Chapter 74: Villainess Princess × Slave (37)

Lyra kept her face turned toward the carriage window, staring out at the passing trees in complete, utter despair.

Meanwhile, Cassian held her tightly against his solid chest, his long arms wrapped around her waist as if he were frantically trying to fuse her very flesh and soul into his own body. He rested his chin in the curve of her neck, inhaling her sweet, floral fragrance deeply into his lungs with intoxicated breaths.

No matter how much Lyra squirmed, kicked, or pushed against his chest, he wouldn’t budge even a single millimeter. Worse yet, no matter how many times she screamed for the System inside her mind, her head remained completely silent.

System! Hello?! Are you dead?! Respond to me! Lyra screamed frantically into the void, but not a single digital chime answered her call.

Eventually, the endless struggle and the warm, suffocating heat of Cassian’s tight embrace drained the last of her energy. Her eyelids began to flutter shut, and she fell into a restless sleep right in his arms.

Cassian felt her body go limp against his chest. He looked down at her sleeping face, a soft, gentle smile curving his lips in the dim carriage light. He leaned down close, pressing a tiny peck against her soft rosy lips, before closing his own eyes.

For the first time in two long weeks of endless searching, the terrifying emperor finally fell into a peaceful slumber.

A few hours later, the grand golden carriage came to a slow halt.

The entire imperial palace was lavishly decorated with sparkling lanterns, and golden dragon silk. Hundreds of knights, royal servants, and head maids stood in rigid, perfectly quiet lines, bowing their heads low

Cassian opened his dark eyes, his pitch-black gaze sharpening instantly.

He lifted Lyra gently into his broad arms, unfastening his black cloak and throwing it entirely over her head and shoulders, burying her small body beneath the dark fabric so that not a single stray gaze from the crowd could fall upon his precious princess.

Hearing the loud movement and the rustle of silk, Lyra slowly opened her dark eyes.

She carefully pulled back a tiny corner of the dark cloak to peek outside. Her heart dropped straight into her stomach! Rows upon rows of servants and royal guards were trembling violently in absolute terror, knowing pretty well that taking even a brief, accidental glance at Her Highness would get their heads chopped off instantly.

Shit! Yeah, I’m literally kidnapped by this insane tyrant! Lyra panicked internally, her soul grabbing its hair in madness. Dang it! I escaped for two weeks just to end up right back in the devil’s den!

Cassian carried her up the massive marble steps with long strides, completely ignoring the bowing crowd.

Soon, he arrived at the highest floor of the inner palace, pushing open a set of doors. He stepped into a grand, breathtaking bedchamber decorated in rich royal gold.

He walked over to the giant bed and laid her down softly on the plush mattress.

The moment her back touched the bed, Lyra hurriedly tried to scramble backward toward the carved wooden headboard!

Before she could escape, Cassian leaned over her frame, trapping her between his shoulders, his large hand reaching out to catch her slender ankle in an inescapable grip.

Lyra’s dark eyes darted around the enormous room in chaotic panic.

Looking at the towering golden pillars, the imperial dragon crest carved into the ceiling, and the luxury surrounding them, her mind quickly put the pieces together. She gulped heavily, her throat feeling drier than a desert.

Realizing exactly what she was thinking, Cassian let out a low, raspy chuckle, his pitch-black eyes burning with a devotion.

"You’re right, Princess..." Cassian whispered smoothly, his soft breath brushing against her burning cheeks. "...This is the Emperor’s private room. And the Emperor is currently standing right in front of you."

Lyra knew it very well, yet an intense, icy shiver ran straight down her entire body anyway

She swallowed her panic, forcing her face into a haughty, arrogant scowl as she tried to put up her old villainess defense.

"Y-You... You!" Lyra stammered out, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. "I know you want revenge! But... but, ugh, you filthy slave...!"

She couldn’t even finish her insult properly! Her face flushed red with frustration.

Cassian smiled down at her, a breathtakingly dark smirk curling his lips.

"Yes, Princess..." Cassian murmured softly, leaning in until his nose lightly brushed against hers. "...I am your slave. Weren’t you the one who proudly declared that I am only your slave, hm?"

Lyra bit down on her tongue so hard she almost drew blood!

FUCK! Lyra screamed frantically in her mind, her soul rolling on the floor in absolute regret. WHY DID I EVEN SAY THAT BACK THEN?! MY OWN WORDS ARE COMING BACK TO HAUNT ME!

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Suddenly, a high-ranking guard knocked respectfully on the outer door from the hallway.

"Your Highness! The Imperial Court is waiting for your presence. The ministers have gathered for the morning council."

"Hm," Cassian hummed softly, not taking his dark eyes off Lyra’s flushed, furious face for even a fraction of a second.

He slowly leaned down, placing a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead before pulling back slightly.

"My Princess, rest assured, I will be back very soon," Cassian whispered raspy and low, his deep voice carrying a sweet promise. "The Emperor is a bit busy today... since his Empress is finally here. I must go prepare everything properly for our grand imperial wedding, after all."

He smirked, satisfied with her wide expression.

Cassian stood up to his full height, turning his head toward the door. "Maids!" he commanded in a cold tone. "Take care of Her Highness. Help her bathe, change her into fresh robes, and let her rest. If a single hair on her head is harmed, your entire families will answer for it."

"Y-Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!" the head maids squeaked out from the corridor, bowing frantically.

Cassian cast one last lingering, deeply possessive glance back at Lyra, before sweeping his dark cloak over his shoulders and stepping out of the bedchamber.

Moments later, a dozen young maids walked into the lavish bedchamber carrying trays of sweet floral oils, soft towels, and fresh robes.

They respectfully guided Lyra into the adjoining private bath chamber, which featured a massive sunken marble pool filled with warm, steaming water floating with fresh rose petals.

Lyra sank into the warm water, letting out a long, exhausted sigh as the maids quietly began washing her arms and shoulders with soft sponges.

Once the maids stepped back to give her some space, Lyra sat alone in the warm pool, her mind spinning in chaotic circles. She reached up, touching her wet dark hair as she stared at her reflection in the water.

What the hell is going on here?! Lyra wailed frantically in her mind. Isn’t he supposed to be a ruthless tyrant who wants to chop my head off for revenge?! What is this whole ’Empress’ shit?! Is he planning to torture me by locking me up in a gilded cage forever, or what?!

Lyra’s dark eyebrows furrowed tightly. Suddenly, a crucial thought struck her mind like a bolt of lightning!

Wait a second... where the heck is the Female Lead then?!

She quickly turned her head toward a nearby maid who was holding a tray of clean towels.

"Hey," Lyra called out, putting on a calm posture. "Where is Mabel?"

The young maid looked at her with a completely blank, confused expression. "Mabel, Your Highness? We... we beg for your forgiveness, but we are new servants assigned to the inner palace today. We do not know who that is."

Lyra let out a deep sigh, leaning her head back against the smooth marble edge of the pool.

System? Lyra called out inside her mind once again, trying her luck. System, are you there?!

Ding!

A faint, flickering blue light suddenly materialized in her vision!

[ YES, HOST! ] the System’s digital voice chimed back, sounding extremely tired and glitched.

"YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!" Lyra shouted internally, her dark eyes sparkling with relief. "Why weren’t you answering me earlier?! I am literally kidnapped!"

[ I don’t know, Host! ] the System explained frantically, its blue screen flickering with static lines. [ Something was completely blocking my signal! The Male Lead’s obsession metric is so insanely high that his dark aura was literally jamming my system server! But don’t worry, Host! I will fix it soon and get us out of here! Just handle things for a bit! ]

"HANDLE MY FOOT!" Lyra barked back in her mind, her soul clutching its head in frustration. "I’m literally trapped in the Emperor’s bedroom! Also, where on earth is Mabel?! Is the Female Lead dead?!"

[ No, Host! She is alive! ] the System reassured her quickly. [ We cannot let her die under any circumstances, or the entire world thread will break and the mission will be considered an immediate failure! ]

Suddenly, right in the middle of their conversation-

STATIC! BZZZT!

The floating blue screen began glitching violently, flashing red warning errors before completely dissolving into thin air once again!

"System?!" Lyra panicked, calling out inside her head. "SYSTEM?!"

No answer.

Step... step... step...

The quiet sound of soft footfalls echoed through the bath chamber.

Lyra’s breath hitched in her throat. Before she could even turn her head around to look at the entrance-

A pair of long, slender, fingers gently reached into the warm water, lightly touching her wet hair and beginning to wash it with sweet-scented floral oil.

A sudden wave of goosebumps exploded all over Lyra’s skin, The familiar, dangerous aura wrapped around her body , the water around her reflecting a pair of pitch-black, deeply obsessive eyes staring down at her from behind.