The Tyrant King Is Obsessed With Me

Athena was forced out of the carriage alongside Thalia. The grip of the guards bruised her arms as they dragged her into the dungeon to be placed in their cells.

Athena cried out at the sight of the cells, her voice trembling with disbelief, while Thalia remained calm. This was her second time here, so the familiarity of the place numbed her fear.

Thalia searched for the faces she had once left behind. The cells revealed new prisoners, strangers whose hollow gazes mirrored her own despair.

’Don’t put us together,’ Thalia silently pleaded.

To Thalia’s misfortune, she was caged with her mother.

Thalia moved to one side of the cell, pressing herself against the cold stone wall, desperate to create distance. After what Athena had said before, she feared another slap might come at any moment.

Athena made the same mistakes Thalia had once made by screaming for help, demanding obedience from the men who stood guard.

"Your power doesn’t hold here anymore, mother," Thalia whispered with warning. "If you spew hate at them, they won’t bring your food, or they’ll spit in your water. We should be silent, let them forget we exist."

Athena turned, bothered by Thalia’s defeated tone. "I am not going to die like this. I birthed two sons for a king. I was meant to see my sons rule."

Thalia pressed her back harder against the wall, the chill biting into her skin. "I’m sorry you didn’t get to witness it, but your sons are gone now. It would be wise for you to think of your life and mine. When you make noise, it draws attention to me. I want to enjoy this little time without torture."

Athena stared at Thalia."What has become of you?"

Thalia’s throat felt sore, but she forced the words out. "I realised my mother didn’t love me as I thought she did. She cared mostly for her sons because they were the ones who gave her power. It’s disappointing."

"You foolish girl," Athena spat, eyeing Thalia from head to toe. "Your brothers helped me, and they helped you as well. You’ve gone mad. I suspect it was because you travelled so far alone with that man. You brought this downfall upon us."

Thalia scoffed. "Father was the one who spoke of having him as a spy. He rescued me from the dungeon. And it’s not as though you were quiet about where you hid. During our travels, we heard whispers of your whereabouts."

Thalia continued, "He said something to me, and now I see how true it was. The people did not attempt to be quiet about your location because they didn’t care for you. They wanted you dead. Don’t place all the blame on me."

Athena turned her fury to Thalia. You should have suspected that anyone at Lilith’s side would expose me. You should have killed the man in his sleep-"

"And then do what, mother?" Thalia snapped, annoyed by her mother’s plans. "Wander this world alone in search of you? Search for a family who wouldn’t turn me in to the castle? I was raised in a castle, and each time I hurt someone, I used a maid to do it. I can’t kill a man."

Thalia’s hands clenched into fists, nails biting into her palms, frustration burning through her veins.

"I brought him to the manor, but there were countless guards around, yet he managed to escape. Do you not cast any blame on your friend for failing to secure her home better? And why must I bear the blame when father didn’t control his servant?" Thalia demanded, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"My father treated the Mortimers too well, and he let his guard down. Your precious son didn’t try to save your husband. He stood there like a coward until his death. At least I managed to escape!"

Thalia felt she didn’t deserve any of the blame. She had gone further than the men in her family, and she knew it.

Athena stormed towards Thalia with her hand raised to strike, but Thalia caught her wrist mid-air.

"Stop trying to slap me, mother. I told you that you have no power here. All you’re doing is making noise, which will bring them to us."

A voice startled the pair. "I am already here. It’s good I didn’t miss the show."

Lilith’s presence disrupted the argument. She watched as Thalia and Athena turned on each other.

"I thought you two were quite the pair," Lilith said, genuinely surprised they were turning on each other. "But how quickly you turned on each other. Silence won’t make me forget you. Your deaths are coming soon."

Athena’s rage boiled over. "You wretched child. I should have killed you alongside your mother."

Lilith nodded, agreeing. "Yes, you should have. You wanted me to live with the pain of losing a mother, and look what it has cost you. You’ve lost your husband, your sons, and now you’re about to lose your life. Worse still, you’re about to be forgotten."

Athena straightened herself. "I am a queen. History will always remember me."

Lilith’s smile widened. "Not if I erase every trace of your existence. I find it fitting for your body to be placed in a grave known only to me, the king, and the one who drops you there. You’ll be hidden from your family, buried where no one can find you."

Athena’s hands gripped the metal bars, wishing they would open for just a second. Long enough to claw at Lilith, to feel her flesh beneath her nails.

Lilith’s gaze shifted to Thalia, her voice softening with mock kindness. "Don’t worry, Thalia. I have some mercy in me. I’ll bury you beside your maids. The ones who tortured me under your orders. We could have lived without tormenting each other, but no, she needed to torture a woman spoiled by her husband."

Athena didn’t like how Lilith switched the truth. "Your whore of a mother came to my husband’s bed. The bed of a married man. She deserved all that came to her."

Lilith stepped closer, her eyes burning with hatred. "You’re just as vile for ignoring what he did to the maids. It wasn’t her choice to go there. Nor was it the choice of the women before her, who cried to you for help, only for you to kill them. By some grace, I survived."

"For all the women you ordered to death, I shall be your punishment," Lilith informed Athena.