Chapter 41: Villainess Princess × Slave (4)

Cassian stared at the spilled, poisoned mess on the dirty stone floor, then slowly lifted his gaze back to Lyra. The dark, suffocating pressure radiating from his body was so heavy that Lyra’s breath hitched in her throat.

Ding!

[ TIME REMAINING: 1 MINUTE! ]

[ WARNING: FAILURE PENALTY WILL BE ENFORCED SHORTLY! ]

Lyra clasped her trembling hands behind her back, digging her fingernails into her palms to force herself to stand straight. "Well?" she choked out, making her voice sound as haughty and demanding as possible. "Are you just going to let good food go to waste, slave? Kneel down and clean it up with your tongue!"

She expected him to spit at her feet in defiance.

Instead, Cassian did something far more terrifying.

Slowly, he shifted his weight forward. The thick iron chains bound to his wrists clanked loudly against the cold cobblestones as he lowered his broad shoulders, getting down on his knees. He crawled a few inches forward until he was right in front of the iron bars, right where the poisoned broth had soaked into the grimy stone.

Then, without breaking eye contact with Lyra for even a single second, Cassian leaned down and licked the spilled stew off the floor.

Lyra’s breath hitched. A heavy lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed hard, her heart pounding violently.

His pitch-black eyes were locked onto hers- cold and dripping with an unholy promise of vengeance. Every slow, silent movement felt like a promise that once these iron chains fell, he would tear her world apart piece by piece.

Ding!

[ MISSION COMPLETED! ]

[ MANDATORY PLOT EXECUTED SUCCESSFULLY! ]

[ PHYSICAL PENALTY CANCELED! ]

The bright red warning screens vanished, replaced by a soft blue glow, but Lyra couldn’t feel an ounce of relief. She was trembling so hard under her silk dress that she feared her knees would give out right there in the dark corridor.

"G-Good," Lyra stammered, pulling her silk skirts up around her ankles as she took a quick step backward. "Remember your place, slave!"

Without waiting another second, she whirled around on her slippers and practically fled up the winding stone stairs toward the upper palace, her dress swishing wildly against the narrow walls.

In her absolute panic to escape the terrifying aura of Cell #4, Lyra failed to notice the small, silver-bound glass bottle slipping out from the pocket of her apron. The tiny bottle bounced softly against the top stone step, rolling down into the shadows right outside Cassian’s cell door.

Clink.

The quiet sound echoed faintly in the empty dungeon.

Cassian stopped. He slowly raised his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his bruised, chained hand. His sharp eyes flicked toward the narrow gap beneath the iron door, landing on the tiny glass vial lying in the dirt.

It was a crystal-clear liquid labeled with the royal crest: [ HIGH-GRADE GENERAL ANTIDOTE ].

Cassian’s dark brows pulled together in a tense, suspicious line. His pitch-black eyes narrowed as he stared at the small bottle.

What is this? he thought, his chest heaving as the first sharp, burning pangs of the paralyzing poison began to twist inside his stomach. Is this another game? Did she ’accidentally’ drop the cure right where I could see it, just to watch me beg for it?

He let out a low, bitter laugh that sounded more like a growl. He refused to give the spoiled, cruel princess the satisfaction. He sat back against the freezing stone wall, pulling his knees up, ignoring the clear bottle resting just out of his reach.

Meanwhile, up in the lavish royal bedchamber, Lyra slammed the doors shut and locked them tight. She collapsed onto her plush vanity stool, gasping for air as if she had just run a marathon.

"System..." Lyra whimpered, pressing her cold hands against her flushed cheeks. "I am never going down to that dungeon again. Never. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat he was planning to roast over an open fire!"

[ You survived, Host! ] the System cheered, floating happily near her mirror. [ And your performance was top-tier villainy! The High Headquarters algorithm marked the mission as a complete success! ]

Lyra let out a long sigh, trying to calm her racing pulse. She reached down into her dress pocket to pull out the small vial of antidote she had secretly swiped from her vanity earlier- just in case she had needed to trick the guards or secretly drop it somewhere nearby.

Her hand searched the deep fabric pocket.

Nothing.

Lyra blinked, her dark eyes widening. She reached into her other pocket, frantically feeling around the soft silk lining.

"Wait..." Lyra muttered, her voice dropping an octave. "Where is it?"

[ Where is what, Host? ] the System asked.

"The antidote!" Lyra squeaked, standing up so fast her stool scraped loudly against the floorboards. "I brought a vial of universal antidote with me in my apron pocket just in case! Where did it go?!"

She dumped the contents of her small apron onto the vanity table- ribbons, a handkerchief, a silver coin- but the small silver-bound glass bottle was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Lyra panicked, pacing back and forth across the rug. "It must have fallen out when I was running away from his cell! What if a guard finds it?! Or worse... what if Cassian sees it?!"

[ Host, if Cassian sees it, he’ll know you dropped it! ] the System pointed out.

"No, he won’t think I dropped it out of kindness!" Lyra cried, clutching her head. "With his 99.9% hatred, he’s going to think it’s a trap or a trick! He’s probably going to think it’s an even worse poison!"

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Down in Subterranean Cell #4, the poison was taking its toll.

The paralyzing liquid spread through Cassian’s veins like liquid fire. His throat felt restricted, and agonizing, cramps tore through his abdomen, forcing his breath out in ragged gasps. Cold sweat poured down his pale face, soaking his dark hair and sticking it to his forehead.

His fingers dug deeply into the dirt on the floor, his knuckles turning white as he fought against the intense, burning pain.

He glared at the tiny glass vial sitting just outside his cell door.

I won’t touch it, Cassian swore through grit teeth, his body shaking as another wave of internal heat ripped through his stomach. She wants me to crawl for it. She wants me to drink it and find out it’s a stronger poison that will make me scream for her amusement. I would rather let this gut-burning mess tear me apart from the inside out than play into her twisted little hands.

An hour passed. Then two.

The paralyzing effect grew so severe that Cassian could barely lift his arms. His vision blurred, swimming with dark, heavy spots as the agonizing heat in his stomach doubled, threatening to rip his senses away entirely. His breath came out in short wheezes.

Damn her... he growled internally, his teeth grinding together so hard his jaw ached. Damn that spoiled, wicked princess...

The pain reached an absolute, unbearable peak. It felt as if a white-hot blade was twisting endlessly inside his intestines. His body twitched against his control, his knees buckling on the hard floor.

He knew his limits. If his internal organs tore apart from the poison, he would die here in the dark, and his chance at revenge- his chance to reclaim his fallen empire and wipe out this kingdom- would be gone forever. He couldn’t die in a filthy cage for a villainess’s sick amusement.

With a harsh growl of pure frustration, Cassian forced his trembling arm forward.

He dragged his body across the cold stone, the iron chains rattling loudly in the quiet dungeon. He stretched his long, bruised fingers through the narrow gap beneath the iron cell door, reaching out until the tips of his fingers scraped against the cold glass of the small bottle.

He hooked the vial with his index finger, pulling it inside the cell.

Without hesitation, driven by pure desperation to survive, Cassian ripped the cork off with his teeth and slammed the liquid down his throat.

The liquid hit his stomach like a wave of soothing, ice-cold water.

Within minutes, the agonizing burning sensation began to fade. The sharp cramps eased, his restricted breathing opened up, and the paralyzing numbness slowly retreated from his limbs.

Cassian leaned his back against the stone wall, his head tilted up toward the ceiling as he gasped for fresh air, his body completely drenched in cold sweat.

He looked down at the empty glass bottle resting in his palm.

It was a real antidote. A high-grade, pure royal antidote that had completely neutralized the paralyzing poison in a matter of moments.

Cassian’s dark eyes narrowed into deep slits as he stared at the empty vial.

Why...? his mind raced, his chaotic thoughts twisting in confusion. She forced me to lick the poisoned stew... but then she dropped the exact cure right outside my door? Was it truly an accident? Or is she playing an even deeper, more sick mind game with me?

He crushed the fragile glass vial in his fist, letting the shattered pieces fall into the dirt.

"Princess Lyra..." Cassian whispered into the dark, quiet dungeon, his raspy voice dripping with curiosity and cold hatred. "What kind of game are you playing?"