Anne's age: Thirty-seven

"WHAT! WHAT KIND OF ABSURDITY IS THIS?"

"My Empress," I quietly said from a corner, "please refrain from screaming. It is bad for your health."

Aria Uta remained seated, trembling, within the walls of the Empress' room. "I-It is true, my lady," she stuttered. "L-L-Luna is S-S—"

"DON'T TAKE THAT CURSED CHILD'S NAME!" Lady Reine screeched.

At this rate, the Emperor might as well hear it from the Yami Palace. Or that girl might wake up in the East Tower.

Lady Reine continued panting, screaming, destroying her own items. However, I was used to her daily fits of anger.

I signaled to the poor child to leave at once. Things tended to get ugly when my Master lost her sanity.

Aria immediately got up and made for the door.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" The Empress yelled, but Aria left without turning back.

The pieces were finally falling together. Everything I worked for in the past fifteen years. From the birth of the Imperial Princesses till today—everything was my doing, a feat even my mother couldn't achieve before the previous Empress, Reine's mother, killed her.

The previous Empress was unhappy with her husband having several mistresses... so she channeled all her anger upon my mother, for our family were Hikari's princess' 'loyal servants', born to serve them till the end of our lives.

What had we done to deserve this?

Reine was pampered by the Emperor in her childhood because she was 'beautiful'. In other words, he could earn a lot if he sold her. However, the Emperor died in War, and the High Queen, Reine's mother, forcefully married my Master off to the Yami Family, before, of course, she realized just who Eric Yami was. And now, as the Grand Empress, she continued to manipulate Reine.

I served the three, the Grand Empress, the Empress, and the Crown Princess, for my mother was no more, for I didn't have a female descendant.

I had sworn to complete an oath for my family. They couldn't do it, but I was different.

Helen Hikari would be the last descendant of the Hikari family.

And who could help me with this, in exchange to gain power?

Selene Yami.

***

"Come here, you," Lady Helen called for me.

"Yes, my lady." I strode over to her side.

"Two things," she whispered in my ear. "Complete both my tasks and you can call it a day."

"As you wish, my lady," I replied softly.

"One. Answer my questions. How is my mother doing?"

"...Her mental condition has taken a toll for the worse."

"How many more days remaining until she... leaves me alone?"

"...Not many, my lady. The Empress' condition is very dire."

Even though my head remained low, I could feel Lady Helen's face light up in joy.

Power truly corrupted the mind.

"What did Father say?"

"The Lord isn't aware of this yet."

"My grandmother?"

"The Grand Empress has decided to 'complete her daughter's leftover work.'"

"So, Grandmother is going to strike at Selene, and I can expect her to interrupt my working too. And..." The young lady's smile was snake-like, symbolizing satisfaction... it was the exact smile that had decorated Lady Reine's features when she poisoned all her stepmothers after her father's death in War. "Selene?"

"She... She... The lady had discussed this with the Emperor last night, and she seemed happy with the outcome. She seemed to have given some false information to somebody, so she didn't speak of Lady Reine much, but she was content."

"Of course, she was. Is it really true that Selene's become so much like Father, that even Grandmother is very careful while dealing with her?"

"So it is, my lady." A shudder ran down my spine as I remembered the scene of that conversation I had eavesdropped in midnight.

Their smiles.

Their words.

Their eyes.

"They were exactly the same, my lady," I continued, sweating. "Lady Selene might as well be Lord Eric's mirror image."

"Alright, you did well. Your name?"

"Anne, my lady."

"Anne. Second task. Please summon Selene for me. I need to be guarded in my tea party—there will be princesses from other countries."

I very well knew what this meant. She was trying to humiliate her twin.

But I followed her orders.

After all, the idea of the tea party was mine.

I didn't want power, I didn't want riches, I didn't want respect. I wanted freedom. The best time to strike was when the Hikari family had not yet thought of marriage. I had to kill the Crown Princess while she was young. While I could poison her and employ other methods, I couldn't draw any attention. After all, while the Yami Family would benefit by this, they could easily put all the blame on me. What I had to do is lead the family to their downfall, dead or alive, so that they could stop slaving us till our deaths. But that didn't mean I was siding the Yami Kingdom either.