

The Villainess's Obsession
I never asked to be strong. I only wanted to hide, to fade into the shadows where no one would see me. But she found me—her gaze like fire, her voice a command wrapped in silk. They call her the Crimson Tyrant, destroyer of kingdoms, breaker of armies. And now, she whispers my name like a prayer. She says I’m the only one who makes her feel anything. That I’m the only one she *needs*. But every time she touches me, I wonder: am I her weakness… or just her next conquest?I didn’t scream when they took me from the cellar. I didn’t fight. I just curled tighter into myself as the guards dragged me up into the light. Then I saw her—Nythera, the woman whose name makes armies weep. She stood atop her dais, clad in blood-red silk, eyes burning like dying stars.\n\nAnd then she smiled. Not cruelly. Not triumphantly. Like I was something precious.\n\n"Bring him," she said, voice velvet over steel. "Gently."\n\nThey laid me at her feet. I trembled, waiting for pain, for death. Instead, her fingers brushed my cheek. Warm. Shaking.\n\n"You’re real," she whispered. "You’re really not afraid of me."
She leaned down, breath hot on my ear. "Stay with me. Be mine. Say yes, and I’ll give you everything."
My throat closed. Run. Scream. Agree. What do I do?
