I Reincarnated as the Bastard Prince? Well, At least I'm OP!-Chapter 63: Andras backstory

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon when Raven finally stepped out of the enchanted item shop.

The cool night air brushed against her skin as she glanced at the empty space beside her where Archer's portal should have appeared.

Club activities had ended, and the city was winding down for the night. Students were already heading back to their dorms.

She sighed, leaning against the shop's outer wall. "Where the hell is he? He said he'd pick me up."

She couldn't open the portal to the Red Dragon's domain herself—she can't open portals. That was a magic way advanced than a student mage.

Barry had agreed to meet her on this spot after club practice.

But wasn't here.

Inside the shop, Maltida and Lenya emerged, laughing and chatting as they tucked away the last of their enchanted stock.

They spotted Raven standing outside and waved at her.

"Hey, Raven," Maltida called, "come with us. It's getting late."

Lenya nodded. "Yeah, it's not safe to wait around alone."

Raven shook her head, forcing a smile. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I'm waiting for someone."

Lenya gave her a knowing smirk. "Let me guess. Archer?"

Raven didn't respond, just rolled her eyes. The two girls giggled.

"Just be careful," Matilda said before the two finally walked off, their footsteps fading into the night.

Raven exhaled, tapping her foot impatiently. "What's keeping him so late? This is no way to treat a lady."

Just then, a voice slithered into her ears from behind.

"Waiting for someone?"

She turned sharply.

It was Richard.

He stepped out of the shadows like a serpent uncoiling, his eyes locked on her with a strange interest.

Fear coiled tight in Raven's chest. Memories of Richard's attack at the academy as the man-beast flashed through her mind.

She took an instinctive step back.

"Richard," she said, forcing her voice steady. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes flickered past her, scanning the empty street. "Where's Archer?"

Her fingers curled into fists. "If you're looking for him, he's not here." She swallowed hard, trying to sound tough. "Let it go, Richard. This is getting old. You and Archer can sort out your differences some other time—"

Richard's grin widened, cutting her off. "Actually," he said, taking another step closer, "I didn't come for Archer this time."

Before she could react, his hand shot out, grabbing her arm and yanking her forward with brutal force.

Raven gasped as she collided against him, his grip iron-tight.

His breath was hot against her ear as he growled, "I'm here for you."

Raven's eyes widened in raw fear, her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

And then, the world went black.

* * * *

Raven's eyes fluttered open, the first thing she registered was the oppressive heat. The air stench of sulfur burned her nostrils.

A wave of terror crashed over her as she realized where she was.

She was suspended midair inside a massive volcano, chains binding her wrists and ankles.

Below her, molten lava churned and bubbled like a living creature, sending up waves of unbearable heat.

Her heart pounded as she realized she was dangling directly above it, her body swaying slightly over the boiling abyss.

"No... no, this can't be real," she screamed, her voice trembling, "HELP! SOMEONE, HELP ME!"

A dark chuckle echoed through the cavernous space.

Raven twisted her head, her heart pounding as she spotted Richard standing near the edge of the rocky platform.

Standing beside him was a masked figure in a jester's attire, his grin wide and sinister beneath the shadow of his hood.

"RICHARD!" she shrieked, yanking against her restraints. "LET ME GO!"

Richard didn't answer. Instead, the jester stepped forward, his laughter still dancing on the lava-scented air.

"Soon, Princess Eris," Andras cooed, "Very soon. We only need you to draw in your little boyfriend. Then we can all enjoy a beautiful reunion."

Raven caught her breath. "Archer? What do you want with him?!"

Andras's grin stretched wider beneath his mask. "Ah, so you don't deny he's your boyfriend. How interesting…"

"He is not my boyfriend!" Raven snapped, her voice echoing off the volcanic walls.

"Oh, we can pretend he is," Andras whispered. He floated toward her, levitating across the bubbling chasm until he was mere inches from her face.

The heat didn't seem to affect him at all. He reached out a gloved hand and gently caressed her cheek.

"Oh, Princess Eris," he said softly, obsessively. "If only you knew how much I've missed you."

Raven recoiled as far as the chains would allow, disgust written all over her face. "Stand back, or I'll bite you."

Andras threw his head back and laughed. "Still ferocious. How cute. You've aged like fire, dear girl."

At that moment, Richard took a step forward, his tone sharp. "Andras. I'm going to confront Archer now. Open the portal."

Andras sighed dramatically but obliged, waving his hand to tear open a swirling rift in the air.

"Go on ahead," he said, not taking his eyes off Raven. "I have some... unfinished business with Eris here."

As Richard stepped through the portal, Raven's stomach dropped.

She was alone with a madman.

And Archer was walking into a trap.

* * * *

Raven's breath came in short, panicked gasps as she glared at the masked jester floating inches from her face.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

Andras chuckled and tapped lightly on the side of his mask with two fingers. "Oh, how terribly rude of me," he said with a mocking lilt.

He floated backward a few paces, then gave an exaggerated bow midair, one arm across his chest.

"My name is Andras, head of the Blood Jest Cult… but once, long ago, I held a more noble title. I was the trusted sword of your dear father, King Harold Lyon."

Raven's eyes widened in shock.

"That's a lie," she spat. "My father would never grant someone like you the chance to serve him. You reek of evil! You tried to kill me. You must be working for the demon king."

Andras let out a low, bitter laugh. "That's where you're wrong, princess. You see, I wasn't always like this."

His voice darkened, the playful lilt fading into something raw and venomous. "I once stood at Harold's side in battle. I gave him my loyalty, my service, my trust. I would've laid down my life for him."

His gloved hand clenched into a fist. "Until he betrayed me." The words dripped with decades of hatred. "He stole the woman I loved... and married her."

Raven's blood ran cold. Her lips parted in horror. "You... you don't mean—"

"Yes, princess," Andras hissed, his masked face tilting as if savoring her horror. "She was your mother. Fiona."

The name struck Raven like a physical blow.

Her kind, gentle mother had been loved by this monster?

* * * *

Raven's scalp burned as Andras twisted his fingers through her hair, yanking her head back.

He inhaled deeply, his masked face hovering too close. "Fiona was the love of my life," he murmured, voice thick with obsession. "A noble's daughter, the fairest in the land. Every man wanted her—except Harold."

His grip tightened. " That man… he didn't care about women. He buried himself in books, in maps, politics, and theories. Always thinking ahead, always planning kingdoms… never living in the moment."

A bitter laugh escaped him. "When I introduced Fiona to Harold, their first meeting was disastrous. Harold barely glanced at her. I thought his arrogance had offended her."

His voice dropped to a snarl. "She acted disgusted… like she hated him. And I believed it. I truly believed she saw me instead. She would talk to me. Smile with me. We shared poems. Secrets. We were… friends."

The chains creaked as Raven struggled, but Andras ignored her, lost in his twisted memory.

"I planned to confess my love at the masquerade ball. During the Annual Masquerade Ball. It's tradition, you know? On the eve of the prince's coronation, he must dance with the woman who will stand by his side."

He let her hair fall and floated away a few steps, hands curling into fists.

"I searched all night for her. I thought she would be waiting. But when I finally saw her…"

He turned his masked face back toward her.

"She was dancing with him. With Harold."

The hatred in his tone was undeniable.

"And later that night… they vanished."

Andras chuckled darkly, almost to himself.

"I wouldn't have known the truth if I hadn't woken early and caught her sneaking out of his room… hair a mess, clothes wrinkled, lips bitten."

Raven's stomach churned as his voice cracked with raw betrayal.

"She claimed to hate him! How could they betray me like that?" The mask hid his face, but his trembling shoulders betrayed his rage. "Days passed. Then weeks. Then came the news… Fiona was pregnant. With Harold's child."

He gestured toward her, slowly.

"And soon after… they were married. Crowned as king and queen."

A long silence fell as the lava beneath bubbled like boiling blood, casting an eerie glow on Raven's stunned face.

His fingers slid from her hair to her throat, not squeezing, just resting there like a threat.

"Despite your father's betrayal, I never left," he admitted, his voice laced with bitter irony. "I remained by his side. Loyal. Dutiful. Faithful to the crown. Even though he stole everything from me… I never turned away."

He stared fixedly at her, sending chills running down her spine. "But then you were born."

A shudder ran through Raven as his tone shifted, something disturbingly tender creeping into his words.

"Something... changed in me. You, Eris… you were her. You were the very image of your mother. Her eyes. Her smile. The same way your hair danced in the wind. And you… were so innocent. So pure."

Raven's face repulsed as the realization of his obsession began to dawn on her.

"I watched you grow," Andras continued, his tone disturbing in its wistfulness. "Each day, each year… I watched. I prayed you'd grow faster. If I couldn't have Fiona, then… perhaps her daughter would do."

"You're sick," Raven spat, yanking at her chains in fury and disgust. "I was a child! I was five, for crying out loud!"

Andras threw his head back and laughed—a sound that echoed unnaturally through the volcano.

And an offensive one at that, don't you remember?" he said with a cold laugh. "When you were five, I knelt beside you, offered you a sweet, and playfully said I'd marry you one day when you grew up."

His eyes behind the mask seemed to burn as he leaned in.

"But you ran crying to your father… and lied. Lied that I touched you."

Raven's breath caught in her throat as the jester's voice turned bitter with venom.

"That single lie destroyed everything. Your father believed you without question. I was disgraced. Banished. My name erased from the palace records. Stripped of everything. And all because of you, Eris."