Elisa sat before the mirror, the soft glow of the room catching her reflection. Nearby, Tina and Sia stood huddled together, their faces pale with a lingering dread.
"Do not be afraid, you two," Elisa said, her voice dripping with a warm, sisterly affection. "They are innocent souls. They wouldn't dream of harming you."
On Elisa's velvet bed sat a massive wolf, flanked by a small assembly of rabbits and cats. Despite their predatory and prey natures, they sat in a somber harmony, their large, watery eyes fixed on Elisa with a profound, almost human sadness. They had grown deeply attached to her, and she to them; so much so that they now shared her private quarters.
It had taken a great deal of persuasion—and more than a few humble pleas—to convince Richard and Kia to let them stay. In the end, they had relented on one strict condition: the beasts must never harm anyone.
The wolf rose from the bed, his heavy paws padding softly across the floor as he approached Elisa.
"Oh... no! G-go away!" Sia stammered, her back hitting the wall as she and Tina pressed themselves against the stones, trembling.
Woof! Woof!
"No, Raffel. You cannot accompany me," Elisa murmured, reaching out to stroke the thick fur atop the wolf's head. Her touch was tender, her eyes full of soft light. "This gathering is for humans. You would only frighten the guests."
Woof... woof... sniffle.
Actual tears welled in Raffel's eyes before trickling down his snout. With a dramatic whine, he flopped onto his back, paws pointing toward the ceiling, his tail thumping a pathetic rhythm against the floor.
"Haha... stop being so dramatic, you rascal. It won't work," Elisa chuckled, patting his belly.
The other animals wouldn't be left out. Two rabbits hopped over and two cats slinked forward, forming a tidy line beside the wolf. Five pairs of twinkling eyes looked up at her, tongues lolling out in a coordinated plea for attention.
Ugh, they are far too cute, Elisa thought, a pang of guilt hitting her. But I truly cannot take them.
"Go on, back to the bed," Elisa suddenly commanded, her tone shifting into a sharp, icy coldness. "Or I shall leave you all behind for good. Understood?"
The five animals flinched simultaneously. They collapsed onto the floor, erupting into a chaotic tantrum of whines and howls.
Awoooo! Meow!
Seizing the distraction, Sia and Tina tried to slip toward the door unnoticed.
"You two, halt," Elisa called out without looking back. "Tina, it is time. Begin the dressing."
At the mention of the dress, Raffel darted toward the corner of the room where the garment hung.
It was a vision in white, adorned with intricate red patterns that made the fabric sing. The V-neckline was designed to accentuate the wearer's grace, complemented by a sweeping skirt and sleeves trailing butterfly-shaped ribbons.
Raffel looked at the dress and let out a low, mischievous huff that sounded suspiciously like a smirk. He glanced at Elisa and barked sharply. The intent was clear: he wanted to shred the silk to ensure she couldn't leave.
"Don't you dare, you beast!" Tina cried, sprinting forward to shield the gown. "This is my debut creation; I won't have it ruined!"
"Haha... he is a wolf, Tina, and a formidable one at that," Sia remarked, though her voice still shook.
Elisa sighed, rising from her chair with a commanding presence. She cast a stern glare over the room. "All of you, over here. Now."
The maids and the animals gathered around her like subjects before a queen.
"Woo, Tou... if you behave, you shall have your favorite carrots," Elisa promised the rabbits. "Mei, Tie... a feast of fish awaits you both."
The cats' eyes sparkled at the mention of the prize.
"But Raffel gets nothing," she added, her eyes narrowing at the wolf. "Not if he continues behave like this."
Raffel immediately dropped his head, tucking his tail and resting his chin on his paws in a classic gesture of canine apology.
Elisa's expression softened into a smile. "Good boy. I'll give you your favorite meal, provided you don't try to snack on Woo or Tou. Agreed?"
She turned to her maids. "Sia, you shall remain here to watch over Raffel and the others."
Raffel looked at Sia with utter indifference, gave a bored huff, and turned his head away.
"Ah... it seems he isn't fond of you, Sia. Very well. Tina, perhaps you should be the one to tend to them?"
The moment Raffel looked at Tina, his jaws parted, and a long string of saliva escaped his mouth. He looked at her as if she were a prime cut of venison.
"Are you alright with that, Raffel?" Elisa asked, suppressing a laugh.
The wolf nodded enthusiastically, his tail wagging with newfound vigor.
Tina was shaking like a leaf. "N-no, milady! I beg of you! Sia is far better suited for this! He... he looks at me as if I am his next meal! He'll eat me alive!"
Elisa glanced at Raffel. The wolf was shaking his head 'no' so vigorously that drool was flying in every direction.
Yes, you'd definitely eat her alive,Dangerous, yet somehow adorable.
SLAM!
The door burst open as Tia and Kent came charging in. The animals immediately abandoned their drama and raced toward the children.
Woof! Meow!
In an instant, the five beasts were swarming the children, licking their cheeks with wild affection.
"Hehe! Stop it! Stop licking, Woo! Raffel, get off!" Tia giggled, pushed over by the sheer force of their love.
"Haha... it seems they like Kent and Tia far more than they like you ," Elisa teased the sia and tina.
"I am perfectly content with that!" Sia huffed. "Especially concerning Raffel. I've no desire to be a wolf's breakfast."
"Auntie Elisa!" Tia pleaded, her face a mask of calculated innocence that could melt the coldest heart. "Can we take them to the garden? We want to play!"
"Tia, you must address her as Lady Elisa, not Auntie," Tina corrected automatically.
"Pay it no mind, Tina. I am used to it," Elisa waved off the formality.
"Please, Auntie! Grandpa is busy, and Uncle Michael and karlo are out. We are bored to tears!" Kent added, his lip trembling slightly.
"Hmm... only if you promise not to play those pranks on the servants again."
The children flinched.
"Oh, that was all Raffel's idea, Auntie!" Tia said, blushing.
Awoo! Raffel barked softly, sounding very much like he was denying the charges.
Elisa couldn't help but giggle. Her life had been a whirlwind of late, but the presence of these animals and the constant energy of the children had brought a genuine warmth to her heart.
"Very well. Go. But play gently. Do not let anyone get hurt."
"Yay! Onward!" Kent and Tia cheered. They scrambled onto Raffel's broad back, clutching his fur.
Awoooooo! Raffel howled in triumph, mimicking the children's excitement.
"Get down this instant! You'll break your necks!" Tina cried, frantic.
"Calm yourself, Tina. They are sturdy children, and Raffel is more careful than he looks," Elisa reassured her.
"Let's go, comrades!" Tia shouted as the pack of children and beasts thundered out of the room.
Elisa watched them go, then let out a long, weary sigh. "Now then... let us prepare for the battlefield."
"You speak the truth, milady," Sia giggled, though her eyes were serious. "Today's tea party will be nothing short of a skirmish."
A short while later, the transformation was complete.
"Wh... oh, heavens. You look gorgeous, milady," Tina whispered, her eyes wide with awe.
"It's true," Sia added, blushing with pride. "The dress truly brings out your natural grace. You've outdone yourself, Tina."
"I suspected the red and white would compliment your eyes, milady, but I never imagined it would look this magnificent," Tina stammered.
Elisa studied herself in the mirror. The craftsmanship was indeed marvelous. "You have a rare talent, Tina. It is the dress that lends me this beauty."
She reached into her purse and pressed one gold coins into Tina's hand. (In the Elora Empire, a single gold coin held the weight of roughly a hundred modern dollars).
"No, no, milady! This is far too much! I don't deserve such a bounty," Tina protested, trying to pull back.
"Keep it. The Imperial Ball draws near, and I shall require even more of your hard work," Elisa said with a firm, encouraging smile.
"Th-thank you, milady," Tina bowed deeply.
"Come, Sia. Let us depart," Elisa commanded.
The Imperial Palace.
"Good heavens... she is stunning," one lady whispered behind her fan.
"The dress... it isn't the usual stiff fashion of the high houses, yet it suits her perfectly," another remarked.
"Hush! One hissed."
Elisa swept into the circle with a practiced, radiant smile. "Greetings, ladies. I trust you are all enjoying the afternoon."
Her gaze fell upon a young, timid girl sitting in isolation.
This was Sabina, the seventeen-year-old Second Princess—a girl largely neglected by her father, Emperor Dante, and her brother, Crown Prince Vane. Despite her delicate beauty, she was treated as little more than a burden to be traded away.
Elisa sank into a graceful curtsy. "Greetings, Imperial Princess Sabina."
"G-greetings, Lady Elisa," Sabina stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
"Your Highness, would you permit me to sit beside you?"
Sabina nodded mutely.
"Oh ho! It seems we have a 'special' guest," a sharp voice cut through the air. Elvin sauntered into the garden, her presence demanding center stage.
"Your Highness! You look like a goddess today!" Countess Ena gushed, followed by a chorus of sycophants.
Elvin glanced at them with a bored, sharp glare. "Sit. I know how I look. There is no need for such noise."
The group settled, and tea was served alongside a lavish spread of snacks.
"The tea is heavenly, Your Highness," Ena remarked. Then, her eyes darted toward Elisa, a cruel smirk playing on her lips. "By the way... have you heard the latest news concerning Marquess Noel?"
"Do tell," another lady leaned in, hungry for the gossip.
"Word has it the Marquess's wife was found in the arms of a common knight," Ena said, her eyes locked on Elisa. "How disgraceful. It seems some ladies truly have no sense of shame or breeding these days."
"Disgraceful indeed," another added, her tone dripping with venom.
"Oh, it gets worse," Ena continued. "When the Marquess discovered the betrayal, he executed the knight right before his wife's eyes... and then he dealt with her."
"A tragic tale," Elvin said, though her face showed only a mocking pity.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, I didn't mean to dampen your spirits," Ena simpered.
"No, Marchioness Ena. I am merely saddened that the ladies of our Empire are becoming so... corrupted in nature," Elvin paused, her smirk widening as she looked directly at Elisa. "Don't you agree, Lady Elisa?"
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the table as every eye turned to Elisa, filled with unspoken insults. Elisa remained perfectly still, her face a mask of calm, though her fingers tightened slightly in her lap.
"You are quite right, Your Highness," Elisa replied smoothly.
Elvin flinched, clearly not expecting such a composed response.
"Then tell us, Lady Elisa," Ena interrupted, her voice sharp. "Why did you commit such a disgraceful act yourself?"
Elisa's pulse quickened. A slow, simmering heat began to rise from her chest, her eyes hardening with a repressed fury.
"P-please... let us not say such things at a friendly gathering," Sabina whispered, her voice trembling.
This little wretch... how dare she interrupt me? Ena thought, biting her lip in irritation.
"Hahaha! Listen to her," Ena mocked, turning her venom on the Princess. "A lady who is herself a disgrace to the Imperial line dares to speak?"
"Indeed, Sabina. Know your place," another noblewoman sneered.
"Really, Sabina, just drink your tea and sit there like the soulless doll you are. Important people are speaking," a third added.
Elisa watched as tears welled in Sabina's eyes. The girl's hands were white-knuckled as she gripped her skirts. Elisa knew the Emperor didn't care for his daughter, but this was beyond neglect—it was an insult to the crown itself. And she knew exactly who was pulling the strings.
Elvin-.
Elisa stood up. The table went quiet. She walked slowly around the table until she stood beside Ena. She reached out and picked up a heavy porcelain jar filled with steaming rose tea, lifting it to her nose.
"Hmm... the aroma is truly exquisite," Elisa murmured.
Without warning, she tilted the jar, pouring the scalding liquid directly over Ena's head in a slow, deliberate stream.
"Are you mad, Lady Elisa?!" someone shrieked.
Elisa smirked. "What? You seemed to enjoy the tea so much."
Ena scrambled to her feet, her face contorted with rage as she lunged at Elisa. "You bitch! How dare you—"
SLAP!
The sound of Elisa's palm hitting Ena's cheek echoed through the garden. The force of it sent the Countess sprawling back onto the grass.
Everyone, Elvin included, gasped in horror.
"You may insult me all you wish," Elisa said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low vibrato. "But you have forgotten your place. To insult an Imperial Princess in public... have you forgotten the rank of the person sitting before you?"
Ena lay on the ground, trembling with a sudden, icy fear.
"Crown Princess Elvin," Elisa turned her gaze to the leader of the pack. "Perhaps you failed to inform your followers that the punishment for insulting a member of the Imperial family is death."
Elvin bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. Her face was flushed with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. How dare she? In front of me?
"Guards! Come!" Elisa commanded.
The palace guards rushed into the garden, hands on their hilts.
Elisa looked at Sabina, then back at the trembling Ena. "Give your judgment, Your Highness. Shall we crush this insect, or show her a mercy she doesn't deserve?"
"I—" Elvin started to speak, but Ena was already crawling toward her, clutching at Elvin's skirts and begging for life.
"You may go, guards. I shall deal with this," Elvin snapped, trying to regain control.
"Oh? I wasn't addressing you, Crown Princess," Elisa interrupted, her voice like a knife. "I was asking Imperial Princess Sabina."
The veins in Elvin's neck bulged. The humiliation was total. "You... Ena... apologize to Princess Sabina. Now."
Ena threw her ego to the wind and prostrated herself at Sabina's feet. "I am sorry! Forgive me, Your Highness!"
Elisa walked over to Sabina, took the girl's foot, and placed it firmly on top of Ena's bowed head.
"Hmm. That's better," Elisa smirked. "What is your judgment, Princess?"
The other ladies who had joined in the mockery were now shaking, their faces pale as sheets. Ena was sobbing uncontrollably into the dirt.
"I... I forgive them," Sabina whispered, her voice small but steady.
"You truly are a goddess, Your Highness," Elisa said, her tone dripping with a mock sweetness directed at the others. "So kind. Most would not be so lenient with such filth."
Elisa picked up a fresh tea cup, took a slow, elegant sip, and let her gaze drift over the terrified crowd.
"Keep to your stations, ladies. And if you cannot, ensure you have the strength to endure the repercussions." She turned back to Elvin. "The tea really is excellent. You must give me the recipe, Crown Princess."