23 years later.

Vincent only had three daughters. 24-year-old Angela, 22-year-old Alice, and 20-year-old Dorothy. Many nobles pushed their sons forward, but Vincent kicked them all away.

“At this rate, I’ll grow old and die as an old maid!”

“Right, sister!”

Alice and Dorothy grumbled at their father’s behavior and married princes from other countries. 

So only Angela, who greatly resembled Cordelia, was left alone in the palace even though she was actually the oldest.

“What should I do…”

Left alone, Angela thought staying at her parents’ home might be better than going to another country, so she spent her days in a daze eating delicious desserts, reading books, and enjoying plays.

Angela had a hobby of painting, so she sometimes painted still lifes. Her paintings sold for quite high prices. Partly because she was a princess, but Cordelia had assigned Angela painting teachers since childhood. So her painting skills were top-notch. Cordelia whispered to her,

[Your father was a painter.]

She knew nothing about her biological father except that he was a commoner. But apparently he was a painter.

It was also enjoyable to read letters arriving one by one from her sisters who’d married into other countries.

A letter from 22-year-old Alice:

-Blah blah blah. (omitted) Sister. This is Talia and I’m so happy. So you should come here too.-

A letter from 20-year-old Dorothy:

-Blah blah blah. (omitted) Sister. This is Arand and I’m so bored. I think it would be fun if you came. Please visit.-

The two had somewhat similar tones, but the conclusion was the same. Both wanted Angela to come.

‘Alice and Dorothy are different from me. They’re both smart.’

Alice excelled at swordsmanship and Dorothy was intelligent. Angela was inferior to them in both brains and stamina. So Angela could only ever be the ugly duckling.

Since she wasn’t even the Emperor’s daughter, many people around her looked down on her. Each time, her sisters would step forward to protect Angela.

[You bastards, I’ll cut off all your heads with my sword.]

[If you bully our sister, you won’t live long. Hoho.]

Alice would swing her sword, and Dorothy would smile with a dark face and warn them. Thinking of those times, Angela smiled.

Her younger sisters were truly adorable. The wind blew and her hair fluttered. In the direction her silver hair swayed, a man stood watching her.

It was Isaac Johnson, her cousin with golden hair and black eyes. He was the son of Duke Conrad Johnson. He approached with a mischievous expression and snatched away her letter to read it.

“Isaac…!”

After reading it, he stepped on the letter with his foot. Angela was shocked and bent down to grab the letter under his foot. He rubbed Angela’s cheek with his shoe.

“Ugh…”

It was humiliating, but this cousin always looked down on Angela. Isaac rubbed her chest with his shoe. The toe of his shoe pressed firmly on the peak of her br*ast. Angela bit her lip.

“Stop it, Isaac.”

“…A half-noble daring to exist. Everyone says I should marry you. Since you have no succession rights, I should marry someone with succession rights like me.”

Isaac looked down at Angela with contempt-filled eyes. Angela avoided his gaze. She felt sad and miserable. She looked at his shoe crushing her chest. She stammered,

“I… I can marry someone else. You don’t have to be with me. You’ll become Emperor anyway.”

Isaac gestured for the maid to leave. He was the only remaining royal with succession rights in the palace. The maid was worried about Angela, but had no choice but to leave.

Isaac sat down and tapped the prostrate Angela’s head with his hand.

“Hurry and call back your sisters who got married. You don’t expect me to marry a deficient woman like you, do you?”

“Then don’t marry me!”

Angela glared at him, swatting away his hand. Angela’s eyes welled with tears. It was a sin to have fallen in love with this beautiful cousin with golden hair and black eyes. 

Though she couldn’t tell anyone, she couldn’t leave this place because of Isaac.

‘Even though he always looks down on me.’

When Isaac touched Angela’s face, she flinched and trembled finely. Her reddened face was exactly like the women who rushed at him saying they loved him. Ridiculous.

“Ha… You like me, don’t you?”

He put his hand inside her dress and touched her br*asts. Even though he touched her roughly, Angela didn’t resist. When he removed her dress, Angela’s br*asts were revealed. 

Though Angela was introverted and timid, her br*asts were magnificent. Isaac stuck out his tongue and licked her large, soft br*asts.

“Mmm… S-stop it, Isaac!”

“I don’t want to.”

Isaac’s hand went inside Angela’s dress. When he removed her panties, her private parts were soaking wet. He sneered at her and shoved his finger inside.

“Mmm!”

Angela trembled. Isaac practically embraced her and whispered in her ear.

“Why are you so wet? Hm? Are you a pervert?”

“I’m…! Ugh…!”

As his finger moved in and out, Angela shed tears from the pain. Isaac wanted to torment her more.

It had always been like this. Even though it was obvious she liked him, she never expressed it and always shook her head saying no, which annoyed him.

A half-noble daring to exist. An illegitimate child of the Empress. A princess without succession rights. Yet her pride was disgustingly high.

Bright red blood stained his finger.

“Heh.”

Isaac put his finger in his mouth and sucked on it. The sight was somehow lewd, making Angela embarrassed. Isaac straightened her dress properly.

“The wedding night should happen after the ceremony.”

“Isaac?”

Isaac turned away without hesitation. At his words, Angela’s face was completely elated. She gripped the grass on the ground tightly.

‘He wants to… marry me?’

Since she had no succession rights, everyone recommended Isaac Johnson, Conrad’s son, and soon Angela and Isaac’s wedding was held. The two were cousins with no blood relation, so there was no problem.

Vincent passed the throne to his nephew Isaac and left on a journey with Cordelia. They’d both developed claustrophobia from being unable to leave the palace for so long.

Isaac was a talent and genius without equal in the world. He inherited Princess Rosemary’s noble bloodline and Conrad’s cold, intelligent blood. Vincent had been thinking of him as a groom candidate for Angela, so he was very satisfied.

The wedding night.

Angela waited in the Empress’s Palace for Isaac, who’d become Emperor. She couldn’t believe it. She’d really become his wife! 

She’d married Isaac, beating out her younger sisters Alice and Dorothy who were mentioned as candidates!

While happy, she was also afraid. What if Isaac only accepted her to become Emperor? Vincent doted on Angela, so he might have threatened Isaac.

‘Maybe Isaac was forced to marry me…’

Tears welled slightly in Angela’s eyes. She had two younger sisters, yet she only showed behavior unworthy of an older sister.

Bang!

Isaac entered, opening the door like he’d break it. Without even closing the door, he pounced on Angela. Angela’s maids blushed and quickly closed the door as they left.

Isaac practically tore Angela’s thin clothing. Then he shoved his thick, hard member into her unprepared insides.

“Aaaah…!”

Angela cried from the pain. Seeing her tears, Isaac laughed mockingly.

“…It’s not even all the way in yet. You’re quite the drama queen.”

“Isaac… Please stop…! Ahh…!”

When Isaac thr*st harder, his member went almost all the way in. Blood flowed down Angela’s thighs. Seeing Angela’s tear-stained face, Isaac smiled. He slowly moved his hips and licked her br*asts.

“Isaac. Mmm… Please cherish me…”

“Why should I?”

Isaac spoke bluntly.

But Angela knew he was moving very slowly. Though she hadn’t experienced intimacy between men and women, she’d heard from her sisters who had. Angela stroked his face with tears in her eyes.

‘As expected, Isaac is with me reluctantly… But I…’

“Isaac… I’m happy to have married you. Mmm.”

“You should be. Marrying a worthless thing like you.”

“…Ah! Mmm! Ugh…!”

As Isaac increased his speed, Angela’s m*ans grew louder. The composure disappeared from Isaac’s face. He began pistoning urgently, and Angela’s pain only increased.

“Ah! Mmmm!”

“An…gela! Ugh.”

Isaac called her name. Seeing him without his usual composure, Angela felt somewhat elated. Even though it hurt, she was happy just to be joined with him.

Since childhood, she’d fallen for him at first sight.

She couldn’t express how grateful she was that they shared no blood. It was the first time she was happy about her status as an illegitimate child.

‘It’s okay if you don’t like me, Isaac… Because I love you.’

But tears kept flowing from this unrequited love. Isaac looked down at her crying with a displeased face.

“Do you hate it that much?”

“Huh…?”

Isaac, who’d briefly stopped thrusting, gripped her chin tightly in his hand. His black eyes glared at her like he’d devour her.

“It doesn’t matter if you hate it. Being noticed by me is your misfortune. I’ll make all your joy and sorrow mine. I’m very greedy…”

“T-then do that, Isaac. I love… you.”

“…”

“Even if you take other concubines, I won’t say anything. I’m satisfied just being by your side…”

“…What?”

Isaac’s face became more frightening. He gripped Angela’s arm tightly, making her wince from the pain. Isaac couldn’t understand Angela’s love. 

She said she loved him, yet she wouldn’t say anything if he took other concubines? He was furiously angry that she seemed to only care about herself.

“D*mn it…!”

“Mmm…!”

Isaac moved roughly again. Angela looked at him with tears in her eyes. His eyes were always fixed on her. Wherever she looked, finding him was easy. 

Just as she searched for Isaac, Isaac searched for her. Seeing him staring intently this time too, Angela smiled slightly.

“Don’t… smile!”

Isaac ground his teeth, and Angela became sad again at being told not to smile.

* * *

Alice and Dorothy attended their sister’s wedding. They waited several days to see their sister, but each time the maid conveyed that Her Majesty the Empress was in the bridal chamber and couldn’t come out.

“That bastard Isaac. Is he planning to k*ll our sister?”

Alice spoke with a fierce face, drawing her sword from its sheath. She was ready to run to Isaac and cut him down right away. Dorothy smiled and stopped Alice.

“Sister. Who uses swords these days? Poison is best.”

Dorothy took out a medicine bottle and grinned.

“We mustn’t leave evidence.”

“Right. You’re correct.”

Alice put her sword back in its sheath. The two looked at each other’s faces and sighed. Alice said while maintaining her sword,

“That bastard Isaac. He dared introduce me to the Prince of Talia. The bastard was desperate to marry our sister.”

“Oh my. He introduced me to the Prince of Arand too. He’s really meticulous.”

“Sigh.”

“Sigh…”

In the end, their sister Angela, who had an angel’s heart like her name, wouldn’t be a match for that wicked bastard. The two worried. Dorothy looked at the cloudless blue sky and said,

“But aren’t our parents really irresponsible? Passing the throne to Isaac and leaving on a trip right after sister’s wedding. Knowing what might happen to her?”

“Well, those two have such a good relationship. When have they ever worried about us?”

The two sighed again. Alice looked at the Emperor’s Palace.

“And Father originally intended to pass the throne to Isaac anyway. Of course, he thought the Empress would be our sister. Sister really… grew up loved by Father. Unlike us.”

“Right. Because she resembled Mother the most.”

More than Angela realized, Vincent discriminated among his daughters. He only gave expensive, beautiful jewels to Angela, and the best designers had to make Angela’s clothes first without exception.

Alice and Dorothy were always second after Angela. Later, Cordelia even advised Vincent that raising children with discrimination wasn’t good, but Vincent still doted on Angela.

Alice and Dorothy were initially hurt that their father only loved their sister, but soon became captivated by Angela’s kind nature and wanted to protect her.

Alice cleared her throat and continued, “But when can we see our sister?”

end of side stories.