Chapter 69: Villainess Princess × Slave (32)

Before Prince William could even process the bone-chilling pressure crushing down upon his chest, he suddenly dropped to one knee, clutching his trembling heart.

"I-I am so deeply sorry, Your Imperial Highness!" Prince William gasped out in pale-faced terror, bowing his head frantically toward Lyra. "I have... an urgent, sudden matter to attend to! Please excuse my extreme rudeness!"

Without waiting for a response, the young prince scrambled to his feet, threw his bouquet of roses onto the grass, and practically sprinted away from the pavilion as if the devil himself were chasing him

Lyra stood frozen in the center of the pavilion, her hand still raised mid-air. Her dark eyes blinked once, twice, three times in complete disbelief.

"WTF just happened?!" Lyra shrieked out loud.

She whipped her head around, scanning the blooming blue hydrangeas, the koi ponds, and the trees. The gentle morning breeze rustled through the green leaves peacefully, but there was completely no one in sight.

"System!" Lyra yelled in her mind, her soul clutching its head in frustration. "Are you absolutely, one-hundred-percent sure Cassian isn’t lurking around here?!"

The System stayed completely silent, its glowing blue screen dimming into an awkward, empty void.

Lyra let out a loud, and extremely annoyed breath, rolling her eyes toward the sky. "Tsk! What an annoying, useless System! I am definitely going to demand a full refund and request a new one the second I get out of this world!"

Gathering her sweeping ice-blue skirts, Lyra turned on her heel and stomped away from the pavilion, completely fed up with the bizarre date.

A few moments after her soft footfalls faded into the distance, a tall, shadowy figure slowly stepped out from the dark foliage of the trees.

He started walking and stopping right on the exact spot where Lyra had been standing just moments before. His dark eyes drifted down toward the floor, landing on a small piece of pale-pink silk.

Lyra had mistakenly dropped her embroidered handkerchief when she had instinctively pulled her hand back in alarm.

The mysterious figure leaned down, picking up the soft silk fabric with fingers. He raised it slowly to his face, resting the silk lightly against his lips, inhaling the familiar, sweet, blossom-like fragrance that lingered upon it.

As the faint sunlight caught his jawline under the shadow of the trees, a dark, deeply possessive smirk plastered across his lips. Tucking her precious handkerchief safely into his inner coat, the dark figure vanished back into the shadows as silently as a ghost.

Meanwhile, Lyra was escorted back into the main imperial palace by a squad of royal guards.

However, the second she stepped through the grand archways, she felt an unmistakable, suffocating tension hanging thick in the air.

Servants were scurrying back and forth through the corridors with pale faces. The royal knights were standing in rigid, tight formations, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords far tighter than usual.

What on earth is going on now? Lyra thought, her eyebrows furrowing in deep suspicion. Did the Emperor find out I scared away Prince William already?

She marched straight down the central hallway toward the high double doors of the Imperial Court. But before her slippers could even cross the golden threshold, two high-ranking imperial guards stepped forward, crossing their long steel halberds right in front of her path

"We beg for Your Highness’s forgiveness!" the guards stammered out nervously, bowing their heads low. "Her Imperial Highness cannot enter! His Imperial Majesty and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Julian have explicitly ordered that no one is permitted to disturb their emergency council meeting!"

Lyra’s dark eyes flashed with pure irritation. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring coldly at the crossing blades. She had absolutely no desire to see her tyrant father or her psychotic brother’s terrifying faces anyway!

"Hmph!" Lyra scoffed loudly, raising her chin in arrogant disdain. "Fine! Tell that prince and my father that the prospective suitor ran away like a frightened rabbit!"

Without giving the stunned guards a chance to respond, Lyra turned her back on the court doors and stomped away down the long corridor.

As she walked toward the grand gardens, she caught sight of two young maids whispering anxiously near a pillar, clutching their brass serving trays.

Lyra stopped in her tracks, pointing a finger at them. "You two! Come here!"

The two maids flinched violently, their faces draining of all color as they scurried over and dropped to their knees before her. "Y-Your Imperial Highness!"

"What happened in the court after I left for the pavilion?" Lyra demanded, her voice cool "Why is the entire palace running around like headless chickens?"

The two maids stayed completely silent, exchanging terrified glances with each other, their lips tightly sealed.

"Speak!" Lyra barked, putting on her absolute scariest tone. "Or I shall have your tongues cut out for insubordination!"

The maids trembled violently, bowing their foreheads

"P-Please spare us, Princess!" one maid sobbed out softly. "We truly have no idea what is happening inside the court! All we know is that... a blood-stained messenger guard came running back from the capital gates at top speed!"

"A messenger guard?" Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" the second maid squeaked out. "He barged straight into the Imperial Court and yelled something urgent to His Majesty and Crown Prince Julian... and ever since then, this heavy mood has spread throughout the entire palace!"

Lyra hummed softly under her breath, a quiet, uneasy knot tightening in her stomach. "A messenger from the capital gates...?"

Dismissing the terrified maids with a wave of her hand, Lyra walked out into the open air of the grand royal garden.

The afternoon sun was warm, but the breeze carrying through the blooming roses felt oddly chilly. Lyra walked over to a bench near a row of bushes and sat down with a weary sigh.

As she leaned back, her dark eyes happened to catch a familiar figure working in the garden nearby.

It was Mabel

The Female Lead was wearing her simple maid uniform, kneeling by the high rosebushes as she carefully trimmed the overgrown branches with a pair of shears. However, because Mabel was completely distracted and nervous from the heavy atmosphere in the palace, her hand slipped!

AH!

A sharp rose thorn dug deep into Mabel’s index finger! blood instantly welled up from the small cut, dripping onto the green leaves.

Lyra stared at the scene, her modern memory instantly flashing with the original novel’s storyline script

Wait a minute! Lyra realized. In the original script, this exact scene is supposed to happen! Mabel cuts her finger on a rose thorn while cleaning the garden, and Cassian- who is supposed to be standing guard nearby- is supposed to step forward, pull out his handkerchief, and gently wrap her bloody wound, sparking their romantic destiny

Lyra let out a dramatic scoff, shaking her head.

"Hah! No Male Lead, no plot!" Lyra muttered under her breath, a sarcastic smirk curling her lips. "The Male Lead is off playing hide-and-seek somewhere, so this legendary romantic trope is completely dead!"

Looking over at the bleeding Female Lead, Lyra decided to use this opportunity to execute a minor villainess task. She pointed her finger at Mabel and barked loudly, "You! Come over here right now!"

Mabel snapped out of her daze, looking up with wide, bright eyes. The moment she saw Princess Lyra sitting on the bench, her face instantly lit up with pure, sparkling joy, completely forgetting the bleeding cut on her finger!

"Your Imperial Highness!" Mabel chirped happily, quickly pushing herself up and hurrying over to the bench, bowing with deep reverence. "How may I serve you?"

Lyra put on her meanest scowl. "Look at you, getting blood all over my garden! Give me your hand before you drip it on the marble floor!"

Lyra reached into her inner pocket, intending to pull out her own handkerchief to throw it at Mabel’s face in an arrogant manner to earn a few quick villainess points.

However, her fingers swept through empty air

Lyra froze. She checked her other pocket, then patted her sash frantically, her eyebrows furrowing tightly.

Where the heck is my handkerchief?! Lyra panicked internally. I literally had it five minutes ago! Did I drop it when that stupid prince ran away?!

Mabel noticed Lyra’s confused, frantic movements and tilted her head sweetly. "Is Your Highness looking for something?"

"Yeah... my handkerchief," Lyra grumbled, letting out an annoyed breath as she crossed her arms.

"Please do not worry, Your Highness!" Mabel offered enthusiastically, her blue eyes shining with eager devotion. "I will gladly search the entire estate and find it for you right now!"

"No need!" Lyra snapped, flicking her wrist disdainfully. "It’s just a piece of silk! Go treat your stupid finger wound with proper medicine and go fetch me a brand-new handkerchief from my dressing room!"

Mabel’s cheeks flushed a sweet, happy pink at what she perceived as her princess’s hidden, caring concern. "Yes, Your Highness! I will return immediately!"

Mabel bowed happily and turned around, hurrying off down the garden path toward the main estate as fast as possible

Finally left completely alone once again, Lyra slumped back against the marble bench. She stared up at the clear blue sky, her soul practically deflating out of her mouth as she buried her face in her hands.

"What a complete and total disaster..." Lyra wailed softly under her breath, her voice full of absolute despair. "Every single one of my plot missions just collapses into utter chaos! The Male Lead disappeared, the Female Lead is hopelessly obsessed with me, the Crown Prince is trying to force me into a marriage, and my System is entirely useless! How am I supposed to survive this world?!"

Little did Lyra know...

Standing directly behind the hedge bush just inches from her bench, a tall, shadowy figure was leaning against the stone pillar.

Hearing her desperate, pathetic whimpers from the other side of the leaves, a dark smirk tugged at his lips as he whispered raspy and low,

"...This one will collapse too, my Princess."