Chapter 11 : [Interlude] - Sword Princess

[ Before reading: This chapter is an Interlude about the character Arie Rose Zahard. It is a chapter that is Canon to the story of Yeong Yeon and adds depth to Rose's character. Throughout this fanfiction, I will write Interludes that may appear between two arcs or sub-arcs to develop characters by reacting to present events or exploring their pasts, as in the following chapter. Now that this is said, enjoy your reading! This is a shorter chapter than the others, and it has a different writing style, but I hope you enjoy it just as much.] 

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"Your only duty, as a princess of Zahard and a member of my family, is to be one of my swords, as beautiful as you are powerful..." 

These words proclaimed by the head of the Arie family, Arie Hon, constantly echoed in the mind of a young girl who trained with her sword until her hands ached, striking targets within her family's mothership located on the 100th floor of the tower. Replaying this particular phrase from her father in her head ignited a fierce anger in this young warrior with silver hair, named Arie Rose Zahard. This strong emotion of rebellion was necessary for this Zahard princess, pushing her to continue improving, even if her body was injured in her quest for power.

"Blood father named Arie Hon, I will never be a mere object for you to wield! Adoptive father named Zahard, I will never be just a doll to be displayed before others! I will create my own story; I will take all the powers you have taught me to forge my narrative, one that will be remembered for my name, Rose, and not just because I belong to your family!"

Though it may seem paradoxical, this princess of the Arie family deeply hated being a princess of Zahard, even though it was the most prestigious position a regular could attain in the empire of King Zahard.

Indeed, being among the king's adopted children brought numerous privileges, even though in exchange, they all had to vow never to love a man for the rest of their lives. However, the great notoriety that came with this title benefited the princess herself less than it did her family, or in the case of one of the ten great families, her specific branch, as that branch would most likely be prioritized by its head over the others.

Nevertheless, in reality, for most family heads, the concept of the Zahard princesses seems to take on the meaning of a mere power struggle among regulars. To be convinced of this, one only needs to look at how Traumerei, the head of the Lo Po Bia family, seems to regard having members with Zahard blood as secondary or even unnecessary. In contrast, one could mention Eurasia Blossom and Po Bidau Gustang, who refuse any election of a princess in their families due to the incident involving Enne Zahard.

But to return to Arie Rose Zahard, one of the many reasons for her disdain for her title stems from the fact that she must constantly hide her true feelings behind the mask of her beauty. She deeply hates being hypocritical all the time, solely to maintain her position in the hierarchy.

It was only after she ingested the king's blood that she quickly began to hate this gilded cage that had been imposed on her. And even though she did not reject her beauty or femininity, being reduced to a beautiful body and great power frustrated her so much that resentment grew in her heart.

Especially when she thought that her desire to become a princess was not initially motivated by a wish to be a beautiful, lifeless doll for the sake of the empire, but rather to fulfil a promise she had made with her sister in the past.

"Rose, promise me that you will strive to train tirelessly so that you can be selected, just like me, as a princess, so that together we can become the strongest in the tower."

Of course, when Rose was nothing more than a child, hearing this from her sister, whom she admired so much, naturally motivated her to do everything possible to bring joy to the person she cherished the most.

Moreover, her sister was not just anyone; within the Arie family, she was regarded as a genius among geniuses, a monster of innate talent, born just 500 years ago, which was young compared to the average age of Rankers. Yet she surpassed the vast majority in power simply for her achievement of competing with her family head for a time while she was still a regular during a special test, which only she and the irregular Urek Mazino had passed.

Her sister was the famous Arie Hagipherione Zahard, and such a figure could only serve as a role model for young Rose. However, she unfortunately did not anticipate the personality change her sister would undergo when she became a princess.

"Very well, Rose, from now on we can both be the most beautiful and powerful blades of our father."

The shock was overwhelming for the poor newly selected princess when she heard those words come from Hagipherione's mouth. She had been full of hope and joy, but in an instant, all her dreams were shattered. She quickly realized that from the very beginning, she was meant to be a tool, and her sister had been sent to make her one.

"But strangely, she did not blame her sister for manipulating her, as she saw that Hagipherione, despite her very imperfect methods, wanted to protect her in her way. That's why the target of her anger shifted to her father, Arie Hon, the cause of it all, who viewed his entire family as a great sword of which he was the absolute master. For the innocent Rose Zahard, her sister must have been shaped by their progenitor to be the way she was today."

"Don't cry! Get up! You are a princess, your duty is to be the showcase of my swordsmanship, the swordsmanship of the Arie. So don't bring me shame, and improve your mastery of our art!"

This father, whom she had never seen since her birth, suddenly began to acknowledge her existence when she became a princess of Zahard and subjected her to daily training that resembled torture, where she was severely reprimanded every time she made a mistake. The goal was not to make her stronger, but simply to ensure that she would not bring shame when representing her family. This only deepened her anger toward her father, which gradually transformed into genuine hatred.

"Don't worry about her, she simply got lucky that her father is the head of the family from whom she derives all her strength. Otherwise, she would never have won that duel." 

And that phrase she heard all too often at the end of each of her victories in duels against family members had spread her hatred not only toward her father but also toward the rest of her family. She silently ground her teeth and bit her lips to avoid insulting them, she hated being told that she hadn't made an effort to reach her level and that she owed everything to Arie Hon. Meanwhile, every day, she trained until every joint in her body ached. Such a disposition forced her into solitude, where only her sister occasionally pulled her out. But the desire to defeat her father simmered within her.

"Don't even try to follow the same path as that failure Hoaqin. No matter your efforts, my daughter, it is impossible for any member of my family to surpass me..."  

Her father sensed her hatred toward him and reminded her of the story of her brother-in-law, Hoaqin, who had killed nearly a billion people in hopes of surpassing him but had miserably failed when a princess from his own family, who could not bear his actions, defeated him. Rose, deeply shocked by Hoaqin's actions, could see herself in him, while easily understanding that the man behind this massacre was her father, who had particularly motivated him to eliminate the inhabitants of the tower by filling him with false hopes that he might be able to defeat him if he was just as radical in his desire to surpass him.

"I am not powerful enough right now, Father, but one day I will succeed where Hoaqin failed, and I will defeat you." 

That day, she was truly frustrated when her father's only response was to sigh and murmur that it would once again be a failure. But instead of making her despair, it only fueled her desire to contradict him, and so she trained relentlessly to become not a blade he wielded, but rather a blade that would cut his hand. And thus, with Hagipherione's help, she quickly became an expert in Arie swordsmanship.

"Princess of Zahard, from the Arie family, my name is Headon, administrator of the first floor of the tower, and I have chosen you to ascend the tower and fulfil all your desires. Will you accept my invitation, Arie Rose Zahard?"  

Rose, now 19 years old, was truly looking forward to the opportunity to ascend the tower to achieve her goal. So when Headon appeared at her bedroom window, she felt genuinely joyful, something she hadn't felt in a long time due to all her troubles. Without hesitation, she accepted without even thinking, and when the administrator asked her the deep reason for wanting to climb the tower, she replied with resolve :

"By climbing this tower, Headon, I will do the impossible. For me, being a high Ranker is not an end, but merely a means to achieve my goal, which is to surpass and defeat my father, Arie Hon, the strongest of the family heads, to free my sister by doing so."  

The administrator smiled upon hearing such an ambitious desire and then teleported Arie Rose to the second floor of the tower, where she would meet Yeong Yeon and Aldwin Tu Perie. This marked the beginning of the story of the Sword Princess.