Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 161: Diris: Your Highness, Please Stop Talking

<p180" data-end="227">Imperial Capital, Inner District, Royal Palace.

<p229" data-end="379">The twilight glow filtered through the glass windows, casting fragmented rainbow-colored reflections across the marble floors between the grand halls. <p381" data-end="448">In front of a wide silver mirror, Isadella gazed at her reflection. <p450" data-end="594">Her black-and-red military dress uniform was embroidered with the emblem of the Black Eagle in golden thread, exuding both dignity and opulence. <p596" data-end="777">Her platinum-blonde hair, a waterfall cascading down her back, shimmered in hues of pure silver—the unique symbol of the Fresta Empire's royal bloodline, unchanged through the ages. <p779" data-end="849">“Your Highness, you’ve really changed a lot over the past few months.” <p851" data-end="959">Diris, dressed in a court gown, stood demurely behind Isadella, holding a luxurious hair ribbon in her hand. <p961" data-end="1041">With graceful fingers, Diris gathered the loose silver hair, tying it up neatly. <p1043" data-end="1123">As one of Isadella’s secret subordinates, Diris was no stranger to her superior. <p1125" data-end="1291">But ever since Xia Ya Egut went missing in the City of Knowledge three months ago, she’d noticed that the Second Imperial Princess she served had changed quite a bit. <p1293" data-end="1429">Though she remained imposing and regal in public, once the others had left, she would often gaze off into the distance, lost in thought. <p1431" data-end="1438">Snap. <p1440" data-end="1594">The ribbon made a crisp sound as it was fastened, pulling the cascading silver hair into a high ponytail, revealing Isadella’s swan-like, snow-white neck. <p1596" data-end="1715">Diris glanced at the princess in the mirror. “For a royal succession ceremony, this look might be a little too simple.” <p1717" data-end="1809">“I remember the royal household has dedicated attendants and stylists for noble ceremonies.” <p1811" data-end="1887">“Since it’s such an important event, why not leave it to the professionals—” <p1889" data-end="1899">“No need.” <p1901" data-end="1986">The cool voice echoed through the vast palace hall, cutting off Diris mid-suggestion. <p1988" data-end="2051">The silver-haired princess continued staring at her reflection. <p2053" data-end="2147">“If I let some other guy help me get ready and he accidentally touched me during the process…” <p2149" data-end="2233">“That guy might not say anything out loud, but I bet he’d be a little upset inside.” <p2235" data-end="2270">“And I don’t want him to be upset.” <p2272" data-end="2327">A faint smile tugged at the corners of Isadella’s lips. <p2329" data-end="2472">She was remembering that moment in a now-erased timeline—how the black-haired, dark-eyed boy sat on the Black Iron Throne and bid her farewell. <p2474" data-end="2516">Hearing those words, Diris blinked slowly. <p2518" data-end="2630">She recalled what the Second Imperial Princess had declared during the council meeting about her future husband. <p2632" data-end="2684">“Your Highness, you’re talking about Xia Ya, right?” <p2686" data-end="2734">Isadella nodded without hesitation. “Of course.” <p2736" data-end="2796">“I mean, what can I do? He’s such a possessive, greedy guy.” <p2798" data-end="2962">“He wouldn’t even let me have a crush on one of his secret identities. Even if it meant crossing a thousand years, he’d come back just to rip the mask off himself.” <p2964" data-end="3002">“And well… I just love him that much.” <p3004" data-end="3104">Listening to Her Highness speak so openly and honestly, Diris’s eyes shimmered faintly with emotion. <p3106" data-end="3273">As the one who had brought Xia Ya and Isadella together, Diris had witnessed nearly all of their interactions in the current world—and even taken part in many of them. <p3275" data-end="3330">That’s why the princess’s transformation surprised her. <p3332" data-end="3446">She wasn’t a Legendary-tier being, so she had no way of knowing what had happened in the shadows three months ago. <p3448" data-end="3494">But it must have been something unforgettable. <p3496" data-end="3610">Something that had taken two allies bound by mutual trust and turned their bond into a love that would never fade. <p3612" data-end="3738">Still, Diris lowered her head quickly, quietly fastening the buttons of Isadella’s uniform to conceal the emotion in her eyes. <p3740" data-end="3882">She chuckled softly. “If Xia Ya’s really that petty, maybe it’s not just other guys. He might even get jealous of me being this close to you.” <p3884" data-end="3945">Her playful words were meant to mask the ripple in her heart. <p3947" data-end="4025">But in the next moment, that cool, authoritative voice rang in her ears again. <p4027" data-end="4057">“I’ve thought about that too.” <p4059" data-end="4167">“So, once he and I are married, I want you to step down from your duties as a Swordbearer and come with us.” <p4169" data-end="4313">Diris’s hands paused for just a moment. “Your Highness, you’re as high-handed as ever, assigning your subordinate’s future in just a few words.” <p4315" data-end="4430">“But if not for you, I might’ve died in the Abyss long ago. There wouldn’t be any Diris the Succubus Princess now.” <p4432" data-end="4564">She smiled lightly. “Since it’s your command, I’ll follow it—whether as a maid, or as Xia Ya’s concubine or mistress, I don’t mind.” <p4566" data-end="4757">“There’s no need for that. I may have saved you from the Abyss once, but you’ve repaid me tenfold by infiltrating Saint Roland Academy for so long and picking out someone like Xia Ya for me.” <p4759" data-end="4852">“Besides, I know he’s not fond of this rigid master-servant hierarchy we have in the Empire.” <p4854" data-end="4946">While speaking, Isadella didn’t look at Diris. Her gaze remained fixed on the silver mirror. <p4948" data-end="5106">“The biggest difference between Succubus Royalty and regular succubi is that while ordinary succubi can only grow stronger by draining the desires of others…” <p5108" data-end="5271">“Succubus Royalty can enter others’ dreams and steal desire like them, but they can also craft their own dreamscapes and grow stronger through their own emotions.” <p5273" data-end="5349">“And if I’m not mistaken, you just broke through to Sixth Ring, didn’t you?” <p5351" data-end="5392">Diris blinked, then nodded instinctively. <p5394" data-end="5645">“The Pure White Unicorn only forms a contract with a girl of pure heart… If you were really like the rest of your kind in the Abyss, relying on unchecked desire to grow stronger, your contract with the Pure White Unicorn would’ve collapsed long ago.”

“But I know your First Soul Pact is still perfectly intact.”

“In other words, for you to go from Third-Ring to Sixth-Ring in just over half a year—”

“There’s only one explanation: you’ve been using someone as inspiration to continuously weave dreams of your own.”

“And not just any dreams—those steamy, desire-filled daydreams.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Isadella’s lips.

“So—”

“Diris, are you really going to say no?”

Her words brought a brief silence to the ornate hall.

After a long pause, Diris let out a wry laugh. “Your Highness is as sharp as ever.”

“All those schemers out there thought you only had throne-level strength because of the Holy Sword’s protection…”

“But looking back now, they’re probably in for a nasty surprise.”

With the conversation drawing to a close, both Diris and Isadella fell quiet.

The hall returned to stillness, broken only by the soft rustling of clothing as final adjustments were made.

It wasn’t until the distant, solemn chime of the cathedral bell rang out that the silence was dispelled.

The silver-haired princess stepped away from the mirror. When Diris handed her a black trench coat, a flicker of sentiment passed through her eyes.

She draped it over her shoulders and turned to leave.

“What’s the situation with the cultists from the Lost Domain who infiltrated the Empire?”

Diris followed behind, her voice low. “Those foreign cultists have been under constant surveillance by both the Military Department and the Order Bureau.”

“Some were smuggled in through channels controlled by the Oathbound Families, but they’re all accounted for.”

“Most of them are hiding out in the outer districts of the Imperial Capital. They haven’t made any moves toward the inner district where the palace is.”

Since Xia Ya Egut’s disappearance, Diris had taken over leadership of the Swordbearer organization in the capital.

That’s why she was intimately familiar with the movements of the cultists over the past several days.

“I believe… inside the inner district—even within the palace—they’ve prepared something else.”

“Their communication and coordination methods seem to surpass the current level of magitech available in the Empire. We’ve yet to pinpoint their exact target.”

“Seems like even within the royal family, not everyone’s on the same page.”

Isadella’s voice was quiet, almost like she was speaking to herself.

But to Diris, the undercurrent of killing intent in those words sent a chill down her spine.

And yet, in the next moment, she saw that same Second Imperial Princess—the icy fury in her eyes quickly fading.

Isadella looked down at a crystal hairpin in her hand.

A rare flicker of hesitation appeared in those crimson eyes.

After a long pause, she finally slid the pin into her silver hair.

Diris couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise.

“Your Highness…”

For someone like Isadella—who never wore makeup and usually dressed either for formal court occasions or for the practical use of magitech and alchemical accessories—this was highly unusual.

If not for that, she wouldn’t always be wearing her Black Eagle military uniform.

But this crystal hairpin wasn’t enchanted, nor did it serve any ritual or alchemical purpose. It was a purely decorative piece.

This was the first time Diris had ever seen Her Highness show such a girlish appreciation for beauty.

She didn’t look like a princess about to ascend to the throne of the Empire. Instead, she looked like a love-struck young girl fretting over what accessories to wear before meeting someone dear.

“It’s been so long since we’ve met… I want to look my best when I see him again.”

“I heard from Miss Sylvia that he might like this kind of accessory.”

As if reading Diris’s mind, Isadella spoke in a calm, offhand manner.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

Diris froze for a moment before realizing what she meant.

Her voice was filled with joy. “Did Xia Ya reach out to you?”

Since her secret had already been laid bare, Diris didn’t bother hiding her excitement.

“No.”

“But I believe—since he calls himself ‘the hero who’ll always come when you cry out for help’…”

The two walked through the quiet palace corridors, heading toward the Throne Room.

“There’s no way he’d miss an event like today.”

There was no logical basis for her certainty.

But Isadella believed it without question.

Just like a thousand years ago—when he appeared before her like the wind.