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. 126: Griffin-dor
"Does he not love you very much? I too have heard the tales of how his favorite child lives with him in the central palace and how he personally oversees your lessons. Were they falsehoods?"
"I- Yes, they are true, but-" I stutter. I've been thrown for a loop. It's as if I flipped to the last page of my math exam to find a question from a unit we haven't covered yet. My father's cold eyes seem to trail me just out of sight, I can practically feel them on my back. But somehow, I keep myself from turning around and checking like a maniac. "I- Where exactly did you hear this from?"
I barely manage to parry the inquiry with one of my own, perplexed at how he had come to such a conclusion. The wind has been knocked out of me figuratively and I struggle to regroup.