Episode 1

"Princess Alicia! The king is seeking you. He requested your immediate presence," said Teresa, one of the few staff members I had in the castle, with a mix of excitement and concern. This was to be expected since my dear father had never called for me before. It couldn't be good news.

"Right now? What's going on? Wait! Why are you dragging me?" I asked Teresa as I noticed two unfamiliar servants forcefully taking me with them.

"You'll find out when you get there. Today is a joyful day!" The unfamiliar servant replied. A joyful day? If that's the case, why am I being taken by force and they are avoiding my gaze?

"Good news, my dear daughter. Your husband has been chosen," said my father, the king, with tears in his eyes, as soon as I was brought before him by the two servants.

"First things first... It's the first time I'm meeting you, father. You know that, right?" His sudden interest in me after so many years; I didn't even need to ask why—I'm sure I'm being sold to a wealthy nobleman. The tears must be tears of joy from the money he got by selling his bastard daughter.

"Daughter! Be happy! The marriage proposal is from Emperor Icarus Brown! Isn't that wonderful?" The king said with a smile. It seemed like a terribly bad joke, but the emperor so soon?

"What? Emperor Brown? Clearly, I am nowhere near the perfect candidate for the role of empress. It doesn't make any sense!" I shrieked in horror!

"You're so excited you screamed. I understand your enthusiasm. Not everyone has the honor of being an empress," the king completely misunderstood my cry of despair.

"No, no. Hold on. You've got it all wrong. How could I be happy about this absurd situation?" How did I end up in this predicament?

Icarus Brown became emperor at 16. As a gift for his ascendancy to the throne, he hung his relatives' heads at the palace gates. He's the maddest person in the entire empire, dubbed the tyrant emperor. There are various rumors about him. I remember a story from the time of his coronation; someone tried to stop him from annihilating his family. They ended up having to choose between taking incredibly painful poison or killing their own child. Seriously? This tyrant sent me a marriage proposal? Since I had to be sold anyway, I was hoping to be sold to a handsome duke from the north, because I am extremely beautiful! Could it be why the emperor chose me? It would make some sense. Even the tyrant fell for my charms?

"The marriage was decided by lottery," the king said, shattering all my illusions. "Apparently, he had no intent to marry, but was under pressure. Many want him and his lineage dead. Thus, to maintain the throne, he asked for a healthy bride to be sent. And here you are! How fortunate for us, right?"

"Have you lost your mind? Are you even human? What kind of father sends his daughter straight to death?" I couldn't believe it; the man who had never even cared to see his daughter with his own eyes, now remembered her only to send her directly to hell. Clearly, I would be killed, so there was no care in the choice of the empress candidate; I'm just a sacrifice.

"Watch your language. It's the emperor's will. It must be respected above all else," the king warned me. I wanted to throttle him. What kind of father is so indifferent to his daughter?

"Really? You think I'm concerned about that? To hell with the emperor!" This is about my life, or rather, my death.

"I'm delighted to learn that such an energetic daughter is being sent to the emperor. What are you doing, take the princess. She's so eager to go," the king said, looking at the staff watching us.

"Hello? Are you senile? When have I ever been treated like a princess here?" I yelled indignantly.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Henry. It's a pity this will be the last time," said Henry, my older brother whom I knew only from paintings.

"I'll remember you, Alice? No, Alicia, right? Your sacrifice will not be in vain. We'll honor your death," my sister said, feigning tears.

"I promise we'll collect your corpse properly," my second brother said with a broad smile.

"Do you even know me? What are these words to your younger sister you've just met? What kind of reputation is this? Then again, what did I expect. I've lived years here and none have even come to know me," I questioned. This is ridiculous. Whatever. I don't care. I showed my middle finger to them and left the room.

My story begins when my father got very drunk and slept with a maid. As a result, the sole illegitimate daughter of the king of the north, me, was born. With golden hair, like strands of gold, and eyes green as emeralds, traits of the royal family, my mother was killed in front of me at the age of nine, and I was dragged to an isolated castle. Upon arrival, it was made clear that I was the illegitimate daughter with only two uses: political marriage or to be sold for good money. Which, in the end, is the same thing. I won't lie; I thought it would be good to marry a handsome duke from the north. If I was to be sold, at least let it be to a beautiful buyer.

"Princess! Congratulations on your marriage. May you live a long and happy life," the teacher cried as she said goodbye to me.

"Princess Alicia, you'll always live in our hearts," Teresa said as she hugged me tightly. "I swear I'll never forget you."

"I'm not dead yet," I shouted.

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