Chapter 847

You want to wipe out the royal family?!

Upon hearing the words "Princess Veronica," the old king finally broke, his eyes bulging as he roared:

"How dare you?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

Watching the old king before him, his composure shattered and no longer looking down from above, "Princess Veronica" couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile—pleased, yet tinged with regret:

"Of course, in your heart, what matters most has always been 'royal honor' and 'the king's authority'—I, as your daughter, have never once been within your consideration.

Hmm… but it's not entirely true that I was never considered. When Mother was healthy, able to aid you like Joshua's mother, your paternal love for me was genuine."

Looking at the old king, his fury more intense than if she had just severed his head, the Iron Princess shook her head, her gaze cold as she concluded:

"But once Mother died, and your in-laws' family—like the Lane family now—was bled dry and lost all utility, a daughter like me, offering no resources, lost the right to receive paternal love.

You are a decent father, never stingy with your affection—too bad your affection is conditional, requiring me to first surrender my value."

"You?"

After hearing "Princess Veronica" dissect him as her father, the old king on the ground froze slightly, then eyed her with suspicion:

"You… how do you know these things? Are you truly Veronica?"

"Father, I've told you many times—I am Veronica!"

Seeing the old king still doubtful, the Iron Princess sneered:

"But I am not your kind, sentimental daughter. Though I hate to admit it, strictly speaking, I am the shadow she forcibly suppressed."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean—I am the collection of all the dark thoughts she refused to acknowledge."

Looking down at the old king, stunned and uncertain, the Iron Princess asked without expression:

"Have you never wondered why your daughter almost never shows any negative emotion?

When she lost her mother—the moment she needed comfort most—you, her father, neglected her for years; yet she never complained.

She worked tirelessly as a princess, yet received almost no praise; she never sank into despair.

Though she single-handedly upheld the royal house, she was taunted by her foolish brother and scolded by his even more foolish stepmother—yet she never cursed or raged.

Even when you hinted at stripping her of all she'd earned and marrying her off far away, her first thought was to find a solution—not to scream at you.

Don't you find that strange?"

Seeing the old king's stunned expression and the faint shame in his eyes, the Iron Princess shook her head and said:

"Don't say 'I.' You should thank me properly for giving you such an outstanding daughter.

Seeing your shocked expression, the faint guilt in your eyes, the Iron Princess shook her head:

"Since she found me six years ago and placed me in her bedroom, the belief I represent—to change the kingdom, to prevent tragedy from repeating—became her inner refuge.

She did feel anger. She did harbor resentment. But those turbulent negative emotions, her bitterness and unwillingness, were all suppressed by the hopes and ideals I embody.

Yet those impulses and malice, crushed by her reason whenever she saw me, never vanished. She endured you for six years—so those suppressed feelings accumulated in me, one by one, for six years.

When you locked her in her bedroom, those six years of buildup finally exceeded the limit her reason could contain. And when her resentment outweighed her kindness and reason, it became my turn to suppress her!"

After hearing the Iron Princess's account, the old king's face darkened with deep regret; gazing at the "daughter" before him, he murmured with boundless remorse:

So… was it the events three days ago that triggered Veronica, becoming the final straw that awakened the anomaly in her bedroom?

After hearing the Iron Princess's account, the old king's face darkened with deep regret. He gazed at the "daughter" before him, murmuring in anguish:

"If… if I had only known…"

Hearing the old king's words, the Iron Princess's form paused slightly. In her emerald glass eyes, a flicker of struggle surfaced—yet…

"I shouldn't have locked her in her bedroom!"

After a silent pause, as if some long-bound chain had suddenly snapped, a profoundly human smile suddenly appeared on the Iron Princess's rigid iron face.

Of course—someone like you could never regret.

After a silent moment, as if something long bound to her had suddenly snapped, the Iron Princess's rigid iron face suddenly twisted into a profoundly human smile.

Then, her twisted leg joints—mangled by nail guns—twisted back into place, regaining not only their original form but also a softness and agility foreign to metal, gaining unmistakable humanity.

"I'm sorry—I just lied to you. I am not Veronica, but an anomaly that reawakened by exploiting her suppressed dark side."

Moving her joints, now fluid and nearly indistinguishable from a human's, the Iron Princess smiled:

"Sorry—I lied to you just now. I am not Veronica. But I am indeed an anomaly, revived only by absorbing her suppressed dark side."

"As a direct descendant of the Thirteen Royal Houses, Veronica's will is far stronger than I anticipated—even now, she still prevents me from killing you outright."

Looking at the old king, eyes wide with shock and fury, the Iron Princess—who now looked more human by the second—smiled and bowed to him:

"As a direct descendant of the Thirteen Royal Houses, Veronica's will is far stronger than I anticipated. Even now, she's still trying to stop me from killing you completely.

Had you not, in turn, killed the last shred of her innocence with your own words, I might have struggled with her far longer—perhaps even been suppressed by her, never able to wipe out the entire royal family.

Heh. So it seems you truly are my father. After all, without you, I would never have been born. And to thank you for your gift to me…"

Amid the old king's agonized regret, the Iron Princess raised her ceremonial sword once more—and brought it down in a single, brutal slash.

"I'll give you a quick death!"

Watching the "Princess," her eyes now free of hesitation or struggle, smile as she brought her sword down upon her own forehead, the old king's gemstone eyes finally glimmered with profound regret.

If… if only I had been kinder to Veronica, if only I had given her more care, even… even trusted her once, would things now be different?

Watching the Iron Princess—her eyes now free of hesitation or struggle—smiling as she brought the sword down toward his forehead, the old king's gem-like eyes finally filled with profound regret.

If… if only I had treated Veronica better. If only I had given her more care. If only I had trusted her, even once… would things have turned out differently?

But… it's all too late now…

【58】 "Crash!"

【59】 As the old king, consumed by remorse, stared at the descending ceremonial sword and prepared to die, the window beside them exploded outward—violent winds and shattered window frames and glass shards surged into the study.