Chapter 46: Villainess Princess × Slave (9)

"Pay up, you worthless servant girl!" the shopkeeper sneered, raising his thick hand as if to grab Mabel’s collar. "If you don’t have fifty gold pieces, you’ll work as my slave until the debt is paid!"

"I told you, I didn’t break it!" Mabel yelled back, her hands forming tight fists.

Before the shopkeeper’s hand could touch Mabel, Lyra stepped directly between them, putting her body in front of the young woman!

"Stop right there, you greasy scammer!" Lyra barked loudly, her clear voice ringing through the market square.

The crowd gasped. Mabel blinked in utter surprise, staring at the hooded girl who had suddenly jumped in front of her.

The shopkeeper glared down at Lyra, his face turning bright red with rage. "Who do you think you are, little girl?! Mind your own business before I throw you in jail alongside her!"

"Mind my own business?" Lyra sneered, lifting her chin high as her natural royal arrogance burst out effortlessly. "I saw the whole thing from across the street! The glass hairpin was already cracked before she even walked up to your stall, and you intentionally knocked it over to frame a poor girl! You are running a fake scam in broad daylight!"

"You little brat!" the shopkeeper roared, his face contorting in fury. "Who are you to accuse me?! Show some respect! Do you know who I am?!"

Lyra let out a loud scoff. She reached up with both hands and pulled down her brown wool hood, letting her silky dark hair cascade down her shoulders.

Under the bright afternoon sunlight, her breathtaking, flawless face was revealed to the entire market square. Her dark eyes flashed with absolute authority.

"Who am I?" Lyra sneered coldly, her voice dripping with pure royal disdain. "Look closely at this face, you blind fool! I am Princess Lyra of the Imperial Empire!"

The entire market square instantly plunged into a dead silence.

The shopkeeper’s eyes bulged out of his head. His face turned as pale as a bedsheet, and his knees shook so violently he almost collapsed against his counter.

"P-P-Princess...?!" the shopkeeper stammered, his voice squeaking in sheer terror. "The... the Emperor’s daughter?!". Everyone knows not to mess with the princess or they will lose their head.

"Kneel!" Lyra commanded sharply, pointing a finger at the ground. "Kneel before this princess right now, or I will have my imperial guards burn your entire fraudulent shop to ashes!"

Panicked, the shopkeeper scrambled over his wooden counter, throwing himself onto his knees and slamming his forehead hard against the dirty cobblestones. "FORGIVE ME, YOUR HIGHNESS! FORGIVE ME! I WAS BLIND! I DID NOT KNOW!"

The surrounding crowd let out a massive gasp!

"It’s the Princess...!"

"The vicious Princess is in the lower market...!"

"Hide your children!"

Lyra casted them a glance, its not like I will eat them!

Standing nearby in the crowd, the little beggar boy from earlier clutched his wooden bowl of silver coins, his jaw hitting the floor. "F-Fairy sister... was the vicious Princess all along?!"

Mabel stared at Lyra in absolute shock, her green eyes wide with confusion.

Seeing the crowd panicking, the shopkeeper trembling, and the situation escalating wildly, Cassian knew they couldn’t stay here any longer. If city guards arrived, the Emperor would find out the Princess had snuck out of the palace.

Before the crowd could swarm them, Cassian stepped forward.

In one swift motion, he stepped up right beside Lyra, placing his large hand firmly against the small of her back to shield her from the surging crowd. His broad frame completely blocked her from view, his dark, icy eyes shooting a glare at the surrounding citizens, instantly forcing them to take three steps back in fear.

"We need to leave. Now," Cassian murmured raspy and low right against her ear, his presence protective.

Lyra’s breath hitched at his sudden closeness, her heart skipping a beat as he guided her smoothly out of the crowd.

Before Lyra could take another step out of the chaotic square, she felt a soft, sudden tug on the hem of her brown cloak.

She turned around quickly. Mabel, the Female Lead, had chased after her through the panicked crowd. The young woman stopped right in front of Lyra and immediately dropped to one knee, bowing her head with deep sincerity.

"I pay my respects to the great Princess," Mabel said loudly, her clear voice full of genuine gratitude. "I want to thank you with all my heart for saving me from that dishonest merchant! If Her Highness had not stepped in, my life would have been ruined today."

Lyra stood frozen, her dark eyes wide. She awkwardly cleared her throat and offered Mabel a tight, forced smile. She sneaked a quick, nervous glance at Cassian, who was standing right behind her like a tall shadow.

System! Lyra screamed frantically in her mind. What is going on?! The Female Lead just bowed to me and thanked me! Won’t this completely wreck the original storyline?!

Ding!

The translucent blue screen flickered near her cheek.

[ Do not worry, Host! ] the System replied smoothly. [ Since Headquarters did not issue a specific failure metric for this unexpected meeting, it won’t be much of a bother! The main plot points can still be restored later! ]

Lyra let out a tiny breath of relief, but her anxiety lingered. She subtly turned her head, trying to read Cassian’s face. She expected to see a spark of interest or curiosity in his dark eyes- after all, Mabel was his destined soulmate, the bright light who was supposed to heal his broken heart!

To her absolute shock, Cassian didn’t even glance at Mabel. His pitch-black eyes remained cold, bored, and completely fixed on the surrounding alleys, scanning for potential threats. He treated the Female Lead as if she were nothing more than a invisible stone on the road.

Oh, right... Lyra realized, nodding secretly to herself. He hasn’t fallen for her yet because the romance only develops when she sneaks down to the dungeons to nurse his wounds and take care of him in secret! Right now, she’s just a random commoner girl to him.

Mabel raised her head, looking up at Lyra with bright, determined green eyes. She took a deep breath and made a completely bizarre request.

"Your Highness," Mabel said firmly, placing her hand over her heart. "I am currently looking for honest work in the capital. To repay your incredible kindness today, please take me into your royal estate! I am willing to work under Your Highness as a servant, a maid, or whatever you require!"

Lyra’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. TAKE HER UNDER ME RIGHT NOW?!

Before Lyra could even open her mouth to panic, a low, raspy voice cut through the air.

"I am currently assigned as the Princess’s personal shadow servant," Cassian stated coldly, taking a half-step forward to block Mabel’s view of Lyra. His dark eyes glinted with an icy sharpness. "Her Highness has more than enough attendants. There is no need for anyone else."

Mabel blinked, startled by the intense aura radiating from the tall man in plain guard clothes. She instinctively took a step back, her mouth closing tightly.

Lyra stared at the back of Cassian’s broad shoulders, her mind thoroughly confused. Why does it feel like the Male Lead already dislikes her?! Isn’t she supposed to be his future Empress?! Why is he shutting her down so aggressively?!

Cassian didn’t give anyone time to process the awkward silence. He tilted his head slightly toward the end of the street, his ear twitching as he heard distant armor clanking.

"Princess, it is time to leave," Cassian murmured low against Lyra’s ear. "The local palace patrols are heading toward this market block."

"R-Right!" Lyra squeaked.

Without waiting another second, Cassian grabbed Lyra’s small wrist, pulling her smoothly into the dark cover of a nearby narrow alleyway. They darted through the backstreets, vanishing into the shadows before the city guards could arrive.

Mabel stood alone at the edge of the market square, watching the two figures disappear into the distance. She reached up, touching her ribbon as she muttered softly to herself, "Was Princess Lyra really as vicious as everyone said? She saved a stranger, gave silver to a beggar boy, and stood up to a scammer..."

Her green eyes then shifted toward the direction the tall guard had gone. "And what was up with that handsome guard? Even though he was breathtakingly handsome, he gave off such a cold, terrifying vibe..."

Ten minutes later, Lyra and Cassian reached the secluded, high stone wall along the eastern perimeter of the royal palace grounds.

The tall wall was surrounded by overgrown trees, completely hidden from the main guard towers. However, looking up at the ten-foot-tall stone barrier, Lyra felt another wave of utter despair.

"How on earth are we supposed to get back over this?!" Lyra whimpered, crossing her arms as she stared up at the high ledge. "I am wearing heavy skirts! I can’t climb like a monkey!"

Cassian walked up to the base of the wall, testing the stone’s stability. He turned back to face her, his sharp face expressionless. "I can lift you."

Lyra’s eyes lit up with spoiled royal authority. "No! I have a better idea! Get down on your knees!"

Cassian paused, one eyebrow arching upward. "What?"

"Get down on your knees!" Lyra ordered, puffing out her chest and pointing at the grassy ground. "I am going to step on your shoulders so I can reach the top ledge and jump over! Do it right now, slave!"

Cassian stared at her for a long, silent moment. In the original timeline, forcing a crown prince to bend his back as a human stepping stool would have resulted in immediate, bloody revenge. But looking at her expectant, impatient face, Cassian simply let out a low exhale.

Slowly, Cassian lowered his tall frame, dropping onto one knee against the damp grass right beneath the high wall. His broad back was sturdy as an iron pillar.

"Hmph! Good!" Lyra chirped happily.

She gathered her skirts in one hand, lifted her foot, and stepped directly onto his broad shoulder.

His body was rock-solid, but as her small, soft foot pressed against his back through the fabric of his tunic, something strange happened deep within Cassian’s chest.

A sudden warmth flared in his heart. It fluttered wildly, pulsing like a strange spark that made his breath catch in his throat. He had spent three years enduring ice-cold dungeons, burning poison, severe whippings, and absolute hatred... yet the light, delicate weight of her soft foot against his shoulder made his entire body freeze.

What is this...? Cassian thought, his pitch-black eyes darkening as his fingers dug tightly into the dirt near his knee. Why is my heart reacting to her?