"Answer my questions, and I will decide your fate."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Morvena stands tall—composed, unyielding.
Even with the cold blade resting against her shoulder, so close it could sever her head with a single flick of my wrist… she doesn't flinch. Doesn't breathe faster. Doesn't even blink.
Very good.
I'm even more impressed.
I tilt my head slightly, letting my voice cut through the tense silence like a blade of ice.
"First question," I murmur. "You said those three girls… they're your friends?"
"Classmates," she corrects gently, without hesitation. "Yes, they share the sa classes as I do."
"Classmates?" I echo, arching a brow. "Not friends?"
She shakes her head, just barely. "No. We've never spoken much. I don't involve myself in their gossip. We simply share space."
"Hm… interesting."
I take a slow, deliberate step forward. The blade follows, gliding ever so slightly closer to the pale skin of her throat.
"Then tell , Morvena… if they an so little to you—if they're nothing but classmates—why? Why risk your life for them? Are they truly worth it?"
Her answer is imdiate.
"Yes."
She swallows once, but her voice holds firm, her tone unwavering.
"I've already told you my reasons," she says. "A death sentence for a first offense is not justice. Foolishness isn't the sa as wickedness. They made a mistake, yes—but they can learn. And if I were given the chance again…"
She lifts her chin slightly.
"I would still do the sa thing."
She pauses—just a beat—to gather her breath, then continues.
"And… if I may," she says softly, her eyes eting mine, "may I ask you a question in return, Your Highness?"
"Hoh? You're quite daring," A smile curves the edge of my lips. "How bold of you. Ask, then."
She hesitates—but only for a heartbeat.
"Do you truly believe this is justice?" she asks quietly. "To risk your reputation… your dignity… over an act of petty cruelty? Is it truly worth it to lose more of yourself—just to feed the fear they already have of you?"
…
"Hahaha…"
I laugh. Low at first—then higher, sharper, like a blade singing in the air.
How delightful.
Without warning, I shift the blade.
The tip sinks ever so slightly into the delicate flesh at her neck.
A single bead of crimson forms, trembling against her skin before sliding down like a tear.
The crowd gasps.
"Morvena," I say, my voice dark and sweet, almost lodic, "are you… challenging my authority?"
She doesn't even blink.
"No, Your Highness," she replies smoothly, calm as ever. "I'm simply telling you the truth. What I see with my own eyes."
"Hoh?" My gaze narrows, my tone softening into a dangerous purr. "And what exactly do you see?"
She ets my eyes with quiet resolve.
And then—she speaks.
"I see a princess standing alone," Morvena says softly. "Surrounded by people who wear masks of loyalty, but hide hatred behind their eyes. You shine brighter than anyone in this kingdom—but you shine alone. Like a star cast into a sky too dark to understand your light. Your brilliance blinds them. That's why they fear you."
She takes a slow breath.
"That's why they whisper behind your back."
…
For a mont, I say nothing.
I can't.
Then—
"Ha… haha… HAHAHA—!"
Laughter bursts out of , a long, unrestrained laugh that's nearly feral.
I throw my head back as it rings through the courtyard like a bell cracked down the center.
"What a fascinating taphor!" I breathe, grinning. My voice is laced with a wild delight that skirts the edge of madness. "To call a star. A bright, misunderstood little thing trapped in a dark, cruel sky!"
"Yes," Morvena nods gently. "Just like Queen Alicia before you. Feared not for cruelty, but for power. For being too bright… too untad. But I believe—truly—that there is more in you. Kindness. Warmth. If you led with that instead of wrath, the hatred would fade. The lies, the whispers… they'd disappear. Without fear. Without blood."
…
I stare at her, lips frozen in a twisted smile.
Honestly?
That might be the most naive bullshit I've ever heard.
"Your Highness…?" she asks quietly.
My grin stretches, razor sharp and cold.
"This is the first ti we've t," I murmur, each word dripping with venomous amusent. "And yet you speak to as though you've known for years. As if you've seen into my heart. As if you… understand ?"
I step closer.
The courtyard seems to shrink around us.
"Isn't that just… ridiculous, Morvena?"
She doesn't reply.
Her brows furrow faintly—like she's trying to read a language not ant to be understood.
So I continue.
"What if you're wrong?" I whisper, leaning in—so close my breath brushes against her ear. "Kindness? Warmth? Are you out of your mind?"
Then I turn—spinning in place like a dancer in a cursed dream. My dress flares beneath the sunlight, fanning out like petals blooming from a deathly pale rose.
When I stop, I'm directly in front of her again.
"What if I don't want to be kind?" I say softly, voice like the edge of a blade. "What if I want to kill? To punish? To crush anyone who dares defy ?"
Her reflection stares back from my eyes—wide and clear—and within them, I see exactly what she must see:
Madness.
The corrupted princess.
The cursed child with demon blood seething beneath her skin.
"Tch." I scoff, pacing slowly around her. "You speak of kindness like it's so sacred virtue. But to ? It's pathetic. Weak. Those people—you think they're worth saving? With their smiles like knives and hearts full of poison? If you let them breed, they'll infect the whole damn kingdom."
I pause.
The air grows still. Even the birds fall silent.
"They gossip. They slander. They look at and see a monster. But do you even understand what it's like… to be born with corruption already festering in your soul? For people to whisper of demons the mont you take your first breath?"
…
I glance around.
And just as I expect—the crowd around us is frozen in terror.
Pale faces. Trembling knees. Lowered eyes.
Even the wind seems to hold its breath.
I turn back to Morvena.
"Two hundred and eighty-three," I whisper.
"…Your Highness?" she says softly, confused.
"Two hundred and eighty-three!" I laugh, louder now, spinning in place again, arms stretched wide. "That's how many assassination attempts have been made on since I was born!"
I throw the words like knives, slicing through the silence.
"Poison slipped into my milk. Daggers beneath my pillow. Snake venom in my bath. Traps in the hallway. A man who tried to crush my crib while I was still an infant. They tried to hang , drown , burn . Slit my throat in my sleep. Feed to summoned beasts. All before I turned six!"
I lean in again, close enough to see the flicker in Morvena's eyes.
"But I survived."
My voice drops.
"I always survive."
And then I whisper, quiet and bitter—
"So tell , Morvena…"
My eyes widen, filled with darkness and pain.
"…After everything they've done, everything they still do—how the fuck am I supposed to treat them with kindness then?"
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