"Tanya, we have heard about what happened at the tea party. Care to explain yourself?" Tanya's mother gave a stern look, crossing her arms in a standing position.
Her beauty was of a much more mature nature than Tanya's, clearly showing a line a separation in terms of charm. While Tanya had become beautiful as her mother was at the same age, Tanya had a more masculine charm when facing other women. A charm so powerful that most girls would instantly blush and feel their hearts beat faster.
In the face of a more mature opponent, Tanya had to be on her toes. Her mother was nothing like the kids at the tea party, she has been a duchess for over 20 years.
"Mom, I heard that Evan was eyeing other women… Today, I went to help a baron's daughter defend against a man who tried to assault her. Evan came and told everyone in the crowd that I was trying to bully the girl and then he annulled our engagement!" Tanya let out a few tears for effect, producing a sense of sadness and injustice in her speech.
"OUTRAGEOUS! THAT BRAT DARES TO DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER?! Just wait until his mother hears about this! We already had the dress and venue picked for the wedding!" Her face quickly turned from stiff to outright enraged, seething with anger all over.
Tanya wiped her eyes with a handkerchief slowly.
King's throne room:
"Son, I am gravely disappointed in you." A red robed individual with a golden crown sat on the throne beside a similarly dressed woman of beauty.
"Father! It was that witch! Tanya Vermillion did this to me! You must aven-"
SLAP
Evan fell to the ground, dazed. A huge momentous force had hit him across his face, knocking him down in a more brutal manner than Tanya had. The feeling in his face had turned numb and his right eye became so swollen that he could not see through it.
"Did I ask you to speak? NO!" The man stood up and walked over to Evan slowly, slamming his feet onto the ground with each step.
"Your mother received a message from Duchess Vermillion, as well as an unknown informant just an hour ago." The king threw a bundle of papers onto the ground in front of Evan.
"You dared to slander Tanya in front of a large audience and subsequently annul your marriage with her?! OUTRAGEOUS!!"
SMACK
A foot impacted Evan's chest, sending him flying backwards about 10 metres.
"I was the one that asked your Uncle Mitch for the arranged marriage! I was the one that pitched the idea for our families to become one! And what do you do? You ruin it." A deathly and grim voice echoed throughout the room.
Silence.
"And all of this for a baron's daughter? I do hope you are proud of yourself, because you are no longer the heir to the throne."
"Mitch fought with me to defend the kingdom against demons, rival nations and endless hordes of beasts! We shed blood together for more than a decade! I begged him to have his firstborn daughter be my daughter in law. Evan Golde, you have embarrassed me today."
"On top of all of this, you have done this in a premeditated manner. I have received all of the various documents and testimonies, so do not dare to refute this."
"At least your sister studies earnestly and doesn't actively dishonour my name. Go and reflect on your actions." The king turned away and went back to his throne.
"Father…"
"Evan, you are my shame."
Afterwards, a declaration was announced to the entirety of the kingdom. It read as this, "From this day forward, Prince Evan Golde of the Golde Kingdom, shall be stripped of his status as crown prince. Princess Serena Golde shall now be the crown princess of the kingdom. All of this shall take effect immediately."
The incident became a widespread topic that was talked about amongst many noble youths and adults alike. The announcement of a crown heir was no small matter. Alliances had to shift and political ideologies needed to be reshuffled. No one knew much about their newly appointed future monarch, so no one knew how to appease her. As such, a scramble began.
"Tanya, I heard that Evan has been stripped of his crown prince status. Wanna celebrate?" Ben jumped onto the seat next to her in the garden.
In the middle of scheming within her mind, she was suddenly interrupted.
"I heard. I am indeed satisfied with the outcome, but I cannot expect it to be so easy going for long. The nobles are in a state of political disarray, all of them are worrying about whether they can appeal to Princess Serena. This makes things ripe for the picking. What better time to compete than when everyone does not know what they are doing?"
"Tanya… what do you intend to do?" Ben asked with a concerned look.
"I intend to do many things. It will definitely not be easy to become a self made noble, so I have hopes that this chaos will provide me with a much needed environment to thrive."
"Did you know that the valedictorian of any year in the academy shall automatically receive the noble rank of baron/baroness?"
"Yes." Ben gave a confused expression.
"Well, I intend to take it. And I intend to take it earlier rather than later. If I can graduate in the first year as valedictorian, I can begin my career as a noble much sooner than expected." A certain gleam could be seen in her eyes.
Tanya was no ordinary villainess. She knew the game better than anyone, but she lacked the political power. Only by rising through the ranks of nobility can she eventually become the mastermind.