Eight years ago. One month after being assigned as Miko’s assistant, Nina was kneeling before the Primus Throne.

“So, it’s been a month…What do you think of my grandson?”

Nero slouched on his throne eating a bag of chips.

“Don’t worry, you can be honest.”

Nina lifted her head and looked up at him.

“I believe he’s overflowing with hate. He tries his best to hide it in an attempt to escape here, but you can see it in his eyes.”

“Eyes?”

“Yes, his eyes are just like yours and Lord Nova.”

Nero stopped chewing before putting on a smile.

“That is a problem. A 10-year old shouldn’t have the eyes of a monster no matter how much he wishes to become one.”

He pointed a chip at Nina.

“Continue to spend as much time with him as possible. Even if he gets annoyed don’t leave his side. If he starts to get violent, you may defend yourself if you wish. Momo will be close by, so I don’t think you’ll need to worry much.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Nina left Nero alone in the room.

“That girl surprisingly has high emotional intelligence. It makes me wonder if she’s really emotionless or is just trying to protect her own heart.”

He smiled and ate a chip.

“Maybe Miko will answer my question.”

A few days later, Miko was finally allowed to meet with someone other than Nina since he was brought to the Primus World.

*Pah!*

He was immediately smacked by them.

“…….”

He silently stared at the “little girl” in front of him.

“Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared? Do you know how I felt when I heard you became a wanted criminal? Do you know just how much you’ve put me, your parents, and siblings through?”

Momo lifted her hand to slap Miko again.

“…….”

He remained still and just looked at her. Momo’s hand trembled as she stared into his eyes. Her lips quivered and her eyes became watery.

“Since when have you had that look in your eyes?”

She slowly brought down her hand as tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Where did that bright-eyed little boy go?”

Miko opened his mouth and closed it again. His eyes narrowed.

“Why were you allowed to see me when no one else could?”

Momo didn’t answer immediately. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Gramps said seeing your family as you are would have a negative effect on them and you. I will be visiting you regularly to check up on you and report back to them.”

“If it’s to monitor me, I was already assigned a servant for that.”

Miko pointed at Nina in a corner with his thumb.

(I didn’t even notice her…)

Momo looked at Nina for a bit before turning back to Miko.

“I’m not going to monitor you, I’m just going to be there for you.”

“…Suit yourself.”

Miko turned away from Momo and flung himself onto his bed. Momo frowned. She glanced at Nina, who quickly approached her.

“Do you wish to ask me something, Lady Momo?”

“….Yeah. Can you tell me what Miko has been doing the last month?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t. However, Lord Nero declared you higher ranked than the Young Master so I’ll be honest.”

(What’s with this monotone way of speaking?)

Nina placed her hand over her heart.

“The Young Master have spent the last month trying to convince me, and by extension, Lord Nero that he is no longer burning with hatred and anger. He wishes to escape this place and once again slaughter the citizens of Dragna.”

Momo looked over at Miko. He wore a frown as he read a book on the Dragna Empire’s history.

“…Miko, what do you do in free time? I mean, how do you keep yourself entertained?”

“I trained my body and mind.”

(So he still trains…However, his motivation has clearly changed. I must find a way to take his mind off revenge. He needs to take a break.)

Momo turned to Nina.

“I understand. I will do my best to make him relax.”

Momo’s eyes widened. Nina spoke before she could tell her anything.

“…Can you read minds?”

“No. I’m just good at observing people.”

“…That’s an amazing talent.”

“My parents and relatives found it creepy and disgusting, so I don’t know.”

Nina walked away from Momo and approached Miko. She took something out of her clothes and handed it to him. It was a book.

“Young Master, would you like to try and read this book? It’s called Silent Garden. It’s book about a blind boy, who is the heir to the throne of a powerful empire, and his fiancée whose goal is to kill him so that his brother can inherit throne. The prince knows her true goal yet still spends his time with her in his garden for unknown reasons.”

Miko looked up at the book and then her.

“And why would I read that book?”

“Because it will take your mind off revenge.”

“…….”

Miko silently stared at the book before taking it.

(I see. Miko wants to prove he isn’t out for blood, so he has to make an effort. He probably figured she was trying to manipulate him but he can’t do anything about it.)

Momo stared at Nina’s back.

“This girl really knows how people tick.”

“It’s been 9 months, what are your thoughts about Miko now?”

Nina kneeled at Nero’s side as he and Nova were eating at a table.

“Oh, before you answer, are you hungry? If you like you can eat with us as we chat.”

Before Nina could reply, a new seat was placed at the table along with food. She looked up at the servants who made a place for her and then Nero.

“…Thank you for the invitation.”

She got up and took a seat.

“So, how does it feel to be served by your parents for once?”

Nova smirked as he took a sip of wine as he glanced at the servants.

“Ignore my idiot son, Nina. Tell me about Miko.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Nina glanced at her parents behind Nero before turning away.

“In an attempt to distract him from his hatred, I’ve convinced the Young Master to read novels as a hobby.”

“Miko has always been quite a bookworm, but he only read a lot for academic purposes, never for recreational purposes.”

Nero took a bite of a piece of steak.

“Has this new hobby resulted in any changes?”

“Yes. He originally only wanted to put up a front of normality, but he grew to love reading over time.”

“What about his obsession with training?”

“He now trains less and invest more time into reading. In time, I think he will stop training all together….Will that be a problem?”

“Nope. Miko is extremely burned out and deserve some time to rest his body and mind. It would be ideal if he steps away from fighting all together for quite some time.”

“Really? I think it would turn him into a husk of himself. His whole life’s meaning was to get stronger after all.”

Nova spoke up.

“For people like us, it’s better if we’re walking husks.”

Nero lifted his glass, it was filled with white wine by Nina’s father.

“The reason for this is because we’re sick in the head. So if we get too motivated, we’ll fuck up everything and everyone around us.”

He chugged the wine in one gulp before slamming the glass on the table.

“That’s just the type of person we, Gamikos, are.”

“Well, I guess you’re right about that.”

Nero nodded.

“Nina, I want you to break Miko. Change how he view the world and life as a whole. Make him forget his rage, destroy his motivations, turn him into someone who’s just fine with mundane life.”

“…..Are you sure?”

(It’s the first time she’s every questioned an order.)

Nero smirked and nodded.

“It sounds cruel because it is, but it’s necessary.”

Nero leaned back in his seat.

“We can’t have Miko turning into me and my idiot son here.”

Nova nodded.

“The world can’t handle another me.”

After a year with her, Miko had gotten used to Nina’s presence and was genuinely friendly towards her. They were in his room reading books together. Nina was sitting in a corner, while Miko was laying in bed.

“Hey, Nina. Did you finish the book Momo lent you?”

“I did, it’s pretty interesting read. The author, Hinami Akume, tell stories in a really immersive way. I think you should read it.”

“I see, I’ll take a look at it after I’m done reading this book.”

“…….”

Nina slowly brought her book down.

“Young Master, do you still want revenge?”

“I do. I also know you’re hoping for me to get distracted long enough to forget my anger.”

Miko also brought his book down.

“I’ll be honest because of our friendship, it’ll take more than this to change my mind.”

“I know, but what would do if you got your revenge?”

“What do you mean?”

“After you killed everyone you want to kill, what’s next?”

“What’s next? I’ll go back to my family.”

“Do you think you can?”

Nina stood up.

“Have you ever considered the possibility your family won’t agree with what you’ve done? What if they come to hate you?”

Miko’s eyes narrowed.

“My family would never hate me.”

“Why? Because they stuck with you while everyone despised you? They stuck with you and loved you because you weren’t the monster others made you out to be. You were an innocent child who didn’t do anything wrong.”

She pointed at him.

“But you’re not innocent anymore, are you?”

“………”

“You’ve killed before. Not only that, you enjoyed killing people.”

Miko slowly looked at his hands. He clenched them to stop the trembling.

“You know the reason why you can’t meet your family, don’t you?”

“……..”

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

Nina approached him.

“Young Master, if you carry out your revenge and kill everyone, you’ll be the monster your family swore you weren’t. Even if they don’t come to hate or fear you, they’ll never look at you the same way.”

She stopped in front of him.

“The warm welcoming you’re imagining will remain nothing but a fantasy.”

Miko became silent.

(The Young Master has a strong attachment to his family. This can be seen from the fact they’re the reason he seeks revenge. In his mind, he acts not for himself, but on their behalf. His way of thinking is twisted, but his intentions are pure; at least from his point of view. So if those he’s fighting for rejects him, it will be a huge psychological blow. It might even destroy him.)

Nina took the book out of Miko’s hand.

“I know the thought of being rejected scares you, and it’s because he wants to prevent this from happening why Lord Nero keeps you away from them. He doesn’t want to destroy the image you have of your family, and the image they have of you.”

“But…”

“Do you remember how Momo reacted when she first met you?”

Miko’s eyes widened. Nina sat on the bed.

“She was crying but I know you were the one truly in pain. You’re the one who wanted to cry, but you didn’t. Why?”

“….Because I didn’t want to cause her any more grief.”

“You didn’t want to destroy her image of you. You didn’t want her to know the innocent Miko she loved was long gone.”

Miko slowly nodded.

(Destroying one’s sense of purpose is the same as destroying their image of themselves. It’s a long and tedious process, a few words won’t be enough to do it. I’ll have take my time and crush his spirit….Basically, I’ll make him like me.)

She placed her hand on Miko’s shoulder.

“But there’s no need to fret, Young Master. Unlike me, you have people who love you for who you are. No matter how big of monster you become, you’ll always have someone in your corner.”

“….I guess you’re right.”

(I can’t overwhelm him with my views, I have make him think for himself. Otherwise, he’ll think I’m just trying to manipulate him. I need him to willingly give up on everything. He needs to believe that only by doing that can he stay with his family. For now, it’s enough for him to even consider this a possibility.)

Miko’s eyes widened as Nina’s mouth formed a smile. It’s the first time he’s ever seen her show any gesture of emotions.

“I’m sorry for the unpleasant conversation. Let’s talk about the book Lady Momo lent me. I would also love to hear about that book you were telling me about yesterday.”

“A-Alright.”

Miko returned the smile and started talking about the books he read. Nina’s smile slowly faded as he spoke. This cause Miko to become more relaxed. He started smiling as he spoke happily. As she talked with him and saw him smile, a thought popped up in Nina’s mind.

(I’m truly a heartless person.)