entire lives.

People can change, but their thoughts cannot be changed…

The old emperor chattered away as he passed by.

However, Ruby didn't want to hear it.

“You don’t need to tell me all this. I’ve already spent so many miserable days in that damned prison, isolated from the world. Peace? I don’t care about that. I only believe in the winner takes all, old man.”

Having completely broken off relations, Ruby no longer even used the respectful term "Your Majesty."

She didn't ask her father, the old emperor, whether he loved her. Because more than a decade ago, when he had imprisoned her himself using such despicable means, she knew that whether he loved her or not was irrelevant.

In their hearts, there is only the country, peace, and the people; there is no place for her, their daughter. Even if there is, what meaning does love that is inferior to or even several levels below these things have?

For the old emperor, his children were things he could discard, not matters of priority in his heart. This applied to everyone.

"Curtis, what do you think of her education?"

"I think she is a happy child."

The old emperor, his face weathered by time, recalled Curtis's face and smiled indulgently.

That smile was so dazzling, yet so blinding, at least to Ruby.

"Then let me ask you, why do you only let her study and learn magic like an ordinary noblewoman, but not teach her anything related to handling politics and military affairs? Are you afraid that she has the same blood as me in her veins, and if she also learns the things I have learned, she will eventually become like me. Even if she does nothing."

She knows a lot more.

The old emperor did not deny this answer. This was the answer Ruby had expected.

"Old man, you should have guessed who I am by now. That's right, I am the leader of this rioters and the leader of the rebels."

Ruby readily admitted it.

Her eyes held a defiant glint, showing no concern whatsoever that everyone present knew her true identity. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was operating alone and might worry about her safety.

"As expected... What a disaster. That makes sense. In such a short time, they isolated Faro and captured surrounding cities with lightning speed."

To be so familiar with the layout of each city, to advance step by step with such ease—it's as if he's coming home, strolling leisurely into this palace—is something only someone with an exceptional understanding of the various cities and the capital, Faro, and the military situation of the Toran Empire could accomplish. No one else could possibly do it.

From the moment Ruby stepped into the hall and out of the shadows onto the stage, the old emperor had already guessed her identity.

He knew his daughter's abilities and knew she could do it.

"I was so soft-hearted back then, I actually kept you, this troublemaker, alive..."

The old emperor's voice was faint and deep, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Indeed, if I were you, the moment you strike, you should do it gracefully, killing the other party without leaving any hidden dangers, disregarding blood ties—that is the way of a ruler."

Ruby was practically ready to applaud the other person and goad them.

She was genuinely so angry she laughed. Now, her father wasn't thinking about making amends, or about being punished for his wrongdoing; instead, he regretted being too lenient with her.

"So I said, old man, you and I are actually similar people. We both think about this country, and everything else can be put aside, including family ties."

But you gained a powerful nation during a time of hardship, reaching the pinnacle of national strength, and were able to wage war everywhere. Yet you say you're done fighting, want peace, want to give the people a home, and want to be a benevolent ruler. Isn't that ridiculous?

You've killed so many demons, and even more humans, yet you suddenly act like a child, shirking your responsibilities and forbidding others from doing them. Are you too old, to the point of senility? I'm not like you. I want the Toran Empire to have a wider territory, to seize more wealth… After all, that's what you taught me, making me only know how to fight, wasn't it?”

Ruby, forged in blood and fire, could no longer adapt to the boring life of peace.

This is worse than putting her in jail. At least in jail, she can fantasize about revenge after her release. Thinking like this makes her feel much better, and the agonizing time seems to pass faster.

"Your mindset dictates that you can only be a general, not a good monarch."

The old emperor refuted him sternly.

However, in front of Ruby at this moment, all his rebuttals were pale and powerless.

"Whether it's good or bad is none of your business. You're not much better than me. At least you couldn't sneak up on someone decades younger than yourself, especially your own daughter. Besides, from this moment on, your palace, your country, your people, everything you own is no longer yours. From today onwards, everything will change hands and belong to me."

Ruby finally showed her fangs.

She was ambitious, and even more than a decade of imprisonment could not diminish her will; in fact, it was even stronger than before.

241. A fair fight

She walked step by step toward the highest position in the main hall.

That's a golden throne, a seat only the emperor can sit on.

"Stop, Ruby, this is not your place."

The old emperor knew what his daughter was planning to do, and he rebuked her sternly.

However, all of this was powerless. The court officials were as if they had been frozen in place, unable to move, and could only watch the royal father and daughter.