Chapter 57 - Gone!

*Disclaimer: Child abuse, trauma is discussed, reader discretion is advised*

Rahua's POV

I stand frozen in shock when I see Damion, dressed in royal attire, he makes his way towards the new princess. My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I try to process this revelation.

All this time, Damion was hiding his true identity from me. I feel a mix of emotions - anger, betrayal, and confusion. How could he keep something so significant from me? Was our relationship all a lie?

As I see people pushing me back, sorrounding him, I see clearly how our worlds are further apart.

I started to walk back slowly without even noticing, the ballroom was full and it felt more and more full putting in a larger distance between us.

Before I knew I was walking out, I kept thinking how stupid I was to fall for the same thing over and over again.

I guess I thought it would be different if I was inside of a romance novel, things would work out for me.

But in reality, I was just deluding myself, nothing has changed . And now, standing here in the outside, in the most beautiful dress, alone and rejected, this is the worst rejection I ever faced so far.

I actually thought he loved me. Tears begin to well up in my eyes as I think about it, the time we spent together, the moments of vulnerability and laugh we shared. The kiss. It all feels like a lie now, a cruel game he played with my heart.

I lean against the cold, stone wall for support, feeling the weight of my emotions overwhelming me. How could I have been so blind? How did I not see the signs? I tried to rip the necklace out of my neck. It felt heavy but I couldn't. I didn't know if it was the emotion or the necklace, but I felt like my chest was heavy.

The sound of my footsteps echo through the empty garden as I make my way towards the exit. The familiar sense of solitude whispers in my ears, reminding me of my own insignificance.

"Miss Rahua, what are you doing here?" Vital's voice made me look up, I look around and I see I was somewhere that I didn't even know.

"What do you want? " I ask, not caring anymore with all the formalities, at least not today.

He looked surprised to my cold and irritable attitude towards him. "It seems you are not in a good mood. "

"What do you think, is not like I wanted any of this, is not like I ask for this. I do have feelings as well and I am not okay. My heart getting broken over and over again is not okay. " I know he is the main villain of the story but I can't help but to vent my frustration at him. "Is not like anyone cares what my feelings are as long they get what they want. "

Vital's expression softens as he sees the pain and anger in my eyes. He takes a step towards me, cautiously.

"I understand that you're hurting right now, Miss Rahua," he says, his voice filled with empathy. "But please believe me when I say that not everyone in this world is out to hurt you. Not everyone is as callous as Damion." He gives me his gentle smile.

This time I couldn't contain my anger. "Would you stop doing that? " I snap at him.

"Stop?" He says surprised.

"Faking that you are good or gentle, this fake persona that you have created to make people believe that you actually care about them when you actually don't. Would you stop pretending and take that obnoxious fake smile, and show what you really are feeling." I didn't care anymore. The story, my life every piece of it was already out of control."if I am to die here by your hands just make it quick."

His face went dark, his gentle eyes and expression suddenly disappeared, making me almost regret all that I said.

"Hahahaha" he laughed, his hand covering half of his face just like a cliché Villain. "You are definitely strange Miss Rahua. Why would I kill you? You are no value to me dead."

Of course, I am being used once again.

"However I find interesting. You are the first person to ever actually complain about it, no one ever dared." He steps closer to me this time that gentle features are nowhere to be seen.

I take a step back, instinctively feeling the shift in his demeanor. The laughter that escapes his lips sends a chill down my spine, and I can feel the fear and unease rising within me.

"I..I?" I stammer, my voice trembling.

But he only continues to laugh, a menacing sound that echoes through the empty garden. The darkness in his eyes sends shivers down my spine, and I realize that I have underestimated the depths of his villainy.

"You think you know me, Miss Rahua? You think you understand what lies beneath this facade?" he sneers, his voice dripping with venom. "You have no idea the darkness that resides within me."

I back away, feeling the wall against my back as his presence becomes overwhelming. "I think you are the one who thinks everyone is less than you. You are the one who underestimates eveyone."

He moves closer, his face inches away from mine. Hatred and malice radiate from him, engulfing me in an atmosphere of pure malevolence. "Is this what you wanted to see, my real feelings?" I turn my face trying to escape " Are you satisfied now?" He yells.

I try to find my voice, but fear has rendered me immobile. This isn't how it was supposed to be - I was supposed to find my happily ever after, not face the wrath of the story's villain.

I push him back and walk as fast as I can, the gown makes it harder for me to move.

Shadows appear before me not letting me through. "Are you a mage? what the..." I ask him.

"No", his smile gives me chills. " But my friend is." Before me the shadows turn into a known figure. I gasped when I recognised him.

"Mr. Cirius?" What is happening? I thought.... But..it makes no sense. He walks slowly towards me , making me back up "I.... Damion trusted you... I trusted you. I.. I trusted you my sister."

"Yes you did. " He only says that, his face devoid of any expression.

Vital's holds my arm pulling me, his grip tightens on my arm, his nails digging into my skin. "Let's go."

The pain that shoots through my body, was nothing compared to what I was feeling emotionally, I felt so betrayed, I didn't even know anything anymore.

*

I don't know where I was taken, and I just wanted to go home.

"This is where I grew up." Vital says. " We are standing outside of a small house. Far away from the village. Besides the house there's graves.

We were teleported here by Mr. Cirius.

"Why did you bring me here? " I ask . I try to loosen up his grip on my arm that was already bleeding from his nails.

"This belongs to my Manor."

"Why would you bring me to your Manor? "

"Because I am hoping they would think to search for us here" He says. Who would look for us?

I look around and see many graves. "Who are these graves?"

"My family." He says lacking of any emotion. "My mother used to beat me, whenever I was in pain. I used to be always in pain, she used to hate my face because it was always showing pain. She used to hit me until I smiled. " He laughed bitterly.

I knew very well this side of the story.

It was just like the fan fiction.

In his fan fiction story Vital past was shown. And it was sad.

His mother was under a lot of pressure to conceive a suitable heir, she had girls, but never boys, when she finally had conceived a boy, he was born sick and weak. He was always crying, in pain. Even when growing his pain was still intense. Because of that she would be blamed that she would only conceive either girls or weak boys.

Frustrated she would beat Vital as child, that's where he developed this fake smile and persona. Since his mother was the source of his trauma, the fan community sympathised with him. They would say because of her he could never love a woman, so they labelled him as man's lover. And his partner in the fan story become Ceaser.

Either way his villain ways, were always awaken because of his mother. No one ever saved him whenever she would hit him, no one ever came no matter how much he would scream.

That's why many fans forgave his evil actions.

I was never one of those fans, I always thought no matter how much you were wronged, it does not justify the pain and suffering you inflict on others. But as I listened to Vital's words and looked into his eyes, I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of compassion for the tortured soul standing before me, he is broken and is trying to fill his void somehow.

"I'm sorry you had to endure such cruelty from your mother" I tell him, my voice softening. "No one should have to go through what you went through." I wipe away my tears, taking a deep breath and straightening my back.

"Are you crying for me?." He asks suprised, whipping the tears from my eyes. "Don't tell me that you are finally fallen for me."

"Dream on." I push his hand away and cleaning my tears myself. "Even if you wanted you are not capable of loving." I say without thinking.

He looks amused. "Maybe if is Miss Rahua, I might."

"No thank you." I say firmly, and he laughs. "I guess, if this is all you had to show me, I am going home. My family must be worried. "

"Miss Rahua must have gotten the wrong idea, you are not my guest here. You are my prisoner." He says.

"Prisoner did I commit any crime?" I ask.

"Maybe falling for the Prince." He says sarcasticly.

I sight, "If you are trying to get to the Prince through me, you are playing your cards wrong. He doesn't care for me, I was just a distraction to pass the time."

"Hahahah. " He laughs, it hurts the way he is mocking me. "Is that what you think? I find it interesting. "

"Since I have no value to you, just let me go home." I say. He ignores me and takes me to his main house.

All the time Mr. Cirius was quiet not showing any expression, like he was just a robot.

Maybe he was under a spell. But it doesn't seem so.

As we enter the main house, I start to feel like a prisoner in an unknown land, for the first time, I wish to return to my own world. Everything looks foreign and unfamiliar, and the knowledge that I am at the mercy of Vital only adds to my sense of unease.

The interior of the house is lavish, with ornate decorations and expensive furniture. I feel a pang of disappointment, I was expecting something more befitting of a villain.