Hime had always been calm. She was patient, graceful, and controlled. But today, that changed. It started at breakfast. Haruka was casually bragging about how “fun” the book heist had been, while Hana was desperately pretending it had never happened. Hime, on the other hand, sat in absolute silence, slowly sipping her tea.

  Then, a servant burst into the dining hall, bowing quickly. “Your Highness! The High Priest is requesting an audience.”

  Hime set down her teacup, her voice eerily steady. “Why?”

  The servant swallowed nervously. “They wish to discuss the placement of the next temple inscription of Princess Hana’s teachings.”

  A loud crack echoed through the room as the delicate porcelain of Hime’s teacup shattered in her hand. Hana, feeling the shift in the atmosphere, immediately sank lower in her seat. Haruka, on the other hand, was grinning, completely unbothered. “Oh, this is getting good.”

  Then the entire table trembled. The air thickened, pressing down on everyone in the room. Without warning, Hime stood up so fast her chair collapsed beneath her. She slammed her hands against the table, and her voice rang through the hall like thunder. “Enough.”

  The walls trembled, the windows rattled, and the polished floor beneath her feet cracked. Hana flinched, her instincts screaming at her to flee. “Oh no.”

  Haruka blinked in genuine surprise. “Wait. Is she actually mad?”

  Hime turned to them, her usually composed eyes glowing with suppressed fury. “You two have caused me nothing but endless trouble,” she said, her voice deceptively calm.

  Hana quickly raised her hands. “N-Now, Hime, let’s be rational—”

  But before she could finish, Hime took a single step forward, and the ground beneath them split further. Hana screamed, grabbing Haruka’s arm. “SHE’S LOST IT!”

  Haruka, still grinning, leaned forward with excitement. “This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Then Hime raised her hand, and in that moment, Hana knew—they were absolutely screwed.

  Hana and Haruka had seen Hime annoyed before. They had even seen her mildly frustrated. But this was different. This was pure, unfiltered rage, the kind that made the entire palace tremble under its weight.

  Before either of them could react, Hime took another step forward, and with it, the floor beneath them cracked even further. The servants in the room scrambled away, some whispering prayers, while the guards stationed at the door looked at each other, silently debating whether they should intervene or run for their lives.

  Hana desperately clung to Haruka’s sleeve, whispering in terror, “we need to run.”

  Haruka, ever the fearless fool, simply folded her arms, watching the unfolding disaster like it was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen. “Nah, I wanna see where this goes.”

  Hime finally spoke again, her voice low and measured, but carrying a force that sent chills down both their spines. “I have been patient,” she began, taking another slow, menacing step toward them. “I have endured every ridiculous stunt you two have pulled. I have cleaned up after every single disaster.” Her hands clenched into fists. “But this—this is the final straw.”

  Hana’s heartbeat skyrocketed. “O-Okay, I see you’re upset, but—”

  “Oh, I am upset,” Hime cut her off, her voice dangerously soft. “First, a kingdom-wide panic. Then a holy text created out of your delirious mumbling. Then a heist in the royal archives that almost burned down the entire historical collection of Aikyo?”

  Hana flinched. “Uh…”

  Hime’s golden eyes darkened. “Centuries of history. Thousands of irreplaceable documents. Scrolls, treaties, and royal decrees barely saved from complete destruction. And for what?” She paused, her voice dropping lower. “So you could erase your embarrassing books?”

  Haruka cleared her throat. “Okay, in our defense—”

  Hime’s deadly glare made her stop mid-sentence.

  Hime exhaled sharply and straightened her back. “No more. You will learn your lesson today.”

  The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the air turned deadly silent.

  Then, with terrifying calmness, Hime turned to the guards. “Bring the ropes.”

  Hana’s eyes went wide. “Wait, wait, WAIT—”

  The guards hesitated. “Uh… Your Highness—”

  Hime’s head turned slightly, and the force of her icy glare made them snap into action immediately.

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  “Yes, Your Highness!” they practically ran to retrieve whatever she requested.

  Haruka, for the first time in this entire situation, finally started to look concerned. “Uh… Hime? What exactly are you planning?”

  Hime didn’t answer. She simply turned back to them with the unholy calm of someone about to deliver divine punishment. “You’ll see.”

  Hana screamed internally.

  This was not going to end well.

  Hana and Haruka tried to run. They did not succeed.

  The moment they turned to flee, the guards had already surrounded them. Within seconds, they were dragged back to the center of the room, their wrists tied securely behind their backs.

  Hana squirmed against the restraints. “Hime! We can talk about this! We’re sisters! We can—”

  Hime, still eerily calm, cut her off with a single glance. “You nearly destroyed the royal archives. There is nothing to discuss.”

  Haruka, despite being bound, still looked amused. “Alright, alright, you got us. What now? A stern lecture? A boring speech about responsibility?”

  Hime didn’t answer.

  She simply motioned to the servants.

  Then— A chair was brought forward and placed in the center of the room. A stack of books followed.

  Hana’s heart dropped.

  “No…” she whispered. “You wouldn’t.”

  Hime took her seat, crossed her legs, and picked up Volume 1 of The Divine Reflections of Hana the Enlightened.

  “I would,” Hime said calmly.

  Then— She opened the book. And began to read.

  "‘A soup can be food, but can food be soup?’"

  Hana screamed.

  ---

  The First Trial: Hana’s Endless Lecture of Doom

  For the next several hours, Hime read every single word from the “Sacred Teachings of Hana” out loud. Hana, tied to a chair, was forced to listen to her own nonsense in its full, unfiltered glory.

  "‘The floor is only dangerous if you trust it too much.’"

  "‘If a cat stares at you for too long, are you guilty or is it judging you?’"

  "‘Banana soup is the key to enlightenment. Or maybe just indigestion.’"

  Hana screamed into the heavens. “HIME, PLEASE! I’VE SUFFERED ENOUGH!”

  Hime did not stop. Haruka, meanwhile, was doubled over in laughter.

  "This is so much better than I imagined."

  Hime turned a page. “Oh, this one is interesting. ‘Why does the sun exist? Because it does.’”

  Hana groaned, kicking her feet. “I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER SAYING THAT!”

  Hime calmly continued. “I have seventeen volumes to go through. We’re just getting started.”

  Hana screamed internally. This was hell.

  ---

  The Second Trial: Haruka’s Noble Nightmare

  While Hana suffered from her own words, Haruka’s punishment was far less entertaining.

  “You,” Hime said, closing the book momentarily, “are banned from training for a month.”

  Haruka froze. Her smile immediately vanished. “…Wait. What?”

  “You heard me,” Hime said smoothly. “No training. No sparring. No weapons.”

  Haruka tried to process this. “You—you can’t be serious.”

  Hime gestured to the guards.

  Haruka’s beloved twin swords, Tengoku and Jigoku, were confiscated on the spot.

  Haruka’s entire world shattered. “NO. GIVE THEM BACK!”

  The guards stepped away.

  Hime ignored her. “And, since you insist on running around like an untamed beast, you will wear formal court robes every day for the next week.”

  Haruka gasped. “You MONSTER.”

  Hime gave a small, satisfied smile. “Oh? I thought you wanted to ‘see where this was going.’”

  Haruka struggled against her restraints. “I TAKE IT BACK! I TAKE IT BACK!”

  ---

  After Manny Hours of "Torture" - The Lesson is Learned… Maybe (?).

  By the time Hime was finished, Hana looked half-dead.

  Her head was slumped forward, her eyes lifeless. “…How much longer?” she whispered.

  Hime flipped to another page. “We’re only on Volume 5.”

  Hana let out the softest, most broken whimper. Meanwhile, Haruka was sulking in her newly issued formal robe, looking as though she had been sentenced to death.

  Hime finally closed the book. She stood, dusting off her robes. “I hope this was educational.”

  Hana could barely lift her head. “You… you’re evil.”

  Haruka pouted. “This is cruel and unusual punishment.”

  Hime smiled pleasantly. “Good. Then you won’t do it again.”

  She gestured to the guards. “You may release them now.”

  The moment their bindings were undone, Hana collapsed onto the floor, face-first.

  Haruka, grumbling, yanked off the heavy silk robes. “I swear, I’ll get my revenge for this.”

  Hime sipped her tea. “You’re welcome to try.”

  Hana, too exhausted to argue, weakly lifted a hand. “I… I need to go lie down… forever.”

  And so— Hime’s wrath had been delivered. Justice was served. And Hana and Haruka finally learned one thing.

  Never.

  Ever.

  Make Hime truly angry.

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