CHAPTER 263: HER STORY [4]

Of course, there was nothing concrete about that news; it was merely words of whisper she heard from the mouths of the maids serving throughout the palace. Strangely enough, the workers and all types of servants treated her with reverence and proper respect, unlike the royals, who treated her like a tool.

The first three children tried to get close to her, perhaps a bit too close. Their hypocrisy disgusted her even further, as she maintained her distance, especially from any male. After all, she always felt that absolute sense of disgust; if any male were to even come remotely near her, she would feel like vomiting. Her heart ached at the thought of the one she left behind all alone in that world. She knew how badly Tyler cared for her.

Would he search for her, all over the place?

Would he forget about her? Would he go mad, unable to find her?

She realized that she was not thinking about whether Tyler would be okay without her, but instead she feared that he might eventually forget about her and move on, marrying another pretty girl. She was more worried about that, reflecting how truly selfish she was.

It was only when she heard that she would likely be forcefully married to the first prince. The overwhelming revulsion inside of her, which is not willing to be touched by any other male, forced her to attempt suicide as it bypassed her desire for survival.

But again, unable to die, the summoning brand on her soul would not let her do any significant self-harm. So, the only option open to her was to become stronger; she learned everything she could about this new world, a world filled with supernatural powers, how living beings could become stronger, how they could not just become superhuman, but eventually powerful enough to make even a nuclear bomb look like a merely over-glorified gas bomb.

It all seemed like nonsense to her at first, but seeing things with her own eyes, she had no choice but to believe it. When she learned of the true might of the strongest human she had openly insulted and declared to kill, and that Leonidas Suncrest was a 6th-phase being—a level of power she could not even fathom.

To her good luck, she found some allies who would shield her in the cruel environment of the royal palace, where every living and breathing second felt like psychological warfare. She met Lumina and Lucien, who were far superior to the first three children of the king. Especially Lumina; she was truly a pure soul. It was the first time she had truly become friends with another girl her age.

She, in many ways, had no hostile intentions towards her, just like Tyler. As for Lucien, the boy seemed a bit complicated, with an obvious yet hidden calculating intent behind most of his actions. The prince, as usual, like every other male, was stunned by her beauty at first sight, then unnerved by her eyes. Although he did not try to get close to her in any way, he made sure that Sophia did not harbor any hostile intent towards his innocent sister.

So, at least that gesture of the 4th prince was silently appreciated by Sophia; eventually, a silent alliance was created between the 4th prince and the valkyrie, after 6 months of being summoned. She had become moderately close with both Lumina and Lucien, while perfectly maintaining a respectful distance from the prince. But as a result of getting too close to the two less influential, oppressed Suncrest siblings, the pressure and humiliation on the valkyrie increased exponentially.

By this time, Sophia had more or less gotten to everything she needed to know, in fact, far more than anyone else, other than the king, despite her oppressed status within the confines of the royal palace. Her status is officially only second to the king himself. But since this world is entirely ruled by strength, as long as she does not possess that overwhelming strength that she is supposed to, no rules about it will make others respect her. More than that, she learned that as long as she grows strong enough, the commanding control the king has over her will slowly loosen.

Eventually, the Suncrest siblings introduced Sophia to their sick mother. Who was supposedly the real queen, the first wife of Leonidas Suncrest? But alas! as the king had no feeling for her, and dearly loved the concubine. He effortlessly disregarded the long-standing rules of the past, because again, the only valid iron rule in this world was strength, absolute strength. Even the sickness of Lumina’s mother was a result of the slow poisoning from the concubine. Everyone was aware of it, but no one took action.

Despite her poor state, she was a third-phase Seeker, but rendered much weaker as a result of the unique poison used by the concubine, which was slowly killing her; yet, she still looked youthful, and no one would say that she was a day older than 25 years old. She was beautiful with curly hair and an hourglass-shaped figure. Wearing a brown royal cloth.

She blinked her eyes in a gesture of surprise as she was sipping tea in a small garden area, then a smile donned on her lips as she said, "It’s an honor to meet the valkyrie finally. Please forgive me for not being able to meet you sooner, since my movements are extremely limited due to certain wrongs I have committed."

She took a pause and then revealed the words that were actually on her mind, "Forgive me for being bland, but I must say, you truly are beautiful, to the point it almost feels unnatural. And those eyes of yours feel like something out of some land of horror. Though this intense wrongness that I feel when looking in your eyes seems to be going away slowly, it’s interesting."

Sophia had by now learned to keep a neutral expression outward, since the royals seemed to find joy in her miserable expressions. But she was nowhere near good enough to completely hide all of her emotions flawlessly. So, a flicker of surprise went through her face; after all, it was the first time someone was being so direct about her peculiarities.

Lumina rebuked angrily, "Mother..."

Lucien also winced, knowing that Sophia abhors being told about these things. But the valkyrie did not mind, honestly. Unlike the various royals, Lumina’s mother did not have an insulting tone when speaking of those facts, so she found her straightforwardness much more appreciable than that of the royals, who talk in riddles only to insult her; her brain had to translate them into simple language first, then understand. Something which she was utterly sick and tired of.

Sophia sat down in another empty chair right opposite her. She went straight to the point, "So, why did you ask to meet me?"

Lumina’s mother did not reply immediately and stared at Sophia intently as if evaluating something serious. After almost 10 seconds of stare down, she looked towards her two children and asked them, "Leave us alone for a bit."

Lumina hesitated for a moment, but seeing her mother’s stern look, she accepted reluctantly and turned around. When she looked towards her son, his gaze was unwavering as if silently relaying that he would absolutely not leave her alone with the valkyrie. She commanded Lucien sternly, "Leave."

Lucien’s reply was just as sharp, "NO..."

She sighed and rubbed her temples, pointing a finger towards Sophia, she stated in a mix of exasperation, "Foolish boy, she cannot harm anyone belonging to the royal family even if she wanted to. Not to mention she hasn’t even become a Seeker, though I am greatly weakened, I remain a third-phase being."

Lucien gave the valkyrie a warning glare before finally leaving. Just as he left, the two of them were left alone with no other interruptions. She chuckled and muttered, "Isn’t my little boy just so cute, worried about his mother like that. Even when knowing he doesn’t have enough strength to protect me, if something did threaten me."

Sophia’s expression, which was neutral just a second ago, suddenly turned blazingly cold. Seeing that gesture, Lumina’s mother clicked her tongue, "Okay, okay, no need to be feisty, so it was true that you absolutely abhor the idea of forming a relationship, if I’m not wrong, it’s because you already loved someone, perhaps still do."

Sophia replied dryly, "That is none of your business, my queen."

Lumina’s mother, Larissa, laughed aloud, though a cough shortly interrupted it. She cleared her throat, "No need to insult me like that. I understand, since you’re so unwilling, I shall refrain from trying to set you up with my son. Though I cannot help but imagine how lovely you’re children will be if it did happen. Considering how beautiful you are and how dashing my sweet son is."

But just as she stated that sentence, a shallow form of killing intent spread from the figure of Sophia, her face darkened with disgust that could make even a grown man step back in unease, and even Larissa felt a sense of unknown wrongness looking at the utterly disgusted expression of the summoned otherworldly girl. She hurriedly put both of her hands up in a comically surrendering gesture and cleared up the misunderstanding, "I was joking, I was just joking, calm down, little girl."