As night fell, the full moon hung high, and the sky was filled with stars.
Germa Kingdom, Royal Palace. Along the brightly lit corridor, Reiju stood outside a study room. She had been standing there for a long time, her right hand repeatedly raising and falling.
But... she could never muster the courage to knock on the door.
Click!
While Reiju was still hesitating, the study door suddenly opened from the inside. Judge, who was standing inside holding a document, looked at his daughter and asked, slightly puzzled, "Reiju, is there something you need?"
"Father, why are you giving me to Sephiroth?" Reiju finally asked the question that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time.
"That's because, by giving you to Sephiroth, Germa can gain immense benefits!" Judge said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Hearing this, Reiju felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Even though she had been somewhat mentally prepared, she still didn't expect her father to say such cold and heartless words.
"Why? I'm your daughter!" Reiju murmured.
Hearing his daughter's rhetorical question, Judge immediately frowned and said sternly, "Precisely because you are my daughter, the princess of the Germa Kingdom, you should sacrifice everything for the Germa Kingdom... Have you forgotten who raised you and granted you superhuman strength? From your appearance, you are still a beauty. Make good use of your body, display your charm as a woman, and please Sephiroth. Furthermore, you must bear him children and bind him to the chariot of our Germa Kingdom through blood ties.
This way, the Germa Kingdom will definitely be able to dominate the North Blue under my command!"
Reiju lowered her head slightly, her eyes fixed on the ground. She bit her rosy lower lip before speaking in a voice that was almost inaudible, "In your eyes, there is only ever the dream of dominating the North Blue... Don't you even want to ask if I am willing?"
"Hmph! Reiju, I am not asking for your opinion, I am giving you an order! Are you... trying to defy my order!"
Hearing this, Reiju's body trembled slightly, and she immediately replied, "No... I'm not... I understand!
I will do as you say..." Even before Reiju was born, Judge had modified her genetic information using Lineage Factor Technology, making it impossible for her to resist his commands. This was a life-level suppression similar to that between predator and prey. Even though Reiju had been secretly conducting research, she hadn't found a way to solve this problem. As for her three younger brothers... Reiju didn't even consider her three younger brothers to be human. They had been stripped of emotions like "sympathy" and "pity," leaving only the most primitive evil.
They were Judge's proudest masterpieces, ruthless killing machines! After receiving Judge's cold and heartless response, Reiju walked toward her residence, her gait dispirited and her expression distracted.
"Good evening, Miss Reiju..."
Hearing someone call her name, Reiju snapped back to reality and turned to look in the direction of the voice. The cool moonlight slanted in from the balcony of the castle corridor, falling upon the silver-haired young man in a black suit. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, outlining a charmingly evil smile on his enchanting and handsome face.
Being given to a man like the one before her by her Father didn't seem too bad after all...
After all, purely based on appearance, and disregarding his inner self, this guy was actually a super handsome man. Such a slightly absurd thought inexplicably flashed through Reiju's mind.
"Why are you here?"
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at the door of a room just a few steps away. That was her bedroom... Was this guy specifically waiting for her to return? Thinking about how Sephiroth had requested to have her earlier that day, the girl's cheeks couldn't help but blush slightly.
Is this guy already impatient and wants to do that kind of thing to me? However...
"Hmm!? I was arranged to stay here! I think the moon is beautiful tonight, and the corridor is a good spot for night viewing, so I came out here..." Saying this, Sephiroth pointed to the room directly opposite Reiju's bedroom.
"..."
Hearing this, Reiju couldn't help but have black lines on her face. She knew with absolute certainty that this must be her Father Judge's doing...
"Well then, I won't disturb you!"
The girl forced a smile, waved her hand, took a few steps forward, and reached out to open the door to her bedroom. However...
Just as she was about to step into the bedroom, she inexplicably said:
"Actually... the view and angle for night viewing are better in my room. Do you want to come in and watch the stars with me?"
Immediately after saying this, Reiju regretted it, but before she could gloss over it, Sephiroth smiled and readily agreed.
"Oh!? Is that so? Then I shall respectfully accept."
No! You could be more respectful... Reiju groaned weakly in her heart.
Since things had come to this, the girl couldn't go back on her word, so she had no choice but to open the bedroom door and let Sephiroth in. Candlesticks were already lit on the walls of the room, illuminating the entire space brightly. Reiju's bedroom was very spacious and tidy, but the furnishings were somewhat simple. There were no overly luxurious decorations in the bedroom, just a large pink bed, a white dressing mirror, two spacious armchairs, a small round table, and a wine rack.
However, what felt somewhat out of place was a picture frame hanging on one wall, containing a large photograph.
In the picture, Judge, wearing a gray combat suit, held a golden crown in his right hand and a long spear in his left. At his feet lay four bloody heads.
"I never expected you to have a photo like this hanging in your room!" Sephiroth said, his expression somewhat strange.
Reiju looked at the photo on the wall with a complex expression and murmured, "This is the proudest achievement in my Father Vinsmoke Judge's life... The slaughter of the Four Kingdoms of the North Blue!"
Men must be obsessed with power and fame, right? To display his achievements, he hung this favorite photo of his in many places in the castle, and it was forcibly hung here too...