The Ice Witch and the Shadow Fairy

The Ice Witch and the Shadow Fairy

Episode 1

This is a story like any other, featuring a pair of protagonists in love, who must fight against adversities to finally find happiness. The protagonist is the pretty girl who has just arrived in the empire, capturing the attention of the crown prince, who is already engaged. Nevertheless, they begin to meet, initially as friends. The crown prince aids the protagonist, as she intends to work at the palace as an assistant to the prime minister. Yes, in this world, women have nearly the same rights as men, although arranged marriages still exist, such is the case with the prince. His fiancee's family is one of the most loyal to the empire, and their daughter, his betrothed, has been named "holy" due to her divine power. She displays cunning and unparalleled strength, which is why she is even favored by the emperors. When the empress learns of her son's infatuation, she reprimands him, trying to make him see that what he is doing is wrong. Now that women have greater rights, it has also been forbidden for men to have concubines, which is considered an offense against the wife's family, and she has the right to divorce and claim part of her husband's fortune. Additionally, the husband also becomes a target of societal criticism; some who have gone through this have even lost their businesses and investors' support.

Thus, the empress warns him that he would lose his prestige if everyone learns of his infidelity, and since he is not the only prince, his position as heir is not guaranteed. Yes, the prince has a younger brother, the second prince, who holds the title of Grand Duke of Plezayes, an extensive duchy resembling a kingdom. This duchy was granted to him due to his performance in the war, in which he was sent to protect the crown prince. Why was this done? Because the second prince is not the emperor's biological son; they adopted him when his parents were murdered. In reality, he is the emperor's nephew, the son of the emperor's sister who married the feared and powerful Grand Duke of Plezayes, a duke descended from shadow fairies, whose power stems from darkness. The empress despised her nephew, fearing that one day he would seek to claim the throne.

Faced with such a warning, the crown prince must be more cautious, as he cannot break his engagement without cause. Still, he and the protagonist continue to meet in secret. When the prince's fiancee learns about this, she starts spending more time in the palace, issuing warnings to the protagonist and making it clear that she is a nobody. The very villainess informs the women of her social circle that the protagonist is pursuing her fiance and that she does not wish to be the prime minister's assistant, but rather entered the palace to seduce the prince. As a result, the harassment against the protagonist begins. However, the crown prince is always there to protect her, insisting that she is just his friend, not as the rumors suggest—hypocrisy at its finest.

The villainess manages to convince the empress to arrange a marriage for the protagonist, as the empress is also unhappy about her son seeing the protagonist. They find a count who shows interest in her, although he is an older man who has never married due to his poor reputation. Still, the empress is willing to give the protagonist in marriage to him. When the prince finds out, he confronts her, unable to allow his beloved to be handed over to another man, especially not to a madman like that count.

During this conflict, the grand duke arrives, determined to strip the prince of his title as heir upon hearing rumors of an affair. He also views his brother as a coward for hiding beneath their mother's skirts to avoid going to war. Thus, the protagonists must confront the potential marriage of the heroine to the prince's rival for the throne. However, during the unfolding of these conflicts and before the heroine is taken to her future husband, the villainess makes her life miserable in the palace. It is then, during an attack on the temple by the empire's enemies, that the emperor is grievously injured, and it is the protagonist who demonstrates divine power by healing him. The temple's guardians, witnessing this miracle, decide to protect the heroine and declare her the saint, a title that had previously been bestowed upon the villainess for her own divine abilities. However, as the villainess protests, she discovers that her powers have vanished, serving as punishment for her repeated transgressions against the heroine.

She is expelled from the temple, which refuses to allow the new saint to marry the count, as a saint can only marry whom she chooses. Thus, she selects the prince, and since the villainess is no longer suitable for empress due to her tarnished reputation, the marriage is granted, bolstering the prince's support. The furious grand duke decides he must seduce the saint to gain her favor, but in his attempts, it is he who ends up falling in love.

Upon learning of the grand duke's interest in the saint, the villainess becomes enraged; it was inconceivable that two men could be in love with her. Consequently, she plots to kidnap the saint with the help of the count, who was upset when she was not delivered to him. However, the protagonist and the grand duke learn of the plot and rush to her rescue. They uncover who supported the count, leading to the execution of both him and the villainess. The grand duke, out of love for the protagonist, sets aside his ambition for the throne, and the protagonists finally marry, achieving their happy ending.

And now, Celine has awakened in the body of the villainess, Katerina Rosesky, who is only 14 years old. During this time, she has had to adapt to this new life, living as a child when in reality, she is 25 years old, having died in a terrible accident. But explaining that is no longer important; now she must decide what to do with her new life.

Her parents were puzzled that after several days of fever, her personality changed drastically, shifting from a spoiled and capricious girl to one serious and diligent. She abandoned her excessive etiquette lessons to train her magic and combat skills. Her mother found it bothersome, but her father was proud and permitted it, leaving her mother unable to oppose. The reason her father allowed this is that he accepted women should be free to pursue what they desire, rather than solely devoting themselves to being housewives. However, she could not escape the engagement to the crown prince, as it had been arranged a year ago, and on this day, she was to receive the prince's visit. Katerina waited in the tea room, though she would have preferred to be outside doing something useful.

"You must behave; you cannot cause a bad impression. Today is the first day His Highness visits you since the engagement agreement," her mother admonished.

That woman seemed the happiest about the engagement.

"Do you think I care about impressing the prince? I remind you that this engagement was against my will."

"How dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother, and you owe me respect." She struck the table forcefully.

The noise echoed down the hall, and Katerina began to sob.

"Mother, please, no… it hurts." Katerina shouted.

The marchioness was taken aback by her words, but upon hearing the door open, she turned to see her husband, who looked upset.

"My dear, it is not what you think; I…"

"What do I believe? Stop bothering your daughter; she has the right to make her own choices. We are no longer in an era where women are raised solely to be housewives. If she wants to train, that’s fine. Last year she was named a saint; it’s important she hones her skills" the marquis looks genuinely upset.

"Husband, it’s not that. It’s just that His Highness is coming today, and Katerina has been acting rude. She must impress the prince."

"She doesn’t have to impress anyone, even if it’s the prince. Leave."he orders.

The marchioness storms off, frustrated that Katerina doesn’t obey her anymore.

"Calm down; you don’t need to impress the prince. If he misbehaves, I’ll speak to the emperor." he tries to soothe his daughter.

"Thank you, Father; that’s why I adore you." she smiles.

At least the marquis is a loving and understanding father, but if the marchioness continues to be so unbearable, he feels sorry for the marquis, as he may have to become a widower.

...

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