The ritual

Maria let herself be guided. Comfortable enough — if you ignored the fact that her new body hadn’t come with memories included. Just her luck.

Anyway, more clothes. Heavier clothes. Apparently this Thanksgiving Day was important. She wondered if there’d be turkey, like in the States.

Not that she was hungry. Maybe it was the new body. Maybe her brain. She hadn’t really been able to eat much since Saturday. Tch — mental stuff, probably. She was the one who got cheated on, but she was the one who couldn’t eat. How was that fair?

And here she was, stuck in a mess she should be focusing on… but the misery kept crawling back into her head.

Guess it didn’t matter if you decided to move on — parts of you didn’t always get the memo.

She sighed.

The maids trembled.

She ignored them.

They packed her into a fancy carriage. Apparently they were moving inside the same estate — if you could even call it that. Endless gardens, buildings, all inside one property. The Archduke was loaded. Too bad she’d probably marry out of this mess. None of it would really be hers.

Then they brought her to what looked like a temple. White marble, tall pillars — fancy, expensive. She felt a stab of jealousy. She hadn’t even managed to change the ugly floor tiles in her old kitchen.

Inside? Not holy at all. Hard to breathe, heavy air.

Down endless doors and underground stairs, they reached a place full of people in long tunics.

Yeah. Not creepy at all.

She looked around. The father. The brother. Watching.

In the center: an altar, marble white. On top — cups, a golden dagger studded with jewels.

One man stepped forward. The others formed a circle. She was included.

“Today is a blessed day. Today we give thanks to the ancestors who sealed the great evil — Abyssar, the Disaster Dragon. Even if the glory belongs to the royal line, never forget it was Noirvelle who kept the seal alive all these centuries. Our name comes from the darkness of the black dragon. Today, we renew the seal again.

“Brothers and sisters, this year marks five hundred years since the seal was first forged. So each month the ceremony shall be repeated. Black Rose Astreia Noirvelle, as the firstborn of this generation, your power is most necessary. Come and fulfill your duty.”

Huh? Black Rose? Cringe.

She stepped forward. Her steps felt stiff, but refusing didn’t seem smart right now. Sealed dragon sounded big. Sure, she’d handled criminals — but dragons?

She was not prepared for what happened next. The man grabbed the dagger — and cut her wrist.

What the hell?!

The altar drank her blood. White marble turned black, veins spreading. A hiss filled the room. The others chanted in some weird language, music echoing from nowhere.

The altar turned completely black. No trace of white.

Just as she felt lightheaded from the blood loss — the wound closed itself.

A black rose bloomed on her wrist.

“With this, your duty as Noirvelle is fulfilled for today. Brothers and sisters, we gather again on the next Black Moon.”

People dispersed. She stood frozen, staring at her wrist.

“Well done, Astreia. You upheld your duty. Do not fail it.”

Her father’s voice — cold. He didn’t even check if his daughter was okay. He just left.

“Don’t think you’re important, sister,” Cassian’s voice purred behind her. “You were just born first. If I’d been born first, I’d be stronger than you.”

Jealous much? Petty idiot. What a waste of a good face.

Left alone, she stumbled back to the carriage. She wasn’t okay — physically or mentally. It was too much. Even strong people cracked under less. Yet here she was, playing her part. Maybe she was dead inside. Or maybe she was just not normal anymore.

She closed her eyes. Sleep crept in, but then — a whisper. Soft, fleeting, maybe her mind playing tricks.

“Crown and Sacrifice.”

The words echoed in her skull. It clicked.

When she was in her twenties, she’d been into 2D boys. No real-life dating for her.

Too bad she didn’t stick with that. Would’ve saved her so much trouble.

She’d played otome games. Hard ones — she’d even learned Japanese just to read the damn text. Crown and Sacrifice had been popular — one of her first games and visual novels. Classic story: a lost heroine, heir to a powerful family, tangled in betrayal.

She’d remembered playing two routes: the Crown Prince — she’d always had a thing for blond guys — and the villainess’s brother, Cassian. . . Her darling new brother.

Of all the stories I readed and the games I played, I was in a cliche one, popular in other times because it was a novelty, seriously.

Of course. The Black Rose — the villainess who ruined everything, who died in every route. Obsessed with her fiancé, the Crown Prince, desperate for love she never got for her family. A thorn in the heroine’s side.

And it all started with the dragon. Abyssar. Five hundred years sealed.

Well. Fu—

Scratch that. No swearing. Bad for court.

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In unrelated stuff, had anyone seen K-Pop Demon Hunters? I am obsessed with the soundtrack.