I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space-Chapter 69: Imperial Princess

[Host, that was so dangerous of you... you know that? You literally offended the entire upper circle of the empire today,] the system bickered with Razeal, its tone bordering on scolding.

"Not like it already isn’t," Razeal muttered under his breath. "What was I supposed to do in there? Listen to some girl talking absolute bullshit about me and just silently walk out with my head down? Hah. I’m not that dead yet, no matter how much they want to pretend I am."

"Fuck it," he growled and suddenly punched the thick tree in front of him. With the strength he now possessed, the impact made the entire trunk tremble, scattering leaves around him like falling snow. His knuckles scraped against the rough bark. He didn’t care. He hated the look people gave him like he was filth beneath their boots.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing.

Escaping that classroom had been a storm of tension. The most furious of them all had been that blue-haired girl Maria. She had practically foamed at the mouth in rage, lunging toward him like a viper. Areon had barely held her back, afraid she’d actually try to kill Razeal on the spot. After that, she had stormed out, heading straight to the headmaster’s office.

Razeal didn’t know what became of that meeting, but the anger from the students had been palpable especially the girls. Their glares were venomous, like they wanted to skin him alive. The guys, though? Chill as ever. A few had even choked trying to hold back laughter.

Now, he stood in the Academy’s back garden a dense thicket of trees separating the main campus from the lesser D grade Gates. The wind was quiet. Nature, at least, didn’t judge him.

He talked about plans, all the time. Strategy. Tactics. Calculations. But if anyone hated making plans more than anyone else, it was him.

Only the weak needed plans.

The strong didn’t worry about schemes. They just did.

And he wasn’t strong.

"And I thought you were unbothered by everything that happened in the classroom. Seems like you only show your real emotions in front of lifeless objects."

The voice was sudden.

A female one. Calm. Measured.

Razeal whirled around in an instant, dagger flashing out from the hidden strap under his jacket. His senses had picked up nothing. Whoever this was had approached him stealthily enough to completely bypass his heightened hearing. That was no normal feat.

His instincts screamed danger.

Razeal’s eyes darted to the figure approaching and froze.

Celestia.

His expression darkened.

Not relief. Not shock. Not even surprise. His gaze turned ice cold.

"So you can’t even recognize my voice, huh?" Celestia asked softly even little dissapinted, standing just a few steps away. She looked calm, composed. Her platinum eyes locked onto his with unreadable depth.

"What the fuck do you want?" Razeal growled, tightening his grip on the dagger.

Her gaze flickered down to his hand, lingering on the bloodied knuckles, the torn skin from where he’d struck the tree. Her expression didn’t change. She simply stared, as if she had all the time in the world.

"Don’t punch trees if all it’s going to do is break your hand," she said coolly, her voice void of mockery, as if stating a simple truth.

"Say your business," Razeal muttered, raising the dagger slightly in front of him. This was completely out of the blue. Celestia, of all people, coming to meet him? Alone?

Her intentions were a mystery, and Razeal didn’t like mysteries.

"Calm down," she said, taking another step forward. "I’m not here to harm you. And even if I were, do you actually think you could stop me?"

Before he could react, the dagger in his hand vanished.

Literally disappeared.

Razeal looked down, stunned. One second it was there. The next? Gone. Just air.

He blinked and narrowed his eyes.

He said nothing.

His body was still, motionless, like a man who had finally hit the bottom. He was standing at the lowest point of his life and yet, strangely, he didn’t panic. There was no desperation clawing in his chest, no wild urge to scream or beg. Just an empty kind of silence, a numbness that dulled even the sharpest of thoughts. And not like that dagger in his hand was going to protect him from anything real anyway.

What was it ever going to do, anyway? Protect him? Change his fate? Of course not.

He slowly lowered his hand, fingers loosening as the tension melted from his arm, though not his chest. His gaze fixed on her Celestia. And now that he looked closer, he realized something he hadn’t noticed before: she had grown. Her face had matured. Her features had hardened with time, refined with a grace only the high born possessed, but behind her eyes... something else. Something unspoken.

The last time he’d seen that face was on what he remembered as his judgment day.. the day she looked him dead in the eyes and declared him a liar before the entire court. The day the world condemned him.

Razeal quickly shook off the images invading his mind like rotting vines creeping in. Worthless memories.

"Can we be fast?" he said suddenly, his voice sharp with sarcasm as he gave a dramatic, shallow bow. "Whatever her Imperial Highness desires from this lowly, filthy rapist."

Celestia’s eyes narrowed sharply, lips twitching at the word. A dangerous glint crossed her gaze, but she held back whatever insult she might have had. Instead, she let out a long, slow sigh.

"So youuu are mad about that," she said softly. "And here I thought maybe you had forgotten. That perhaps it was some kind of... memory loss."

But Razeal didn’t respond. He just stood there, face blank, eyes cold. Silent. Unmoving.

Celestia took a small step closer. Her arms folded tightly, defensively.

"Would you not ask," she said, voice lowering, trembling slightly, "what was the reason I did it? Back then? You’re not even trying..."

Her eyes softened, lips parting slightly as if waiting for something anything. Her face cracked a little, the cold mask she always wore faltering as she broke eye contact.

But Razeal only raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Nah, not really. Why should I?" he replied bluntly, his tone hollow.

Who the fuck wants to hear meaningless bullshit? I’ve got better things to do. Maybe go punch grasshoppers. Or fight mantises. That sounds more fun he thought in his head.

Celestia blinked, stunned.

She had been prepared for anger. Screaming. Maybe even a breakdown. She had expected him to finally crack, to break that fake, strong mask he always hid behind. The same mask he wore even when they were kids pretending nothing ever hurt him.

She was even ready for him to cry. To yell out things like: "Why did you betray me?" or "Why did you lie about everything?"

She had rehearsed her answers. She was ready to explain, to beg for the truth she’d so desperately wanted to tell.

But instead?

He just looked at her like she didn’t matter. Like nothing had happened.

"W-why is that?" she asked, trying to remain composed. But the small stutter in her voice betrayed her

Razeal simply spread his arms.

"Because it’s not going to change anything." He shrugged, as if brushing off her entire existence with a flick of the wrist.

Celestia opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again, eyes shimmering now. She let out a shaky breath.

"I... sigh... I don’t know. No... never mind."

She took a step back, lowered her gaze, and did something no one would believe if they saw it:

She bowed.

Just slightly. But enough.

Not as a princess. Not as a noble. But as someone trying to make something right.

"I am very sorry," she whispered. "For everything that happened. For what I did. I know it doesn’t change the past. But... I needed to say it."

Even that small act, that slight dip of her head, cost her more than anyone would imagine. The pride, the titles, the status all thrown to the ground for a moment of fragile humanity.

She closed her eyes tightly, hoping praying that he would at least understand what she was trying to do. Maybe he would sigh and shake his head. Maybe he wouldn’t speak to her, but she hoped he would at least feel something. Anything.

He used to be so mature. Even as a child. No matter how far she and the others pushed him, no matter how much cruelty they threw at him, he never broke. Never fought back. He just took it all with that calm, unreadable face.

Surely... surely he would forgive her.

She waited.

No reply came.

She blinked, her heart beginning to race. It should’ve come by now some word, a grunt, a sigh, anything.

Unable to bear it any longer, she slowly raised her head.

Only to meet his eyes.

Unbothered. Emotionless. Frozen in time.

Like he didn’t care.

And that hurt more than anything.

She blinked back tears.

"I think you should know something important," Razeal said, voice quiet.

She looked up fully now, confused.

"What?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

He slowly lifted his hand and pointed directly at her chest. His finger steady, eyes locked with hers.

"I," he said.

He took a step closer.

"Hate."

Another breath. Another second.

"You."

His voice, icy and flat.

"And always will."

Celestia froze.

---

And yeah... I didn’t sleep the whole night again. So, good night everyone. Take care, seriously.

Sigh... I really need to fix my sleep schedule I think it’s finally catching up to me.

Oh, and by the way... thank you so much for Golden Tickets and all the support. Honestly, seeing ten golden tickets already, right at the start it made me so damn happy.

Love you all. Truly.

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