Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 149 - 135: Trial

Aurianna entered the grand ballroom, where a sea of nobles had gathered from all corners of the High Land. It was impossible not to notice her due to her distinct white hair as she strolled in. The ballroom was filled with the scent of delicious food and expensive perfume, but an uncomfortable tension hung in the air. Aurianna couldn’t help but notice the wary glances that met her entrance. However, a simple, innocent smile on her part worked wonders, softening their hearts and reducing their hostile gazes.

Yui, with a mouthful of food, asked "Princess, would you be fine?" Aurianna was momentarily taken aback by this rather impolite gesture and gave Yui a kick on the leg, snapping, "Stop talking with your mouth full. It’s irritating."

Yui, her cheeks stuffed with food, mumbled, "Please come back safely, princess. I believe in you, no matter what!" She hastily stashed her apron with food.

Aurianna couldn’t help but think, ’This girl seems more concerned about her gathering as much food as possible than she is about me,’ She sighed before raising an eyebrow and inquiring, "Alright, tell me why."

"Because you’re otherworldly cute! And you give me lots of money!" Yui’s eyes sparkled with delight.

’This girl’s certainly honest,’ Aurianna mused, considering her coldly. ’Maybe I went too far trying to charm her. She can be quite annoying; I should get rid of her.’

Noticing the eyes Aurianna gave her, Yui immediately acted on impulse. "Princess, please spare me!" Yui wailed as she slid to the floor and clung to Aurianna’s legs.

All eyes turned to Aurianna and her personal maid. She couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. "Fine, fine. Take all the food you want and scram!" Aurianna shouted, and Yui eagerly let go of her leg, grabbed some food and placed in it her apron, and ran away. ’That girl only knows how to give me headaches,’ she sighed as she noticed alot of people staring at her.

Aurianna addressed the onlookers with a passive-aggressive smile that, although cute, made them uncomfortable. "What are you staring at?" Hearing her words prompted them to avert their gaze.

"Princess, this way," two knights in gleaming platinum armor instructed. Aurianna nodded and followed them to the front of the ballroom, where her father and mother sat. Duke Huns occupied a seat by their side, his gaze fixed on her, and a group of nobles sat behind her.

"Princess, please have a seat over there," one of the knights indicated the chair across from Duke Huns. Aurianna sat down and couldn’t resist flashing a mocking smile at him, causing him to clench his fists.

"Aurianna, I trust you understand why you’re here?" Advisor Chu inquired, his piercing purple eyes peering at her through his glasses. He stood beside King Girsal, clutching a stone tablet.

"I’m in the dark about it, to be honest," Aurianna nonchalantly shrugged. "Care to enlighten me?"

Chu’s voice resonated through the hall as he declared, "You’ll know once we commence. But first, everyone present here must swear the oath of truth!" Everyone in the room, including Aurianna, promptly stood up.

As the room fell silent, everyone began reciting the oath, "As we’ve gathered here today, we promise to speak nothing but the truth, and may the goddess of beauty watch over this trial." Once the brief oath concluded, they all took their seats.

Advisor Chu’s fingers danced across his tablet, and he calmly fixed his gaze on Aurianna. "Aurianna Vanluad, you’re here before us today facing accusations brought against you."

"And what might those be, Advisor Chu?" Aurianna inquired, her tone casual.

"One of those accusations is the murder of Russell Huns," Chu claimed. "Is that true?" he asked.

Aurianna responded without hesitation, "Yes, it is."

Chu continued his inquiry, "And may I ask why?"

"Because she was being such a pain. Isn’t that a valid reason to kill someone? Anyone who insults me deserves nothing more than death," Aurianna stated with an unsettlingly sweet smile, contrasting her innocent appearance. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Chu attempted to maintain a semblance of authority as he said, "Well, such a situation could have been handled differently."

Aurianna brushed off his comment with nonchalance. "Oh well, what more cases have been brought?" she inquired.

Chu hugged at her attitude before he began listing them off, "Killing several small nobles."

Aurianna raised an eyebrow, "Several? I thought there were just a few."

"Killing commoners indiscriminately and ignoring the rules and regulations that govern our country," Chu continued.

Aurianna seemed unfazed as she quipped, "Oh, so that long list is all the crimes I’ve committed?" She pointed at the screen before Chu then at herself.

Chu nodded, acknowledging her question. "In just two years, yes. And for a person of your age, it’s quite abnormal."

Aurianna shrugged, offering her explanation, "Well, I can’t help it. I refuse to be pushed around. They all tried to bully me, you know."

Her declaration drew a protest from one of the nobles, "You’re a murderer!"

Aurianna, looking at the noble with an innocent look and retorted with a cute pout, "Me, a murderer? Don’t I look innocent?" For a brief moment, her charm had the room occupants be swayed by her act.

She does appear innocent,’ crossed the minds of the onlookers.

Duke Huns, however, wasn’t swayed. He bellowed, causing the room to tremble, "Don’t be fooled by her tricks! She’s nothing but a cunning child in need of discipline!"

Aurianna met the nobles’ light hypocritical murmurs with a sneer. "See these hypocrites trying to condemn me?"

Aurianna shot a cold glare at the nobles and challenged them, "Why is everyone suddenly acting like righteous evangelists?"

"Should I also list all the crimes of the nobles that I’ve gathered dirt on?" Her words sent tremors through the room, with some nobles even doubting she possessed such information.

"I have a ton, you know! Here, Advisor Chun," Aurianna chimed cheerfully as she tossed a scroll to Chun, who caught it effortlessly.

"I collected these before coming here. Since they want to punish me, it’s only fair that they get punished, too!" Aurianna declared. "Feel free to read them to your heart’s content; they’re very detailed," she added.

Chu opened the scroll, and his eyes widened in shock before quickly closing it.

He couldn’t help but think, ’To think that child...,’ as he locked eyes with Aurianna, who was confidently meeting his gaze.

Aurianna, on the other hand, contemplated, ’Who would’ve thought that Zorian would be the one to provide me with this information? I was quite curious at first, but I guess he did it out of gratitude, now that he has no competition for his father’s dukedom.’

A noble found the courage to stand up, nervously declaring, "Those are probably fake, Your Majesty. There’s no need to listen to her." His words, however, earned him a sharp glare from King Girsal.

"Why should I not listen to my daughter? She’s known for her honesty," King Girsal responded coldly, clearly unimpressed. "But since today’s not about you, I’ll deal with all of you later."

Aurianna immediately switched her expression, summoning fake tears. "Father, what’s going to happen to me now? I’m so scared, with all these people staring at me." Her crocodile tears seemed to tug at the people’s emotions, leaving some of them to doubt their decisions.

But others weren’t so convinced. ’As if you are!’

"I’ll punish you accordingly, of course," King Girsal stated firmly.

’Time for me to ask me to fight as an atonement for my crime,’ Aurianna grinned, stopping her fake tear as she knelt down. "Father..." But before she could finish her sentence, King Girsal cut her off.

"Because of this behavior, in the upcoming battle against the Infinite Nation, you’ll be on the front lines. You’ll be added only in the first round," King Girsal declared. Aurianna stared at him in shock.

’Huh?’ Aurianna had a dumbfounded expression on her face, ’I thought I’d have to beg him to allow me to fight or something,’ Aurianna thought. Even Queen Amber and the others were taken aback.

"Your Majesty, this is too much!" Queen Amber protested, her face filled with nervousness as her lips trembled.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is way too much!" A group of nobles joined in the protest. "The princess may have done something wrong, but sending her to the battlefield alone is like a death sentence!"

King Girsal confronted them, raising a stark point. "Didn’t she kill your children?" The noblewoman looked nervously at him but then glanced at Aurianna before turning back to King Girsal. "But, Your Majesty, this is too harsh for the princess. My heart would bleed if something happened to her!" Her words took him by surprise.

"I also agree, Your Majesty!" More nobles voiced their objections to the harsh sentence.

Duke Huns couldn’t help but question, "What’s wrong with all of them?" Their dramatic shift in attitude baffled him. In their previous conversations, most of them seemed to want to see the princess suffer, but now, it looked like they just wanted to give her a slap on the wrist and let her off.

[ Passive skill Loved by all, Devi Cute, Astral Beauty is active. Everyone who lays eyes upon you, would be charmed by you. And feel nothing but love towards you. ] Aurianna quitely grinned as she heard the system’s words.

"No matter what anyone says, nothing will change my mind," King Girsal declared firmly. His gaze shifted to Aurianna as he continued, "You’ll be taking the battlefield with two thousand knights. These knights have violated various laws in the kingdom, so they’ll serve their sentences by fighting alongside you in the front lines. Additionally, twenty thousand more soldiers will be under your command," King Girsal outlined.

Duke Huns, however, rose to his feet, vehemently opposing the plan and voicing his concerns. "Your Majesty, entrusting such a sizable force to an inexperienced child will likely lead to chaos on the battlefield. I must protest this use of our military forces!"

"I wasn’t finished, Huns," King Girsal interrupted with a glare, prompting Huns to settle back into his seat.

"Grand Duke Momo will lead them. Is that acceptable to you?" King Girsal inquired, his gaze steady on Duke Huns.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Huns replied with a nervous nod and a polite bow.

"I appreciate my father’s leniency," Aurianna expressed her gratitude with a smile as she got up.

However, beneath that smile, Aurianna’s thoughts churned. ’With this meager force, winning the war would be difficult in the first round,’ she mused, a tinge of dissatisfaction creeping in. ’What’s his plan? Does he really intend to lose against the Infinite Nation?’

"Father, if I may ask, how many Arc Humans does the Infinite Nation possess?" Aurianna inquired, her curiosity piqued.

King Girsal disclosed, "They have three Arc Humans." The room fell into a stunned silence.

"What in the world!" Aurianna blurted out in shock, but quickly composed herself when she realized all eyes were on her. ’I nearly forgot, King Girsal is far stronger than a regular Arc Human. Not to mention there are over ten Arc Humans in the Highland,’ she reminded herself.

"Indeed, to make matters more challenging, they have over one hundred Chaos and Holy Humans among their ranks, along with thousands of High Humans," Advisor Chu added, the numbers eliciting a furrowed brow from Aurianna.

Huns chimed in, "I’d expect nothing less from a nation that prioritizes strengthening their forces."

Aurianna raised an eyebrow and questioned, "So, you want me to lead the war with Aunt Momo, participate in the first battle, stand on the front lines?"

King Girsal assured her, "Don’t worry. If you fail, I will step in. Naturally, I won’t allow our kingdom to crumble due to your blunders," he said with a smug confidence that left Aurianna giving him a perplexed look.

"I understand, Father," Aurianna replied, offering a courtesy.

With that, King Girsal concluded, "If everyone is content, I shall take my leave. You are all dismissed as well." He rose from his seat and exited the room.

Some nobles wanted to speak up more as they walked towards Aurianna, but as they approached her, a strange glow enveloped her body. The nobles found themselves compelled to halt in their tracks, their voices rendered mute leaving them speechless and simply admiring her from a distance as she walked away.

"Did you see that? The princess looked like an angel," one noble commented to his friend, clearly captivated.

His friend, too, was entranced by Aurianna’s charm. "Indeed, she’s positively enchanting," he replied, his voice barely above a hushed murmur.

But not everyone in the room was enchanted by Aurianna’s appearance. Duke Huns, who stood behind the nobles, cast a shadow since he was taller than normal people. In a stern voice he proclaimed, "Let’s not be so quick to be swayed by her looks. If we continue to pardon her solely due to her cuteness, she’ll never learn her lesson. This forthcoming war will serve as her much-needed lesson."