Chapter 1

When Mother's lady-in-waiting brought me to the funeral hall, she was weeping inconsolably before the coffin.

"Vee, why did you have to fall off that cliff? Open your eyes and tell me this is all just a nightmare. The heavens are blind to take such a wonderful daughter so young."

She collapsed to the floor in apparent grief, but I watched with cold detachment, finding the whole scene laughable. In my previous life, I was completely fooled by her masterful performance.

My elder sister, Victoria Songworth, had always been vain about her beauty. She frequently used royal expeditions as excuses to visit the beast kingdoms and seduce their nobles.

However, after having her fun, she would claim that even the most powerful beast aristocrats were still crude foreigners beneath her station.

Knowing she could not end things cleanly, she left those three beastmen with ambiguous parting words before conspiring with Mother to stage this elaborate performance.

She got her clean escape, but I was left to bear the consequences when those three beastmen marked me as the killer of their beloved. I paid the price for everything.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Mother suddenly grabbed me roughly. "How dare you just stand there? Kneel and apologize to Vee. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been searching for medicinal herbs for you!"

She tried to use force on me, but I dropped to my knees willingly and even pulled her down with me.

"Vee, may you rest in peace."

"What are you doing?" Mother demanded, furious at being yanked to the ground.

I ignored her question and began weeping dramatically over Victoria's 'fate'. "Oh, Vee, you suffered such a cruel fate. If only Mother hadn't given away all the herbs to the other consorts, you wouldn't have had to go searching for more.

"My life is worthless. I went without that medicine for over ten years and have always been fine. Why did you have to sacrifice your life for me?"

Mother had not expected me to say such things. I seized the moment and grabbed Victoria's soul tablet, preparing to smash it. "Take this fragment of your soul with you, dear Vee. Rest well."

Mother snapped back to her senses, her expression instantly changing as she lunged forward to catch the tablet. "Stop! Who gave you permission to send your sister off?"

Seeing her panic, I smiled coldly. All members of the royal family possessed soul tablets that housed their spirits. When someone died, the tablet had to be shattered for their soul to move on properly.

However, if the person was still alive and their soul fragment was released, they would not be able to survive much longer.

With Mother refusing to break the tablet, she was practically revealing her deception to everyone present.

Her suddenly raised voice caused everyone around us to drop to their knees. I pretended to be frightened, wiping away my tears without daring to speak.

Father quickly stepped forward to embrace Mother, then turned to scold me, "Kneel immediately!"

Before he had even finished speaking, I began sobbing again. "Mother, I know you don't want Victoria to leave us either. But the sooner her soul returns to her body, the sooner she can find peace."

Some of the bolder ministers who had come to pay respects spoke up. "Your Majesty, this concerns whether the Crown Princess can rest in peace. We must not let emotions cloud our judgment."

Their words backed Mother into a corner, leaving her with no choice but to agree. I reached for the soul tablet again, pretending I was about to shatter it and force Victoria to own up to her act.

However, Mother kicked away the elderly ministers kneeling around her and charged toward me.

This time, she did not dare snatch it away directly. Instead, she controlled her fury and said, "This isn't your responsibility. I'll handle it properly after the ceremony ends."

I did not argue further. After all, I had not presented my real gift yet.