Chapter 42: Villainess Princess × Slave (5)

Knock, knock!

Lyra jumped straight up off her vanity stool, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Princess, your imperial father has summoned you to the grand audience hall," a high-ranking attendant called out respectfully from behind the thick doors.

Lyra took a deepbreath, smoothing down the front of her sweeping emerald dress. She stepped toward the entrance, the wooden doors swinging wide as two rows of guards bowed low in unison.

She followed the attendant down the vast, sunlit corridors of the central palace. High arched windows offered sweeping views of the glorious imperial capital, but the grand architecture did nothing to ease the growing knot of anxiety in Lyra’s stomach.

As she stepped into the massive hall, the temperature seemed to drop instantly.

Sitting atop a golden throne at the far end of the long red carpet was the Emperor- a towering man in black and gold dragon robes. His dark hair was silvered at the temples, and his eyes, sharp, possessed a cold weight that made the entire room feel heavy.

The very moment Lyra entered the hall and saw him, her legs went weak. An uncontrollable shiver rippled straight up her spine. Her breathing hitched, her heart pounding loudly not just from her own fear, but from a deep terror rising from the very core of her physical vessel.

System... Lyra whispered frantically in her mind, taking slow steps forward while keeping her head bowed. Why is the original body reacting like this?! Wasn’t Princess Lyra supposed to be his utterly pampered, spoiled little golden goose?! Why is her body reacting as if she’s standing in front of an absolute monster?!

Ding!

The blue translucent screen flickered discreetly into her vision.

[ Ah... that is likely due to the hidden background plot, Host! ] the System explained softly. [ Before the original author published the web novel, several dark backstories and unrevealed drafts were scrapped from the final public version! Even though the public text claimed he spoiled her rotten, the original Princess was actually terrified of her tyrant father’s unpredictable, ruthless nature! The physical memory remains trapped in her muscles! ]

Lyra gulped, trying to force her trembling limbs to remain still. A hidden plot... lovely. As if navigating a vengeful fallen prince wasn’t enough!

She stopped at the foot of the marble dais, gracefully bowing her head. "Your Imperial Majesty. You summoned me?"

The Emperor stared down at her for a long, silent moment. His ringed fingers tapped rhythmically against the golden armrest of his throne, the hollow sound echoing across the empty hall.

Suddenly, the side doors opened. The clanking of iron chains dragged against the marble floor echoed through the vast space.

Two high-ranking guards shoved a figure forward. Cassian stumbled slightly, but he caught his balance instantly, standing tall despite the thick iron shackles binding his wrists and ankles. His dark clothes were still torn, his pale skin bore the dried remnants of his injuries, and his long, dark hair fell over his face.

Yet, as he stood before the Emperor of the enemy kingdom, his spine remained impossibly straight, refusing to bow.

The Emperor leaned forward, his dark eyes glittering with a strange, dark amusement as he looked back and forth between his daughter and the fallen crown prince.

"My precious daughter," the Emperor’s deep, booming voice echoed through the hall. "I heard a fascinating report from the subterranean guard captain this morning."

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat. She kept her face completely blank, forcing her hands to rest neatly in her lap.

"They told me you went down into the dark dungeons yourself," the Emperor continued, a cold smile stretching across his face. "I heard you forced this proud, stubborn prince of Solis to kneel on the dirt and clean up spilled food with his tongue."

The Emperor let out a loud, booming laugh.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" The Emperor clapped his large hands together, his eyes shining with pure, sadistic pride. "For a moment, I was worried you were growing soft after keeping him locked away for so long. But it seems my daughter is having real fun with her new toy!"

Cassian remained completely motionless, but the muscles along his jaw tightened into rigid iron. His pitch-black eyes flicked toward Lyra for a fraction of a second- dark, cold, and burning with an intensity.

Lyra stayed completely silent, her lips pressed into a tight line as her body shivered under her gown.

The Emperor stood up from his throne, descending the marble steps with slow strides until he stood directly in front of Lyra. He reached out, his fingers pinching her chin to force her to look up into his cold gaze.

"Good... very good," he chuckled darkly, his thumb pressing firmly against her jawline. "You are just like me, Lyra. Cruel, relentless, and unyielding. We do not break our trophies; we bend them until they have no soul left to resist."

Lyra felt the original body’s instinctual terror spike, but she forced a cold, arrogant smile onto her face, playing her role to perfection. "Of course, Imperial Father. I merely wanted to remind the slave of his place."

"And you did it splendidly," the Emperor said, letting go of her chin and turning his gaze back to Cassian. His eyes narrowed with a sudden glint of deep suspicion.

"However..." the Emperor mused, his voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet murmur. "A tiger in a cage is still a tiger. Leaving him down in the dark cell allows him too much quiet time to think... to plot... to gather his hatred."

The Emperor turned back to Lyra, his lips curving into a twisted grin.

"Starting today, I am reassigning him," the Emperor declared casually, as if handing over a piece of furniture. "Cassian Draven will no longer rot in the subterranean cells. He is now your personal servant."

WHAT?! Lyra’s soul practically exploded out of her chest in pure panic.

She stared at her imperial father in utter shock, barely managing to keep her jaw from dropping open.

"He will follow you everywhere," the Emperor instructed, oblivious to her internal breakdown. "He will stand guard outside your bedchamber, carry your items, pour your tea, and obey your every command. If he so much as steps out of line or looks at you with disrespect, you have my full permission to break his legs."

The Emperor chuckled again, patting Lyra’s shoulder heavily before turning to walk back up the marble dais. "Take your new servant and leave me. I have a war strategy meeting to attend."

"Y-Yes, Imperial Father..." Lyra stammered softly, curtsying before turning around as quickly as her slippers would allow.

As she marched down the long red carpet toward the exit, the two guards unlocked Cassian’s heavy ankle chains, leaving only the iron cuffs around his wrists. They shoved him forward, ordering him to follow two paces behind the Princess.

Lyra gulped heavily, the sound of his quiet footsteps echoing right behind her.

So he is going to be with me the whole time... Lyra screamed frantically in her mind, her heart beating fast. Ughhhh! System! How am I supposed to survive ninety days with my future executioner breathing down my neck twenty-four seven?!

Ding!

[ Think of the bright side, Host! ] the System piped up cheerfully in her head. [ Being close to you gives you way more opportunities to execute mandatory plot missions! Plus, once the Female Lead, gets recruited in two weeks, you can easily command him to interact with her right under your nose! ]

Interaction?! Lyra thought bitterly. Right now, the only thing he wants to interact with is my throat!

They walked in suffocating silence through the winding glass corridors of the royal palace. Lyra kept her head held high, her chin tilted up in her signature arrogant posture, but every nerve in her back was hyper-aware of the tall, presence walking right behind her.

She could feel his pitch-black gaze locked onto the back of her neck- calculating and observant

When they finally reached the private sanctuary of the Princess’s grand estate, Lyra pushed open the doors of her sitting room and stepped inside. She turned around swiftly, blocking the doorway with her body.

Cassian stopped dead in his tracks, standing two steps away on the polished marble floor.

Up close, without the dark shadows of the dungeon obscuring his face, his features were strikingly handsome- sharp, sculpted jawline, high cheekbones, and dark eyes that seemed to swallow the light around them. Despite his rough, torn clothes and the iron cuffs on his wrists, he carried an air of natural authority that made it impossible to view him as a simple servant.

Lyra clasped her hands behind her back, taking a deep breath to settle her racing pulse.

"Listen to me, slave," Lyra began, making her voice sound as haughty and demanding as humanly possible, even though her inner soul was shaking like a leaf. "My imperial father may have assigned you to my side, but do not think for a single second that means your status has changed! You are here to serve me, and me alone."

Cassian didn’t respond. He merely stared down at her, his lips twitching into the faintest, most dangerous smirk.

"You will stand guard outside these doors," Lyra ordered, pointing a finger toward the corridor. "You will speak only when spoken to, and you will not enter my bedchamber unless I specifically summon you! Do you understand?!"

Cassian slowly lowered his head in a mock bow, his raspy, deep voice cutting through the quiet room.

"As you wish... Your Highness."

The sound of his voice- smooth, dark, and underlying mockery- sent a fresh shiver straight down Lyra’s spine.

Without waiting another second, Lyra pulled the doors shut and slammed them closed, locking the brass deadbolt with a CLICK!

She collapsed against the wooden door, sliding down until her dress pooled around her on the floor. She buried her face in her hands, letting out a long, pathetic groan.

"Ninety days..." Lyra whimpered into the quiet room. "Ninety days of living with a sleeping volcano..."

Outside the locked door, Cassian stood quietly in the empty, sunlit hallway. He slowly raised his hand, looking down at his iron-bound wrists, before his pitch-black eyes flicked back toward the wooden door.

His mind flashed back to the small, silver-bound glass bottle he had crushed in his cell- the pure antidote that had saved his life from the paralyzing poison. Then he recalled the look of absolute, genuine terror in the Princess’s eyes when she had stood before the Emperor just moments ago.

Cruel and unyielding, just like her father? Cassian thought, a cold, dark glint flashing in his eyes as he leaned his shoulder against the wall. No... something about this spoiled princess doesn’t add up.

He closed his eyes, his dark smirk returning in the quiet hallway.

Let’s see how long you can play this game, Princess Lyra.