I let out a shrill laugh that startled Lisa, making her visibly shrink back on the bed.
'Damn it! Why did things turn out this way? Even though it would be ideal in this situation, I still don't want to reveal that I'm not Kael.'
'I need to act quickly!'
"Do I look like a horrible monster to you, Lisa?! Incapable of showing care for anyone?" My voice was full of fury, as if those words had truly enraged me.
Lisa averted her gaze in fear, but I wouldn't let such a good opportunity to make her feel regret slip through my fingers.
Grabbing her shoulders, I forced her to look at me and continued: "You keep insisting on challenging me. But why such ingratitude?!"
"I-I'm sorry." Lisa's eyes began to well with tears, her voice so low I could barely hear it. Seeing me so furious had truly scared her to the core.
Not wanting to drag this out and risk slipping up further, I stood up to leave.
"Next time, don't say meaningless things. Know that I really do like you—otherwise you'd already be dead for saying such insults." I warned Lisa one last time before walking out. I wasn't lying, because if it had been the original Kael, he really would have killed her for that.
'With this, Lisa's image of me was slightly shaken. Well, she'll still see me as a monster, even if only slightly humanized.'
Closing the door behind me with a slam, I stood still for a few minutes, wavering between anger and sadness; anger at not being able to control this body properly, sadness for making Lisa suffer.
'What have I become? Feeling sorrow over a woman I've never met in my life. Am I really in love with her?'
Leaving my thoughts behind, I walked down the familiar dark hallway, trying not to give in to the urge to hit something.
I didn't want to break any walls, and besides, such violent behavior wouldn't be fitting of me.
'Damn it, it really seems like I've become a hostage to this tyrant role…'
...
Hidden behind a pillar was the maid Evelynn, one of Lisa's closest friends.
She had seen Kael leaving Lisa's room and quickly hid behind a pillar. She had come carrying a tray of food for the princess.
Hiding was instinctual for anyone—after all, no one understood that madman; at any moment he could decree their death, so it was better not to be noticed by him at all.
'He didn't notice me.'
Evelynn thought, but fate seemed to be against her, because Kael stopped right beside the pillar she was hiding behind, his cold voice cutting through the silence:
"Girl, how long are you going to stay hidden there?"
Evelynn nearly jumped in fright and stayed quiet for a few moments before stepping out from behind the pillar, now face to face with Kael.
"H-Hello sir, since it's already lunchtime, I came to bring Lisa's meal." She stammered, raising the tray to eye level, trying to shield herself from Kael's piercing gaze.
"Is that so? Then why were you hiding?" Kael didn't let it slide and pressed further.
Evelynn grew even more anxious as she tried to think of an answer, her legs going weak at the thought of being killed if her response didn't satisfy him.
"Sir, I hid to fix my uniform. I couldn't look sloppy while delivering the princess's meal." After saying those words, she prayed inwardly that Kael would believe her.
Kael didn't believe her, but decided to let the matter drop and continued on his way to the throne.
Evelynn only sighed in relief when she saw Kael vanish into the darkness, feeling lucky to still be alive.
She walked toward Lisa's room, stumbling over her own feet and nearly falling several times. Knocking on the door a few times and hearing no response, she said: "Princess, it's me, Evelynn. I brought your food."
The sound of sheets shifting came from inside before the door opened and Lisa stepped out. She glanced around, checking if anyone was watching, and in the next instant pulled Evelynn inside.
The clumsy maid, caught off guard by being pulled in so suddenly, almost dropped the tray. Luckily Lisa caught it before it hit the ground.
"Oh… thank you, my lady." Evelynn thanked her, embarrassed.
"There's no need to thank me, Evelynn. I should be the one apologizing for being so sudden." Lisa set the tray on the desk and sat anxiously on the bed.
"Did Kael see you coming?"
Evelynn lowered her gaze to the floor and said: "He saw me."
Lisa immediately stood and walked up to her friend, checking if she was hurt, and asked with concern: "Did he do anything to you?"
"No, my lady. I came up with a very good excuse and he believed me!"
Lisa sighed in relief and scolded her friend: "Be more careful next time. Remember, Kael can kill you for the smallest reason."
"Princess… I'm more worried about you."
Lisa tilted her head to the side, asking curiously: "What do you mean?"
"Well, you're the one who meets with him the most, so you always have to be careful not to make mistakes, because even the smallest one could mean your end." Evelynn shrank as she spoke, avoiding imagining what would happen if she were in Lisa's place.
Lisa understood Evelynn's fear and reassured her. She herself was terrified, but she wouldn't surrender or give up while that Tyrant roamed free after everything he had done.
"Don't worry, Eve. No matter what happens, I'll always stand firm." She held Evelynn's hand, intertwining her fingers with hers: "And you'll be here to support me, right?"
"I'll always be here to support you, my lady." Evelynn smiled and held Lisa's hands tightly, trying to convey her determination through that gesture.
It was moments of affection like this that gave Lisa strength. The strength she needed to remain standing even through dark days, because even the darkest nights had to make way for the bright light of dawn.
Interrupting that warmth and connection, Lisa's stomach growled loudly, making her pull away in embarrassment and sit back on the bed.
Evelynn chuckled at seeing her friend so embarrassed. But she quickly remembered her original purpose and picked up the tray.
"My lady, I made sure to prepare all your favorite dishes for today's meal."
"Hurry up." Lisa's voice was impatient as she looked at the tray, swallowing her saliva before continuing. "I'm getting anxious."
"Alright."
With a theatrical gesture, Evelynn lifted the tray's lid, revealing the chaos underneath: the salad had mixed with the chicken thigh sauce, rice was scattered all over the tray, a true culinary disaster.
Lisa's excitement visibly faded and Evelynn panicked, apologizing: "A thousand apologies, my lady. I had prepared all your favorite dishes: white rice, a lettuce and tomato salad, and chicken thighs seasoned with my special sauce."
Evelynn was about to cry, feeling incompetent for failing to help and not even being able to provide her best friend a decent meal.
"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault the food got mixed up on the tray." Lisa felt warmed by Evelynn's dedication. She decided to comfort her—it would be a sin to let such a sweet girl cry.
"It's still edible, see?" Lisa grabbed one of the chicken thighs and took a bite. After chewing and swallowing, she licked the sauce from her lips and continued: "It's even more delicious knowing it was made by you."
At that moment Evelynn forgot all her earlier sadness, hiding her flushed face in her hands and muttering shyly: "That's too much praise for a simple maid, my lady."
Lisa laughed at seeing her friend blush over a simple compliment, but also felt happy in her heart, because at least Eve wouldn't be sad.
After a delicious meal, it was time for Evelynn to leave.
When Evelynn left, Lisa would once again be alone in that dark room. That's why she looked downcast now, completely different from the cheerful girl who had welcomed Evelynn with a happy smile.
"Do you really have to go? Can't you stay a little longer?" Lisa asked hopefully, but reality was cruel.
"I'm sorry, my lady. I've already stayed too long—staying even a few more minutes would be too risky."
Evelynn didn't want to leave her friend alone either, but it was necessary. If discovered, it wouldn't only be her who suffered, because that monster wouldn't let a chance to punish Lisa slip away.
The two friends said their farewells with difficulty. Evelynn walked down the hallway while Lisa watched from the doorway until she disappeared into the dark corridor.
And so Lisa returned to her usual solitude, where her only moments of connection and joy were scarce. Most of her time spent sleeping or crying.
Later that same day, the moonlight shone into Lisa's room, illuminating a beautiful girl curled up in her bed, sleeping with her eyes tightly shut as if afraid to wake up.
The blankets and pillow were damp, and the new knights guarding her room swore they could hear the faint sound of muffled crying coming from inside, lasting all night.
None of them were brave enough to enter and check, for their love of life was greater than any empathy they could feel for the girl trapped inside.
It seemed Lisa would wake up late tomorrow.
...
I sat in a comfortable position on the throne, almost falling asleep. But then! A damned knock on the door woke me. The urge to behead someone was strong, especially after everything that had happened today.
"Enter."
Aveline opened the door and walked in, making a suggestive bow before getting straight to the point. She seemed to have already noticed my foul mood and was eager to leave quickly.
"My lord, I bring news about the responses to the banquet invitations. The dukes decisively refused, some marquises also declined, and the rest have yet to respond. Aside from them, most of the nobles reacted positively to the invitation."
I cast my dark gaze on her, listening carefully to every word, then said: "Good work, you may leave now."
With another suggestive bow, Aveline left the hall, looking relieved as she closed the doors behind her.
"Slut."
She was far too nervous—unlike her usual self—she was probably hiding something from me. The question was, what was she hiding?
'What she's hiding is most likely the growing dissatisfaction among the maids, which later would drive them to revolt and flee.'
'Evelynn would try to take Lisa with her during the escape, but Aveline would reveal every detail of the plan to me on the very day of the escape. Betraying her sisters without remorse, all to maximize her own gains.'
'In the tale, the result was the revolt being brutally crushed, with Kael killing Evelynn in front of Lisa, making her lose her only support and successfully breaking her.'
I discarded the thought after a few minutes. There was no point in dwelling on it, and besides, nothing Aveline might hide could truly harm me.
'Evelynn, your death was important to motivate two characters who would later aid in Kael's downfall. The first, obviously Lisa, the second was Mary, Evelynn's twin sister, who would take the position of head maid after Kael later killed Aveline in the tale.'
I searched for a comfortable position on the throne to sleep, but unfortunately, I couldn't fall asleep again.
"Damn it."
"Why the hell doesn't Kael sleep in a bed like a normal person? It had to be a throne—a hard throne at that!"