Chapter 3

After returning to the palace, King Alaric flew into a rage.

He demanded to know why Queen Elara and I had deceived him.

Just as I began to explain that I was neither a Green Peacock nor a Black Peacock, he silenced me with a sharp wave of his hand. "From this day on, you are no daughter of mine. After Celeste's wedding next month, you will leave the palace for good."

Not only did King Alaric decide to banish me, but he also confined Queen Elara to her chambers. The news spread quickly, further cementing the belief that I was a Black Peacock.

In just one day, I fell from the highest of honors to a figure of disgrace. My reputation was ruined, and naturally, no man would want to marry me now.

I accepted it all with quiet composure, spending my days either locked away in my room or hiding in the library.

One sunny afternoon, with the weather clear and bright, I found a maid and asked her to keep watch below. I took my true form, soaring up to the sky and momentarily blocking out the sun.

Moments later, I landed gracefully on the ground, returning to my human form.

“Princess, just as you said! When you spread your wings, your entire body shimmers with every color. It was breathtaking,” the maid gasped in awe. “You’re truly the most beautiful Black Peacock I’ve ever seen.”

I smiled softly. Her words confirmed what I had suspected.

I asked her to return to my chambers and sketch my original form, but before she could, I heard a mocking laugh.

“A Black Peacock is still a Black Peacock—no matter how beautiful, it’s still the lowest of the low among us.”

Ever since the incident, my palace had grown exceptionally quiet. She was likely the only one who would dare to come and mock me now.

I looked up to see Celeste, dressed in lavish robes, standing in the doorway.

Having caught the eye of Silvan, the most esteemed young lord of the Peacock clan, Celeste had been basking in glory lately.

Her food, clothing, and living conditions were now more extravagant than mine, the once-favored princess.

She flaunted her new status in the palace, finally having her moment in the sun.

Rumor had it that several maids in her palace had mysteriously disappeared.

“Aurelia, how do you still have the nerve to stay in the palace?” Celeste sneered. “Royal Father gave you a month out of respect for your mother. If you had any sense, you'd leave now and stop disgracing the royal family."

Celeste had disliked me since we were children, driven by jealousy over the affection I received.

I let out a cold laugh. “Celeste, what brings you here? Are you looking for the missing maids from your palace? If so, you've come to the wrong place. They're probably in the mouths of the beasts in the back mountains. Aren’t you afraid their restless spirits might come back to take you with them?”

Celeste’s face went pale, her teeth clenched in anger. “What are you so smug about? You're nothing but a discarded royal now. I, on the other hand, am about to marry Silvan. He is the most esteemed Green Peacock, and he believes that our union might produce a rare and noble Purple Peacock.”

I looked at her with a frosty smile. “Is that so? Congratulations, then. So why aren’t you off trying to have his children already? Though, I should warn you, Silvan doesn’t seem like he’s capable of fathering any.”

“You dare insult my husband? I’ll kill you!” Celeste shouted, raising her hand to strike me.

But she never could win a fight against me, not even as children. This time was no different; I easily pinned her down.

I hadn’t landed more than a few slaps before a powerful force pulled me away. Silvan had arrived.

“Who gave you permission to bully Celeste?” he demanded.

The moment Celeste saw Silvan, she transformed into a delicate, fragile figure, leaning into him as she pointed at me with feigned distress.

“Silvan, you’re finally here! She cursed me, saying I won’t be able to bear your children.”

“How absurd. Of course, you will give me a perfect Purple Peacock,” Silvan replied, gently stroking her face. “As for her, I doubt she could ever produce even a White Peacock in her life.”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “We’ll see who ends up childless.”

Silvan's expression darkened.

He had a secret—one only I knew. He was infertile.

In my previous life, when I discovered the truth, I had been ready to accept that we might never have children. I believed that as long as we loved each other, nothing else mattered.

But Silvan did not see it that way. Desperate for an heir to secure the throne, he begged me to drink a potion brewed from a rare plant known to force conception.

What he failed to tell me was that this root would drain my core, consuming every drop of my vital essence and blood. That was why I had reverted to my true form during childbirth.

And that wasn’t the worst of it; the potion had severe side effects. Headaches and nausea were the least of my worries. The most unbearable was the itching—deep, relentless itching that wasn't on the skin, but in the very bones. No amount of scratching could relieve it.

Perhaps fearing I would reveal more, Silvan quickly led Celeste away.

After they left, the maid returned with the painting she had completed. The moment I saw it, my eyes widened. The image confirmed my suspicions.

Over the past few days, I had been searching through the library for answers.

Ancient texts described the existence of the Mystical Peacock, a bird with black feathers that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow under the sunlight. The texts also stated that when a Mystical Peacock consumed the child-bearing potion, it would lay a white egg that would hatch into a Purple Peacock.

I realized then—I was never a Black Peacock at all. I was the legendary Mystical Peacock.

And the egg I laid wasn't a lowly White Peacock—it was a rare and noble Purple Peacock.

Since no one had ever seen a Mystical Peacock, Silvan had no idea what he was dealing with.

When I learned the truth, I chose to keep it to myself.

Everyone already believed the worst of me—telling them now wouldn’t change a thing. No one would believe me anyway. To prove myself, I needed to lay an egg and hatch it into something extraordinary.

But who could I find to help me lay an egg?

My reputation was in ruins; no respectable peacock would ever agree to sire a child with me. I had no other choice. I had to find a mate in the black market.

After much searching and sifting through a crowd of men, I finally chose one who caught my eye. His appearance was striking, almost dazzling—though, unfortunately, he was just a multicolored rooster.

No matter.

According to the ancient texts, a Mystical Peacock could produce a rare and auspicious offspring, even with any type of bird. As long as I had the right genes, the child would be exceptional.

The first day I brought him home, I started to undress him immediately.

The man’s ears turned bright red as he clutched his clothing tightly. “P-Princess, shouldn’t we… take some time to get to know each other… before… doing something like this?”

Take time to know each other?

That sounded like a waste of time.

I let go of his clothes, smiling. “How do you think we should get to know each other, then?”

“At the very least… we should learn a little about each other first.”

“Oh.” I sat back down. “I’m Aurelia. What’s your name?”

“Lucian.”

Good.

Now we were acquainted.

I jumped on him again.

Time to get down to business.