Breeding Season - Chapter 66
Then, Nicoletta had come to know Siren—a “princess” yet also a “monster.”
Each time she saw Siren trembling in fear, a base sense of superiority surged within her. She had become addicted to it, unable to stop.
Because there was nothing more exhilarating than being able to treat a princess however she pleased.
“Ahem. Lady Siren is a princess of Wilkeron and the sole surviving member of the Wilkeron royal lineage. Do you not understand what that means?”
Having assessed the situation, Jin also stepped in with a dry cough.
Unlike at the Wilkeron royal castle, here, Siren had three people standing in her defense.
And all three were from the South— Which meant Nicoletta had no choice but to back down.
‘But… but how dare they? That maid is one thing. That little brat looks refined enough to belong to the ruling class, but the other two are just servants, aren’t they?’
I am a noble! How dare they!
Nicoletta’s face flushed red with rage as she huffed and opened her mouth.
“How dare you! I never gave you permission to speak—who do you think you are, running your mouth, you lowly servant?!”
In truth, Nicoletta and the rest of the Wilkeron women had been speaking exclusively in Wilkeron’s language this entire time.
Jin, Pamilla, and Chris found their behavior utterly ridiculous.
It wasn’t as if they couldn’t speak Southern. And yet, they stubbornly clung to Wilkeron’s tongue.
“Oh, did you think speaking in Wilkeron would keep us from understanding? What a shame. I happen to know every language in existence. And tell me, since when do Wilkerons get to spout nonsense at will in the South? Do you think you’re something special here?”
Chris, arms crossed, smirked without yielding an inch.
Even now, as beings who were not human, they were merely speaking.
Each listener was simply interpreting the words in the language they were most familiar with.
“But… the princess is hiding behind the lower ranks.”
As Nicoletta hesitated and stepped back, Daphne took her place.
This had already become a battle of pride.
Someone they had always looked down on was now boasting just because she had a few people on her side?
Daphne couldn’t tolerate that either.
“Speak for yourself. Do you not feel the least bit sorry toward us? More than half of us died on the way here. Over thirty people were killed. And those girls and maids were taken for no reason. Do you have nothing to say about that?”
“How is that my—!”
Chris flared up, his eyes blazing as he stepped forward.
There was a limit to how far sophistry could go.
This was nothing but absurdity.
“Chris. It’s fine.”
But Siren stopped the enraged Chris.
“Thank you, all of you, for standing up for me.”
In truth, Siren’s silence hadn’t been out of fear.
Nicoletta and Daphne.
She did find the two of them uncomfortable, but after successfully summoning the wind with her spell just moments ago, her confidence and self-esteem had risen—if only a little.
She had received, learned, and realized so much since coming here. She was no longer the monster Siren of the past.
So even if she hesitated a little, she was now capable of responding herself.
Or so she had thought—just as she was about to speak…
The desert rat, Pamilla, shouted. Then Chris. Then Jin…
Listening to their words, Siren clutched her chest, overwhelmed.
Her heart was pounding so violently that if she opened her mouth, she felt she might burst into tears. She needed a moment to collect herself.
“I understand. Logically, it’s strange to be on good terms with the people of the country that destroyed my own.”
A calmness settled in Siren’s blue eyes.
In a way, it was also a kind of coldness.
“But so what? What have you ever done for me?”
“W-what…? Is that something a princess should say?”
“Yes. I am a princess and, at present, the regent of the royal authority. Nicoletta Brienne. Daphne Carmore. Then what about you?”
If they wanted to hold her accountable for Wilkeron, then they should at least treat her according to her status in Wilkeron.
That was the point Siren had made.
‘What’s going on? Why isn’t she acting as obedient as before?’
Nicoletta and Daphne were both caught off guard by Siren’s change.
No matter how cruel they were, she was supposed to lower her head and cower.
Yet, had she lost her mind? She was standing her ground.
