1711, Opera d'Ghislaine, Kestramore City
   
        "Your Highness," Marguerite greeted gracefully when she saw the Prince storm through the door, his face stony and expressionless. "It is such a joy to see you here--"

Her warm greetings were unreciprocated, however, and Marguerite was left gaping there like a fool. Just like before.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

Who would have thought that it would be so hard to make the Prince fall in love with her?

            Marguerite's hand was already on the door handle when she heard a faint, muffled sob. Her eyes lit up with intrigue.

She recognised that voice very well too. And how could she not, especially since she was the one who made the owner of that voice cry for the past four years ?

With a smile on her lips, she pushed the door open, and there, at the end of the balcony was her greatest enemy, Catarina de Fontaine.

How tragic and unfortunate it must be if Elliott de Fontaine's only daughter and heiress suddenly fell from this five storey building and split her head open.

Marguerite relished in the sight of her tears, like a ghoul that feeds on human suffering. Her heartbroken sobs were like music to Marguerite's ears, and she wished they would go on forever and ever.

         "Look at daddy's little girl, crying because not everything happens the way she wants it to," she taunted maliciously. "Such a shame that daddy can't come and wipe off poor little Catarina's tears."

Back at the academy, Marguerite's squad of friends, or henchmen to be accurate, had harassed and taunted Catarina down to her breaking point, and everytime she spoke anything against Catarina, they would cheer and laugh along.

        Now, Marguerite felt a bit strange doing it all alone. There was no rush of adrenaline nor excitement. Instead, there was only silence.

Catarina's eyes flickered towards her, and her sobs slowly subsided.

Marguerite had expected her to grovel on the floor, crying her heart out, but Catarina gracefully stood up instead.

          "Is that supposed to hurt me ?" she hissed, her pitch black eyes narrowed, looking like a feral wolf that was out for blood.

This time, Marguerite had greatly miscalculated. This time, she was all alone, and none of her friends were there to protect her.

And this time, Catarina was seething with rage, all rationality having left her mind a long time ago.

Instead of Catarina, it might be Marguerite who would be flung over the balcony railing tonight.

Upon hearing Catarina's response, Marguerite let out a guffaw to hide her anxiety. "You've learnt how to bite back. What an intelligent animal !"

         "Ah, the dog is barking now! What a nuisance!" Catarina countered hotly, and at that moment, Marguerite finally snapped.

Catarina had never fought back before. For four years, she had only tolerated without a word of complaint, and now that she finally had the courage to fight back against her aggressor, Marguerite could not accept it.

In the little delusion she had conjured up in her head, Catarina was not supposed to fight back.

She was supposed to endure and suffer. This was the least she could do to pay for her devious father's sins.

           Marguerite seized for Catarina's neck, effectively slamming it against the metal railings of the balcony.

Her long, slim fingers were wrapped against Catarina's fair, swan-like neck, and if Marguerite were to pierce one of her long, sharp red nails into her neck, then Catarina would be a goner.

          "Have you finally gone mad ?!" Catarina shouted with great difficulty, and in desperation, she tried to push Marguerite's arm away.

           "Perhaps I have," Marguerite spat. "You dare to raise your voice at me, sweet Nina. Afterall, it's been a long time since we last 'disciplined' you."

Catarina laughed. "We? There is no 'we', there is only you! Don't you see, Marguerite ? You are alone now!"

In a swift move, she pried Marguerite's hand away, leaving two long, deep scratch marks on her skin in the process.

           "Poor sweet, little Maggie," she chuckled. "Her friends abandoned her after finding out that her family has gone bankrupt!"

Marguerite's eyes were wide and red with rage. "Lies! You are lying, just like your dear father!"

            "Lies ? Everyone knows that you, and the entire House le Prince is bankrupt! You owe nothing except for that dress on your back!" Catarina taunted.

She had dealt with Marguerite's torture for long enough, and now she is letting it all out.

        Marguerite was stunned silent after that sentence. It was the same as kicking a dog everyday and expecting it to never fight back, but one day, it did.

And once it did fight back, it fought with all the strength and zeal that its little body could contain.

           "I will kill you," she seethed, her balled up fists shaking in fury as she sized up the girl standing in front of her.
           "I will slit your neck open, and then you will understand the pain that I feel everyday ! I swear I will kill you, Catarina de Fontaine!"

Catarina barely even flinched upon hearing Marguerite's feeble threats.

            "Then with my death, I shall bring ruination to House le Prince."

As she spoke those words, Catarina suddenly felt a droplet of water fall on her face, then two.
Not long after, it began to rain heavily, and not wanting to be soaking wet again, she slipped inside through the door.

        Marguerite however, remained outside. The rain had soaked her dress thoroughly and she was chilled to the bone,  but she remained unmoving.

Catarina was right. She was alone now.

Exactly two years ago, House le Prince had experienced the worst decline ever observed, and they never managed to recover from it.

Once it became clear to all that the le Princes were not as rich as they used to be, Marguerite's 'friends' began to leave her one by one, and her once lively social circle was now empty and lifeless.

Marguerite did not care about them, they were just her servants anyways, but she did care about one of them.

          Eufemia Dubois, the daughter of a middling merchant family hailing from the neighbouring city of Grange.

By no means were they poor, but in comparison with the rest of Ravaeryn's high society, they could be considered a bit lacking.

It was Marguerite who had taken Eufemia under her wing, essentially shaping her into becoming a young woman who was a testament to herself.

When Marguerite started to put her hair up, Eufemia followed suit soon after.

If Marguerite purchased a new set of jewellery from the atelier, then you could bet that Eufemia would be knocking on the atelier's door the following morning.

Whenever Marguerite pulled on Catarina's hair and kicked and slapped her, Eufemia joined in.

Whenever Marguerite laughed at the sight of Catarina's suffering, almost immediately Eufemia's shrill, throaty laughter would become audible for all to hear.

Eufemia Dubois was an extension of Marguerite's self,  but after years of friendship, the letters from Grange stopped coming.

In the last letter that arrived over a year ago, Eufemia had wrote that she had come down with a serious contagious disease, and that she had been sent to live with her aunt in Levere.

Marguerite glared at the direction where Catarina vanished to and let out a scoff. If only her true friend, Eufemia were here, then Catarina would not have stood a chance. If only, if only.