Living Like a Mouse? How About a Lion?

A Mad Dog's Bargain

The day before the banquet arrived faster than I'd expected, and for once, I found myself alone in my room, left with nothing but my thoughts. The gown was ready, Reynold had reluctantly agreed to be my escort, and all the necessary arrangements were in place. Everything should have felt settled, but there was something gnawing at the back of my mind.

I couldn't stop thinking about Callisto.

Not that I wanted to think about him, but the upcoming banquet wasn't just any event—it was the birthday celebration of the Crown Prince's brother. And where the prince's brother goes, Callisto usually isn't far behind. A banquet full of royals, nobility, and power players? He'd be there.

And while most people saw Callisto as a ticking time bomb—a wild beast barely contained by royal protocol—I saw something else. An opportunity.

Maybe the way out of this suffocating family isn't through escape... but through a deal with a mad dog.

I lay back on the bed, my fingers idly tracing the patterns on the ceiling as my mind wandered. Callisto wasn't like the others. He didn't care about noble propriety, or appearances, or playing by the rules of society. He was dangerous, yes—but he was real. And if there was one thing I knew from all my time dealing with people like Derrick, it's that sometimes the craziest option is the only one that makes sense.

And honestly, what's crazier than two mad dogs making a pact?

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I wasn't some delicate noblewoman who could be wooed with promises of a quiet, peaceful life. I wasn't looking for a fairy tale ending. I wanted freedom—freedom from this family, from the suffocating expectations, from the constant feeling of being less than nothing.

Callisto could be my way out.

I sat up, my mind racing now. What would a man like him want? Power, obviously. And amusement. Callisto wasn't the type to settle for a quiet life, either. He thrived on chaos, on danger. Maybe I could offer him something he'd value—my loyalty, my cunning, and my ability to stir the pot.

And in exchange, maybe he could help me break free from this twisted family once and for all.

It was a ridiculous idea, but was it any more ridiculous than everything else that had happened to me? The nobles loved to call me a "bastard," a "commoner," someone unworthy of the title of Lady. But maybe that was my strength. I didn't care about their rules or their judgments.

I stared at the window, the moonlight casting shadows across the room. Tomorrow, I'd be at the banquet, wearing a gown that would shock half the court and scandalize the rest. But beyond the dresses and the gossip, there was Callisto. And I had to figure out if he could be my key to freedom—or if I was just trading one cage for another.

Either way, I've got nothing to lose.

A wry smile tugged at my lips. The thought of walking into the banquet with Reynold by my side, only to lock eyes with Callisto, was almost thrilling. The nobles wouldn't know what hit them.

And neither would Callisto.

If I played my cards right, I might be able to strike a deal. A deal that could change everything.

A mad dog and another mad dog, huh?

Sounds like a plan.

With that thought, I finally let myself relax. Tomorrow was going to be a whirlwind, but I was ready. Ready to fight, to scheme, to take control of my life in a way I never had before. And if Callisto was part of that plan?

Well, that just made things even more interesting.