This had to be some sick dream.

The more Zuian thought it in that light, the more logical it seemed. Surely, no self-respecting person would allow themselves to be towed around in the beak of a beast. Definitely not a Princess in the presence of their whole family and castle staff until finally being unceremoniously dropped in a chair. Yep, such things were the work of fiction.

They simply didn’t happen in reality.

‘Why are you doing this?’ (Z)

‘Hmm… Why are you asking such a dumb question? Isn’t it obvious? How else would you further your plans to become Queen?’ (L)

Listening to Lord’s response, Zuian turned and faced the direction of the beast’s presence. Lord had made himself very comfortable in the corner right of him.

‘I don’t ever remember stating I had such plans’ (Z)

‘You don’t have to spell out such obvious things’ (L)

Clearly, I do.

‘Such a simple accomplishment is practically guaranteed with my aid’ (L)

It was a good thing Zuian was a responsible, calm individual. Otherwise, he might’ve done some very unprincess-like things. Taking a few short moments utilise a calming breathing technique. Zuian pondered.

What should he do?

Since coming from his trial, Zuian contemplated that single question, battling with it. He… he had seen a lot during that time and learned quite a bit about himself too. The only word appropriate to describe the whole experience was easy to choose.

Ghastly.

Zuian had spent so, so long in that trial that waking up here felt like a dream. A sweet, delectable dream. An escape from the insanity that had devoured his mind. It was odd when he thought about it. This was reality. It was supposed to be, yet it felt like a child’s fever dream. It was a real shame.

If only it had come sooner.

Zuian felt himself simply too far gone. Nothing, no amount of sweetness, would bring him back. No amount of kindness could bring him back. An empty husk—that was what Zuian was. He was an empty husk who had been gifted a life many would envy. Truthfully, he was underserving. Undeserving of the clothes he wore, the bed he slept in, and the people that surrounded him. He was undeserving, and that was unfair. Unfair to the clothes he wore, the bed he slept in, and the people that surrounded him.

Zuian had plans. Yes, that was true. Plans to right the unfairness, the injustice that surrounded him. He would pay his dues. He would honour all the vicious, high promises he made before the trial. And then, after that. After all that, he could be free.

That was his goal; those were his plans.

It was the least he could do, not only for others but also for himself.

He couldn’t keep living like this.

‘I would start on the food if I were you’ (L)

Zuian has wasted a lot of time since coming back. He should’ve started tackling his previous lofty goals a long time ago. In fact, he shouldn’t be sitting here wasting time eating. He needs to formulate S.M.A.R.T. plans.

‘I do not take commands from you’ (Z)

Zuian pushed back his chair and rose. He detected the focus of those at the quiet table shift towards him. He paid them no heed; he had their debts to settle, and no creditor would remain unperturbed alongside a debtor.

They wouldn’t want him here.

As Zuian made way to the door, lightly straining his senses, he thought back to his old main goal. It was a naive and straightforward goal, yet it was its simplicity that rendered it challenging. To become the greatest Arose in history was no small feat; it was not even a clear-cut path. To most, the goal was subjective at best. Nevertheless, Zuian pursued it with a rough, deranged plan in mind. He would turn the subjective into the objective. He would do the impossible.

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He would earn all the Empyrean medals.

‘Leaving so soon?’ (L)

Fast!

Despite seeing him coming, Zuian didn’t do anything. To do so would cause much more trouble than he would avoid. Lord’s wing swept Zuian off his feet, leaving him temporarily airborne. While airborne, Lord manoeuvred his frame underneath Zuian.

‘How do you intend to function with no sustenance?’

Lord walked back to Zuian’s chair and dropped him off once more.

‘Now, be a good little girl and finish your meal’ (L)

This bastard…!

The meal was over, but the anger that built throughout the course of it was still present. Twice more it had happened. Twice more was Zuian carted back to the table after attempting to leave. He gave up after the third attempt when he realised, he was wasting more time fighting with the beast than it would have taken him to finish the food.

He must be asleep by now…

Zuian really struggled to finish this rather small meal. It had been an hour, maybe two, since he started eating after his last attempt to leave. The meal took much longer than he had anticipated. Despite his best efforts, he kept eating so slowly; it wasn’t like he intentionally took long.

Argh, what is wrong with me?

Zuian hadn’t eaten since yesterday's lunch, and it hadn’t even been a big meal. He should be, by all accounts, hungry. This lack of appetite was concerning, real concerning. Zuian didn’t normally track his eating habits, but one didn’t need to be a genius to figure out one meal a day wasn’t healthy. How long exactly had he been doing this? How did he let it get this bad?

Focus; I still need to leave to prepare.

The presences that continued to hang around Zuian as he ate were striking reminders of what he needed to do. Slowly getting up from his chair, careful not to make a sound, Zuian made movement towards the door. A lot was overdue.

He really needed to make progress.

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She was really fuming.

Curled contently in the right corner of the white grand dining halls, Crest paid no mind and took a moment to enjoy himself. The open white space combined with the painted fine art to make the place quite a spectacle to look at. The light that streamed from above illuminated the hall to the likes of Lalitha Mahal Palace. With the curved roof and fine furniture really adding the final shine, it was truly magnificent.

The barrage of insults and ill will flowing into Crest's head did little to take away from that.

Eventually, the insults slowly lost steam, leaving a lingering ghost of negative emotions. Crest could work with that. Peeking one eye open, Crest studied the people in the room.

At the head of the table, sitting side by side, were presumably the King and Queen. To their right were two teenage children, and to their left were one preteen and two younger children. The children seemed to be arranged according to age, with the oldest closest to the parents. Sitting behind the right corner of the preteen, Crest took in the family. They all spotted golden hair, coloured eyes, and fine clothing, except for Zuian, who wore a black blindfold and a night dress.

This might really be a little more challenging than expected.

There were a lot of potential heirs present here. If Crest wanted to make Zuian Queen, they were already up against a lot of opposition. Zuian would need to outshine them all whilst also allying some or outright getting rid of the more troublesome ones. Ones like the oldest brother. The boy carried an aura around him that screamed dangerous.

Crest wasn’t aware of the succession rules in this new world, but he did hope they were nothing like his old one. If males were the first considered for succession, then his subordinate might really be forced to go on a hunting trip with them and have an unfortunate accident. Given what he has seen so far of her, forcing such a thing might truly be impossible.

Generally, the situation might be challenging but not impossible. Of the eldest two, only one seemed to possess fighting capabilities, while the latter had a soft, gentle demeanour indicative of a social manipulator. The younger two, the assumed twins, were naturally behind Zuian unless there were some rules Crest wasn’t aware of.

A simple plan could be concocted to eliminate the older two by either outshining them or utilising underhanded methods to see to their end. Meanwhile, the younger pair could be persuaded and bribed. It was an easy plan on paper, for sure, but simplicity was the key to success.

I am assuming too much, aren’t I?

Crest’s plan relied on many rules and assumptions based on his own experiences on Earth. Truthfully, this was a new culture. Any plan Crest formulated now could be easily rendered worthless by something as fickle as culture. He needed more time, more knowledge. After all, he hadn’t even accounted for the human factor of choice. Just because something was objectively the best didn’t mean people would choose it. Crest couldn’t predict the King nor Queen or even the general populace’s reaction.

Such things require time.

Ah, she’s finally done.

Seeing Zuian get up to leave, Crest suppressed the ball of excitement that was starting to build up within. There was so much to do, so much that needed to be done. This, this new world was already proving to be interesting.

Just as Zuian was reaching for the door, Crest came up behind her and tackled her for the fourth time today with his wing. They had a lot to do, and nothing would stop him from seeing them done.

Not even the unsavoury language used by a Princess.

The guards opened the door to allow their exit.