Reasons Not To Kill A Villainess

How can anyone emit such a beautiful facade when one's heart is as evil as a villainess?

Servants like serving her pretty little face, her eloquent poise, her title, the outside her. A shell, whose insides resemble a monster. But no one likes her. She's the poison thorn of the palace, a magnificent rose whose thorns are deleterious.

She took another sip of her tea, her servants waiting for it to happen. 

The three daughters of noble families stood in their dresses. One's knees were barely holding her up, another's breath was uneasy with nerves, and the last stood calm and composed.

Maybe somewhere in between preparing or serving it when guilt reaches the doorsteps of the two pale servants, as it cripples under their skin, continuously fidgeting their fingers–nervous, anxious they might get caught. They keep their toes and heads aligned because this is a now-or-never plan, remembering all the times the princess had made them regret entering the palace to serve her.

The scent of dried rose mixed with fresh honey, the Roselle tea's scent arose in the room as they prepared it.

"What if we get beheaded for this?" exclaimed the brunette with short curly hair, "Bridgette, remember how that villainess set your hair ablaze?" The raven girl reminded her, she looked down at herself and at her braids that is tightly tied afraid for the Princess to threaten her lighting it up again on fire. "And you, Lila, your hands almost detach to your body just because of a simple single mistake," she sighed and handed over the tea they prepared, "What are you waiting for? The Princess is waiting for her tea to be served, go on!" Bridgette and Lila looked at each other for the last time before following her, "Idiots," irritatingly grumbled when they left.

A single sip from the poisoned tea will spread into their lady's bloodstream like a wildfire set ablaze in the field, unwavering and no one sees it coming. The three of them whose heads are down but with eyes full of cautiousness are constantly glancing toward her. Wondering if they had forgotten to put the poison, Bridgette and Lila were afraid that not only her title be stripped away from her and her family but worse to be beheaded, but the raven girl smiled hideously, she was the unflattering and the type of fire that the more water you put onto, the bigger the blaze will be.

'Soon you will be out of sight. Gone. Dead. You will pay for your sins you have inherited and continuously committed, Princess.' She sneered at the sight of the Princess, who was unbeknownst to the scheme she had plotted.

On cue, the Princess vomits blood that splatters in her dress, horrified, she isn't able to grasp what is happening to her as her sights turn watery-blurry and her body gets heavy as she drops on the floor. Lila moves without a doubt to reach out to her lady, "Bridgette! Call the royal physician." she angrily exclaims, she feels too guilty when she finally comes back to her senses, 'What am I doing? Why did I let this happen? Why did I let the thought of revenge get the best out of me?' Bridgette could not even budge an inch as she fell with her knees that finally could not pace with the tension with a bulge amount of fear stirring in her. "Bridgette, what are you doing? Crying won't do anything!" 

"I'll do it," the raven girl said calmly, stepping forward, leaving a soon-to-be-dead princess and the idiots in the chambers, not planning to call anyone to help their lady or return. 

A few tremendous minutes have passed, "The Princess, she is not breathing." Bridgette, who dared to check on the lady, declared, "What?"

The raven girl removed her wig allowing her natural hair finally off the hook, letting it breathe. The sun shines brighter than ever before, or maybe she just hasn't seen the sun for a long couple of weeks. Stretching her arms and smiling, her plan was successful, her hardships surely paid off. "What a beautiful day it is!"

...

"Answer me!" Bridgette and Lila were trembling, they could not even master to mutter any words in the presence of the Crown Prince, Cahill.

The perfect Crown Prince. Handsome, smart, kind and sympathetic, humble and down to earth, the befitting for the position of an Emperor. Kathars believed that Cahill would bring even more glory to the Elysian Empire than the past Emperors, assuming he would be able to exceed his father's achievements.

With his personality, it is not surprising that he is a loving brother, even to his vicious sister. But each of his actions was shrugged off, ignored by his sister, making her image worse than it already is and his' oppositely.

"It... it was the raven girl!" Lila finally spoke, although she was sure that her lady was a frightful and fearing one, the one in front of them - her, the one who is supposed to be kind and forgiving is nowhere to be seen, only a blood-curdling man was there. "Raven girl?" Cahill asked for confirmation.

"Yes! The... the raven girl had told us a...about an order. Th...that the Princess-" Bridgette couragely answer, hoping this would save them. 

He clenched his jaw, as his eyebrows furrowed, feeling the twitch inside of him. Some kind of evil spawn wants to come out and explode. "Then where is she?" He was asking the aide that was behind him, hopefully, could fill out some holes, but what he said to him took him aback, and his aide confirmed it with a nod. "Was her name, Cicuera?" Both of the girls looked at each other and nodded to him, 'Impossible. But they are not lying.' Somewhere in him, he knows very well when a person lies or not, and he has mastered it now. But Cicuera died a month ago before she could even step inside of the palace. 

Before leaving, he heeded an order for proper investigation and that they could never step foot in the palace again with their families, it was much he could do, but this was treachery! Avyanna is still part of Zorkeian lineage, poisoning his sister meant a threat to the Empire. He can't help but bite his lower lip, but the Emperor - their father, is not sure what he will say in this situation if he could ask for the heads of those who participate in this activity and their families who hold positions in the aristocrats. He loosened himself by unbuttoning one of his buttons. "Things will be in chaos for a while."

...

In the southernmost part of the Crystal Palace, Princess Avyanna was being checked by certain priests of the temple alongside the royal physicians, in her chambers.

Crystal Palace was bestowed to her when she turned 12, it was the first and last favor she received from the Emperor.

It is where the concubines of the past centuries and even the Former Empress, Anwyn - Avyanna's mother lived. But it's been seventeen years since the Anwyn died, a year after a concubine replaced her, Cahill's mother, as the Empress and not long after had died too. 

The palace was considered cursed, as it turns to be more deserted as time passes by and no one is allowed to set foot in there. It was haunted, with the maze of roses that has a blood-like appearance from afar that surrounds it and the chilliness in the delicate thick walls that haven't left in forever.

Avyanna has asked for it as a courtesy since she will be turning twelve. She didn't say it directly to her father, but to the right arm of him, Malachi Mildred.

"I will relay this matter to him, Avyanna." Unlike any servants, or anyone in the empire, Malachi has an unknown background, he is not an Elysian but a boy that the Emperor took in himself, fed, dressed, and given a scholarship at the Academy, a scholar with the highest remarks in the history and as soon as he graduated, he serve beside the Emperor as they took over kingdom to kingdom, became a strategist and also the closest person to the Emperor.

Malachi thinks of the Emperor's child as his responsibility, knowing how difficult that person's personality is. But even with many attempts, he too has failed to soften the heart of Avyanna.

On Avyanna's twelfth birthday, like any other year, her birthday was not celebrated, she was used to it, but Malachi saw her smile for the first time that day. "A royal decree from Emperor Killian, I shall bestow Princess Avyanna van Elysium the key to the Crystal Palace for her twelfth birthday."

Many were threatened, when they heard about the circulating rumors of the Emperor favoring the Princess after all those years. "What do I do? I... I slapped the Princess back then, Daddy!" a young noble girl whimpered, "Daddy!" So once and for all, the nobles confirm if the Princess will finally have power, by investing eyes and ears in the palace, and at the end of the day they were relieved to hear the news.

"Honey, don't worry, the Emperor just gave the brat nothing more than a haunted palace." Once a whimpering child, she spread a grin on her face, her daddy is a Marquis and she is the heir of that position, she thinks the Princess is just a title, and soon she will marry the prince and will be the Crown Princess with the help of her, "Daddy, I love you!"

Killian was in his study when Malachi burst into his room, not even greeting him, he rushed towards his table and told him about what happened to the Princess. He relaxes his nerves and massages both of his temples. He leered his eyes to Malachi and he already knew what the Emperor meant. Before Malachi could say anything a name was announced from the doors.

"The Crown Prince is asking for an audience!"

"Father- Sir Malachi." They both greeted each other and Killain's gaze found his son. Bright vanilla blond hair, blue deep ocean eyes, but younger. The father-son looks like a reflection of one another, the past and the future. Killian already hit his early forties yet he still had an astounding presence, and ladies of all ages still wooed him whenever he entered the room, but the young ladies now had their eyes set on the Crown Prince, the one next in line, knowing Killian hasn't taken a woman for decades, after the tragedies of his Empress's.

"Princess Avyanna was poisoned by her lady-in-waiting, I request for a proper investigation and for them and their families to be stripped of their titles." That is what Cahill demanded, only if he could kill them with his bare hands he would, but his position and title forbid him to.

"Mmm. They are still part of the nobility, the ones who serve that woman," it stung both the father and the brother, he looked down on his son who tried his best to suppress his anger towards him, "Aren't the only daughter of the of an Earl and the youngest of Viscount server her? Isn't it too severe?" Cahill bit his tattered lips, he knew it might look too much, the aristocratic faction would be shaken, and many would appeal for the Emperor to rethink his decision, but Cahill is determined to punish those who are a threat to the throne and his sister.

"They did not only poison Princess Avyanna, but threaten your authority, Your Highness." He kneeled and looked up to him as if he worshiped him, "This is treachery, no matter what anyone says, Princess Avyanna still carries the blood of Zorkeia and I too-" Killian raises his hand, he does not need to hear anymore. He too would want to punish them, but luckily Cahill would step into it personally. "Do what you want."

Cahill leaves to meet with other nobility and to process what needs to be done, Killian who is drowned with paperwork works leaves early to go to the Crystal Palace.

"Is the Emperor going to that wench?!"

"Hush, what if someone hears you?"

"Everyone thinks the same way, I don't have to act hypocritical not like you."

"Still, what if the Emperor hears you?"

Then like a cue, they met the Emperor's gaze and ran away like cowards. 'I really should replace those who serve in this place, what if she hears them?'

"!!!" The Head Priest meets the Emperor halfway out and bows down respectfully, "The Princess has been revived." He did not even look down on the Head Priest and went straight to her chambers. 'No servants. How could they leave her with no attendants?'

When he opened the door, his daughter was lying peacefully, almost looking dead, in her bed. He kneeled beside it and held his daughter's hand for the first time in a long time. "This is my fault." He let himself be vulnerable for the first time. Letting his tears make him look weak for the first in a long time. He never let anyone see this side of him, no one must know, because he is the Emperor, if they knew that Avyanna was his Achilles, they would target her more, this is the best he could do, to stay away from her. Let her detest him, because he deserves it. He was never a father.

'You never acted as her father.' Cahill's grip on the door made his nerves pop in his hands, gripping it harder, but soon he calmed his anger once more. 'One day you will be out of here, dead. Know that you are the reason for Avyanna's assassination attempt, if you have only protected her.' But who is he kidding? He, the Crown Prince did not even see it coming. If only I had the power.

"The Crown Prince is entering!" Killian stood, wiped his eyes and calmed his heart. "Father, I did not know you were in here."

"Ugh!" Then Avyanna grasped and inhaled the air, awakening after a long sleep. Shocked and confused. "Call the royal physician! Quick!" Cahill shouted.

"Princess Avyanna, are you... alright?" Cahill wants to hug his sister, tell her that she is fine now, that her brother would punish those who attempted to kill her - who succeeded but thanks to the Head Priest. But he can't, he was not the one who will know who the culprit is, nor the one punishing them and he is not the one who saved his sister. So he can't.

"So...sorry, but..."

"!!!" The Royal Physician, some attendants that were near the door, Cahill, and the Emperor were surprised by the first words she had said.

"Who are you?"