"..." The man blinked a few times to check his vision but the scene before him never changed. Their little princess was still smiling sweetly while talking to the children, no sign of that chilling glare anywhere. The man sighed. It seems he's been working too much and is beginning to imagine things...
He turned back around to continue chatting with his fellow commoners, unaware of the murderous look in a certain girl's gaze as she stared at him through the corners of her eyes.
Anyone who tarnished her previous name publicly will not meet a happy end. She will remember them. Their appearances shall be engraved in her heart for as long as they live. Charlotte swore that she will act out her revenge on all who betrayed and wronged her.
After falling into a daze, she turned her attention back to the giggling children circling her. They all had happy and cheery smiles on their faces, like they were unaware of the cruelty hidden behind the covers.
Suddenly, an amusing but saddening thought came to mind. Like the saying goes, 'happiness is something you can experience, but never firmly grasp in your hands and keep forever.' There's a good and bad side to everything. For commoner born children, they struggle to get a good meal or even good clothes. But at least they don't need to deal with the pressures that come with a noble title. They get to have fun and run around with their friends, no worry of how people will view them.
For children born into nobility, they get to enjoy the luxuries it brings them. They never need to worry about whether they can put food on the table. However they will forever be trapped in the same cycle of stepping on others to get ahead. But that's just how it goes. They will forever have to stay cautious of the people around them and how those people will perceive them. In the world ruled by the aristocrats, the eyes of judgement lurk everywhere.
This 'generous service' lasted for an hour before Charlotte had to leave. During her departure, the people bowed as they loudly thanked and proclaimed her kindness. Though the little princess wore a gentle smile on her face the whole time, in truth she felt disgusted. The love she had for those people have long been discarded.
***********
A young boy calmly sat behind a desk as he buried his head in books. He seemed immersed in his own little world until the faint whispers of the two maids in the room interrupted him.
"Did you hear? This afternoon, her highness the first princess visited an orphanage and gave out food for them!"
"Really? Oh, her highness is so kind!"
' Giving out food to orphans? I really did misjudge her... I'll have to give her a deserving compensation for my rudeness.' Felix thought after overhearing his two personal maid's whisperings. He's been feeling quite guilty lately. After all, he had accused a poor innocent young girl. Just as he was pondering what to compensate the princess with, the image of her warm smile flashed in his mind.
When he thought of her being treated so badly by the Empress, his heart couldn't help but tighten. Her majesty must be such a despicable woman to have the heart to hurt such a cute girl...
************
The next day, as Charlotte was preparing herself for a new morning, a few of her handmaids brought quite the news to discuss.
"A few commoners' have been found dead in their homes! They all had strange causes of death. No one knows what exactly happened to them..." Anna told another one of Charlotte's personal maids, Sarah. They were whispering but not quiet enough.
"Oh no! Could a murderer be on the loose? Have the guards caught the perpetrator?" Sarah gasped, her face painted with horror.
"Apparently not..." Anna sighed.
"Shh! You two, do not talk about such things before her highness!" The head maid, Shia, berated them as she brushed Charlotte's long dark hair. Her cold and strict tone frightened them into silence.
"Oh my, that's tragic! I wonder who could've done such a treacherous thing..." As Charlotte spoke, her eyes secretly wandered off to Medea who was standing aside, smiling ignorantly.
After Charlotte had finished getting ready, she left her palace to have morning tea with Lucas.
The scene of his cute daughter rushing to his side from the other side of the garden, softened Lucas's heart and eased his previously gloomy mood. He took her into his arms and hugged the little princess he raised.
"Father, why isn't mother here?" Of course Eleonora knew why, but Charlotte wasn't supposed to, thus she pretended to be ignorant and innocently asked Lucas.
With the reminder in her words, Lucas's expression darkened a shade. He took in a deep breath before sighing the words, "Your mother is with a friend of her's. You might've met him already, he's Duke Lengrid."
' Of course it's him. Though Sasha is not short of past loves, he is undoubtedly the most persistent and determined. Even after all these years, he still hasn't been able to forget about her, can he? ' Charlotte rolled her eyes secretly but her features revealed a disappointed face in front of Lucas. But to ' not look too upset and demanding', Charlotte cheered up and said,
"Oh! Well, that's fine. Duke Lengrid is very nice to both me and mom! To prevent the possibility of mom tripping and falling, he would always hold mother's hand when they strolled the garden!"
...
Her words stabbed directly into Lucas's heart. He is well aware of how many men Sasha had rejected and left behind to marry him, but he still can't stand it! No matter how many times Sasha assured him that they and her are all merely close friends, he still didn't want to leave his precious beloved with all those men who used to long for her!
"Is that so...?" He faked a calm reaction and responded without a hurry.
"Mhm! Mom seems to be having fun too! She was always giggling when they spoke!" Charlotte brutally pierced the knife deeper into Lucas's heart with a pure smile. 'Oho... How does it feel, Lucas? How does it feel to have your perfect wife be in risk being seduced by another handsome man? Hurts, doesn't it? '
It is expected that after this conversation, the morning tea time was covered with a net of cold air. Lucas wouldn't even have the ability to concentrate on what Charlotte was saying. After moments of awkwardness, he apologized to his little princess that tea time had to be ended earlier and strode away with his head slightly lowered, looking defected.
After staring at his departing figure disappearing into the garden, Charlotte took her teacup and sipped with a subtle delightful look.
************
"Sasha, may I speak to you for a moment?" Lucas was able to catch Sasha after she had said her farewells and pulled her away to talk.
"What's wrong?" She tilted her head.
"Sasha, I understand you're close with him but, must you spend time together holding hands...?" He tried to reason with her, but as soon as his words fell, she lashed back at him.
"What? What are you talking about!? He is my friend! And Hand holding... Who told you that!?" Sasha felt deeply offended and she could not restrain her anger. She felt disappointed. He knew she and Caden had been friends ever since she had re-entered high society. Is he now accusing her of something!? How could he!?
"That isn't important, Sasha!" Because she started shouting, he too did the same. He no longer holds back his frustrations. "Sasha, I am your husband! You are pregnant with our second child! You should not be so close with either Caden or the others! I've been lenient toward you but holding hands is something I cannot accept!"
Sasha was baffled and her eyes widened in horror. Did he really just shout at her...!? Sasha couldn't contain her fear and sadness thus bursts into tears. She fell to her knees and buried her weeping face in her palms.
"Bad man! How could you shout at me! Why are you trying to separate me from my friends!? Why! We're just friends! I have already rejected them for you, Lucas! You should know I only love you! But they, including Caden, have been so nice and supportive of me during those hards times! How could you expect me to just forget about them like that! They are my dear friends! Ivey already lost Lidia, now you want me to lose them too!?" She sobbed uncontrollably as she vented her feelings.
"Sasha..." Lucas wanted to say more but how can he? His heart warmed and his pity was aroused at the sight of her choking through her tears and desperate cry. He sighed and knelt down before her to coax her gently.
Their little spat today ended just like how their previous few fights, with Sasha's tearful cry and Lucas's doting comforting.
Charlotte had already guessed this outcome. But this wasn't the main course. This was merely an appetizer. The main course is being carefully prepared...
***********
As Charlotte with few of her many handmaids strolled the many palaces, she was able to catch a 'disturbing scene'.
"Brat! Who you trying to act arrogantly for, huh!?" There, two maids scolded as they both kicked and hit a small boy, Zenneth. Charlotte recognized him almost instantly as the image of the cocky foreign prince remained unforgettable in her mind.
The boy was kicked around as he laid in the dirty ground, biting his lip in effort to hold back a groan of pain. His face had paled and sweat had covered his forehead. It was so clear his body was aching from the beating, but the two unruly maids did not stop.
"I'm tired of you claiming yourself as some mighty prince! You're no longer in your Tula Empire! Tula is small compared to our Laressa Empire! Who gives you the right to be acting like you own this palace?!" The maid berated, ruthlessly kicking the young boy's stomach.
"I am a prince...! How dare you! His majesty, your Emperor, himself gave me this palace to reside in! For that reason you of course serve me...! " Even while suffering, the prideful young boy refused to back down and kept on his little act of bravery.
Charlotte sighed quietly. If this boy knew how to properly protect himself, only then can he act so provokingly. What a silly child...
Zenneth curled up his small body to protect his stomach that has already been hit too many times. He closed his eyes as he braced for another hit, but it never came. Instead, he watched as the two frightening looking maids bow their heads with fear. He hesitantly sat up and turned his head. Only then did he realize why they had stopped.
Turns out the first princess had arrived.
"We greet her highness the first princess! Long live her highness!" They respectfully shouted with cold sweat.
"What were you doing!? I saw you kick him!" Charlotte interrogated with an ugly expression.
"This is all just a misunderstanding, princess! He..." One of the maids tried to make an excuse but was interrupted by Shia before she could say anything more.
"How dare you! Have you forgotten your place!? No matter where he is, he is still a prince from a neighboring Empire! What if word had gotten out that the emperor of the Larressa Empire allowed two lowly servants to beat a foreign prince!? Would you two dare be responsible for starting a war between the two empires!?" Shia had always been used to installing boundaries and fear into the hearts of others as a head maid of Charlotte's palace. Just her presence and intimidating voice was enough to frighten the two maids into submission. They no longer dare to make excuses and knelt down.
Charlotte then turned her attention back to Zenneth. Though she and him never really got to spend time together during play time, how could she stand by and watch him get so poorly treated? After all, he could be a very useful chess piece in her game...