The Villainess’s Reputation [Kingdom Building]

On the Morning of Serena Solarius’s Wedding, Few Hours Before Magical Beast Attack, Imperial District, Capital City, Ancorna Empire

The morning air was crisp and cool, but the streets of the Imperial District were anything but peaceful. The clamor of hurried footsteps, raised voices, and the occasional creak of a wooden cart under its heavy weight filled the air as hundreds of commoners shuffled forward in a disorganized mass.

“This way! Do not push! Keep moving in a line!”

A weary Imperial Knight, clad in gleaming silver armor, stood at the forefront of the crowd. His commanding voice carried over the restless murmur of the evacuees, though his patience was clearly wearing thin. With a tired sigh, he muttered under his breath, “Of all days, why did this have to happen now?”

Despite his repeated orders, the evacuation remained slow and chaotic. Some citizens argued with the knights, demanding answers for the sudden displacement. Others lingered, looking back at their homes and businesses with profound reluctance. A few simply moved sluggishly, their half-awake minds struggling to grapple with the abruptness of the morning’s commands.

By his side, Dame Ocelina, maintaining her more easy-going demeanor, was busy assisting an elderly couple. She put her weight into it, helping them push their heavy street food cart down the cobbled road. The scent of lingering spices and roasted meat still clung to the wooden frame, a ghost of a morning rush that would never happen.

“I can’t believe we’re evacuating the entire Imperial District this early in the morning,” the first knight grumbled.

“It can’t be helped,” Dame Ocelina replied, exhaling sharply as she adjusted her grip on the cart’s handle. “Orders from the higher-ups.”

With a grunt, she gave the cart another powerful push before continuing, “I heard from the other department. Apparently, the Eastern Continental Medical Society issued an emergency warning to the City Guard.”

At this, the older knight turned his head slightly, his brow furrowing. “A medical warning?”

Dame Ocelina nodded grimly. “They found evidence that a slave infected with Hilon Pox has been roaming free in the district.”

Despite the severity of a potential outbreak, the knight couldn't help but scowl. “And it just had to happen on the day of the Imperial Wedding.” He gestured at the disordered exodus before sighing again. “Most of us are already spread thin guarding the high-ranking nobles and securing the venue. Now we have to handle an evacuation, too?”

Ocelina gave him a small, knowing half-smile as she continued to push. “But it’s a good thing Her Highness Ravenna’s knights and Duke Kevin Morgen’s men volunteered to assist, right? We’d be in a real mess without the extra hands.”

The older knight scoffed, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. “Of course. The Empire wouldn’t dare let something as insignificant as an outbreak ruin their grand wedding.”

As they spoke, the sun began to crest over the horizon, its golden rays painting the cityscape in warm, deceptive hues. The streets, once draped in the gray of dawn, now shimmered under the light, revealing the growing urgency among the displaced.

After hours of volunteered labor, Dame Ocelina returned to her primary post as a member of the Emperor’s Guard within the Solious Cathedral.

The atmosphere was heavy with incense. The Solious High Priest, draped in ceremonial robes embroidered with golden suns and celestial motifs, raised his hands to begin the sacred rites.

"Today, we are gathered here in the presence of the Goddess Solious," the priest intoned.

The ceremony continued for several hours, following the rigid traditions of the Faith. To any spectator, it looked normal, but Ocelina couldn't shake a persistent feeling of dread. Despite the joyous chatter on the stage and the radiant smiles of the nobles, her skin prickled. It felt as if a predator was lurking just beyond the reach of the magic lamps.

"I do."

With the final words from Princess Serena and the official sealing of the union, the cathedral erupted into applause. The sound reverberated off the high stone walls, a thunderous cheer that should have signaled peace. Nobles whispered amongst themselves about the significance of the marriage and the power it solidified.

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But then—

A piercing scream echoed through the vast, vaulted chamber.

A beast lunged from the shadows.

It was a massive wolf, its matted fur drenched in fresh, dark blood that glistened ominously under the golden cathedral light. Its jaws dripped with saliva, baring fangs that looked like jagged ivory. Its glowing red eyes locked instantly onto the stage: targeting Serena, Gray, and Emperor Andrew.

A noble in the audience shrieked, pointing a trembling finger. "T-That’s a magical beast!"

Panic surged through the crowd like wildfire. The once-orderly hall collapsed into total chaos. People scrambled to their feet, knocking over ornate chairs and crystal goblets in a desperate attempt to flee.

Dame Ocelina’s hand went instinctively to the sword, her eyes darting to the Emperor.

"Protect His Majesty!"

The Imperial Knight Commander’s order was like a whip cracking through the stunned knights. In perfect discipline, every Imperial Knight present rushed toward the stage, forming an iron barrier around the imperial family. Their swords gleamed under the sacred light of the cathedral, but even their presence did little to quell the growing horror around them.

The commotion continued in chaos as more magical beasts flooded the hall, killing anyone and everything in their sights. Dame Ocelina stood in the formation, striking down any beasts that dared move toward the imperial family. She moved with mechanical precision, her mind a blur of steel and blood as she helped her fellow guards hold the line.

In all the commotion, a sharp, commanding voice rose from within the circle.

“Everyone, close your eyes when I throw this!” Princess Serena shouted, her voice rising above the battle. “When I say open them, we run to the safest place we can find! Close your eyes, now!”

Dame Ocelina squeezed her eyes shut. A heartbeat later, a flower exploded midair, releasing a blinding burst of light. For a moment, it was as though a miniature sun had been born inside the cathedral. The light vaporized into glittering motes of dust, cascading downward in golden flares.

Screams filled the air as many of the magical beasts shrieked in agony. Their sensitive eyes couldn’t bear the brilliance. Some collapsed, stunned. Others flailed blindly, colliding into one another in their disorientation.

“Now! Open your eyes! Move!” Princess Serena cried out.

Dame Ocelina and the whole formation moved as one, shielding the imperial family as they retreated toward the stairway beside the Solious Statue that led to the audience balconies. The heavy iron gate of the stairway corridor creaked open as the High Priest ushered them in, and the group surged forward. One by one, they ascended the narrow stone stairwell, leaving the burning light and chaos behind them.

The moment the last person passed through, the High Priest slammed the gate shut and secured it. Just as the last bolt slid into place, the magical beasts near the altar began to recover their vision. Their heads jerked toward the left corner, where the remaining nobles had been frantically building a barricade by the second Solious Statue.

From her vantage point on the balcony, Dame Ocelina looked down, her breath catching in her throat. While the Emperor was safe, the hall below was a slaughterhouse, except for one corner.

There, Duke Kevin Morgen and Princess Ravenna stood at the vanguard.

Dame Ocelina watched, mesmerized. She had seen the best swordsmen in the Empire train, but this was different. Ravenna didn't use a longsword; she moved with a pair of wicked daggers, her movements a blurring dance of lethal grace. She wasn't just fighting; she was a whirlwind, protecting the cowering nobles behind her with a ferocity that defied her "exiled" status. Every time a beast lunged, a dagger found its mark: a throat, an eye, a joint.

Suddenly, Ravenna stood her ground in the center of the carnage. She drew a deep breath, and her voice rang out, amplified by the jasmine flowers threaded throughout the hall’s decorations. The natural mana in the flora harmonized with her will, carrying her words to every corner of the vaulted ceiling.

“I am Ravenna Solarius, Princess of the Ancorna Empire, Duchess of the Jola Dukedom!”

The magical beasts snarled and charged, bloodlust radiating from every limb.

“As the Descendant of Solious, Apostle of Herptian! Grant me the right to command your divine power!”

What followed was horrifyingly beautiful. The frenzied magical beasts halted mid-charge, their eyes widening in sudden, sharp confusion.

Then, absolute chaos.

The blood within their veins condensed violently, collapsing in on itself before bursting outward in a gruesome display of power. Crimson fountains erupted from eyes, noses, ears, and mouths. Their bodies twitched violently for a split second before collapsing like puppets with their strings cut.

A massive, snarling ogre was only steps away from Ravenna when it stopped. It let out a strangled gurgle and fell face-first with a thunderous crash, shaking the floor beneath Ravenna’s boots. Behind it, a goblin dropped. Then a scaled serpent. Then another. Dozens. Hundreds.

The entire room of monsters crumpled like wilted petals in the span of seconds.

The once-deafening roar of the beast horde fell into a stunned silence, broken only by the wet splatter of bodies hitting the floor.

Dame Ocelina gripped the balcony railing, her knuckles white. That image of Ravenna, standing atop a mountain of fallen beasts, her blood-stained dagger held high as the flickering light of a broken chandelier flashed over her like a divine halo was now etched into her mind forever. In that moment, Ravenna looked less like a disgraced unruly princess and more like a goddess descended to Earth.

Dame Ocelina looked back at the Emperor, who was staring down at his daughter with an expression she couldn't name.