The Outcast Princess

An unforgivable mistake

The dungeon was an awful place. It was cold, dark, and felt like it was swallowing her whole. Lyra sat alone on the damp stone floor, hugging her knees tightly against her chest. She felt heavy, as if the weight of her situation was an iron chain pulling her down. Every breath was hard to take, filled with the painful realization that she had been betrayed. As she sat there in the darkness, the events of the day kept replaying in her mind, each moment more painful than the last.

“How could Elara do this to me?” she thought, feeling tears prick at her eyes. Elara, her best friend, the only person Lyra had ever trusted completely, had turned against her in the worst way possible. They had been friends for as long as Lyra could remember. Elara was the daughter of a high-ranking council member, and when Lyra was just a lonely orphan working in the palace, Elara had taken her under her wing. She was the first person who had ever shown Lyra kindness and given her a sense of belonging in a world where she had always felt like an outsider.

Lyra’s mother had passed away while giving birth to her, leaving her alone in a harsh and uncaring world. Growing up, she was often ignored and mistreated by those around her, even by her own people. She was like a shadow, drifting through life unnoticed and forgotten. But Elara had been different. She had been her lifeline—a bright light in the darkness.

They shared everything together: their dreams, fears, and hopes for the future. They would sit for hours in the gardens of the palace, talking about what they wanted in life. Elara had always promised to protect her, to stand by her side no matter what. But now, that promise felt like a cruel joke.

Lyra could still hear the harsh words Elara had spoken, words that cut deep and made Lyra feel as if she had been stabbed in the heart. “You are nothing but a servant! You don’t belong with us! You don’t even deserve to be here!” Those words echoed in her mind, and she felt more alone than ever. How could her best friend, the person she had trusted the most, say such awful things?

Lyra closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the memories of their laughter and shared moments. It was too painful to think about the past right now.

A sudden sound of footsteps echoed through the dark corridor, cutting through Lyra’s thoughts like a knife. The door to her cell creaked open, and there stood Elara, her face twisted into a cruel smile. Lyra’s heart skipped a beat, dread sinking in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, well,” Elara said, her voice dripping with mockery. “How the mighty have fallen.”

Lyra sprang to her feet, the chains around her heart tightening. “Why, Elara? Why would you do this to me?”

Elara stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. “Why? Because you stole him from me, Lyra. The prince—he was supposed to be mine!”

Lyra’s heart dropped into her stomach. The words didn’t make sense. “What are you talking about? I didn’t steal anyone.”

“You knew how I felt about him!” Elara spat, her voice rising with every word. “I’ve loved Caden for years. But you—an insignificant maid—dared to take what was mine!”

“I didn’t know,” Lyra said, her voice trembling. The coldness in Elara’s tone was like a slap to her face. “You never told me.”

Elara let out a bitter laugh. “I didn’t have to tell you. It was obvious to everyone—except, apparently, to you.” She took a step closer, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “Even Ella warned me you’d ruin everything.”

At the mention of Ella, Lyra’s mind reeled. Ella—Elara’s twin sister—had always been distant, cold, and aloof. The tension between the two sisters was thick. Lyra had always thought it was just sibling rivalry, nothing more. But now, hearing Elara’s words, something inside her clicked. Ella had warned her? What did she mean by that?

“Elara,” Lyra whispered, barely able to comprehend the weight of what she was hearing. “I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you. I had no idea you felt that way about Caden.”

Elara’s expression hardened, her eyes flashing with fury. “Save your breath. It doesn’t matter anymore. You’ll never get the chance to play innocent again. I’ll make sure you’re sent out of this kingdom for good.”

Tears stung Lyra’s eyes as Elara turned to leave, her words cutting through the silence like a blade. Elara paused at the door, her back to Lyra, before glancing over her shoulder with a look of complete disdain. “Enjoy your last days, Lyra. You won’t be missed.”

The door slammed shut with a deafening thud, leaving Lyra standing alone in the darkness. She sank to the floor, her heart heavy with the weight of betrayal. The tears she had been holding back finally broke free, streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms around her knees. How had she been so blind? How had she not seen the jealousy, the hatred that had been festering inside Elara all along?

Minutes passed, though they felt like hours, as the cold seeped deeper into her bones. The silence in the dungeon was suffocating, broken only by the faint sound of water dripping from the stone ceiling, echoing in the oppressive quiet. Her mind raced, desperately trying to piece together the shards of what had just happened.

Then, the door creaked open again, and this time, hope flickered in Lyra’s chest.

“Caden!” she exclaimed, rushing to her feet, her heart beating wildly in her chest. “You came. Please, tell me you believe me.”

But the look on Caden’s face, standing in the doorway, made her blood run cold. His normally warm, expressive eyes were clouded with doubt. He didn’t step toward her, didn’t even move from the threshold. Instead, he stood there, tense and distant, as if she were a stranger.

“Lyra,” he said softly, but his voice held an edge she hadn’t heard before—one she couldn’t quite place.

Her heart skipped a beat. His tone was wrong, cold, unfamiliar. “Caden…” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You don’t believe them, do you?”

His silence was louder than any words he could have spoken. Lyra’s heart shattered as the weight of his indifference pressed down on her. She took a hesitant step forward, her hands gripping the iron bars of her cell. “Caden,” she begged, “please, tell me you don’t believe their lies. You know me. You know I would never—”

“I don’t know you,” he interrupted, his voice sharp and painful. “I thought I did. But I was wrong. How could I have been so blind?” His eyes flickered with something dark, something that twisted her insides with fear. “For all I know, you’ve been manipulating me this whole time.”

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat. “What? No, Caden. That’s not true. You—”

“How else can I explain this?” he continued, his voice colder than the dungeon walls. “How else can I explain that the Moon Goddess would choose you of all people to be my mate?” He looked at her with contempt, shaking his head as if the very thought disgusted him. “It’s a mistake, Lyra. A terrible, unforgivable mistake.”