Free The Rose Princess by Hideyuki Kikuchi Page B

were objects of fear and hatred, and the princess was no exception. At one time, young
     people and even children had vanished from the village every night, irrespective of
     sex. They returned with teeth marks on their necks; pale and less than human. Every
     last one of them had the aroma of roses on their breath, and rose petals filled their
     pockets. Thus, the lady of the manor became known as “the rose princess.”
    And yet, incredibly few people had ever offered her any resistance. Aside from the
     fact she was shielded by her knights, the human populace of this region had a more
     deeply rooted fear of the Nobility than people in other Frontier sectors. Mothers
     could only weep as their children were locked up on the edge of town, and husbands
     drowned their anger in liquor after driving stakes through the hearts of wives who’d
     bared their fangs. Once in a very great while, a brave rebel would take the road up
     to the manor, but many of them were never seen again—as if swallowed by the darkness—while
     even more had been left as brutalized corpses decorating the sides of the road out
     of town.
    It was a few years earlier that the first symptoms of change had manifested. Young
     people had been born without the innate fear of the Nobility many believed had been
     fused into their very genetic code. And once grown, they made little secret of their
     plans to resist the princess and her guardians. Elena was one such person; the dangerous
     nucleus of her biker group.
    “Just what the hell are you up to?” she asked the princess, her voice a mix of tension
     and trepidation—and expectation.
    “They’re a hindrance, the lot of them,” the lovely princess replied, but her words
     were directed to D, as always. “The fact of the matter is, I’ve finally grown tired
     of these lands. Although I look young, I’ve actually been here for a fairly long time.
     And recently, I’ve yearned to see something of the world at long last. But when I
     go, I’d like to spread my wings and fly solo. And that’s where they become a problem.”
    Elena also looked at D. She couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of the staggering
     information the princess had just disclosed. Relief and excitement filled the biker’s
     heart, but D’s expression hadn’t changed in the least. No matter what the Nobility
     had in mind, the Hunter would no doubt remain impassive as he brought all their plans
     to naught. Beautifully and emotionlessly.
    “They are certain to insist on accompanying me,” the princess continued. “After all,
     they live solely to protect me and my stronghold. Doesn’t that sound absolutely dismal?
     I’ve always been sickened by that cloying kind of love and feelings of loyalty.”
    “Then why have you put up with it for so long?” D asked.
    The princess let a wry smile drift to her lips as she replied, “Oh, there are any
     number of reasons. Bound by the traditions of my ancestors and so on. They are my
     retainers, ultimately. It wouldn’t do for me to leave them with nothing to do, would
     it? After all, they haven’t a talent for anything but this work.”
    “But you’d abandon them now that you’re bored?”
    “Don’t make it sound so sordid. Everyone has a right to put their own happiness first,
     right? I have a feeling that in that respect, humans and Nobles don’t differ in the
     least.”
    There was no reply.
    “That’s all I had to say. If you’d be so good as to eliminate them, I’ll move on to
     a different area. And the village will be free—won’t it? Everything works out nice
     and neatly that way. And you can finish up here without even having to destroy me.”
    “I listened to what you had to say,” D said softly.
    “Now, hold it right there,” the princess said, fairly admonishing the Hunter.
    The ghastly aura that’d begun to permeate the area left Elena unable to speak.
    “Wait just a moment,” the princess continued. “I told you I’d be willing