Villainess

Just as I had predicted, the boy continued to visit Celia until the day he had to depart back to Magona. He did leave a small gift behind though.

A marriage proposal.

His Highness was ecstatic. Magona was famous for its diamond mines and their transport of imports and exports, so having them as an ally was very beneficial to us. However, in my eyes, the boy was clearly declaring war because of how I treated him on our first meeting. There was no way I would allow someone like him to marry Celia without letting them both feel a fraction of the pain I had been holding in all this time.

I remembered a plant that grew in my garden in my family home. It was a belladonna plant, and it almost looked similar to a grape. Though they were known to be poisonous, it was only the toxins from the berry that displayed any side effects, never death though. I needed my authority to be acknowledged in some way, but his Majesty never gave me meaningful authority. This time he was going to help me get the power I needed.

I made a trip to my family home and as expected, it was completely deserted. My mother died while giving birth to me, while my father died when I was 12 while on a business trip. During that time I was already engaged to his Highness and my relatives reluctantly took ownership of me. Maybe that was the start of my misery. I never kept in contact with my relatives after getting married to his Highness. They were toxic.

The garden for the belladonna plant was just outside the building so I didn't have to break into my own home to get it. Even the garden was unkept with vines and weeds covering most of the garden, but luckily there were still a few belladonna plants sprouting up in different locations. After getting a good amount I went back to the palace.

The first person in my way was the King. Though he was old, he had more power than the queen. Drugging him with the belladonna wasn't difficult since he was still mourning the death of Lady Beatrice by drowning himself in alcohol every night.

'The king fell into a coma due to alcohol intoxication!'

Soon the whole kingdom was talking about how the princess became an orphan in one year. Every doctor tried their best to find a way to cure the king but they all failed, which was inevitable. Since I was still labelled as Queen, it didn't take long for all legal responsibilities about the kingdom to be dumped onto me, including the proposal from Magona. It seemed almost too easy but I wanted to continue.

"Celia, I want you to leave the palace for a few days. Don't come back until I tell you to." I could've just rejected the marriage proposal and been done with it, but whenever I looked at Celia I felt nauseous.

I couldn't concentrate with her around. Knowing where she gave me chills, so instead, she was escorted by a knight to a place far away. I never told him where to take her and I never asked where he would go. Instead, I trusted that the knight could take care of her, wherever they went.

That was a mistake.

Not a week went by before the knight returned, alone.

"Where's the Princess?!" He obviously looked flustered. He was pale and his clothes were tattered.

"My apologies your Highness, but wasn't this what you wanted?" He looked confused but at the same time, I could sense the regret in him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought it was your wish to get rid of the princess, so I left her near the East border." ...Magona... He must have been bribed by the Kingdom of Magona to bring them the princess. They probably knew that the King was in a coma so starting a war would be simple. But I couldn't allow that.

"This is a blatant act of treason. going against my direct orders, and handing over a royal family member to the enemy. I can't allow you to die with honour. You will be hanged immediately." He was immediately taken away. He struggled, begging for another chance, but his cries soon ceased.

What was I going to do with this new development? It was obvious that there were people that still underestimated me, otherwise, there would be no room for bribes. I had to be sharper. War shouldn't break out because of this incident, but would I still be underestimated if I let this slide?

"My apologies your highness! I didn't know!" A maid trembled in fear as I watched my metal teaspoon turn black from the tea I almost consumed.

"You didn't know there was poison in the tea?"

"No, I just brought the tea, I didn't make it though." She insisted but I couldn't believe her that easily.

"Bring the person who made it then." I was soon facing to face with one of the kitchen staff. She seemed bigger than I imagined, with short brown hair and soot on her face. "You made this tea?" She didn't dare look at me, as she began to sweat.

"I did, but I didn't add anything strange to it, I swear!" The excuses became tiring.

"Fine, you both keep insisting that you had nothing to do with this, so I'll give you a choice. Only one of you will be banished while the other will be beheaded. It's your choice as to who gets what. If you can't make a decision then you both will be beheaded by tomorrow." It almost seemed like a game. If they were close I'd watch friends betray each other, but if they weren't they'd selfishly argue and think about their own situations.

In the end, neither survived. This game of mine continued for a while until only a few staff members remained in the palace. But thankfully, because of this little game nobody dared to oppose or underestimate me again.

Ever since I killed that knight that gave Celia to the Magona Kingdom, I didn't hear anything about her. Until I got an invitation to a marriage in the Kingdom of Magona. Representing Zameria wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if it stops the other kingdom's from belittling Zameria because of me as well.

It feels like things are finally going well. The sky is clear as my carriage heads into the forest, now the only thing blocking the sunlight is the canopy. I'm starting to think, have I been overthinking everything and everyone? I'm being invited to my daughter's wedding, granted it is in a kingdom I am not so fond of. Going through the forest, in the solitary confines of the carriage, is the only source of peace I have felt since the birth of my daughter. no, since the arrival of Beatrice. The gentle breeze and the sweet sound of nature lulls me sweetly into a dreamlike state. Though my eyes are open, my body feels too heavy to move.

The gentle swaying of the carriage comes to an abrupt stop.

There is no way we arrived already. Out of the window, I can see the evergreen leaves extending from the surrounding trees. The peace, my peace, is interrupted by groans and screams - the sharp sound of metal clanging against metal. I adjust myself with my lead body to see what is happening outside. As I do, a body collapses in view—my coachman. Blood gushes out from where he is stabbed. His eyes trail to mine, choking on his own blood before the light of his soul disappears within seconds.

My instinct is to scream, but I choke on it as my carriage door flies open. A man, several men with covered faces and sharp swords make their way towards me. I try to get out of the carriage from the other side but am pulled out anyway and forced onto the ground.

I look up and only see one of the men's eyes - sky blue - before he plunges the sword into my flesh. No hesitation and no mistakes as blood oozes from my stomach. I wish I had died from the first swing so that I did not have to go through the pain of having the sword getting ripped out of me. As blood splatters everywhere, from my stomach, from my mouth, the tears streaming from my eyes, a blurry image comes into view. A lined drawing, a tattoo on the mans upper arm. It is the last image I see before I feel the impact of the sharp blade make contact with my neck.