Free Web Novel"Wounds? What is that?" Colette looked at the woman who had suddenly barged into her room, her tone still even.
"The wounds on the body are obvious, but the wounds in the heart are hard for others to see." The black-haired, purple-eyed sorceress found a chair with armrests in the room, sat down slowly, swept her fingers through her hair, and spoke with interest.
"And the wounds left by the past have never healed; they have become part of you."
"I know many people refuse to admit that, because admitting it means acknowledging oneself is broken, showing weakness to the outside. But to me, this is exactly proof of strength."
"You had a rough childhood. Actually, if you think about it a little, it’s understandable. After Princess Reanna’s protection vanished, a small child living in a palace full of power struggles—if she stood out even slightly, and someone wanted to do harm, she could have died in some so-called accident."
"Extreme pressure, no one to rely on or comfort you. You had to stop holding hope for anything, because if that hope turned into loss, the pain would be unbearable."
"I vaguely remember, when you were small, I accompanied His Majesty to see you once. Back then you were not like you are now—sensitive, prone to tears, timid," she said, closing her eyes as if recalling the past.
"Then ten years passed, and you turned into the person you are now." Her voice carried a trace of sadness and nostalgia, whether directed at the girl before her or at her own younger self was unclear.
After the sorceress finished speaking, Colette’s expression remained unchanged, as if listening to a stranger’s tale.
"Oh." She answered with a single word, her gaze cold and distant.
The sorceress sighed and stood.
"This is troublesome. Someone like you is hard to communicate with. I actually wanted to cooperate with you on certain matters."
"It seems I cannot expect you to take the initiative."
She paced in the room, her arms draped in a shoulder-covering light veil behind her back, and continued.
"Do you want to become the next emperor? I mean to defeat your brothers and sisters and seize supreme power."
Colette did not answer, merely staring out the window.
"Do I have to keep talking?" the sorceress muttered, then resumed.
"I know you might not be interested now, but the truth is, you don’t really have a choice."
"As His Majesty’s health gradually worsens, many conflicts will surface. At that time, Prince Horsa and Princess Eve will both view you as a thorn."
"You might say you do not want to be involved in the succession struggle, but let me tell you, that is impossible."
"Prince Horsa and Princess Eve have deep backing; that is their advantage. You have no family support. That seems weak, but it is also a benefit."
"Because the great nobles who dislike Horsa and Eve will be very willing to back you, especially someone with no background who is easier to manipulate as a candidate."
"The Blood Dynasty has stood for thousands of years, and countless powerful families have risen and fallen within it. Past conflicts left deep grievances. Not every great noble can accept Prince Horsa ascending, because if he becomes the next emperor, it will mean some great houses reach a dead end."
"Those people will not sit idly by. Sooner or later they will come after you, whether you want it or not," the sorceress said calmly.
At this, Colette’s indifferent eyes finally shifted to the woman.
"Those things, they were probably his delayed machinations, right?"
"You, as a princess with no real power, should have been forgotten. Only that man close to His Majesty, the one he trusts most, could influence the emperor’s decisions."
"Ha ha ha, how foolish, Princess Colette." That favored man covered his mouth and laughed loudly; the purple in his eyes shone with excitement and arrogance.
"You are wrong."
"Don’t you find it thrilling and stirring to defeat arrogant, proud opponents one by one, to fold the entire dynasty into your grasp, to decide the lives of millions, to shake the balance of the world?" She painted one exhilarating, blood-pumping scene after another.
Unfortunately, none of these words moved the princess before her.
"I feel nothing." She rose slowly, poured herself a glass of water, and sipped it deliberately.
Facing this immovable princess, the Erosion Sorceress found herself at a loss for the first time.
"I say, have you considered the cost of giving up?"
"The others will never miss an opportunity to humiliate you. That’s not just losing your life—it's more brutal degradation, ripping apart your dignity and everything you hold dear, grinding you down to the lowest filth." Danger flashed in the sorceress’s eyes.
"Don’t worry. Before that time comes, I will end my life early," Colette replied.
"Hm, good thought." The sorceress sneered and continued pacing in the room.
About ten minutes later she stopped and let out an odd laugh.
"Ke ke ke, heh heh heh, you’ve shown a crack after all, Colette." She turned to the seated princess.
"If you truly didn’t care at all, you wouldn’t have said that earlier."
"You wouldn’t end your life even in the face of that humiliation."
"So you still care, even if only a little."
"Think about it. If you had lost even the most basic likes and dislikes, you wouldn’t be able to maintain your current composure—you’d be no different from a madman or a fool." She shook her head.
"Now I can rest assured." She smiled and walked out of the room.
"We will have our day of cooperation."
After the sorceress left, the room grew quiet again. Sylutia felt the pale, cold detachment within this body slowly ebb, and she regained easy control.
She stood, glanced around the chamber, then walked to the window and looked out at the distant lights of the palace.
It seemed that from this day, Colette’s peaceful life would be broken, and even the wounds of her childhood would be pried open bit by bit, forcing her to reexamine her life.
Three years passed quickly. As the sorceress had predicted, even though Colette secluded herself within the deep palace and never reached out to others, secret messages still reached her.
Nobles who wanted to build ties with her sent envoys to persuade the princess, presenting visions and gifts—rare treasures, servants to command, guards to protect the palace. The once-cold palace slowly filled in that way.
The grandest and most attention-grabbing moment was when Grand Duke Russell came to court. He brought many treasures and led a retinue of hundreds to personally visit Princess Colette, celebrating her birthday, helping her host a banquet, and summoning many great nobles to attend.
At that birthday banquet, Princess Colette’s reputation grew vastly. Many lesser nobles outside the court came to know of her existence and her life, and learned she was one of the candidates for the next monarch.
Few invest in low-probability ventures, but what if the chance of success gradually rose?
In the past, major nobles favored Prince Horsa and Princess Eve due to their backing. But as support for Colette slowly amassed, many began to consider the possibility of her victory.
Seven years ago, even if Ye Yufen herself did not openly declare anything, within the court no one could ignore your presence; your name gradually appeared in the discussions of many noble families.
Another ten years, and secret messages circulated in the court: the current chosen heirs may live long lives, perhaps even eighty years.
For mortals, eighty years is long, but for the Blood Clan, eighty years is short, because eighty years is enough to cultivate a Seventh Tier Transcendent who can participate in small wars. Eighty years can barely raise a new generation of combat strength and heirs; to reach their peak might require a century’s accumulation.
Eighty years is enough time for powerful princes and princesses to suddenly weaken, and for the balance of power among the ruling forces to shift unpredictably.
Fighting within the dynasty intensified, and after the emperor’s health declined, he gradually lost the awe that once held factions in check. The competition among the three candidates became clearer.
Conflicts multiplied, hatred accumulated. As the sorceress had said, there was no dignified way to withdraw from such a struggle. Even if Colette disliked power, as long as she followed basic human principles, she could not afford the cost of utter failure.
One day the sorceress told her another thing.
"Do you want to know how your mother really died?"
"I know this will anger you, but if you ascend the throne, I will tell you the truth about those years."
"Well, even if I didn’t tell you then, you could use the emperor’s power to find the answer." The sorceress blinked, her bewitching voice tugging at the princess’s mind.
"Unleash your talent and ambition, Colette."
"I know your original self should not be so cold and placid. You should be a more vivid, moving princess and queen."
"And that version of you is what your mother would have wished for."
