The Villain's Life Is Now Mine

Temir

The letter was sent in secret. Raven had written it late at night, alone in her chamber, using a quill that trembled in her fingers. Every word was measured, careful, and unsigned, but it bore the old seal of House Thorne, melted into crimson wax to ensure the recipient knew exactly who summoned her.

She'd written only one name. Mira. A former palace maid. Dismissed under mysterious circumstances. Marin, bless her gentle heart, hadn't wanted to help at first. But when Raven explained truly explained that she didn't remember anything about the prince or her supposed obsession, the maid had finally relented. Mira had worked in the Crown prince's wing. She had seen things. Now, Raven waited in the shadowed corridor of the estate's servants' quarters, heart beating too loud, ears straining for footsteps.

The back door creaked open. Marin ushered the girl inside with a hurried glance over her shoulder. "Quickly. This way." Mira looked older than Raven expected by only a few years, perhaps, but tired in a way that etched deep lines in her expression. Her clothes were plain. Her hair, once described as black, was pulled into a tight braid streaked with ash. But it was her eyes that struct Raven the most. Wide. Alert. Haunted. "Mira," raven said quietly. "Thank you for coming."

Mira stepped forward, keeping her hands clasped. "I didn't come to help you. I came to hear the truth."

Raven blinked. "The Truth?"

"You sent me a letter claiming you don't remember anything." Mira tilted her head. "That you don't know what happened. That you aren't the same person."

"I'm not," Raven said simply. "And I need to understand who I was. What he did to me. What I did to others." Mira studied her for a long moment. Then, without a word, she turned her back to Raven and slowly peeling back her worn dress. Long jagged lash scars ran down her back in uneven trails. Some were old, white with time. Other's still pink and raw. Raven's breath caught. "He did that?" she whispered.

Mira pulled the dress back up. "The prince. Temir Windsor,"

"How did it happen?"

"I spilled tea," Mira said. "He said it was an insult. That I was mocking him. But I think... " Her voice trembled. "I think I just reminded him of you." Raven stepped back, clutching the wall for support. "I was dismissed the next morning," Mira continued. "Beaten, bloodied, and told never to return. I didn't. Until now."

"I'm sorry," Raven said softly. "For what he did. And if I ever-"

"You were cruel," Mira said bluntly. "But not like him." Raven nodded, throat tight. "I heard you jumped," Mira said then, voice quieter. "From the garden bridge at the royal banquet. People said you were hysterical. Obsessive. That you threw yourself after another fight with him."

"Do you believe that?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I wasn't there that night. But I do know you changed after last winter. You got quieter. Angrier. And he... he started to look at you like he hated you."

Raven swallowed hard. "Did he ever love me?"

Mira met her gaze. "I don't think Temir Windsor is capable of love."

The silence that followed was heavy. Raven felt it settle into her bones. She didn't remember Temir, but everything she was learning, the scars, the silence, the cruelty painted a picture she couldn't ignore. She hadn't jumped out of devotion. She'd jumped to escape.

And somehow, she'd failed. "I need to know more," Raven said finally. "About the days leading up to the accident. Can you think of anyone else who might've seen something?"

Mira hesitated. "There was a guard. Lorian. He used to stand outside the prince's chambers. He might've heard something."

"Where is he now?"

"Gone. After the accident, a lot of people vanished. Reassigned. Disgraced. Silenced."

Raven exhaled slowly. "Then I'll keep looking. I won't stop."

Mira nodded once. "Good. Because you might be the only one who can."