Chapter 12: Meet Ira of Wrath (Benesha)

I am Benesha Badila, born into the royal branch of the Badila household, though not in the usual way.I wasn't conceived through natural means; instead, scientists used the DNA of my parents to create me in a laboratory. I was born via genetic engineering and an artificial womb, alongside six other girls, who I consider my sisters.At the age of seven, I decided to challenge my sister Maeve's claim to the position of authority within our sisterhood. She believed her status was superior because she was born under the influence of "Pride" and hailed from the Dutch royal family. But I refused to accept that "Pride" was a more successful trait than "Wrath.""So what if you're a princess? I'm a princess too!" I declared. "Pride blinds people to their flaws, but Wrath allows us to administer justice, to punish wrongdoers. Wrath is what the world needs more than ever."Maeve responded coolly, "The thing is, Ira, I have no flaws. I challenge you to find even one. If you succeed, I'll submit to you.""I'll find more than one, just wait," I retorted confidently.She raised an eyebrow, contemplating, "How can we determine who the superior sister is?""We could have a duel," I suggested. "A combat match to see who's the strongest.""Or we could play chess or checkers!" Minah chimed in."I think that's a good idea," Eliza agreed."Maybe we should do sports or singing?" Haniya added, shrugging. "I'm terrible at both!" Kayla complained."What do you think, Acedia?" Maeve asked, turning to our quiet sister."I don't care what you girls decide," Mandane answered nonchalantly."I didn't ask if you cared," Maeve shot back."Why don't we just look at the stats the scientists have on us? See which one of us has the better overall score?" Mandane suggested.We all agreed that Mandane had come up with the best idea.We snuck into the laboratory system in secret, careful not to alert the scientists, to review our stats and compare them. Here are our scores, from lowest to highest:Mandane Esfahani (Sin of Sloth, Codename "Acedia"):- Intelligence: 50- Academic ability: 50- Decision-making: 50- Physical ability: 50- Cooperativeness: 50Kayla Graven (Sin of Gluttony, Codename "Gula"):- Intelligence: 70- Academic ability: 65- Decision-making: 60- Physical ability: 40- Cooperativeness: 90Eliza IJzerhart (Sin of Greed, Codename "Avaritia"):- Intelligence: 80- Academic ability: 75- Decision-making: 80- Physical ability: 75- Cooperativeness: 60Minah Sawada (Sin of Envy, Codename "Invidia"):- Intelligence: 90- Academic ability: 90- Decision-making: 85- Physical ability: 55- Cooperativeness: 45Haniya Nadibun (Sin of Lust, Codename "Luxuria"):- Intelligence: 95- Academic ability: 90- Decision-making: 90- Physical ability: 100- Cooperativeness: 80Benesha Badila (Sin of Wrath, Codename "Ira"):- Intelligence: 98- Academic ability: 95- Decision-making: 95- Physical ability: 90- Cooperativeness: 20Princess Maeve (Sin of Pride, Codename "Superbia"):- Intelligence: 100- Academic ability: 98- Decision-making: 98- Physical ability: 85- Cooperativeness: 10"Looks like I'm the superior sister," Maeve said, her voice dripping with triumph. "Acknowledge my superiority, Ira, Invidia, Avaritia."We couldn't deny it. Maeve's scores were clearly the highest across the board, and it left us all feeling frustrated."What's wrong, Benesha?" Maeve teased, noticing my silence. "Did you bite your tongue? What happened to all that fiery energy you had before? Where did it go?"I bit back my frustration, trying to remain composed. "Remember, Maeve, these are just stats—snapshots of the moment. Things can change, and I might surpass you one day.""I'd love to see you try," she smirked."You just wait!" I shot back, my resolve strengthening."This isn't the African jungle or the Sahara Desert," Maeve said, her voice laced with authority. "This is the Dutch Lowlands. I reign supreme here, got it?"Defeated for now, we reluctantly accepted her dominance and decided to follow her orders—at least until the day came when we could challenge her once again.The scientists separated us after that incident. I suppose they feared what we might be capable of if we acted in unison, as a unified force.Not long after I was born, my mother became pregnant again and gave birth to my younger brother, Sansula.My father was overjoyed to have a son. In the Badila household, the succession to the throne follows the paternal line—father to son.I always thought that was too old-fashioned. As the firstborn, the right should be mine, regardless of gender. Unfortunately, females have never been regarded as equals to males in this matter.From a young age, I wanted to prove myself to my father, to show him that, even though I'm female, I'm just as capable as any male heir could be.I loved my younger brother, though. I was thrilled to become someone's older sister and take on the responsibility that came with it.But when I was seven, my parents made a decision that would change everything—they adopted Lilith and gave her the name "Maria."I was taken aback when I saw them bring this devil of a girl into our home. "So we meet again, Ira," she smiled. "Please take good care of me, as my sister."Lilith, or Maria as she now went by, promised me and my sisters that she would physically and psychologically destroy us to prove that she was the magnum opus of the laboratory.To make matters worse, when my sisters and I accessed our stats in the laboratory, we found that Lilith's scores were off the charts. 100 in every category: intelligence, academic ability, decision-making, physical ability, and cooperativeness. She was someone I couldn't possibly beat on my own.The fact that I would be sharing a roof with her made me feel anxious and uncomfortable. But strangely enough, she was actually quite nice to me. She didn't do anything suspicious or threatening, at least not outwardly.Still, appearances can be deceiving. My instincts told me she was up to something—scheming behind the scenes. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was playing a dangerous game.