Chapter 39: Villainess Princess × Slave (2)

Lyra marched straight over to her royal vanity table, sweeping a silver tray filled with high-grade healing salves, soft linen bandages, and a bowl of fresh, sweet grapes into her hands.

"Host, what are you doing?!" the System asked in shock, its glowing icon fluttering wildly. "Villainesses don’t carry medical kits! If you heal him, you’ll break character instantly!"

"They do now!" Lyra declared, striding toward her bedroom door. "If I don’t give him a bandage right now, he’s going to use his 99% hatred to turn my skull into a wine glass in ninety days!"

Ding!

A harsh red warning banner suddenly flashed across her vision, forcing her to stop dead in her tracks.

[ SYSTEM ERROR: PLOT DEVIATION PREVENTED ]

[ WARNING: HOST CANNOT ALTER MAIN STORYLINE EVENTS ]

[ DIRECT INTERFERENCE WITH MALE LEAD’S PUNISHMENT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED ]

Lyra froze, the silver tray trembling in her hands. "Wait... what do you mean I can’t alter it? I can’t even give him a single band-aid?!"

[ No, Host! ] the System explained, its digital voice dropping into a serious, rigid tone. [ The world logic is locked. If you personally heal the Male Lead right now, the world’s narrative integrity will collapse, and you’ll be instantly erased for breaking the villainess role! You HAVE to let him suffer to complete the storyline properly! ]

The silver tray slipped from Lyra’s fingers, clattering loudly onto the soft rug. The jar of healing salve rolled away, and sweet purple grapes scattered across the floor.

All the burning determination inside her chest instantly deflated. A suffocating despair washed over her.

Lyra collapsed onto the edge of her massive bed, burying her face in her hands. "So... I just have to sit here and watch him hate me more and more every single day? I’m completely doomed. In ninety days, he’s going to tear this palace apart and lock me in a cage..."

She sat in gloomy silence for a long moment, her brain desperately searching for a loophole.

"Wait..." Lyra suddenly looked up, her dark eyes flickering with a tiny spark of hope. "What about the Female Lead? Mabel! She’s the one who’s supposed to sneak him food and bandages in the dark, right? If she does it, Cassion falls in love with her, gets his comfort, and the plot stays on track! Where is she? Can I just assign her to the dungeon cells?"

Ding!

[ Searching Character Database... ] the System chimed, pulling up a locked profile screen with a grey silhouette.

[ FL Profile: Mabel]

[ Status: Unmet / Not Introduced ]

[ Ah... bad news, Host, ] the System said sheepishly. [ The Female Lead hasn’t even been recruited into the royal palace yet! According to the original timeline, she won’t be assigned as your personal maid until two weeks from now! ]

Lyra’s jaw dropped. "Two weeks?! He’s going to bleed to death in two days!"

She paced back and forth across the grand bedroom, her skirts swishing frantically against the floor. "Okay, okay, think, Lyra, think... If I can’t go, and Lily isn’t here yet... what if I send another maid? I’ll just order one of my trusted servants to drop off a tray of leftover bread and clean water near his cell! That’s not ME healing him directly!"

[ Access Denied! ] the System buzzed sharply, flashing another red notification.

[ MANDATORY PLOT REQUIREMENT: THE MALE LEAD MUST ENDURE ISOLATION AND SUFFERING ]

[ REASON: CASSIAN’S DARK AWAKENING AND REBEL RECRUITMENT ARE TRIGGERED BY HIS ABSOLUTE DESPAIR IN THE DUNGEON ]

[ The System rules are absolute, Host, ] the System added with a gentle, sympathetic sigh. [ You cannot send another maid. You cannot send food. You MUST let the Male Lead suffer in the dark for the plot to progress. If his despair score doesn’t reach 100%, his rebel forces won’t rally, and the world story will freeze completely. ]

Lyra slowly slid down the side of her bed until she was sitting on the cold floor, staring blankly at the scattered grapes near her slippers.

"So I’m stuck..." Lyra whispered, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "I can’t save him, I can’t comfort him, and I can’t even send a servant with a cup of water. I just have to play the cruel, terrible princess and count down the ninety days until he comes to skin me alive..."

[ Look on the bright side, Host! ] the System offered cheerfully, hovering near her shoulder. [ You still have ninety whole days to figure out a backup plan! ]

Lyra pulled her knees up to her chest, her dark eyes glaring vacantly at the grand golden doors of her chamber.

"Yeah..." Lyra muttered softly, her heart heavy with dread. "Ninety days to watch my own executioner sharpen his blade."

-----------------------

In the middle of the night, the royal bedchamber was bathed in deep shadows.

Lyra was fast asleep beneath her heavy blankets when, suddenly, a cold, crushing force clamped tightly around her neck. Her throat felt utterly squeezed. She gasped desperately for breath, but the air felt impossibly tight and suffocating. Her hands flew up, her fingers clawing frantically at the invisible grip, her legs thrashing against the sheets as panic surged through her veins.

She struggled, moving her head wildly from side to side, until she snapped her eyes open.

Standing directly above her, leaning into the dark canopy of the bed, was a figure with a pair of terrifying, bloodthirsty eyes. They glowed like burning embers in the gloom. The faint moonlight caught the predatory line of his jaw and the cold, cruel smirk curving on his lips.

Every single nerve in Lyra’s body shivered with pure terror.

Before she could scream, the suffocating grip tightened with force. Everything around her went completely quiet, and her vision plunged into pitch-black silence.

"AHHH!!!"

Lyra snapped her eyes wide open, sitting straight up in bed as she sucked in a huge, desperate gulp of air. Her heart was pounding loudly.

Her small, trembling hands immediately flew to her throat, feeling her soft skin.

No blood? No bruises...? Lyra thought frantically, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. Didn’t I just die?! Wasn’t my throat crushed?!

"System!" Lyra shrieked in her mind, her eyes darting around the lavish bedroom. "System, answer me right now!"

Ding!

The bright blue screen flickered into existence above her knees.

[ Yes, Host! I am right here! ] the System replied instantly, its digital tone surprisingly cheerful.

"What is going on?!" Lyra explained frantically, clutching her chest as cold sweat dripped down her neck. "I was literally suffocating! Someone was standing over my bed with bloodthirsty eyes and a terrifying smirk, choking the life out of me! Was that Cassian Draven?! Did he break out of the dungeon and strangle me to death already?!"

[ Calm down, Host! ] the System reassured her, hovering closer. [ It was probably just a nightmare, Host! Don’t worry, your physical body is completely healthy and unharmed. Cassian Draven is still heavily chained down in Subterranean Cell #4! ]

Lyra let out a long, shaky breath, her hands still resting gently over her throat. A dream...? It felt so real... those bloodthirsty eyes...

Before she could process the nightmare any further, the grand double doors of her bedchamber swung open. A group of young maids rushed into the room, their faces filled with worry.

"What’s wrong, Princess?!" the head maid asked anxiously, bowing low at the side of the bed. "We heard you scream from the corridor!"

Lyra quickly pulled herself together, lifting her chin to put up her haughty, arrogant facade. "It’s nothing," she snapped coldly, tossing the thick covers aside. "Just a minor disturbance. Help this princess get ready immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness!" the maids chimed in unison, quickly bustling around the grand room.

They guided Lyra to the adjoining washroom, where warm water scented with sweet rose petals was prepared for her. They carefully washed her hair, dried her skin, and dressed her in an exquisite, sweeping gown made of deep emerald silk with intricate gold embroidery along the sleeves.

Once she was fully dressed, Lyra stepped up to the massive, gilded vanity mirror to inspect herself.

She stared at her reflection in quiet awe. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in soft waves. Her skin was porcelain white, her dark eyes sharp and striking, and her lips naturally rosy. Her face had become noticeably more alluring and captivating than before, radiating the effortless, breathtaking beauty of true royalty.

Yet, as beautiful as the Princess was, as vicious was her heart in the original story.

Lyra let out a heavy, silent sigh in her mind. What a waste of a gorgeous face just to play a doomed villainess...

Ding!

A bright notification screen suddenly burst into life right in front of her face, flashing with urgent, glowing text.

[ MANDATORY PLOT MISSION ACTIVATED! ]

[ OBJECTIVE: Intentionally poison your own breakfast tray and force the Male Lead, Cassian Draven, to eat it in front of you! ]

[ TIME DEADLINE: 30 MINUTES ]

[ FAILURE PENALTY: You will personally suffer the intense, agonizing pain of the poison for 24 hours! ]

Lyra stared at the glowing red screen, her mouth dropping open in absolute shock and horror.

"Eh... what is this?!" Lyra shrieked silently to the System, her dark eyes darting back and forth across the text. "Why is there suddenly a 30-minute deadline and a pain penalty?! We never had strict countdown timers like this before!"

[ Ah... about that, Host... ] the System admitted, its digital voice sounding deeply apologetic. [ It’s because of the last world! Since we failed to execute the plot strictly and messed up the ending, the High System Headquarters placed your account under strict supervision! If you don’t complete these timed micro-missions, the world logic enforces physical punishment to keep you from slacking off! ]

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Lyra screamed in her mind, pulling at her styled hair. "I have thirty minutes to poison a tray of food, walk down to a dark dungeon, and force a fallen crown prince with 99% hatred to eat it?! AND IF I FAIL, I GET POISONED MYSELF?!"