Princess Royal, the War Goddess, unleashed her fury after the transmigrated woman died tragically in the ancestral chamber. I am Cassandra Volkov, Princess Royal of Veridia, yet my King, my own father, decreed my death, branding me an ill omen. It was Luna Blackwood who pulled me from the wasteland of the dead, breathing life back into me, and brought me to the Royal City. She taught me strategy. She taught me how to wage war. Luna, with a bright, defiant smile, declared, “Even women can carve out their own destiny.” She also claimed her mission in this world was to protect me and reverse our kingdom’s grim fate. Veridia was plagued by internal dissent and external threats. Luna helped me on the battlefield, forging my fearsome reputation as the ‘War Goddess,’ until I forced my King to abdicate in favor of my younger brother. Once her mission was complete, Luna didn’t return to her supposed homeland. Instead, she married a man who promised to love her for all eternity. The moment my brother ascended the throne, enemy nations regrouped and attacked. I led our armies to war. “Luna, my brother and our kingdom are in your hands.” She smiled, her voice steady. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here, waiting for your triumphant return.” But when I returned victorious, she was gone. Gazing at her bloodied corpse in the old family crypt, my rage exploded.
After shattering the enemy capital and capturing their royal family, I rode back to Veridia’s Royal City at a breakneck pace. Luna, who should have been waiting on the city walls, was nowhere to be seen. I rode straight to the Thorne Dukedom. Three years ago, the Thorne Dukedom had fallen on hard times. The legitimate daughter of the prominent Li family, Seraphina—Sera—who was supposed to marry Lord Elias Thorne, the Heir, suddenly backed out. Luna, the overlooked, unofficial daughter of the Li family, was swapped in as the replacement bride, pushed into the Dukedom. Thankfully, over time, the two fell deeply in love. Elias even swore an oath of eternal devotion to Luna in my presence, promising her a lifetime of undivided love. Upon entering the Dukedom, I walked directly to Luna’s courtyard. The plum trees Luna adored had all been replaced by peach trees. As I stood there, bewildered, a woman emerged from the rooms. At first glance, I nearly mistook her for Luna. Only because she was wearing one of Luna’s specially designed dresses – a matching friendship dress that only Luna and I owned. Luna had called them ‘best friend dresses.’ On her head was the white jade hair comb I had given Luna for her birthday. Luna cherished it dearly, never daring to wear it. Now, these precious items adorned a stranger. A terrible premonition coiled in my gut. I stepped forward, grabbing the woman’s arm. “Who are you? Why are you in Luna’s courtyard?” A maid beside the woman rushed forward, shoving me away. “Watch your tongue! This is the Lady of the Dukedom!” The Old Lord Thorne was dead. Elias had no brothers. I couldn’t fathom how the Dukedom had gained another Lady. My gaze turned to ice, fixed on the mistress and servant before me. “If you are the Lady of the Dukedom, then who is Luna Blackwood?” The woman faltered, but her maid put her hands on her hips and snarled, “Is that vixen sending you? To harm our Lady?” “She truly is a venomous witch! Someone! Seize this woman! Break her legs and toss her out to keep that hussy company!” No sooner had the words left her mouth than two matrons rushed out of the courtyard, reaching for me. I kicked one to the ground, and a cry of pain echoed through the courtyard. “You wretch! Still dare to fight? Do you have a death wish?” The maid beside the woman, puffed with indignation, lunged at me, hand raised to strike. I backhanded her. She spat blood and crumpled to the ground. More maids and matrons swarmed into the courtyard. The woman’s expression instantly shifted. She fell to her knees beside her maid, tears welling in her eyes. “I know Luna always hated me. You’re her accomplice, here to avenge her.” “Every fault, every mistake is mine. Strike me if you must, but don’t hurt anyone else.” “If hurting me will ease Luna’s pain, if it will make her humble herself and apologize to Lord Elias, then I would gladly die.” I turned my head, watching the flock of servants point and whisper, and sneered. Such a pathetic display. I’d seen these tricks countless times in the palace since I was a child. My face remained cold as I stepped forward, slapping the woman across the face. I knelt, grabbing her chin. “Luna. Where is she?” Her maid shrieked, clawing at my face. “You wench! My Lady is cherished by Lord Elias! If you harm her, he will ensure you meet a gruesome end!” The maid’s attack was vicious, clearly aiming to tear my face apart. I instinctively raised my arm to block, and two bloody scratches appeared on the back of my hand.
The maid screamed at the gawking servants and maids. “What are you standing around for? Seize this woman!” “Dare to harm the Lady? Her crime is doubled! Drag her away and give her twenty lashes, just like that vixen, Luna Blackwood!” My heart plummeted. Twenty lashes? Years ago, when I led my army into the Royal City, forcing my King to abdicate, my elder brother, resisting to the last, sent assassins after my younger brother. Elias and Luna, to protect him, used themselves as bait, pretending to be my brother. When an assassin’s arrow flew towards Elias, Luna shielded him with her body. But the arrow was coated in a deadly poison. Luna barely survived, and ever since, her health had been fragile. For an ordinary woman, twenty lashes could easily be fatal. For the frail Luna, it would be a death sentence. I drew the whip from my waist, cracking it once to drive back the surging maids and matrons. I walked over, seizing the maid by the throat. “You struck Luna?” My nails dug into her flesh, blood staining my fingers. The maid stared at me in terror. “Not me! It was the Lady!” I flung the maid aside and turned to face the woman. She trembled, backing away. “You dare to harm me? Lord Elias will never forgive you!” “Hmph!” I snorted, then brought the whip down across the woman’s body. A shriek of agony echoed through the entire courtyard. I dragged the whip forward. “Luna Blackwood. Where is she?” The woman was about to speak, but she glanced behind me, then suddenly collapsed to her knees, wailing. “I’m so sorry, I was wrong! I’ll leave Elias right away and give him back to my sister!” “I just beg my sister not to hate me.” Sister? Before I could process that, two shouts suddenly came from behind me. “Sera?” A figure dashed past me, rushing to the woman’s side, gathering her into his arms with a look of overwhelming concern. It was Elias Thorne, the man who had sworn eternal love to Luna. In that moment of stunned distraction, sharp pain lanced through my arm and leg. My arm was roughly twisted behind my back, and my calf was brutally kicked. My knees slammed into the ground, the pain so intense I almost cried out. “Insolent wretch! How dare you disrespect the Lady of the Dukedom!” The voice that reached my ears was none other than my own brother, Prince Alaric. Guards rushed forward to seize me as Alaric, in his royal robes, hurried to the woman. He gently, carefully, caressed Sera’s face. “Sera, your face?” Sera looked utterly wronged, and moved her arm. “Hiss—” A gasp of pain. Elias and my brother immediately fussed over her, each taking one of her hands. “Sera, where are you hurt?” Sera glanced at me, then sweetly said, “It’s alright, Elias, Alaric. I don’t blame my sister, nor the maid she sent.” “That venomous Luna again!” Elias roared, enraged. “This time, I will show no mercy!” Alaric’s face turned dark. “Rest assured, anyone who harms you, I will make them pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!” Alaric spun around. “Guards! Drag this common wretch away and give her a hundred lashes!” Elias yelled, “Your Majesty, I’ll do it myself!”
I burst out laughing. “Excellent! Simply excellent!” This Seraphina, she was the legitimate daughter of the Li family. I had almost forgotten that Seraphina and Elias were childhood sweethearts. Their families had arranged their marriage when they were mere children. And my own brother, Alaric, had been tutored by the Old Lord Thorne since childhood. He had spent every day with Elias, making them childhood companions as well. In that brief moment, I understood completely why my Luna wasn’t in this courtyard. Why all the plum trees had been replaced by peach blossoms. Why all her belongings were now on another woman. I raised my head, my gaze cold and detached, looking at the two men. Upon seeing my face clearly, Elias immediately dropped to his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground. My dear brother, Alaric, instantly withdrew his hand from Sera’s. A fawning look on his face, he rushed forward, kicking away the guards who held me, and reached out to pull me up. “Cassandra, the army wasn’t due back for days! Why did you return early? And why didn’t you tell me?” I slapped his hand away. He stumbled, caught by a guard behind him. “Get lost. A mere common wretch like me wouldn’t dare let His Majesty personally assist her.” Sera scurried over, pointing at me. “How dare you! Even if you are a Princess, you cannot disrespect His Majesty!” I sneered, raising my hand and slapping her. “What do *you* think you are, to lecture *me*?” Sera clutched her cheek, tears glistening in her eyes, looking pitifully at Alaric. “Cassandra, are you insane?” Alaric pulled Sera up, sheltering her behind him, and roared at me. I sneered, stepping past him, straight to Sera, and pinched her chin. “Your father is the Minister of Rites. By all accounts, the legitimate daughter of the Li family should be the most proper and dignified of women. How is it that you’ve managed to waltz into your sister-in-law’s home and take charge? Is this the ‘upbringing’ of the Li family?” Sera’s face turned ashen, her lips trembling as if about to cry. Alaric rushed forward, pushing me away. “Cassandra, do you truly need to humiliate Sera like this?” He glared at me. “You’ve been at the borders for years, Cassandra. How did you become so cruel and petty?” “Sera is a gentle soul, without a hint of malice or cunning. Are you trying to drive her to her death with such words?” “Luna snatched Sera’s rightful place as the Lady of the Dukedom. Now, it’s merely a return to its rightful owner.” I finally lost my temper and slapped Alaric across the face. Years ago, my King doted on my Queen, my mother. But my mother, targeted by these very same schemes, was framed, cast aside, and ultimately forced to take her own life to prove her innocence. Alaric and I fell out of favor, endured countless slights, eating rotten scraps and moldy bread, living worse than the lowliest servants in the palace. At the Royal Autumn Ball, I secretly hoarded pastries, intending to save them as food for Alaric and me. It was then that Luna found me hiding in a dark corner. “Princess Royal, when a kingdom falls, no one is safe.” “Our kingdom is on the brink of collapse, yet the court nobles care only for their own pleasures.” She told me that after our kingdom fell, I would be captured by an enemy general, become his trophy, utterly broken and discarded, and meet a tragic end. “Princess Royal, you are the heroine of this story, meant to be a phoenix revered by all, soaring above the heavens.” “Your Highness, let us go to the borders.” Luna used her own wealth to secure a safe, secluded cottage for Alaric. We went to the borders. Luna taught me strategy and how to lead armies. Time and again, when men in the military questioned me, attempting to steal my glory and claim my achievements, she protected me and turned danger into opportunity. We repeatedly turned the tide of battle, reclaiming conquered territories. Whenever I was in danger, she was always the first to rush forward and shield me. But she never claimed any credit for herself. “Your Highness, I came for you. I ask for no rewards. I only wish for your future to be one of flourishing beauty and radiant glory.” With her by my side, I became Veridia’s first female general, commanding vast armies. Luna quietly stepped back, marrying Elias Thorne. But what arrived before the King’s decree of my death was Luna. I led my troops into the throne room, forcing my King to abdicate. Alaric, protected by Luna, was able to ascend the throne. But now, my dear brother had forgotten everything.
I drew my whip, cracking it against the floor. Sera shrieked, clutching her head. “Elias, save me!” Elias, who had been kneeling, suddenly lunged forward, shielding Sera with his body. “Your Highness, Sera is frail. She cannot withstand your whip.” Hah! I laughed, a chilling sound. “Elias, I ask you, where is Luna?” Elias’s eyes darted away. “In the Dukedom’s ancestral chamber.” I flung my sleeve, turning to walk towards the crypt. But Elias blocked my path. “Your Highness, Luna Blackwood is malicious and consumed by jealousy. Yesterday, she pushed Sera into the pond, nearly harming her own sister.” “I merely confined her to the ancestral chamber for a day to teach her some decorum. Your Highness, please do not interfere.” I looked at Elias, whose face was twisted with disgust at the mention of Luna. It was laughable. During those years at the border, Luna spent her free time working with the common folk to improve wheat strains. The famine-stricken Veridia now saw its granaries overflowed, and no one went hungry. A few years prior, when the plague raged, it was Luna who, regardless of her own life, risked it by testing medicines on herself, saving countless lives. How could such a kind and compassionate woman become the malicious, jealousy-ridden person he described? Sera stood behind Elias, softly weeping. “Elias, my presence only makes my sister unhappy. Perhaps I should just leave.” She said she would leave, but Sera didn’t move an inch. Elias and Alaric, however, panicked. Elias grabbed Sera’s arm. “Sera, if anyone’s leaving, it’s that venomous Luna, not you!” Alaric chimed in. “Precisely. She’s merely an unofficial daughter of a lesser branch. Just because she was Lady of the Dukedom for a few years doesn’t mean she can forget her place.” Alaric turned to me, lecturing. “Cassandra, you should also distance yourself from that venomous woman.” “You don’t know, ever since Sera arrived at the Dukedom, Luna has constantly targeted her—poisoning her, pushing her into the water…” Elias’s confidence swelled. “Your Highness, if it weren’t for the fact that she saved my life once, I would have divorced her long ago!” “She married above her station, greedily seizing Sera’s engagement. Sera, in her kindness, didn’t pursue the matter. Otherwise, what right did an obscure relative have to marry into the Dukedom?” I felt as if I’d heard the greatest joke in the world. “Sera told you all this?” They said nothing. I understood everything. I brought my whip down on Elias, then stormed straight to the ancestral chamber. Such a fool. He was unworthy of my Luna. I would take her away. Kicking open the heavy door to the ancestral chamber, in the cold, dark threshold, I saw a person, lower half covered in blood, lying in a pool of it. A trail of dried blood stretched from inside the crypt to the doorway. “Luna?” Luna, ever since taking that arrow, had become terribly sensitive to the cold. My voice trembled. Elias followed behind, his voice laced with disgust as he looked at Luna on the ground. “Luna Blackwood, stop faking it!” I knelt and cradled Luna in my arms. Her face was ashen, her breath long gone. In her blood-soaked, scraped hand, she clutched a crimson-stained letter. It was my letter to her. She had been waiting for me. “Luna Blackwood, even the cheapest street performer couldn’t fake it as well as you do!” “You had plenty of strength when you pushed Sera. I only gave you twenty lashes, not enough to kill you! Get up now!” “Still not moving? Do you want me to divorce you, leaving you with nothing, not even a place as a mistress?” Elias continued his relentless threats. My body was ice cold. I let out a low, chilling laugh. Elias Thorne, Seraphina Thorne. You killed my Luna. Now, I will ensure you all die a gruesome, pathetic death. “Sister, stop pretending! I’ll give Elias back to you!” Elias’s forehead immediately bulged with anger. He lunged forward, grabbing Luna. “Luna Blackwood, stop this immediately—”
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