Ascension Of The Villain

Benedict met with Clyde in the grand hall, a deep frown etched on his face. He approached Clyde with a slight bow, urgency lacing his voice. "Lord Clyde, Princess Maria is nowhere to be found within the estate."

"No, Benedict, keep looking," Clyde ordered, his tone sharp. "There is no way she could have gone out. Vyan and I set up a magical barrier. Nothing or nobody can enter this estate except the main gate. Therefore, she is still here, somewhere within the estate. Look harder!"

Clyde clenched his fists, feeling the pressure. Only a few hours were left until they were supposed to hand over Princess Maria to Althea. He had no idea why Maria would decide to try and run away now of all times. She had been on board with this plan since day one. So why now?

Well, it doesn't matter why. Failing to find her on time was not an option.

His mind raced, trying to think of any place she could have hidden, but his familiarity with Maria was limited. He had never had the chance to interact with her much.

"Where could she be?" Clyde muttered, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface. His eyes flitted around the grand hall as if the walls themselves might suddenly grow a mouth and spill the beans. "Alright, Princess Maria, if you were hiding for some super secret reason, where would you be? Think, Clyde, think! Remember everything Vyan ever let slip about her."

Vyan mentioned those afternoon teas in the garden—so she was a nature enthusiast, huh?

"Did anyone check the garden?" he murmured, his feet already making the executive decision to head that way. He had burned through so much mana teleporting all over the place that his body was practically screaming for a good old-fashioned jog. Plus, he would better save some mana for emergency.

When he reached the garden, his eyes scanned the area like a hawk. Much to his disappointment, the garden was as empty as his patience.

But Clyde wasn't about to give up that easily. The garden was enormous, sprawling with countless nooks and crannies—perfect for a game of hide-and-seek that could last an eternity. Unless…

His feet left the ground as a sudden gust of wind lifted him, carrying him smoothly upward. With a quick flick of his wrist, a stronger gust swept through the garden, ruffling leaves, and, more importantly, revealing a fringe of pink hair.

"Found you," Clyde whispered, a grin sneaking onto his face as relief flooded his chest. He directed the wind to lower him gently in front of the curled-up princess. "Your Imperial Highness?" he called out cautiously, as if approaching a wild animal. "What are you doing here?"

A sniffle reached his ears, and Clyde immediately braced himself. This was going to be a long one.

"Do you miss your family?" he asked gently, trying to channel his inner therapist. "It's okay if you do. You will see them in just a few weeks. But only if you stick to the plan, alright? His Grace promised, remember?"

Her sniffles escalated into full-blown sobs.

Clyde let out a soft sigh before plopping down beside her, the grass barely cushioning his fall. "Okay, Your Imperial Highness, let's talk. Why don't you tell me about what is really eating at you? Why did you sneak out here?"

"It's because…" She finally spoke, her voice so low Clyde had to lean in closer to catch the words. "I don't want to see them together."

"See who together?" Clyde asked, his curiosity piqued.

"His Grace and that bi—woman."

Ah, now we are getting somewhere. There was only one woman who could be with Vyan, given his tunnel vision for loyalty. Even when he was hell-bent on revenge, his eyes were still glued to that one particular woman.

"I am really sorry to hear that," Clyde said, his tone genuinely sympathetic. Vyan had mentioned Maria's feelings for him—awkward. "That must have been tough to see." Not that Clyde had the foggiest idea of what she had seen. Vyan was notoriously tight-lipped about his romantic escapades.

"Why her…?" Maria mumbled, lifting her tear-streaked face slightly. "That woman is so cold-hearted."

Oof. If only she knew Vyan's heart is practically encased in ice, Clyde cringed inwardly.

"Well, the heart is a fool, Your Imperial Highness. It rarely falls for the right person." And you, Princess, have done exactly that—fallen for the wrong person, that is.

"Why does he have to like her? He could like anyone else, and I would be fine with it. I would want him to be happy. But her?" Maria's voice turned venomous. "I don't want that woman near him."

Clyde glanced up at the sky, now tinged with the colors of dusk, and on a wild whim, decided to take a creative liberty with the truth. "Well, you don't have to worry about that."

"What?" Maria's tearful eyes widened in confusion.

"His Grace doesn't actually like Lady Iyana. He is, uh, planning revenge."

Her eyes brightened with sudden hope. "So, he is just pretending to like her?"

"Yes, that's… exactly it!"

Oh, Goddess, what am I doing? Forgive me, Vyan and Lady Iyana! But if I don't lie, the princess might just throw a wrench into our plans.

———

"Tia?" Vyan exhaled, relief washing over him. "Oh, thank the stars, it's just you."

"Vee, what are you doing here—" Celeste's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "And why is the secret tunnel open? How in the world did you even—" Her gaze snapped to Katelyn, narrowing to a dangerous sliver. "Katelyn Sia Haynes, did you lead him here?" she hissed.

"Uh, well… Mother…" Katelyn stammered, instinctively clutching Vyan's sleeve like it was her last lifeline. She had never seen her mother this furious.

"I blackmailed her," Vyan declared, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife, leaving both Celeste and Katelyn momentarily speechless. "I blackmailed Katelyn into bringing me down here."

He met Katelyn's gaze, asking him silently, why are you lying?

He blinked slowly in assurance, it's okay, let me handle this alone.

Celeste's jaw dropped, her expression a mix of disbelief and exasperation. "I cannot believe it, Vee! Setting aside the fact that you blackmailed Katelyn into this, how could you even think of entering an unsupervised tunnel all by yourself? What if you got stuck down there? Or worse, encountered something dangerous? And what in the world do you expect to find in that dusty old thing?

That tunnel hasn't seen the light of day in decades!"

"Yes, yes, I am well aware of all that," Vyan replied, waving off her concerns with a nonchalant flick of his hand. "But this is really important to me."

"And what, pray tell, is so important that you had to drag poor Katelyn into your madness, Your Grace?" Celeste asked, hands now firmly on her hips.

Vyan met her gaze, the two of them locked in a silent battle of wills, until he finally relented. "Okay, fine, I will spill the beans, Your Imperial Majesty. I am hoping to find your oldest nephew through this tunnel."

Celeste's expression flattened into a look that could only be described as 'so done with your nonsense.' "So, let me get this straight—you think Ash is alive, and you are going to find him in this tunnel?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying!"

"Vee, do you hear yourself right now?" Celeste asked, incredulity laced in her voice. "You sound utterly insane."

"I am perfectly sane, alright?" Vyan insisted, though his tone had an edge of defensiveness.

"That's exactly what someone who has lost their mind would say." Celeste sighed and stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of concern. "Sweetheart, why don't you just go home and get some rest?"

"Tia, you have to believe me. I know Ash is—"

"Dead," she interjected, her tone firm and final. "Ash is dead, Vee. Accept it."

Vyan held her gaze for a long moment, then looked down with a heavy sigh. "You are right. I am being ridiculous. I shouldn't have come here."

"There you go," Celeste said, a small smile of relief creeping onto her face. "Now, let's get out of here. Kate, you too. Let's go."

Katelyn nodded, relieved, and started to follow her mother.

As they walked, Celeste continued, "Look, Vee, I get it. You are upset with me for not agreeing with you. But unlike you, I have had to live with the idea that both you and Ash were gone. Just because I got you back doesn't mean I will get Ash back too. You understand, right? Miracles don't come by that often…" Her words trailed off as she realized something was off.

Vyan hadn't responded.

She turned around, only to find the storage room eerily empty, the heavy steel door ominously closed.

"Did he—" Celeste began, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yep," Katelyn confirmed with a resigned sigh. "He went into the tunnel anyway."

"I swear, that boy!"