𝕳𝖔𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖘𝖘 - (Ranboo)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕

When Hertha returned a day later with her guards, Ranboo was waiting in the throne room for her to walk through those doors. He was surprised to see she was carrying a pot, within it, a single cutting of a mint. Hertha decided to keep a part of Brea with them at all times, a cutting of her liver left to decompose under the soil in the pot and feed the mint plant the nutrients it needed.

"Hertha! You're wearing the cloak!" Ranboo reminded her as Hygelac and Alecto stood on both ends of the door.

"Oh please, the whole castle knew, you yelled it out in the throne room and Alecto asked about it. They were there, remember?" She shot back and carried the plant to the hallway leading up to her room, "your sisters already know!" She added and went to their room where she placed the plant on the shelf above where her sachet and Venus's cloak were. Hertha decided she wanted to visit Technoblade.

During her day trip out to the tribes by the mainland, she thought of what Ranboo had supposedly said. Yes, it hurt her to think that Venus may be dead and that Ranboo was confessing that to others while feeding her white lies, but she couldn't deny facts. And if Venus did die, she wanted to avenge her boss and sister-figure by hitting at the source - her father.

Speaking of the prince, he knocked on her door and walked into her room to see her staring at the sachet, "Hertha? Are you okay?" Ranboo asked slowly to the girl.

"How could you..." Hertha whispered and turned to see Ranboo standing there nervously, "you... you told me we should wait out for her replies... for her response. But you tell that nymph girl how you think she's dead?" It hurt her chest to talk and look at Ranboo sigh and relax.

"Hertha... What did Brea say?" He opened his arms for her but she never went.

"Does that even matter anymore? Even if you said it or not, you aren't denying it! You truly think she's dead? That you have to lie to me and tell other people behind my back? You make me look like a fool!" She complained and waved her hand up before bringing it back down, "and what'd you do if I told you all of the things she said!? Would you just tell me she doesn't mean it and she's like that? That you can't do anything? Would you go off again and deal with her and tell her all of this... slander about me and my kingdom's princess? Ranboo... it hurts." She confessed and saw the prince drop his arms and stand up straight. He felt bad, but he couldn't find the right words to say sorry. "You left me alone... you saw how she treated me; you let her do it, you left me to just take it in like some... some sort of self-loathing sponge. I can't believe the only person I could seek refuge with, was Dream - the guy who tried to kill me! He cared more than you did and he only wanted to see me kill her! I'm so stupid!" She groaned and walked off to the side, closer to the door which was in her room which she never described.

"What!? You killed her!? Hertha!" Ranboo seemed shocked and watched Hertha pull at her hair.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry you couldn't find it in yourself to protect me, so I had to clean up what everyone wanted! I guess I'll always be that stupid maid that cleans up! I guess I'll always be that defenceless Hertha who let people walk all over her until she does something stupid! I guess I'll always be that Hertha that disappoints everyone because no one on this stupid planet can just fight for me! You want me to go ahead and let you talk about Venus being dead behind my back to the girl who degraded me so proudly in front of you!? She was the only one to ever fight for me!" But when Hertha said that, she could only think of how Ranboo sent someone off to get back at Dream for her. She was kidding herself trying to get her feelings out to Ranboo, who just let her cry out what she did. It wasn't helping the fact he was doing that, it made Hertha feel like she was just uselessly attacking an innocent boy. The frustration carried Hertha into the door behind her where she locked it and looked around the bathroom. It was strange how they had a bathroom but it made sense for the most part, Hertha lived in a guest room, not all guests would be monsters who converted everything they ate to energy one way or another.