The Silver-haired Princess kept telling herself she needed to wake up from this evening's miracle. To that end, she went to the library on the second floor of her bedchambers.
Mechanical Puppets managed the room daily. In addition to an extensive collection of books, it also contained various daily newspapers and magazines. There was even a Magic Net she could browse, though it was only the Holy Tree Palace's local network. Reiya gained most of her knowledge of the outside world from here.
She planned to use the abundance of knowledge to wash away the distracting thoughts in her mind.
Her fingers skimmed across a row of books before stopping at a particular shelf.
Imperial Expansion—The Establishment of the Branch of Prosperity
'The Branch of Prosperity is one of the Empire's Autocratic Dukes, yet I know absolutely nothing about them. I must learn more about this.'
Reiya deceived herself with this thought, then took down the heavy tome and began to browse through it.
'The Branch of Prosperity... During the Empire's era of Great Expansion, this wasn't a title granted to nobles dispatched to guard the frontiers, but an Autocratic Duke title bestowed upon local natives after they were conquered by the Radiant Holy Tree. Their relationship with the Empire isn't one of subordination, but more like an alliance?'
'The Branch of Prosperity made an Oath with the Empire to watch over each other. Their lands are exempt from Imperial taxes, and the Autocratic Duke has complete administrative authority over their own territory. They are only required to defend the Empire's borders when facing foreign enemies...'
'Why would the Radiant Holy Tree agree to such an Oath when it could have just annexed them directly? Another incomprehensible decision. Oh, Celestial God...'
Reiya couldn't help but look out the window. From the second floor of her bedchambers, she had a wide, open view and could see the pale golden Holy Tree Illusion above the Holy Tree Palace.
In the dark of night, the Holy Tree's illusion stretched upward, obscuring the brilliance of the stars. It scattered a beautifully soft, golden light across the entire Imperial Capital, a sight so magnificent it was breathtaking.
Even though this illusion was merely a simple projection, unable to convey even a ten-millionth of the Radiant Holy Tree's true form, it was still magnificent.
The Celestial God, the Radiant Holy Tree, was the Divine Ancestor of the Empire—the great being who had protected humanity through the difficult Age of Dragon Calamity, allowing them to establish their nation and prosper.
In this Empire named for it, the Radiant Holy Tree was the absolute sovereign of the heavens. Although Celestial Gods did not typically interfere in the Mortal World, the Empire itself was an expression of the Radiant Holy Tree's will, and the Holy Law it followed was its own.
The vast majority of Imperial Citizens were devout believers in the Divine Ancestor, but Reiya's feelings toward the towering Holy Tree were complicated.
'If not for the Radiant Holy Tree's oracle, I would have died long ago. But to leave a hybrid like me to barely cling to life, only to inflict one cruel punishment after another upon my body... Great Celestial God, why must you be so cruel?'
Just as Reiya was lost in thought, a golden leaf detached itself from the Holy Tree Illusion and drifted down, landing precisely in front of the Silver-haired Princess.
"Does it have to be tonight? I was actually in a good mood for once."
Gazing silently at the leaf floating before her, Reiya let out a long sigh, which was immediately followed by a contemptuous smile.
"What are you going to take from me this time?"
The silver-haired girl grabbed the golden leaf without hesitation. "Go on, take whatever you want. I have nothing anyway, so I have nothing left to lose."
The instant she touched the golden leaf, it dissolved into a stream of light and flowed into Reiya's body.
"Urgh!!!"
In an instant, Reiya was overwhelmed by immense pain. She lost all perception of the outside world, collapsing to the floor and convulsing violently.
Power from the Celestial God washed through her body.
It was like being devoured by ten thousand insects, her flesh and blood melting away, her very form burning into nothingness.
Her soul felt as if it were being flogged. Unspeakable agony surged through her limbs in wave after wave, causing Reiya to writhe on the library floor, letting out guttural, retching roars.
Her skin began to crack all over, seeping crimson blood. Her bones started to creak, and horrifying fissures appeared at the corners of her eyes, her joints, and her lips, all filled with a faint golden light.
Every second of the pain was enough to make an ordinary person's mind shatter.
"Is... is this all you've got? Are you trying to tickle me?!"
But even as she twisted and trembled, Reiya clenched her fists and, amidst the incomparable pain, broke into a wide grin.
"It's not enough... Not nearly enough to make me beg for mercy! Don't you ever think I'll beg for mercy!"
"Is this all a Divine Punishment amounts to? Don't make me look down on you, Celestial God!!"
This agonizing torture had become commonplace in Reiya's life. The punishments from the Radiant Holy Tree had been coming one after another for as long as she could remember.
Sometimes it was once every six months, sometimes once a month. At its most frequent, it was even once a day. There was no pattern, as if it depended entirely on the Divine Ancestor's mood—whenever it felt the whim, it would viciously torture the Dragon-blooded Hybrid.
She had prayed to the god, piously hoping the Divine Ancestor would grant her the mercy of exemption from punishment.
She had cursed the god, venomously reviling the Divine Ancestor for its senseless torment.
But no matter how she tried to communicate, she never received a response.
More than once, she had longed for someone to save her from this sea of suffering; and more than once, the thought of ending her own life had crossed her mind.
After endless resentment, pain, and sorrow, Reiya finally realized something.
All the abuse, hatred, punishment, contempt, curses, and insults—it was all bullshit.
She chose to grit her teeth and laugh in the face of fate and injustice.
"Come on... Come on! Gods or men, you can kill me, insult me, torture me! Let me struggle pathetically like a maggot! Let this hybrid suffer to the bitter end!"
The boundless, bone-deep agony seemed to be cast aside by Reiya. The flames of rage in her heart drove the delicate girl to indignantly slam her fist against the floor, again and again.
"But you can't defeat me! You can't defeat me! You can't defeat me!!!"
"Is this the extent of your so-called torment? The methods you use are laughable to me!"
It was as if Reiya could no longer feel the pain, only a tragic, exhilarating catharsis. "I'd like to see just how much more farcical cruelty fate has in store... for my amusement!"
She pulled back the corners of her mouth and truly began to laugh mockingly.
The cruel torture seemed to last for centuries, but Reiya relied on her iron will to stifle every whimper of pain.
Finally, the tsunami-like feast of pain drew to a close. At the very end, Reiya felt a searing heat envelop her left eye.
SQUELCH—
The final, piercing pain came with a shock that made Reiya pass out.
Her sorrowful and indignant consciousness sank into Chaos.
........
When Reiya's consciousness returned to her body, the first thing she felt was the emptiness in her left eye.
'Another piece of me is gone. This is actually one of the better outcomes; at least my sight hasn't been completely stolen.'
'But now that I've started to lose my left eye, my right probably won't last much longer... I'll have to get used to a world without light ahead of time.'
'It's only blindness, though. What's so scary about the dark?'
'Besides, there are no sights in this shitty world worth missing anyway.'
Reaching up to touch the wound, Reiya felt rough gauze instead.
The Silver-haired Princess froze for a moment. She was certain she hadn't bandaged it.
"Good morning, Her Highness Reiya. I've come to visit, as promised."
A gentle, warm voice came from her side. Reiya turned her head slightly and saw a sight that made her mind go completely blank:
A handsome and elegant man was sitting by her bed. A slim-fitting black suit accentuated his tall, proper posture. A faint breeze stirred his soft, layered hair, and his captivating, violet-purple eyes were as calm as a lake in early spring, reflecting a shimmering light.
The morning light from the window fell upon him, dusting him in a thin layer of gold.
"You didn't respond for a long time, so I took the liberty of entering your bedchambers and tending to your injuries. I hope you don't mind; the situation was urgent."
The black-haired, purple-eyed young man held a smile, as radiant as a prince from a fairy tale.
The kind of prince who rides a white horse to marry a princess.