Chapter 2

After dismissing the ministers, Mother breathed a sigh of relief. However, when she saw my eyes that were dry of all tears, she immediately seized the opportunity to lash out.

"You're truly selfish and cold-blooded. Vee died because of you, yet you show no gratitude for her sacrifice."

Her sacrifice? I scoffed inwardly. In my previous life, she knew that relations between humans and beastmen were strained, yet she deliberately provoked beast nobles for her own selfish desires.

When she grew bored of them, she left behind ambiguous words that made all three believe they were her true love, causing them to fight endlessly over her.

When they finally got tired of fighting each other, they blamed everything on me. They decided I was the one who had killed their beloved and caused them to turn against each other. With nowhere to vent their rage, they all agreed that I was the one who deserved to die the most.

First, the merman brutally tore out my spiritual core and abandoned me in the frozen wasteland. When wild animals came to gnaw at my flesh, he had simply watched coldly from the sidelines.

Not only had he watched, but he had also summoned lustful snow serpents, wanting to crush both my body and spirit into dust. When I fought desperately to kill him, he just said, "You killed Vee. Even killing you 10,000 times would be justified."

Eventually, I fell into a ravine. I was barely alive, but the fox spirit still grabbed me by the throat. He forced poison down my throat but kept me alive with healing elixirs.

I lost all five senses, and my nerves were severed one by one. The bone-deep agony had even made me wish for death. Later, when he grew bored, he thought of ending me with a single sword strike.

However, when I woke up again, I found myself in the lion shifter's hands. He hung me in a dungeon and used every torture device imaginable until I became nothing but rotting flesh.

"If not for that face, you would've died long ago."

For three years, I used every method possible to escape, just hoping to see if my parents were safe. However, after fighting desperately to crawl back to the palace, I was met with betrayal from my entire family and a sword through the heart.

At that moment, I was staring coldly at Mother. My gaze unsettled her, and she was about to question me when a group of people suddenly poured in from outside.

Mother looked at them in surprise. "Why are you here?"

"The crown princess was wise and benevolent, beloved by the people. She died so suddenly. We subjects only wish to mourn and pay our respects."

Mother watched helplessly as her maternal relatives went to pay their respects before Victoria's coffin, her anxiety barely concealed. "Who told you to notify them?"

"Vee had always loved lively gatherings. If she knew how beloved she was, she'd surely be happy," I said sincerely.

Mother clenched her teeth in anger, furious that I had brought so many people here, creating future complications for Victoria's resurrection.

She could not lose her temper, though. She had only herself to blame for delegating trivial matters to me while she enjoyed her luxuries. As it appeared that I was acting with good intentions, my actions were deemed perfectly reasonable.

After Mother's relatives finished paying their respects to Victoria, they began consoling her. "The crown princess's sudden death is truly a tragedy for the people. Your Highness, do take care of your health and try not to wallow in grief."

They spoke earnestly, and Mother was forced to divide her attention to deal with them. She did not even notice when I brought in the professional mourners. It was only when they began beating the drums that someone exclaimed in amazement.

"The crown princess truly has lasting blessings. She's responding to the funeral songs so quickly."

The great hall fell silent for a moment. Mother's expression changed as she rushed forward to carefully examine the burial cloth covering Victoria.

"Who invited you people? Does a princess need lowly commoners like you to mourn for her?"

The mourning troupe stopped and quietly turned their gazes toward me. I quickly stepped forward and knelt, saying pitifully, "Mother, I invited them from the beast kingdoms to send Vee off. I heard Vee had always wanted us to be at peace. I just hope she'll be happy now that she has passed on."

Mother pointed at me angrily. "You..."

She was too furious to speak. Everyone kept their heads lowered, and the implication was obvious. Even so, she still refused to back down.

"Serena Songworth, just how many times have you acted without my permission?"