"GET OUT!"  Veronica  shouted at the new maid who was dressing her. Betty accidentally popped the

pimple on her lady's face while applying makeup

"I-I'm" Betty stuttered, taken aback by Veronica's hot temper. Angered by the noticeable smear on her

porcelain face Veronica slapped Betty and poured the hot tea on her head.

"Kyahhh!!"

"I'll ruin your face just as you destroyed mine. We're even"

Tonight is the banquet for celebrating the return of the crown prince after coming back as a war hero. Her

country, Veranos successfully conquered the kingdom of Phalos after two yearsof battle. She wanted this day to be perfect, as banquets were the best occasions to find a suitable husband. Veronica is the  adopted daughter of

a Marquis, a status she gained when her mother remarried a powerful man. As a foreigner in a new land, she had black eyes and black hair which she hated because it is the mark of a slave, which was her former self. To hide the color of her eyes, she wears expensive contact lenses through a magician she sponsored. Her black hair was covered with a blond wig she ordered oversees.

Of course, non of the maids working knew her real face, before the maids come in her room in the morning to wake

her up she already wears her fake eye color to hide her black eyes. She loved the feeling of power, and  her superior looks  made it possible to lift herself up in the pedestal among the servants and lower nobility. Her

mother--Elonora had black eyes and brown hair which Veronica did not inherit.  Veronica look a lot like her biological father who was a handsome swindler who tricked her mother in giving up her small coffeehouse and

sold them to  slavery. The Marquis took a liking to her beautiful mother and  bought her as a slave when she was twelve. Over the time he married her and both their status were elevated.

 As former slave to a daughter of a Marquis, the servants belittled their origins and treated them poorly. Gossiping how their master bought two bossy clowns in their household to ruin the family image. And the Marquis tolerated their behavior and never had the mind to correct it until her mother gave birth to a successor two years later. Her blood related brother Damian was a real blessing and when he was born, the attendants served them with respect.

The marquis had a daughter of his own, Lorraine who is just a year younger than the 17 year old Veronica. And at once glance you could tell who was the devil and who is the angel. And of course, everyone pointed out that Veronica was the evil one. But in reality, Veronica's attitude just depended on how people treated her, her evil acts just justified the mistreatment of this household  of both she and her mother.

She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, checking to see if she covered the mess the ugly Betty made. Satisfied by her make up, she  entered the carriage towards the royal palace.

As soon as he arrived in Veranos, Julian was ecstatic.  Not because of the glory he acquired after winning

the war, but that he could finally slit the throats of those traitors who collided with Katherine to kill him on the battlefield. The current empress--Katherine is the emperor's second wife who came to power when she

shunned the old emperor. But he had to thank her at least, who cleaned up 19 princes out of 27 to put her own son in the throne in his absence. But his excitement didn't last long since Katherine had already fled from the castle

and left her four year old son behind.

"Hubert" Julian called the butler standing on his side

"Yes your highness"

"bring me that kid". The kid that he was referring to was Damian, Katherine's child.  Julian would

like to take a look  at the bastard who they say resembled his mother. To remind himself of anguish if ever he came soft. Although it may look like Katherine left her child behind, Katherine was a smart woman. She knew

Julian wouldn't kill him because if he did, the image he built up as a benevolent crown prince to the commoners would be gone, and opens a leeway to rebellion. Especially now that his position is unstable, and there are still

eight remaining princes who wants his position. And he decided to 'take care ' of them through justified  means as well as dispose of  those 90 princesses gnawing at  the national budget when he becomes emperor. By

dispose means he would sell those young princesses to wealthy nobles. His father never cared for his daughters anyway, the old emperor who evades imperial work  seemed to be enjoying his time with young beauties and only had energy on those things.

"Damian greets the crown prince Julian". The weak subtle voice of a child disturbed Julian's thoughts and

forced him to look at the child. Julian was so deep in thought that he did not notice his arrival.

Contrary to his expectations,  the child bowing before him showed no signs of threat. Damian was an adorable

kid. He could see that. They have the same blue eyes as their father.  But only time will tell if this cub will be a blood-curling lion when he grows up-- just like his mother.

Damian put on his best smile for his brother from the rumors. He admired his older brother Julian who saved the

kingdom from the evil country and aspired to be like him one day. Because maybe if he did, the servants would not ignore him and play with him. So he wanted to make a good impression. Damian's chubby apple cheeks showed a cute dimple on his right chin, and a snot on his nose with his white fat fingers on his back.  His clear blue eyes were watery, and from a distance Julian can see the child's eye booger.

Clearly, this child was neglected seeing his appearance. Julian thought this might be a scheme from Katherine, who made her own child look like he wasn't taken care of properly to win the noble's sympathy.

Julian stared at the young child below him whose innocent smile is so pure, ignorant to his mother's evildoings.

He wanted to whack that smile on the child's face and slap him the truth, but not now. Julian cares so much about his saint-like image to maintain his good reputation.

 He just had to repress his boiling anger inside, because for maintaining a good image he'll have absolute power. People supported him because they thought he was different from his cruel father. That's what he promised.  He makes the people and nobles work for him, simply by catering to their favors but not being enslaved by them.

"Hello Damian" Julian  bent to match the child's height. Flashing his smile to the young child who looked at him like a messenger from God.

At his warm greeting Damian reddened and looked away, keeping his head down. For the young Damian who was nudged by his own mother and other siblings only his older brother Julian treated him affectionately.

"Would you like some chocolate?" Julian urge the kid, his twinkling eyes marveled at the sweets he saw for the first time, all this while Damian only ate leftovers and some day old bland cookies, even the servants knew Damian would not live long, and as a child of a traitorous empress Katherine whose hands were smeared with blood, treating Damian like a prince would cost their heads, not in the orders from the crown prince but from the nobles.

"T-thank you, big brother" Damian says, Hubert sensed his master's sour mood when he called Julian his big brother so the kind butler slowly took him away, bringing the kid back to his run down palace.

Big brother? Bullshit. Julian thought.

Later that day Julian prepared his sword and assembled the knights, He decided to eliminate all the traitors inside their own mansions. And the first name to come to memory is the Maquis' house--Jimenez.

Veronica went straight to the royal garden as soon as she stepped out from the carriage. The scent of flowers wafting in the air makes her feel relaxed, unlike the toxic atmosphere inside the ballroom and the overwhelming perfumes the noble ladies wear that irritates the nose. But the quietness of the magnificent garden makes her feel a bit lonely, like a woman rejected by a lover.

"Lady Veronica" stunned  by someone calling her name, she turned around. A young woman with a short brown hair and brown eyes stood parallel to Veronica, looking at the yellow flower that bloomed beside her.

"S-Samantha" Veronica stuttered. Seeing Samantha again made her heart ache, it's not because they were enemies, but they were lovers. The daughter of a baron, Samantha was a beautiful woman, with her big slanting eyes that curved upwards, petite figure and captivating smile, it is inevitable that many men would want to have her as his wife.  So when the duke of Luke proposed to her family, Samantha's father gladly accepted.  That's when Samantha decided to break off her relationship  with Veronica which remained a secret for only the two of them, since romantic love between women is scandalous especially for nobles who want to keep face. This is also why Veronica attended the crown prince's banquet despite her family not being invited. But somehow entered th palace successfully in her own way just to see Samantha.

"I missed you" Samantha says. The desperation and longing in her voice made Veronica run to her and hug her.

"I missed you too".  Veronica replies, and the surroundings were quiet but their was something peaceful in the silence that hovered from both of them, and it was quite nice.

Samantha gently pulled Veronica's golden wig, which surprised Veronica which caused her to pull away from the embrace. Veronica longed for Samantha so much that she didn't notice the pins securing her wig came undone, but she did not mind nonetheless, out of a few people who knew of her hair color, Samantha was one of them.

"Why'd you do that?" Veronica asked, she didn't like getting her black hair into view, especially in public.

Sensing Veronica's annoyance, Sam leaned closer and planted a quick kiss on her lips

"I just wanted to see the real you for the last time". Samantha joked, pulling out the yellow carnation flower that protruded from the green bush near her.

"The last time? why?" Veronica asked, her instinct sensing a bad foreboding.

"I'm getting married"

The news shocked Veronica that she stood frozen

"So this is it, right?"  Veronica says, with a sad expression on her face. But this was bound to happen,  they both know that. She already expected it though, it's just that she wasn't prepared how to handle it. And this makes her feel like a total idiot, shaming herself in public. And she hated it.

 "Goodbye Veronica"  Samantha looked away, picking out the yellow carnation flower that bloomed beside her and giving it to her lover who stood frozen in the cold concrete before leaving. Veronica stared at the yellow flower as she listened to Samantha's footsteps diminish to the distance.

.

Clap, clap

Alarmed, Veronica turned to where the clapping was coming from, a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes emerged from hiding, his lips curving into a mischievous smile

" Two fags doing a porn live show.. How amusing " Julian smirked, dusting his  dirty white tailcoat smeared with blood.

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