To Love A Villain

>>Ophelia

The cold, damp air of the dungeon wrapped around me like a heavy, suffocating blanket. The stone walls loomed around me, casting long shadows in the flickering torchlight. I sat on the narrow wooden bench in the corner of my cell, my back pressed against the icy wall, knees drawn to my chest. The chill of the stone seeped through the thin fabric of my dirty dress

The king, my father, had decreed my imprisonment, and I had no choice but to obey and so I sat there quietly.

Across the dungeon, in the adjacent cell, the noble ladies were anything but quiet. Their sharp voices echoed through the stone corridor. They huddled together, their pristine gowns were now wrinkled and soiled from days spent in the dungeon. The proud set of their shoulders and the fire in their eyes showed that their spirits were not yet broken, even if their situation did not look good.

I could see them all clearly and I could see the person standing in front of their cell with his arms folded.

"How dare you lock us in here, Your Highness!" Honey spat, her voice dripping with venom. She was the daughter of a powerful Count, and her piercing eyes blazed with fury. "My father will not stand for this! He will do something to you for imprisoning me!"

Nevan stood just outside their cell, his tall, imposing figure framed by the torchlight. His expression was calm, almost detached, as if their words were no more than a mild inconvenience. He looked down at Honey with a gaze so steady, so unwavering, that it sent a shiver down my spine. This was the crown prince of our kingdom.

"If your father was truly unhappy with your imprisonment, Lady Honey," Nevan replied in a tone that was eerily calm, "He would have been here already. It’s been days, and yet here you are, still behind bars." He looked at all of them, "All of you are still here."

The other noble ladies murmured among themselves, their voices a mix of fear and defiance. Ravioli stepped forward, her eyes narrowing at Nevan. "We were only doing what we thought was best for the kingdom!" she cried out, desperation seeping into her voice. "The saint is a danger, a threat to us all! You must see that, Your Highness!!"

I lowered my gaze, unwilling to look at any of them. I knew what they were saying was a lie, a twisted justification for their actions. Like I hated her for coveting Hael, they hate her for looking like Corvina. They were always jealous of Corvina but their reason to try and hurt the saint was even more stupid than mine.

"The only danger here," Nevan said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade, "is your arrogance. But everyone has seen through your lies, and so have I."

Rize clutched the bars of the cell, her face pale with fear. "Please, Your Highness," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "We were only following orders. We didn’t mean any harm. Just let us go, and we swear we’ll never speak of this again."