"Here's my identification card and recommendation letter as a lady-in-waiting for Imperial Concubine Lime," I announced, presenting the documents. They verified my identity, their eyes widening. My name was notorious throughout the empire: the vicious, mad first wife of the legendary Holy Knight commander, the empire's hero, the woman who tried to kill the Saintess.
"Same feather, flocks together, indeed," the Empress declared, a sneer twisting her lips. Jasmine stood beside her, a smug smile on her face.
"Greetings, Empress," we both said in unison.
"Tell me, you're the one behind Lady Lime becoming the Emperor's concubine, correct?" the Empress demanded, but I remained silent, my head bowed.
"Gracia, I know you're angry with me, but if you drag my cousin into this, it's a different story. I won't hesitate to fight you," Jasmine threatened. I chuckled, a slight sound that seemed to insult them both.
"Your Majesty, I have no intention of causing trouble. I'm here because the Emperor ordered it, and the Imperial Concubine recommended me. Besides, whatever I did before, it's normal for a wife whose family was stolen to act this way," I clarified, my voice calm and measured.
My vision blurred as I saw Jasmine laugh, but I ignored her. She was beside the Empress, and I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Wife? Lady Garcia, families aren't property. You can't just waltz back in after abandoning them for so long," the Empress chided, her voice dripping with disdain.
I bowed again, my voice low. "If that's not the case, Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
"You're awful!" Jasmine shrieked, slapping me across the face. I could only endure the blow, along with the misunderstanding of my words.
"As a woman, you should be virtuous. But you betrayed your husband and abandoned them. Now you show up when you've found a comfortable place? Aren't you ashamed?" Jasmine lectured, her words dripping with self-righteousness. As the Empress, I was ashamed that her only concern was "virtue." She had no grasp of politics, but it suited her. She wasn't raised to be an empress; she was bought and sold into the position. It was not the way of true rulers to listen to one-sided stories.
"Your Majesty, you seem to enjoy watching the sun set in the west. I admire your wisdom, while you gaze upon the thick curtain of night," I said, my words a veiled insult. A crooked iron cannot be straightened if it's already in the sky. It was better to watch them make their next mistake.
"What do you mean?!" Jasmine shrieked.
A man in a white suit and royal blue coat, wearing spectacles, approached, his gaze sharp and piercing.
"The new lady-in-waiting has a sharp tongue," he commented. As I met his gaze, recognition dawned.
Blonde hair, green eyes. Nathaniel Hortinson, Jasmine's relative, a man I'd clashed with repeatedly. We were rivals in every sense of the word.
"Greetings, Royal Advisor," I said, bowing slightly.
"Lady Gracia Matilladious, I never expected to see you again. You haven't changed. You still haven't managed to beat me," he sneered.
"Your Grace, when did I ever compete with you? I don't need what you have," I replied, my voice laced with amusement. He laughed.
"Oh? Why are you here?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"At the Emperor's behest," I answered.
He leaned in, his voice a whisper in my ear. "Do you truly expect me to believe you were forced into this?" His words held a veiled threat.
He turned to the Empress and bowed. "Your Majesty, I'm here to escort Lady Gracia. Please allow us to leave."
The Empress raised her hand in dismissal. Finally, I was free from this suffocating place. I would endure their insults now, but I would return the favor tenfold.
As I turned to leave, Nathaniel stopped me, his expression grim. "Lady Gracia, don't you find it strange? From the very beginning, this world has had no place for you."
"I had a place, but a stranger stole it. Isn't that tragic?" I replied, my voice laced with sarcasm.
He turned, his grip tightening around my neck. "Gracia, there's never been a place for you here. You've been an outsider from the start. Everything here, even these people, was meant for Jasmine!" he snarled.
I laughed, even as I struggled for breath, relishing his frustration. "Your Grace, I didn't know you were so obsessed with her. Why didn't you marry her instead of destroying someone else's home? You're blind, aren't you?" I taunted. His grip tightened further.
"Why are you still alive?!" he roared, his voice thick with disbelief.
"Ha! Is that your concern? Sorry to disappoint you," I chuckled, my voice fading. I couldn't breathe. Desperate, I kicked him between his legs, but he caught my thigh.
"You have no mana left?" he asked, his voice a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"Guess so. How else did I survive? You think I'm stupid?" I retorted, my voice laced with defiance. He tightened his grip, his nails digging into my skin. I gasped, my vision blurring. I lost consciousness, my body limp in his grasp. I had no pulse, no breath.
"You've pushed me too far. You were going to die anyway. I'm sorry, Gracia, but you should be dead. A cleaner story," Nathaniel muttered, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
He lifted me toward the rushing river below the bridge. Just as he prepared to throw me over, I snapped awake, my reflexes honed by years of survival. I grabbed his arm, yanking him off balance, and we both plunged into the churning water.
"Die? I'll take you with me, you demon!" I roared, fury fueling my strength. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. He seized my hair, attempting to drown me, but I locked my arms around his neck, pulling him under with me.
"Let go!" he raged, fighting for breath.
"You want me dead? I'm taking you with me. And if you're the reason that woman was reborn, I'll kill you!" I screamed into the churning water. We sank deeper, the current a relentless force.
Underwater, he thrashed, pushing me away, but I held on. He was stronger, and he managed to push me back slightly, but my grip on his neck remained firm. I pulled him closer—and then, something unexpected happened.
Our lips met. The shock of the involuntary kiss broke the struggle; we recoiled, swimming frantically toward the bank.
"You insane bitch!" he sputtered, his voice choked with rage and sputtering water.
"Oh? Is that unprecedented anger? First kiss?" I teased, my amusement undiminished. It meant nothing to me; I wasn't some innocent maiden.
"You're disgusting!" he roared, violently wiping his mouth.
"Not really, I think. First, it was my husband's first kiss, and mine. After that, his lips never touched mine again—once only. Then, its your turn. I think you really want to give me second place," I taunted, my sarcasm sharp as a blade. I quickly escaped his reach.
After a seemingly endless struggle, I finally reached Lime's palace, drenched and breathless.
"Is that you?" Lime asked, suspicion evident in her voice. She recognized the voice from before. I poured myself a cup of tea and drank deeply.
"Yes. So, how's the palace? Guessing the Empress is getting on your nerves," I said with calculated amusement. I wasn't wrong.
"She's infuriating! She looks down on me and blames everything on Jasmine! She plays the victim so well!" she raged.
I set down my teacup. "Don't worry, we share a common enemy. If the Empress is your obstacle, I’ll handle it." My reassurance failed to entirely calm her.
"Lime, don't forget, I was once the fourth most powerful woman in the empire, the youngest daughter of the Matilladious Dukedom. I understand politics and high society. I was just foolish to prioritize love over power,” I explained, the regret in my voice genuine.
It was a bitter irony: Choosing love had cost me freedom, power, even my mana. And the love I chose had benefited someone else entirely.
"So, what's the plan?" Lime asked, her eagerness palpable.
"I'll handle the scheming and political maneuvering. You use your seduction skills on the Emperor. I'm confident your skills far surpass Jasmine's," I said, a smirk playing on my lips. She laughed, brimming with self-assurance.
"I'm not merely superior; I'm a master. When it comes to seduction, nobody beats me," she boasted, totally unfazed.
Where there are no cats, the mice will feast.
I crafted a plan to pave the way for Lime's seduction, and she proved more than capable. The time to seize control of the palace had arrived.
"Let me ask you, Lime. How much do you crave revenge? What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve it?" I asked, my tone laced with a subtle threat.
I wanted to gauge her burning ambition. Frankly, I didn't trust her; I needed a puppet, and she was perfectly suited to the role.
"My life. I'll give my life for this. What's the plan?" she asked, her eyes burning with a fierce determination. I smirked, producing the potion I'd created.
"A fake pregnancy potion. Drink this, and within weeks you'll experience pregnancy symptoms. At the upcoming banquet, Jasmine will gift the Empress Sakura Jew Wine. Only royalty will drink it; this wine will counteract the symptoms, causing you to simulate a miscarriage. Then, you decide on the fallout," I explained, handing her the potion.
"I decide? But there's only one outcome, no matter what I do," she countered.
"I offered you two options, don't be obtuse. Will you do it or not? The choice is yours," I stated before leaving her in her palace chamber.
It wasn't a potion; it was a curse. Devoid of my own mana, I relied on forbidden magic. The pregnancy symptoms mirrored my own experience; the curse would trigger the moment she consumed Jasmine's wine. Sakura Jew Wine was intended to ward against curses and boost mana, yet the curse I’d woven onto Lime would cause her immense suffering.
I was eagerly anticipating the ensuing drama.