The Great Wish - Chapter 2.9

Chapter 2.9

Chapter 2: To Open One's Eyes

Kuhn had met many royal families and aristocrats before . They acted generous, pretending they were the saviors of the poor . It was ridiculous . They would listen to the problems of the poor, but mock and twist their words behind their backs . It was a specialty of the upper-class .

Kuhn knew how to push the buttons of those who talked in circles using their sophisticated words . They were always displeased when he took their words and threw them back at them . Kuhn would draw their human natures out of their gentle facades .

However, the Princess's reaction was new . The moment she called him 'you', Kuhn could feel her anger radiating off of her, but the way she expressed her rage was elegant .

'How is she so different?'

She was completely different from Dian . Dian had incredibly thick skin and had no problem lying to someone's face . Sometimes, he made Kuhn want to curse .

Sienna merely muttered 'Impertinent, so impertinent' as she calmed down .

"If it's a difficult question for you to answer, you don't have to answer it . "

Feeling a bit bad, Kuhn suddenly had the desire to be someone that gave Sienna the answers she was looking for . Sienna wanted to hear him say, 'Princess, it's not like that' . However, nobody was around that would say those words to her .

'I don't think this man is the type of person that only says things I want to hear . '

Sienna's reaction was unexpectedly mild, so now Kuhn was the one left wondering . Just what did she want to ask him?

"Please ask your question . "

"I have been learning the sword for eight years now . It took me eight years to know where my skill stand . All thanks to you . "

"You're being too generous, I'm sure . "

"I realized that my other skills might also not be as good as I thought . I want a new perspective . However, I'm finding it hard to let go of everything that I've come to know up till now . The incident with my swordsmanship can be forgiven . Maybe it's better to just let sleeping dogs lie since the Empire under the Emperor's reign will always be perfect and firm . "

Kuhn wanted to tell her that her observation was all wrong .

'Princess, the world isn't as wonderful as you think . '

The only place that was run perfectly was the Imperial Palace . The Palace was a beautiful, artificial pond . It only took the purest waters from outside and brought it in to keep its own water clean .

"I'll ask you my question . Am I being worried over nothing?"

Kuhn felt frustrated as he looked into the Princess's stony eyes .

'A greenhouse flower . . . '

That's how Dian had described Sienna . He was half right but also half wrong . The Princess had found something she was lacking in and was troubled over it . Not everyone would have reacted the way she did . Especially someone that was as well-respected as she was .

The Princess wasn't an ancient tree that had hardened with age . She was a sapling, still slender and unsure of where it would spread its leaves . If she had an advisor around her that gave her the honest truth, she might even become a wise ruler .

'But the Red King is the problem . '

And all the feudal lords and dukes that don't want to give up their control .

'Princess, you must start by seeing your mother's true nature . '

Kuhn thought to himself . It would almost be impossible . Even if the advisor had no ulterior motives, it would be hard for him to avoid the allegation that he was trying to drive a wedge between the mother-daughter pair . In the end, the advisor would be hated by both mother and daughter .

"I am in no position to advise you about that . However, if it were me, I wouldn't just brush over it . In life, it isn't often you get a chance to correct wrongdoing . Being able to see something from a different perspective is as rare as a miracle . You're doing a good job by worrying over it . "

Their eyes met . Sienna was stunned . He complimented her as if he was humoring a child . How dare he? As a commoner to this Empire's Princess . . .

"So impertinent . "

Pfft, Kuhn burst into laughter before coughing awkwardly and apologizing .

"I'm sorry . I was thinking about something else . "

Displeased, Sienna scowled at Kuhn as she spoke .

"I'll take your words into consideration . "

"Then is it alright for me to take my leave? There's something urgent I need to take care of . "

Sienna wanted to continue their conversation . There was nobody around her that she could have this kind of exchange with . However, she didn't have anything to keep him here .

" . . . You may go . "

Kuhn nodded his head . Even though it wasn't according to etiquette, it was still more polite than before .

"Is your hand okay?"

"What?"

"I'm talking about your hand . "

"Ah, yes . . . It's fine . "

Kuhn had walked a few steps before turning around .

"Princess, if you want to see what's outside the pond, you need to actually leave the pond . "

He didn't pause to see her reaction and walked out through the hedges . His footsteps were hurried . The palm of his lightly clenched left hand burned as if it had just been cut . He felt that if the Princess called for him to come back now, his legs would betray him and he'd scurry back to her .

He didn't want to admit it, but at this moment, Kuhn was running away . . . starting with his heart that kept being drawn towards the Princess .

He felt frustrated . Every single one of his plans was in opposition to Princess Sienna and what she stood for . Kuhn felt that it would have been better if Princess Sienna had turned out to be a wicked woman . She was different from Dian in every way, but he wanted to talk to her in a different way than he did with Dian .

'I'm sure she'll end up hating me . '

When would that day come?

The day Dian became the emperor, she would glower at him with extreme resentment in her cold eyes . Kuhn's felt a twinge in his chest as he grit his teeth .