Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 54: Make Her Bashful!

The Second Imperial Princess of the Fresta Empire—

Isadella von Frestberg.

A figure from a spring dream had materialized into reality.

And judging by her demeanor, she had most likely watched the entire thing unfold through the Starrealm communication channels.

Well…

This was awkward.

It had the same energy as those high school romance anime Xia Ya had seen in his past life, where the male and female leads confessed to each other by saying, "You used to be the star of my… personal fantasies."

Xia Ya had considered the possibility that the mastermind behind Diris was, in fact, the Second Imperial Princess, Isadella.

After all, to shelter an Abyss-born race within the Imperial Capital, and even to some extent represent the Empire in an official capacity, required an extraordinary level of power and influence—an authority possessed by only a select few in the entire Fresta Empire.

Aside from a handful of high-ranking nobles who held sway over the court, only the princes and princesses with a legitimate claim to the throne had such standing.

Even so, Xia Ya had assumed that probing and assessing a minor figure like himself—someone who hadn't even reached Fourth-Ring—would normally be left to subordinates.

From what he knew, this princess had practically been holding the Empire together single-handedly. Calling her busier than a one-man army wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Yet, she had come to see him in person.

Clearly, the Second Imperial Princess was even more capable than Xia Ya had initially imagined.

It wasn’t just the Ashen Order incident—she had likely picked up on other hidden details about him through her intelligence network, which was why her interest in him had deepened.

Inside the light screen formed by the Starrealm communication channels—

The silver-haired, red-eyed princess turned slightly, her sharp gaze locking onto Xia Ya.

After a long silence, a flicker of approval flashed through her crimson irises.

She swirled the wine in her pale fingers, then spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.

"Xia Ya Egut."

"Is there nothing you’d like to say to me? As the protagonist of that dream?"

Meeting her piercing gaze, Xia Ya remained composed and responded neither servile nor overbearing.

"Your Highness, I must admit—I did make a mistake."

"But, I believe it’s a mistake any normal man would make."

He let out a soft sigh.

"As a citizen of the Empire, I should have maintained a respectful distance toward a member of the Imperial Family."

"But, Your Highness…"

"You just happen to be exactly my type."

"In my homeland, there’s a saying—we are all, without exception, suckers for white hair."

"And you’re not just silver-haired—you have crimson eyes, too. You’re practically the embodiment of my ideal type."

"Not to mention, that contrast between your imposing military uniform and your petite frame…"

"What I’m trying to say is—Your Highness, you are my living, breathing dream girl."

"To be perfectly honest, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit…"

"When I first saw you as a guest at Saint Roland Academy’s school festival, for a split second—"

"I had already thought of what to name our future children."

…

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Within the Starrealm communication network, the only thing that remained was Xia Ya’s earnest confession, reverberating through the ether.

Meanwhile, high in the northern skies, atop a Black-Scaled Wyvern—

Fioren's gaze wavered slightly.

She noticed something unusual.

The princess, who was always as unreadable as a still pond—

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Despite her face remaining as calm as ever, for some reason, her body had subtly tensed.

For most people, this reaction would be difficult to comprehend.

After all, the Second Imperial Princess of the Empire, despite her young age, had personally fought on the border frontlines years ago.

The reason the Empire hadn’t collapsed under the predatory gazes of external forces was entirely thanks to her bloody reputation as the Iron-Blooded Princess.

Even in the face of Legendary-tier foes from opposing factions, she had never shown a shred of fear.

So why would she be emotionally affected by something as trivial as a Starrealm communication?

Of course, by now, the communication had been switched to private mode, meaning neither Fioren nor Diris could listen in.

All they could do was let their imaginations run wild.

…

"You… are quite interesting."

After a brief pause, Isadella nodded.

Even so, the way her fingers clenched slightly around her wine glass betrayed the fact that she wasn’t nearly as composed as she appeared.

As the Second Imperial Princess, born with extraordinary talent, Isadella had carried the weight of countless expectations from the moment she first gained self-awareness as a child.

Her supporters wished for her to become a great empress, to restore the Fresta Empire’s former glory.

Her detractors, on the other hand, spent every single day studying her every move, searching for flaws in her character, for chinks in her armor—waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike her down.

To meet these expectations, Isadella had always held herself to the strictest standards.

When other noble girls were giggling about the latest dress styles and gossiping over the newest romance novels at the Royal Literary Society—

She was running between the Military Department, the Order Bureau, and the Adventurers’ Guild, enduring the most grueling imperial education.

The companions of her childhood weren’t teddy bears, flowers, or pretty dresses, but cold military reports and an unyielding practice sword.

She had forsaken idle pastimes.

Forsaken love and romance.

And had no close female friends to confide in, unlike other girls her age.

With such a past, it was no surprise that Isadella’s experience with emotions was close to zero.

Compared to her, even a random girl plucked from Saint Roland Academy would have more romantic experience.

Throughout her life, both her allies and enemies had only ever viewed her as a political machine—a ruler, not a woman.

And that was precisely why—

Hearing someone completely disregard her status as a royal candidate and instead praise her as a girl, in what was practically a confession—

Caught her completely off guard.

Originally, after witnessing Xia Ya’s dream, Isadella had planned to use it as a tool to assert control over this conversation.

But in hindsight, that was likely a mistake.

In fact, she may have been outplayed.

Because in front of Xia Ya, the strategies she had honed as a ruler…

Didn’t seem all that useful anymore.

Isadella reached up, brushing aside a few strands of silver hair that had fallen over her forehead, discreetly concealing the fleeting embarrassment in her expression.

Then, without betraying a hint of emotion, she shifted the topic—steering it away from a field where she had no experience.

"Xia Ya Egut."

"Have you ever heard of the Swordbearers?"