"Allow me to embrace the role of the ultimate villainess, now that I wear the badge of wickedness. "
Aria observed the chaotic scene unfolding around her, a multitude of individuals vociferating, cursing, and hurling objects her way as she knelt, tightly bound to a sturdy wooden pole.
"Sever her head!" a man exclaimed, as she was forcefully dragged and placed face-down. With an unsettling grin, he held a woman close to his chest.
It was not that she had committed the most heinous crime or any such thing, but rather that this man, this woman, these people, all sought her demise. The man she had once tenderly loved with her entire being, the woman she had placed utmost trust in, the people she had selflessly sacrificed for - now all baying for her death, her downfall.
"Where did everything go astray? What have I done?" Aria questioned as she gazed up at the man and woman she had yearned to assist the most. "Leander... Thea."
"It is because you are the villain, and villains inevitably meet their demise," Thea asserted with a malicious smile, her hair defiantly billowing in the wind.
And, in a fleeting glimmer of a silver blade, her head rolled from the platform. Cheers erupted, screams echoed, yet no tears were shed. Leander donned a diabolical smirk, turned his back, and sauntered away with a triumphant Thea.
"King Leander! King Leander!" the crowd roared with jubilation.
King? A title she had toiled relentlessly to bestow upon him. Earning the highest rank within the kingdom, even resorting to shameless tactics. She believed he was far more suited for the position than his younger brother. She believed that maturity was of paramount importance. Now, behold the fruit of all her labor.
A solitary tear cascaded down her cheek. Her vision faded into darkness.
Why... am I the villain? I worked so diligently for them. I tried to aid them.
...
With a gradual flutter of her eyelids, Aria gingerly opened her eyes. Gentle rays of sunlight permeated through the salmon-pink curtains adorned with intricate golden patterns.
Where am I?
She surveyed the room, a sense of familiarity creeping in. It felt like an antiquated space - a room she had once known so well. Slowly rising to her feet, she detected a faint ache in her legs, her gaze fixated on the desk directly ahead. Pictures adorned the desk, capturing the essence of beautiful souls. This was her old room - the haven she shared with her family before Leander.
As Aria reached out and gently lifted one of the cherished photographs, her emotions surged, and tears flowed unabated down her cheeks. Within the frame, an imposing figure, tall and distinguished, with a mane of iron-grey hair that seemed to shimmer in its own right, stood alongside a woman whose locks were a cascade of platinum blonde, so pale that they bore a slight resemblance to silver. Her eyes, like rare and captivating sapphire gemstones, added a touch of enchantment to the image.
The photograph slipped from Aria's trembling fingers, but she didn't falter. Her heart yearned for more memories, more glimpses into the past that held the essence of those she loved so deeply. She reached for another photograph with a sense of urgency as if these pictures were her lifelines to a cherished past that threatened to fade.
In this new snapshot, a younger version of herself stood beside a precious young boy, his emerald eyes sparkling with youthful exuberance. His platimum hair had a carefree, windswept quality that hinted at a spirit untouched by the weight of the world. Aria's gaze lingered on this image, absorbing the innocence and joy that radiated from it.
Overwhelmed by the weight of her emotions, Aria sank to her knees, her surroundings fading into oblivion as unrestrained sobs wracked her body.
A resounding "thud" resonated behind her, as something fell to the ground.
Staring in awe, a woman with nut-brown hair caught Aria's attention. "Lady Silverstone! Are you awake!? Why are you on the floor? Why are you crying?" gasped the woman as Aria rushed over to embrace her in a hug. To lift herself up, Aria stepped on the wooden tray that lay on the floor.
"Irie!" she sobbed loudly once again, holding the woman tightly. This was all she had left when she left to be with Leander. Irie and her family. "Lady Aria, what's the matter?" Irie grew more anxious as Aria remained unresponsive.
In Irie's eyes, Aria had been unconscious for three days and was only just waking up. It all happened because Aria had wanted to go horse riding with her older brother.
Suddenly, a pair of anxious adults burst into the room, drawn by the sound of loud sobbing. They stood there, stunned by the scene before them, unsure whether to scold their daughter for grasping a maid or to shower her with affection for finally waking up.
"Mom, Dad!" Aria called out as she spotted them, rushing to their side.
"Is something wrong, my dear?" her mother asked softly, her voice filled with sweetness, curious about her daughter's sudden outburst.
"No..."
"Then let's settle down and have a doctor check you," her father suggested, patting her head.
Aria sat on the bed while a doctor examined her, contemplating how she ended up here in the first place. She remembered everything that had happened just a few minutes ago, but wasn't she supposed to be dead? Aria gazed at the chandelier hanging in the center of the room. When the doctor inquired about her age, her father provided an answer, stating that she was sixteen. Had she been granted another chance at life? If that was the case, she had ten years to change her horrifying destiny. but how?
As the doctor stood up and approached her parents, Aria stared at them for a long moment before a voice resonated in her mind. It was a voice she hoped to never hear again.
"...because you're the villain..."
Aria pondered deeply while looking at her hands.
What had she done wrong exactly? Where had she failed exactly?
She stood up and slowly made her way towards her parents, trembling slightly at the voice inside her head.
"...because you're the villain..."
She gradually drew closer and closer to her parents. Her mind wandered far and wide, desperately seeking to distract herself from the persistent thought.
"...BECAUSE YOU'RE THE VILLAIN..."
Nausea and dizziness enveloped her as the world slowly spun around her. The realization struck her like lightning: was she truly a villain? Aria's thoughts came to a sudden halt as an idea crossed her mind, sparked by Thea's words.
"So, I'm the villain now? A villainess huh?" Aria mused aloud. "Thea, I have misunderstood. Neither you nor Leander can be saved."
A gleaming smile spread across Aria's face as she approached her parents. Warmly, they returned her smile. In a hushed whisper, she affirmed, "No more errors. A villainess has to be perfect, right?"
But now that I have embraced the role of a villain, why not become the greatest villainess? Aria questioned. "Isn't that far superior, Te-Te? I shall not only be the villainess you always desired me to be but the greatest one at that."
With those final thoughts, Aria seized control of her destiny, promising herself never to succumb to the horrific mistake of being the heroine.
let me be the greatest villainess