Chapter 70: Villainess Princess × Slave (33)

Lyra felt a shiver run down her spine, her shoulders flinching as she sneezed softly into her hand once again.

ACHOO!

"Nuh-uh..." Lyra muttered under her breath, rubbing her cold nose with a deep frown. "Something really, really wrong is about to happen. My spider-senses are tingling off the charts right now!"

She clutched her head, her inner soul pacing back and forth in as she addressed her invisible companion.

"System! When is the final war actually going to be held?!" Lyra demanded in her mind. "Give me a real timeline here!"

Ding!

A glowing blue notification window materialized right beside her shoulder, flashing a yellow clock icon.

[ SCRIPT TIMELINE UPDATED! ]

EVENT: The Grand Eastern Rebellion War & Capital Siege!

ESTIMATED TIME: Within the next week!

Lyra stood up from the marble bench so fast her silk skirts swished wildly against the stone path "THIS SOON?!" she shrieked internally, her dark eyes bulging out in absolute terror.

[ YES, HOST! ] the System chimed back, its digital voice sounding entirely helpless. [ Since the storyline changed so drastically after Cassian escaped early, the rebellion timeline has accelerated! ]

"Ugh!" Lyra groaned, burying her face in her palms. "I feel so weird... It feels like very soon I’m going to see Cassian no longer as a helpless slave, but as a terrifying, powerful king! He could literally just chop me into a million pieces with a single wave of his sword!"

She paused for a second, a sudden thought striking her mind as she blinked her dark eyelashes.

"Wait..." Lyra asked, tilting her head. "What is his hatred value toward me right now, anyway?"

Ding!

The System displayed the metric panel instantly:

[ CASSIAN DRAVEN’S HATRED METRIC: 0% ]

Lyra stared at the big fat zero, her eyebrows knitting together in deep confusion. "Does that mean... he’ll spare me or something when his army burns the palace down? Since he doesn’t hate me anymore, will he just bypass my head?!"

[ Well, Host... the system updates are currently ongoing, ] the System explained, its blue screen flashing code sequences. [ Soon we will redo and recalculate the emotional values so the ending will reach the exact point we are looking for! You don’t have to worry just yet. ]

Lyra gave a slow, hesitant nod. "Hmm... so I basically have two more weeks to just relax and figure out my backup plan."

With that thought comforting her frantic mind, Lyra turned away from the rose garden and began walking back toward her lavish private estate to enjoy a quiet afternoon nap.

However, as she approached the grand double doors of her private bedchamber, Lyra’s sharp eyes narrowed in instant suspicion. She stopped dead in her tracks, her dark gaze locking onto the four knights standing guard outside her room.

Wait a minute... Lyra thought, her mind clicking. The guards standing outside my room have changed! These aren’t my usual estate guards!

The moment Lyra walked past them, the four knights bowed their heads in silent

Lyra cast a cold, suspicious glance at them before pushing open her doors and stepping into her bedchamber.

Before her slippers could even touch the soft carpet, and before she could even sit down on her armchair to catch her breath-

BANG!

A guard barged into her room, bowing hastily with a sealed golden scroll in his hands

"Her Imperial Highness Princess Lyra!" the guard announced loudly. "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, has issued an immediate royal decree! Your presence is required in the Imperial Audience Chamber right now!"

Lyra let out a loud annoyed groan, rolling her dark eyes toward the ceiling. "Ugh! Can’t a villainess get a single hour of peace in this palace?!"

Ten minutes later, Lyra marched into the grand, imposing Imperial Audience Chamber.

The room was cold, and echoing with an oppressive silence.

High up on the golden throne sat her father, the tyrant Emperor.

Lyra stopped at the base of the dais, preparing to give her usual royal curtsy. However, the moment she raised her head and looked up at her father’s face, her dark eyes widened in genuine shock

The tyrant Emperor a man known across the continent for his ruthless, bloodthirsty, and arrogant demeanor looked utterly ruined.

The color from his face was completely drained, leaving his skin a ghostly, sickly ash-grey. Dark, shadows hung under his hollow eyes, his hands trembling visibly as they gripped the golden armrests of his throne. He looked less like a mighty ruler and more like a terrified old man waiting for the executioner’s axe

"Imperial Father?" Lyra called out, her voice echoing in the quiet chamber. "You summoned me?"

The Emperor swallowed hard, his raspy voice breaking through the silence.

"My... my dear daughter," the Emperor choked out, his eyes flickering around the empty hall as if dark ghosts were lurking in every shadow. "Your engagement has been finalized... It has been decided."

Lyra’s eyebrows furrowed sharply. "Finalized? With whom? What happened to the prospective foreign princes I was supposed to meet at the pavilion?"

"None of them!" the Emperor barked frantically, his voice cracking with panic "About them... no! None of those weak, foolish boys are worthy of your beauty! Only a man like him... a terrifying warlord who has won tons of bloody wars and commands an unstoppable force... is worthy of taking your hand!"

Lyra’s breath hitched in her throat. Her dark eyes narrowed into slits as she stared at her father’s terrified frame.

She sneered coldly, stepping forward with an arrogant posture.

"Are you using your own daughter as a sacrificial lamb, Father?" Lyra mocked, her voice dripping with, poisonous sarcasm. "Just say it out loud! Just admit that you want to sell me off to buy a few extra days to save your dying, pathetic kingdom!"

The Emperor’s face twisted in a mixture of pure humiliation and absolute terror He slammed his trembling fist onto the armrest, standing up from his throne with a roar!

"THIS IS MY LAST DECISION!" the tyrant Emperor shouted back, his voice trembling violently. "You have no say in this matter, Lyra! Tomorrow morning, you shall be escorted directly to his kingdom as his bride!"

Before Lyra could even utter a single word of fierce protest-

"Guards!" the Emperor yelled frantically, waving his hands. "Escort the Princess back to her estate immediately! Lock the doors and prepare her bridal attire! No one is permitted to let her step foot outside her room until the carriage arrives tomorrow!"

Four imperial knights instantly stepped out from the shadows of the pillars, surrounding Lyra from all sides and bowing stiffly. "Your Highness, please follow us."

Lyra glared back at her father, her dark eyes burning with pure, cold disdain.

She didn’t throw a scene, nor did she scream. She simply turned on her heel, her silk skirts swishing softly against the marble floor as the guards escorted her out of the grand chamber.

As the doors of the audience chamber slammed shut behind her, Lyra muttered under her breath, a realization settling deep within her chest.

"...Seems like he already knows what’s about to happen," Lyra whispered low, her heart beating with a, restless rhythm.

Her father hadn’t arranged a normal royal marriage- he was desperately trying to appease a unstoppable force that was marching straight toward the capital gates

The ride back to her estate was completely silent.

The moment Lyra entered her private bedchamber, the doors were slammed shut and locked from the outside. Dozens of guards took up position in the hallway, sealing her inside her own room like a gilded cage.

Inside the bedchamber, Mabel was standing nervously near the vanity table, holding a magnificent, sparkling red bridal gown embroidered with pure gold threads.

"Y-Your Imperial Highness..." Mabel stammered out softly, her blue eyes trembling with deep worry and sadness. "The Emperor’s servants brought this bridal gown... Is it true? Are you really being sent away to another kingdom tomorrow?"

Lyra walked over to her armchair, slumping into the soft cushions with a long, exhausted sigh. She didn’t even look at the expensive red dress.

"Yeah," Lyra grumbled, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at the crackling fireplace. "My tyrant father is selling me off as a peace offering."

Mabel’s hands clenched tightly into the red silk fabric. Her face paled, a rare, fierce anger flashing deep within her gentle blue eyes. "That is terrible! How could His Majesty force you into a marriage with a ruthless warlord without your consent?!"

"Because he’s terrified for his own neck," Lyra scoffed, a sarcastic smile curling her lips.

Ding!

A bright red notification window exploded right in front of Lyra’s face!

[ WARNING: EMERGENCY PLOT EVENT ACTIVATED! ]

EVENT: The Bridal Transport Escort (Tomorrow Morning)!

DESTINATION: The Eastern Territory Border!

REALITY CHECK: The "ruthless warlord" receiving the bride is none other than Target Cassian Draven!

Lyra’s jaw dropped so hard it practically hit her plush carpet!

"WHAT?!" Lyra screamed frantic, chaotic thoughts inside her mind, her inner soul grabbing its hair in madness! "THE RUTHLESS WARLORD IS CASSIAN?! MY FATHER IS HANDING ME OVER DIRECTLY TO THE MALE LEAD ON A SILVER PLATTER?!"

[ YES, HOST! ] the System shrieked back, red warning lights flashing everywhere across its blue panel! [ The Emperor realized Cassian’s rebel army has already surrounded the capital! In a desperate attempt to save his own life, the Emperor is surrendering you to Cassian as his royal bride! ]

Lyra collapsed backward into her armchair, staring blankly up at the dark wooden ceiling.

"I am officially done..." Lyra wailed softly under her breath, her soul deflating out of her mouth like a popped balloon. "I tried to be a villainess, I tried to play cupid, I tried to run away... and now I’m literally being delivered to the Male Lead’s doorstep in a bridal dress! WHAT KIND OF BROKEN STORY IS THIS?!"