Yongsun studied her ruby red fingernails.

“I like this shade. Find a way to reproduce this for the coronation next week," she ordered Yuqi, her lady-in-waiting. 

“Yes Minister!”

Yongsun smiled. Minister. No one had any idea the pure power those three syllables contained. She could order the heads of all the villagers cut off just to test the edge of a new saber. She could have a messenger fetch ice from the Northern mountains and have it ready to cool her wine by lunch the next day. She could do countless things the old King never could have done, despite being a woman. The world revolved around her.

No one can take this away from me.

Yongsun contemptuously flipped her wrist and several drops of her nail polish flew through the air. They landed with a soft splat on the pale skin of the girl lying at her feet.

“Are you ready to talk yet? Or should I paint my toenails too? I think you have more polish to spare.”

Yongsun nudged the girl’s head with her foot. A low moan escaped before she weakly lifted her head. Yongsun smiled internally. It was such a nice change being the one Shuhua groveled on the floor for, instead of the other way around. Yongsun still remembered kissing the tips of Shuhua’s boots when she first arrived at the Capital, the taste of dirt lingering heavily on her lips. She had felt so humiliated, her face burning with shame. That was when she swore that before a year passed, she would be the one on the throne, never having to bow to anyone again.

“I have nothing to say to the monster who killed my family.”

Yongsun threw her head back and laughed, her guffaws echoing throughout the stone torture chamber. Like most things Yongsun wanted, it wasn’t long before she made it happen. Barely three months had passed before she instigated the coup that placed her in power. What did it matter that the entire royal family had to die for her wish to come true?

“Just tell me why you were lugging around those books, and I’ll let you die quickly.”

Shuhua spat at her.

Yongsun daintily rose from her seat and