Ascension Of The Villain

Before Sienna could go further with her rash plans, she was pulled to the side by Easton.

"What is it?" she let out in annoyance.

Easton's eyes flicked to her, his jaw tightening imperceptibly. "What the hell have you been up to? Don't think that I won't notice everything you have been doing to harm Iyana."

"Harm Iyana?" she chuckled humorlessly. "That's not even my intention. I want to get Vyan to reveal his magical powers to save her."

"And you think she is that helpless? How stupid are you?"

"Even if she is not helpless," she hissed, "you shouldn't be so concerned with another woman's life, least of all when I am your wife."

Easton turned slowly, his expression impassive at first, but his gaze sharpened, turning cold as steel as her words settled over him. He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Wife?" He practically spat the word, his tone dripping with disdain. "Don't you dare act like my actual wife, you lowly witch. I only married you to get back my position."

Sienna's face twisted in a mixture of anger and hurt. But she was far too proud to let it show fully. "Is that what you tell yourself?" she said with a mocking smile. "That you are only using me for status? Let's not rewrite history, Easton. You married me because you needed someone ruthless enough to do what you were too cowardly to accomplish yourself."

Easton's expression didn't waver; if anything, her words only deepened his contempt. "You mistake cowardice for conscience, Sienna," he replied coolly, his voice laced with bitterness. "But perhaps that's expected from someone who has always been blind to the difference."

She laughed softly, the sound brittle and icy. "Conscience?" she echoed, releasing his arm with a scoff. "Is that what you call this act of yours? For a man who has supposedly moved on, you are awfully sentimental about Iyana's life. Don't fool yourself, Easton. There is only one reason she chose Vyan over you. Perhaps it's because he actually knows how to claim power, how to act."

His jaw tightened, but he refused to rise to the bait. "Iyana didn't choose him because of power. You wouldn't understand that, Sienna; love has always been a weakness to you, something you scoff at because it's beyond your grasp."

Sienna's face twisted in rage, but she quickly masked it with a smirk, leaning close enough that her words were a dangerous whisper. "And look where your precious love got you. Stripped of your title, cast aside, with nothing to your name but shattered pride. You may think you married me for power, but let's be honest, Easton. I was your last option."

He didn't flinch, his tone just as scathing as hers. "And you were mine."

Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Then, by all means, cling to this hollow ideal of 'conscience.' You are so desperate to prove to yourself that you are still… what? Noble? Honorable?"

"You really think you understand me? You are nothing but an empty title—someone who weaseled her way into power by exploiting a man's fall. But even in your ambition, you will never be more than a second-rate noble who plays at greatness, a child playing with evil powers."

"And what about you, Easton? Because face it. You are as much a part of it as I am. So, don't stand there with that holier-than-thou attitude, pretending you are different. You want power. You need it, just as much as I do."

His expression hardened, and he took a step back. "Maybe I do want power, but I won't burn an innocent to ashes just because you think it will give us control. And I certainly don't need you if the cost is my soul."

Her smile faltered, her control slipping for just a second as anger flashed across her face. "Then, take your 'soul' and see where it leads you. But remember this, Easton," she said, her tone seething. "You are mine. Bound by title and law. And no amount of self-righteous indignation will change that."

He let her words hang in the air, his expression unreadable as he fixed her with a cold, assessing gaze. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, two forces locked in a deadly, silent struggle.

"Maybe you have the law," he said, his voice barely a whisper, "but you will never truly have me."

———

The newlywed couple's names echoed through the hall as Easton and Sienna shared the first slice of their wedding cake, both of them smiling. Vyan, however, stood in the corner as Sienna pretentiously took Iyana away to feed her 'precious sister' some cake with her own hands.

Vyan's gaze was distant, detached from the celebration swirling around him. He hadn't intended to voice his thoughts tonight, but when he felt a light nudge on his shoulder, he turned to see Althea.

"I heard you are leaving for Preaton tomorrow," she mentioned simply.

Vyan hummed in response.

Althea's brows arched slightly, her eyes glimmering with something between curiosity and suspicion. "What are you trying to do, Vyan?"

Vyan's lips twitched up, deflecting, "What?"

She crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Iyana has been glued to you all night. Don't pretend you haven't noticed."

He averted his eyes, his usual sarcasm absent. Unfortunately, he also knew why Iyana had come to him last night despite being so drunk to the point she could barely walk.

Althea stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You could send anyone to find that acupuncturist. Why do you need to go yourself?"

He glanced back at her. "Because I will find him sooner."

"Why sooner?" Her voice was soft, almost as if she dreaded his answer.

"Because Ash needs to get better as quickly as possible."

She narrowed her gaze, pressing further. "And why does he need to get better so soon?"

A pause lingered before he finally answered, "Because I don't know if I will be around much longer."

Althea's face tightened, but she remained silent, waiting. And, almost compelled by her patience, he continued.

"I am not going to just walk into fate's grip, Thea. I will do everything to keep myself alive because I know what it would mean for Iyana if… if something happened to me. But…" he trailed off, exhaling slowly, "it's almost impossible to change fate's course once it's set. If it's written that I will die thirteen days from now, then I can't truly promise I will be able to stop it."

His words hung between them, a confession laid bare.

"So, if anything does happen to me… I don't want the grand duchy left unattended, for Ash to be forgotten as he is now."

Althea's face softened, a rare sadness coloring her usually sharp expression. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know… that is exactly why she doesn't want to waste a single second with you. She knows, Vyan, even if you don't say it."

Vyan's eyes flicked over to where Iyana stood beside Sienna. A pang shot through him, sharp and unavoidable.

Althea leaned in and wished, "Take care of yourself, Vyan. Iyana is not the only one here who would feel the loss."

———

Sienna once again watched from the edge of the ballroom, her fingers tightening around her cake spoon, as Iyana and Vyan shared a laugh across the room. They were tucked away in a quieter corner, far enough from the main crowd.

Vyan leaned close to Iyana, his expression softened, his gaze holding a warmth and adoration that Sienna never saw in someone's eyes for herself.

Iyana was clearly basking in it. She tilted her head back, laughing at something Vyan had murmured to her, the soft light catching the spark in her violet eyes. The way she leaned into him like they were in a world of their own. Vyan reached up, gently brushing a stray curl from her cheek, his fingers lingering for just a second longer than necessary.

His face held that look. That unmistakable blend of pride, affection, and fierce protectiveness that showed just how much he adored her—something that Sienna herself would never experience.

Sienna's grip on her spoon grew white-knuckled. She fought to keep her expression neutral, though her insides twisted with resentment. Here Iyana was, draped in luxury, glowing with effortless confidence, loved and cherished openly by a man who didn't hide his feelings.

It was everything Sienna had convinced herself she didn't need, and yet... as she watched them, she felt the familiar ache of envy burn hotter in her chest.

She lifted the spoon to her lips, but the cake tasted sour as she swallowed, the scene before her stinging with a bitterness she couldn't wash away. She had schemed, clawed her way to a title, manipulated her way into marriage with a prince, yet here she was—alone, with a husband who despised her and not a soul who cared enough to look at her the way Vyan looked at Iyana.

As if sensing her gaze, Iyana glanced up, catching Sienna's eye.

For a moment, her laughter faded, and a flash of something unreadable crossed her face. But then she looked away, turning back to Vyan with an easy, unbothered smile as if Sienna were beneath her notice. The sight sent a fresh wave of jealousy coursing through her, more potent than any she had felt before.

Sienna turned abruptly, muttering to herself as she left the ballroom, despite one of her new knights calling after her that it was time for her speech with Easton.

She could barely see straight, her vision clouded with her own anger and frustration. How had it come to this? How was it that after everything, Iyana still had it all—love, respect, and now, that nauseating display of happiness?
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It was unbearable. And she would not tolerate it.

She found herself pacing in one of the grand corridors just outside the ballroom, away from prying eyes. Her hands balled into fists, nails digging into her palms as she whispered fiercely to herself, "How dare she—after all this, she still has everything handed to her on a silver platter. It's as if the universe itself conspires to see her happy, to keep her safe."

With a huff, she stopped, bracing herself against the cool stone wall, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

But the rage simmered under the surface, refusing to dissipate. Memories flickered before her eyes: of nights spent alone, of desperate deals struck in dark corners, of every underhanded tactic she had employed to claw her way to where she was now. And for what? To be mocked, to be pitied, to be overlooked?

"If that woman thinks she can waltz through life, wrapped in privilege, untouched by the reality the rest of us face, then she is in for a rude awakening." She lifted her chin, her eyes blazing with a mixture of spite and determination. "I will strip away every piece of happiness she holds dear. Her love, her respect, her title. Everything that makes her feel invincible."