Page 42 of Heart of the Villain

“If you wanted the seat so badly, you should’ve tried to take it.” Marlena cocked her head to the side, feeling like a snake about to strike. “Instead, you turned into a spoiled fucking brat who’s never done anything but sulk in what was never meant to be yours.”

Ivelle’s muscles were taut and it almost looked like she wasn’t breathing from the rage inside.

“Your new job is to listen to me. That’s it. Nothing else.” Marlena wouldn’t take the first step back. She waited for Ivelle, who hadn’t decided she was ready to budge yet but who wasn’t saying anything anymore either. “You are here because no one else wants you. Kind of like me. So if you think that for one second, you’re going to come in here and out-trauma me and make me feel bad for you, you are sadly mistaken.”

Ivelle let out a breath and took a tiny step back.

“Now, should we try this again?” Marlena gestured to the chair Ivelle had been sitting in. “Good morning, Ivelle.” Her voice was quiet, returning to a normal decibel.

Through a still-clenched jaw, Ivelle sat while holding Marlena’s gaze. “Good morning.” Her tone was the grumble of a scolded teenager.

Marlena left Ivelle’s space, grabbed her mug off the table, and looked over her shoulder from the doorway. “We are hosting the Curia meeting tonight to make the announcement of my succession. Be ready by four-thirty.”

If they won’t listen, make them.

Twenty-One Years Old

It had been weeks since Marlena had had a single moment to sit down, and it didn’t look like it would be slowing anytime soon.

She touched up her makeup in Vega’s bedroom, where her sister was sprawled on the bed. “Do you ever wonder where the gods went when they died? Like, what ever happened to Pluto and the underworld? Do you think he got left behind on Earth or something?” Vega stared at the ceiling, her eyes watching the fan spin.

“Are you high?” she asked, avoiding making direct eye contact with herself in the mirror. It had been twelve years since she’d spent six days locked inside the room full of mirrors, but that time alone still haunted her.

“No, but I did start thinking about it last week after I tried unregulated ale from Fraus.”

Marlena popped her lips, evening her lipstick out. “You know if our parents catch you, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Vega laughed and pushed herself up onto her elbows. “I’m nineteen. They can’t control my every move.”

Yes, they can. They are. They will.

“What are they gonna do? Kick me out? I’ll just come live with you.” None of Vega’s worries were real—none of her plans were forced on her. She’d been able to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

Marlena finally turned to look at her sister. “I mean, what is your plan? You can’t just dream about other worlds for the rest of your life. You need to find a purpose, something you can work towards.” So you don’t end up as nothing but a baby-making machine.

Vega curled her legs underneath her. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t think I have a plan. I know I want to help people… those less fortunate than us. Maybe stop the resistance happening in the territories.”

Marlena really struggled to contain her own eye roll, but she did. “That’s very noble of you, Vega, but I don’t think you’re going to be able to have any say in that.”

Vega got that look on her face when she was ready to defend her point. “I disagree. Bridger and I talk about it all the time. What he’s going to be able to do when he takes over as commander. All the good he can bring. He wants to change the way the army is run, give people a home who have never felt wanted.”

Somewhere deep in Marlena’s chest, there was a pang of guilt and a smidge of sadness for the world her sister dreamed of…

It wasn’t the world that would win in the end.

This wasn’t a fairytale.

This was the real world. One where the princesses didn’t get to keep their princes and no one lived happily ever after.

She wanted to be gentle with Vega, but she also wanted to prepare her for what was to come. “You know they’re never going to let you stay with him, right?”

Vega’s eyebrows scrunched. “What do you mean?”

Sometimes the truth hurts. Her mother’s voice had been quieter these days, but the voice wasn’t gone—it had just turned into something else… something more that Marlena was fighting to keep out.

“He’s destined for a different path than you. Our parents know that. Everyone knows that. They’re not going to follow our parents if this resistance goes south.” And it would; it will.

Vega hadn’t moved from the bed, but her posture stiffened. “Why do you think it’s going to get bad? You’re going to be leading a territory soon. You get to be their voice, the one who stands up if things go bad.”