"You! Are you joking with me?! If you dare to joke about my sister's death, I will kill you!" yelled Herick.
I sighed, "You have a low temper. I think humans should control their anger because we, humans, are bound by laws created by us... for us. So, don't just yell," I leaned a bit more, "I am not a good person, right? But I am not joking... I can find your sister's killer."
Herick slowly blinked, registering my words. With a bit of uncertainty, he asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, I am. Why do you think that I am lying?"
Herick hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. He replied, "You... are ambitious... and you forced the emperor... to marry you..."
"Hmmm... it's a bit problematic, right? To be ambitious... requires a lot of things. Have you ever met an actor?"
"The ones who work on stage? I don't like to watch plays."
I shook my head and said, "Herick, what do you think life is?" I pressed a finger on his thigh, "I think life is a play, and we are all playing a part in it. We can't change ourselves... no one can, though a very limited people can. But I think they can't change themselves completely. They are affected by some factors. Tell me, do you think our destinies are predestined."
Herick looked into my eyes and replied, "Yes." His voice was firm as if he believed everything was predestined by someone.
"Is that so? You see, actors always try to strive for success... but a good actor strives for excellence. They can change their emotions in a split second. A mask is always on their face, constantly telling dialogues, attracting the public's attention... making them forget their real-life roles. That's how powerful an actor is. Yet, I don't believe that."
Herick asked, "What do you believe then?" He was interested in hearing my answer.
I smiled widely, "A 'true' actor always wears their emotions on face. They don't need a mask. What they need is, to show their true selves... even for a moment. Now, but do they have a mask? Yes, they have." I looked into Herick's eyes, making his widen with something akin to fear. "They have a mask... but instead of wearing it during acting... they wear it to hide their true self. That means they wear their mask all the time, except when they are acting. Showing your true self isn't good for the society. It makes them see you as a monster that needs to be caged."
Herick flinched in fear as if he saw something in me, which made him pale drastically. The knight commander was afraid of me. A weak woman like me can make a strong man like Herick cower just by some words? Impressive.
"Host, I underestimated your acting skills! You are really good!" praised Mimi,
This stupid little ball thinks that I am acting?
Maybe I am acting.
Maybe I am not.
'If you think so, then fine.'
I caressed Herick's cheek. He trembled lightly, looking at me with fear. It seems he has developed a 'natural' reaction for me.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"N-n-no..." stuttered Herick.
I said, "Your stuttering isn't helping anyone. You can see the white walls arounds, right? Think these walls as your cage. What does a beast do when it is trapped inside a cage? It tries to break out... it tries to release himself from the bondage of 'limitation.' You said that I am ambitious," I pointed to myself, "maybe I am. But Herick, truthfully... I am like the beast which isn't trapped. I am the most powerful person in this empire... way before the emperor ruled. The moment, I came into this world, I was supported by my parents and the church. Because of me... the church is harmonious with the royal family. That's why the priests wanted to heal you. Although, they also regard you as a good person. But the question is, Herick will be putting all of your faith on Prince Franklin?"
Herick swallowed audibly. At this moment, he couldn't feel the pain. Right now, he was breathing heavily, thinking how to answer my question.
People like Herick can be tamed by manipulation... but I don't plan to do that. Why should I invest my time on such a person who has something to protect? If I want that person to obey, I can just crush them with force.
This world hasn't any boundaries for me. Maybe the status window was correct... I don't have any morality... maybe I am just a beast who wants to plunder everything on its way. Yet, I don't want to. I mean, what would be the fun if I destroy everything?
'Are you peeking at my thoughts?'
"N-n-no... I didn't..." Mimi shuttered. Its voice was oozing fear, directed towards me.
I touched Herick's chest. "You can choose to believe me. Or, just simply find out for yourself... because Herick... I want to achieve my goal no matter what. There are things that I dislike... and there are things that I want to achieve. If standing in my way gives your 'righteousness' a boost, then I will simply cut you down. So, what do you say?"
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The door opened, and Caroline came out. She straightened her hair and looked at the knights and priests, who were anxiously waiting for the good news.
She smiled, "He is alright. You can visit him later but now let him rest."
The priests and knights thanked her. Their eyes looked at her with blatant admiration and respect.
After dealing with them, Caroline left the place, with Trisa following behind her.
"Trisa, where is the maid that came with us?" asked Caroline.
Trisa scoffed, "The prince called for her. That idiot thinks she can climb up the ranks by the prince's help," her eyes narrowed when a distinguished smell entered her nose, "Your Majesty, please forgive my insolence... but I can smell... something 'weird'... I don't want to think but..." Her words trailed off. She was hesitating if she should ask that question to her master or not. Her nose was highly sensitive... so it wasn't hard to detect the change in her master's smell. Usually, her master smelled like a bouquet of flowers, but now she had a fishy odour around her.
Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes, I had sex with him. Can you blame me? He is definitely older than me, yet he looks too handsome. It wasn't that I forced him or something."
"You didn't force him?! You blackmailed him! If he didn't sweat his loyalty to you, the you would have destroyed his life!" yelled Mimi. That poor man was devoured by the host as if he was a little lamb caught by a 'cannibalistic' wolf, who devoured its fellow pack members.
'Mimi, shut up. Or, you will be the one who's going to be destroyed.'
Mimi immediately closed its mouth. Forget it, if someone like that man was afraid of its host, then what would a little system like it could in front of this terrifying woman?
Trisa frowned lightly and said, "If Your Majesty is fine, then it's okay. But I think you shouldn't be too friendly with that man. He is dangerous."
Caroline nodded, "I will, Trisa. I will. Although, I think Herick is quite cute if you get to know him."
Dangerous?
A man like 'Herick' could be considered as a dangerous individual by someone?
That man fainted after the third round. What could a man like him would do against her? A beast like her could break free of her cage, but a lamb like him would stay in that cage until its death. It could only beg for mercy... beg to be gutted down, relieving it from its pain.
"Trisa, send out invitations, and call all the play directors to the 'Emerald' palace. I want to see some of their 'finest' works. Also, tell them to bring their artists, otherwise they will be kicked out from the 'capital.' I don't just want to listen to their plays' stories... I want to see them perform right in front of me."
Trisa nodded, "Yes, I will immediately send out the invitations to the finest play directors of our empire."
Caroline smiled at her words. Honestly, she would be looking forward to what type of plays those so-called 'play directors' could perform for her... and what type of actors she would see. A jolt of anticipation ran down her spine just by thinking about it.