Rise of the Unfavored Princess
I had thought that my life couldn't get worse when I walked in on my fiancé cheating on me with my best friend. But after a series of unfortunate events, I opened my eyes in a world that I had only read about in a webnovel, the Erudian Empire, ruled under the domineering, bloody reign of Emperor Helio. The worst part? I'm not even the main character! Reborn as Winter Royberg de la Erudian, I am the pitiful side character who is discovered to be a royal bastard princess due to a certain physical trait only the imperial bloodline possesses. But I know the end of Winter's story and the unwanted royal punching bag is framed as a witch and killed at age 16 on the guillotine due to the scheming of the cruel empress. An aloof, murder happy father? Check. Psycho half-sister? Check. Meddlesome author who wants me to follow the script? Double check! I don't want to die an early death again, so I'm determined not to ever be discovered as a royal again. But before I know it, I'm trapped in a palace of blood and opulence playing tricky games of power, games I have no clue how to win. How will I survive to adulthood in the imperial palace and get my happily ever after? And am I really the only person who fell into this world? *UPDATES 1-2 TIMES A WEEK* *1500 TO 3300 WORDS PER CHAPTER*
[Bonus chapter]Ch. 145: Midnight Snack
I've only tried to go through this strange energy or around it. But if I were to draw it out of my father's body and into my own, the same way my magic draws wounds into my body for a split second of pain, that might work.
I gasp despite myself, my shut eyes flickering to reveal the bone-colored, bloodless faces of the imperial physicians before me. According to the practices of this time, they could be put to death for failing to save the emperor.
I mentally reach out to this energy again, seeing in my mind's eye the way it crackles and jumps like electricity. It's a beast uncontained, but only a small sliver of what must belong to a greater entity. Immense fear pools in my gut at the thought of meeting wherever such a foreign power must originally come from.
Regardless of that visceral terror, I orient myself quickly as I recall my brilliant plan at hand: slurp up the purple energy like spaghetti.