The Crown Princess has been under house arrest for more than a month and has no way to change her situation. Her ladies in waiting were changed because Hugo and King Joseph were closely monitoring her activities. Worse than that, her letter to her Master wasn't even acknowledged, and now she is stuck in a disadvantaged position. She had practically nothing at her disposal, as if she had been transported back in time to when she was a child.

A painful memory that she deeply buried for a long time suddenly resurface.......

Ara Monchy Clavel is the daughter of Melissa Monchy, an adopted child of the illustrious Monchy family. When the late Marquis George Monchy was in the region checking on his business, he fortunately picked up Melissa, who had been brutally abandoned in the slums of Alava. Although he had no intention of adopting her, he felt sorry for the young girl and gave her their last name.

Melissa didn't really get along with her siblings as she grew up because of her strange obsession with hoarding dead pets and her enjoyment in gathering their bones as keepsakes. When her brother Henry Monchy succeeded the Marquis title, he sent her to the north because Melissa was discovered practicing dark magic. The Kratoryah empire's laws will be applied to prosecute any nobles found using dark magic. To safeguard her reputation and the Marquis house of Monchy, Henry dispatched her to the north.

No one in the noble house's upper society wanted to marry Melissa Monchy due to her eccentric personality, so she wed an impoverished baron. After her marriage, Melissa cut her relationship with her brother because she wanted to protect the Marquis from her dark past. She then gave birth to a beautiful child and named her Ara Monchy Clavel. Ara is a clever and reserved child. Even though she topped the northern academy, her parents are unable to pay for her to attend the noble school due to their financial condition. At a young age, Ara is aware of her circumstances and despises her mother for severing ties with her wealthy uncle in the south. She snapped at her mother one day, telling her to transfer her to the south so she could enjoy her aristocratic rights.

(Excerpt: The consciousness of beings who were born in the higher dimension developed around the age of one. It is the equivalent of being 7 years old in our world. Kratoryah's three-year-old's have consciousnesses comparable to those of children who are nine years old in the earth world.)

Melissa had no choice and temporarily separated from her husband to live in the southern capital with her daughter. When they first entered the Marquis Monchy's elegant mansion, Ara was enthralled and thrilled since she thought that this was her destiny. They were warmly welcomed by her uncle and his wife. Henry decided to give one of their estates to Melissa so they can start their life in the capital. It was all going well at the beginning, but it changed when Ara saw Rachel beaming with so much light and happiness. The unmatched beauty of her cousin, who resembled the Goddess Dragon, made her so well-known that all the children of nobility yearned to be her friends. Even the adults thought so highly of her that they want her as their son's future wife.

Ara thought her condition was extremely unfair. Why Rachel, her cousin, must have everything? She hated her family's situation even more after finding out that her mother was adopted and had no social standing. Because of her mother's fragility and her father's extreme poverty, she detested both of them. She made up her mind to take matters into her own hands and become as illustrious as her famous cousin.

Their arrival is timely because the Monchy family was given an invitation to the Carlyle palace's royal banquet. Henry decided to bring his niece to the banquet since he felt sympathy for her and wanted to give her an experience of the noble life. He also wanted to establish her reputation so she would have a better chance of finding a husband in the future. In order for Ara to portray herself well in the southern noble society, Lily organized her attire and even taught her proper etiquette. Melissa, on the other hand, made the decision to skip the event since she's avoiding meeting a noble who will recognize her past.

***

As they arrived at the Carlyle Palace, the noble families surrounded the Illustrious Monchy family. Rachel was going to take her hand to introduce Ara to the aristocratic children, when all of a sudden, the noble kids surrounded her. Ara was left in the corner by herself, looking incredibly envious of her cousin. The royal staff's announcement of the Astrid family's arrival diverted her attention. The mighty dukedom of Astrid was renowned across the empire and was feared for their power.

As soon as the Astrid family entered the banquet hall, all nobles were required to bow down and perform their ceremonial greetings. The Duchess Catarina Astrid displayed an uncanny aura as the Grand Duke Andrew Nicholas Astrid strode down bearing a ruthless atmosphere. On the other hand, Little Duke Sebastian Nicholas Astrid, their only child, has a bored look on his face.

Ara was astonished by the Astrid family's dominance, which forced the Carlyle royal family to submit to them. She abruptly turns to stare at the little Duke as her small heart begins to race. Yes, the little Duke with a stunning appearance will succeed his father as the next Guardian of the empire and will become the most powerful person in the world. Ara believed that marrying the little Duke would fulfill her destiny of rising to the top nobility in the empire. She instantly moves toward the area where the Crown Prince and the little Duke are situated, but she is unable to come even close to them because they are encircled by other noble kids of their age.

She thought deeply on how to approach the little Duke when an idea entered her mind. Since her cousin is well adored and her status is higher than hers, she will bring her as a means to get the little Duke's attention. As she was searching for her, Ara saw Rachel being carried by her aunt and then... the little Duke is talking to them. His attention is solely focus on Rachel and she can hear his silly laugh. Even the noble families were shocked when the little Duke knelt down and spoke with the famous daughter of the Monchy family.

For the first time, she felt hatred for her cousin. 'Why does she have to take him from me? You already possess everything in your life'. Her heart began to grow dark. As she clenches her fist, a beautiful noblewoman with raven hair approached her side.

"Sweet little child. Do you desire to resemble her? Everything she possesses, including her light, is yours to have."

Ara turned to look at the woman and saw that it was the Duchess Astrid. She quickly curtsied as she anxiously awaited her greetings acknowledgment.

"Be at ease child. Tell me do you want to take what's hers? I can give it all to you even my son. Once you have my son, you can have this world."

Her eyes glowed as she heard the Duchess remark. "Your Majesty. Yes, I want to have my cousin's good fortune. How can I obtain it?"

The Duchess gives a menacing chuckle while whispering something in her ear. Ara paid close attention and nodded in accord.

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Author's note: Thank you so much for all the votes 😍 🥰 😘. Were almost in the haft season 3 ending, I'll try to upload up till chapter 80 on Friday. I'll be traveling for my holidays, I won't be posting any updates next week.