Chapter 1
Chapter 1
When I first learned the news, I wasn’t very happy.
I wondered, why me?
Why was it that despite everyone being born of the same flesh and blood, I was the only one assigned such a wicked fate?
Unfortunately, as a small child, I couldn’t grasp such profound questions.
I simply felt a sense of injustice and anger.
But to my surprise, even though Sui’an knew my identity, she treated me exceptionally well.
She doted on me, favored me, and even spoiled me.
She loved telling me stories.
She told me the story of “Cinderella and Her Two Sisters.”
“In their previous life, the eldest and second sisters cut off their heels and toes, yet neither could fit into the glass slipper.”
“Although Cinderella wore the glass slipper, after three years, she and the prince became total strangers.”
“In this life, the eldest sister and Cinderella both awakened. They helped Cinderella destroy the glass slipper together.”
“Because a glass slipper that could fall off Cinderella’s foot proved it never fit her in the first place; magic had deceived her.”
“Together, they stayed far away from the prince. The eldest and second sisters fixed their laziness, and Cinderella fixed her habit of always wanting to marry someone to change her fate. From then on, they lived happily together.”
She also told me the story of “Snow White vs. the Necrophiliac.”
“Once upon a time, there was a prince who loved collecting corpses.”
“He traveled to the Kingdom of Sleeping Beauty, and seeing her unconscious, he took her away.”
“He encountered the Little Match Girl and took away the girl who had frozen to death.”
“He met a princess locked in a crystal ball and took her away as a corpse too.”
“Later, he came across Snow White lying in a glass coffin and carried her away as well.”
“Why did he want so many princesses? It turned out he was offering them to a demon so the demon would bless his kingdom to last forever.”
“Halfway there, Snow White spat out the poisoned apple. After waking up, she fought the prince to the death… and eventually defeated him.”
“She used love to wake Sleeping Beauty, used magic to save the Little Match Girl, and shattered the crystal ball with a single sword strike to rescue the golden-haired princess…”
After finishing the story, she thought for a moment and told me,
“Don’t tell this story to the Third Princess or Zhen’an Princess. It’s a bit scary; I’m afraid they won’t be able to handle it.”
The Third Princess was my imperial sister.
Zhen’an Princess was my adopted younger sister.
As for me, I was the sixth in line-the Sixth Princess.
Every time I heard a story from her, I would turn around and retell it to the Third Imperial Sister and Zhen’an. Because of this, I gradually escaped the isolation I had faced.
“Then why tell it to me?”
“Because you are a brave little princess! You are brave, smart, and wise. This is your reward.”
I tilted my little face up, feeling very proud.
That’s right!
Brave people get to hear the stories first.
Besides telling me stories, she would make all sorts of little trinkets, making me the envy of everyone.
And I would generously share those things.
Originally, I had been unwilling.
The Crown Prince and my Second Imperial Brother both said I was selfish.
Only Sui’an didn’t think so.
She told Auntie An, the Head Maid of my outer courtyard: “Only those who possess very little are unwilling to share. You cannot blame a poor person for being selfish when they only have a tiny bit to begin with.”
At that time, I didn’t understand.
I thought to myself: I am a princess. Even if I’m not favored, I’m still a princess. How could I be poor?
I didn’t want to share simply because I didn’t like those people.
I hated how they pushed me aside and mocked me every time we met.
They felt they could look at my things whenever they wanted and take whatever they pleased.
Yet when I wanted to see their things, they thought I wasn’t worthy.
I didn’t just dislike them; I loathed them.
But one day, I woke up to find I had over a dozen different dolls-carved from wax, molded from clay, and sewn from cotton cloth.
There were so many dolls.
So many that I suddenly felt I could share them with others.