Melisande Ermis.
The youngest daughter of a powerful ducal the Ermis family, known for her incompetence and lackluster attitude. Rumblings about her engagement to the crown prince have been circulating for some time now.
Even everyone knew that the crown prince—Ethan Del Sonne—never loved her and only wanted to use her as a powerful pawn because of her background, to secure the throne.
On her 17th birthday, the day that was meant to be a grand celebration, a stunning young woman appears out of nowhere, claiming to be Melisande's long-lost sister.
Or the "real daughter" according to the novel.
She is confident, cold, and seems to possess all the qualities Melisande lacks, further fueling the rumors about Melisande's ineptitude.
[The 'real' daughter, the supposed long-lost sister—Aveline Reymis—is the complete opposite of Melisande in every way. She is powerful, skilled, and resourceful, excelling in swordplay, magic, and even healing arts.
Like the Duke and Duchess of the Ermis Duchy.]
She is confident, charismatic, and radiates a vitality that Melisande can only dream of.
Each word and gesture from her seems to cut deeper and deeper into Melisande's self-esteem, making her feel even more inadequate and useless.
Aveline is the epitome of excellence and skill, effortlessly excelling in everything Melisande is weak in. A formidable swordswoman, powerful mage, and gifted healer, she possesses an almost superhuman level of talent and finesse.
Her very presence seems to overshadow Melisande, as if to highlight all the ways in which Melisande is lacking. Those who witness her abilities speak of her with admiration and awe, while casting pity glances towards Melisande's perceived incompetence and inadequacy.
With the lost daughter's arrival has upended Melisande's world and shattered her already fragile self-esteem.
The crown prince Ethan, seeing an opportunity for his own gain, ends his engagement to Melisande in favor of the beautiful and talented newcomer.
The knight—Marcus Schwert—in a display of loyalty, swears allegiance to her, admiring her strength and charisma.
Even Melisande's own family members, who had always considered her a blemish on their reputation, seem captivated by the newcomer, showering her with attention and approval.
As the days go by, Melisande finds herself feeling increasingly isolated and alone. Her failures and shortcomings are constantly brought up in the press and nobles' conversation, and the noblewomen and other socialites around her never hesitate to criticize her. The constant barrage of negative attention and humiliation only feeds Melisande's anxiety and inadequacy.
Fueled by jealousy and bitterness, Melisande is left with no choice but to lash out at the only person she sees as competition—Aveline. She begins to bully her, hoping to tear her down and reclaim some fragment of dignity.
In the face of such disappointment and humiliation, Melisande's mental health begins to decline even further.
The constant barrage of negative press and the praise heaped upon the lost daughter by nobles and the society take a toll on her already fragile self-esteem. Driven by a mixture of jealousy and desperation, Melisande lashes out, bullying Aveline in an attempt to regain a sense of control.
However, her attempts at bullying Aveline are mostly harmless, with the latter easily shrugging off her pranks and taunts.
Melisande tries everything she can think of—tripping her, leaving mean notes, or even stealing her things. But Aveline seems to take it all in stride, treating Melisande's behavior as amusing at most.
What Melisande doesn't realize is that her actions come across as more childish and pitiful than anything else, and the female lead just views her as a pitiful lady, rather than a real threat.
Melisande's bullying the female lead are indeed more akin to silly pranks and minor annoyance than any serious harm. The lost daughter, with her strong mental and physical fortitude, seems to effortlessly brush off Melisande's petty and childish attacks.
With a calm and unfazed expression, the 'real' daughter treats Melisande's attempts at bullying as if they were nothing more than the antics of an immature child. Despite Melisande's best efforts to get a rise out of her, Aveline remains unbothered and unimpressed.
The story progresses and the encounters between Aveline and the three male leads become more frequent and breathtaking.
Aveline and the knight Marcus, embark on a quest together, fighting off bandits and saving a small village. In the process, they slowly form a strong bond of trust and respect, and Aveline teaches the knight a few new combat techniques.
Aveline and the wizard—Lysanrion Halbmond—find themselves in a dangerous situation, trapped in a magical labyrinth. With Aveline's magical skills and the Lysanrion wiseness, she was able to gain his favor since he was the next head of the Magic Tower.
The wizard becomes fascinated with Aveline's magic abilities and seeks her out for lessons and guidance.
The Crown Prince enlists Aveline's help to protect him on a hunting expedition, and they lost during their time in the forest, trapped inside a cave wet with rain, there Aveline will get to know about Ethan past.
The noblewomen become extremely jealous of Aveline's popularity and talents, especially her close relationship with the crown prince. As a result, they start a series of vicious rumors about Melisande, accusing her of heinous crimes and scandals.
Why that?
Why Melisande was accused instead of Aveline?
That's simple, they wanted a scapegoat they can throw after, and they can accuse Melisande to be the one to spread rumors avout Aveline then backstab her with accusation about crimes.
That's sound stupid. But nobody believed in Melisande's innocence.
Under the influence of the nobles, the people turn against Melisande, ostracizing and isolating her, even going as far as to discuss banishing her from the ducal court.
In recent months, there had been a series of disappearances in the kingdom, and rumors had spread that the missing persons were being kidnapped to be sacrificed to malevolent forces. One evening, at a prestigious auction event, someone claimed they saw Melisande in the crowd, and the gossip spread like wildfire.
The nobles and the public soon seized on this rumor, believing that Melisande was somehow involved in the disappearances and the sinister rituals taking place in the shadows.
A spate of mysterious disappearances has been troubling the town. People are being taken in the dead of night, never to be seen again. Whispers of a possible connection to some sinister organization start to spread.
Soon, rumors begin to circulate that Melisande was spotted once again at an underground auction, where individuals were being traded as sacrificial offerings.
[People become convinced that Melisande is somehow involved, and the blame for the disappearances is pinned on her.
Even her family begins to doubt her innocence.]
[Nobody believed her.]
The crown prince, fueled by his growing dislike for Melisande and the rumors surrounding her, sets out to gather evidence against her. Despite Melisande's insistance of her innocence, the crown prince manages to find circumstantial evidence that suggests Melisande's involvement in the disappearances.
The crown prince presents this evidence to the duke, who is still reeling from the public outcry. Convinced by the evidence, the duke reluctantly agrees to exile Melisande, as a scapegoat to appease the restless people.
With the nobles clamoring for Melisande's exile, and the crown prince presenting his evidence, the duke is forced to make a decision.
In a grand ceremony, the duke decrees that Melisande is to be permanently banished from the estate, effectively exiling her from her home.
[Melisande is exiled to a remote and desolate wasteland. With no shelter or resources, she struggles to survive in the harsh environment. Despite her best efforts, Melisande eventually succumbs to the elements and dies alone in the wilderness, far from her home and family.]
At first, she did indeed fighted to survive.
However, strange things start to happen on the island—strange noises in the night, and things going missing and reappearing in different places.
Readers thought that it is because of Melisande's weak and broken mentality that she begins to hallucinate.
With Melisande gone, the family is able to move on with their lives. Life at the estate becomes more peaceful and prosperous, and the nobles begin to forget about Melisande's existence.
Aveline, now engaged to the crown prince, becomes the center of attention and is doted upon by the family and the nobles alike.
[The duke, in particular, takes a liking to Aveline and treats her as his real daughter, showing more affection for her than he ever did for Melisande.]
Did he ever shown Melisande affection in the first place to be able to compare it ?
The nobles and the press begin to focus their attention on the upcoming wedding between Aveline and the crown prince, and Melisande's name is slowly forgotten, her memory fading into the background.
And that was the end of the main story and the beginning of the epilogue and some side stories.
Interestingly, even in the epilogue of the novel or any additional side chapters, the minor villainess, Melisande, was never again mentioned.
It was as if she had been completely forgotten, erased from the narrative and the memory of the characters within the story.
While major characters continued to appear and interact in the epilogue, Melisande's fate seemed to be disregarded and ignored, as if her life and existence had been inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
And it was the end of the novel.