To Torment You, Oh Dear Sister

CHAPTER 5

Darkness.

That was the only thing she could see.

Vivian was currently lying on the ground and, as she slowly ascended to a sitting position, she looked around her surroundings and was shocked to find herself in what appeared to be a gigantic bird cage.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized where she was, and she looked down to find a metal chain around one of her ankles. Almost immediately, the girl became anxious about the reason why and how she had been imprisoned there, and even she had no idea where she was. The look on her face was a combination of bewilderment and fear, and her gaze followed the length of the chain which seemed to extend outside beyond the cage.

Vivian frantically stood up and walked near the cage's bars, the chain attached to her generating a loud rattling sound that resonated throughout the place. She gripped the bars with both hands, and even though she couldn't see anything in the pitch-black darkness in front of her, she screamed as loudly as she could in case there was someone there with her.

"Help! Please somebody help me!" her face was pressed against the iron bars as she pleaded for help, but no one responded to her cries.

Suddenly, she heard a noise from the distance and turned to see what appeared to be a door opening. From the door shone a very bright light, and because it was the only illumination in the room, the light narrowly spread like a carpet in the darkness that reached to her cage.

Vivian then noticed a figure coming from the entrance, which seemed to be a man, although she couldn't make out his face because the light from behind him casted a dark shadow in front. As she became distracted by the approaching individual, she felt a sudden strong tug from the chain on her ankle and fell to the ground with a harsh thud.

The girl screamed after feeling the impact, leaving the skin on her elbow and arm wounded from the contact. And before she was able to pull herself together, her pupils narrowed as she realized the man was now standing right in front of her cage, staring at her.

"No, please… Don't hurt me!" were the words she was supposed to say, but she was taken aback to find that no sound came out of her mouth. She glanced at the figure in front of her, and while she didn't know whether or not he was there to help her, all of the strange and horrendous incidents that were happening to her right now made her instantly distrust the man—thinking that he was the one who was doing this to her.

Slowly, she watched him open his mouth as he repeated one phrase over and over again.

"Vivian."

"Vivian."

"Vivian!"

Her eyes shot wide open as she heard her name yelled. Almost instinctively, Vivian scanned around her environment to discern where she was and her vision spotted her pillow, her table mirror, her curtains that fluttered by as the wind blew through the windows, and most especially Madam Evelyn, who was sitting on her bed at the side with a worried-sick look.

She was back in her bedroom.

"Miss Lyn!" she cried out as she hugged her, and the woman, though startled by her actions, welcomed the hug and embraced her back.

"Are you okay, Princess? You looked like you were having a nightmare," she asked, softly patting her back to comfort her.

"Yes... I think I really did," Vivian murmured as she carefully separated from the hug, rubbing her eyes to shake off her fatigue and remaining fright. Her face became distorted as she dimly remembered certain parts of her dream, but she didn't dwell on it too much, since she was just grateful to be out of the nightmare she had.

"Hurry now, we must get you prepared. You'll be meeting the prince today, remember?" Evelyn said as she rose from the bed and headed to the windows, neatly opening the curtains to let in more sunlight and fresh air.

The young girl blinked twice.

The prince?

Maybe she had forgotten about it, but she did remember the Empress calling for her last night to inform her that he was finally returning after graduating from the military academy.

It had been three years since she was first taken to the palace as a substitute princess, and she hadn’t seen her so-called brother even once, since he was already sent to the academy before she arrived.

Now that he was indeed coming back, she was unsure whether to feel thrilled or nervous about their first encounter. She used to be quite curious of him during her first few months in the palace, wondering what he would be like. But now she was reluctant because she didn't know how to handle the matter at hand.

“Ah yes… my apologies, perhaps it just slipped my mind,” Vivian replied as she rose from her bed, her head still somewhat aloof from reality. Evelyn continued to clean, trying to organize her room as much as she could with the little time.

“Quickly now! Her Majesty will be upset if you are late,” she warned, as she gently guided the princess to the bathroom while holding a towel in one of her hands. She figured that Madam Evelyn had been trying to wake her up earlier since she always had a habit of being punctual. But it was likely that she didn’t wake up easily because of her nightmare.

Nonetheless, the girl immediately cooperated with the Madam, shuddering at the thought of having to see her stepmother’s enraged face.

***

As she walked at a hurried pace, the sound of her heels striking on the marble floor reverberated across the ballroom area. While she was passing by, she was unable to resist observing all the servants rapidly scurrying in every direction, moving back and forth as they were all busy with their duties. Some were working on the decorations, others were altering the cutlery on the tables, whilst others were preparing for culinary delights.

The whole place was completely engaged, and Vivian couldn’t help but admire how so many people could trouble themselves over the arrival of one person, who was the prince.

Several of the servants greeted her as she passed by, and once she had completely walked past the location, she then proceeded outside to head to the main entrance of the palace.

The first thing that she spotted was the Emperor and the Empress standing in the center beneath the grand archway. They were both dressed in red garments, which was the same color as the gown that Vivian was currently wearing and was purposedly chosen to complement and highlight the imperial family.

Up in front, numerous maids were diligently lined up on the left side of the pathway, while butlers were arranged up on the right, seemingly as if they served as an extended blanket other than the carpet that had been laid on the ground. As she approached their Majesties, she stood beside the Empress and gave a small bow, greeting them.

"Mother, Father,” she muttered quietly under her breath, but loud enough for the both of them to hear. The girl then straightened her posture and raised her chin to simulate the look of a princess, just as she had been taught to act in public.

"You're late,” Her Majesty remarked sharply without looking at her. "Know that the next time you do this, I will not be lenient with you."

Vivian could only pinch her lips together as her eyes glanced to the side in regret before bowing again, "Forgive me, mother. I will not do it again."

The Emperor then cleared his throat as he became uneasy about the short conversation between the two. He then tilted his head a bit in their direction, but kept his gaze fixed ahead, “Now, now, it’s alright dear. The child isn’t late, we have been waiting for our son’s arrival for quite some time now, yet he’s still not here.”

“Ha,” Her Majesty let out a taunting laugh as her eyelids flickered in disagreement. "Do not defend the girl for her wrong actions. It's best to correct her for her first mistake before it becomes a habit of hers.”

Vivian kept mute while they talked, and it wasn’t long until the atmosphere became quiet again as the discussion was concluded.

It was a particularly cold day in the autumn season, and the trees and flowers surrounding were slowly withering away. Although the season was the very symbolism of death itself for the environment, she always admired how they transitioned from having fresh colors to dying ginger and golden yellow. As a whole, in her view, it was as if mother nature herself was transforming into a beautiful sunset.

Suddenly, the sounds of a group of horses’ hooves hitting the ground caught Vivian's attention, and she peered up ahead to see a white carriage approaching them from a far. Right away, an anxious feeling flooded over her as it caused her breath to hitch, and she eyed the vehicle’s movement.

This was it. She was finally going to meet the prince.

The carriage suddenly came to a stop in front of them as a butler from the row approached its door and opened it. Almost immediately, when the door opened, the maids and butlers spoke in unison as a greeting, "Welcome back, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

An individual then steadily came out of the carriage and Vivian’s eyes widened at seeing an attractive young man clothed in a knight’s attire. As she examined more of his physical features, she could understand now why the people surrounding her kept pointing out how much she looked like the first princess of Caellimont.

Blond hair and crystalline blue eyes—they were only two characteristics, however, because they share these same appearances, she and the prince resembled each other enough that anybody could be fooled and mistake her for being a member of the imperial family.

The boy then headed towards where they were standing, with each stride that he took emanating with grandeur and influence. She knew there was nothing to be surprised about, but it was the first time Vivian had encountered someone close to her age who was as refined as the Emperor and Empress themselves. And knowing that made his presence even more intimidating for her.

When the prince turned to face them, he first noticed their Majesties, who were smiling at him as they waited for his coming. When his gaze finally landed on her, he came to a halt, as if stunned, but his expression remained unaffected.

When he eventually arrived before the three of them, he kneeled in front of the Emperor and Empress and bent his head, "I have returned, mother, father."

Her Majesty was the first to strike up a talk with him as he stood back up, and her hands sought for his face as she gently touched his cheek, "Claude, welcome back, my son."

One could easily tell from the tone of her words that she missed her son dearly. While the Emperor let out a laugh as he patted the young man on the back, "How did you do at the academy, son?"

Vivian stared at them with a faint melancholy in her eyes as the three of them quickly became engrossed in a conversation. She remembered how she used to have a similar relationship with her parents, and she reminisced about the times they shared together. She stood silent the whole time until Claude finally glanced in her direction again, and the Empress followed his gaze.

"Ah... Claude," the mother coughed faintly and reluctantly turned to face Vivian. She didn't know whether he was interested in her or not, considering that he didn't pose any questions, but she decided to introduce them because it was the appropriate way. "Your sister Gwyneth has come back, isn't that wonderful?"

Vivian curtsied in front of him as a salutation and formally bowed, "Greetings, brother, I'm glad you're back."

The prince, however, said nothing and just continued to stare at her. For some reason, she could feel something unsettling about his gaze, and it made her feel a little suffocated. There was a moment of silence among them, before he eventually separated himself from the group and headed inside the palace without acknowledging her.

"I will be in my room if you need me," he declared before he disappeared from their sight, most likely saying it for the knowledge of his parents only. All of them became perplexed by his actions, especially the young girl who kept staring at the door from which he had left. She wasn't sure if she'd done anything wrong, and she noticed that their Majesties were also confused, but quickly dismissed it.

"Come, Gwyneth," the Emperor urged, as they appeared to be heading back inside the palace as well. Although she still had questions from before, Vivian just followed them and three of them returned indoors.