Chapter 49: Villainess Princess × Slave (12)

As Cassian carried her down the quiet corridors toward her grand estate, Lyra subtly opened her system interface under her closed eyelids to check her current status.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the floating numbers!

[ CASSIAN DRAVEN’S HATRED METRIC: 85% ]

WHAT?! Lyra’s soul shrieked in absolute terror! IT DROPPED AGAIN?! It was at 96% when I left the garden! How did it drop eleven whole percent while I was fake-fainted on the floor?!

"System!" Lyra yelled frantically in her mind, trying her best not to let her physical body twitch in Cassian’s arms. "Why did his hatred go down again?! What is happening?!"

Ding!

The translucent blue screen flickered innocently.

[ What hatred, Host? ] the System responded with a strangely confused, robotic tone. [ The target’s hatred metric is currently locked within normal narrative parameters! ]

Lyra frowned deeply, her mental voice laced with intense suspicion. "What do you mean ’what hatred’?! It’s at 85%! It dropped from 96%! Are you blind, System?!"

[ Checking system logs... ] The System let out a series of weird, static glitchey beeps. [ Error 404: No unusual metric drop recorded in Headquarters database! Target’s baseline hatred remains registered at standard operational levels! ]

Lyra’s inner soul gaped in disbelief.

A bug...? Lyra thought, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of the bizarre situation. It has to be a system bug! Otherwise, how on earth could the System not know about the drop?! This stupid low-grade system must be glitching out because of the scrapped author drafts!

She let out a long, silent sigh of frustration in her head. Great. Just great. I’m stuck in a world with a scary male lead, a tyrant emperor, and a glitching system that can’t even count hatred numbers properly!

Unaware of her internal breakdown, Cassian reached the doors of her private bedchamber. He pushed the doors open with his foot, stepping into the warm, dimly lit room scented with sweet lavender.

He walked over to the massive golden bed, leaning down with extreme care to lay her soft, delicate body onto the plush silk mattress. He gently pulled the thick covers over her shoulders, making sure she was completely wrapped in warmth.

As he pulled his hand back, he noticed her small fingers were still clutching tightly onto his black jacket lapel.

Cassian paused. He looked down at her small, pale hand resting against his chest, then up at her face. Her long eyelashes cast soft shadows over her cheeks under the faint moonlight streaming through the window.

Slowly, Cassian uncurled her delicate fingers one by one, releasing his jacket from her grip.

Cassian stood in the dim bedroom, hovering over the golden bed. He stared at Lyra’s face, watching the tiny, almost invisible twitch of her eyelids and the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest that was far too deliberate for a fainted person.

A faint glint flashed in his pitch-black eyes.

"You can drop your act now, Princess," Cassian murmured softly, his raspy voice cutting through the quiet room. "No one else is here."

Lyra’s entire mental state collapsed in a wave of utter panic!

WHAT?! HOW DID HE KNOW?! Lyra screamed frantically inside her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, desperately forcing her body to stay completely motionless. No, no, stay asleep! Pretend you’re a corpse, Lyra! You are a fainted, fragile maiden! You hear nothing! You feel nothing!

She kept her eyelashes pinned down, but the embarrassment burning through her veins made her pale cheeks flush into a light, rosy pink.

Cassian’s cold lips curved upward into a genuine, dark smirk. The utter absurdity of her stubborn act amused him far more than it should have.

Realizing her rosy cheeks had completely betrayed her, Lyra knew she couldn’t pull off the lie any longer. Her eyes snapped wide open!

She sat straight up on the mattress, kicking the covers off her legs. Her face was burning bright red with pure embarrassment, but she instantly pulled up her chin, glaring up at him with all the fierce, arrogant rage she could summon.

"You dirty, insolent slave!" Lyra shouted, her clear voice ringing through the quiet room as she pointed a trembling finger right at his chest. "How dare a lowly slave like you point out something like that to this princess?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Cassian didn’t flinch under her harsh tone. He simply lowered his head in a slow, smooth, mock bow, the faint shadow of a smirk still lingering at the corner of his lips.

"I apologize, Your Highness," Cassian replied raspy and low, his pitch-black eyes locking onto hers with an intense curiosity that made her breath hitch.

This girl... Cassian thought, his mind swirling with endless questions. She faked fainting just to get out of the ancestral hall, bought her way out of pain, and now blushes like a timid girl when caught. Who gave her permission to be so utterly confusing?

Lyra’s heart was pounding loudly. Being caught red-handed by her future executioner was a nightmare!

"Whatever!" Lyra sneered, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder with an obnoxious, spoiled huff. "Get out of my room this instant! And you better keep your mouth shut about this! If word of this gets out, I will personally cut your tongue off and feed it to the stray dogs! Do you understand me, slave?!"

Cassian bowed his head even lower, his smooth voice carrying a subtle, dangerous edge. "Yes, Princess."

He turned on his shoe, his dark guard tunic swishing as he walked toward the doors.

Just as Cassian pulled the doors open to step into the long corridor, two frantic maids came rushing down the hall, escorting a tall, strikingly handsome man dressed in magnificent golden-yellow dragon robes.

The man walked with a smooth, arrogant elegance. He had soft, refined facial features, sharp amber eyes, and a charming smile that looked as bright as sunshine, yet carried an underlying chill.

Cassian stepped aside, brushing past the man in the doorway.

As they crossed paths, the man in dragon robes cast a slow glance sideways at Cassian. It was a look of absolute, high-born superiority- treating Cassian as nothing more than a speck of dust on a fine rug.

Cassian didn’t bow to him. His dark eyes turned as cold and sharp as steel, a suppressed murderous intent surging through his veins as he walked out into the shadows of the hallway. He knew that look. He knew the sickening aura of the imperial family all too well.

Inside the bedchamber, the moment Lyra heard the approaching footsteps, her survival instincts kicked into overdrive!

SOMEONE IS COMING!

Without missing a single beat, Lyra threw herself backward onto the pillows, pulling the blanket up to her chin, closing her eyes, and flopping her head to the side- instantly transforming back into a helpless, unconscious princess!

Ding!

A bright golden notification screen suddenly exploded in front of her closed eyelids!

[ NEW IMPORTANT CHARACTER UNLOCKED! ]

[ NAME: Crown Prince Julian (Lyra’s Step-Brother) ]

[ DESCRIPTION: The Emperor’s eldest son from his first marriage. He possesses a dark, twisted obsession with collecting beautiful, flawless things- including his strikingly beautiful step-sister, Princess Lyra! ]

WHAT?! A STEP-BROTHER WITH A TWISTED BEAUTY OBSESSION?! Lyra’s inner soul let out a blood-curdling shriek. WHAT IS WITH THIS NOVEL AND ITS CREATURES?! CAN I NOT GET ONE NORMAL FAMILY MEMBER?!

The doors pushed wide open.

Julian stepped gracefully into the luxurious suite, his amber eyes instantly sweeping across the grand canopy bed. He walked over with silent steps, stopping right beside the mattress. The two maids bowed low at the doorway, not daring to step further into the room.

Julian stood beside her bed, leaning down slightly as he stared at Lyra’s pale, serene face under the soft candlelight.

He reached out his long hand, his slender fingers gently tracing the edge of her dark, silky hair spread across the white pillows. His amber eyes glinted with a strange, possessive fascination.

"My beautiful little sister..." Julian murmured, his voice silky, smooth, and chillingly gentle. "I heard Father made you kneel in the cold ancestral hall until you collapsed. What a absolute waste to damage such a delicate, flawless work of art..."

Lyra, lying completely still beneath his touch, felt every single goosebump on her body erupt at once!

DON’T TOUCH ME! DON’T TOUCH ME! Lyra screamed frantically inside her head, trying with every ounce of her willpower to keep her breathing steady and her face blank. System, if he touches my face, I am going to bite his finger off! I swear I will!

Ding!

[ Please maintain your unconscious state, Host! ] the System warned in a soft panic. [ Crown Prince Julian is extremely sharp! If he realizes you are faking, his obsession metric will trigger an immediate dark storyline event! ]

Julian’s fingers slid down her hair, hovering mere inches above her soft, milky neck. His thumb gently brushed against the edge of her jawline, his dark smile widening slightly in the dim room.

"You belong in a golden glass display, imperal sister," Julian whispered, his deep voice dripping with dark affection. "Away from Father’s harsh rages... away from dirty slaves... kept safe and pristine where only I can admire your beauty."