But before anyone could answer, their door burst open with a violent crash.
Two guards in gleaming armor yanked the door wide, their movements sharp and military-precise. They stepped aside as a woman swept into the room, commanding every eye.
Elder Princess Viya.
She fanned herself lazily, the ornate fan decorated with crystals catching the morning light and scattering rainbow fragments across the walls.
Her red hair cascaded down her back in perfect waves, and her crimson eyes scanned the room like a predator searching for prey.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[CHARACTER ANALYSIS ACTIVATED]
[Target Identified: Viya Carmine]
[Age: 20]
[Beast Form: Crystal Fox]
[Abilities: Mirror Manipulation]
[Role: Antagonist]
[Threat Assessment: HIGH]
[Hostility Level: EXTREME]
[Romantic Interest: Aurex, the Solar King]
[Mating Status: UNMATED - Delaying on purpose to mate Aurex]
[Plot Importance: MEDIUM - EXISTS TO OPPOSE PROTAGONIST NYLA]
[Note: Villainess archetype. Cruel, entitled, jealous. Seeks to eliminate competition for Aurex's attention. Approach with extreme caution.]
The notifications vanished as Viya's gaze swept across Wish's parents first, then Vish, before finally settling on Wish.
"Well, well, well." Viya's voice sliced through the room like a blade. "So this is where my missing maid has been hiding." She snapped her fan shut—the sound sharp as a whip crack.
"Tell me, when exactly did palace servants start granting themselves unauthorized leave? Did I miss a memo? Perhaps there's a new policy I wasn't informed of?"
Wish's stomach clenched.
"Because last I checked," Viya continued, her voice rising with each word, "when you serve the royal family, you show up when you're scheduled. You don't simply decide to take a day off because you feel like it. Or are the rules different for you?"
She took a step forward, heels clicking against the floor with each measured movement. "I woke up this morning expecting my chambers to be prepared, my morning tea to be ready, my wardrobe selections laid out. And where was my personal attendant?" She gestured dramatically at Wish. "Nowhere to be found!"
Viya's fan snapped open again, and she waved it in front of her face as if the very thought exhausted her.
"Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to explain to the other nobles why my own maid didn't show up? They were laughing at me. Whispering behind their hands. 'Poor Queen Viya, can't even manage her own servants.'"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And then—oh, and then—I find out where you've been." She let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Oh, fatty. You're here. Lounging around your family home like you're some kind of goddess on vacation instead of a servant who abandoned her post."
Wish opened her mouth, but Viya steamrolled over her.
"And let's not forget your little performance yesterday." Viya's smile turned vicious. "The entire palace is buzzing about it. The marketplace incident? Really? Is that why you skipped work?"
She pressed her hand to her chest in mock horror. "Screaming about your curves and your body for the entire realm to witness? How absolutely mortifying. You actually think men should love you for that fat ass?"
She paused, then threw her head back and laughed—high, hysterical, cruel. "Your humiliation reflects directly on me, you selfish girl! Now my younger sister laughs at me because I have a mad, fat woman as my maid! And you dared not come to your post—just so you could go do that?" Her face flushed red with rage. "What excuse do you have?"
Vish stepped forward abruptly, her hands clenched into fists. "It is by His Radiance Aurex's direct order that Wish was supposed to rest for the day!"
Viya's head whipped toward Vish so fast her hair flew out behind her. Her crimson eyes blazed. "Excuse me?"
"The Solar King himself ordered her to rest," Vish repeated, her voice shaking but determined. "After the ritual sacrifice. She nearly died up there!"
Viya's laugh was harsh and cutting. "As if the deity would send a personal request for some nameless, insignificant maiden to rest just because of a routine ritual sacrifice." She waved her hand dismissively. "Please. Don't insult my intelligence with such ridiculous lies."
Vish's face flushed bright red, and before Wish could grab her arm, before anyone could stop her, Vish exploded.
"She could have DIED!" Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. "She was stabbed in the chest! Her essence was sucked out of her! She barely survived! And you—you stand there acting like her life doesn't matter at all!"
She took a trembling step toward Viya. "Why are you nobles always like this? Why do you take everything so easily? Like people's lives don't matter as long as you have your laundry done and your hair styled perfectly!"
"Do you even care about the lives behind all that work? Or are we just tools to you? Things you use and throw away when they break?"
The silence that crashed down was deafening.
Viya's expression went absolutely glacial. Her fan stopped moving. Every muscle in her body went rigid. "How. Dare. You." Each word fell like shards of ice.
She didn't yell. She didn't need to. Her voice was deadly quiet, and somehow that made it infinitely worse.
Viya's hand moved—just a slight gesture, barely a flick of her fingers—but one of her guards understood immediately.
He crossed the room in three long strides. His armored hand swung out fast and brutal, connecting with Vish's cheek with a sickening crack that echoed through the house.
Vish's head snapped violently to the side. She stumbled backward, her legs buckling, and crashed to her knees. Blood welled at the corner of her mouth, dripping down her chin.
"VISH!" Wish screamed, lunging forward.
Viya stepped closer to Vish's crumpled form, staring down at her with cold contempt. "Do you know who you dare speak to?" Her voice dripped venom.
"I could have you thrown into the palace dungeons for treason. I could have you whipped in the public square for speaking to royalty that way. I could destroy your entire family with a single word."
"NO!" Wish threw herself between them, arms spread wide, shielding her sister. Her mind raced frantically. If this brat's anger goes any higher, she could kill my family. She could kill me. I need to calm her down. Fast.
"Princess Viya, please!" The words tumbled out desperately. "I'm sorry—I'm so, so sorry for all of this! The deity did order me to rest, and I—I got confused about protocol! I should have sent word to the palace immediately. I should have requested formal leave through proper channels. This is entirely my fault, not hers! Please don't punish Vish for my mistakes!"
Viya's eyes locked onto Wish, and a slow, cruel smile spread across her face. "Did you just call me princess?"
Wish's blood ran cold. What was I supposed to call her?