Chapter 154: 153 ‘Haha.’ (Please subscribe! Please vote for the monthly ticket!)
Afterward, Shane learned that no one truly knew this side of Luoqi.
Whether it was the Knight Order that had always been by Luoqi’s side, or the teachers, friends, and sisters with whom she had always interacted, even her parents, the current King and Princess of the kingdom, were oblivious to this hidden aspect of her.
It meant that Luoqi had always interacted with people in “Princess mode,” and this was true even for her own family.
“You’re taking this too far, don’t you think?”
Shane was dumbfounded, holding a cup of honey tea that he had just managed to snatch from Luoqi’s hands.
“…You think I wanted this?” Luoqi glared at Shane, a new teacup in her hands, murmuring, “Including Father and Mother, everyone has such high expectations of me.”
“They want me to be the pillar of the kingdom.”
“They want me to be a talent worthy of the Goddess and the Holy Sword.”
“They want me to be a Royal Family emblem comparable to my ancestors.”
“They want the Hero’s successor, whom the Kingdom has awaited for a thousand years like the original Hero, to bring peace and prosperity to this country and this world.”
“That’s what everyone has hoped for—from the time I was conscious until now.”
At this, a hint of self-mockery appeared on Luoqi’s face.
“As a result, in order to meet everyone’s expectations, trying to be better than anyone else, I unwittingly turned into that person, and if people saw me now, they would probably faint immediately.”
This was not an exaggeration.
From the masses who wished they could see Luoqi every day to those nobles’ sons who wished they could be involved in Luoqi’s affairs, everyone fanatically held an image of her being perfect.
Even Vivian and Tielle felt the same; whenever Luoqi was mentioned, although they did not become fanatical to the point of losing composure, the genuine admiration and trust they had for this Princess were undeniable.
One could say that Luoqi had become a sort of religion in many people’s hearts.
In some ways, this faith even surpassed their faith in the Divine Race.
So, if Luoqi’s true nature were exposed, certainly quite a few people would faint, wouldn’t they?
Even Shane felt somewhat deceived and was mentally shattering his image of Luoqi. Imagine the impact on the people of the country!
It’s a bit like a famously pure and lovely celebrity star who secretly picks her feet; the more who know, the more would feel indescribable, not to mention her enthusiastic fans who might refuse to believe it and argue on the internet, desperately defending the image of their idol, unaware that idols are also human.
Luoqi is undoubtedly a superstar in this world, with fans encompassing everyone in the kingdom, each incredibly passionate. If her true nature were exposed, given the world is so vast, many oddballs would not be able to accept it and might do something crazy.
“No ordinary person would think they must see the Princess safe and sound every day to feel at peace, or else they would start a riot, right?” Luoqi vehemently complained, spewing years of grievances, loudly saying, “As a result, I can’t be too far from the Royal Capital whenever I do anything, trying to return the same day, so I can appear in public the next noon to maintain control of the situation. Almost all job must be rushed because if not, I wouldn’t be able to appear during that time slot. And just when I manage to finish the work and make a public appearance, when I finally have a little time to rest, I have to deal with those nobles coming to propose marriage, and I can’t simply send them all away. It’s really annoying!”
By the end, Luoqi had almost returned to her initial state, rolling on the bed to vent.
No, this Princess had already collapsed on the table, lifeless as a hopeless salted fish.
“Now I have to deal with your matter, planning a trip to the Divine World. I’ll have to figure out how to finish work first, arrange the schedule properly to see if I can make a public appearance before noon the next day. If I can’t, I have to think of a way to appease the public. Ah, it’s so troublesome, so troublesome…”
Luoqi had completely abandoned her image.
Now that she had revealed her true self in front of Shane, this Princess seemed to have no intention of hiding any longer.
Shane just quietly watched the Princess perform, sipping the overly sweet honey tea, his eyes half-closed.
“Who are you blaming now?” Shane mocked instead of sympathizing, “Even if you have to live up to others’ expectations, there’s no need to make your image that perfect, right?”
People might have expected Luoqi to achieve great things, but that didn’t mean they expected her to become a flawless Princess.
“Even as a royal heir, keeping up appearances is one thing but isn’t that taking it too far?” Shane didn’t mince his words, “You brought this on yourself.”
“Uh…” Luoqi was at a loss for words, unable to countersue.
Indeed, thinking about it now, Luoqi felt she might have gone too far.
“But… but I can’t help it!” Luoqi did her best to explain, “Who finishes everyone looking at me with such expectation, wanting me to perform better? Of course, I have to try my hardest to show the best version of me to others!”
“So, isn’t this a case of suffering the consequences of your own actions?” Shane sneered, “You’ve gone overboard, presented yourself as too perfect, so you can’t blame others for idolizing and obsessing over you more and more.”
“Hey, don’t you have any sympathy?” Luoqi said indignantly, “I just told you how pitiful I am; can’t you comfort me a bit?”
“Hehe.” Shane immediately shot back sarcastically without restraining himself, even more disdainfully, “You rich second generations and nobility second generations just love to be melodramatic. You are born into such favorable conditions, not worrying about food, drink, or future prospects, yet you still act as though you’re so pitiful, thinking you’ve gained money but lost beautiful freedom, obtained power but lost ordinary happiness. Do you know how many people outside would dream of having your conditions but never attain them?”
“Wait… wait a minute! Aren’t you going too far?” Staring at Shane’s somewhat agitated demeanor, Luoqi began to feel scared and weakly said, “I was just casually complaining, just casually!”
“Really?” Shane quickly calmed down, his demeanor composed as he said, “Maybe I thought of too many main characters like you creating this kind of persona and got a bit too agitated, sorry.”
“No… no problem…” Luoqi reassured herself and said, “Although I don’t know what you mean, as long as it’s fine, then it’s for the best. You really scared me just now.”
Having said that, Shane and Luoqi were at a loss for words again, just staring at each other, not knowing what to say.
After all, Shane had utterly ruined the mood.
Luoqi felt devastated.
Normally, at this point, the other person would sympathize with her, encourage her, and, knowing her true nature as the only one, give her advice and even try to devise ways to rescue her from her misery, right?
But Shane, brimming with malice, had completely derailed this expected development, and instead gave her a scolding that made Luoqi start to question her life.
Now, Luoqi was just wondering if everyone in the Otherworld was ?
She hadn’t heard that her ancestors had ever been so deserving of a beating… no, that transcendent.
Thinking this, Luoqi somehow felt a bit more relaxed.
After exposing her true nature, Luoqi naturally wasn’t entirely free from anxiety.
Initially, Luoqi worried that having her vulnerabilities in a man’s hands could lead to worrying situations or even threats.
Now, Shane’s attitude told Luoqi she had thought too much.
This was a person she could trust.
And in front of him, she didn’t need to hide her true self.
With this thought, Luoqi felt somewhat happy.
“By the way, why did you come back?”
It was only then did Luoqi remember to ask this question.