To Torment You, Oh Dear Sister

CHAPTER 4

As the two entered the room, they were greeted by a breathtaking scenery of concrete designs inscribed on its very walls and corners. The first thing that Vivian could hear were the sounds of birds chirping from a far, which seemed to originate from above her. Because of this, she became compelled to glance up, hoping to catch sight of a bird flying.

Yet, when she did, she became even more stunned when she discovered how spacious the room was, given its incredibly high-level ceiling. There were also trees surrounding and several lovely flowers and plants displayed in an elegant arrangement, making it appear as if the room itself was a garden.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty Ophelia.”

Evelyn initiated the conversation and bowed in acknowledgement, whereas Vivian grabbed both sides of the hem of her dress and lifted them up in a curtsey as a greeting. The Empress’ face slowly became amused as she approvingly observed the young girl’s behavior, “I see that you’ve disciplined the child well with regards to how respect should be demonstrated.”

Vivian glanced at the dignified woman when she heard her talk about her, watching her evaluating eyes examine her from head to toe and assessing what seemed to be her presentability, “Ah well, she certainly looks better now that she’s out of those dirty rags. She resembled a pig that had been rolled in the mud before.”

The young girl flinched at her sharp words as she looked down on the ground in discomfort. Ophelia seemed to be purposefully emphasizing the vast distinction between a peasant like her and an aristocrat, testing her in order to see how she would react. She tried not to be intimidated, however, and kept looking straight in front as she slightly raised her chin.

She noticed that there were two settees within the room, one in which Her Majesty was seated, and the other which was placed on the opposite side of hers—which she assumed was where guests were allocated to sit. The table was positioned in between the two chairs, and Ophelia motioned with her hand as she pointed to the empty seat.

“Let’s get down to business. Sit down, child.”

Vivian puckered her lips as she clasped her hands in front of her, hesitating to come forward. She then felt a hand touch behind her back and she looked up to see Miss Evelyn giving her a comforting smile and encouraging her to approach.

Even if she was uneasy due to the circumstances, she had no other option but to go and walk to the chair because it was now Miss Evelyn who was requesting. So, the girl finally took a seat and now became entirely exposed to the Empress, who sat just directly in front of her.

Evelyn, on the other hand, did not sit on the chair with the child, despite the fact that there was still plenty of room. Vivian returned a confused gaze as she patted the cushion beside her, inviting for her to come sit as well, "Miss Lyn, why are you not sitting with me?”

Suddenly, a condescending laughter echoed across the room and she cautiously turned her head to the side to see that the Empress was laughing. It soon faded down as Ophelia appeared to have a smile on her face, although her eyes were radiating with displeasure.

“‘Miss Lyn’, you say,” when the woman gibingly quoted her words and shifted her gaze to the Madam, Evelyn dropped her head in a bow to convey her apologies, although the Empress promptly continued, “I stand corrected, it seems that the child has rendered you soft even for only a brief amount of time that you’ve been together.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I will make sure to correct my error next time,” Evelyn replied almost immediately, her voice having a dreadful tone. “We only exchanged informalities so she could feel more comfortable in opening up.”

Vivian was left puzzled by the sudden discussion between the two, not knowing what they were talking about. However, a terrible feeling slowly arose in her chest as the circumstances seemed to point out that it was her fault why the Madam was getting scolded.

Ophelia then turned back to the young girl with her eyebrow arched in hilarity, “Little girl, do you know that your Miss Lyn serves as merely a maid here in the palace? I do not allow maids to sit in my guests’ place, and even if I would, I did not call her name to be seated with you now.”

As she said that, Vivian couldn’t help but flicker her orbs to the floor once again. Something about Her Majesty’s voice was unsettling and filled with power that one could instantly yield to even if she wasn’t yelling, and she was unable to say anything even if she wanted to defend Madam Evelyn. She then slightly lowered her head with a pained expression visible on her face, “I understand, Your Majesty. I’m sorry.”

“Good,” the Empress simply said, taking her tea cup off the table as another maid poured her some tea alongside her. Ophelia lightly stirred the drink with a teaspoon first, then she placed it down on the small plate before taking a sip. She took her time to finish doing so, before finally setting the cup down to refocus her attention back to Vivian.

“State your name.”

“My name is Vivian, Ma’am.”

“Vivian?” Her Majesty’s head beckoned to Madam Evelyn once again, commanding for further information, and Evelyn bowed her head before speaking, “She is a commoner, Your Majesty. We have looked deeper into her background, but her origin confirms that she did not come from any lineage that has a status, so she does not have a last name."

Hearing that, Ophelia hummed as she faintly tilted her head to the side as if contemplating about something, "And I thought your name would have an interesting twist. I guess not.”

Vivian remained silent since she didn't know how to answer her comment, and the Empress proceeded to take another sip of her tea. This time, she drank the drink for a little longer, and the girl chose to look around the room to somewhat divert her focus away from the daunting eyes of the Empress.

She looked down at the delectable pastries and refreshments on the table—food that had been prepared supposedly for them as visitors. However, in her eyes, these foods didn’t appear to be free to consume. And it was as if a snake would bite her if she'd come to get one with her hand.

"Abandon your name."

The girl’s eyes became enlarged in surprise as she heard what Her Majesty had suddenly said, “Excuse me?”

Ophelia, however, was unfazed by her bafflement whilst she looked at the child with a stony face and ignored her, “Starting today, your name will be Gwyneth. Gwyneth Blanche von Lexington, the first princess of this empire. Do you understand?”

Despite saying a few more things, Vivian just furrowed her eyes in confusion, as if her words didn't make sense to her. Furthermore, the girl became gradually appalled when she slowly realized what she meant.

The Empress had purposefully humiliated her about her heritage and how filthy she was as a commoner, and now she was appointing her as the princess of the kingdom?

"I apologize, I sincerely don't understand," despite what the child had been thinking in her head before, she stopped herself from saying what she considered to be disrespectful, "Why do you want me to be the first princess? Won't she be offended that I will replace her?"

Ophelia opened her mouth in response to her query, but no words came out at first. There was a momentary pause before the dignified woman turned to the side, as if she didn't want to accept what she was about to say, "My daughter Gwyneth... went missing months ago."

The Empress then took a deep breath and sighed before she continued, “We have no idea how she went missing, but we tried to search for her. In the neighboring kingdoms, the deserts, and even the oceans—even though we believed it was unlikely that she would be in one of those places.”

For a spur moment, the young girl examined Her Majesty’s expression and thought she saw her face soften a little. But then Ophelia returned to meet her gaze and her features became solemn and disgruntled, "And I despise how you look exactly like her."

The woman rose from her seat as she went around the table and walked towards Vivian with a rather belligerent look. Madam Evelyn’s gaze instinctively followed her movements and was wary of what appeared to be a dangerous event that was about to occur, and Vivian also looked at the Empress who neared her. She felt fear creeping up in her chest as the adult approached her seat, uncertain of what she would do next.

"It’s very unnatural for two people to exist so identically,” suddenly, she grasped the girl’s face in a firm grip and both Vivian and Evelyn yelped at her unexpected action. “And now, the people are condemning us because my son is viewed as an unsuitable emperor of the kingdom."

When the Madam saw the girl being held violently by the Empress, she was unable to stand by and do nothing, so she pleaded with her, "Your Majesty, please! She's just a chi—"

"Silence. Did I give you permission to speak to me?" Ophelia peered at her with a deadly gaze and her voice was still calm, however, it was venomous. Evelyn fell silent when she was rebuked, yet she still glanced at the young girl with great concern.

Vivian was wincing in pain as she clutched the Empress' hand with both hands, trying but failing to remove it from her face. She then noticed the woman tilt her head back towards her as she finally released her from her hold.

“You'll be served a variety of delicious foods, sleep on the finest bed, and wear luxurious dresses and jewels. I'm sure you're smart enough to understand that this way of living isn't as meaningless as your name. And I'm not giving you a choice, I'm giving you an order.”

Ophelia proceeded to move towards the same doorway through which they had entered, as if she were leaving, thereby ending the conversation early. Her maids around her naturally followed her behind.

"Wait."

Vivian was panting slightly because of what the Empress had done to her, but she managed to recover in time. The woman then came to a halt as she heard her, turning her head to the side. She wasn’t exactly looking back at her, but the movement suggested that she was listening.

“I will do it, but please grant me a wish in the future.”

The young girl gazed at her with hopeful eyes and she waited for her reply. There was a brief silence, as if Her Majesty was considering her demand, but then she resumed to walk out to the doorway without saying anything back to her. And as if the guards outside had sensed her steps, the gates easily opened for her and she was finally gone.

“Vivian!”

When she heard her name exclaimed, she saw Madam Evelyn run towards her and embraced her. She then felt her hands slide over her face, causing her to look up to her guardian so she could check on her state.

“Are you okay? I knew this would happen, I’m so sorry,” was what she said, and the girl couldn’t help but close her eyes for a moment as she felt her arms warmly hugging her. It was as if her mother was back, and she remembered how pleasant life was when she was still alive.

Vivian didn’t blame Madam Evelyn because she knew the Empress was a formidable opponent, someone that not anyone could stand up against unless they had a death wish for themselves. She then gave her a small smile to show that she was alright, nodding her head as an answer, “I’m okay, please don’t worry about me.”

As both of them stared towards the door where Her Majesty had left, the child was unable to refrain from thinking about the discussion earlier.

Well, she had already accepted the deal. She only wondered if the Empress would fulfill her wish because, even if she didn’t say yes, she also didn’t reject her condition, so there was still hope.

Now, all that remained was to wait and see what would happen next.