1 Villainess

Omalia Loremirre woke up to find blood on her sheets. They soaked through the bottom of her nightgown and pooled around her body. It was wet and uncomfortable but she was as collected as a thirteen-year old could be. Sighing, she rang her bell for a maid.

"Oh my!" gasped Ellie. "My little girl has become a woman." She quickly grabbed a basin and a towel and brought them over to Omalia.

"Thank you, Ellie," Omalia said affectionately. She smiled at the elderly maid who had watched over her since birth. Her parents, the count and countess, were not bad people, but they were too engrossed with each other and a fun-loving lifestyle to raise their children.

The kingdom of Vestia had built its power on magic. Those who possessed magic also possessed a magic partner. These were mages whose powers worked best with one another. Not all mages found their magic partners but those who did agree that it was like finding your other half. Not all magic partners became lovers, but those lucky enough to find one never separated. The count and countess were one of them.

Everyone in Vestia possessed varying levels of magic skill. Very few were offensive mages whose powers did not rely on that of a magic partner. Throughout the history of the kingdom, no one knew where these mages resided but they were part of the king's council and would show up whenever they needed. That is, until the second prince was born with immense magic power. The king would not let him leave the kingdom, so one of the mages now resides inside the castle to teach the prince magic. Omalia had never seen the mage before but today was the princes' seventeenth birthday. She was certain the mage would be there—as certain as she knew that today would mark the beginnings of a friendship between herself and the prince, and that they were to be engaged—an engagement Omalia vowed to prevent.

"Perhaps this is a good sign," Ellie said while helping Omalia out of her night dress. "I must tell the countess right away so that we can schedule your coming of age ceremony. My Lia is so beautiful that I am sure you can catch the eye of one of the princes during the celebration today." Ellie massaged the soap into Omalia's dark brown tresses and continued to chatter away.

"Ellie, can you please keep this a secret from the countess?" Omalia asked. "I would like my ceremony to be when I turn fifteen. I have no intentions of bringing attention to myself just yet."

Ellie smiled gently and gave Omalia a gentle pat. "Is it another dream, my dear?"

Omalia nodded. She had dreams of life in a different world. In that world, she was in the middle of reading a romance web novel before she hit her head on the bathtub and died. Omalia sighed. What am embarrassing death.

"I am going to be the prince's fiancée," Omalia said.

"Well that's won—"

"He will fall in love with someone else and break off the engagement," Omalia continued.

"Oh dear. Are your dreams certain, Lia? Perhaps you can win his heart this time around," Ellie said.

"I have no intentions of changing his heart. There are plenty of eligible bachelors in this kingdom," Omalia responded. What she did not tell Ellie was that although the prince was the male lead, there were other potential suitors. Still, it was just as she said. She had no intentions of wasting her time over a man that would not love her. In the novel, Omalia was the villainess. She was to serve as the foil of Althea and nothing more—a background character of no significance except to interrupt the love between Althea and the male lead.

Omalia closed her eyes and enjoyed the quiet calmness of the moment. In the original story, she had a sexual relationship with the prince until he met Althea and stopped talking to her for a year. The Omalia in that story did not know why the prince had suddenly ceased all contact with her so when he returned to the kingdom with Althea, she continued to pursue him. She considered Althea as the other woman and treated her as such. This incurred the wrath of the prince, leading to her exile. Tears streamed down her eyes. She was glad that her body was wet so that Ellie did not know the quiet longing she still felt for the prince and the betrayal that would stop her from ever loving again. What a stupid prince. What a stupid girl. What a stupid story.