The Reborn Empress

The afternoon sun filtered through the stained-glass windows of the Smith mansion, casting prismatic shadows over the hallway where Ella stood. The scent of freshly cut peonies wafted from the garden, a deceptively serene contrast to the storm brewing beneath the family's polished facade. She had just returned from surveying the merchant quarter—a calculated act to observe the flow of goods controlled by the Second Branch—when the saccharine voice halted her.

"Oh, my dear child! Come, let your old Nanny Ava look at you!"

Ella turned slowly, her face a mask of icy composure. There, waddling toward her with theatrical concern, was the woman who had once suckled her as an infant. Nanny Ava's doughy face quivered with exaggerated worry, her hands clasped over her heart as if cradling fragile porcelain. The act was flawless… to anyone who hadn't lived through betrayal in a past life."You've been so pale since the incident," the nurse crooned, gripping Ella's shoulders with clammy hands. Her eyes glistened with counterfeit tears. "This humble servant's heart aches to see you suffer. That dreadful fall into the pond—such a cruel twist of fate!"

Fall? Ella nearly laughed. The "accident" had been Amy's doing—a staged push to humiliate her during the Crown Prince's visit. But Nanny Ava's performance was even more grotesque than she'd remembered. The woman's gaze kept darting to the jade pendant Ella wore, a gift from James Brown in her previous life. Ah, Ella realized. She's probing for weakness. For a way to resurrect my 'infatuation.'

"You're too kind, Nanny," Ella said, her tone honeyed with false warmth. She allowed her voice to tremble, feigning vulnerability. "But surely you've heard the rumors? They say I plunged in deliberately to… entice His Highness."

Nanny Ava's jowls flushed with manufactured outrage. "Vile lies! My precious girl would never stoop to such brazen schemes!" She leaned closer, reeking of rosewater and treachery. "Though… if you did wish to secure the prince's favor, this old woman knows a dozen subtler ways. A whispered compliment here, a dropped handkerchief there…"

There it is. Ella's nails dug into her palms. The viper wasn't here to console her—she'd come to reignite the obsession that had doomed Ella's past self. To make her a pliable puppet for the Second Branch's ambitions.

"How insightful," Ella murmured, widening her eyes in feigned admiration. She let a wistful sigh escape. "If only I'd had your counsel years ago, Nanny. But alas…" Her gaze hardened like frozen steel. "...I've since learned to recognize rats who nibble from every hand that feeds them."

The color drained from Nanny Ava's face. "M-My lady?"

The slap of leather against stone echoed as Ella tossed a ledger onto the nearby table. Pages fluttered open, revealing meticulous entries in vermillion ink.

"Sixteen silver taels missing from the household funds last month," Ella recited coolly. "Stolen jewelry blamed on a 'thieving gardener'—a gardener whose daughter just happens to serve your nephew. And let's not forget your generous donations to the Temple of Mercy… funded by selling Third Branch heirlooms."

Nanny Ava staggered back as if struck. "Slander! Who dared—?"

"I dared." Ella advanced, her shadow swallowing the trembling woman. "Did you think me blind? That I wouldn't notice your whispers to Aunt Grace? Your reports on my every move?" She plucked the jade pendant from her neck, dangling it like a corpse on a noose. "This isn't a trinket—it's a shackle. And you've been paid handsomely to keep it clasped around my throat."The nurse collapsed to her knees, fat tears now genuine. "Forgive me! The Second Madame threatened my grandson! I-I had no choice but to—""—betray the child you swore to protect?" Ella's laugh was arctic. "Spare me your theatrics. 

You'll return every stolen coin by week's end. Fail, and your thievery reaches the magistrate's ears." She crouched, gripping Nanny Ava's chin with bruising force. "As for your salary… consider the next three months donated to the servants you swindled."

The woman's wail chased Ella down the corridor, but her steps never faltered. Let the hag weep. Let the Second Branch seethe. Every tear was kindling for the pyre she'd light beneath her enemies.

The Viper's Nest

That evening, oil lamps flickered in Old Madam Smith's shadowed chamber as Nanny Ava groveled before the family matriarch.

"The ungrateful wretch humiliated me!" she screeched, smearing snot across the carpet. 

"Accused me of theft! Punished me for loyalty!"

Second Madame Grace emerged from the brocade curtains, her smile a gash of venom. "Now, now. Such hysterics don't become you." She tossed a silken handkerchief—too stained to return to its owner. "My dear sister-in-law did uncover… irregularities in your accounts."

"B-But you promised protection!"

"For useful tools," Grace purred. "Not blunt instruments." Her lacquered nails traced the nurse's quivering cheek. "Still, Ella's little tantrum reveals much. She's grown… indifferent to Prince James. A setback for her marriage prospects—and our leverage."

Old Madam Smith's cane struck the floor like a judge's gavel. "Enough! The girl defies me at every turn. First, refusing to kneel—now alienating the Crown Prince? Grace. Put your scheming to use. If Ella won't secure a royal alliance, we'll bind her to Lord Chen's lecherous nephew. That'll curb her insolence."

Nanny Ava's eyes lit with desperate hope. "Let me help! I'll spread rumors—say she's been compromised! Force the match!"

Grace's laughter was a razor's edge. "Oh, you've helped quite enough." She nodded to a hulking guard. "Escort our… faithful servant to the magistrate. We've evidence of embezzlement to deliver."

The nurse's screams faded down the hall as Grace turned to the matriarch. "As for Ella—let her play at rebellion. Every move she makes against us binds her tighter. Sooner or later, she'll beg to marry Prince James… and we'll own the throne through her groveling."

Wolf in Lamb's Skin

Ella watched it all from the moonlit garden, Emily at her side. The maid trembled as Nanny Ava's arrest unfolded in the courtyard below.

"T-They've turned on her!"

"Of course they have," Ella said, plucking a white camellia—symbol of false purity. "Grace discards pawns that outlive their usefulness. A lesson you'd do well to remember."Emily paled. "My lady?"

"The Second Branch has infiltrated your sister's household," Ella said mildly, tucking the bloom into the maid's hair. "They've promised her son a scholar's position in exchange for reports on my activities."

The maid crumpled to her knees. "I didn't know! I swear—""Rise." Ella's voice softened. "I share this not to punish, but to warn. The viper's fangs reach everywhere… even the Third Branch."