"fuck she made a move already, I'm screwed."
Francheska said under her breath, but unknowingly loud enough to draw stares towards her.
"What?" Francheska asked, "What are you halting for? I'm hungry for breakfast."
The routine went on as usual but what occupied the mind of Francheska was how and when will her sister gonna execute her plan, Francheska could just laugh at how cliche it would be playing it out in front of her eyes-- but truthfully Francheska had already decided that fighting out of the scenario would be pointless.
Francheska went to do her daily boring routine, her education was now resumed-- nothing unusual except how her sister Marinette had been acting suspiciously. Still doubting the behavior her sister is showing, Francheska could still feel in her guts that based on the previous revelations this is her sister Marinette preying on her activities waiting for the right moment to strike her down.
Guessing correctly, Francheska would oddly observe missing objects in her room or during her lecture session, and of course, the result would be Francheska getting scolded badly. Personally, Francheska was already used to scolding from her past life, but the repeating words kept digging into her brain of how a princess should not be acting this way-- or about responsibility, behavior, or her etiquette-- over a damn small thing like a pen is infuriating. the worst thing is that Francheska knew that her teachers knew the culprit behind it and they still chose to scold her.
Shelly her maid witnessed the toll happening to her lady, which honestly made her blood boil. She wanted to punish her sister Marinette who just laughed at her lady's pain, but as she remembered her lady Francheka's words were 'not to do a thing.'
Although that is what her lady has told her one event pushed Francheska to the edge.
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One night, when the duke and duchess came home from the capital they witnessed their two daughters fighting over a doll.
"Father, Francheska took my bracelet and hid it inside her doll!" Marinette ran to his grace's side crying her eyes out.
"No, I did not your grace! I was only dressing my doll and a piece of jewelry came out, I did not even know that it was from sister Marinette!" Francheska with a shaky defensive tone cried out, as she trembled holding the doll up from where the jewelry came out.
"That's a lie, Father, Francheska saw my bracelet and complimented how majestic it was and then one day it was gone and suddenly she had it hidden away!" Marinette hysterically cries her heart out like a baby despite her age.
From Francheska's perspective, it was baffling how ridiculous her statement was and the situation. To be honest, they are rich and Francheka doubts that a piece of jewelry like this is nothing.
"I even told you how special it is because it was from His Majesty the Emperor, that you stole the most precious jewelry from me!" Marinette buried her face in the cuffs of his grace's coat.
'What the fuck, that bitch did not say it was from the emperor-- she said it was from the duke-- their father!' Francheska said in her mind, trying to protest and tell the truth, she was unfortunately interrupted by the duke his grace.
"Where is the bracelet, show it to me." The stern voice boomed inside the hall as their butler took the jewelry from Marinette's maid and showed it to the duke his grace.
Both the duchess and duke contorted into an angry expression as they synchronized their gaze to Francheska.
"Francheska on your knees." her grace commanded her daughter.
Francheska wanted to defend herself but she was so scared and still saw her parents as strangers, she had no choice but to obey their words.
kneeling on the cold tile, her grace moved to grab something from a statue and went behind Francheska.
"This behavior is inexcusable." a loud stinging slap hit Francheska's behind.
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"We hired these subjects to correct and teach you so that you live in a socialite someday-- and you repay us by showing this unforgivable progress?!" Francheska got hit three times as her grace ranted.
Francheska let her tears come out without letting out a guttural cry. She wanted to shout the pain so bad, but a lot of eyes were on her at the moment-- her trusted maid Shelly, some of the knights, maids, butlers, and especially the duke and sister.
Francheska stumbled but balanced herself by having her hands support her upper body-- she was now on all fours.
"back to your position, I said BACK TO YOUR POSITION!" as her grace shouted, Francheska immediately went back to her posture.
With her posture straight, Francheska saw her sister's expression behind the cuffs of his grace.
Grinning widely, Marinette wiped the crocodile tears off her cheeks-- putting salt in the wound, Marinette let out a mocking face as she held out a tongue to her in a millisecond.
It was then there-- Francheska decided her two months of patience had finally run out.
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Two days after that punishment, Marinette was happily doing her painting in the art hall. the golden hour shining through the window as her sister Marinette hummed gleefully in her art on the canvas.
Taking another color in her palette as she tries to mix a new color, water splattered on her. Immediately looking at her canvas, Marinette now sees her art being destroyed by the water.
with a loud clank of a pitcher, Francheska who is right beside her gasped loudly.
"My apologies sister, I was about to give you water, you look exhausted from painting all day." Francheska glanced at the canvas and gave a shocked expression as she raised both of her hands to her mouth.
"Oh my, I 'accidentally' ruined your painting... Is that a boat or a dog?" Francheska then laughed.
"What is wrong with you!" Marinette stood up from her seat and shouted at Francheska for what she had done.
"Sister, there is no point in shouting, your maids are not here nor my maids are. So this is just between us sisters-- why are you so mad it's just a painting."
"Just a painting?! this painting is my gift to the prince for his upcoming birthday."
"So? Do I look like I care? it's a disgusting painting anyway, your skills are bad-- no wonder they chose me over you." Francheska smirked.
Marinette got so frustrated that she took the dirty water where she dipped her brushes over to Francheska on the face.
Marinette laughed loudly, "Look at you now what a masterpiece truly this color suits you more."
Marinette turned to the door to take her leave, but before she could take a step, her torso lunged forward-- losing her balance, she tried to grab the door frame but failed immensely as Francheska pushed her arm back and then another forceful push followed-- being pushed twice made Marinette face the porcelain floor. Trying to save herself from the impact, her left arm hovered before her head and then a loud sound echoed the silence. Marinette face-planted the floor, she gritted her teeth as she thanked her arm for owing the majority of the fall and not her head-- it hurt so bad that Marinette could barely get herself up.
"I've had enough of your so-called sisterly love."
Francheska circled Marinette's poor form like a predator about to devour her whole existence.
"I have been keeping it together all these days you've been treating me. I'm exhausted of you blaming me for being 'chosen' to the crowned prince." there was anger in Francheska's voice, but her wavering voice still lingered-- scared she might spill everything she has been keeping inside her bottle.
Francheska stood at the foot of Marinette, eyeing the heels, and then took one off her heel.
crouching near her sister Marinette-- Francheska pointed the tip of the heel near to the helpless girl. Marinette made out a small gasp of shock-- in her view, her shiny adorable heels suddenly became like a weapon that was ready to gouge her pretty eyes.
"If you are favored by everyone-- how about you crawl like this in front of mother and father and beg them-- ah not them, rather to the emperor himself! I would be beyond elated for you to wear my fate instead, to go and die for the sake of the empire and me sister!"
a million questions opened through Marinette's mind, and the obvious one was how her younger sister could already talk like this from an early age! Marinette could only guess from the teachers being hired by their mother but still... a behavior like this is not taught!
Francheska can see the confusion and anger on her sister's face, but for some reason, it stirred something inside Francheska's chest. Francheska loves the realization that Marinette now knows 'who' she is at this moment.
A smirk crept on Francheska's face and decided to slam the pointed heel onto the floor another loud sound was heard. Francheska broke the heels her sister loved and carelessly left them near Marinette's struggling form.
Soon multiple footsteps were heard approaching them, Francheska can only guess that it was their servants.
"Do your very best to outshine me sister, I might burn brightly you will be in flames," Francheska whispered to Marinette as she stood from her position and towards the approaching servants.
"my lady, what happened?" with a worried voice the servant asked.
sniffling, Francheska let out a cry-- a cry that anyone would easily be fooled.
"Sister Marinette was trying to get me towels to dry myself but she stumbled to the floor hard twice, I tried helping her but she said I was only hurting her and that I should just call the physician."
The other servant went to help Marinette onto her feet
I will cast every plan that I have and embrace this life right now. I will show no mercy and make death come to me. No more spotlight for me--
With a mocking smile so obvious, "I'm glad you were just in time to help sister Marinette."
I will draw the spotlight to the foolish to be humiliated for my enjoyment.