The Heroine Is Crushing On The Villainess?!

Maelis Howard

Maelis Howard sat on the windowsill of her empty room, staring out at the vast estate grounds. The sky was a dull gray, as if it mirrored her mood, heavy with clouds that threatened rain but never quite followed through.

She could hear faint laughter in the distance-other noble children playing-but those sounds never reached her. Not truly. They were only reminders of the worlds she could never belong to.

"You're a disgrace to this family!"

Her parents had long since stopped trying to understand her. To them, she was a burden-a daughter with dangerous magic she couldn't control. They distanced themselves as much as possible, they sent gifts instead of affection, jewels instead of kind words. Every attempt to connect with them was met with cold politeness -until, finally, she stopped trying.

"Ugh! It's the scary Maelis! Ew!"

Her peers were worse. At every gathering, every ball, Maelis stood on the outskirts, cold and quiet, watching others exchange smiles and dances. They feared her magic and whispered rumors behind her back. Some children bullied her outright, calling her a monster, telling her she didn't belong. Others simply avoided her altogether, as if being near her would stain them with some invisible curse.

But every wall she built only made her lonelier. Her heart grew heavy, weighed down by years of rejection. She buried herself in books and magic, the only places where she could pretend to be powerful, in control, and safe.

"Better to be feared than pitied," she whispered to herself. It was a lie she repeated every day, hoping that someday she'd believe it.

One day, Maelis was on her way to the library downtown so she can give back a book she borrowed. The library was the only place where Maelis felt at peace. The scent of old parchment and leather-bound books was a strange comfort, and no one bothered her here.

Today, she was walking to one of the sections as she did a bit of reading, her nose buried in a thick book. Her face was set in its usual cool, detached expression, her icy blue eyes unreadable to anyone who might glance her way.

She didn't mind being alone. She had long convinced herself that solitude was preferable. People were cruel, and books didn't judge or mock her.

That was why, when she rounded the corner of one shelf and passed by another girl, she almost didn't notice her. The girl wore a pale blue dress that shimmered in the soft light filtering through the library windows. Blonde curls framed her face, and her eyes sparkled with warmth.

But it wasn't the girl's beauty that caught Maelis off guard-it was her smile.

Bright, genuine, and warm. As if Maelis were someone worth smiling at.

For a moment, Maelis faltered, stopping mid-step. Her heart gave an odd, unfamiliar lurch in her chest. She opened her mouth to say something sharp-to ask the girl what she wanted, to remind her not to be loud-but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she found herself whispering, almost without realizing it:

"Who's that girl...?"

She couldn't help it. The way the girl smiled-it was as if this stranger had seen through the cold walls Maelis kept up and had decided they weren't worth noticing. As if she didn't fear her.

Maelis stood frozen for a heartbeat longer, stunned by her own reaction. Then, as if burned by the warmth of that smile, she turned abruptly on her heel and strode away, her heart racing in confusion.

'What was that?' she thought, frustrated with the way the encounter left her unsettled. She had spent years perfecting her coldness-so why did one smile from an unfamiliar girl leave her feeling so... exposed?

Panic surged within her. Without thinking, Maelis turned sharply on her heel and walked forward, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

'What was that?' she thought, frustrated with the unfamiliar tightness in her chest. She clenched her fists, as if doing so could crush the strange warmth stirring within her.

But no matter how hard she tried to dismiss it, the memory of that smile lingered-soft and persistent, like a melody she couldn't stop humming.

She hurried through the library aisles, her footsteps echoing on the polished floor. But even as she left the girl behind, one thought followed her relentlessly.

'Who is she? And why do I feel as though... I want to see her again?'