Chapter 3The Whole Damn Family is Villainous

That night, my parents and my brother, Damian, were all too worried to eat as well.

Damian, ever the cavalier, slammed a fist on the table. "Seriously, Dad? You couldn't just say she was already spoken for? Do you have any idea the filth they’re spewing about her out there?"

Mother’s face was a mask of frustration. "If it were anyone else, we could just have them… disappear." Before her marriage, she was infamous for eliminating several rivals within her own family to secure her position. Talk of murder never fazed her.

Damian nodded eagerly. "A knife in the dark solves a lot of problems. Better dead than miserable under the Prince's roof. I'm with Mom on this one." He turned to me, his eyes filled with a rare spark of pity. "Poor Cassia. So young, and already being set up as the unloved wife."

He’d picked up that particular turn of phrase from me. He was using it perfectly now.

My father looked like he was about to explode. "Have you both lost your minds?" he roared. "We're talking about the Crown Prince and the Lord Marshal! Who, exactly, do you plan on assassinating? And he'd better not treat her like that. He wouldn't dare!"

Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn't say it out loud, so I screamed it in my head. [Of course he’d dare! I’m not just the unloved wife, I’m the villainess! The evil counterpoint to his perfect Trista. I’m her stepping stone, the ultimate sacrificial pawn! No matter what I do, I’m destined to die!].

The mood at the table grew even heavier. I stared at the feast of roasted meats and exotic fruits before me, and for the first time in my life, it all tasted like ash.

Damian slammed the dining room doors shut, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Then let's do it. Let's start a rebellion. Father becomes King. Then let’s see who dares to bully Cassia."

My parents said nothing. Only I, the one who knew the script, sighed internally.

[The wedding has to happen. Refusing is treason. The King is already looking for an excuse to destroy our family. This is just the beginning. Once I’m married, they’ll send Damian to the frontier, where he’ll be betrayed and take a dagger in the back. With me trapped and my brother dead, our family will be defenseless, lambs to the slaughter. We’re all going to die!].

My brother’s breath hitched. My mother’s eyes grew as cold and sharp as daggers. My father seemed to reach a decision, snapping a pair of ivory chopsticks in his hand.

"Rebellion it is!" he declared, his voice a low growl. "Anyone who dares to harm my Cassia will not live to see another dawn."

We spent the rest of the night plotting. The plan was simple: I would marry into the Prince’s household and act as their eyes and ears on the inside. We would strike before they even knew what was happening. We would embrace our roles. Understand the villain. Become the villain. Surpass the villain. We would solve this problem the way villains do.

"Cassia," my father said, his eyes burning with intensity. "Once you are in that palace, do not play the part of the meek, forgiving wife. Be as wicked as you can be. We don't have much time, so make every moment count."

"That's right," Damian chimed in. "If he gives you any trouble, just hit him. You might not be a warrior, but surely you can handle that pampered Prince, can't you?"

A room full of master villains, all looking at me as if I were a fragile little flower. A fire lit within me. "I'll try," I said, a grin spreading across my face. "I think I can manage."

Honestly, being a villain might be bad for one's public image, but damn, it felt good.