TFM 2

Chapter 2

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01.This love is like a curse

Talia looked into the mirror. There it was, the face of the woman she'd seen sick of seeing over and over since birth.

The only difference between her and the girl in the mirror was that instead of graceful smiles and lustful eyes full of sensuality, the girl in the mirror had anxious eyes and parched lips, tinged with nervousness.

After studying her face with a disgruntled expression, Talia turned to her nanny and asked.

"How do I look?"

"Your Highness looks like an angel."

The nanny, who had been tirelessly combing her hair, replied, her eyes folded into a crescent moon.

“Your Highness really looks just like Her Majesty Senevere. With all this effort put into your attire, it’s like I’m seeing Her Majesty at the age of eighteen.”

Talia roughly swatted away the gnarled hand that was playing with her hair. Irritation flared at the insensitivity of a nanny who thought being told she resembled someone was a compliment.

"Enough with the combing, go get my clothes."

The nanny stomped away, her face like a puppy that had been kicked.

Talia shot her a disapproving glance. How could she be so dull?

Grunting, the woman rummaged in the bin, pulled out a red satin dress and held it up to her.

"Look at this. It's the dress Her Majesty Senevere wore when she first set foot in the palace. I think it was made for Your Highness."

Talia gave her a bored look.

"Does the nanny even remember what my mother wore so long ago?"

"Of course! How could I forget that day? She was so out of this world, it brought tears to my eyes to realize that such a beautiful person existed in the world. Even the Emperor couldn't take his eyes off her."

The nanny sighed, her face dreamy, as if she were reminiscing of the day past.

Talia swallowed hard. Did this woman think their meeting was the romance of the century?

The Emperor had an Empress to whom he had been married for six years, and she was even expecting a child. Senevere’s meeting with the Emperor was a scandalous affair, nothing more, nothing less.

Even after the former Empress Bernadette died and Senevere became the official Empress, people didn't forget about it. As long as they existed, people would never forget the unscrupulous sins they had committed.

Talia swallowed the sarcasm that rose to her throat and snatched her dress from the nanny's hand.

"If you have time for this nonsense, please finish my makeup."

"Of course, I'll do it all for you."

The nanny slipped the beautiful velvet blouse over her body.

Talia straightened her hair and looked in the mirror again. In her mother's dress, she looked more and more like her.

An ominously dark aura of sensuality began to stir within her. Talia stared at the top of her breasts, which had begun to rise roundly above the deeply plunging square neckline.

It was not what one would call dignified, but no one could deny that it was alluring.

Talia brought her fingers to the corners of her mouth out of habit, then quickly lowered them, afraid of messing up her makeup. Just for today, she wanted to look better than anyone else, better than her mother if she could.

She wanted everyone to see her, so she hoped no one would look at Ayla.

In the mirror, an intense hunger grew in her dark blue eyes. They weren't the eyes of an empire's Princess; they belonged to a fucking bum on the street.

Talia picked up the candlestick on the table and smacked the woman in the mirror with it. With a loud crack, a spiderweb-like crack appeared on the mirror's surface. The nanny, who was smoothing the hem of her skirt, jumped back in surprise.

Talia threw the candlestick to the floor and said coldly.

"I'm sick of that mirror. Get me a new one."

The nanny looked up at her with a white face, pursed her lips, and pushed herself to her feet. Then, as if nothing had happened, Talia draped a colorful, fur-lined coat over her shoulders.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror that shattered into dozens of pieces, and then spun on her heel.

As she left the room, she saw the escort knight sent by Senevere standing straight in the hallway. She descended the stairs, ignoring the man's red-faced stare.

A gilded four-wheeled carriage and eight bodyguards waited in front of the palace. Senevere did not want her eldest daughter to appear shabby.

'You want me to offend your enemies, I suppose.'

She twisted her lips sarcastically and climbed into the carriage. Just then, the new guard knight who stepped forward to close the door spoke as if to clear a hot lump in his throat.

"You look............... beautiful today, Your Highness."

The eagerness in his voice made every hair on her body stand on end.

Talia shot him a sharp glare. She didn't need this man's praise.

"Cut the crap and get going."

The man slammed the door behind him.

The carriage began to move, and she burrowed her back into the seat and looked up through the fluttering curtains at the blood-red sky.

If only the banquet this evening were that color. She hoped there would be a big commotion and everything would be ruined.

She unconsciously touched her lips and quickly lowered her arm, noticing the red dye on the tips of her fingernails.

Her nerves seemed to be on edge. Despite her mood, the palace was filled with beautiful music and brilliant lights.

Stepping out of the carriage, Talia frowned as she surveyed the wide avenues and ornate gardens that led to the ballroom. Hundreds of nobles in silk robes were making their way down the marble staircase and into the halls of the main palace.

She strode toward the entrance to the ballroom, oblivious to the knight who had followed to escort her. Those who recognized her made way for her.

It was only natural. The palace was her home. She had no intention of lining up like the other guests.

Talia spoke nonchalantly to the flustered servant.

"I'm here to celebrate my brother’s birthday."

The servant's eyes widened.

Talia shot him a frustrated glare.

"What are you doing without announcing my arrival?"

The man shuffled to the side of the pillar and called out loudly.

"The Second Princess, Her Highness Talia Roem Gurita, is entering!"

For a moment, a chilling silence filled the grand hall.

She stepped into the glorious ballroom, bathed in golden light, and held her head high. She could feel hundreds of pairs of piercing eyes scanning her from head to toe.

Talia continued on her way, silently savoring their astonishment, anger, embarrassment, and grudging admiration. Then, like an ebbing tide, they widened the distance from her.

As if she were a plague.

Talia muttered to herself with a malicious grin.

Just then, someone stepped in front of her.

"What are you doing here?"

She looked up into the man's face. It was one of the foolish men who followed her noble half-sister, Ayla.

Talia smiled wickedly. She'd seen her mother mesmerize men like that a thousand times before.

"Have I come to a place I shouldn't?"

The man's face, stiff with wariness, flushed bright red. He took a step back, a puzzled look on his face.

Talia more than made up for his retreat, stepping closer, her chin held high.

"This is my father's palace, and this banquet is for my brother. What is wrong with me being here?"

His eyes stared straight into hers, and she froze, as if trapped in place.

She could see his big nostrils flaring. It was like he was smelling the rose oil the nanny had painstakingly spread on every strand of her hair.

His eyes were glassy, as if intoxicated, and a strange satisfaction and deep revulsion washed over her at the same time. Talia walked past the man, who stammered and mouthed like an idiot, to the center of the hall.

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