Revenge of The Dragon Princess

#2 The Rivalry

Scarlett ran towards the grand hall that had multiple sections to accommodate several guests at the same time. Here they served hot tea and refreshments to eat to the guests. The palace servants and imperial officials would make the esteemed guests comfortable, while few others would prepare for their bath and arrange their things in the guest room.

It was a ritual for Eallesborough to treat their guests well. Hence, Emperor Damien has ordered that at least one royal family member must accompany every guest as soon as they reached the palace.

Scarlett hoped she was not too late. She had to go to her room and change her clothes. Scarlett also had to put a decent makeup to look like a proper lady. Otherwise, her aunt Camilla would frown and create a spectacle of her. She also hoped that her elder sister or brothers were there before her. She did not want to be the first one to greet her aunt. They both were not so fond of each other. She wished it was her aunt Hilda, rather, who would have visited her first.

Scarlett was late. Her aunt Camilla was already seated in one of the many sections of the hall. Lorelei, Arthur, Vasco, and Laurent were already there. She was secretly happy to be the last one to join.

“Where is that little lamb! Is she again roaming across the streets and destroying my brother’s reputation! When will she ever accept that she is a princess! It is a good thing that her mother is not alive, or else she would have been ashamed of her!” Camilla grunted. Her dislike for Scarlett was evident in her tone.

Scarlett expected little from her aunt as she was already used to her aunt's rants and complaints about her. Camilla had always shown a discreet attitude towards her. According to Camilla, Scarlett was a shame to their family if she ever considered her as a family!

Scarlett kept quiet and gulped down the embarrassment without saying a word. It was futile anyway. She walked sloppily and greeted her aunt, pretending she did not hear her aunt's earlier remarks about her.

“But my sister would have loved her. I am definite. She was also a little troublemaker in her teens!”. A lady in green just arrived. She had such a pleasant personality that she managed to gain everyone’s attention.

“Aunt Hilda!”, Arthur bowed in respect. Seeing Arthur bow, the rest siblings followed the same pursuit except for Scarlett. Her godmother finally arrived! She could not have hoped for better timing!

Scarlett got all teary and happy. She ran to her aunt Hilda and hugged her in a tight embrace! Hilda responded to her hug with a motherly warmth and kindness.

“My child! How have you been!” She said in a gentle tone.

Scarlett wished her father allowed her to live with Hilda. She was the closest thing to a mother and her strength. Whatever little magic she has learned except the one she picked up from Boromir was from her aunt Hilda.

“So the witch comes!”, Camila loathed. It was not a hidden fact that they both despised each other.

Hilda rolled her eyes and walked towards her sitting area, holding Scarlett’s soft hands. Once they were all seated, Hilda gently wiped her tears and hugged her a bit more.

The warmth that Scarlett was receiving from Hilda was heartening. One could detect by looking at the way they eye at Hilda and Scarlett that the other siblings wanted that too. They stared at the duo for a long time.

The siblings were not close with Hilda except for Arthur, maybe. Camila was not a very affectionate person, despite her powerful support for the siblings. They missed their mother. Their hearts ached because of the aggrieved loss of the comfort and warmth she provided them.

Scarlett was their step-sister. That is why the rivalry. When their mother Johanna died of some infection, their father did not mourn longer. It was like her death set him free. He married Scarlett’s mother Regina soon after, and Scarlett was born the latter year, showing how harmonious they were in their marital life. In their fifth year of marriage, Regina and Scarlett were visiting Hilda. But some bandits attacked them and killed Regina, leaving Scarlett with a wound on her right forehead that extended near her eyes. It had left a deep scar on her otherwise beautiful face.

Although no one could believe that mere bandits could harm a powerful witch like Regina, they could not prove an assassin attempt or conspiracy theory. Later they somehow concluded that probably it was the work of the bandits. Probably they attacked suddenly, and some wizards must have helped them in the burglary. Regina died that deplorable day while protecting Scarlett.

Hilda had sent for a search party only in the evening when the mother-daughter duo did not reach Chastershire on time. They found an unconscious Scarlett next to dead Regina.

Although the siblings were sympathetic towards Scarlett in the beginning, at some point, they detested her, except Arthur, who was old enough by then. Probably it was because their father never married another woman and still mourned Regina's death, unlike what happened in their mother’s case. Also, there were some other factors like Scarlett's popularity among the citizens and the love she received from Hilda that they never had for them.

It was particularly Lorelei and Vasco who caused a lot of trouble for Scarlett. Lorelei could never understand why people loved Scarlett more than her, despite her disfigured face. Lorelei believed that she had more potential because she was a full dragon. Scarlett, on the other hand, showed no characteristics of a dragon. She was not even a proper witch! She was almost like a muggle.

“Are you not going to share your affections with your nephew, aunt Hilda?” Arthur approached them with a big smile, breaking their hug.

Scarlett ran to cover whatever little distance was left between them and dragged Arthur towards her aunt. Aunt Hilda hugged Arthur and then pulled Scarlett to enrich the moment even more. Hilda was a warm and kind lady.

“Too much drama! Aren’t you Hilda!” Camilla scoffed. It was clear she was not admiring this reunion between Hilda and Scarlett.

“We are witches. Being creative and crafty is one of our talents.”, Hilda retorted sternly.

But before Camilla could say something, the butler informed them that the maids had already prepared their rooms, keeping in mind their taste in their respective chambers. The butler also notified that they needed to hurry to make it on time for the meeting with the Emperor, Damien. The Emperor was expecting them for an early lunch.

Despite disliking that her brother would not meet her first, Camilla said nothing, sulking a bit. She rolled her eyes and walked with poise towards her room in her section of the castle.

The rest of the siblings left as soon as Camilla left. Only Arthur was generous enough to bid a quick yet proper farewell to Hilda before leaving. Hilda was going to share the apartment section of Scarlett.

But before leaving for their rooms, Hilda took a long breath and darted towards the retreating figures.

“What is it, Aunt?” Scarlett queried.

“Scar, I am afraid you will become like Regina. When are you going to stand for yourself and stop getting bullied by them? You have done nothing wrong to receive all this hatred.” Hilda sighed.

When Hilda realized that Scarlett would not respond to her questions, she scoffed. Hilda suspected Scarlett was still hoping that they still had a chance of becoming a family bonded by love and warmth. She knew it was not time to unravel everything now. It was the imperial family! Nothing was like it seemed. Also, she would not ruin Scarlett's birthday by talking about the f*******n past. Maybe when the time would demand, she will tell her those dark secrets. But Certainly not this way, not today.

Hilda sighed for a long time before returning a smile to an anxious Scarlett. They marched towards their section, catching up on all the gossips that they had missed in each other's life.