Royal Princess of Blood

Haru was slightly trembling as she kept herself low to the floor, prostrating. Truth be told, it was a bit weird to see the mother of a friend acting like this before me. I’ve been wanting this kind of reaction for a while now, but why did it have to be Miyako’s mother of all people? I couldn’t fully enjoy this moment because of who she was. Not only that, she was also a ruler of the island, basically. This had a pretty bad implication for her and me if someone saw this happening.

Besides that, why the heck was she trembling this much upon confirming who I was. She was afraid. Was this a natural reaction? Sorry, people! This was my first time dealing with something like this, so I was still figuring out a way to properly navigate through this.

I maintained my regal demeanor as I addressed her. “Why do you tremble? Do you fear me?”

“... I-I hope that I didn’t offend you!”

“Lower your voice, I do not want unwanted attention.”

“Y-Yes…” She still kept her face on the floor. “My apologies. Please do not punish me and this island.”

I raised an eyebrow and healed my small wound. “Why should I punish you? I am neither a vindictive person nor easy to anger. I do not unleash punishment for the smallest inconvenience.”

In fact, I am quite a tolerant person.

“T-Thank you…!”

“Besides, I think you have all suffered enough.”

She slowly raised her eyes to look at me upon hearing those words. She seemed to be glad that I was being empathetic towards them.

“You may rise.” She immediately sat up. “In my journey here, I have seen the state of your islands. The hardships. For more than a couple of thousand years, your people suffered, yet adapted. Surviving all the way to the present.”

“... I do not know what happened in the past… How it all happened… But, we must have been punished by the gods.”

“Hm… I may be the goddess’s daughter, but I do not know what happened in the long past. But the past matters little. What’s important is the present and the future.”

She lowered her gaze. “Is that why my daughter has such an ambitious goal? Is that the role you wish upon her?”

That was a weird thing to assume about my actions. I didn’t want her to do anything.

“Your daughter, I only met her by chance.”

“Perhaps it was fate that made you meet.”

Fate, there it was again. I never considered my encounter with Miyako to be fated. It was nothing but a coincidence. And I find it displeasing for people to say that to me.

“Don’t believe in fate. Fate has nothing to do with it, strange coincidences happen in life. I dislike fate, for such a belief robs us of our free will.”

“Free will?”

I smiled slightly. “Every person has the right to free will, Lady Haru. That is life, free to do what we want, what we hope. Just like I did not force Miyako in any role… Relying on fate is not putting your path in your own hands.”

She seemed a bit baffled. Was it so hard to comprehend?

“I did not command nor willed for Miyako to strive for Shinoroa’s unity. She is free to play the role of savior, conqueror, or whatever else she wants. During her travels, she was shown the truth, the reality. She experienced tribulations and witnessed the horrors. I only offered words that helped her in her confusion. Yet, in the end, she has the freedom to take her own path. Our destiny is in our own hands.”

“Our destiny…?”

“Therefore, I did not impose my wish upon her. I did not order her to do anything. She is free to act, free to succeed, and even free to fail. I have no hand in it. If she wishes, she is even free to run away from it all.”

She clenched her fist, anxiety clear on her face as she took a deep breath. “... But… something bad might happen to her.”

“Indeed. We are free to do what we want, but we are not free from consequences.” Every action has a reaction, sort of say. Where there’s fire, there’s heat. Where you land a punch, there’s an impact. That was something you could never be free from: consequences. “As free as she is to do what she wants, you are free to stop her.” It was only a matter of who’s gonna win. “But is that something you want?”

“... My daughter’s goal is a noble one. But I don’t want her to fail. Will she fail, goddess?”

“That is not for me to answer. But Miyako is my friend, and I have taught her what I could, and she has learned from me.”

“I am conflicted. Her father is against it. What should I do?”

Wait a fucking minute, I’m not a therapist or some shit.

So why the hell was she asking me that?!

“Do you think Miyako would stop at this point? Maybe you are conflicted, indecisive, because you fail to understand your own daughter.”

“... How could I not understand her…?”

“Ask her what happened during her journey. Learn what your daughter went through, her feelings, her thoughts. Afterward, make a decision.”

Holy shit, I’m the one that needs a therapist here.

“I understand. I will take your words to heart.”

Is this how it is to be a god? Jesus Christ…!

“Your daughter will be doing something quite challenging very soon. And I would prefer it if she did it alone. She has trained however she could in her blood art.”

Her eyes widened. “Y-You mean… She’ll be fighting…” She placed a hand on her lips, shocked.

“I can't be by her side forever, she will have to face the dangers herself. Pray for your daughter’s success.”

“... I will pray to you for her success.” She bowed her head.

My eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. I had this strange feeling that sparked within me. I… I was pleased. This was weird. This was actually the first time someone prayed to me as a goddess. Someone who actually seemed to worship me.

“Hm. Anyhow, now that you have ascertained my identity, what do you intend to do?”

“... I… I have not really thought about it.”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“No, just me. I wanted to make sure before telling anyone else. Especially to my own family.”

Doing that right now would be a bit too troublesome. For now, I didn’t want anyone else to know I was a god. That could bring more trouble than it’s worth. It was nice being worshipped, but I had to be practical about this. Haru was an exception, as she brought this painting to me. There was really no avoiding her suspicions. Best to reel her in however I could before she does something unwanted.

Keep her under control. ‘But Estelia, you just said everyone is free to do whatever’, yup, and I’m free to do whatever I want with Haru. Not that complicated. We are all free to do something good, or kinda not good. I didn’t want to be a victim of some unexpected circumstance because of some random person.

My main beef was with ‘fate’ anyway, deciding someone’s life path… Fucking bullshit. Fate does not make that decision for me, nor for anyone else.

That’s what free will is. Just like no one forced Miyako to become the unifier of Shinoroa. We make our own destiny.

“Lady Haru, it is best not to mention me to anyone else. Keep it to yourself. Even to your daughter.”

“... Why? I don’t understand. A god should be received as a god.”

“I have no need for an extravagant reception. I’ve come here for a different purpose, not for my identity to be known by everyone. And your daughter… I didn’t tell her about my divinity for a reason. It’s best we keep things as they are.”

“... So Miyako really does not know… You are quite a humble and understanding person, Your Holiness.”

I giggled. “I have lived as a human, so I understand how it is to be one. Despite my divine being.”

“Lived as a human?”

“Yes. I’m a princess. I was born of a human, raised as a human… It is a perspective that many gods lack…” Of course this was just me being dramatic. “I have lived as you. I understand being human.”

Her eyes widened, astonished and in awe. The goddess before walked among humans as well. Teaching them and whatever… It would seem I was getting on her good side.

“Tell no one about me for now. Treat me as ‌you have treated me before. I am not the Goddess of Blood, I am not as significant as her. It is not my time just yet.”

“O-Of course, if that is what you wish.” She bowed deeply. “If it’s fine to ask, why have you come here, Your Holiness?”

“There is something I seek, very important.”

“To defend your homeland?”

“Yes. And when I have it, beware. For I shall be reborn, and a new, true deity will rise.”

She gasped before kneeling deeply. “I shall look forward to that day.”

***

Once Haru had left, I let out a long, tired sigh. Acting like a god was not that hard, but receiving such ‌genuine devotion was something new to me. It was unlike being a master to a servant. This one here really regarded me as a god. And it somehow made things more tense. Still, I’d get used to it. But fuck, having Haru as my first devotee out here was a bit weird and awkward to Miyako. Perhaps that was part of what tired me out.

Miyako, sorry, looks like I did something that would trouble you.

Perhaps it was indeed best not to tell her who I truly was… Why was it important for me that she treat me like normal? Huh, perhaps I just preferred we were just friends. It would be weird and awkward if she suddenly found out I was a goddess and started to treat me like one. That would certainly change our relationship. And I liked the casual stuff between us.

Yeah, definitely gonna be weird if she starts worshiping me or something.

Getting a devotee here on this island was not on my list of things to do here. And I dislike deviating from the plan. Therefore, it was best to keep it to a minimum and let Haru be the only one to know who I was. Getting worshiped was nice, but I had other more important things to deal with. Home was more important than some people.

“What are you guys standing out there for? Open it if you want to talk.”

The door slid open, and Taneva, Hartwin, and Velar were standing.

“What was that about?” Hartwin asked.

“Looks like I gained a follower or something,” I answered.

“What?”

“Someone discovered she’s a goddess,” Taneva said as he chuckled. “Can’t believe it’s that easy. And to think it’s Miyako’s mother of all people.”

“You guys should learn something from her.”

They all had hesitant faces, except for Taneva, who merely scoffed.

“How is it to have the mother of your friend suddenly kneeling in front of you?” Taneva asked sarcastically.

“... Can’t say it’s a healthy feeling, exactly.”

“How did she even find out?” Velar asked.

I pushed the wooden box towards them. I had Haru leave it with me for now. Just wanted to look at it some more and show it to the gang.

“Woah, she looks like you,” Hartwin remarked as he leaned close to the painting. “Is that the Ruling Deity of Blood?”

“Apparently,” I answered. “Uncanny, isn’t it?”

“You really almost look alike.”

“Congratulations, Princess, on your first worshiper,” Taneva casually clapped. “Don’t be like those asshole gods, okay?”

“Hey now, I’m not like them. I even told her about free will.”

“Already on your first gospel, not bad.”

“Maybe next time I’ll teach about compassion and kindness. This island kinda needs it!”

I might copy the Ten Commandments or something.

“Heh, you’re gonna need to deal with the other gods before you can do what you want. Did you forget? Once you inherit the divinity from the Goddess, the other gods will take notice. No one knows what they’ll do in response.”

I groaned. “How annoying…”

“On the bright side, they are a bit distracted for the moment.”

“You mentioned that before, but I still don’t know what’s really going on with them.”

“A bit complicated, I’ll explain next time. Not important at the moment, anyway.”

“Hm. Very well, I’ll focus on what’s important.”