It was around three months later after the imperial meeting. Yes, it was quite a long time ago. But, honestly, it was the busiest month the company ever had since many years after this company was established. As they have to follow quite hard regulations and have to pay the dramatically raised taxes that was not an easy thing. Many companies other than them backed off and choose to leave, others collapsed as they could not balance the company's needs and the taxes. They were all in the worst situation, no... they were all in the desperate situation, that somehow makes her in this kind of situation.

' what was her purpose of life?' asked her to herself. Maybe because she realized how much danger she is now in, so she starts to recollect her memories.

"... If you could not speak then, is that mean you want to die?" and that gorgeous princess, with her beautiful hair and charismatic personality- intimidating her and all people in front of the first gate of the palace with her smiles while riding her white gallant dragon.

and she kinda misses Arisha right now, ' it was her, my sole purpose. what will happen with her if I die now?' as she does not have a voice to speak up, nor someone who will understand her with her sign language. Her note is in her bag so, she also could not write. She jumped unconsciously to someone that almost executed so of course, she threw her bag out of reflex.

She came to this place was because of her curiosity about the demonstration toward the imperial family, but, she never thought that it will lead her into this situation. The man who once looked so vocal of his justice looked so paled in front of this princess as the claws of her dragons have almost scratched him.

" Speak." and she looks like she is talking to her again.

'what are you saying?' she is yelling inside her heart, but it is vain. As the princess just gazes at her with her terrorising beauty.

' I really want to live.' she said while looking at the woman with familiar golden eyes. Who looks at her with her long gaze.

" YO-YOUR GRACE!" then yelled someone from the crowd. " That woman is deaf and mute!" and then a young man that once had a fight with Rosan came all of sudden. She notices him as the princess look at him too, so she follows her way. The man looks at him for a while but then bows himself in front of the princess. "... Please forgive her, Your Grace as she knows nothing."

then the princess looks at Irisha who looks at the man confusedly but then looks at her again. "... she knows nothing?" asked her while she perfectly remember how she jumped out in front of her when she was going to tear the paled man beside her.

" We are only a humble people of yours that would like to discuss the previous matter," he said.

when then she jumps from her dragon and looks at the man and woman who are bowing while that crowd is cowardly looking at the poor woman. Surely strange, because the princess could see that the woman is fully aware of who is she. Then suddenly a knight comes to her and gives her some note, who then makes her looks up to the sky after she red it before looking at them again. She smirks, " Okay, let's have the discussion." she said. " But, only this woman who will tell about the matter, if she could not say anything, nor give something to discuss.... you all will have a fun time with my dragon," she said while looking at Irisha who was confused with the situation especially when Irisha realizes that Rosan's friend's face becomes so pale.

***

Then, suddenly they are all directed to go inside the palace, to the place they have been before. The difference was, they are not as many officials, and only the first princess and the crown prince sit on their thrones. At that moment then Irisha realizes that the man she met in the lake was the crown prince himself, or it is what she guessed as, no one there could explain anything that is happening to her now. But, who will sit on that throne other than the crown prince and the first princess themselves? if they are not, then why do many people bow due to their presence? Other than that, the famous rumor about how agonizing their presence is due to the intimidating beauty and abnormal atmosphere whenever they are present.

She still want to analyze more and observe more as that is the only thing that she could do right now, but strangely all of the people that were demonstrating in front of the gate are now surrounded her all of sudden. They all seem to talk to her but she could not understand what they are saying. Yet, their expression is quite disturbing. They seem pissed, one frustrated, and they stare at her full of disappointment and enrage.

" Why should she be the one?"

" She is muted and deaf? how could she even speak?"

" The knight said that an interpreter is prepared for her to speak to His Grace, but no one could say anything as it will lead us to the execution."

then Rosan's friend suddenly comes toward her and gives her a piece of paper. That full with many words inside it. Where there is a written sentence of ' Say this to the prince and the princess.' is being written with large and bold words. " Just say it with your sign language thing." write the man.

[ Why?]

and he sighs, frustratedly. " Just do it! They want you as our representative." write him again, while writing it in hurry. " I help you because of Rosan, so you pay me with this one. Just say this and you will not lead us to our death," then again he writes down something. " If you messed up and something happened to us, it will be all your fault." and his glare is really menacing. It seems the death situation will show people their true nature. Then, why do you guys do the demonstration while the consequence is absolutely clear to begin with? she thought, but she could speak it out or complain now as she is also the one at fault that involved herself in this wicked situation.

' They want me to tell this?' asked her to herself. While looking at the prince and princess who are sitting quite a while since they first came to this meeting hall. ' how do they understand me? or are they mocking me right now?' and she is looking around the hall's palace trying to understand, but, someone pushed her to the front and now she is alone standing in the middle of the hall.

" Ah, perfect timing." said the princess while smiling. Let start, shall we?" said her, who looked at Irisha who is confused and unaware with people who are yelling and pressuring her to talk now behind her back.

then her eyes widen, as she looks at Haya beside the prince and the princess.

[ Haya?]

" What did she say?" asked the prince.

and Haya panicked." S-she said my name. She seemed surprised." and look at Irisha in worry and pitiful expression, as his expression saying ' how could you end up in this situation?'

it is silly but, she glads to see someone that she knows well and ' she could not understand too, why I am ended up here.' is what she wanted to say, but she is silent.

and the prince smiles, somehow he feels really enthusiastic about the situation that woman is in right now. " Tell her that I want to listen about the previous matter all these gentlemen eagerly want to say." and Haya does interpret it to Irisha. Who somehow now understand the situation more. Then, she read the text that Rosan's friend asked her to read. She tries to take a deep breath, then exhales it out. While composing herself to be as calm as she could. As that is something really important in this chaotic situation.

[ It is about the previous matter.] she said. [ to be precise, about the new regulation that burdens the humble owners.] she said, who make all the people behind her happy as Haya interpret it as the one they write. Yet, she closed her eyes and crumpled the text that they are given to her after she takes quite a time to read all of it and it is surprising many people behind her.

" She asked, may she points out her own opinion toward this matter," said Haya hesitantly that causing many people to yell in confusion.

" What?! What did she say?"

" What opinion? is she think this is a joke?!"

" Someone stop that stupid disabled!"

and Haya frowned while looking at Irisha, giving her a sign that she should not say that but, Irisha looks at him in assurance. Then he said his interpretation out loud, " She wants to state her own point towards this matter." and as Haya expected, the crowd becomes crazier.

" Come here, you crazy bitc-" As an old man wants to grab her hair due to his fury and anxiety. Haya thought his heart is stopped, but fortunately, a knight comes to hold him, leaving the deaf woman unaware of what happened behind her back. She is just looking at the three of them in order not to lose any important information, but Haya's expression, makes her realize that something is happening behind her, is not it?

It makes her heart thump uncontrollably, she imagines something that she should not be. But, in this kind of situation with the tyrant in it, what if it's something related to blood? If she looks back-

[ I will propose a good proposal about this matter.] she said calmly, yet Haya could see how anxious she is. [ I really understand about the situation, that the regulation that was made, is in order to help the empire in this crucial situation.] and interpret it just like she said.

" She said something that is not what we want!" yelled another man.

[ I am fully aware of that, as it is also our responsibility to do.] again, she who is unaware or try to keep her unawareness keep talking make people behind anxious.

" Your Grace! please do let us speak inste-" but that yelling stopped as the crown prince glared at him with his horrifying gaze. Makes him freezes and has a sudden loss of air in his lung.

While keeping the calm expression, she looks at the woman," So you are saying, that there is nothing wrong about the regulation?" and she looks at him to his eyes for a while before looking at Haya again. Kinda annoying in a way that even the crown prince could not understand.

and she is nodded. [ Yes. Logic-]

" What are you saying, stupid bitch!" but someone suddenly grabs her hair and pulls her down as she then falls so hard. She could feel her knees cracking while the man looks mad and go crazy as seems yelled. " YOU WANT US TO DIE, HUH?" and it was so horrifying as he looks like he wants to kill her as he grabbed her hand so hard leaving serious scratches.

The knights suddenly surrounded her and separate her from many people who also tries to reach her with their anger. She did not realize the madness that is happening behind her, it is so hideous as it makes her tremble....but-

[ Logically, yes. Your Grace.] while trying to stand and covering her injured hand by her own hand- she continues to talk, [ War is not a simple thing that can be won with a single power, it needs to be supported by many factors which one of it will be our financial state support.] she said, [ The Eastern is now could not be accessed, while it was the largest financial state's resource. Then where the empire should find the funds other than to its people? As war never be one's people or a party's responsibility. It is always everyone's matter.] she said again, which attracts the finance minister and International minister who are now standing behind the prince and the princess.

" She said that, yet she also understands the struggling to run a company with that kind of regulations. the regulation is logically true but in reality, it is burdening many people. We will not survive last long- so, we have to change our method is what she said-" said Haya.

" What is your method," asked him seriously while taking a short glance at her hand that starts trembling, before looking at her eyes who are now looking at the interpreter anxiously. Even though was she looking calm and composed, but now, she starts acting weirdly.

[ I was analyzing the data related to this matter in the past months, it was in my office.] she said. [ I try to figure out why Eastern trading dare enough to cut their trading to this empire as our state is always known as the most resourceful miner, so where they get the replacement after they cut us off?] asked her who then make people who still have their right mind, somehow start to calm down and think. [ This is still yet speculation but, I did send someone to investigate. It was the mine in Mountain Miti, it was quite far from here but accessible for the Eastern. Yet, the Eastern demands are quite high and the resource is limited, so I dare to say that... maybe, maybe around six months or eight months, around that time they will attack us or do something to us... as that is also the limitation of their limit to provide the goods.]

where the prince tries to stop her for a while and talks about something with the financial minister behind him. As he looks to have a serious discussion with him, then after a while he said, " Continue."

" Ah.. yes!" Haya said frantically, then looking at Irisha and gives her a sign to continue, " She said that, either the military try to solve that fast or we recover our financial state. Because in the end, their action is actually burdening them too at the same time, just like a two blades weapon. There are some regions where they trade their goods also being cut off because of this war. We can take the opportunity to sell our goods to that regions with the high price, because the sudden out-of-stock goods, will higher up their demands right? ... on that matter, I already list several regions that have the highest demand of goods that we also produce.... she said" Haya said while looking at her anxiously.

"... You are a worker in Daniel's Trading Company, Right?" asked the finance minister after looking for permission from the prince.

and Haya looks at him, for a second and looks at Irisha again who closed her eyes for a while. He could not tell the information and decided to answer it instead, " Yes, she is the assistant of the owner," said Haya in a hurry while constantly looking at Irisha that looks so pale.

" Where is the owner?" asked him.

" She is out of the town..." he said unconsciously with slowly diminishing his focus.

".... it was an urgent matter......oh, no! Irisha-" and what Haya is worried about is about to happen as he looks at the blood dripping in her hand, but when he is about to run over her, someone- the prince! is the one who runs to the collapsed Irisha." Irisha!" and he runs in a hurry after being stunned for a while. He takes off his jacket and covered the injuries while the prince holds her for not falling down.

and the prince suddenly lifts her up while the paled Irisha looks confused looking at him. " Ivy, take care of the rest." as he then goes out while being followed by the interpreter.

Then the finance minister has a talk with her for a while before she looks at the people who are waiting impatiently and anxiously. " Then, seems you are going to be notified for the next meeting huh?" said Ivy who then make them smile in relief, " ... I don't want to continue it, so you take care of it," she said to the minister who bows toward her.

Before she left the hall entirely, she looks at them once again." They are all smiling in relief where they were once wanted to devour a pitiful woman," she said while putting on her dreadful gaze toward them who are silent due to her words. Then, she smiles vilely. "... Ironically, that pitiful woman who was once cursed by this people is the one who save them." and she laughed out loud filling the hall with her echo.

" And they all say the imperial family is evil? Hahahaha... so funny." and she left them in the very silent hall while they are then taking a while for contemplating.

Even the minister of finance, let these men be for a while as he also realizes how human nature could be so wicked.

Much wicked than the one with dragon's blood.

***