She didn't wanted to let Arashi and Emi know that something was off with her and she wanted to get away from them as soon as possible. That's why she hurriedly told them,
"You two should go and rest in your rooms. I have some work to finish, so I'll come by later."
Before they could even reply, she turned her back to them and walked off quickly-almost too quickly, as though her only goal was to get as far away from them as possible.
Then, she hurriedly entered her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Leaning back against it, she pressed both of her hands to the wood, her breath was coming in sharp, and uneven gasps. Under her skin, red, thick and unnatural veins started to protrude and pulse with an odd luminescence. Blood started to fall from her eyes, and it looked like the thin lines of a porceilan fracture. Also those thick red veins began to show on her forehead. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. Her whole body was trembling not just from pain, but from fear. Fear that something terrible was about to break free from within her.
In the hallway lined with doors, Arashi and Emi were still standing there, watching at the direction that the princess had gone.
"She was in quite a rush, don't you think so?" Arashi said.
But before he could finish his sentence, Emi had already stepped into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. The sudden noise echoed down the corridor. Arashi froze, his eyes widened slightly. His face stiffened with a mix of surprise and subtle confusion as silence filled the air once again.
"...That was kinda rude," he muttered. His tone was flat, and he felt slightly annoyed by her. With that, he turned and went into his own room.
The man with the sword was standing tall in the main hall, his chest was raised, his arms were crossed and his back was fully straight like a man who was really strong. His presence emanated a queit strength, but his eyes seemed absent from this world like he was lost in the depths of his own thoughts. Then, a guard approach toward him and stopped. With respect he said to the man with the sword,
"Sir, it's time for the funeral... for those who died in the monster's rampage."
The man blinked, he snapped out of his thoughts, and turned toward the guard.
"Hmm... I'm coming," he said simply.
With a respectful nod, the guard excused himself and hurried off to complete the preparations for the funeral. Even after the guard was gone the man again got lost into his own thoughts. But this time his silence got broken by a man, that man who accompanied the princess when they first met Arashi and Emi in the village.
"It's looking like you are worrying about something a lot," the man said softly.
"It's about the princess, isn't it?" The man with the sword turned to him, then slowly faced forward again, his expression was heavy.
"Yeah... you're right," he said quietly, his voice tinged with worry.
He continued with a sigh the kind that comes from worrying too much about someone.
"She's been acting too different lately. I know she's always been short-tempered, but recently... it's been getting worse. Our queen was the same, but the princess—she's even more so. Before, she could control it enough that we could hide it from the others. But now, we can't. Every time she loses her temper, she reminds me of that day... the day the queen beat those World Government soldiers so badly. I still don't know why, but she hated the World Government with all her heart."
shifted to the past— the time when the World Government first came to the kingdom with a deal: they wanted the king of this kingdom to become their chief scientist. That evening, the castle was buzzing with celebration. Laughter and music were being echoed within the royal rooms, but it had been shattered by the sudden arrival of the world government's soldiers. They had came to deliver their proposal directly to the king. Many nobles and royal guests who hade come from other kingdoms were present there, their laughter had stopped because the world government soldiers appeared suddenly and tension rose among them.
The queen was standing beside the king, facing the representatives of the World Government. She had a slim, elegant face with a pointed chin that gave her a refined and confident look. Her skin was pale and smooth, almost porcelain-like, enhancing her striking presence. Her eyes were large and vividly blue, framed by sharp, defined lashes that made her gaze both intense and captivating. Her nose was small and slender, which perfectly fit her balanced features. Her silvery-white hair were soft and slightly tousled, with long bangs falling across her forehead and loose strands flowing freely around her face. Her name was Scarlet.
One of the high-ranking soldiers from the World Government respectfully asked the other nobles to leave the castle, as the discussion was a private matter. The soldiers escorted them to the exit with formal politeness. Once the hall grew quiet, the high-ranking officer turned to the king and began to introduced their proposed deal.
"A message has come from the World Government," the soldier announced.
"It's a proposal for His Majesty. We've heard that the king of this kingdom is a man of unmatched intellect. A scientist whose knowledge extends far beyond medicine. Just as a doctor can heal people, you have the power to create, to discover what others could never even imagine. Our higher authorities wish for you to become the World Government's chief scientist. We were sent here to deliver this offer… and to hear your decision."
The king's expression changes. He hadn't expected such a request. Slowly, he replied,
"I appreciate the offer." He lowered his gaze for an instant, then looked back up.
"But I cannot accept it."
The high-ranking soldier who delivered the message lowered his head in disappointment, then lifted it again. Now wearing a wide smile that bared all his teeth. It wasn't friendly; it was wild, threatening, and unsettling. His eyes were wide open, making the smile look even more disturbing. It felt unnatural, like he was enjoying some twisted thought like he was already imagining what he'd do to this kingdom. It was the kind of grin that could make everyone around him uneasy. Still smiling, he said,
"Refuse, and the World Government will ensure this kingdom ceases to exist. Every person under your rule — your people, your family — will burn with you if you refuse now."
The hall fell silent.
The queen clenched her fist, her blue eyes were glinting with fury. The king knew she had short temper, so he gently tried to calm her, but she shook him off.
"You dare threaten us in our own home?"
Her voice trembled-not with fear, but with rage, the kind of rage that made her want to strike him down where he stood.
The king turned to his wife, his voice was low and uneasy.
"Scarlet, stop. We can't afford to fight them. Think about our people."
The queen snapped her head toward him, her blue eyes blazing.
"Why should I? How dare they threaten us to destroy our kingdom so casually!"
Their voices clashed — the queen refusing, the king pleading, both unwilling to yield. The hall grew heavy with tension.
Then, that soldier began to walk forward, his boots echoing against the floor.
"Hah… so this is the queen that everyone praises?" he said with a mocking grin.
"You can't even control your temper. No wonder the king has to speak for you."
He gave a short, fake laugh.
"If your king had any sense, he'd never have kept such a short-tempered woman as his wife."
The queen's expression darkened. Her gaze fell, and her hands tightened into trembling fists. The soldier smirked and leaned closer.
"The king's so brilliant, yet he still sold himself to us. You should learn from him how to kneel when it matters. What a pathetic man! Haha!"
That was the last word he ever spoke before, With that, the queen turned toward him, leaning forward aggressively. She pulled her right arm back, clenching her fist tightly. Because of fury, every muscle in her body was tensing. Her shoulders were stiff, her blue eyes locked on her target in a deadly glare. Her lips pressed into a hard line, showing that she wasn't just bluffing. In the next instant, her fist shot forward. The blow landed squarely across the soldier's face with a bone-rattling crack. His head snapped to the side, his eyes rolling shut as his body lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall behind him. The impact shattered the stone, leaving cracks splintering through it as dust fell from above. The hall went silent. The queen lowered her fist, her chest rising and falling as a rush of relief washed over her. The king and the government soldiers froze in shock because none of them had ever expected her to actually strike. But the king's expression shifted quickly from surprise to fear. He knew the truth that even if they defeated every guard here, the World Government would never stop coming. In panic, he quickly went forward, grabbed her wrist, and turn her towards him so that she could face him.
"Scarlet—!" His voice broke, and before she could even react, his hand struck her across the face. He slapped her-it was full of desperation and fear.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if the world itself had stopped. The shock on her face said it all that she could not, in any way, believe what had just happened. Her lips trembled, her pupils quivered, it felt like the blow had reached her heart more than her face. She wasn't just hurt. She was shattered and broken by the very person she trusted the most.
The king's voice cut through the silence.
"How dare you do that."
He pointed toward the exit, his hand shaking slightly.
"Leave the castle. Now."
She just stood there, eyes wide, her mind still refusing to believe what had just happened. The man she loved more than anyone… had just struck her.
The slap touched her and she took it personally. But she didn't act weak. She said confidently to the king,
"Before I leave…"
she said, her tone calm but burning with pride. She turned toward the soldiers. Slowly, she pulled out a pair of black fingerless gloves and slipped them on. Silver studs gleamed on the knuckles, and the tight strap around her wrist snapped into place. The gloves gave her a sharp, daring look — one that matched the confident, almost mischievous smile forming on her lips. Her sharp eyes glowed with determination. A faint purple aura rose around her body, swirling like dark fire — powerful and dangerous. With a devilly smile, like she was going to kill every one of them she continued to say what she didn't finished,
"Let me kick all of their asses!"
In the next instant, she exploded forward. Her speed was blinding. A soldier's chest was impacted by her fist and it cracked through his armor, he collapsed and broken from the inside. She was unstoppable. Another punch. Another strike. Each hit landed with ruthless precision — one or two blows were all it took to drop each man.
A soldier charged at her from the side, sword raised. The queen didn't even flinch. She turned slightly, her muscles coiling with tension. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her gloved hand — her expression calm, her eyes blazing with fury. That cold, dangerous look said it all — she wasn't done yet. In a blink, she spun, her kick slicing through the air and crushing another soldier into the ground.
From above, on the elevated platform, a young boy watched in awe. That boy was the man with the sword. Back then, he was too small and too weak to help her. He was around eleven or twelve at that time. But even then, he knew the queen was right for her doings.
When the battle was over, she stood in the middle of the hall with blood on her face, her gloves and her crimson dress. She wasn't just a queen anymore. She was a storm.
After defeating all the soldiers, the queen exhaled deeply — a long, heavy breath that carried both exhaustion and relief. A small smile curved on her lips. It wasn't arrogance-it was the kind of relief short-tempered people feel after finally letting everything out. For the first time in that chaos, her face shone with a strange, quiet peace.
Then, she heard her name.
"Scarlet!"
The king's voice broke through the silence. She turned toward him, her hair was messy, and her chest was rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath.
"What have you done?" he said, his voice was trembling.
"Do you know what's going to happen to you when the World Government finds out?"
But she didn't care. She brushed the hair away from her face, and in her movements, there was both elegance and rebellion.
"I don't care," she said softly with a smile, the smile showed that she was just proud of herself.
The king froze.
His expression twisted between fear and guilt. One of the royal guard came toward them, he was the most high ranking guard of that time, like the man with the sword is now in the present.
"Your Majesty," the guard said firmly,
"nothing will happen to her. I'll make sure of that."
The king and the guard exchanged tense, urgent words — but then, suddenly, the queen's face went pale. Their voices began to sound so distant to her that the sound felt like an echo fading away under the water. Her vision was getting blurred and her knees gave out.
"Scarlet!" the king shouted as she collapsed. Both men rushed to her side, and fear was taking hold of them.