Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 52: I Want to Meet Him in Person

The atmosphere atop the wyvern’s back turned frigid in an instant.

The air, nearly frozen solid, pressed down with such an indescribable weight that even Fioren, a Titled Beastmaster, could feel the suffocating pressure.

Even the massive Black-Scaled Wyvern beneath them seemed to notice the shift in mood.

It no longer let out its usual roars, its enormous wings flapping slowly and silently, as if deliberately lowering its presence while gliding through the sky.

"Your Highness—"

Fioren forced herself to speak.

"As you mentioned before—"

"Xia Ya Egut is still just a young man, full of youthful energy."

"Some daring and reckless fantasies are only natural…"

But before she could finish, her voice abruptly stopped.

Because she saw it.

The corners of Isadella’s lips lifted slightly.

That cold, frostbitten expression—melted like ice.

For the first time, the Second Imperial Princess smiled.

It was like a moonlight flower blooming in the Midnight Starwood Forest—fleeting, yet breathtakingly radiant.

Fioren froze.

All her life, she had known this woman to be an unyielding, emotionless pillar—a princess who had taken up the burdens of an empire while others her age still sang of love and poetry.

A girl who had grown up with military texts and a practice sword instead of warmth and innocence, all because of the Emperor’s failing health.

Since leaving the White Chalk Tower and swearing loyalty to the Empire, Fioren had followed this Second Princess for years.

Yet never had she seen Isadella smile.

And now, all because of a single student from Saint Roland Academy—

Because of his absurd dream—

She had laughed.

Fioren felt lost.

"Your Highness… why do you laugh?"

"Aren’t you angry anymore?"

Isadella’s fleeting smile soon faded, her usual severe and commanding expression returning.

"You think I’m angry because my own figure appeared in his dream?"

The silver-haired princess gazed at the light screen, a rare trace of ease visible in her usually rigid gaze.

"My heart is not so small."

"Rather—"

"If his fantasies included the Saintess of the Church, included the Queen of the Night…"

"But not me—"

"Now that would have been surprising."

Her voice carried a confidence that was impossible to refute.

"The Empire is vast. It has the capacity to accommodate all kinds."

"As long as one’s ideals do not fundamentally clash with the Empire’s, then regardless of origin—whether they be a demon from the Abyss, or a resurrected being from the ancient past—they can have a place here."

Isadella leaned back against the wyvern’s spine, reclining against its soft padding.

Her jade-like fingers moved slightly through the air, and a black goblet materialized from the void, held delicately in her grasp.

"Fioren."

"Do you know what I was thinking when I first saw Xia Ya Egut’s dream?"

Fioren, finally easing her own tension, sat down more casually upon the dragon’s back.

After a brief moment of thought, she spoke:

"I believe Your Highness must be pleased—"

"To see that the Empire has gained a brilliant rising star, someone with such vision and talent."

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"Given time, he could surely become a pillar of the Empire."

"No."

Isadella shook her head lightly, her crimson eyes reflecting the deep red wine within her goblet.

"When I first saw that dreamscape—"

"I was afraid."

"Xia Ya Egut… his vision and talent are simply too extraordinary."

"That star-filled fantasy of his—while still beyond the reach of today’s Magitech advancements—"

"If given time…"

"If he could bring all those imagined Magitech creations into reality…"

"The result would be a civilization leap beyond imagination."

"Of course, if that was all, I would have no reason to fear him. I would simply be delighted that the Empire had gained such a genius."

With a tilt of her wrist, she downed the rest of her wine.

"But tell me, Fioren—"

"Did you notice something about the utopia he dreamed of?"

"In that Starrealm Civilization he envisions—"

"There is no division between nations."

"There are no racial barriers."

"Even ordinary mortals stand equal to the strong, freely traversing the galactic expanse."

"This concept, by itself, is not inherently bad…"

"But Xia Ya Egut—"

"He stands too high."

"He has already transcended the boundaries of nation and race—"

"And has begun thinking from the perspective of civilization itself."

"And the problem is—"

"This is not just some naïve philosopher’s wishful thinking."

"This is a man who possesses both the vision and the ability to shape an era."

"He cannot be bound by any earthly interests."

"He will not restrict his ambitions to a single nation or faction."

"His every decision is based on the entirety of humanity, not just one empire."

"But I am different."

The silver-haired princess's gaze turned sharp and unyielding.

"I am royalty of the Fresta Empire."

"My birth, and the duty ingrained within my bloodline, mean that I cannot view things the way he does."

"I cannot ignore national interests for the sake of some greater vision of civilization."

"And so—"

"To me—"

"A man like Xia Ya Egut, who is unshackled, unjudged, and yet holds the power to change history itself—"

"Is too dangerous."

"If he were to ever ally himself with another nation—"

"For the Fresta Empire—"

"It would be a catastrophe beyond redemption."

She lightly swirled her goblet, her words trailing off into silence.

But Fioren understood exactly what remained unsaid.

This was not a matter of personal feelings for Isadella.

Everything she had said—everything she would do—

It was all for the Empire.

This was simply the duty she bore as the Second Imperial Princess.

Some things… she must do.

Some things… she cannot afford not to do.

A chill ran down Fioren’s spine.

A sliver of fear took root in her heart.

If Isadella’s resolve turned into action…

Then as someone from the White Chalk Tower, because of her own suspicions, she might find herself forced to stand against him—in a battle to the death.

But then—

"Fortunately…"

The Second Princess’s whisper melted into the howling polar winds, lost to the abyssal night.

Fortunately—

Xia Ya Egut was not some aloof divine entity, devoid of mortal desires.

He was not some emotionless saint, looking down upon the world like a god.

He was still—

A human.

A living, breathing human.

With blood, emotions, and desires.

After a long silence—

Isadella’s cold voice finally broke the quiet.

"I want to meet him in person."

—

At some unknown moment, the pink-hued dreamscape began to freeze—

Then, it shattered into crystalline fragments.

Xia Ya watched as his dream world broke apart, its remains dissolving into an empty void beyond.

His expression remained calm and composed.

"For it to have reached this point—"

"This should be enough."

—