NOVEL WEB chapter 235
13. Each Path
“Isn’t that right, my… fiancé who will be engaged to me in a few months?”
Celesia’s voice, cool as a breeze mixed with snow, echoed down the street that was devoid of onlookers, save for the great white sharks lurking in the pond. For a moment, it felt as though the highest deity had stripped away all sound, leaving the street eerily silent.
Mu En trembled, his lips quivering under Celesia’s calm yet teasing gaze, lacking even the courage to look back.
It was clear that the powder keg had already been ignited.
“What? Engaged?”
As expected, Anna’s brows immediately shot up.
She knew very well that Mu En and the girl before her had a genuine engagement, and that an engagement was only a matter of time, especially since it was a promise made by the emperor himself, nearly impossible to change. However, she did not anticipate that this moment would come so swiftly.
Moreover, this princess renowned for her aloofness would actually say such a thing in front of a crowd.
What does this mean?
Is this a declaration of war?
Anna’s expression darkened, her long hair suddenly billowing in the absence of wind, and deep within her gem-like clear eyes, a full moon began to rise subtly.
She was angry.
On the other side, An was much calmer; she had known this news for quite some time, so naturally, she wouldn’t react strongly to Celesia’s words.
However.
Her hand still tightly gripped the hem of her skirt, an almost imperceptible sound of steel resonating in the air.
As the young master’s personal maid, she should have anticipated this scene long ago.
She shouldn’t have any objections to it.
Yet, at this moment, she still felt…
Very displeased.
The night deepened gradually.
A faint mist drifted from the nearby riverbank, but it was quickly dispersed by an invisible force, leaving the air exceptionally clear.
The cold breath transformed into a subtle killing intent, poised to erupt in this stagnant atmosphere.
Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
Time moved slowly.
Like the sweat dripping from Mu En’s forehead at this moment, heavy enough to make breathing difficult.
Finally.
Celesia shifted her gaze away from Mu En, brushing aside the silver strands of hair that fell over her forehead. Her beautiful eyes remained as calm as an icy surface, seemingly indifferent to the two currents of hostility before her, she said coolly:
“What’s the matter? Are you going to take action against me?”
No magical fluctuations.
No fighting spirit displayed.
No hostility.
No killing intent.
It was as if she was speaking in the most mundane manner.
Yet at this moment, the girl’s light and airy words seemed to envelop An and Anna in immense pressure, the brewing hostility abruptly freezing.
This was not only due to the unfathomable strength of the girl, renowned as the White Witch and a top genius of the empire, but also stemmed from her identity.
She was the third princess of the Leopold Empire, the most esteemed person in the nation.
Given An and Anna’s current status, being able to stand before her and speak was already a sign of her considerable mercy.
If they were to act against a princess of the empire in public, what awaited them could very well be the will of the entire nation.
Thus, the girl’s arrogance was entirely justified.
……
“It seems you two have no objections to me taking him away.”
Celesia’s cold expression still revealed no emotion.
“Then let’s go, my fiancé.”
“Eh? That… is it time to leave now…”
Celesia shot a cold glance at Mu En, saying nothing, and directly reached out her delicate hand, grabbing his collar as if she were lifting a kitten by the scruff of its neck, dragging Mu En away.
With a sorrowful face, Mu En turned back, his hands clasped together, sincerely apologizing to the two girls.
It’s not that I don’t want to resist; it’s just that this master is too formidable!
Please don’t bite me when I turn back; I’m innocent too!
……
Watching the two disappear from sight, An and Anna were both silent.
After a long while, they exchanged glances.
Anna said, “I’m leaving.”
An replied, “I’m leaving too.”
“Then goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Anna walked away first.
However, she did not choose to return to the academy.
The road beneath her feet leads to the realm of silence.
“I didn’t want to fight.”
Anna murmured.
In this world where even a supreme lesbian like Ariel can openly flaunt her crystal palace and even use magic to have children, it is quite normal for a powerful, noble man to have several women by his side.
With Mu En’s status and his future accomplishments, Anna had long been prepared for the fact that there would be other women around him.
She was never one to enjoy fighting for anything, nor did she care for the so-called title.
As long as she could stay by the side of the person she liked, that was enough.
The so-called greed was merely a hope that the one she loved could provide her with more warmth and affection.
But.
At this very moment.
No matter how gentle her nature was, how much she shunned conflict, she could not tolerate someone stepping directly on her face, flaunting their so-called engagement with arrogance.
Even if that person was a noble princess.
“So just wait, high and mighty Princess.”
A rare authority appeared on Anna’s delicate face, a demeanor that even Mu En had never seen before.
In her gem-like eyes, moonlight scattered.
With each step she took, the deep shadows around her began to twist and dance wildly, seemingly submitting one by one under this supreme power.
“I don’t care about the so-called Duchess.
But,
I am looking forward to it.”
Anna’s gaze was resolute as she softly spoke to herself:
“That moment when you, the noble princess, will have to lower your head… and call me ‘sister.'”
……
After Anna left.
An stood in place, watching Celicia and Mu En depart, staring for a long time.
On that graceful and poised face, a fleeting expression of distortion and ferocity seemed to flash by, almost like an illusion.
“Indeed, if I want to clear away these pests around the young master, I am still far from enough.”
She looked down at her hands, recalling the intense sense of crisis she felt earlier when facing Celicia.
It was her instinct, and through that instinct, she clearly understood that she was still far from being Celicia’s match.
After all, although they were both favored by the gods, she prided herself on her talent being no less than Celicia’s.
Yet the time that princess had spent training and the resources she possessed were something she could not compare to at all.
Not only Celicia, but that woman named Anna also brought her a strong sense of crisis.
She was a tricky opponent as well.
And as the young master became more outstanding, who knows what kind of seductive trouble would come next.
“I can’t wait any longer.”
Settling back into the carriage, she softly issued the command.
“Let’s go.”
The carriage began to sway, heading out of the city.
Anto rested her chin on her hand, watching the city gradually recede, rubbing the key in her hand that she didn’t know where it had come from, carved like blood-red jade.
“Ah, the abyss…”
It seemed she was speaking to herself.
“I wonder if directly killing tens of thousands of demons would make me strong enough?”