Viola gritted her teeth as she wielded an Isilla tree cane. One by one, the wounds increased and Viola’s eyes turned red.
“It hurts.”
To Arin, Tundra was a child.
Meanwhile, Tundra’s head cooled down.
‘If I screamed from the start, the butler would rather be suspicious.’
The whipping continued for a while. And, as expected by Viola and Tundra, Zenon heard the sound of whipping in the next room.
“Looks like you’re starting to discipline and tame it.”
He got up slowly and put his ear to the wall.
“Oh, does it hurt?”
A long time passed, and a faint moan was heard. He could hear the wheezing of his breathing as he forced himself to endure the pain.
Zenon had seen the hard core of Tundra. He had hard eyes. For a child with such eyes to groan that much, it means that he was being bullied quite cruelly.
“How cruel can you be…”
Killing was not difficult. But it’s hard to make him vomit such a painful moan. He had seen many of these types. Even if they break, they don’t bend.
Zenon evaluated Tundra like that.
“I guess you seriously intend to make him surrender.”
His eyes drew an arc.
“You look like Bellato, princess.”
* * *
By the time Tundra was making a moan, someone came into the room.
“Viola! Are you having fun?”
It was Vicen, the 5th Prince.
Vicen’s eyes were twinkling. He had the look of a predator who found its prey or toy.
“Hehehe.”
He saw Tundra in pain. and looked at him curiously.
“Are you playing with toys already?”
“No. Taming.”
Viola put down the Isilla cane for now. She didn’t know why Vicen had come to visit her all of a sudden.
‘He’s a guy who doesn’t know where he’ll bounce.’
She was a bit nervous.
“Why did you come?”
“I came because I was curious about how you were doing with your toys.”
His eyes narrowed. It seemed that he noticed something strange about her.
“But there is.”
He was like a young beast that had found its prey.
“Are you going to give him medicine too?”
“…”
When Viola was silent, Vicen pressed again.
“He’s hurt. Will you give him some medicine?”
“Does it matter?”
“It’s important.”
Viola was a little taken aback.
‘What is important?’
Vicen narrowed his eyes.
“Wouldn’t it be better not to apply the drug?”
“Why?”
“If you give him medicine, I will kill him.”
“So, why?”
When Viola kept asking why, Vicen seemed to be in pain.
“Just!”
“Just what?”
“Just! Just! Just! Just! I’ll kill him! Okay?”
Vicen’s eyes were filled with a sad light. His ears seemed to tremble.
Viola sat down in her chair. Her insides were searing in front of Vicen, who was acting out of nonsense, but she didn’t show it. Fortunately, Vicen was weak in verbal fights.
“Whether I drug my toys or not, that has nothing to do with you. But brother killing my toys is another story. Because it means that my brother infringed on mine.”
“Heh, heh, that doesn’t matter. The important thing is that I hope you don’t drug other people.”
“So, why? Give a convincing reason. My brother is Bellato.”
“That, that…”
Vicen’s face turned red like a carrot.
“Because this is my first experience!”
Viola was momentarily at a loss for words. She wondered if those words were right here, but Vicen’s intentions were transparent enough to be pure.
“So, you don’t want someone else to steal my brother’s first experience?”
Vicen nodded his head.
“Now, brother, you know that you’re forcing me, right?”
“Forcing? I don’t know about that.”
That was a clear lie. He knew perfectly what she meant.
“I learned that Bellato is a rational and logical family. I think I’ll be a little disappointed with my brother. Are you okay with that?”
“Disappointed?”
Vicen’s expression darkened a little. He wanted to show off his greatness a bit by defeating a group of bandits, but she seemed to be disappointed.
‘Well, I’m still a little disappointed…’
“Provide logical reasons and rational conditions that I can understand. Until then, I’ll do as I please. I mean, act like a Bellato.”
“If it wasn’t like that, but if you just push yourself like you do now.”
Viola smiled, squinting her eyes.
“From now on, I will never apply ointment on you.”
“Then I will forgive you in a special way.”
Vicen was incredibly quick in his stance change.
“What?”
“No. It means that even if you drug someone else, I will forgive you for the time being.”
“Are you forcing myself again?”
“What? No! I mean… Yes, apply it.”
Vicen slammed the door in his temper! Then he closed it and left.
“I’m really going to kill you. See you when you’re ten.”
When he spoke, he was sincere. But when returning to his room, he was seized by strange feelings. Because… It’s only natural for siblings to engage in slaughter competitions. But after remembering the little hand that was applying the ointment to him…
‘Do I really have to kill her?’
Somehow he didn’t want to kill Viola.
‘Should I still kill her?’
Weren’t they Bellato’s siblings? But should he? He didn’t know. He wished someone could teach him the right answer.
A very small wave began to rise in Vicen’s mind.
* * *
After the turmoil was over, Zenon opened Viola’s door.
He approached the fallen Tundra.
“The boy aimed his sword at the princess I served. He even put a knife near her throat.”
In an instant, Viola’s body flinched. She could feel the life throbbing in Zenon’s body. It was terrible. It felt like entering hell.
“If our princess had not been lenient, I would have pulled out all your teeth and then ripped out his mouth and killed him.”
Viola was shocked as if she had been hit in the head.
‘It’s simply not for me.’
This was a test. Butler Zenon’s test for the heroine, Viola. A similar line was also found in the novel.
⌠“Our princess was not generous. If so, I’ll slit your neck.”⌡
The content was slightly different, but the essence was the same. For Bellato, ‘generousness’ was a luxury. To be generous, you must have strength. Only an absolute person at the level of Duke Heron could be generous. Because being generous without having that level of strength means being stupid and weak.
It was like that in Bellato.
“Zenon.” Viola said.
“Yes, princess.”
⌠“Kneel down.”
“Shall I kneel this boy?”
Viola was deliberately silent. Time passed.
“Ah, you asked me to kneel.”
Eventually, Zenon walked to the front of Viola. Then he slowly began to bend over. This was done in the original. He immediately knelt down and she slapped him on the cheek.
“Don’t test me. I’ll kill you next time.”⌡
But then she saw Tundra next to her. Still, he’s her own person, but she thought that scolding him in front of Tundra didn’t look good.
“Zenon, follow me.”
Just as Vicen’s room was enormous, Viola’s was also large. It was divided into a living room and several rooms.
Zenon silently followed Viola.
She closed the door.
Tundra was not visible since he was in another place of the room.
“Uh.”
“Yes, princess.”
Zenon did not particularly resist when she asked him to kneel down.
‘Cheeks… Should I hit him?’
‘I really can’t do this.’
She decided to hit him though. Her inner thoughts didn’t matter.
The butler just tested the princess and of course, she should be very upset. She had to act as a Bellato.
Slap!
She slapped him in the cheek. She didn’t know how hard to hit, so she just hit as hard as she could. Since he was a superman who single-handedly defeated 20 imperial knights, she thought it would be okay.
Stroke!
Zenon’s neck turned sideways. Zenon’s lips parted slightly. In an instant, blood formed, and Zenon’s cheeks were left with palm prints that looked as if it had been burned.
‘Mi, I’m sorry!’
She had to act like Bellato. She thought she had hit him too hard, but it was already over. She pretended to be as calm as possible.
“It’s good to test my qualifications as Bellato. But don’t let it show. Because it makes me feel dirty.”
“Sorry.”
“If you look at me lightly, will you be able to verify me like this?”
“Sorry. As an apology, how about offering my arm?”
‘No!’
Why was he even serious?! Viola wanted to cry, but on the outside she laughed.
“Do you think you can apologize with just your arms?”
“Then would it be all right if I gave up my life?”
Cold sweat ran down Viola’s back. She didn’t ask if he was serious because she thought he would say yes.
“Then you can’t work for me.”
“That’s right.”
“If your arm is cut off, your work efficiency will decrease.”
“That too.”
Her face turned a little pale as she tried to say something that didn’t fit her personality.
“Be a little more competent. That’s why I’m letting you live, who dared to test me.”
“Thank you, princess.”
Zenon noticed that Viola’s complexion was pale. He could figure out why.
‘You’re deliberately controlling your bloody madness.”
If Zenon had figured out Viola Bellato, if she were the murderer who mercilessly shoved the dagger into the boy’s mouth, then she would be extremely excited right now. Because she must have been in a good mood. But Viola was controlling the madness.
In his eyes she was desperate enough to break into a cold sweat and had self-control and rationality unsuitable for a seven-year-old. She was controlling her own anger and turning the situation to her advantage as much as possible. Viola Bellato wasn’t just a blood-crazed murderer.
‘Amazing.’
Brutality and charisma. And combined with her resourcefulness. At the age of seven, there was no other Bellato that showed this level.
Zenon stood up.
There was one more fact to note.
“Why did you bring me here… Was it to enhance my prestige in front of the toy?”
“First of all, you are my one and closest friend.”
“Thank you.”
Zenon felt a little bit of a strange feeling.
Viola Bellato was extremely Bellato.
He felt it when he was hit on the cheek. That child was more like Bellato than a pureblood Bellato.
‘But she is considerate.’
A strange gap has arisen. It’s very Bellato, but it’s also strangely different from Bellato.
A pure-blooded Bellato would not have given such consideration. Besides, he was the ‘one and only closest friend’. It felt so good to hear that expression.
‘The princess is a very strange person.’
The consideration sent by Bellato, who is more Bellato than anyone else, was unfamiliar but good. And Zenon chuckled.
“I thought it would be nice for the princess to rule Bellato. I really feel so.”
Viola’s let let out a sigh. She still survived today. It felt like something was a bit excessive, but.. oh, well.
* * *
Zenon returned to his room and compiled a journal of what happened today.
‘She slapped me on the cheek.’
At that time he was sobered up.
‘How can such a power… in such a small body?’
The Duke’s words made sense. He said she was born with the killing star.
His facial bones would have been shattered had he not momentarily raised Mana to protect himself. It was never the strength of a child. It was the power of a knight who skillfully handles mana.
[You have a natural talent.]
[The surprising thing is that she did not receive any training in mana handling.]
[In my personal opinion, I’m guessing that her qualities are comparable to or higher than the First Princess.]
Zenon remembered one more fact.
‘At the first meeting with PrinceConfucius Vicen… Even when she threw it, her quills were imbued with mana. Vicen also raised his mana and protected himself. But Viola pierced his shield so easily. It was because Viola’s quill was imbued with mana.
He added a word.
[She was born with the purity of mana and can use it naturaly.]
[What is certain is that she was born with a higher level of mana than Prince Vicen.]
It seems that Princess Viola herself didn’t know yet, but she was.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. Thank you very much for reading.
Next post will be released on April, 13.
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