Chapter 1: Abandoned Child: Newborn

“Drip.”

The sound of blood dripping echoed through the hollow hall.

In the center of the resplendent, golden hall, Gerald tightly gripped a silver dagger, kneeling in a pool of blood.

Before him, a silver-haired, red-eyed Blood Clan maiden in lavish attire looked down at him with disdain.

“A weak insect like you managed to evade the guards and crawl before this Empress. I suppose that deserves some praise.”

Though her words spoke of commendation, her eyes brimmed with mockery.

“Alicia…”

Gerald struggled desperately to raise his hand. His target, the one he was meant to assassinate, stood right before him.

Yet his hand felt as heavy as lead. No matter how much strength he mustered, it wouldn’t budge an inch.

If he could just complete this mission… he would regain his freedom…

Alicia observed Gerald’s trembling fingers and the dagger in his hand. Slowly, she crouched down, resting her chin in her hand, and asked:

“Who sent you to assassinate this Empress?”

“…”

“Who gave you that dagger?”

“…”

“You’re not talking, are you?”

Alicia’s two questions were met with silence from Gerald, but clearly, such answers did not satisfy the Empress of the Blood Clan.

“Sigh—I’m losing patience.”

After a sigh, Alicia stood up, a mass of crimson energy forming in her hand.

“Since you won’t answer, you’ll have to atone with your life.”

…Death?

The thought barely crossed his mind when, in the next instant, an unprecedented surge of pain shot through his brain.

“Pfft—”

The crimson mass in her hand transformed into a sharp blood spike, piercing straight into Gerald’s chest. For a mere human, this strike was more than fatal—hardly worth her effort.

She’d have the maids clean the throne room later and “console” the guards who were on duty.

Alicia didn’t think much of it and turned to leave, but a blood-soaked hand suddenly grabbed her ankle.

“I… I can’t die…”

A trembling voice rose from the ground.

Perhaps the pain had jolted Gerald’s mind, granting him a burst of strength akin to a final flare of life, allowing him to seize Alicia’s foot.

“…Oh?”

Alicia glanced back, eyeing Gerald, whose body trembled uncontrollably, his consciousness nearly faded. “Why can’t you die?”

“Revenge… I want to take revenge… on them…”

Gerald’s voice still quivered. He might not even have been aware of what he was saying, but his words, at that moment, surely came from the depths of his heart.

“For such a trivial reason?”

Alicia scoffed, but the corner of her eye caught sight of the silver dagger lying in the pool of blood.

Suddenly, she found herself intrigued by this human.

“Still, you’re the first human to survive my blood spike for this long without dying.”

Alicia turned back and crouched down again, this time with a faint, amused smile playing on her lips.

“Since you desire revenge, this Empress shall grant your wish—”

A crimson glow flared behind Alicia, slowly enveloping Gerald’s body.

As the red light consumed him, Gerald’s consciousness rapidly sank into darkness. He could do nothing but silently endure.

“Good night, little one. I hope you enjoy your new power.”

Karmoz Empire, Imperial Court.

“Your Highness Cynthia! Please, don’t make this difficult for us!”

Several maids stared warily at their Imperial Princess. One of them held a red-and-white ceremonial dress, its style and fabric clearly far from ordinary.

“What’s that?! I’m not wearing that gaudy dress!”

The young princess named Cynthia stood atop a large tree in the center of the imperial garden, looking down at the maids below.

From her practiced stance, it was clear this wasn’t her first time doing this.

Indeed, this little princess was none other than Gerald, who, years ago, had come alone to assassinate Alicia, the Empress of the Blood Clan.

By some unknown method of Alicia’s, when Gerald awoke, he found himself transformed into this silver-haired, red-eyed Blood Clan maiden.

Even more absurdly, Gerald, who had been an orphan for so long, was inexplicably crowned with the title of “Imperial Princess” and gained a deranged mother—namely, Alicia.

In the days after waking, Alicia subjected her to all manner of inhumane “torment.” A barrage of lessons came crashing down, leaving her barely able to breathe.

From magic lessons to history to etiquette, her classes alone consumed ninety percent of her day!

If not for the resilience of her Blood Clan body, she’d likely have perished long ago!

And if she made the slightest mistake, she’d face her mother Alicia’s smiling “education.”

“Seriously! Why does that old hag insist I wear this thing?! It’s restrictive and has no special properties! Why bother?!”

Cynthia stood on the branch, shouting her complaints loudly. If outsiders saw, they’d marvel at how such a small body could produce such a loud voice—truly befitting royalty.

“What did you call me?”

Before the maids below could respond, a serene voice came from behind Cynthia.

The moment that voice sounded, Cynthia’s entire body shuddered—an instinctual suppression from her bloodline, impossible to resist.

“M-Mother… Your Majesty? W-Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be…”

Cynthia stiffly turned her head, forcing a strained smile onto her face.

“Still in a meeting?” Alicia raised an eyebrow, her eyes brimming with amusement. “I heard my adorable daughter calling for me, so I came right away.”

“No, no, you misunderstood! I was talking about—um, I was talking about… the head maid—ow, ow, ow!”

Before Cynthia could finish, Alicia unceremoniously grabbed her ear and yanked her down from the tree. “I’ll hear your excuses later. For now, go change.”

Thrown to the ground by her mother, Cynthia rubbed her backside and drooped her head as the maids helped her up. After years as a daughter, she knew better than to argue now. “Fine… I’ll change…”

But as she stood and saw the smiling maid before her, her gaze instinctively shifted away. “Head Maid… could you, maybe, be a bit gentler later?”

“Hm~ Since it’s a request from Your Highness~ how could I, as head maid, refuse?”

The head maid smiled softly, nodding as she glanced up at Alicia in the tree.

“Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”