119 Interlude — The Two Royal Perverts

Arthurstaad. The capital of the Holy Empire. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was the center of the Holy Continent or even the center of the world itself. It was the most populous city in the world and it possessed culture and wealth unrivaled by any other nations out there. At its very center, there stood a tall and proud castle, overlooking the entire city as its protector. It was the Diamond Palace—the place where the imperial family resided. It earned that title for the way the architecture sparkled and glistened under the sunlight, thanks to the special stone it was built from. Its size was massive, to the point that you could divide it into two. The Outer Palace and the Inner Palace. The Outer Palace was where most of the palace's residents worked and lived. Nobles and knights could be seen all over this section of the palace, dressed lavishly to show off their wealth. The Inner Palace on the other hand was reserved for the royal family and those they trusted. The number of people you could find there decreased significantly, as it was forbidden to everyone but a very few to step one's foot there. And the punishment for trespassing was death.

Thanks to those two facts, it wasn't odd in the slightest for it to be regarded to be the world's largest and most beautiful royal palace.

Within its walls, however, it was another matter entirely. The beauty that outsiders would witness from the outside—it hid an ugliness that had corrupted the millennia-old empire. Those who lived in it were monsters of lies and deceit, fighting against each other to gain power and influence day and night. It got so bad that even the servants had to be trained in combat, just so they could protect the lords and ladies they served from the others.

It was a suffocating and hellish environment, where you could barely trust anyone.

And yet, it was an environment where she thrived.

Rinea Rhea Pendragon, the First Imperial Princess of The Holy Empire of Milicis.

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"So, she survived after all. Impressive."

"Yes, Milady. My reports said that she had taken shelter within the Galahad Order as one of its students."

"As for the assassins?"

"The Guild hasn't given an official report. However, our own sources said that some of them perished in her hand, while others had switched sides, choosing to serve her instead."

"Switched sides? Clever. That little monster would not hesitate to end their lives so the moment they knew they would lose, they spared themselves her blade by surrendering instead. I wonder though, my dear Fiora. You are not so foolish to believe that traitors like them could be trusted, right?"

This conversation was done out of in the open, right inside one of the many gardens the palace possessed. It was the Rose Garden, the favorite flower of the princess. Naturally, it existed at the inner palace, and away from any prying ears or eyes. That's why they were comfortable enough discussing such a sensitive subject there.

"Persuade those assassins to betray her. If they're unwilling, kill them."

"Of course, Milady."

The maid bowed deeply at her mistress' command.

She was an attractive woman in her late thirties, possessing short lavender hair. Like a proper maid, she wore a maid's outfit that was colored light crimson, customized with a leather corset that hugged her slim waist. It emphasized her large bust even more than they were already emphasized by her tight-fitting dress. Her eyes were emerald green, though of a duller side.

Her mistress, on the other hand, was on another level entirely.

Her maid turned outright homely in front of her presence. Such was the level of beauty that she possessed. Her silver hair flowed like a serene waterfall down her shoulders, complemented beautifully by the azure dress she wore. Her skin was fair but not pale, and her figure was perfectly proportioned without a single flaw. The people of the capital called her the Diamond Princess, and many even believed that she was the most beautiful princess that had ever lived.

She was currently seated at a pure white table under a gazebo—a private spot where she could enjoy her tea while being surrounded by the flowers she was fond of. Of course, like a proper maid, the other woman remained standing. You could see the large knife sheathed behind her, signifying that she was also the princess' bodyguard.

The princess took a sip of her tea, as for a short moment, she took in the sights. As usual, the gardeners made sure that every single rose was flawless. They even employed several Earth mages to ensure that the roses never wilted, even in the winter.

It was a picturesque sight—a fairylike beauty from those old folktales sipping tea while being surrounded by roses, served by her dutiful maid. It would be a crime—no, a sin—to disturb such a sight.

And then, that picture was destroyed completely by the arrival of one man.

"Well well well, this seems to be quite the nice tea party you have here, my little sister. Mind if I join?"

He was none other than Sigmund Freya Pendragon, the Imperial Prince of the Holy Empire. Just like his sister, he was blessed with a handsome look that could make any woman graced by his presence swoon and faint. He possessed the same hair color as his sister and he had the same level of charisma as well, judging by how many noble ladies and maids he had bedded. His nickname was the Silver Prince, and he was the leading candidate to be the next Emperor, once his father retired on his position.

He smiled at her as he took his seat uninvited. Any other woman would have fallen for his charms right then and there. The First Princess remained unaffected however.

"Were you perhaps talking about our dear Fiora, my darling?" He continued smiling as the maid poured his cup with tea.

"Oh? Eavesdropping again? That's not a very nice thing to do, my older brother," she replied with her own smile.

"Oh no, I wouldn't possibly dare to do something as abhorrent as that." He gave her a disappointed look. "It is simply… a guess. You two are talking on your own and usually, the topic would be our dear little sister."

"Hmph, then you've guessed correctly."

"She made it, didn't she?"

"Oh yes, just like you predicted."

"Ha, I knew it! That girl is too tough to just die to a bunch of assassins!"

"How odd. You seem happy, even though this would jeopardize our plans."

The two had made a temporary truce. Until their little sister was taken care of, they wouldn't make any moves against each other. Thanks to the equal position they had, it was unwise for them to fight each other for the throne right away. The brother had the majority support of the nobility, while the sister held the merchant class—thus, the economy of the empire—in her fingers, thanks to her company.

"Since she's joining those sword-loving guys, maybe she'll abandon this whole game in the first place. She'll become a wandering swordswoman instead, slaying dragons left and right. That would be wonderful, wouldn't it, my dear sister?" He grinned.

The princess took note that she had never told him of Fiora's newly gained association with the Order, meaning, he had his own network of spies. As expected, of course.

"How naive. That little brute would never just give up like that. Most likely, she intended to become a swordsman so strong she could just waltz into this palace and kill everyone that blocks her path to the throne."

"Ha! She has to be the Legendary Hero himself to do that! No way a person can win against the Seven on her own!"

The Seven he was talking about was, of course, the Seven Imperial Knights of the Empire.

"Then she would seek out allies—allies that might be strong enough to even topple the Seven."

"Like those mages across the ocean?"

"That's a possibility. But she isn't dumb. She knows if she asks for help from the Magocracy, she will only become their puppet. And she will never want such a position, not with that hardheaded personality of hers."

The two paused for a bit. The princess took another sip of her tea while the prince simply played around with his cup, seemingly entertaining himself with his reflection there.

The prince was the one to break the silence.

"Have you heard? Someone assassinated Vera Marjoram."

"Of course I have," the princess fired back with an annoyed expression. She didn't enjoy being underestimated by her brother like that. "The Greenwood Family. The father and mother died while the brother and sister survived. That mage must be a fool to be taken down by them. How could you lose to someone who decided it's a good idea to bring a young boy with them to assassinate someone? No matter how much of a genius he is in combat, it's a weak point she could easily abuse."

"You mean like using him as a hostage?"

"Something like that could work. Or just killing him first, sending his parents to a rage. Then they would make mistakes. And then, use those mistakes to kill them next."

"Wow, how cold. They should start calling you the Ice Princess instead." Her brother chuckled.

Naturally, she gave him another offended look.

"So, what would be our next plan for her?" The prince spoke again.

"Let's see… since sending assassins won't work, then I suppose we'll have to use her instead."

"Her?" The prince replied with a curious look.

"Yes, her." She smirked. "Surely you can figure out who I am talking about."

"...Ah, of course! Her!" He snapped his finger. "How could I forget? The cool and mysterious knight herself! Lady Gloria Fitzgerald!"

"I've called her here by the way," the princess continued. "She should arrive soon enough. But for now, let's talk about something else, shall we?" Her smile suddenly turned into a smirk. "The new maid. How was she?"

"Ah, not holding back in the slightest, are we?" He grinned as well. "You know, you should stop being this blunt. Imagine what our subjects would think if they know their beloved princess is a pervert."

"It's the same with you, dear brother. What would they think if they know how much you've slept around?"

"Hey, everyone already knows I'm popular with the ladies," he said with a proud look. "But you… you're supposed to be the pure and perfect princess. Not somebody who would command her maids to warm her bed at night."

It was indeed true, what he said. She had slept with nearly every attractive maid that belonged to her faction. Of course, she only did it after she made sure the maid was trustworthy, which meant no contact with other factions in the palace, especially her brother's. And Primela, her most loyal maid, would always hide on the corner of the room watching.

And naturally, she had slept with Primela many times as well. Even though she was already in her thirties, her body was still attractive enough for her to hold interest.

"As for your question," the prince continued. "She was alright, I suppose."

"Oh? Does she not satisfy you? From what I saw of her, she was a pretty cute girl. I thought since you prefer inexperienced girls, you would be more fond of her. What's her name again? Teila or something?"

"Her body didn't do it for me, unfortunately." He ignored her question. "Her body was on the sensitive side, sure, and her innocence was certainly charming, but she was still young so her hips were small and her breasts were just average. Though her nipples were cute, especially the way they stood up just because I played with her a little."

"Her nipples?" A twinkle appeared in her eye.

"Heh, if you have to ask, they're a lovely shade of pink, with a dash of redness as well."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful," the princess replied. "Though personally, I prefer cherry red on a field of white snow."

"Should I lend her to you then?" He smirked.

"Mmm, that would be unnecessary. I still have some other maids of my own that I would like to sleep with."

Ever since they reached puberty, the two were already preying on the palace maids. Make no mistake. A lot of the maids who worked there were daughters of low to mid-rank nobles, sent by their parents to serve so that they could curry favors with the imperial family. The prince was even more ravenous, going after noble ladies and prostitutes alike outside the palace. Well, the princess would do the same whenever the circumstances allowed her to. She had slept with the daughters of some merchants she was associated with.

They were a pair of young lecherous philanderers. And they were proud of it.

Blackmail? No one dared to do that. They knew going against the imperial prince and princess meant death. If not that, financial ruin. They had taken out a handful of nobles and merchants who had gone quite uppity in that manner. And even if the rumor got out, it wasn't something they couldn't live with. After all, it was common for the high-ranking nobles of the Empire to have uncommon sexual proclivities, with some being even more degenerate than they were. And they naturally kept track of that information as well.

The Empire had been the richest and most prosperous country in the entire world for hundreds of years. And with wealth came decadence, just like the empires of Earth. That decadence even transformed into a status symbol in time. For example, eyebrows would be raised if a nobleman refuses to take mistresses. His manhood would be questioned, even by the wife herself. She was already taught to expect her future husband to have another woman or two he would sleep with ever since she was a child.

The Empire might be holy in name, but it's certainly not holy in practice.

Their lewd talk continued for some time until a butler came to them, announcing the arrival of the Imperial Knight.

"Good. Sent her in then," the princess replied.

Soon after, another person entered the scene. This time, it was another woman, donning a full imperial knight armor except for the helmet. As this was the inner palace, she wasn't allowed to carry her sword and shield. Even as one of the Seven, she hadn't earned that privilege yet. Her hair was long and blonde, with a braid on one side. She was another beautiful personage, though, of course, her beauty still couldn't compare with the princess'.

"Welcome, Lady Fitzgerald." The princess greeted her with a smile. "Apologies for making you walk here from the outer palace, but we have a request I'd like to make to you in private."

The knight immediately kneeled in front of the two, facing her head to the grass underneath her. Decorum demanded her to do this, or else she would be executed for her insolency.

"Of course, Your Royal Highness," she replied.

"We would like you to send a message to our dear little sister, Fiora. I want you to do it personally. You used to be her tutor, so I believe she will listen to you. Unfortunately, we have somewhat… drifted apart over the years, after the terrible death of her mother. So she wouldn't listen to us."

"...Very well, Your Royal Highness. I shall make sure to deliver your message. Though I would have to ask for approval from His Imperial Majesty first before I could leave the palace."

The law dictated that The Seven were bound to the emperor and the emperor alone. No one else had the right to rule them around, not even his wife or children. Of course, in practice, it's a different matter entirely. The knights still had to respect his relatives, or else they would be seen as disrespecting the Emperor, so they ended up taking orders from them anyways. As long as said order didn't clash with the Emperor's orders, then they would be allowed to fulfill them.

"Of course." The princess smiled. "See Father after this. He would approve for sure. As for the message, Primela will explain further. Primela, accompany her to Father.."

"Of course, Milady." The maid bowed.

The knight bowed as well, before standing up and excusing herself with another bow. It's only natural that you have to do a lot of bowing in front of the most powerful royal family in the world.

Once the two were out of sight, the prince let out a whistle.

"I really want to make her squeal."

"Not Primela, I assume. She's mine and mine only." The princess pouted.

The prince chuckled. "Heh, of course not. I'm not interested in the elderly."

"You know she's not that much younger than Primela, right?"

"Really? Now that's a surprise."

He took another sip of his tea. Finding that the cup was empty, he raised his right upwards, signaling to his attendant to show herself.

The bushes nearby shook, and a girl came out from it. Unlike Primela, her maid dress was the short version, with the skirt ending halfway up her thighs, revealing a generous amount of her smooth legs and stockings. She had short dark hair and red eyes.

Naturally, the prince wouldn't be walking around without his own maid/bodyguard. In fact, each of them still had more servants and bodyguards standing nearby. They simply had ordered them to give them privacy, so they didn't show themselves.

The prince didn't need to say anything. The girl immediately refilled his cup.

"Ah, so you brought Zenetia along as well," the princess commented as she sipped her own tea.

"Of course! I can't do anything without her help!" He grinned. The maid didn't respond to the praise however.

The two continued their talk for a while, steering back to a lewder topic once again.

Planning the assassination of their own half-sister seemed to be only another conversation topic to them, equal to an argument about which color of nipples are the best. Such was the level of ruthlessness that they possessed.

Then again, for the hell that was the Diamond Palace, par for the course.