The Lady and the Beast - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Empress Martina

Martina Owen de Leta Carabella, the sole Empress in the continent’s history, was born a migrant.

The Leta nomad tribe to which she belonged was an ethnic minority from the Areta highlands. Though their bloodline had faded from generation to generation, it was said that their skin and hair have initially been so black that when night comes, you could not distinguish them from the darkness.

For they stood opposite to light from birth, they were right in political schemes. The Blanche kingdom’s powers, adjacent to the Areta highlands, aimed to build its grandeur by ostracizing the minorities. With a thirst for blood in their eyes, their horses’ hoofs pounded the whole land, carving deep scars on the Areta highlands.

The devil’s seed, the root of all crimes, and the Evil’s servant, such were the derogatory names given to the Areta Clan. Impervious to reason, the Blanche people regarded the weak minority as their enemy, clamoring their bones to be smashed and deluge the land with their blood. And the Blanche Royalty was much pleased to follow the public opinion it had itself created.

After several invasions, the people of Areta got robbed of their lands and ended up wandering with no place to stay. After losing their ancestral lands, they removed their surname in the thirst for revenge to never forget this dishonor. From then onwards, the Areta people disappeared, and only the Leta tribe remained. This incident happened 300 years before the Continental War.

Afterward, the Leta tribe wandered all over the country, performing tricks to make a living. Three hundred years was enough time to dilute the severe persecution from memories. The fact that the word “Areta,” which had remained as Evil’s name, originated from the real name of the Leta tribe had become a long-lost history mentioned only by a few lines in some historians’ papers.

Had the Blanche kingdom not needed a new public enemy due to a civil war, the Leta tribe could have been incorporated into its culture.

The Crown Prince of the Blanche kingdom was brilliant. With the advantage of being the Queen’s son, he weighed down on his first-born half-brother, but by a slight difference. The Crown Prince’s legitimacy was an accessible account among the nobles, as for the commoners loved the friendly 2nd Prince. The Crown Prince was amused by the people’s stupidity who were oblivious to the hypocrisy hidden beneath the 2nd Prince’s kindness.

The Crown Prince made up his mind to get rid of both, the brother he loathed, and the bugs that had been on his nerves for too long. As they were not officially people of the Blanche kingdom, the Leta tribe did not pay taxes. After giving birth to several new generations, the Leta tribe’s size in the Blanche kingdom had equaled to a small estate. From the Crown Prince’s point of view, they were no different from freeloader trash.

In the first place, Blanche’s noblemen looked down on the matriarchal society that characterized the Leta tribe. Successfully connecting the pieces between the ancient devil name and the Leta tribe, The Crown Prince plagued his half-brother with that evil name.

[The 2nd Prince threatens the legitimacy of Blanche with the power of witches.]

The slogan issued by the Crown Prince was effective. In no time, the evidence that the 2nd Prince was in league with witches was fabricated. The Crown Prince, pretending to be deeply affected by the succession fight’s evils, got the old King’s sympathy and raised an army. Giving in to torture one after another, the Leta people were forced into confessing lies, resulting in the 2nd Prince’s imprisonment.

The group of warriors in which future Empress Martina was enrolled was the last prey. Like a rat in a trap, even their right to die by the blade was not guaranteed. To the Blanche soldiers, the Leta tribe’s screams were like a choir harmonizing with the symphony of their weapons. Most of Martina’s longtime friends had their necks cut off. Martina’s mother, Owen, was also one of the victims.

Owen was a great warrior. She had taught her daughter how to dance and kill people at the same time. Leta’s sword dance was a famous attraction, but no one other than the tribe knew how many lives she would claim that day. Owen took several high-ranked Blanche soldiers off guard and slit their throats. Her swordsmanship was outstanding, but as a result, it had marked her as a traitor. She died after suffering from all kinds of torture, without even closing her eyes.