After My Daughter Was Murdered, I Took a Blade to the Capital

I was once the Pythia, an oracle of Apollo. After marrying the late king, I became known as the Oracle Priestess. When my husband died in battle, I faked my death and returned to the temple. From then on, I devoted myself to protecting the capital with the gods' blessing. Then one day, they brought my daughter's body into the temple. She was covered in raw, unhealed wounds, and her eyes were still open. The attendants tossed her body, wrapped in nothing but a straw mat, onto the floor. Then they stood nearby whispering. "Poor princess. The king cared more about the Rose of Highcourt than his own sister. He let her suffer until her wounds became infected and she died in agony. "King Theron was the one who sent her to the beastmen for a marriage alliance. Duke Charles was supposed to marry Princess Callista, but he later fell for Naia instead." So that was what had happened. While I was hidden away in this temple protecting Ostan, my son had turned his back on his sister for another woman. He let Naia take Callista's place, then sent his sister to live among savages. Callista survived the beastmen and everything they did to her. When they were finally defeated, she must have thought she could come home and put it all behind her. But Naia still wouldn't leave her alone. She bullied Callista every chance she got. Then she framed Callista for plotting to hurt someone, and Theron had her thrown into the dungeon. As I held my daughter's body, I couldn't bear to imagine what she had gone through in that dark, waterlogged dungeon, where prisoners were interrogated on the upper level and executed below. A corrupt kingdom like this didn't deserve the gods' protection. I begged the gods to forgive me. If this was how they treated my daughter, then I no longer cared what happened to this country. Chapter 1 When Nestor, the late king's adviser, arrived, I was still sitting there with my daughter's body in my arms, numb with grief. The last time I had seen Callista, she was only ten. I had spent the past ten years in the temple, keeping Ostan safe. More than once, her maid had written to tell me that Callista still cried for me in her sleep, holding my old dresses and jewelry close. "Please come back, Mother. I promise I won't make trouble anymore. Please, Mother. Don't leave me." Every time I heard those words, my heart ached. But I still couldn't leave. As long as I remained in the temple, Ostan would have the gods' protection. No wars. No plagues. I kept telling myself I just had to wait until the kingdom was stable. Then I could go home and see my daughter again. But when we finally met again, my darling girl was dead, her emaciated body covered in terrible wounds. "This is insane! Callista had divine power, but Theron sent her to the beastmen. When she came home, he let the Duke's daughter torment her, then had her thrown into a water dungeon? "And all because she was accused of plotting against Naia? What a joke! My Callista had no reason to do such a thing. And even if she did, they must have pushed her too far! "I spent ten years praying for the gods to protect this kingdom. For what? A kingdom like this deserves to fall!" I gently touched Callista's swollen skin. "Why didn't you call a physician for her?" I asked. Nestor answered nervously, "Every physician in the capital was called away to treat Lady Naia. She was feeling dizzy." Callista's maid had fallen to her knees outside the palace and begged until her forehead bled. Still, no one would give Callista the medical care she needed. "The king said the princess was faking it. He said her wounds were only superficial and nowhere near as serious as Lady Naia's dizziness. He also said anyone who hurt another person didn't deserve medical treatment." "How could he be so heartless?" I murmured. Callista had been this badly hurt, and he wouldn't even let a doctor see her. I had always believed I had done my duty as the Oracle Priestess. The late king had once been an unfavored prince. After he married me, he took the throne without trouble. The kingdom had been falling apart, but I helped bring it back from the brink. The borders became safe again, and the people were able to rebuild their lives. I had done everything I could for this kingdom. And this was how they repaid me. They killed my daughter. I carried Callista out of the temple. A minister ran after me in a panic. "Where are you going, Queen Mother? Without your protection, the kingdom will fall into ruin!" I didn't answer. I just kept walking. Nestor hurried after me and grabbed my sleeve. "You are the Oracle Priestess. I know you've lost your daughter, but you have to accept that this was her fate. You can't abandon the kingdom for someone who's already dead. Countless innocent people will die." "My daughter is dead. I don't care about right or wrong anymore." He had told me something similar ten years ago. I had listened then. And what had happened? My daughter was sent to the beastmen and humiliated, while my son drove his sister to her death. I drew the dagger the late king had given me and cut the Oracle Priestess's sash from my robes. "You say this was my daughter's fate? Fine. Then this is yours. I'm leaving the temple, and the gods' protection leaves with me. Whatever happens to Ostan—and to all of you—is your fate!" Chapter 2 I had barely stepped out of the temple when the ancient building behind me collapsed with a deafening crash. It had stood through every major event in the kingdom's history, and now it was gone. I returned to the capital and walked straight into the castle. No one tried to stop me. I placed Callista's body inside the crystal coffin in Verdant Hall. Then I went to find my foolish son—the king. Before I could get far, a maid blocked my way. "Who let you in here? Everyone is celebrating the knighting of Lady Naia's brother. Why are you here?" One look at the contempt on her face told me she thought I was Callista. It wasn't surprising. My daughter and I looked almost exactly alike. The late king used to joke that once Callista grew up and started wearing my dresses, even he wouldn't be able to tell us apart. My eyes burned with tears, but I held them back and looked at the maid with all the authority I once had as queen. "You lowborn wretch. The king will punish you for speaking to me like that." The maid froze for a second before bursting into laughter. "And what are you? Do you think you're still the pampered little princess you were when the late king and queen were alive? "The king doesn't care about you. Ever since Lady Naia arrived in the capital, you've been the one sent off to marry the beasts. Your fiancé dumped you! "When you went on a hunger strike so you could go to the temple, the king ordered me to bring you food. I starved you until you passed out. I thought he'd punish me, but he praised me!" The other palace maids burst out laughing. Only then did I realize that Callista's life during those years had been even worse than I thought. Three years after I faked my death, the Duke of Highcourt sent Naia to the capital. On her very first day there, Naia broke several things I had left Callista. Callista was heartbroken, but instead of defending her, Theron lost his temper with her. "They're just ordinary things. What's the harm in letting her play with them? Naia just lost her mother. Why would you show off the things Mother left you right in front of her?" To make Naia happy, my idiot son ordered Callista to give her everything she owned. Her dresses. Her jewelry. Her rooms. Even her title and authority. In Naia's second year in the capital, she accused Callista of trying to slash her face. Theron grabbed a dagger, cut Callista across the face, then slapped her. "Don't think being my sister gives you the right to hurt people. You're vicious!" By Naia's fourth year in the capital, even Charles, the man Callista was supposed to marry, had fallen for her. "Why are you here? Lady Naia has already been more than generous to you. Do you want me to—" The palace maid lifted her hand to slap me. Before she could touch me, I drew my dagger and plunged it into her chest. Her eyes went wide, and she died on the spot. The other palace maids stumbled backward in horror. "Y-you... You killed Lady Naia's handmaid! She came all the way from Highcourt with her! I'm telling the king!" I didn't bother with the maids as they scattered. I crouched down and recited a severing spell. The spell sliced the dead maid's head clean from her body. I picked it up and headed for the Silver Dome Court. I pushed open the doors and walked through the music and dancing, carrying the bloody head until I reached Theron. He was looking at Naia with open affection. "The Rose of Highcourt, indeed. If Aphrodite herself came down to earth, I doubt she'd be any more beautiful. You're the only woman worthy of being this capital's princess!" I threw the severed head at Theron's feet. The entire hall fell silent. Every eye followed the trail of blood across the floor until they landed on me. "I don't remember having a daughter other than Callista. And I certainly don't remember giving anyone else the right to call herself a princess." Chapter 3 The people in the hall seemed to ignore what I'd just said. Instead, whispers broke out around me. "Princess Callista? How did she get in here? The king's going to be furious. Weren't they supposed to keep her locked up in the dungeon?" "But she's the late queen's only daughter. First they sent her to the beastmen, and now they're treating her like this. Can you really blame her for being angry?" Before Theron could speak, Charles marched over with a deep frown. He leaned close and hissed, "Callista, you actually managed to escape? Did you really have to ruin Naia's happiest day with something this disgusting?" He glanced at the head on the floor, and his expression darkened. "How can you be this cruel? You even brought a fake head here just to ruin the celebration! Apologize to her right now!" I studied his face for a moment before finally recognizing him. So this was the man the late king had chosen for Callista? Charles looked a lot like his father. The old duke had always favored the illegitimate son he had with his first love, while Charles was pushed aside. Charles had also lost his mother when he was very young. One memory came back to me clearly. Charles had once been falsely accused of hurting his brother, and the old duke had both his legs broken as punishment. Callista ignored every rule of proper behavior, climbed over the wall of the duke's estate, and secretly brought a doctor to his room. The doctor treated Charles just in time to save his legs from permanent damage. Afterward, Callista used her position as a princess to secure his place in the family and make sure he inherited the title of duke. Years ago, when Charles was still a boy, he had made a solemn vow before me in Apollo's name. "I swear to devote the rest of my life to Princess Callista. If I ever break this oath, may the burning sun strip the flesh from my bones." That boy was long gone. Now Charles couldn't even tell Callista from me. Before I could answer him, Naia suddenly cried out. Tears immediately filled her eyes. "Th-that's Philippa's head... She's my handmaiden... "It's all right, Duke Charles. This is my fault. I'm only a vassal duke's daughter, while Callista is a princess... If she wants to kill a maid, there's nothing I can do. Besides, she went to the beastmen in my place. Maybe I should just go back to Highcourt..." The moment Charles saw her crying, his face hardened. "Callista, can't you show a little kindness? You're a princess. You're supposed to put your people first. And you're already married. I'm a duke. Of course I can't marry you now. That has nothing to do with Naia. You've already been luckier than most people could ever dream of!" "But isn't Naia a duke's daughter?" I asked. "So what? You went to the beastmen, and Naia has had to put up with vicious rumors in the capital because of it!" I couldn't believe it. How had the late king ever granted a dukedom to a family that produced someone like Charles? And he had the nerve to call Callista lucky? As far as I knew, the beastmen had wanted Naia in the first place. She refused to go, so they sent Callista instead. Callista had cried and fought against it. She even starved herself. Through her tears, she had begged Charles, "I'm your betrothed. How can you ask me to marry another man?" Charles had held her in his arms and comforted her with a promise he never kept. "A princess is born to protect her people. Don't be afraid. Just give me a few months. I'll defeat the beastmen and bring you home." But Callista's life with the beastmen had been a nightmare. When they realized they had been tricked, they threw her into a cage with their hounds and forced her to beg for her life. She suffered one humiliation after another at their hands. Had she thought of me while she was there? Had she wondered if any of this would have happened if I were still alive? I couldn't bear to think about it. My daughter should never have suffered like that. Charles mistook my silence for weakness. He leaned toward me and spoke into my ear. "Apologize and get out. For old times' sake, I'll put in a good word with your brother. Otherwise, he'll send you straight back to the dungeon. Then you won't even be allowed to visit the temple and mourn your mother!" The people closest to you always know exactly where to hurt you most. I muttered a spell and plunged my dagger into Charles. Blood sprayed as the spell took hold. Every word he tried to say came out as a dog's bark. "Callista doesn't need to go to the temple to see me. I'll be right beside her from now on. But first, every last one of you will atone for your sin in blood." Chapter 4 Screams erupted around me, but I didn't flinch. I only pushed the dagger deeper. Theron shouted for the guards. They rushed over and pulled me away from Charles. Charles was still alive, but he had passed out. I didn't resist as the guards grabbed me. One of them twisted my wrist until it broke, and the dagger slipped from my hand. My idiot son pointed at me and shouted, "Callista, how dare you attack someone in front of everyone?" He pulled Naia into his arms and kept trying to comfort her. "You've gone too far. You killed a maid and stabbed the man you were once supposed to marry. What next? Are you going to kill me too? You're no longer a member of the royal family. Get out of Ostan!" I looked at my son and laughed coldly. "You treat me this badly. Aren't you worried Mother's spirit will never find peace in the temple?" "Mother was the kindest woman in the world. If she knew how you've treated Naia, she'd be on my side." Even as he spoke, his attention stayed on Naia, as if protecting her was all that mattered. What an idiot! What mother would ever side with another woman against her own daughter? "You have no right to talk about Mother. If she knew her daughter had been defiled, threw tantrums, killed people whenever she felt like it, and bullied the weak, she'd agree with me too." Just then, Naia slipped out of Theron's arms and hurried over to hug me. "Callista, this is my fault. If only I'd gone through with that marriage, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." She sobbed hard against me, tears streaming down her face. But when our eyes met, I saw the smug amusement in hers. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck, making it look to everyone else as though she were comforting me. "You really are hard to kill. You were tortured in the water dungeon and still survived. Then again, you survived the beastmen too. I guess your mother really did convince the gods to protect you. "The funny thing is, the beastmen never wanted a marriage in the first place. I just wanted to see if I could make even one of them fall for me, so I deliberately showed up before him." So this was the kind of cruelty my daughter had endured all these years. Pain tore through my chest, and tears filled my eyes. Naia clearly enjoyed my reaction. She leaned closer and continued whispering, "Does it hurt? I set up that whole thing myself just to get you thrown into the water dungeon. Your parents are dead. There's no one left to save you. And even if they were still alive, they'd probably love me so much they'd take me as their own daughter!" "Ha..." I laughed at her fantasy, my eyes filling with murderous intent. "Then there's something you should know. I'm Callista's mother." I bit her ear and used her blood to cast a spell. Naia choked. Her hands suddenly flew to her throat and began strangling herself. Theron was the first to shout, "Callista, what are you doing? Let go of her! Don't hurt Naia!" Soon everyone in the hall was yelling at me to stop. How strange. So they did know how to speak up. Where were all these voices when my Callista was the one being hurt? The spell lifted Naia into the air as her hands continued to tighten around her throat. Theron stared at me in shock. "Callista, you can't use magic..." I looked at my son and gave him a mocking smile. "And a fool like you thinks he deserves to be king? You've disgraced both your father and me. After ten years apart, you can't even tell your own mother from your sister. What a disappointment you've turned out to be."