Love Letter From The Future

In her childhood, the princess loved rare animals.

As a woman born into the imperial bloodline, it wasn’t unusual for her to have one or two extravagant hobbies.

Moreover, wasn’t it at a time when she was suffering from deep-rooted mistrust of humans?

Cien loved animals more than humans.

Humans adorned themselves with all sorts of facades, but animals couldn’t do that. The princess loved that social incapacity of theirs.

At least she wouldn’t be betrayed.

The Emperor was not someone who would fail to understand his daughter’s sentiments. With the implicit consent of the absolute ruler, the princess was allowed to raise several exotic animals.

Sometimes, foreign envoys who had heard the rumours would bring animals from their homelands.

Their intentions were obvious. They hope to gain even a small advantage in negotiations with the empire by obtaining the favour of the princess known as the Emperor’s ‘sore thumb.’

In any case, everyone who interacted with her had the same ulterior motives. The only difference was whether or not they hid it well.

In fact, the princess preferred those who were blatant about their desires.

There was no reason for her to refuse the rare spectacles brought by the envoys.

However, if she had a single complaint, it was that a few uninvited guests would occasionally show up to see those rare sights.

Most of them were either imperial family members or influential figures from the Empire’s five great noble families.

The Emperor was acceptable.

He was a father who knew how to cherish his daughter and one of the few pillars of support she had.

But the two who trailed behind him were a different matter.

The First Prince Viltheon and the Second Princess Iris.

Of all her siblings, they were the two Cien disliked the most.

They were considered the closest contenders for the throne. There was no way their hands were clean,given how they lived their lives in pursuit of power. ℞ÀΝ𝖔ＢЕ𝘚

Above all, Cien trusted the emotions she perceived with her ‘eyes.’

Viltheon and Iris exuded an overwhelming hue of ambition. The intensity of that colour was so strong that other emotions paled in comparison.

Thus, Cien felt suffocated every time she faced them.

They were people who could abandon anything for their goals.

The kind who would willingly offer their own limbs if told to cut them off. Let alone a half-sister far behind in the line of succession—they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her without batting an eye.

That was why Cien disliked her eldest brother and second sister.

Because they frightened her.

The only relief was that the Emperor was usually present whenever the princess encountered them.

No matter how great their influence, the ruler of the Empire was still the Emperor.

Viltheon and Iris acted like meek lambs whenever they stood before the emperor. While their true intentions were unknown, at least in the Emperor’s presence, they showed a friendly facade towards their siblings.

However, Iris, who was cold by nature, never managed to appear warm no matter what she did.

Only Viltheon, with his cheerful and generous disposition, would banter with Cien.

“Cien, have you heard which country today’s envoys are from?”

It was a question Viltheon asked with sparkling eyes, just before the animals brought by the envoys were revealed.

He was a man with dark blue hair and blue eyes. His well-built physique and chiseled features had already left a trail of women with broken hearts, or so the rumours went.

Of course, his appearance had no effect on Cien.

Would there ever be a day when her heart would flutter over someone?

After all, to her, every human was nothing but a liar.

However, the one speaking to her now was that Viltheon.

There was no reason for her to offend someone who might become the next emperor. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid of future repercussions.

So, feigning a modest tone, Cien answered.

“I believe they’re from the Kingdom of Trialde, Orabeoni.”

The Ten Southern Kingdoms were a kind of confederation formed to oppose the Empire and the Holy Nation.

It consisted of various small kingdoms, and ‘Trialde’ was one of its main pillars. Trialde was also well known for the high quality of the timber harvested from its dense jungles.

Cien was only curious about what kind of animals might come from such a place.

But Viltheon didn’t seem ready to let her go just yet. He continued with a mischievous grin.

“I’ve heard that the snakes from Trialde are great for your body. Especially for married women—they’re desperate to get their hands on them…”

“…How vulgar.”

With a snap, someone closed a folding fan and uttered those words.

Viltheon glanced sideways. There sat a woman with silver-blue hair and a cold expression.

It was the Second Princess, Iris.

Having suffered from a severe illness in her childhood, she always looked pale. It was a sign of poor blood circulation. Not only was her complexion pallid, but her hands and feet were cold as well.

As a result, those who had shaken hands with the Second Princess always gave the same account:

That it felt like touching an ice sculpture.

Cien secretly agreed with that assessment. Iris was a woman who rarely showed any change in expression.

“Orabeoni, please maintain your dignity… It’s embarrassing to hear you making such crude remarks in front of our younger sister.”

Her tone was openly reproachful.

Even so, Viltheon merely shrugged his shoulders and playfully continued.

“Well, Cien is at an age to understand love now, isn’t she? So I thought, just in case…”

It was then that the envoy from Trialde took a wriggling mass of flesh out of the box.

It was a snake of astonishing size.

So thick that even a sturdy adult man would barely be able to hold it in both arms. Its length was so great that, even as they pulled it out from the large wooden box like unwinding a coil, it seemed endless.

Cien was so startled that she fell silent.

Viltheon and Iris also fell silent. Yet neither of them showed any signs of surprise.

It was a result of their extensive knowledge, fitting for those who had their eyes set on the throne of the Empire.

Viltheon swallowed hard and muttered.

“A double-headed serpent…”

“If it’s that size, it must have been influenced by mana. We can assume it’s half a demonic beast… In that case, it’s a top-tier specimen brought from the heart of the Great Forest.”

With Iris adding her explanation, Cien became even more excited as she watched the black-scaled snake.

It was so huge.

Even Cien, who had seen all sorts of reptiles, had never come across a snake that large before. Not that she had any intention of keeping it as a pet—it was far too frightening for that.

What was even more surprising was that the double-headed serpent had no tail.

There was another head where the tail should be. Cien’s eyes sparkled, wondering which of the two heads held dominance.

It seemed the envoy from Trialde was about to clear up that very question.

His voice grew louder, and the crowd soon erupted in cheers. A few men burst into laughter, as if eager to watch an amusing spectacle unfold.

But Viltheon wore a somewhat troubled smile.

“Uh, um… Cien? Could you maybe look away for a moment?”

It was an unwelcome suggestion.

Cien, somewhat uncharacteristically, retorted sharply.

“Why?! They’re about to show which of the two heads holds dominance…”

Even so, Viltheon merely looked more uncomfortable, unable to give her a proper response.

The one who stepped in to handle the situation was Iris.

With a heavy sigh, as if resigned to the inevitable, she spoke to Cien.

“Then watch closely. It’ll be educational for you.”

“Hey, hey! Are you crazy?! Cien is only thirteen!”

“Someone said earlier, Orabeoni… that she’s old enough to understand love.”

As the two exchanged sharp words and sarcasm at that moment.

The two heads of the double-headed serpent began to bare their fangs at each other. Then, in a manner uncharacteristic of snakes, each head curled its broad tongue, poised to strike like a spear.

At first, Cien thought the two heads were physically fighting for dominance.

But that naive thought was soon shattered.

Because she soon realised the purpose of the double-headed serpent’s curled tongues.

Cien watched the scene in a daze.

The double-headed serpent’s body entwined tightly, emitting waves of heat. The nobles exclaimed in admiration as they watched, but Cien didn’t even have the composure to join them.

In the end, Viltheon covered his face with his hand and muttered softly.

“…It does seem good for one’s body.”

Thus, the double-headed serpent’s mating continued for hours.

The double-headed serpent was originally just an ordinary snake, but as its tail fought to become the head, it ended up growing another. Even after that, the two heads remained at odds, constantly battling for dominance.

It’s just that their method for that just happened to be through mating.

According to mythology, their insatiable lust and jealousy made them be regarded as pawns of Delphirem.

Cien had to sit there all day, her face flushed bright red.

Viltheon silently patted her head, while Iris, as usual, left her with a cold piece of advice.

“Cien, remember this well. This is the essence of life… There is a hierarchy in everything. It’s the same even between males and females.”

It was a statement that revealed Iris’s worldview in a nutshell.

Cien, of course, couldn’t accept it. Rather, she was so shocked by the passionate mating of the double-headed serpent that she even felt a strong aversion to the union between men and women.

How could they do such a shameful act?

It was an act devoid of any reason. Only relying on physical desire, pursuing base pleasures.

She wouldn’t do such things, at least.

She had made that promise to herself, and yet—why now?

“Haaa, ungh… haah…….”

Cien was panting heavily, letting out excited heated gasps.

It was, unmistakably, the behaviour of a female in /genesisforsaken @@novelbin@@