The Forbidden Garden

Ekaterina stood on the second floor of the ballroom, her eyes scanning the crowd below.

Lively music filled the air as nobles laughed and chatted, gathered around the edges of the room while the center was left open for the young dancers to lose themselves in the rhythm.

She spotted her target in the corner of the crowd. The silvery-white hair stood out, and despite being the guest of honor at the grand event, Ysabel Velmont was alone, tucked away on the outskirts of the ballroom.

Ysabel—her future sister-in-law. Ekaterina hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should go down and join her. But before she could make a move, someone else began heading toward Ysabel.

It was Annalise Velmont—the fiery redhead from the Grand Duke's family. The crowd parted like water in front of a ship as she walked through.

Without a word, Annalise brushed right past Ysabel, ignoring her polite attempt at a greeting. She pushed the ballroom doors open and left, not even glancing back.

The whispers from the nearby crowd only made the awkwardness worse for Ysabel.

A noblewoman standing next to Ekaterina had clearly caught the scene. She half-covered her face with her feather fan, but her voice was far from quiet.

"Looks like the rumors are true. Lady Velmont has... feelings for the Second Prince," the woman commented.

Ekaterina didn't stick around to hear more. She made her way down the stairs, and the nobles around her flocked to her like moths to a flame. But she didn't stop to entertain them.

She walked straight up to Ysabel, who slowly lifted her eyes to meet hers.

"We've met once before. Do you remember me?" asked Ekaterina.

— Excerpt from "The Crown's Fall," Chapter 1: The Engagement Ceremony

"Mila, is the rose garden really off-limits for me?"

I was soaking in the warm bath when the thought suddenly popped into my head. Mila, who had been carefully stacking white foam on my head, paused at my question.

"Well, there's no official rule," she said slowly, "but that garden was personally tended by the Duchess while she was alive. She was very attached to it, and Miss Annalise always goes there to admire the flowers…"

Mila hesitated, as if unsure whether to keep going.

"Is Miss Annalise scary?" I asked.

Yet, I already knew the answer to that. The original story had hinted at Annalise's madness.

She'd once shown up uninvited to a tea party, scalding several noblewomen with hot tea, and at another banquet, she slapped a lady so hard that the woman fainted right on the spot.

There were endless stories like that—she was the definition of a villainess.

And, the most important detail was that she hated Ysabel.

Rumor had it that Annalise had fallen in love with the Second Prince, only to find out he was engaged to Ysabel, her adopted sister, someone she had never even heard of.

Ever since, Annalise had made it her mission to make Ysabel's life miserable, publicly humiliating her at every social gathering.

"Never tell anyone about this, Miss Ysabel," Mila spoke again, her voice reluctant. "Miss Annalise was sweet and lively as a child, but after her mother passed away, she became temperamental and lost control of her anger.

"She even hurt her wet nurse, someone who'd cared for her since birth. Her maids live in constant fear, always bracing themselves for her outbursts. You really shouldn't provoke her, Miss Ysabel!"

I nodded quickly. Now I understood why Mila had seemed so hesitant when she first arrived—she thought I'd be just like Annalise.

Mila, with foam still on her hands, gently tapped my nose. "I feel so lucky to be assigned to you, Miss Ysabel!"

Mila's daily tasks went beyond just taking care of me—she also handled a lot of the household chores.

The head maid often sent her running around, working from dawn till dusk without rest. If I were the real daughter of the family, like Annalise, with all her power and status, my maid wouldn't be treated like this.

But no matter how tough it got, Mila always served me with a smile, like she never got tired.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help smiling back at her. "The lucky one is me."

The next morning, the butler knocked on my door. I was filled with anticipation, hoping he'd finally found Orin. But instead, he brought me some unexpected bad news.

"Miss Annalise has invited you to the rose garden this afternoon. Please be sure to attend," he said.

I held the rose, which served as the invitation. The thorns weren't even trimmed. It was beautiful, but threatening.

And… Why is the flower shaking?

Oh, wait—it wasn't the flower. It was Mila, gripping my hand so tightly that it trembled.

She stammered, trying to comfort me. "D-don't be scared, Miss Ysabel! I…I'll protect you!"

Protect me with what? With your shaking hand?!

"It's fine, Mila. It's just tea…"—That I couldn't even convince myself.

Annalise wasn't the type to care about any sisterly bond. Every time she showed up in the novel, it was always the start of some chaotic storm of blood and drama.

But since the novel was mainly told from Ekaterina's point of view, it only ever showed the aftermath of the conflict, never the causes.

So, I had no idea what might set Annalise off. I'd have to go into the afternoon blind and feel my way through it.

When I arrived at the rose garden, a maid was already waiting at the entrance. Her tired face told me things were about to get complicated.

"Miss Annalise said that only Miss Ysabel may enter," she said.

Mila looked like she might collapse from worry. I forced a brave smile, waved goodbye to her, and walked past the maid into the garden.

Goodbye, dear Mila. I hope this isn't our last goodbye.

The roses were in full bloom, their petals scattered across the path as I walked toward the center.

There, Annalise sat in a pavilion surrounded by the flowers, resting her arm on the table as she stared off into the distance.

If I didn't know about the violence lurking beneath her calm demeanor, I might've thought she was some kind of flower fairy.

To my surprise, the table was covered with beautiful pastries and fragrant herbal tea—nothing like the ambush I'd been dreading.

It was a tea party, just the two of us.

I took a deep breath, rubbed my stiff cheeks, and forced a bright smile.

After all, people don't turn away from a smiling face, right? If she really did want to hit me, at least maybe she'd hesitate for a moment. That would give me a chance to escape.

"Miss Annalise, I'm sorry to keep you waiting!" I said, apologetically.

I cheerfully approached her and curtsied gracefully. My etiquette lessons were going well with Mila's help, and I was already starting to see the results.

Annalise snapped out of her trance and looked at me, her gaze not as angry as before. Instead, she casually tapped her fingers on the table.

"Eat," she said, just one word.

No greeting? She just got straight to the point?

But I didn't dare to argue. I reached for the nearest plate of cakes. "Thank you."

I had just eaten lunch, but the nerves in my stomach made it feel empty. Still, I wore a happy smile as I popped the cake into my mouth, while Annalise just stared at me, her cheek resting on her hand.

Her intense presence made it feel like I was chewing on cardboard.

I never thought there'd be a day when I didn't want to eat cake.