Chapter 01: Gifting The Slave

"Princess Zarniya, would you like to receive your first slave?" 

Zarniya was quietly eating her meal when she heard her name was called by the Queen Mother. She was stunned and her hand holding the spoon was frozen mid-air, she blinked her eyes and regained her composure. She turned her head and looked at the Queen Mother. 

Because it took too long for her to reply, the rest of her Royal children stared at her, waiting for her response to their Queen Mother. Their King Father continued eating but the children and the harem had to wait for the mother to return to her meal. 

At such a large table, filled with beauties and talents. Usually, Zarniya was in the corner silently eating, not making a sound. 

This event startled her, the attention was suddenly drawn to her, this was the first time in her entire eighteen years of being alive got this much attention.

"Y-yes?" Zarniya replied as soon as she could. 

As usual, she stuttered despite the short words. Her answer was almost a whisper, but the 12th child heard her answer as well as the steward beside her. 

Seeing that Princess Zarniya agreed— Princess Felina sighed in relief. Her beautiful eyelashes flattered, and her blue eyes sparkled, the smile on her little face did not recede or increase, her expression did not change however, it was noticeable how the air surrounding her lightened. 

How could she not be relieved? She managed to pass the calamity coming her way. 

She gave the hot potato to her 'little' sister she never cared about. Honestly, Princess Felina had no impression of the thirteenth Princess. Other than she was a maid's daughter. However, because she was also the daughter of the King, she had managed to enter the tree branch of the royal family.

Regardless, no one cared about her existence. 

Due to her birth mother's lineage, she was treated as a nonentity. An existence that did not matter to anyone. 

It was the fifth day of the second month, and as usual every fifth day of every month, the royal family had to have dinner together.

Currently, there were twenty-three members of the royal family, the king, the queen, the three consorts, the five concubines, and the thirteen children of the monarch. Because of this dinner gathering, Princess Felina took the opportunity to tell her Queen Mother to give a very precious gift to the unfavored child. It took her so much effort to convince her Queen Mother to send this specific slave to Princess Zarniya. Fortunately, it was happening, 'he' was delivered from her. 

A month ago, Princess Felina woke up from her three-day high fever and her personality changed drastically. She was the first Princess of the Kingdom of Aino, a legitimate daughter of the Queen. Her existence was one of the most important in this kingdom. 

The next most important child of the kingdom, second to her younger brother who was the crown prince. Her life was always admired by people surrounding her, she never suffered from adversity, she was loved, she was smart, she was talented, she was beautiful, she was wealthy and healthy. There was nothing in this world that could make her feel pain or suffering. Even her death was swift and painless… She was blessed in many ways.

And here it was, another blessing—God had given her another chance to live her life and maybe live longer than before. 

Why was she thinking like this? 

Because in that dream which was so vivid. 

She died. A swift death.

Everyone she loved and cared about perished with her. 

For days after waking up, she was compelled whether to believe her dream or not. Was this waking realm her second life or everything in that dream was a premonition? She could not believe them. However, she could not disregard it, especially because the fear and event were so surreal. And that feeling worsened when she heard that she would receive a slave on her birthday in the third month. 

Her Queen Mother said it was a perfect sub-human… 

In her long dream, which she remembered clearly, this event happened as well. 

In that dream, she was so delighted to receive a 'perfect' slave. He was a real perfection; Princess Felina fell for him the moment she laid her eyes on him. Who would have thought that this slave was too perfect to become a slave? 

Princess Felina slightly trembled as she recalled the face of that dangerous creature. Even if it was not true, she would take the precaution not to get involved with that slave. He said in that dream that the reason she died in his hands was because he was her slave. 

If that was the case, although she adored that slave in that dream, Princess Felina chose not to get in trouble and take chances in what ifs. 

All she knew was that that slave had succeeded in overthrowing her King Father and annihilating the heirs to the throne. After that, one by one he killed any possible threat, and then that was when he killed the women in the harem… She was murdered twenty days after that slave took the throne. 

After waking up, she thought that the best course of action was to give the bad situation to someone else. 

Out of the thirteen children of her King Father, there were four bastards or children that were born out of wedlock. 

Two of them were children of maidservants who dared to climb on the king's bed. The maids were sentenced to death after their child was born. And about the child, regardless of who their mother was, they were still half-blood royals. That said, Princess Felina was kind to her siblings regardless of who they were born out of.

It was only natural since her Queen Mother told her to be generous to the deprived. However, she could not get along so well with the lower status. It would affect her upbringing. It was nice that one of the thirteenth children knew their place. 

That was Princess Zarniya. One of the maid's children, a bastard half-blood royal. 

Princess Felina could even say that she did not know much about this girl. 

This thirteenth princess was a broken child or so to say mentally challenged… She was not used to talking and always stuttered.

Since no one defended her and she could not defend herself, the rumors that she was an abnormal child spread. Yet, it did not matter as much, because no one ever cared about her. 

Princess Felina was somehow familiar with her other siblings except for the thirteenth, Princess Zarniya was the only sibling who did not try to curry favor out of her. So, Princess Felina decided to give that slave to Princess Zarniya, in that case, she would not feel any strong emotion even if this unfortunate child fell to a miserable fate and died first. 

Although she pitied this thirteenth princess, for Felina, who mattered the most were the people she cared about, not the person she barely knew. 

In addition, it would be easy to deal with that slave since his master had no influence and power in the kingdom. At this point, although the dream was unbelievable, Princess Felina had taken the first step to avoid the disaster. It was a good thing that her Queen Mother did not probe why she was rejecting such a fine gift for her birthday. Her King Father did not care about it either. It was lonely solving this matter alone, but she could not find anyone to share this kind of concern with. 

Who would believe her, anyway? A subhuman slave uprising a revolution and becoming a king? Who would believe such a tale? Matter of fact, she might get punished for blasphemy. Even if she was the favorite child of her mother and Father, there was always a limitation to cross. 

"I… I am gratified for the ge-generosity, Y-Your Ma-Majesty." 

Princess Felina came back to her senses when she heard Princess Zarniya thanking her Queen Mother. 

Princess Zarniya even saluted and kneeled on the ground like a proper servant. No one helped her or told her not to kneel. Since she was a maid's daughter, it was normal to see her lowering her head and dropping her body on the ground. 

"You may stand," Queen Mother said nonchalantly and continued her meal. "There's no need to kneel, you are my daughter as well." 

"Yes, Y-es, the-thank you, Your Ma-Majesty…" Princess Zarniya said but she remained her humble stance without directly looking at Queen Mother's directions. 

Princess Felina avoided looking at Princess Zarniya because of guilt. She just gave this girl a deathline, although they were not that close, they were still half-sisters. 

It was such a pity… But she had no luxury to pity someone… If the dream was real, her King Father and Queen Mother would die, as would her brothers and sisters. Maybe after the slave killed her, her Queen Mother and her sisters died as well. Princess Zarniya was just a maid's daughter who just got lucky, after living a good life all these years with the help of the royal family. It was time for her to be useful and sacrifice her life for the rest of them. 

Princess Felina clenched her fist and shifted her attention to her Queen Mother, "Mother, I haven't seen my sister attend any of the banquets. I should invite her to my birthday party."

'I should be good to her…' Princess Felina thought. This kindness was her gift to this pitiful child before she faced her last moment with that slave.