Lady Elara stood in her bedroom, but she did not look like a "Blessed Lady" anymore.
The mirrors in her room were broken. Sharp pieces of glass lay on the floor like frozen tears. Elara had spent the last hour throwing things and screaming at the walls. Her face was red, and her eyes were filled with a dark fire. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the dinner.
She saw Alaric's golden eyes looking at Seraphina with love. She saw him kiss Seraphina's neck in front of everyone. That mark on Seraphina's skin felt like a slap to Elara's face.
"He chose her," Elara hissed. Her voice was low and mean, like the sound of a snake in the grass. "He chose that greedy girl over me! I am the Blessed Lady! I am the one the gods chose! How can he pick a villainess?"
Her maid, Mina, stood by the door. She was shaking with fear. She had never seen Elara this angry. "My Lady, please... the King was very clear. He said we must not speak against the Queen. Maybe we should just go home."
"Go home?" Elara turned around and looked at Mina. Her look was so scary that the maid stepped back. "I am not going anywhere. I am not leaving until Seraphina von Malcor is gone forever. She stole my crown. She stole my King. She thinks she has changed the story, but I will be the one to end it."
Elara sat down at her desk. She opened a hidden drawer and pulled out a small, black bottle. The liquid inside was dark and oily. This was not a normal medicine. It was a secret poison from her family's old temple.
This poison did not kill the body. It killed the mind. It was called "The Demon's Breath." If a person breathed it in, they would start to see their friends as monsters. They would become scared and angry at the people they loved the most.
"If I cannot make Alaric love me, I will make him hate her," Elara whispered. A small, nasty smile grew on her face. "I will make him see Seraphina as the monster she truly is."
Elara began to write her plan on a piece of paper. She was very smart and very cruel. She knew that Alaric's biggest fear was losing his human mind. He was always afraid that the dragon inside him would take over and hurt people.
"Seraphina is his Anchor," Elara muttered to herself. "She is the only one who can keep the Dragon calm. If I break the Anchor, the Dragon will go crazy. And when a dragon goes crazy, it destroys everything in its path."
Her plan had three parts:
Part 1: The Lie of the Gods
Elara was known as a girl who could talk to the gods. People believed her words. She planned to call the High Priest of the kingdom. She would tell him she had a "Holy Vision." In this vision, she would say that the gods told her Seraphina was a witch. She would say that Seraphina was using dark magic to trap the King's soul.
Because the people used to hate Seraphina, they would be very quick to believe this lie. They would want to protect their King from a "witch."
Part 2: The Poison Mist
Elara knew that Alaric and Seraphina liked to walk in the castle gardens at night. She would wait for a foggy night. She would pour the black liquid from the bottle into the garden fountains. The poison would turn into a thin, invisible mist.
When Alaric breathed it in, his dragon-senses would go wild. He wouldn't see his beautiful wife anymore. He would see a terrifying demon trying to eat his heart. His instinct would be to attack.
"Imagine it," Elara laughed to the empty room. "The great King Alaric, killing his own wife because he thinks she is a monster. He will be the one to finish her for me."
Part 3: The Savior
When Alaric was confused and crying over what he had done, Elara would appear. She would act like a sweet angel. She would tell him she had the "cure" for his pain. She would make him sign a new marriage contract with her family.
"I will take her place," Elara said, her fingers stroking the cold glass of the bottle. "I will take her husband. I will take her life. By the time I am finished, no one will even remember the name Seraphina."
She called for her brother, a man who was just as mean as she was. "Get the horses ready. Send a secret letter to the High Priest. Tell him the 'Holy Vision' has come. Tell him the kingdom is in danger because of a witch on the throne."
Elara looked out the window. The castle was dark under the moon. She saw the light in Seraphina's window. Her heart felt like it was made of ice. She didn't feel sorry for what she was about to do. She only felt the "shiver" of excitement for her revenge.
"Enjoy your sleep, Seraphina," Elara whispered into the dark night. "Tonight you are a Queen. Tomorrow, you will be a monster in the eyes of the man you love. And the Dragon will be the one to end your story."
She blew out her candle, leaving the room in total darkness. The "Blessed Lady" was gone. Only a woman full of hate remained. She was ready to burn the whole kingdom just to get what she wanted.