The Villainess Wants To Retire-Chapter 277: A Fate worse Than Death

The dungeons beneath the palace were not meant for mercy. They were carved from black stone that swallowed warmth, designed centuries ago by architects who understood that true punishment required more than chains, it demanded cold, silence, and the slow erosion of hope.

Mira had learned this truth over two days that felt like two lifetimes.

She sat in the corner of her cell, knees drawn to her chest, breath misting in the air before her. The thin servant’s dress she wore offered no protection against the chill that seeped through the stone floor and walls. Her fingers were pale, nearly blue at the tips. She’d stopped feeling them hours ago.

Hunger gnawed at her belly, a living thing with teeth. They’d given her water once, brackish, tasting of iron, but no food. Perhaps they’d forgotten. Perhaps they simply didn’t care.

Lady Eris will find me, she told herself for the hundredth time, though the words had begun to hollow out, losing their weight. She found the button. She knows something is wrong. She’ll...

The sound of footsteps shattered her fragile hope like ice beneath a hammer.

Mira’s head snapped up, heart suddenly pounding so hard it hurt. The steps were measured, unhurried. Whoever approached knew they had all the time in the world.

The cell door groaned open, and torchlight spilled across the threshold, bringing with it the silhouette of a woman in fine robes.

Lady Isolde Ravencrest stepped inside, and even in the dim light, her beauty was terrible, sharp-edged, cold as winter glass. Her lips curved into something that might have been a smile if smiles were meant to cut.

"Still alive," Isolde observed, tilting her head like a bird examining a particularly dull worm. "How disappointing. I’d hoped you might save us the trouble."

Mira said nothing. She’d learned, after the first round of questioning, that silence was the only shield she had left.

Isolde circled her slowly, the hem of her gown whispering against stone. "You must be wondering why we haven’t simply killed you. After all, that would be the merciful thing, wouldn’t it?"

She paused, crouching down to Mira’s eye level. "But you see, my dear, mercy is such a wasteful virtue. And you..." Her fingers reached out, catching Mira’s chin in a grip that made the servant girl flinch. "...still have value." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

No. The word screamed through Mira’s mind, but her lips remained sealed.

"I have a new use for you," Isolde continued, releasing her with a small shove that sent Mira’s head cracking against the stone wall. Stars burst behind her eyes.

"One that benefits us all, really. You get to leave this miserable cell. My brothers get to rid themselves of a problem. And I..." That smile widened, showing teeth. "...get to watch the Fire Bitch realize she’s not as clever as she thinks."

The cell door opened wider, and the two brothers entered. Mira’s eyes widened immediately, Isolde’s brothers, Damon and Kael Ravencrest. Where Isolde was all calculated cruelty, they were something worse: hungry.

Kael’s eyes raked over her in a way that made her skin crawl. "Gods, Isolde, you kept this one too hidden. She’s prettier than before."

"Pretty enough to taste," Damon added, his tongue darting across his lower lip. The gesture was obscene in its casualness, as though he were discussing a pastry, not a person.

No. No, no, no,

"Don’t you dare Damon. We wouldn’t want to deliver her broken." Isolde stood, brushing imaginary dust from her skirts. "After all, the buyer expects quality."

The word buyer hit Mira like a fist to the chest.

"What..." Her voice cracked, barely a whisper. She tried again, forcing the words past the terror lodged in her throat. "What buyer?"

Isolde’s eyes glittered with malicious delight. "Oh, did I forget to mention? We’re selling you, dear. To a dealer, actually. Quite respectable in his field."

Damon grinned, all teeth and no warmth. "Best in the business. Moves girls across three provinces. Has a particular fondness for the pretty ones. The fiery-haired ones fetch a higher price, you know." His gaze slid over Mira’s copper curls. "Especially the ones with spirit left to break."

This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.

But it was. Oh, gods, it was.

Isolde turned toward the door, satisfied. "We’ll move her tonight, after the sun sets. Can’t risk daylight, too many eyes." She paused at the threshold, glancing back over her shoulder one last time before walking away.

And Mira alone with the two brothers.

Kael closed the door behind Isolde with a soft click that echoed like a death knell. The lock turned. The sound of it, that final, terrible sound, seemed to drain the last of the warmth from the cell.

"Well," Kael said softly, beginning to remove his gloves one finger at a time. "Isn’t this cozy?"

Damon laughed, low and rough. "Isolde always was too cautious. A few bruises won’t matter where this one’s going."

Mira pressed herself harder against the wall, as though she could somehow melt into the stone and disappear. Her mind raced, scrambling for escape, for a weapon, for anything,

Lady Eris. Please. Please find me.

But the prayer died in her throat as Kael stepped closer, his shadow falling across her like a shroud.

"Don’t worry, little bird," he murmured, crouching down with that same awful casualness. "We’ll make this memorable."

The cell door was locked.

The torch guttered, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

And somewhere far above, in chambers lined with silk and warmth, Lady Isolde Ravencrest poured herself wine and smiled at the thought of morning.

Some fates, reader, are worse than death.

And some monsters wear the face of nobility.

...

The palace corridors were quieter now, the day’s chaos settling into the hush of evening like ash after a wildfire. Eris’s footsteps echoed softly against marble as she made her way back to her chambers, and if one had been watching closely... truly watching... they might have noticed the faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

Not quite a smile. Something sharper than that.

She had done what she came to do. The trap was laid, baited with fear and threaded with the kind of terror that made people stupid. Isolde’s face had been a portrait of beautiful panic, all wide eyes and trembling composure, the kind of fear that would fester and rot until it demanded action.

And when Isolde acted... when she inevitably moved in haste, in desperation... she would stumble directly into the snare Eris had so carefully prepared.

The beauty of it was almost poetic.

Eris turned a corner, her mind already three steps ahead, mapping out the paths Isolde might take, the mistakes she would make, the moment when everything would unravel.

She was so absorbed in her calculations that she nearly collided with Commander Ryse, who materialized from a side corridor with the silent efficiency of a man who’d spent years moving through shadows.

"Your Majesty." He bowed, brief and precise.

Eris stopped, one eyebrow lifting.

"Your orders have been executed." His voice was low, meant only for her ears. "The guards around Lady Isolde’s residence have been replaced. All of them. Our men are in position."

She felt something warm and satisfied unfurl in her chest. "Discreetly, I hope?"

"As you commanded. The switch was made during the evening rotation. Unless Isolde’s people are watching very carefully... and I suspect they’re not... they won’t have noticed anything amiss."

"Perfect." The word came out soft, almost a purr. She let her gaze drift past Ryse’s shoulder, toward the distant wing where Isolde no doubt sat stewing in her terror.

"Make sure they understand: no one enters or leaves without my knowledge. If she so much as sends a kitchen boy with a message, I want to know about it."

"Already done, Your Majesty."

Eris nodded once, dismissing him with a flick of her fingers. Ryse melted back into the shadows, and she continued on her way.

She exhaled slowly. Logic dictated that Mira was still alive. If they’d wanted her dead, they would have simply killed her and dumped the body somewhere visible, a warning or a taunt. The fact that there was no body meant they were keeping her for a reason.

Which meant there was still time.

The thought offered cold comfort at best. Alive, yes, but in what condition? What were they doing to her? What had they already done?

Eris’s hands curled into fists, heat prickling along her skin. Pyronox stirred, responding to her anger like a hound scenting blood.

She forced herself to breathe. Forced the fire back down. Losing control now would help no one, least of all Mira.

But if... when... she found the people responsible...

Well.

Isolde had looked terrified tonight. That was nothing compared to what was coming.

Hold on, Eris thought. Just hold on a little longer.

I’m coming.