Two-Faced Princess

Once he’d decided to abandon everything, he felt peaceful for the first time in his life.

Three meals a day. A fluffy bed stuffed with goose feathers. A space next to the bedroom to wash himself. These were all things he’d never experienced before.

More importantly, the food was amazingly delicious. His meals were always perfectly balanced, like the heavenly lunch he’d had the previous day. The turkey had been perfectly baked, the white bread crispy and still warm from the oven, and the fresh fruit had burst with juice in his mouth.

He’d never before had a meal like this. And it wasn’t only the food that was magnificent, too- the plates and glasses were beautifully arranged. Even if it had been poisoned, he still wouldn’t have turned it down.

With nothing else to occupy his mind or his body, he was agonizingly bored. But he couldn’t get that girl out of his head.

A soft, poised voice. Her thin, pale face was mocking, yet somehow there was an underlay of sadness. Slightly raised eyebrows looking down at him. Flashing crimson eyes that could almost see into his soul.

The girl who’d interrogated him like an adult was actually younger than him. The image of that strange girl burrowed deeper and deeper into his mind.

And on the sixth day, she appeared.

Creak…

The door swung open, and Apollonia took two steps into the room. She stopped right in front of the barrier where Uriel was imprisoned, pulled up a chair, and sat down. Then she signaled the boy who leaned against the wall opposite her to sit down as well.

This was the first time they’d faced each other since that night.

The boy was thinner than she remembered. His height made him look like an adult, but he still exuded a tender feeling. It only amplified his beauty.

After several days of rest, he had a healthy complexion, and his injured shoulder looked better.

“It looks like you’ve been eating well.”

The boy sat on the bed, and stared at Apollonia. He didn’t respond. She realized it must have been difficult for him to determine how to properly address or speak to her.

“What’s your name?”

The boy didn’t answer. He just tilted his head, and smiled slightly.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to answer, but I’m here to tell you the news.” She peered into his angelic blue eyes. The news she was about to deliver was crucial, but her opponent’s reaction was unreadable.

“Safiro is dead.”

There was a long silence between the two. The boy furrowed his brows.

“…Are you sure?”

She unfolded a portrait she’d brought with her. When he saw the portrait of a middle-aged man, his eyes widened.

“Safiro is a master at disguise, and only a few people know his true face. I don’t even know where he lives, much less his appearance.”

Apollonia folded the paper, and leaned towards the boy.

“But the person in this portrait died yesterday. I’m sure you recognize him as Safiro.” She gave him no room to interrupt.

“You came to me as soon as the banquet was over. That means you and your teacher were already on standby within the capital, using a fake identity.”

“…”

“So I looked to see if there had been any cases of murder in the last few days. There were three deaths, and one of them died without a culprit being arrested.”

His pupils shook.

“Your master, no, your teacher… he’s no longer in this world.”

She pulled another shiny object from her bosom. It was a beast’s fang that had been made into a necklace. If someone were to look closely, they’d see it was stained with blood.

“I took it from the scene. You’ll recognize it, I’m sure.”

She threw the necklace into the boy’s lap. He reluctantly picked up the necklace and inspected it.

“…I see.”

She’d expected him to be emotional. Angry, sad, perhaps some combination of the two. But he just chuckled bitterly and tossed the necklace to the corner of the bed.

“Is that all?”

“Why would I wish a peaceful afterlife for the dead bastard who lived well off the suffering of others?”