The Villainess’s Reputation [Kingdom Building]

Ravenna let her robe fall to the tiled floor and stepped into the water. It was perfectly hot, the kind of heat that bit at the skin before sinking deep into the muscle to undo the knots of a long day. As she lowered herself, the water rose to her chin, swaying in rhythmic ripples. She leaned her head back against the cool marble rim, closing her eyes as the silence of the room drowned out the echoes of the maids and the sounds outside. The weight of her body seemed to vanish, and as her mind drifted in the hazy warmth, the present began to blur into the distant, dusty shadows of the past.

Few Years Ago Imperial Palace, Central Wing, Capital City, Ancorna Empire

“Search that way! Find the thief!”

The halls of the Central Wing were a chaotic blur of polished silver armor and fluttering servant tunics. Knights rushed through every corridor, their heavy boots echoing against the marble floors as they overturned every possible hiding spot.

“The thief sneaked into Her Highness Serena’s chambers!” one of the knights shouted to a passing patrol, his face flushed with the urgency of the hunt. “The perimeter is being tightened. More men to the gardens!”

Despite the uproar, there was no sign of the intruder beyond that initial, fleeting appearance.

“Damn it... at this rate, I’m going to be caught,” a young lady muttered under her breath. Her beautiful blonde hair, intricately braided with silver thread, was partially hidden under a dark, heavy hood. She pressed herself against a stone pillar, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. In her hand, she clutched a stolen gem, its facets cold against her palm.

She watched a pair of knights pass by her position. “I could try to knock one out,” she whispered, her eyes darting toward the heavy trees in the courtyard. “But there are too many of them.”

That was when she spotted it: an abandoned mansion sitting on the edge of the wing's grounds. It was a skeletal structure of gray stone and creeping ivy, looking entirely forgotten by the rest of the palace. There were no guards stationed near its perimeter. Without a second thought, she bolted toward it.

Finding the ground-floor doors bolted shut, she scrambled up a weathered oak tree near a side window and tumbled inside with a heavy thud.

She scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide as she scanned the room for any sign of life. The air was stagnant, thick with the smell of old parchment and settled dust. Everything was draped in ghostly white cloths, the furniture looking like slumbering giants in the dim light.

“It looks like no one is here...” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

She began to descend the grand staircase, her boots treading lightly on the moth-eaten carpet. As she reached the main lobby, an eerie silence settled over her. No sunlight penetrated the boarded windows, and the ornate magic lamps looked as though they hadn't been lit in decades. She crept toward the entrance door, peering through a small crack to gauge the situation outside.

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Shhh... shhh...

A faint rustling sound came from directly behind her. She spun around instantly, her breath catching in her throat, but saw nothing but the shrouded furniture and the dancing dust motes.

“W-was it just my imagination?” she whispered, trying to soothe the cold knot of dread in her stomach.

“Yeah, it was definitely your imagination. Surely.”

The voice came from right behind her ear. The hooded young lady shrieked, spinning around to find a young lady roughly her own age. This girl wore form-fitting black trousers and a high-collared shirt, looking more like an assassin in training than anything. Her jet-black hair seemed to catch what little light remained in the room, shimmering with a dark luster.

The girl’s deep, dark eyes held a glare that was both threatening and strangely captivating. She leaned back, a wicked smirk playing on her lips as she pointed a sharp dagger directly at the hooded girl’s throat.

“Who the hell are you?” the black-haired girl asked, her voice low and dangerous. “And what exactly are you doing in this mansion?”

“I—I..” Laila stammered, her mind racing to find a lie that wouldn't get her throat slit.

Before she could speak, the heavy front door rattled on its hinges.

“Your Highness Ravenna! Are you inside? Did you happen to see anyone sneaking in?!” a servant’s muffled voice shouted from the other side of the door.

The hooded lady's face went pale. “This is it... I’m caught.” thinking that She gripped the gem in her pocket, her knuckles white.

“Why?! What’s going on outside?!” the young Ravenna shouted back, her voice dripping with feigned annoyance.

“A thief snuck into the palace and stole something precious from Her Highness Serena’s room! We believe she was last seen running toward this mansion!” the servant answered.

The smirk on Ravenna’s face grew wider. She stepped closer to the hooded young lady, forcing the tip of the dagger just a fraction closer to the blonde girl’s skin, as if toying with her. The young lady broke into a cold sweat, ready to bolt the second the blade moved.

“No, I didn’t find anything odd!” Ravenna shouted toward the door.

The hooded young lady froze, her eyes widening in total confusion. She stared at Ravenna, whose smirk had turned into a look of pure, mischievous delight.

“Please check properly, Your Highness...” the servant tried to argue, his voice hesitant.

“I am here on punishment from my Master!” Ravenna snapped, her voice cutting through the door like a whip. “If you wish to open this door, you are more than welcome to face his wrath yourself. Shall I tell him you interrupted my punishment and released me?”

“O-of course not, Your Highness! You wouldn't lie about such a thing!” the servant stammered, his bravado instantly evaporating. “I have overstepped! I—I shall take my leave!”

The sound of his retreating footsteps echoed away until silence returned to the lobby.

“Serena’s servants grow more insolent by the day,” Ravenna mumbled, finally lowering her dagger and walking toward the center of the room. She glanced back at the hooded young lady with a sharp, side-eyed look. “And you? What’s your name?”

“Ah-ah... Laila, Yo-Your Highness,” Laila replied, her voice trembling. She remained rooted to the spot, completely bewildered by the fact that the most feared "Raven" of the palace was before her and had just saved her life.