Book 4: Chapter 88: Desire
Lesiahâs consciousness began to blur.
The extreme temperature, suffocation, and dehydration eroded her consciousness all at once.
While struggling, countless thoughts coursed through her mind at high speed as she looked for a turning point.
Her battle qi was running out faster than usual.
The temperature in the steamer wasnât just merely a few degrees higher than the boiling point of water. It was at least over a thousand degrees, enough to pose a threat to even a rank nine warrior like her.
Neither her metal restraints nor this steamer was made of ordinary materials. At least with her current capabilities, there wasnât any hope for her to destroy them.
Not even the slightest bit.
Desperation started creeping in as Lesiahâs skills in escaping were proven to be completely ineffective in this situation.
Any schemes she had were rendered useless in the face of absolute power.
And she found herself stuck in this rut ever since she stepped foot into the Ancient Ruins.
First, it was Golden Demon Htilil. Then it was Shiloah, the strange man.
However this time, it wasnât just her strength being undermined, but also her intellect.
âOhoho, are you still keeping up with your futile resistance, princess? Iâd suggest you give up. This steamer is specially made to keep the temperature rising against battle qi. The more you struggle, the worse you suffer. You might as well give in and surrender yourself to a peaceful death.â
âDream⦠on⦠Iâll⦠never⦠give inâ¦â
âOhoho, really? On the contrary, I think youâve given in countless times.â
âWhat⦠do⦠you⦠meanâ¦?â
âOhoho, am I not right? Princess Lesiah, havenât you been doing that for years ever since the death of your father?â
âWhat do you⦠knowâ¦?â
âI know youâve given in to your destiny, responsibilities, the expectation on you, your useless mother, as well as your weakness and incompetenceâ¦â
âShut up⦠You can insult me, but not my motherâ¦â
âInsult?â
Shiloah laughed so hard that he could barely remain standing straight. âArenât those the thoughts in your heart? Your mother is useless, your sister is a doll and your father is just a phantom sealed away in a picture frame.â
âNonsenseâ¦â
âOhoho, I donât think it is nonsense. Donât forget, I am omniscient. I know your every thought, princess.â
ââ¦â¦â
âThey are all nice to see, but of no use to youâ¦â
The strange man leaned closer to the streamer, his voice clearly reached Lesiahâs ears like he was whispering directly in them.
There was nothing she could do to block it out.
âRather than being useful, they only know how to put constant pressure on you. But thereâs nothing you can do but to resign to your fate. After all, you are the only one who can shoulder these responsibilities. Youâre only barely able to cope with it for now, but no one knows when youâll cave in. That is why you started running away all the time. You tried escaping every day through various methods. Over time, escaping becomes your instinctive reaction.â
âShut⦠up!â
âOhoho, did I hit the nail on the head?â
Excitement filled Shiloah and he couldnât stop himself from dancing.
âCanât face the death of your father? Escape. Canât face the pressure from your mother? Escape. Canât handle mountains of official duties? Escape. Encountered a strong enemy? Escape. Something seems off to you? Escape. Escape. Escape. Escape. Even if it means you have to abandon your subordinates and your companion. Are there any problems you canât solve with escaping?â
âShut up! Itâs notâ¦like that!â
âNot like that? Then princess, explain to me what it is?â
Iâm not escaping⦠Iâm justâ¦
âLesiah, youâre the only one I can rely on nowâ¦â
The boundary between memory and reality blurred once again. The queenâs beautiful face reappeared before her eyes.
On her twelfth birthday, she stood on the highest peak of the Macedonian Empire with her father. Gazing at the everlasting snow-capped peaks, her father pointed to the picturesque scenery and told her, âLesiah, you shall eventually succeed the throne and inherit this empireâ¦â
âPlay with me, sisterâ¦!â
Lesiah saw the flashback of herself with her head buried in work while her little sister pestered her to play with her.
âYour Royal Highness, there are still matters that require your attention todayâ¦â
It was Miss Sheila, her loyal servant.
âYour Royal Highness, the northern land is experiencing a harsh winter. It has killed a large number of the people there and destroyed the land. Lookâ¦â
It was Duke Roger, who always harbored ill intentions.
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
Colemanâ¦
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
Her peopleâ¦
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
A splitting headache assaulted her. She was surrounded by countless people that kept calling out to her, screaming and crying.
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
âYour Royal Highnessâ¦â
There was expectation, ridicule, reliance, respect, and disdain in those voices.
Every voice was like a link in a chain that bound her heart. It wrapped around her tightly, squeezing her fragile heart with the intention of crushing it.
I donât want to escape. No one likes escaping. But⦠I⦠I⦠Never wanted to become a princess. I donât want to be the next queen. Like most teenage girls⦠All I yearn for is an adventure or love story like those written in books. I long for it and wish that one day, I can let go of everything and experience this strange world that is filled with excitement.
I want to see all the good and the bad in this world. I want to experience a fight that I will never have to run away from. A fight where I can draw my sword and face my enemies with courage. A fight where I will never give up even if I am covered in wounds. I wish there will be someone shielding me when Iâm in mortal danger. With an air of mystery shrouding that person, that person would turn to look at me and tell me a gentle smile, âGo ahead first.â
âOhoho, what a beautiful fantasy.â
The voice that disgusted her the most shattered her fantasy and pulled her back to the cruel reality.
âMy dear princess, you should know that none of your fantasies will happen.â
Shiloah paced around the steamer, his every footstep sounded like the tolling of deathâs bell.
It cleared the haze in the princessâ mind.
He was right and Lesiah knew it.
The things that she wanted were out of her reach ever since she was born into the Macedonian royal family.
Her destiny had completely trapped her and the death of her father only accelerated the process of her assuming her responsibilities.
Even if the life she led resembled more like a warm family of four, it didnât change the fact that she was the eldest princess.
She was destined to lead an extraordinary life that was nothing like the stories she read in books.