52

Regan was sitting on the cold bed, looking at the piece of paper that Iris had given her. It was written in an unknown languange and despite trying to wonder about what it read, she was thinking about him. She had to gather her mind. So what if he was beautiful? He was a demon and he had done terrible things to her and her family.

"Oh, God. What was I thinking?" Regan murmured, facepalming herself. She couldn't stop thinking about the way he had stroked her hair in that tavern, the way his arm had wrapped around her waist. Artemis kept saying it wasn't a big deal. But what would the big deal be then? Getting kissed? Marrying him? Regan strangely found her mind filling with images of his strong arms holding her, his....mouth crashing hers, his hands....

The thoughts made her tremble with embarrassment and shame. What was wrong with her? Why was she thinking such things? That was the worst. But still, the ones before weren't any better. It wasn't like any guy had been that close to her.

The more she thought about it, the weirder she felt. A pang of something unknown coiled around her. He had other women, didn't he? The jealousy, mixed with disgust was a potent potion. Or maybe she wasn't jealous at all. Maybe she was just repulsed by the idea of Sirius being with many others. She hadn't forgotten about that dream of him kissing her.

It was maddening how she was still thinking that way about him. Maybe it was normal, she wasn't going to ignore someone who eliminated her family after all.

Regan looked through the window, trying to get him out of her mind. He was probably getting laid with someone, while she was here, cold and alone, thinking about absurd things. The gray landscape clouded her eyes. Maybe the days were shorter, but she didn't see a big difference. The wind blew strong and fierce, banging the window like a wolf's howl.

She had no sleep so she decided to do something else. Her feet dragged her to the door. When she opened it, the cold air brushed her cheeks. She felt a pang of guilt for her sister. She was in a worse situation than hers, married to a bastard of a prince. At least Regan wasn't married to anyone.

The thought itself made her skin crawl. What if everyone had known she was a princess and she had been forced into an arranged marriage? At least Artemis had married Viggo by her own wish, but Regan knew she'd never be willing to marry anyone, let alone a man like Viggo.

As she walked through the lonely corridor, her ears caught the muffled sound of something. Her heart raced. She didn't want anyone to see her wandering around at night and she didn't want Viggo to know, of course.

She cautiously followed the muffled sound quietly and when she ended up in the living room and a few feet further, she was shocked at what she saw behind the wall. It was Viggo and a woman kissing. The woman was definitely not Artemis.

"Oh my God," Regan whispered to herself, her heart pounding. She felt a surge of anger. How dare he cheat on Artemis like that? She kept staring at them, the disgust rising even more when she realized the woman was Liv. She felt like she was either going to there and spit at their faces or throw up.

"You piece of filth," Regan muttered under her breath. She wanted to lunge and strike both of them, finish them off, but she knew that would be foolish. She had to hit them behind the back, just like they were doing to Artemis.

She felt like she was about to explode. She had to get away from here. "They deserve hell," Regan muttered again as she tiptoed away, her hands fisting with the need to slap someone. The hallways were dark and she felt a stab of fear but it was nothing compared to the anger that coursed through her veins. And the most maddening part was that seeing Viggo cheat on Artemis felt like seeing Sirius do....

"Shut up," she hissed to herself. She didn't know what to be mad at first. This wasn't about her, and she was turning it too self-centered.

Her eyes darted around, searching for somewhere to hide, somewhere to process what she had just seen. 

But there was nowhere. The walls were closing in on her, the air was thick with betrayal. She was angry and she was going to do something, "Yes, Liv. I'll beat the shit out of her," she said through a shaky voice, "I'll make sure they both pay for what they've done."

She hid in a corridor that wasn't as dark as the rest and tried to even her breathing. She remembered what they said about revenge, It is a dish best served cold.

However, she was feeling anything but cold now. She wanted to burn them both in hell. She knew the consequences, Viggo was a damn prince. Maybe if he got harmed, they'd execute her. But she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe the air of betrayal and sin. 

The time that passed then felt like waiting for a timing bomb. But it didn't calm her down. And as if her request was accepted, she saw Liv appearing from the other corridor. Her appearance was disheveled. Clenching her jaw, Regan hid behind the shadows and approached her quietly from behind. She waited for the right moment and when Liv turned around, she grabbed her by the hair, pulling her closer. "Why did you do that?" she hissed, her voice shaking with anger, "Why do you have an affair with that asshole?"

"C-cornelia?" Liv gasped, her eyes widening, "Get off of me!"

"Shut up," Regan snapped. The maid tried to free herself but Regan's grip was tight and painful. She let go of Liv's hair and dragged her to a wall. She slammed her against it, holding her tightly, "You're disgusting," she spat, "you're all disgusting!"

"W-what d-do you want f-from m-me? I haven't done anything!" the maid managed to stammer.

"Don't play coy with me," Regan whispered fiercely, "I know that facade. You go and sleep with Viggo and expect no one's gonna know? I'll tell everyone about it. I'll destroy you both. And then you can continue your 'love' into the roots of inferno."

"Cornelia, I'm s-sorry, I'm s-so sorry," Liv shook her head frantically, "I-I didn't want it to be like this. But I've been prince Viggo's first mistress for so long," her expression surprisingly changed to one of a snake, a sly smile playing on her lips, "He doesn't care about the princess. He only cares about me. He'll do anything for me. He'll marry me once he's free. You see, you're no one to judge us. Watch yourself because once Viggo learns you know that, he'll skin you alive. He's dangerous, Cornelia. You should know that."

"How pathetic," Regan sneered, feeling a strange sense of pity. They were all caught in their delusions, You think he loves you? He's just using you, Liv. He's a piece of shit. He'll throw you away when he's done. He can't be with a princess, let alone with a maid. And you know what's the best part? I'll tell everyone. But since you want to live, I'm giving you the chance to leave. If you're smart, go. Disappear," she gritted out.

"You're playing with fire! You don't know what you're doing, you're the one who's pathetic," Liv hissed back.

"I'm the fire itself," Regan shot back, "And once I set my mind on something, I achieve it. Now, if you don't want to die, you'll leave. And if you do, you'll stay. I don't care. But if you try anything, I'll end you." Regan let go of the maid, stepping back, her eyes narrowing.

"Please, don't tell anyone. You'll destroy yourself, Artemis and me. Don't mess with these matters," Liv begged once more, her voice now seriously holding a hint of the true consequences of that matter.

Regan's jaw clenched, her fists curling, "Get out of my sight. Get lost!"

Liv stared at Regan for a long moment, anger and fear warring on her face. Then, quickly, she turned and scurried away. As she disappeared around the corner, Regan let out a shaky breath and leaned against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart.

She knew what she had done was dangerous. She knew that Liv was going to tell Viggo about this. But the fact of Artemis getting cheated, the fact of her getting abused and treated as a playtoy, made her disgusted and furious even more. Her fists clenched and she slammed them against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart.

She knew she was in danger herself. But she couldn't help it. She had to protect Artemis. It was her sister that she had never known her whole life. Yes, Artemis was hopeless, but Regan couldn't let her down. And if that meant putting herself in danger, then so be it.

She locked herself in the room, waiting for the dawn to come. She was determined to confront Viggo and she didn't care what awaited her. If Viggo attacked her, she'd fight back and then, if she'd be punished for her actions to the point of death, she'd find a way to get through it and survive. She didn't know how the laws and punishments worked there, b

ut she was determined to make something fair and good for once.