Dragon Raja: History Simulator

Page 19

The princess did not resist, but instead did something even more drastic than resistance.

The maidservant followed closely behind her. Honoria's golden pupils gleamed, but she made no move.

She could easily kill the maid, but that would only allow her brother to punish her more severely, further stripping her of the little power she had left.

Honoria looked up; the bronze lamps hanging beneath the dome swayed gently, the scent of olive oil mingling with the fragrance of her hair. The Emperor had not mistreated his sister; what she had lost was her freedom.

"Has Attila arrived?" the princess asked her maid.

The maid's gaze was unfocused, and she dared not give any answer.

Seeing the maid's expression, Honoria chuckled, instantly understanding everything. She recalled the sound that had resounded throughout Rome a few days earlier. At that moment, she knew that "Dragon King" Attila had arrived.

"Teacher, I did as you asked, but where did you go?"

Honoria thought of her teacher, Aquitaine, the leader of the Secret Society and her mentor.

Two years ago, her mother passed away, and she was imprisoned in this palace on a trumped-up charge of "adultery with a guard."

Honoria offered no resistance.

Just then, her teacher Aquitaine suggested that she write a love letter to her childhood friend Attila, which she did.

So, a year later, Attila launched his first westward campaign. However, he was defeated by Aetius at the Battle of the Chalons.

Thinking of Attila, Princess Honoria's smile grew even more innocent.

This was by no means because she harbored any extraneous feelings for this close friend. Attila was nearly 20 years older than her, and Princess Honoria had not even been born when he was imprisoned in the Roman palace as a child.

The princess gracefully sat on the swing and gestured for her maid to push her from behind. Then, she slowly closed her eyes, immersing herself in memories, as fragments of her past life with Attila flooded her mind like a tide.

……

Princess Honoria clearly remembers that she first met this Hunnic prince from afar when she was 10 years old.

At that time, the Hun prince was already in his twenties. According to Hunnic tradition, he should have been a brave and fierce man who could draw a bow and shoot arrows. However, as a hostage who had come from afar, he was nothing more than a pitiful object to be bullied in the Roman court.

Attila's first impression of her was hardly good.

Such a tall man was ridiculed and bullied by several children who were much shorter than him.

Attila offered no resistance, only retreating relentlessly.

Even the palace eunuchs looked down on this Hunnic prince from afar, even though Rome at that time already had to rely on the armies of these barbarians.

"Hey, why are you bullying him?" Honoria looked at the children in the palace, most of whom were sons of noble families who had been sent to the palace in the hope of upholding the emperor's glory.

However, the descendants of these Roman knights have long lost the courage of their ancestors to conquer the world. They only dare to recall the glory of their ancestors in the palace, which they can control, in front of the prince who is being held hostage.

“He is the Hunnic prince, Your Highness the Princess.” At this moment, a knight boldly stepped forward, patted his chest, and seemed to want to demonstrate his bravery to the Roman princess.

Honoria understood that Rome was now in its final days. Although those involved had not yet realized it, the magnanimous confidence that Roman nobles and knights once possessed had visibly vanished.

The reason was simple: the Roman army suffered defeat after defeat on the battlefield, and even had to rely on barbarian mercenaries, whom they had previously routed, to maintain the rule of their vast empire.

However, these barbarians did not always obediently follow the emperor's orders, nor did they show much respect for the Roman nobles.

The more something is lacking, the more it is valued. Rome had lost its courage, and thus needed all the more these Hunnic princes, held hostage, to demonstrate their so-called bravery.

They attempted to prove to everyone that they were as capable of fighting as their ancestors, and the proof they presented was Attila, whom they had bullied to the point of not daring to fight back.

At this time, Attila was far from possessing the imposing aura of the "Scourge of God" he would later become, and it was unimaginable that he was actually one of the four great rulers of the dragon race, the King of Earth and Mountains.

Princess Honoria looked at Prince Attila, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and the arrogant noble knights, and suddenly became angry for some reason.

She was a princess of Rome, and she always wanted to bully others, not to be bullied in front of her, so she set the tone.

Even so, you cannot do that.

Chapter 40 An Unlawful Love

The self-proclaimed valiant knights left without a word.

They dared to bully the silent Attila, but were powerless against the Roman princess Honoria.

Yes, they are arrogant and domineering, but Honoria is even more arrogant and domineering than them.

At this time, the royal family had not yet had its thin veneer of dignity lifted. Although various warlords took turns ruling, they still maintained great respect for the emperor and the royal family. These pampered noble knights dared not do anything rebellious against the royal family.

"Why don't you fight back?" Honoria asked, staring at Attila with curiosity. "You're so tall and strong; if you were to fight, how could they possibly be a match for you?"

Attila's lips parted slightly as he looked at the domineering yet beautiful princess before him. For a moment, he seemed to have something stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single word.

Honoria, growing impatient, urged, "Hurry up and tell me!"

Her maidservant also feigned arrogance: "Her Highness the Princess is asking you a question."

At that time, the emperor could not rule personally, and Princess Honoria, who was favored by the empress dowager, held a higher position in the court than the emperor. Even her maids dared to scold the barbarian prince from afar at will.

Attila slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling on the beautiful young woman before him, and then said softly, "My sister forbade me to do it."

"Even if someone bullies you, you're not allowed to retaliate?" Honoria couldn't help but mock.

Attila simply nodded silently and said nothing more.

Princess Honoria then made her own judgment: "That's not your sister. A sister wouldn't treat her brother like that. You don't have a sister."

The princess's words seemed to touch a memory deep within Attila's genes, and he couldn't help but retort, "I have a sister."

Princess Honoria then inquired about him: "Does this Hun prince really have a sister? Does the old Hun king have a daughter?"

After a moment's thought, the maidservant replied, "Your Highness, I have never heard of the Hun king having a daughter."

Princess Honoria smiled, as if she had won a battle.

She turned to Attila and said, "See? I told you you didn't have a sister. The sister you're talking about, could she just be some maid? If you really think that way, I can send her into my brother's harem."

The brother the princess mentioned was none other than Valentine III.

The young princess had not yet been corrupted by power and transformed into a monster from a fairy tale. She laughed wildly, and no one could stop her, no one could stop this happy girl.

Attila kept refuting, "I have a sister, I have a sister..." over and over again, until his voice gradually faded away.

In his memory, his father had no daughters, but had quite a few sons. He was the second son, which is why he was sent to Rome as a hostage.

Although Attila had no sisters, she stubbornly believed in her heart that she must have had one.

Princess Honoria, however, paid no attention to Attila. To her, this poor boy from the East was simply an interesting fellow, and his princely status only added to her amusement.

She looked at Attila and said without room for argument, "From now on, you will be my attendant."

Princess Honoria thought that even her brother, Valentine III, did not have a prince—a future king—as a follower, while she could, which undoubtedly greatly satisfied the princess's vanity.

This is obviously impolite.

However, no one could stop Princess Honoria.

Her maids could not, Attila herself had no such intention, and even the court officials who knew the gravity of the situation did not actually oppose the princess's actions.

And so, this somewhat absurd thing was accomplished quietly.

Attila was 24 years old that year, and Princess Honoria was only ten years old.

Their happy time together lasted for four years.

Four years later, Ruja, the Hunnic king at the time and Attila's uncle, died. Ruja had no sons, so his throne could only be inherited by his two nephews.

Attila then returned to his country to fight for the throne that was rightfully his.

"Honoria, I'm leaving." Attila said truthfully, looking at the princess who had grown into a beautiful young woman.

Princess Honoria frowned, looking at her playmate who had come to say goodbye, her heart filled with anger. She shouted, "Go away, and don't let me see you again!"

Attila's lips twitched slightly, and he almost said, "Then I'll stay."

However, in an instant, the fragmented memories in his mind and the burning passion in his blood reminded him that the Roman court was becoming increasingly dangerous and was no place to stay for long.

He had to return to his homeland, the land of the Huns, where he could realize his ambitions.

Moreover, Attila knew that in the Roman court, he was merely a playmate of Princess Honoria and would never have the right to marry her. But back home, as King of the Huns, everything would be completely different.

So he fell silent. This silence only fueled Princess Honoria's anger, and she repeated, "Go away!"

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

Attila hesitated, a thousand words stuck in his throat, yet he couldn't utter a single one.

Just then, a figure vaguely appeared behind him, as if seeping out of the darkness. The figure lowered its voice and whispered, "Fenrir, do you want that girl?"

The shadowy figure was actually calling Attila by another name.

Attila looked at the dark figure, her lips trembling slightly, and murmured, "No, no, I don't want to. We should leave, sister."

The shadowy figure let out a sneer, then slapped Attila hard on the back of the head. "Fenrir, when did you learn to lie to your sister?"

Attila did not respond directly, but stubbornly repeated, "We should go, sister."

The shadowy figure abruptly changed the subject, saying, "If you really want that girl, I'll kidnap her right now. If you don't, killing her is fine too."

After saying this, the dark figure took a small step forward, as if he was about to catch up and capture Princess Honoria immediately.

Then she added, "I've wanted to do this for a long time. This girl is so rude to me, actually saying that I'm only fit to be her brother's maid."

Attila panicked, her eyes fixed on the dark figure. She hurriedly reached out and grabbed the figure, stammering, "Let's go, sister."

The shadowy figure chuckled again, but didn't provoke the somewhat timid prince any further. She patted his head, her tone firm.

"Fenrir, we will return with a mighty army, and the girl you love will submit to your hooves. Don't overthink it. Since you don't believe you can take her now, then leave it for later!"

One day, we will return; this is our former territory.

Chapter 41 My Teacher

"Teacher, Attila is gone."

Princess Honoria was slightly lost in thought as she looked at her teacher, Aquitaine.

Aquitaine is the leader of the Secret Party and also Princess Honoria's tutor.

In the eyes of the Queen Mother Placidia, Aquitaine was positioned to maintain a delicate power balance by controlling the mixed-race people with extreme violence on the one hand, and the Papacy with faith on the other.

This is a very appropriate decision for the present moment, especially since Aquitaine was already the leader of the Camarilla before the emperor ascended the throne and was deeply favored by the late emperor.

The royal family naturally had no need to push him to the periphery.