03. The Wicked Sister Marianne

Beatrice, her face drained of all color, ran outside.

Her breath caught in her throat as she sprinted toward the Abandoned Court behind the annex.

The garden, which had been a refreshing green space just that morning, had turned into a devastated ruin.

The grass had dried up into yellow husks, and the flowers had crumbled into powder, leaving only their stems buried in piles on the ground.

The once lush tree now had only bare, skeletal branches trembling faintly.

“This can’t be…”

Under the tree, thick brambles had grown wildly, and on each thorny stem, eerie purple flowers had bloomed.

As she sat in shock, a girl with bright blond hair, doll-like in appearance, walked up behind her.

It was Marianne Dragona, the second imperial princess. Now thirteen years old, she harbored a particular hatred for Beatrice.

She tormented Beatrice obsessively in every way imaginable, yet in front of others she portrayed the act of a saintly sister flawlessly. Only a few knew her true nature.

A satisfied smile curled her lips.

“Gloomy and dreary, how fitting for someone like you.”

“Don’t tell me… did you make Hoho do this?”

“Don’t call me sister. It disgusts me. This happened because a lowly thing like you dared to grow your own garden in our imperial palace.”

“But Father gave me permission to use this place as I wished.”

Marianne folded her arms and looked down at Beatrice.

The contempt in her eyes was so chilling it was hard to believe it came from a thirteen-year-old girl.

“If you crawled in here, then crawl like the insect you are. Don’t act above your station.”

She kicked the withered plants with the tip of her shoe and turned away.

Beatrice sat in the ruined garden, touching the dried flowers, the lifeless tree, and the brittle grass.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that seed was poisonous.”

Her silver eyes shimmered like moonlight.

[Beth, don’t be too sad. You can grow the garden again.]

“Yes… but I can’t bring back the ones that already died.”

Undine gently wrapped her arms around Beatrice’s shoulders.

[Shall I punish that girl? I could put a huge water bubble around her head so she can’t breathe.]

“No, you can’t. If I fight with her, Father will be sad.”

[Good grief! Are you just going to let her torment you every time? The Emperor needs to know about this! He’ll be even more heartbroken if he finds out later!]

Beatrice shook her head firmly.

“That’s why he must never find out. I can endure it.”

Emperor Albert Dragona was a warm person. He was also the only one in the imperial family who truly loved Beatrice.

Half of her desire to hide the truth was to avoid worrying him, and the other half came from fear, fear that if she caused trouble with Marianne, she would be cast out.

The Scotra Empire had another name: Dragonian, the nation protected by dragons.

Every hundred years, a dragon renewed its contract with one of the emperor’s second-generation descendants.

The one responsible for this contract was called the Dragon Connector, and Marianne held that position in their generation.

Marianne was first in ceremonial precedence in the entire empire, arguably more important than the emperor himself.

Thus, regardless of the emperor’s wish, if trouble arose, the one who would be discarded was the illegitimate Beatrice.

The only small relief was that Emperor Albert held strong authority and the passionate support of the people, so at least formally, Beatrice was acknowledged as a princess.

As Beatrice stared blankly at the ruined garden, a gentle voice came from behind.

“Beth, have you been well?”

Even in the dark of night, his bright blond hair seemed to shine as he stood there with a warm smile.

“F-Father!”

She quickly straightened her posture and bowed her head.

“Beatrice Dragona greets His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ah now, didn’t I tell you there’s no need for that when it’s just the two of us?”

Albert laughed brightly and lifted Beatrice into his arms.

His embrace was wonderfully warm. How she had longed for that warmth.

But Beatrice squirmed in embarrassment.

“F-Father, what if someone sees us?”

“What of it? What’s wrong with a father holding his daughter?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Beatrice glanced anxiously at the attendants and guards standing far away.

Whenever Albert showed her affection, Marianne’s bullying always worsened.

They would surely report this to Marianne later and gossip among themselves.

Beatrice didn’t care if she was bullied, but she hated the thought of her father being put in a difficult position.

Albert’s heart was full of guilt toward Beatrice.

The imperial family and the ministers had opposed the idea of bringing an illegitimate child into the palace so strongly that, in the end, the matter was settled only by allowing her to live in an annex that had been empty for decades.

Everyone in the empire knew the relationship between the Emperor and Empress was already beyond repair, but that and bringing an illegitimate child into the imperial palace were entirely different issues.

Albert understood this, so he had no choice but to compromise.

Just in case, he often sent people to check whether Beatrice was doing well, and each time he received reports about the devoted maids who cared for her and about Marianne treating her like a younger sister.

Of course, they were all lies, nothing more than a performance shown only when the Emperor was present. But Albert had no way of knowing that, so he felt reassured.

Seeing Beatrice’s uncomfortable expression, Albert gave a sheepish smile and set her back down.

“I heard from Marianne. She said poisonous plants were growing in your garden?”

“What? Ah… yes.”

Albert looked at the ruined garden with pity in his eyes.

“I can’t imagine where the seeds of such plants blew in from. Your lovely garden is completely ruined. In any case, cultivating poison plants is forbidden in the palace, so I’ll send someone to take care of it soon.”

“Yes…”

Then he took out a glass bottle about the size of his palm and handed it to Beatrice.

“Here. Plant nutrients. These are precious, usually only used in the central garden.”

Beatrice accepted the bottle with wide, shining eyes, but her expression darkened at Albert’s next words.

“Marianne said she prepared it especially for you. She said you seemed very sad when the garden was ruined.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Albert believed that she insisted on tending the garden alone on her own will.

He had been told she was learning to accomplish things on her own at a young age, and he quietly felt proud.

Beatrice also preferred the garden as her private space, so she saw no need to correct his misconception.

“I’ve told them to send you flower seeds and a few tree saplings. It should be enough to restore the garden.”

“Wow, thank you, Father!”

“Well then, now that I’ve seen your face, I’ll head inside.”

Albert turned to leave, but Beatrice mustered her courage and spoke in a small voice.

“Father, could we have tea together tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’m sorry, Beth. I have to leave again at dawn.”

When Beatrice lowered her head, Albert smiled brightly and lifted her into his arms again.

“Then let’s have tea now.”

“Now?”

“The moonlight is lovely. We could drink it right here.”

The next evening, when Marianne heard about the late-night tea, she poured soup onto Beatrice’s head.

In the year Beatrice turned thirteen, an incident occurred that finally made Marianne lose her composure.

Crash.

The floor of Marianne’s chamber was littered with broken plates, cups, and shards.

“What do you mean? That filthy brat is a Dragon Connector!”

The head maid stood before her, bowing her head, sweat dripping down her face.

“I heard a priest from the Dragon Temple came at dawn to deliver the oracle personally.”

“No, how is that possible? I’m here! How could she become a Dragon Connector too?”

Marianne screamed.

Only one second-generation royal could make a contract with a dragon.

Only one was chosen in a generation, but for some reason, another had been added.

“T-the priest said it was an unprecedented occurrence.”

“Why does an unprecedented occurrence have to happen to Beatrice!?”

The head maid, shrinking back, cautiously spoke.

“Perhaps His Majesty intervened…”

“From the way you run your mouth, you must have a death wish.”

“M-my apologies.”

Marianne glared at the head maid, then sank deep into the sofa.

“No. No, this could be an opportunity… the perfect chance to get rid of that wretched brat right before my eyes.”

“…Pardon?”