A Distant Reverie

Chapter 59

Duke Calon put down the pamphlet in his hands. It was a hand-written print of the day's news herald. Four ridiculously bolded words were printed on the header.

"The Mad Princess Slaughters!"

Duke Calon closed his eyes, massaging his temples as he recalled the chaos at the Fountain Square. He had been monitoring Princess Kobo's address from afar when a single gunshot detonated over the crowd. The mob already had momentum at that point, driven by anger and grief over the princess' perceived indifference towards the Eden tragedy.

And so, when the middle-aged man who had become the voice of the people was suddenly murdered in cold blood, the mob descended into insanity.

The frenzy was difficult to watch. The mob surged towards the princess like famished wolves. Hands reached out—swinging, grasping, clawing, as if desperate to latch onto a piece of the princess and tear her apart.

A disorganized crowd of commoners, however, was nothing before a veteran legion of royal knights. Massive shields stamped onto the ground, repelling the mob's advance, while the knight's long spears skewered whoever laid in front. With a mechanical efficiency, the mob was grinded down. Their fury, however, would not subside.

What eventually stopped the mob's advance was the riflemen. Volleys of gunshots thundered across the Fountain Square. Lead pierced through human bodies like butter. The effect was devastating. Each roar from the firing line downed a few dozen of civilians. The overpowering noise of the gunpowder's ignition easily overpowered the frenzied cries of the mobs. After a few volleys, fear of gunfire overtook the mob's bloodlust.

By then, it was already too late. The Fountain Square was desecrated into a hellish ruin.

"You created something insane," Duke Calon sighed. He was seated inside the office of his mansion in Upper Kalinga. Feeling uncomfortable, he reached for the cup of tea that had been brewed for him.

"What of it? It's what you wanted, was it not?" Alice asked. The young lady was on the couch across from him, legs crossed, hands playfully twirling her hair. Such a frivolous attitude in front of the duke would have earned anyone a furious scolding, but not for Alice. Duke Calon knew it was pointless.

"The means was a bit...different than what I had in mind," he replied, frowning. The tea was bitterly cold. "I expected it to be less bloody, for one."

Alice smirked, "I wouldn't have taken you out of all people to be squeamish. Although, to be fair, I did underestimate how trigger happy the royal knights were going to be. They were firing their guns with the same contempt as the expedition team had towards Eden."

"I prefer not to have the people I'm aiming to rule over slaughtered for my goals," Duke Calon hissed. He clenched his fists and let out a drawn-out breath. His composure nearly broke.

"...As for the knights, they were likely terrified. Regardless of their training and experience, it's hard to remain composed when several hundreds of bloodthirsty people are charging at you. That's without considering that they had the princess to protect."

Alice shrugged, "As far as I'm concerned, the result was overwhelmingly satisfactory."

Duke Calon clicked his tongue. He condemned himself for haphazardly allowing Alice to do as she pleased. The young lady was abnormal. Something fundamental about being a human was missing in the young lady's head. As he has learned during their brief partnership, unless he gave her specific instructions, Alice would always go for results with complete disregard for human lives. If he left her to her own volitation, the outcome was nearly always disastrous.

A monster in human skin. The expression was made for someone like her.

Still, it was hard to deny what she achieved. Thanks to the bloody incident, public opinion has completely shifted against the princess. Commoners were now calling for her head and demanding that she cede the throne. Noble families that were formerly neutral suddenly began sending him pledges of allegiance, offering soldiers and weapons for support. A rebellion was brewing. Armies were being amassed. In just a few days, they would arrive in Kalinga.