Chapter 1 - The King’s Illegitimate Daughter

Chapter 1 – The King’s Illegitimate Daughter

Every human being harbors certain dark desires within the heart.

Viola was no different. She dreamt about recovering her status and being recognized as a princess of the kingdom once more; however, instead of the pen, she had to wield the sword. Instead of basking in the sun gracefully sipping tea, she had to ride horses and train in swordsmanship.

Why was this the case?

Precisely because Viola was only half a royal daughter. Her very existence was a disgrace to the kingdom as half the blood in her veins was considered dirty. Yet the king, who had never accepted her as a royal daughter before, visited Viola himself one day.

“Do you wish to avenge Edward?”

Viola’s ears perked at the king’s words. Edward, her elder brother by two years, was slain on the battlefield. … slaughtered by the Blood Army of the Arpen Empire.

She still remembered the last time she had seen him. His body lay under a tree, pierced by a sharp spear extending from his bottom right to his mouth. It was a terrible, gruesome sight and way to cross the underworld. From the moment she had glimpsed his desecrated body, the Arpen Empire became her enemy.

The deal the king was offering was too sweet a temptation. He was giving her the chance to avenge Edward who had been unjustly killed.

‘I’m the sole prince of the Kingdom of Koronis, and I am going to be king.’

What once had been Edward’s dream was now Viola’s. Since the kingdom had no other prince, it only meant that one of the princesses would become queen.

Her eyes held fierce determination, she wanted to be that one princess. “What do you want me to do, Father?”

“Go to the Arpen Empire as a potential crown princess.”

“What?!” Viola was stunned. What did he mean by potential crown princess —?

“Go to the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate. I’ll give you your mission then. You can get your revenge once you finish your tasks. If you seize this chance, I shall bestow you the same opportunities as the other princesses. I will restore your status so that you can once again inherit the throne. Decide, Viola.”

Viola bit her lips and nodded to show that she understood. “I understand. I will take the deal. But, Father, please give me reliable proof of your promise.”

“Proof? Did you just say proof?” The king was visibly shocked.

“Yes.” Undeterred she affirmed.

She had lived in an abandoned castle for thirteen years without ever receiving any proper care. Although supplies would arrive once a month, they were much too little to feed three mouths. While her nanny foraged for fruits and mushrooms all year round, Edward hunted in the woods and cut down trees for firewood. She had lived a particularly difficult life, never even owning a proper dress, all because her mother had been a slave …

The king looked at the girl before him, who was looking back at him, and laughed as if he were astonished. Other women would have been frightened out of their wits, but not her. To Viola, the king was just a father who had abandoned them. She couldn’t believe his words no matter what he promised without something to vouch for it.

The king was locked in thought for a moment, then finally, as if he had made up his mind, he withdrew something from his sleeves and held it out for Viola. Her eyes popped wide open.

What he brought out was none other than the dagger that was traditionally handed down, generation to generation, to crown princes of the Kingdom of Koronis. Crafted from gold and adorned with the most precious jewels, the dagger made for a dazzling sight.

“This should be enough to serve as a voucher for my promise, no? My daughter.”

♛

“Princess Viola enters.”

This was her first time wearing a formal dress. In her inexperience, the long lace and wide hem kept getting caught in her feet. She had tripped and almost fallen down a couple of times but fortunately managed to avoid such embarrassment.

Viola had to undergo some training before she could enter the Arpen Empire as a Crown Princess Candidate. A stern-looking teacher stood in front of her, greeting her with a bow.

“The future empress should at least know the history of the empire.” She spoke without a preamble. “It might be difficult.”

“It’s all right.” Viola simply replied.

She was a quick learner, her life full of ordeals had taught her survival. No one knew better than her, the fastest route to living was through gaining knowledge and quickly. The more one was aware of one’s surroundings, the better the chances of longevity. As such, her senses were always open to learning. Sitting at her desk, she listened to the teacher.

“Two hundred years ago today, marked the beginning of the Arpen Empire that originated from the wilderness. The once barren territory was only able to become this dominant due to the River Judith. The saying, ‘the Arpen Empire quickly rose to power once the tide of the RiverJudith changed’ is accurate. I don’t know if they receive God’s blessing, but … One day, the course of the river suddenly changed. No, the continent splintered, and as it did the water gathered into the Arpen Empire.”

“I know that. The abundance of water heralded the influx of prosperity.”

She didn’t know the detailed history but remembered what she had read from Edward’s books. He had quite a lot of books, so Viola had naturally ended up reading some. She continued reciting as far as memory served her.

“Thanks to this, the Arpen Empire was able to accumulate wealth and raise its forces, unlike other countries where their people would farm all year round yet still starve. Of course, through this, they came to possess the strongest troops on the continent and turned themselves into a robust and powerful country. They started to conquer all the smaller countries surrounding them using their superior military might. The war was so terrible that it was rumored that the River Judith was dyed with blood.”

The astonished teacher looked at Viola, while the latter simply looked straight ahead and continued.

“Yes, so to avoid war, the smaller countries had to broker peace with them. They agreed to send one of the members of their royal family as a hostage to the Arpen to form an alliance. And this practice, that started a hundred years ago, remains till date … Koronis is no different. Now, we must do the same.”

“Yes, because our kingdom ended up sending a hostage too.” The teacher sighed.

Koronis was once a strong country, albeit not as strong as the Arpen Empire. Nonetheless, it still wielded great power. However, after they lost the last war, their boundaries collapsed. In accordance with the empire’s demands, the kingdom was now required to send over a princess as a hostage. Of course, they weren’t sending a real princess, just a half-blooded princess, but …

The teacher had a pained look on his face. He seemed to hate having to send a princess, even a half-princess, as a hostage.

“The next lesson will be given by the top elder of the royal family.”

Right then, a woman entered as if she had been waiting for her cue. Viola vividly remembered those splendid features wrapped in brilliant jewels from Edward’s funeral. She was the Queen of the Kingdom of Koronis.

♛♛♛