The loud slamming of the door rang on Iris' desolate, dark and empty room as she leaned her whole weight against the door and slowly slid to the floor.
The red and warm patch on her cheek barely visible against the moonlight that poured in from her windows. The stinging pain taking her back to when she visited her father, who was locked up in jail.
...
"Father, I brought you something you might want to eat. I-I baked it myself."
She timidly offered the sweets and pastry to her disheveled looking father. His hair was tousled messily and his beard had slovenly grown.
Gone were his prim, clean and proud look as a Baron. He had been degraded to such.
Shifting his piercing and angry glare towards his daughter, he swiped everything she made for him off the table and mocked her.
"Instead of doing something this unnecessary, why don't you focus more on seducing the first prince, you useless imbecile?!"
He barked that made the girl flinch and retreat in her seat. He had always been like that. Calling her derogative names and making sure she never forgot her place.
Why she was there and why she was even given the chance to live a luxurious life—far from the life that she used to have that was no better than a sewer rat.
"For what purpose did I create you, you phony Maiden of Light, if you can't even serve your purpose?!"
Yes, that's right. Iris is not the Maiden of Light. In fact, she believes that fabled woman does not exist at all.
She was a product of countless experiments that also claimed countless of women's lives.
The people who made her, a couple of Barons, which of course included her foster father, Baron Latifolia, and Earls and a few Marquess, with which the most well-known was Marquess Devich, exhausted every method they could think of.
Till the Baron stumbled upon a little stray girl with empty eyes and empty mana. She had nothing. No parents, no family, no magic and no love—she was a girl born with nothing. And so, she was perfect.
Then he took her back and they unwittingly performed their series of rituals and experimented on her until they successfully created her.
A girl who can manifest the same fabled light sword magic as the legendary Queen or as the handful of scriptures that spoke of this maiden said.
She was the perfect weapon. She was their leverage. She was their trump card.
Once the people knew of her as the Maiden of Light then surely they would love her, they would worship her and lift her up to take the Empress' throne that's been vacant for decades.
Iris, at first, didn't like being experimented on. Though she had nothing in her, at least she had her individuality and sanity.
But as they told her stories about this woman, how she had everything she was depraved of, she began to want that life. She wanted to be her.
And so everyday, she would tell herself,
"I'm the Maiden of Light—beloved by everyone, the prophesized Queen, the woman who will take it all in the end. I am the legend everyone's been waiting for."
Every single day, she would look herself at the mirror and tell that mantra to the girl reflected in them. It was what kept her going.
Until, she eventually fooled even herself.
That was why, when she saw the infamous Lady Sylveris, that everyone was whispering softly about, she couldn't help the jealousy bubbling up inside her little heart.
She, who had everything handed to her on a silver platter, and her who had nothing.
It corrupted her little by little till she allowed it to consume her entirely.
It was the life that she wanted—surrounded with overflowing warmth, love and affection, with loving parents behind her, a handsome and capable brother that pampers her to no end, a man who would look straight into her eyes and tirelessly show her his undying love.
This woman was living the life that was supposed to be hers! How dare she?!
She grew to hate Adira to the deepest pit of her black-tainted heart. She hated how, out of everyone that she knew and saw, she was the closest to possibly being the Maiden of Light.
And how the place seems to brighten up when she walks in and everyone cannot ignore her presence.
She always hated that light and warmth that she brings with her.
"Or what? Don't tell me you actually thought you were the real Maiden of Light? Have you possibly forgotten how everything about you is nothing but an illusion?
How, once you strip down all that facade, all that's left is a little street rat I chanced upon?"
"I know!! I know that!! You.. don't need to remind me."
"Silence, you slut! How dare you raise your voice against me?!"
Baron Latifolia rose from his seat and gave the girl a strong slap that had his every bit of force, frustration and anger packed in them.
How dare this wench try to go against me, the very person that created her out of nothing?!
"I'm... I'm sorry, Father."
"If you are then begone and do your job properly, you bitch."
And with that, the Baron pivoted on his heel and went back to his small and creaking bed on the corner, still fuming, while the girl just silently exited his cell, after picking up the pastries her father thrashed, and headed home.
Shifting the blame for all the misfortunes that befell her to Adira, she finally decided on the one thing she could never crawl back out of again.
She had gone too deep in hell to even hope for salvation at this point. So she was dragging that hateful woman with her, if it's the last thing she'd do.
...
"If I can't have what I want, then neither are you."
Iris pledged in her heart before grabbing her cloak and, once again, left the safe place she had been residing in—venturing out on this cold, dark night.
...
Back on the little Royal family, who had to extend their stay on Bycrest for a few more days, Adira was finally let out of the room and intended to bask in the sun and relax.
If not for her husband that made a fuss on everything she did. He had completely left his work as an ambassador on Roman's hands as he accompanied Adira wherever she went.
"Casey, seriously, you're annoying me!"
She finally tried to shoo the man away and briskly walked away. But Casimir had longer legs, so he had longer strides and immediately caught up with her.
"Don't walk too fast!"
"Seriously? I mean it! Shoo!"
"No!"
"Go away!"
While Alexander, who was left to look after the little raven-haired child, could only sigh as he looked at this married couple still being silly even on foreign grounds.
Heise looked up to him after briefly tearing his eyes away from his mother and back to her again, who was still trying to get his father to leave her alone.
"Are they fighting?" He asked.
"No, they're not, Little Prince. They're... Hmmm... I'm.. not too sure."
Alex took back his words while watching Casimir suddenly pick Adira up in his arms and carried her over to a shade before placing her down.
"You stay here! Don't stay too long out in the sun! I'll get the servants to bring some refreshments out here. Just please behave, my wife!"
Casimir scolded Adira which caused tears to well up on her eyes. She was indeed becoming moody, snappy and often dislikes having Casimir hover around her.
However, if the man decides to do what she wants and stay away, then she'll snap at him and attack him out of nowhere.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I did not mean to scold you. Please stop crying now?"
And as quick as a snap, Casimir bends the knee and pacifies his whining wife—trying to coax her like a spoiled little brat.
Adira always stops whenever he does that though so it was all good. It was like now that her hormonal balance were off, she was acting more willful and cuter.
As well as starting to display her affections for Casimir out in the open.
"Kiss me and then maybe I'll stop." She demanded.
Casimir could only chuckle at his adorable wife and kissed her full on her cherry red lips before her tears finally stopped.
When Alexander was sure that the two was already done with their everyday drama, he brought Heise closer to them before setting out to find a servant and relay Casimir's orders.
Not long after, Alex came back with servants that brought lots of cakes and pastry for the pregnant woman and the little gluttonous monster to feast on.
Casimir, after all, wasn't a sweet tooth like this mother and son pair. However, he enjoyed watching them relish the sweets.
A servant caught up to the others, while carrying this white box, and gave it to Adira while saying,
"Someone asked me to give these to you, Princess. They said you loved them."
Adira took the box and opened it to find the same cakes Ramir got from her favorite store at Baron Niveria's fief and brought back some for her.
It made a sweet smile decorate her lovely facial features as she turned to Casimir.
"It must be my brother. Only he knew how much I loved these cakes!"
She exclaimed which only caused a frown on the man's handsome face—as if telling her how much he disagrees to her words.
"Wrong! I know it as well! In fact, I could list down everything that you like right now! And I would be on top of that list!"
"It's me!! I'm the one on top!" Heise inserted indignantly. He wasn't allowing his father to take his spot as his mother's favorite.
I actually know them too.
Alexander, although silently, softly whispered in his heart who refused to give that particular round up.
"Fine, fine. You know it very well." Adira laughed before placing the cakes among the array of other pastries as well.
They were enjoying the sweets with happy hearts when suddenly, that happiness was nipped at the root that caused everything to crumble down as the little child suddenly coughed out blood and fell from his seat.
"Heise!!!!"
Notes:
I know you hate me for this! 😭🙇🏻♂️
ごめなさい🙇🏻♂️🙇🏻♂️🙇🏻♂️
Anyway, a little heads up for everyone, since from now on, I'll be burdened with consecutive exams, I'll have lesser chance to update. So please, bare with me. Thank you! Banzaaaiii 🎉🎉🎉
P.S. let's try and get to a hundred comments this time? Love you 😘😘😘❤️