Kuhn had met many royal families and aristocrats before . They acted generous, pretending they were the saviors of the poor . It was ridiculous . They would listen to the problems of the poor, but mock and twist their words behind their backs . It was a specialty of the upper-class .
Ā
Kuhn knew how to push the buttons of those who talked in circles using their sophisticated words . They were always displeased when he took their words and threw them back at them . Kuhn would draw their human natures out of their gentle facades .
However, the Princessās reaction was new . The moment she called him āyouā, Kuhn could feel her anger radiating off of her, but the way she expressed her rage was elegant .
āHow is she so different?ā
She was completely different from Dian . Dian had incredibly thick skin and had no problem lying to someoneās face . Sometimes, he made Kuhn want to curse .
Sienna merely muttered āImpertinent, so impertinentā as she calmed down .
āIf itās a difficult question for you to answer, you donāt have to answer it . ā
Feeling a bit bad, Kuhn suddenly had the desire to be someone that gave Sienna the answers she was looking for . Sienna wanted to hear him say, āPrincess, itās not like thatā . However, nobody was around that would say those words to her .
Ā
āI donāt think this man is the type of person that only says things I want to hear . ā
Siennaās reaction was unexpectedly mild, so now Kuhn was the one left wondering . Just what did she want to ask him?
āPlease ask your question . ā
āI have been learning the sword for eight years now . It took me eight years to know where my skill stand . All thanks to you . ā
āYouāre being too generous, Iām sure . ā
āI realized that my other skills might also not be as good as I thought . I want a new perspective . However, Iām finding it hard to let go of everything that Iāve come to know up till now . The incident with my swordsmanship can be forgiven . Maybe itās better to just let sleeping dogs lie since the Empire under the Emperorās reign will always be perfect and firm . ā
Kuhn wanted to tell her that her observation was all wrong .
āPrincess, the world isnāt as wonderful as you think . ā
The only place that was run perfectly was the Imperial Palace . The Palace was a beautiful, artificial pond . It only took the purest waters from outside and brought it in to keep its own water clean .
āIāll ask you my question . Am I being worried over nothing?ā
Ā
Kuhn felt frustrated as he looked into the Princessās stony eyes .
āA greenhouse flower . . . ā
Thatās how Dian had described Sienna . He was half right but also half wrong . The Princess had found something she was lacking in and was troubled over it . Not everyone would have reacted the way she did . Especially someone that was as well-respected as she was .
The Princess wasnāt an ancient tree that had hardened with age . She was a sapling, still slender and unsure of where it would spread its leaves . If she had an advisor around her that gave her the honest truth, she might even become a wise ruler .
āBut the Red King is the problem . ā
And all the feudal lords and dukes that donāt want to give up their control .
āPrincess, you must start by seeing your motherās true nature . ā
Kuhn thought to himself . It would almost be impossible . Even if the advisor had no ulterior motives, it would be hard for him to avoid the allegation that he was trying to drive a wedge between the mother-daughter pair . In the end, the advisor would be hated by both mother and daughter .
āI am in no position to advise you about that . However, if it were me, I wouldnāt just brush over it . In life, it isnāt often you get a chance to correct wrongdoing . Being able to see something from a different perspective is as rare as a miracle . Youāre doing a good job by worrying over it . ā
Their eyes met . Sienna was stunned . He complimented her as if he was humoring a child . How dare he? As a commoner to this Empireās Princess . . .
āSo impertinent . ā
Ā
Pfft, Kuhn burst into laughter before coughing awkwardly and apologizing .
āIām sorry . I was thinking about something else . ā
Displeased, Sienna scowled at Kuhn as she spoke .
āIāll take your words into consideration . ā
āThen is it alright for me to take my leave? Thereās something urgent I need to take care of . ā
Sienna wanted to continue their conversation . There was nobody around her that she could have this kind of exchange with . However, she didnāt have anything to keep him here .
ā . . . You may go . ā
Kuhn nodded his head . Even though it wasnāt according to etiquette, it was still more polite than before .
āIs your hand okay?ā
āWhat?ā
āIām talking about your hand . ā
Ā
āAh, yes . . . Itās fine . ā
Kuhn had walked a few steps before turning around .
āPrincess, if you want to see whatās outside the pond, you need to actually leave the pond . ā
He didnāt pause to see her reaction and walked out through the hedges . His footsteps were hurried . The palm of his lightly clenched left hand burned as if it had just been cut . He felt that if the Princess called for him to come back now, his legs would betray him and heād scurry back to her .
He didnāt want to admit it, but at this moment, Kuhn was running away . . . starting with his heart that kept being drawn towards the Princess .
He felt frustrated . Every single one of his plans was in opposition to Princess Sienna and what she stood for . Kuhn felt that it would have been better if Princess Sienna had turned out to be a wicked woman . She was different from Dian in every way, but he wanted to talk to her in a different way than he did with Dian .
āIām sure sheāll end up hating me . ā
When would that day come?
The day Dian became the emperor, she would glower at him with extreme resentment in her cold eyes . Kuhnās felt a twinge in his chest as he grit his teeth .\n