MVS 4

Chapter: 4

Right now, Sieta was nothing more than a helpless six-year-old child who couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t hunt, so the only option was to somehow run away.

But the tiger was staring straight at Sieta.

[Grrr…]

And when it finally lunged at her—

Sieta couldn’t even face it head-on. She shut her eyes tightly and trembled all over.

Then, “some kind of light” swept across the entire area.

And not long after that…

“Your Highness!”

The knight who had been holding Sieta checked her condition with a pale face.

‘Ah… so not yet.’

So Rosiate hadn’t completely abandoned her daughter after all.

Reaching that conclusion, Sieta finally relaxed—and completely lost consciousness.

The nobles were startled by the sudden commotion.

“Th-The Princess…!”

“She caught the tiger… the Blue Tiger…!”

No one could help but be shocked by such an absurd claim.

“Is that so?”

Rosiate asked back with a perfectly calm smile.

“Say that again. What did you just say?”

At her serene tone, the knights answered with visibly tense faces.

“Princess Sieta… c-caught the tiger.”

“The tiger…”

The knight glanced at Rosiate’s expression, yet had no choice but to continue.

“She caught the Blue Tiger!”

At the words that Sieta had captured the auspicious ‘Blue Tiger’ known only from legends—

For a moment,

Before the nobles could even scoff and call it nonsense,

They saw the blue tiger snarling inside the capture cage—and began to doubt their own eyes.

“What… so it wasn’t just a legend?”

Some focused on the fact that the Blue Tiger wasn’t merely a myth.

“And a six-year-old caught something like that?”

Others shuddered at the sheer potential of a princess who, at only six, had captured such a fully grown beast.

Some suspected that all of this might be an act staged by Rosiate to give legitimacy to her daughter.

But the nobles knew.

Rosiate was the kind of woman who would do absolutely anything for her own survival.

And just as they were not on Sieta’s side—

The knights reporting in confusion were not on Sieta’s side either.

‘Which means…’

That Sieta von Ariache, who had fallen out of favor with the current emperor, Rosiate von Ariache,

Had been born with extraordinary talent.

“Hm.”

As if the emperor herself had recognized the value and potential in her daughter,

Rosiate narrowed her eyes and silently stared at the tiger that had been snarling in the cage just moments ago, now unconscious.

And the nobles—

Even without any backing, even without support,

Could not help but acknowledge the mere six-year-old child who had single-handedly captured the legendary Blue Tiger.

A six-year-old who had created such an extraordinary legend—

And who would one day rule this vast empire.

No matter how much the current emperor tried to suppress her only daughter,

Sieta had proven it before everyone.

That she was a legitimate heir to the throne—strong enough to capture the legendary Blue Tiger alive.

While gazing at Rosiate, who still wore that unreadable smile…

The nobles began whispering among themselves.

“Shouldn’t we be choosing sides carefully now?”

“Ahem.”

They had no choice but to be cautious.

Do they side with the proven ruler?

Or with the rising… young princess, backed even by legend itself?

An elderly noble, staring at the uninjured Blue Tiger, asked,

“Did Her Highness truly capture this alone?”

“Yes. A white light appeared, and the tiger lost all strength.”

At that, the old noble asked again,

“Then could that white light not have been someone else’s power, rather than the princess’s?”

At the cunning question, the knight shook his head.

“No. The white light disappeared the moment Her Highness lost consciousness. From that, it seems—”

Before the knight could even finish, the old man stared greedily at Sieta and said,

“Oh… so the power was truly inborn.”

Yet despite all the awe and shock,

Rosiate maintained her smile from beginning to end.

Even though the six-year-old princess she had been suppressing had seen through her trap and turned the crisis into an opportunity.

That eerie, unmoving smile—

Not even a trace of agitation—

Made the nobles feel instinctive fear and discomfort.

“Let’s take a closer look.”

The beast seemed to have struggled for a long time before losing consciousness.

“You didn’t kill it?”

“No! We thought it right to leave the decision to Her Highness.”

At that, Rosiate gestured for him to continue.

“The tiger is unconscious. Since it is an auspicious creature, we feared misfortune might befall the empire if its life were taken.”

The knight stumbled over his words, but his reasoning was sound.

Rosiate’s face—

“……”

Still smiling.

But that smile did nothing to dispel the chill that settled around her.

And so, the nobles quietly held their breath.

The moment Sieta opened her eyes, she was so startled that—

“Oh my. You’re awake?”

She nearly fainted again.

No matter how many times she blinked, rubbed her eyes, or doubted her vision—

“My, my. My daughter’s hallucinations are quite intense.”

Rosiate showed no sign of disappearing.

Sieta’s face naturally crumpled.

‘No.’

What kind of psychopath checks on someone they tried to kill?

That absurd question must have shown clearly in her eyes, because Rosiate smiled gently and replied,

“As if I would ever try to kill my own daughter.”

The moment she heard that, Sieta was dumbfounded.

‘What a load of crap.’

If she hadn’t intended to kill her, then why push her into hunting a tiger in the first place?

“Quite a few nobles are supporting you.”

Which meant—

If the nobles hadn’t supported her, she would’ve been killed without hesitation, right?

‘Ah, this…’

You crazy psychopath emperor!

Of course, Sieta loved Rosiate’s psychopathic side.

That was true.

But—

‘Child abuse is seriously crossing the line, okay?’

Seeing her favorite character’s unhinged behavior, Sieta felt her already weak body heat up.

If she thought about it calmly, it was true that Rosiate hadn’t intended to kill her.

‘Because…’

Rosiate was always meticulous.

Without solid justification, she wouldn’t risk the image of a monstrous, immoral emperor.

“Catching the Blue Tiger is certainly something worthy of praise.”

At Rosiate’s casual addition as she observed Sieta’s racing thoughts—

“Pardon?”

Sieta was confused.

The Blue Tiger?

That was the legendary beast the male lead captures in I Will Execute That Villain.

And Sieta von Ariache, who would later be executed on charges of treason…

She caught the Blue Tiger?

Sure, she remembered encountering it.

She remembered seeing it.

But shortly after that, she had blacked out.

‘But I caught it? What?’

Was that in the original story?

No. Whether it was in the original or not didn’t even matter.

What mattered was one thing.

‘I’m completely screwed.’

Yes.

To Rosiate, who valued power and authority above all else,

Sieta had now definitely caught her attention.

That much was painfully clear.

And Sieta was only six years old.

Isn’t this completely insane?

After an unexpected breakfast with the emperor—

She was dragged, in utmost formality, into a discussion attended by ministers… and brilliant masters and doctors debating policies.

Sieta’s face was as sulky as could be.

‘Why am I even here?’

She desperately missed the days when she could laze around doing nothing, relying on her status as a princess.

Though she herself didn’t remember it, she had captured the “Blue Tiger” as a princess.

So of course Rosiate couldn’t ignore her and leave her locked away in the princess palace—she had to bring her along.

But still—

‘This is driving me crazy.’