Third-person POV

Jella did not knock when she reached the king’s quarters. The moment she stood in front of the door, she pushed it open and walked in like she still owned everything inside, like nothing had changed, like she wasn’t walking into a room that used to belong to the man she had ruined. The air inside was quiet, still, and strangely calm compared to the storm that had been building in her head since morning.

Vale stood by the window with his back to her, looking out at the palace grounds as if he had all the time in the world. He was dressed simply, far more casually than Jella had ever seen him before, and even from behind, it was obvious how much weight he had lost. His shoulders were sharper now, his frame thinner, and there was something about the way he stood that made it clear that the time he had spent in the dungeon had not been easy.

Jella noticed it immediately, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of satisfaction in her chest. She had made sure he suffered and had made sure he was broken down piece by piece. Feeding him once every three days had not been an accident or neglect, it had been a choice on her part and a slow, deliberate way to break him down and to remind him that he was no longer a king, no longer a man of power, but something beneath her.

The sound of her footsteps against the floor was enough to make him turn. As soon as his eyes landed on her, his expression darkened instantly, a deep frown settling on his face like it had always belonged there. There was no surprise in his eyes, no relief, nothing that resembled gratitude for being released. If anything, he looked irritated to see her standing there.

"What kind of game are you playing now?" Vale asked, his voice low but sharp, like a blade being dragged across stone. "Why am I out of that cell?"

Jella didn’t answer right away. Instead, she walked further into the room, her steps slow and deliberate as if she had no intention of rushing this moment. Her eyes stayed fixed on him, studying him in a way that felt more like judgment than curiosity. She stopped a few feet away from him, close enough to see the changes in his face clearly now. He looked older, not just in years, but in the kind of way that came from suffering. The lines on his face were deeper, his eyes heavier, and yet, there was still something strong in him that refused to break completely.

As he looked at her more closely, his gaze shifted slightly, and his frown deepened.

"What the hell happened to your face?" he asked suddenly, his tone changing just enough to show that he had noticed the burn. "Why do you have a mark like that?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Jella felt her irritation spike immediately. Out of everything he could have said, that was what he chose to focus on.

She let out a short scoff, her lips curling slightly as she tilted her head at him. The question annoyed her more than it should have, especially because she knew he didn’t have the full picture. He didn’t know Electra was alive. He didn’t know what had happened the night before. As far as he was concerned, his daughter was dead, just as she had made him believe all this time. So of course, he wouldn’t be able to guess the truth behind the burn on her face.

And yet, the fact that he even dared to ask still irritated her.

"You really can’t guess?" Jella asked, her voice carrying a sharp edge as she looked at him with clear annoyance. "You’re not as perceptive as you used to be."

Vale stared at her for a moment like she had just said something completely ridiculous. Then his expression hardened further, and whatever brief curiosity he had shown about her injury disappeared completely.

"You know what? I don’t care what happened to your face," he said flatly. "As far as I’m concerned, you could drop dead right now, and it still wouldn’t be enough after everything you’ve done, you greedy bitch."

The words stayed in the air between them, heavy and full of hatred. He took a step forward, his posture tense, and his eyes locked on hers with an intensity that made it clear he wasn’t speaking lightly.

"I don’t know what kind of twisted game you’re trying to play by bringing me out of that prison," he continued, his voice growing colder with each word, "but for your own good, you should leave this room right now."

Jella raised her brow slightly, but she didn’t move.

Vale’s jaw tightened. "I don’t advise you to be anywhere near me right now because I don’t trust myself," he added, his voice dropping lower, more dangerous, "not to kill the woman who had my daughter murdered and stole my crown. You’re going to wish you had killed me when you had the chance."

Jella rolled her eyes as if she was already tired of hearing him talk. "Must you always be so dramatic?" she replied, her tone filled with annoyance rather than fear. "If I wanted you dead, you would still be in that dungeon starving like the animal you are, and I would have had you killed long ago."

Vale didn’t react to that. He simply kept staring at her, his silence somehow more threatening than any words he could have said.

Jella let out a small sigh, as if she was growing impatient. "As much as it pains me to say this," she continued, "your daughter is not dead."

The words landed heavily, and for the first time since she walked into the room, Vale’s expression shifted in a way she couldn’t ignore.

"What?" he said, the single word slipping out before he could stop it.

Jella smirked slightly, watching his reaction closely. "You heard me," she said. "Electra is alive."

For a moment, Vale just stared at her, as if trying to decide whether she was lying or not. There was something in his eyes now, something that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t relief, it wasn’t happiness. It was something more complicated, something between disbelief and anger, like he wasn’t buying her words and was furious that Jella would try to mess with his head like that.

"You’re lying," he said finally.

Jella shrugged. "I’m not," she replied simply. "In fact, you should be thanking her right now."

Vale’s frown returned immediately. "Thanking her?" he repeated, clearly not understanding.

"Yes," Jella said, her tone almost mocking. "Because the only reason you’re standing here right now instead of rotting in that dungeon is because of her."

She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched his reaction carefully. "She came to see me," Jella continued. "Just a few hours ago, she walked right into this palace like she owned the place, despite being banned from it, and she made it very clear that she wanted you released."

Vale didn’t move, he didn’t speak, but the tension in his body was obvious.

"And if it weren’t for her," Jella added coldly, "I would have made sure you spent the rest of your miserable life down there, slowly starving and slowly breaking. Exactly the way you deserved."

There was a long silence after that, one that felt heavier than anything else that had been said so far. Vale’s eyes remained fixed on her, but his thoughts were clearly somewhere else now. The idea that Electra was alive had changed something, even if he hadn’t fully processed it yet.

Jella watched him closely, her arms crossing over her chest as she waited.

"You expect me to believe this?" Vale said finally, his voice quieter now, but still filled with doubt. "After everything you’ve done?"

Jella smirked again, though there was less amusement in it this time. "Believe whatever you want," she said. "It doesn’t change the fact that she’s coming back here soon, and when she does, things are going to change whether you like it or not."

Vale’s gaze sharpened slightly. "What do you mean?"

Jella’s expression darkened, the smirk fading into something more serious. "I mean," she said slowly, "your daughter has decided that she wants the throne."

The words settled heavily between them, and this time, Vale didn’t respond immediately.

Jella took another step closer, her eyes locked onto his. "And if you think I’m going to just sit back and let her take everything I’ve worked for," she added quietly, "then you clearly don’t know me as well as you think you do."

Vale finally moved, straightening slightly as he looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

"And what exactly do you expect me to do about it?" he asked.

Jella didn’t hesitate. "Stop her," she said.

The answer came too easily and too quickly, and Vale let out a short, humorless laugh.

"You really think I’m going to stand in my daughter’s way? Really?" he asked.

Jella’s eyes narrowed slightly. "If you don’t," she replied coldly, "then you’ll be the first one to pay for audacity."