the villainess gets revenge (alver x og cale)

Part 12

Cale had the mother of all headaches

She hadn't felt this nasty since... Actually, had she ever felt this nasty?

Oh, yes. She definitely had. Memories gently flowed back into her of times better forgotten and individuals who she had no love for.

Speaking of all that. She had the faintest of memories of her final moments in that damn prison and she could swear she remembered seeing the prince there.

How strange.

She had made enough arrangements that she was relatively confident in her rescue but she didn't anticipate Alberu's presence there. Or was that her feverish mind playing tricks on her?

Cale opened her eyes, regretting it immediately as the lights in the room did absolutely nothing to ease her migraine. Or rather, even the gentle moonlight flitting in from the window was too fucking much and she wanted to throw a bottle at the moon to put out it's damn light because wow her head throbbed.

She was so focused on her hatred of the moon and the pounding agony inside of her head that she almost didn't notice the feel of someone holding her hand.

Cale blinked and looked down towards the source.

It was a rather unseemly sight.

The crown prince ought to have a bit more elegance than to fall asleep at her bedside, dark bags underneath his eyes and a wrinkle pinched between his eyebrows that belayed his discomfort.

She scoffed.

Was he so determined to play the part of the loving fiance that he'd even sit at her bedside like this?

Cale frowned, fully taking in her surroundings lit up by moonlight.

Well, this wasn't her bedroom. That was a bit of an uncomfortable thought after her recent kidnapping. She wasn't terribly worried though.

She might not particularly like or respect the crown prince all that much, but she trusted that he wouldn't kidnap her at the least.

She looked down at their joined fingers and felt a bit strange.

She knew it was all a show for an audience. That was one area where she could perfectly understand her fiance.

They both danced for the entertainment of the masses, showing the public only what they wanted to show and hiding all the rest on the inside. She could be sure that everything Alberu did, carrying her away at the ball or holding her hand like this, was nothing more than a show.

She felt foolish because it was such a good act that even she wanted to be fooled.

There was a gentility to the crown prince that she'd always found a strange sort of comfort in, even if he annoyed her, and she liked... she liked the way he was holding her hand.

"What a fucking laugh..." She whispered to herself.

She didn't have the time or interest in actually developing a bond with her fiance. They weren't even truly engaged. Ultimately, they were merely strangers who could use one another for their own purposes.

It was only her exhaustion causing her to have such strange lingering thoughts. She knew better than to allow herself such a weakness.

She only had a soft spot for the prince because he'd never once believed the allegations against her. At least publicly, he'd defended her until the end. He hadn't been able to get the evidence to pardon her though and ultimately it all just amounted to pretty words without action.