Marquis Volumlashu was one of the six Great Nobles and only Raeven and Zanack knew that he was an informant. The only reason Marquis Raeven had tolerated that traitor was to maintain the power balance between the factions.
Thus, he concealed this fact to the Noble Faction and made sure that not too much information flowed towards the Empire. He had accomplished this in complete secrecy thus far. Zanack only knew of this because the Marquis had told him. Then how did this little bird in a cage manage to deduce this answer. Just the mere thought of how she had achieved that gave Zanack goosebumps.
“How did you learn all that…”
“It gets mentioned here and there. Maids also speak of it sometimes.”
How trustworthy would the maids’ stories be, Marquis Raeven still could not believe it. Especially if his past memories served him right, he could understand what she meant by deducing it from what maids were talking about. In a way, this woman in front of him had sifted through piles of garbage to piece together a jewel.
“—a monster.”
A comparison truly worthy of women such as Renner flowed out his lips. Despite hearing a rude comment, Renner simply smiled. Marquis Raeven abandoned all thoughts he previously harbored.
She was worthy of being treated as an equal. His memory had indeed been true.
"…Very well, everything I know, I shall be sharing with you. Is this fine with you, my Prince?”
After confirming that Zanack had approved, Marquis Raeven sat straight up, facing Renner head on. His attitude was similar to Gazef facing an opponent.
“However, I would like to speak to the “real” Princess Renner.”
“What do you mean by “real”?”
Renner asked as if question was strange.
“In the past, I saw a girl. A girl with powers of observation that I could not even hope to match, a girl who spoke of things so complex, I could not comprehend. Of course when I had finally figured out the meaning and the value of those words, a long time had already passed.”
Marquis Raeven’s soliloquy continued in silence.
"…A girl who spoke something incomprehensible, that’s how I evaluated her. Even though I only thought of her like that, it felt as if I was facing a dangerous person.”
“A dangerous person?”
Renner asked quietly.
“Yes. Because it had been so brief, I simply thought it had been just my imagination. But I had truly felt that. Empty eyes that were thinking nothing of the world and holding only contempt for other humans.”
Marquis Raeven’s shoulders shuddered in response to the chilly atmosphere that filled the room.
“By the time I saw that girl again, her aura matched that of any other girl of her age. So I thought I was mistaken back then… I truly wish to ask you, Princess. I wish to know if my suspicion that you have deceived us so far is true or not.”
Two pairs of eyes collided with each other. It was as if two snakes were tangled in a fight to the death. Then suddenly, light from Renner’s eyes disappeared. Marquis Raeven made a nostalgic smile as if he had just witnessed a scenery from his distant memory.
“Ah… to think it had been that long…”
Zanack shed cold sweat at the scene of his sister turning into an ugly and dangerous monster that still had a smile on her face. He had already had a clue what kind of hideous true self was lying beneath that beautiful face. His assumption that she wanted to grasp power and destroy the Kingdom had been incorrect, but she was still a cancerous being of a completely different level.
“Of course, Princess Renner. Those are the same eyes I had seen in the past. You’ve been putting on quite an act ever since then.”
“Not quite, Marquis Raeven. There was no acting, I was simply satisfied.”
"…Your personal guard, Climb… Is he who you’re talking about?”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to Climb.”
“For that boy to have something in him to change you… I thought him a mere child… Just what is he to you, Princess?”
Renner’s gaze wandered through the air. How much was he worth. What kind of words would truly express his value.
Renner Thiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself
If her existence could be summed up in one word, it would be ‘golden’. The word referred to her beauty. However, few knew that she possessed an ability which would make her beauty pale in comparison. Her intelligence, observational skills, comprehension, creativity, leadership, and every other aspect concerning rulership was overdeveloped.
— If described in one word, it would be ‘genius’.
It could only be said to be a gift from god. Her thoughts, which could only be described as divine inspiration, were all created from combing through and observing countless information. Even if one searched all across the continent, no one could come close to her abilities. Even amongst the beings that transcended humanity, there were few who could compare to her.
Even in Nazarick, only Albedo, who oversees all servants and guardians, and Demiurge, who possesses fiendish wisdom and expertise in all things concerning rulership, could truly match her. Humans always make decision from their own point of view. In that sense, she could be described as strange or weird. However she had one fault. She could never understand why others did not know what she knew. If there was a someone who was on equal terms with her, they might have recognized her for the genius she was. If it had been so, results might have been different.
But this was not the case.
The evaluation she received was that of a young girl who annoyed others because she only spoke of incomprehensible things. Because she was a cute girl, there was not too much hatred for her and she received a fair amount of love as well, but the fact that nobody really understood what she said had a huge effect on her mental development, and slowly twisted the girl over time.
It could be said that she was lonely because she was a genius. Without anyone by her side who could understand her, her stress only increased to the point where she was unable to eat anything without regurgitating it. Nobody thought the Princess, who was only getting weaker and weaker, would survive. She might, indeed, not have without her puppy, and even if she did survive, a demon lord would have been born instead. A demon lord who could only look at things in terms of numbers, and forced sacrifice upon the few for the good of the many.
It was truly a simple change. While she was going out for a stroll with the guards on one rainy night, she picked up a puppy. The puppy whose life was saved thanks to its master showed something in its eyes for her. It was a heavy set of eyes. The girl certainly felt it. The look of admiration in all its purity.
She was used to looks of indifference. She was used to looks of disdain. She was used to looks of doting. However, she could not understand that gaze. That truthful gaze was a target of hatred, panic, happiness, unknown sensations and — a human.
Just like herself, she saw a human in him.
The puppy she picked up became a boy, and then a man. Whether he was a puppy or a boy or a man, that same pure gaze stared at her. However, that gaze was no longer painful. Because of that gaze, she could converse with others with some semblance of a normal person. She could interact with those ugly and filthy lesser beings. And now, Renner’s world was complete with Climb just being in it.
“Climb… Yes, it is so. If I could be joined with Climb… Hmm, perhaps if I chain him up so he can’t go anywhere, I will be happy.”
The atmosphere froze. It was a given that Zanack could not, but Marquis Raeven also could not hide his consternation. They had expected to hear sweet words filled with romantic fantasy befitting a beautiful young lady, but this was beyond their imagination. If she spoke of unfulfilled love due to difference in status, it would be understandable. But that statement was outrageous to say the least.