Am I the Villainess of this Story?

Interlude 7: A Heroine's Change of Heart

I am Alyssa Grant. I was born in Gatrea, a country torn by civil war. My parents were once servants of the crown prince. But, because the country's Prime Minister wanted to install the second prince as a puppet king, he moved to eliminate the crown prince from the line of succession. Crime after crime were charged against my parents' master. Although all the crimes were proven false, the crown prince's reputation was ruined. The king felt that he cannot hand over the kingdom over to his firstborn and stripped him of his position.

Blackened by this turn of events, the prince became cruel and ruthless. He amassed forces and allied with nobles who were dissatisfied with the status quo. In the end, he ordered my father to slip into the palace to poison the king. And, with the threat to our lives hanging over his head, Father had no choice but to obey.

After the king's sudden death, suspicion ran rampant over the imperial court. Two factions were quickly established. Under the banner of the second prince, the Prime Minister launched his forces against the first prince. And, with the position that as firstborn, he was more eligible to rule, my family's master led his people to claim the throne.

After five years of war, the first prince finally won. However, in order to cover up the fact that he ordered his father's death, my father was implicated as the second prince's spy and was accused of treason. The assassination of the king was attributed to the second prince allowing his brother the reason to have him executed. Of course, as his so-called spy, my father was also to be executed.

To make himself look benevolent, the first prince allowed Mother and I to leave his employ without any further ado. But, the charge of treason against Father left a huge shadow over the two of us. No one was willing to employ the wife of a known traitor after all.

In the end, in order to support ourselves, my mother was forced to sell herself while I learned how to steal. After three years of living in such deplorable conditions, my mother's body can no longer take it. Her mental and physical fatigue finally got the better of her. Soon, she left me alone to face this unforgiving world.

I spent two more years living as thief in this miserable country. At the age of twelve, men began to look at me with lustful eyes. They believe that like my mother, I would be willing to sell my body just to earn money. But that is not so. I'd rather die than to let those filthy nobles touch my body. I will do everything and anything to show those bastards the feeling of powerlessness that I felt when they left my family for dead.

xxxxx

Gatrea was a country that both revere and villify magic. The citizens view mages as abominations but, at the same time, they covet the power that mages possess. This is probably because only a select few can use magic in this country.

It was just my luck that I was discovered to be a person capable of using magic. After realizing that I could be a useful pawn, the first prince ordered my capture. With the promise of clearing my father's reputation and the threat of using me as a plaything to be used by his subordinates, the bastard ordered me to attend Mirrae Kingdom's most prestigious magic school.

I had no choice but to agree.

In order to ensure my acceptance, I was provided with tutors. I was taught not only about magic but also of the history and culture of Mirrae. Of course, I only listened fully on my lessons on magic and did not pay attention to anything about the country that I was supposed to infiltrate. After all, how different can that country be from this hellhole.

After a year, I was finally deemed to have sufficient knowledge to pass the entrance exam. Thus, I was sent to Mirrae with enough funds to sustain me for three years, four if I am able to be frugal about things. I was delivered to a cottage situated near the lodgings of Gatrea's envoy in Mirrae. Apparently, the area is supposed to be part of the territory of the Einhart Dukedom. For quite some time, I lived leisurely while waiting for the time for the exam. And, because I didn't want to rely too much on the money provided by that bastard, I decided to continue using my skills to relieve some well-off people of their finances.