To be the Villainess

O16.

Chapter 16

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I SQUEEZED my eyes shut, bracing myself for the inevitable crash. The wind roared in my ears, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. When I hit the ground, the impact jolted through my body, and I bounced off the hard surface as a deafening thud echoed across the landscape, reverberating in my bones.

Dread coursed through me as I forced my eyes open, only to be greeted by a nightmarish sight. “Your Highness!” I gasped, my voice trembling as I locked onto the Crown Prince Lumine. The Crown Prince dangled helplessly in the monstrous grip of the Vorith, his body battered, his face contorted in agony. His left eye was swollen shut, blood seeping from the corner as he fought to endure the crushing force that threatened to break him.

“My lady, stay back! I can handle this!” Crown Prince Lumine shouted, his voice strained yet resolute. I watched in horrified fascination as his hands began to glow, a brilliant light emanating from his palms. The power within him surged, and with a burst of energy, he shattered the Vorith’s grip. The creature’s hand exploded into shards, and Lumine dropped to the ground, sprinting toward me without missing a beat.

“Stand back, my lady,” he commanded, thrusting his left hand in front of me in a protective gesture. The weight of his authority pressed down on me, but I bit my lower lip, a surge of frustration bubbling within.

Why must I always be protected? If only I possessed the strength to end this predicament myself, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

“I will help you, Your Highness,” I declared, my voice laced with determination as our eyes met. I refused to stand idly by while he fought for his life.

The Crown Prince Lumine sighed, a heavy sound laden with reluctant acceptance. “Very well, my lady,” he conceded, passing me his sword. My eyes widened in surprise at its weight, my arms trembling as I struggled to lift it. With a grunt of effort, I sheathed the daggers at my side and used both hands to hold the blade steady.

Before I could speak, the Vorith lunged at us with a bone-chilling roar, its maw gaping wide, ready to devour us whole. Crown Prince Lumine reacted with lightning speed, scooping me up like I was nothing. We narrowly escaped its gnashing teeth, the ground where we had stood seconds before now a crater of destruction.

“You can’t even lift a sword, yet you’re too stubborn to stay behind me,” Lumine mocked, a smirk playing on his lips despite the chaos around us. The Vorith roared again, its corrosive spikes bristling, sharper and more menacing than before. The air itself seemed to hiss with the promise of death.

“This is your sword! How can you fight without it, Your Highness?” I shot back, my brows furrowed in irritation, refusing to be cowed by his taunt. I knew this body was weak, Arthemice’s strength sapped by years of neglect and mistreatment in the Ducal Palace. But that didn’t mean that this body is useless.

The Vorith’s eyes gleamed with malice as it prepared for another attack, and I tightened my grip on the sword, every muscle in my body taut with fear and resolve.

“I can fight without it, my lady,” he muttered, his voice low but resolute. As he set me down, my legs wobbled beneath me, barely able to support my weight. The air around us thickened, the wind gathering with an ominous force. I looked up to see the monster charging, its massive form barreling toward us with terrifying speed.

My heart pounded so violently I could feel it in my throat, each beat sending a wave of adrenaline through my veins. Beads of sweat dripped relentlessly from my forehead, stinging my eyes as I clung desperately to the sword Lumine had given me, my knuckles white from the strain.