Arrogant Student Slapped An Old Woman Unaware Who She Was Until This Happened…-hongtran

Why her?
She thought bitterly.
Why should the orphan become a princess?
All her life, Fiona had believed she was better than Jenny. She was the daughter of the house. She had been given the best food, the best clothes, and the softest bed.
Jenny had been nothing but a servant, a girl who washed plates and fetched water.
And now that same girl was about to sit on a royal throne.
Fiona turned to her side and clenched her fists.
“It should have been me.”
When morning came, she did not greet Jenny. She did not even look at her. She moved around the compound like a shadow, her thoughts heavy with anger.
Her mother noticed.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked as she stirred soup over the fire.
Fiona sat on a low stool and stared at the ground.
“Are you happy that Jenny will marry the prince?” she asked quietly.
Her mother paused.
“Happiness is not what I feel,” she admitted. “It brings honor to this house. But it should have been you.”
Those words were like oil poured on fire.
Fiona stood up suddenly.
“Then why should we allow it?” she said.
Her mother looked at her sharply.
“What do you mean?”
“We can stop it,” Fiona said. “The prince will not marry a mad woman.”
Her mother’s wooden spoon slipped from her hand.
“Fiona, watch your mouth.”

“She took what belonged to me,” Fiona snapped. “First she took people’s praise. Then she took the prince.”
Her mother sat slowly.
“You are speaking of evil.”
“Did she think of us when she became important?” Fiona asked. “Did she share the prince with me?”
Her mother was silent.
The seed of jealousy had already grown roots in her heart.
By evening, the two of them had made a decision. They left the village before sunrise, walking quietly into the forest. The bush was thick, and dew clung to their wrappers. Birds screamed in the trees, and strange insects buzzed in the air.
Neither of them spoke.
Their destination was the hut of the native doctor, the same man they had visited before.
When they arrived, smoke drifted from his doorway. Bones and animal skins hung from the roof. The smell of burning herbs filled the air.
“You have returned,” he said without surprise.
“We need your help,” Fiona’s mother said.
The native doctor looked at them closely.
“Your hearts are troubled.”
Fiona stepped forward boldly.
“The orphan girl will marry the prince,” she said. “We want to stop it.”
The native doctor’s eyes narrowed.
“You want to destroy another person’s destiny?”
“She does not deserve it,” Fiona replied.
The native doctor stood and walked slowly inside his hut. When he returned, he carried a small black talisman tied with red thread.
“This charm will disturb her mind,” he said. “Put it in her food or drink.”
Fiona reached for it eagerly, but the native doctor raised his hand.
“There is a condition.”
They both froze.
“When you leave this forest, you must not look back. No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, if you turn your head, madness will fall upon you instead.”
Fiona nodded quickly.
“We will not look back.”
Her mother hesitated.
“We will obey,” she said softly.

They took the talisman and began the journey home.
The forest felt darker on the way back. The path twisted like a snake, and the wind whispered through the trees. Every sound made Fiona’s heart jump. As they walked, Fiona imagined Jenny on the throne, wearing fine clothes and jewels.
“She thinks she is better than me,” Fiona muttered.