"She's still sleeping.""I can't believe the

Pachrout noble house agreed to let this useless princess into their home.""...Careful, she might hear us."The voices buzzed in my ears, grating on my nerves. I tried to block them out, pulling the heavy pillow over my head. I lived completely alone back home, so this had to be some annoying, vivid dream. But the whispering only grew louder and more arrogant until I finally couldn't take it anymore.I snapped upright, my eyes narrow, dark, and drowsy. "You must have a death wish, coming into my—"The words died in my throat. My eyes widened in genuine shock. Maids?Since when did I hire maids to work in my house? I looked around, and this wasn't my room either. The space was massive, decorated in an old-fashioned, overly girlish style that completely turned my stomach."Princess, you're awake! Forgive us for disturbing you," one of the maids, a short-haired blonde, stammered with a trembling voice."Princess?" I repeated, my voice dropping an octave. "What do you mean by that? And where the heck am I?"The second maid crossed her arms, looking down her nose at me with blatant contempt and deep annoyance. "Not only is she useless, she's crazy too. Have you forgotten? You are Isabel, the fourth princess of Ethanel."Isabel. The fourth princess of Ethanel.The names clicked instantly. This was a joke, right? No, wait... I knew these names. This was the exact plot of that stupid web novel my cousin Judy was always obsessing over. If my memory served me right from her endless rants, Isabel didn't just have a minor role—she was the ultimate punching bag. She lived in the lowliest chambers within the imperial palace unlike the rest of her siblings, and she was treated like an absolute stain. She was ruthlessly framed by her sisters, banished to a horrific forbidden forest, and left to die a terrible death.A slow, vicious smile spread across my face. My chest bubbled with a sudden, dark amusement. A miserable, tragic ending designed by a foolish author?This is actually gonna be fun."Hey! What are you spacing out for?" the arrogant maid snapped, tapping her foot impatiently. "Today is the Elements Festival. Get dressed quickly. We aren't getting scolded by the higher-ups just because of you."I looked at her. Really looked at her.In Judy's novel, these maids routinely starved Isabel, ruined her dresses, and leaked her schedule to her malicious sisters. They thought she was a spineless dog they could kick whenever they pleased.A quiet, breathless laugh escaped my lips. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing up slowly. I didn't look angry. In fact, I let my shoulders slump, perfectly adopting the fragile, timid posture of the original, abused Isabel. I walked over to the arrogant maid, my eyes downcast, looking thoroughly intimidated."I'm sorry," I whispered softly, stopping just inches from her face. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."The maid smirked, puffing her chest out in victory. "Just move faster next time—"Before she could finish the sentence, I moved. My hand shot out like a striking viper, wrapping tightly around the back of her neck. With a swift, brutal jerk, I slammed her forward, driving her face directly into the heavy wooden frame of the nearby wardrobe.CRACK.The sound of wood meeting bone echoed sharply through the room. The maid gasped, her knees instantly buckling, but I didn't let her fall. I kept my grip iron-clad on her neck, pinning her bloody nose against the dark wood. The short-haired blonde maid shrieked, clapping her hands over her mouth, her face turning pale as a ghost.I ignored her, leaning in close to the arrogant maid's ear. My timid demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, suffocating malice. I smiled, my voice a jagged, manic whisper."Listen to me very carefully, sweetheart," I murmured, gently patting her cheek with my free hand, getting a smear of her own warm blood on her skin. "You breathe too loudly, and I'll pull your teeth out one by one. You talk back to me again, and I'll make sure your tongue is served as the main course at tonight's festival. Do we understand each other?"The maid was trembling so violently she could barely nod. Tears and blood mixed on her face. "Y-Yes... Princess... please...""Good girl." I released her neck, and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing silently and clutching her broken nose. Instantly, I turned to the blonde maid. I widened my eyes, let out a tiny, frightened gasp, and took a step back, looking completely horrified by the blood on my hand. My voice reverted back to a shaky, innocent whimper."Oh dear... look what happened," I said, looking at the blonde maid with huge, tearful eyes. "She tripped and fell into the wardrobe. She's so clumsy, isn't she? You saw it too, right?"The blonde maid stared at me, her eyes wide with absolute, paralyzed terror. She realized in that exact moment that the "useless princess" was a complete monster. "Y-Yes, Your Highness," the blonde maid squeaked out, her voice cracking. "She... she tripped.""Wonderful," I beamed, a bright, angelic smile breaking across my face. I wiped the blood off my hand onto the pristine white bedsheets. "Now, fetch my bath. We have a festival to attend, and I want to look absolutely radiant for my dear sisters."While the terrified blonde maid, Lily, rushed around to prepare my bath and dress, I sat by the window, organizing my thoughts about the event ahead: The Elements Festival.In the Kingdom of Ethanel, your worth was determined by the elemental magic flowing through your veins. The Elements Festival was the grandest event of the year, held at the heart of the royal palace.It was a massive celebration where the royal family and high nobility gathered to showcase their power, strengthen political alliances, and perform sacred rituals to honor the elements that protected the kingdom.For my older sisters—Elena, Camilla, and Rosamund—the festival was a stage to flaunt their high elemental affinities and gain the king’s favor. But for the original Isabel, who possessed no notable elemental affinity at all, the festival was nothing but a public execution of her dignity. She was always paraded around as the 'useless princess' to make her sisters look even more divine.Worse yet, I remembered from Judy's rants that tonight's festival was exactly where Isabel's life was meant to be permanently ruined. Her sisters had orchestrated a trap to frame her into a massive scandal with Brandon Pachrout—the second heir of the Pachrout noble house. Brandon was a violent, useless degenerate who spent his days getting drunk in brothels. My father, the king, knew this and was hesitant to let a royal princess marry such a man, despite the Pachrout family's immense proximity to the throne.To force the king’s hand, my sisters planned to drug my wine tonight, lock me in a room with a heavily intoxicated Brandon, and bring the entire court to "discover" us. They would then sweet-talk Father into believing Brandon and I were madly in love, legally binding me to an abusive fool until I was banished.A low, melodic chuckle escaped my lips as Lily carefully fastened the final pins on my pale, unadorned gown. They wanted a scandalous love story? I was more than happy to ghost-write it for them."The carriage is ready, Your Highness," Lily whispered, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the floor."Thank you, Lily," I replied sweetly, stepping past her. The carriage ride to the royal palace was delightfully quiet. The blonde maid Lily sat opposite me, rigid as a board and terrified to even blink. The other maid had been left behind to nurse her "clumsy accident." I leaned against the velvet cushions, letting my shoulders slump and melting back into the fragile, timid posture of the abused fourth princess. By the time the carriage finally groaned to a halt, I had the perfect, trembling mask in place.The carriage door clicked open. Outside, the blinding magical lights of the grand estate illuminated the night, and the roaring music of the Elements Festival washed over me. We had arrived.

What do you think will happen next....

Will Isabel fall into the trap made by her sisters?

Don't forget to comment below