The Actress ||Cardan Greenbriar x Fem!Reader||

Chapter Six: The Mona Lisa

Chapter Six: The Mona Lisa

"Admiring the painting, my sweet?"

TW: Mentions of sexual assault

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Y/n walked the halls of the Hallow Hall, gathering her thoughts while she walked to meet with Balekin. She had long memorized these halls, hating each one the more she was forced to walk through it. The fancy marble floors, and expensive paintings weren't to her liking—they were truly hideous. Her eyes rolled as she came across a famous human painting—she believed it was called the Mona Lisa. It had been stolen and replaced with a blank canvas, which was charmed to look like the real thing. Balekin didn't even like the painting, he just viewed it as one of his many trophies.

That just made Y/n hate it even more.

"Admiring the painting, my sweet?"

Y/n turned around in surprise, her hand moving toward her boot, ready to grab her concealed knife. Her posture relaxed, and she was relieved when she saw the tall prince with dark hair and pale skin.

"You know I love your paintings, Balekin," she responded with a sweet smile. "Their beauty and significance blow me away every time."

Balekin nodded approvingly before leaning down to kiss her. "I haven't seen you in a long while, my darling."

"It's only been a few days, my love." Y/n moved to meet him halfway, fighting the bile that rose to her throat as her lips touched his. "Surely, you've been too busy to even notice?"

"Never," he breathed, gripping her roughly and shoving his tongue into her mouth to forcefully deepen the kiss.

Y/n hated this part of the job the most, the way he forced himself on her. The way she was forced to accommodate, otherwise he left bruises—not the happy kind. Her body shivered as she remembered the first time, she tried to fight it.

Balekin used the shiver as a sign to move further. He moved his hands to her ass, groping and squeezing. Messily pulling her into his bedroom, he pushed her on the bed, forcing Y/n to be compliant.

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He was asleep next to her. Tired out after a long bit of "making love." She felt gross and used as she always did after... that. Y/n looked at his face, it was truly a shame he was so beautiful—if only his personality matched his face. She sighed as she looked at him, her gaze shifting to the desk in the corner of the bedroom.

Stepping out of the bed, Y/n pulled on her clothes and snuck over to the desk. As silently as possible she went through the papers and drawers, every once in a while, glancing at Balekin to make sure he was still sleeping. Every movement he made, every sound that came out of his mouth was noticed by Y/n.

A piece of parchment in an envelope stood out to Y/n as she dug through the desk. The envelope seemed to have been opened carefully; there were no rips in the paper. With all the care she could muster, she pulled the letter out of the envelope, unfolding the paper and reading the contents. Her eyes widened as she read it.

Balekin is going to poison Dain with Blunder Mushroom... with the help of the Undersea. She smirked at the news, tucking the letter into her boot next to her knife. Y/n closed the envelope and placed it back on the desk, pretending she didn't steal the contents of it.

Y/n made her way back to her side of Balekin's bed. She woke him up softly, as if she had just gotten her clothes back on.

"Balekin, my love," Y/n said in a soft tone, brushing her hands along his beautiful black hair. "It's time I go back home." He just rolled over and waved her off. 

She crept out of his room, careful not to wake him again. A grin made its way onto her face; Dain would be happy with her find today.

Once Y/n made it to the hallway, she stopped by the painting one last time. The lady in the painting seemed to be judging her; for what, she didn't know. She glared at it as she walked past.

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Hey everyone!

Here's another (short) update. My writers block has been crazy. But I came up with something for you finally. 

I just moved to a new state so I'm still settling, the last semester of classes was really difficult, but I'm done with classes now, for as long as I want to be. Soooo... I won't have to worry about those anymore. 

QOTC: Favorite character in the Cruel Prince?

I hope you enjoyed!!

-C <3