A few days later...
The Palace of Wonderveil had returned to its usual rhythm. From the break of dawn, the air was filled with the sound of footsteps on marble, the rustle of clean linens, and the rhythmic scrubbing of windows until they sparkled like diamonds. In the kitchens, the sharp clatter of knives and the aromatic steam of hot soup created a symphony of domestic industry.
Everything looked perfectly normal. Calm. Serene.
But beneath that surface, something was moving. A small brown squirrel hopped along a windowsill before descending onto a wooden shelf near the main corridor. Its tiny body moved with lightning speed, and because it was so small and seemingly harmless, no one thought to chase it away. Some workers even found its presence endearing.
"Aww... there's that squirrel again," a maid whispered, smiling as the creature scurried past a flower pot.
The squirrel watched them with its beady eyes before darting away. Bit by bit, it was learning the layout of the palace—and more importantly, its secrets.
In a secluded corner near the linen storage room, three maids were taking a break, whispering intensely. They glanced around to ensure they were alone before diving into the latest gossip.
"Did you... did you hear the news?" one whispered, leaning in close.
"What news?" her friend asked eagerly.
The first maid smirked. "Princess Celestia likes someone."
The other two gasped. "Really? How do you know?"
"I went into the library to deliver some books the other day," the maid explained animatedly. "I accidentally saw her writing something. A love letter."
"No way! To whom?" They broke into muffled giggles.
"I never thought Princess Celestia would fall for someone," one said, covering her mouth. "She's so beautiful and kind... but honestly, I think she's too soft."
"Soft is one thing. Stupid is another."
The others blinked in shock. The maid crossed her arms and sighed. "The other day, she couldn't even tell the difference between a political dispatch and a regular letter. If that's how she works... how is she ever going to be Queen?"
The others began to nod slowly. "You have a point... Princess Elowen is terrifying, but at least she's sharp. Princess Celestia has been far too pampered. She only lives such a comfortable life because her sister has been shielding her all this time."
They continued their chatter, completely unaware of the figure standing motionless behind the wall near the doorway.
Elowen.
She had come to the area to retrieve old documents, but she had frozen the moment she heard Celestia's name. Her eyes turned ice-cold. Slowly, she stepped out from the shadows. The sharp clack of her boots made the three maids jump.
"Having fun gossiping?"
Elowen's voice was like a winter frost, making their blood run cold. They scrambled to their feet, faces turning ghostly pale. "Y-Your Highness!"
Elowen glanced around the room. The water buckets were untouched. The floor was unscrubbed. The laundry was still piled in the corner. "I don't mind if you want to talk," Elowen said softly, crossing her arms. "But finish your work first."
"Forgive us, Your Highness..." one stammered, bowing her head. "We got distracted."
Elowen stepped closer, her gaze pinning them to the spot. "One more thing... did you just call my sister stupid?"
The silence was deafening. One maid began to tremble visibly. "Y-Your Highness, we didn't mean it that way—"
"But it's true though..." the maid beside her blurted out impulsively before her friend could stop her. Her friend immediately slapped her own forehead in horror. "Shut up!"
Elowen exhaled slowly, but her expression only grew colder. She stepped toward the maid who had spoken and grabbed the front of her uniform, hoisting her slightly off the floor. The girl's eyes went wide with terror.
"Elowen..."
"I don't care if you speak ill of me," Elowen's voice was low and dangerously sharp. "But if you insult my sister... I will not forgive you."
"Forgive me, Your Highness!" the maid began to sob. "Please, give me a chance!"
The other two fell to their knees. "Have mercy! We won't do it again!"
Elowen let go of the maid roughly, sending her sprawling to the floor. Before the girl could even steady herself—
SLAP!
A sharp sting landed on her cheek. The maid froze, clutching her reddened face as tears streamed down her cheeks. One of the other maids let out a small shriek before turning and bolting out of the room. She ran as fast as she could through the palace corridors.
"Help... help!"
She finally reached the library and threw the doors open. Inside the quiet sanctuary, Celestia was sitting by the window, engrossed in a book. She looked up in surprise at the sudden intrusion.
"Your Highness, please help me!" the maid cried, running toward Celestia in tears.
Celestia knit her brows. "What happened?"
"My friend..." the maid gasped for air. "She was slapped by Princess Elowen... she's going to be punished!"
Celestia closed her book immediately. Her face turned serious. "Sister?"
"Your Highness... please save her."
Celestia stood up without a moment's hesitation. "Take me to my sister."
The maid nodded frantically, leading Celestia out of the library. Unbeknownst to them, a small squirrel was perched on the library windowsill. Its eyes followed them intently. Slowly, the squirrel hopped back inside and began to follow them, a silent shadow in the wake of the brewing storm.
Celestia hurried after the maid, her pace quickening as she saw the sheer terror etched on the girl's face.
"Hurry, Your Highness..." the maid pleaded, nearly in tears. "If we are too late, something terrible might happen to them!"
Celestia gripped the hem of her gown, a heavy sense of dread settling in her chest. The corridors, usually so grand and silent, now felt suffocating. Workers they passed paused to watch the Princess rush by with a weeping maid, but none dared to ask what was wrong. They could only watch from afar.
Behind a large decorative vase near a window, a small brown squirrel followed them in total silence. It leaped from a cabinet to the curtains, then slipped between the cracks of a shelf without making a sound. Its eyes remained fixed on them.
When they reached the old document storage room, the maid threw the wooden doors open. Celestia's eyes widened in horror.
Two maids were sprawled on the floor, their uniforms torn and disheveled. One clutched her cheek, sobbing quietly, while the other sat weak and trembling, bruises already forming on her arms. Small droplets of blood stained the marble floor. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make the air in the room feel gruesome.
"El... Elowen..." Celestia's voice was barely a whisper.
The maid who had brought Celestia rushed to her friends. "Are you alright?!" she cried, holding the injured girl. The maid could only shake her head slowly, wincing in pain.
In the center of the room, Elowen stood perfectly still. Her expression was as calm as ever, but her eyes were cold. Piercingly cold.
Celestia looked directly at her sister. "Elowen... what you are doing is wrong."
The room fell into a deathly silence. Elowen met Celestia's gaze without flinching. "They insulted you."
"That is no excuse to hurt them!" Celestia's voice rose. "You should have just forgiven them!"
"They do not know their place," Elowen replied flatly.
Celestia stepped toward her sister. "Even if that's true, it shouldn't have come to this!"
Elowen glanced at the terrified maids before looking back at her sister. "Celestia... you are far too soft."
"I simply do not want others to suffer."
"If you remain like this," Elowen's voice dropped to a low, dangerous register, "others will walk all over you."
Celestia bit her lip, staring at her sister with profound disappointment. Then, the words tumbled out: "I do not want to be someone as cruel as you."
The statement felt like a physical blow to the atmosphere of the room. Even the maids were stunned. Elowen went silent for a moment, her eyes locking onto Celestia's.
"So..." Elowen's voice was soft but sharp as a blade. "You admit that I am cruel?"
Celestia clenched her fists. "Yes." The answer was unhesitating. "You nearly killed them."
Elowen looked at the injured maid. "Don't worry. They are still breathing."
"That's not the point!" Celestia snapped. "I never thought you were capable of this."
Elowen began to walk slowly toward her sister. "And I never thought you would be so lenient with people who mock you." Her blue eyes bored into Celestia's. "If I were truly cruel... I would have already ordered the knights to drag them to the dungeons and take their heads."
The maids turned pale with fright. Celestia didn't flinch. "Just because they insulted me... you would do that?"
"Of course," Elowen replied without a shred of guilt. "It is all to protect you."
Celestia shook her head slowly. "I don't need protection like this."
Elowen frowned slightly. And for the first time, Celestia's tone shifted. "Perhaps what Nyx said was right. I am more suited to be Queen than you."
The air seemed to freeze. Elowen's eyes flickered, but her face remained composed. "I am tired of discussing this, Celestia."
Elowen turned toward the door. "If you want to be Queen..." she said without looking back, "I will allow it."
She walked out, the door clicking shut behind her. Celestia stood alone with the shivering maids, her chest feeling tight. She wasn't sure if she was more angry or heartbroken.
Under a sofa near the wall, the small squirrel watched everything. It didn't take its eyes off the injured maid. It sat perfectly still.
Far away in the abandoned mansion, Alice sat in an old chair, staring at a black magical display. The images captured by the squirrel appeared clearly before her. Alice smiled slowly.
"It seems Elowen has begun to use force..." Her eyes narrowed with satisfaction. "But that is still not enough."
Her finger traced the surface of the magical screen. "I need something bigger..." Her grin widened. For the first time, Alice began to plan something far more dangerous than mere rumors.
The news of Princess Elowen's violent outburst began to seep through the palace walls like a slow-acting poison. What started as hushed whispers among kitchen staff and guards soon ignited like a wildfire catching dry silk.
In the main kitchen, chefs paused their work to exchange worried glances. "I never thought she would go that far," one woman whispered, her voice trembling. "They were wrong to insult Princess Celestia, but to leave them bloodied? It's too much."
"I heard one of them nearly fainted from the shock," her companion replied, shaking her head. "If this is how she acts now, imagine what will happen when she wears the crown."
A young footman carrying a tray of silver chimed in, "Let's just hope Princess Celestia takes the throne. At least she has a heart."
The rumors did not stay within the palace. They followed the workers home, traveled to the bustling marketplaces, and slipped into the parlors of the nobility. With every retelling, the story grew darker. By the time it reached the common folk, the "slap" had become a "brutal beating," and Elowen's calm demeanor was reimagined as the cold gaze of a tyrant.
In the main square of Wonderveil, Alice stood in the shadows of a stone alleyway. She wore the simple dress of a commoner, her golden hair partially hidden by a thin shawl. A small, satisfied smile played on her lips. She didn't need to do much; humans had a natural talent for filling in the blanks of a story with their own fears.
She stepped forward, approaching a group of anxious citizens. "What can we even do?" an old man asked, his voice cracked with worry. "She is a Princess. We are nothing."
"It's only the beginning," Alice interjected softly.
The group turned to her. She looked the picture of sorrow, her eyes downcast and brimming with unshed, fake tears. "She has already tasted blood," Alice whispered, her voice trembling with practiced precision. "If she becomes Queen, this entire nation will suffer. Today it is a maid; tomorrow, it could be any of us. Thrown into dungeons without food... or worse."
The crowd stirred, a wave of unease washing over them. "She's right," a woman muttered, clutching her shawl. "I don't want to live under a reign of terror."
Alice gripped her dress, pretending to stifle a sob. "But Princess Celestia is too kind... she doesn't want to cast her sister out. We have to show her that the people have chosen her. We have to make her see that Wonderveil needs a savior, not a tyrant."
"We should force her to be Queen!" a young man shouted, his face flushed with newfound resolve.
"But Elowen has the dragon..." someone whispered, the very name of Vaelrith bringing a chill to the air.
Alice looked up, a dark glint flashing momentarily in her eyes. "Every creature has a weakness," she said smoothly. "Do not let fear silence you. Write it down. Put it on the walls, in the markets, everywhere. Let the palace know that the people demand Celestia!"
Her words acted like a spark in a powder keg. "Yes! She's right!" the crowd began to roar. "We won't stay silent!"
Alice slipped away as the fervor grew. That night, the streets of Wonderveil were transformed. Hand-painted posters appeared on every corner:
"PRINCESS CELESTIA IS OUR TRUE QUEEN!"
"WE DEMAND A KIND LEADER!"
"WONDERVEIL HAS NO ROOM FOR CRUELTY!"
The nobility grew restless. Some began to openly pledge their support to Celestia, while others started questioning Elowen's mental state in private chambers.
High above the city, perched on the roof of a tall building, Alice watched the chaos unfold. The flickering torchlight below illuminated the growing rebellion she had orchestrated. Her smile widened, reaching her eyes, which now glowed with a predatory hunger.
"Bit by bit," she hissed into the night wind, "I will tear it all down."