Not long after the excitement surrounding the birth of the princess subsided, the sed prince's wife gave birth to a boy. The Empress was deeply disappointed; had the boy been born earlier, he might have had higher prospects in the line of succession. To make matters worse, the boy cked araordinary fate. The fact that no one came to visit her grandson added to her frustration.

  ed by jealousy and ambition, the Empress retreated to her chambers. There, she activated a unication array, and a holographic image of a man dark attire appeared before her.

  “You liars!” she snapped. “Weren’t you the one who assured me that Abyss would take care of that little nuisance? Where is your Abyss now? Not only was the child born, but she possesses araordinary fate as well. What will happen to my son and grandson? How will they ever cim the throne?”

  The man in bck smirked sinisterly. “Why fret over the child’s extraordinary fate? Isn’t it better for us? We simply take it and tra to yrandson. After all, what good is araordinary fate firl? At best, she’ll use it to pick the right husband someday.”

  The Empress’s mood lifted at the suggestion. That’s right, she thought. Why should such a fate belong to a girl? It’s better suited to someone who truly use it.

  Meanwhile, upon hearing that his sed son had also been blessed with a child shortly after the birth of his granddaughter, the Emperor summoned both sons to the royal study with their children.

  The moment the Emperor id eyes on his granddaughter, his face brightened. “Do you realize, little ohat you are the first girl to be born as an Are? Don’t disappoint me.”

  Attendant Nicos, standing nearby, noticed the happy child wide awake in her father’s arms and sighed. “I wonder how mas she’ll break with her beauty.”

  Frederick Morari, standing behind the first prince, overheard the ent and chuckled. “Given her parents’ temperaments, I doubt she’ll be breakis—more likely bones. She’s already smashed her brand-new crib.”

  The Emperhed heartily. “Such a troublemaker! I hope you’ll astonish me in the years to e.”

  While the family’s attention remained focused on the princess, the Empress, uo tain her jealousy, raised her voice. “Your Majesty, why do you ignore yrandson? He feels ed.”

  The Emperor turo the sleeping boy in the sed prince’s arms. The child was striking, with dark hair and an i face atuated by a mole he er of one eye. “My grandson is not bad either,” he admitted.

  Buoyed by the Emperor’s remark, the Empress said smugly, “Don’t you think he’ll make an excellent prince Zelus asds the throne?”

  The Emperor’s expression hardened as he gred at her. “What do you mean?”

  The Empress hesitated but pressed on, “Isn’t it natural to name Zelus the prince? After all, he’s the only oh a son.”

  The Emperor’s anger fred. “Nonsense! How many times must I tell you? The prince is chosen based on tributions and capability—not who has a son. I won’t tolerate such foolishness again.”

  Seething with venomous i, the Empress bowed stiffly. “Five me for my ignorance, Your Majesty. I shall not repeat such remarks.”

  "Zelus, how is Helen doing? I heard she faced some issues during the delivery," the Emperor asked, his tone ced with .

  Zelus replied politely, "Nothing major, Father. After struggling to put him to sleep, she’s resting now."

  The Emperor nodded. "Oh, that’s good to hear. Niake sure Helen receives some medial soup made from Errapel grass."

  Turning to Prince Alexahe Emperor inquired, "And how is Agatha? Is she doing well?"

  Prince Alexander gnced lovingly at his daughter before responding, "Yes, Father. She wao e and see you, but I insisted she rest."

  "Good, good. Let her rest as much as she needs," the Emperor said with a satisfied smile. Then, addressing Nicos, he added, "You know what to do."

  Nicos bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve already instructed the kit to prepare two medial soups for the princesses."

  The Emperor said, "In any case, the naming ceremony for the children will take p five days. I expect both of you to discuss with your wives and agree on suitable names." Turning to Nicos, he added, "Make the arras. It should be grand—grahan anything we've done before."

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Nicos replied with a respectful bow.

  After everyone had taken their leave, Alexander returo his chambers. Agatha, who had been sleeping, stirred awake and immediately reached out for their daughter.

  “How’s my little cupcake doing? Did you miss Mommy? Oh, my precious baby,” she cooed, cradling the infant lovingly.

  Alexander watched his wife and child with adoration. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She has your red hair and my silver hair, your sky-blue eyes and my purple ones. She even has your lips and my nose. Don’t you think she’s absolutely stunning—just like her mom and dad?”

  The maids standing in the er couldn’t help but chime in. “Yes, yes! Our princess is so pretty—prettier even thatle saintess of Damarius.”

  Smiling, Alexauro Agatha. “Do you have a name in mind for our little cupcake? We have five days to decide.”

  Agatha’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “What about the name I mentioned before? Isn’t it perfect?”

  Alexander’s expression softened, his eyes shining with a mix of sadness and affe. “Yes, it’s amazing. It’s a ruly befitting the granddaughter of araordinary woman.”

  Agatha could see the emotions welling up in her husband’s eyes, a poignant blend of sorrow and love.

  In the following days, the little princess became the talk of the Empire. Everyone wao know how the new princess looked, while the pace maids were astonished by her calm demeanor. The princess never fussed, instead making cute g sounds that drew her mother’s attention, earnihe admiration of all. The First Priterly smitten with his daughter, refused to leave her side for even a moment. At times, Agatha could be heard grumbling, “Men are always like this—ohey see a younger and more beautiful girl, they fet about the old one.”

  As the days passed, the restless Empress once again tacted the man in bck. "Tomorrow is the naming ceremony. What should we do?" she asked.

  The man in bck handed her two small brooches. “When the ceremony begins, give these as gifts to the children. Red is for the girl, and green is for the boy. Ohey wear them, the exge of fate will ence.”

  The Empress hesitated. “What if they find out I harmed the girl?”

  The man in bck smirked. “Don’t worry. The magi these brooches is untraceable. They’ll assume the child died from some sudden illness.”

  With that, the man disappeared into the shadows. The Empress ched the two brooches tightly, her ughter eg through the dimly lit room as she thought, I’ll send yranddaughter to you as soon as I .

  The current Empress was ohe daughter of a lowly baron, dreaming of wealth and power. Her rise to prominence began through her friendship with the previous Empress, a wealthy and kied woman who treated her as a true friee her humble ins. The previous Empress took her under her wing, but Evelyn’s greed and jealousy ed her. She ehe Empress’s fame, particurly her well-known talent for hunting Abyssal creatures.

  Fueled by envy, Evelyn sabotaged the Empress’s equipment during a hunt. However, fate had other pns—around that time, the Empress met and fell in love with the Emperor, the future ruler of the empire. When Evelyn witheir marriage, her jealousy boiled over, and she began scheming to take the Empress’s pce. With the help of the Apostles of the Abyss, she orchestrated the Empress’s downfall. After the birth of Alexahe Empress’s son, Evelyn succeeded in eliminating her and usurped her position.

  Evelyn’s hatred then turoward Alexahe embodiment of everything she despised about her predecessor. When her own son, Zelus, was born, she believed he would surpass Alexander a her dominance. Yet Alexander’s exceptional talent exceeded anything she could have imagihwarting her pns. Evelyn shifted her focus to the geion, seeing her grandchild as her st ce for victory.

  When a heavenly phenomenon marked the birth of the little princess, Evelyn was initially devastated, fearing her significe. However, learning that the child was a girl brought her some relief. Now, with the Apostles of the Abyss at her side, Evelyn believes she recim her glory. To her, the end justifies the means—whether her victims are children or adults, nothing will stand in her way.

  "Emily, arrange for one of the maids to pce these brooches in the gift boxes I am preparing for the children. Put the red broo the red box and the green broo the green box," the Empress instructed, her voice calm but ced with quiet malice.

  Emily bowed deeply, her tone reverent and submissive. "Yes, Yhness. I will arrange everything. You need not worry."

  The Empress allowed herself a sly smile as she pted the days ahead. The thought of her children flourishing while the newborn little princess faced hardship filled her with satisfa.

  From the moment I saw that child, I was reminded of her—a woman I loathed with every fiber of my being. Though I ot act directly, I will take great pleasure in ensuring that her legacy crumbles, piece by piece. Watg it all unravel will be as sweet as the fi wine.