Viellas POV

I leaned over the desk, the flickering candlelight casting shadows across the blood stained pages. My arm was throbbed with a dull ache, but the irritation in my chest was much sharper.

"Damn... I am here, dealing with this rubbish book in this room, and they are having their lovely romance there," I muttered with irritation. Tsk.

My eyes landed on the words I had scribbled earlier : ’The male lead and female lead lived happily ever after.’

The sight of it made my stomach turn. Happily ever after? With her?

"Uh, should I just tear the page and write a new one?" I mused, tapping the pen against my chin.

"Maybe just give them a tragic ending. Yeah." A slow, wicked smirk played on my lips.

I unwound the bandage Lily had so carefully applied, ignoring the way my skin pulled. I took the metal pen and, with a sharp breath, stabbed the wound again.

"Hiss—it pains!"

I gritted my teeth, waiting for the fresh blood to flow. I didn’t have time to be a wimp.

I leaned down and started writing,

"Poor Alina rushed to save Dante in a mission and got shot directly in her heart, making her give her last breath."

I pulled back, staring at the wet ink. "Tsk, that seems like too easy a death. I should write more harshly... maybe she should fall off a cliff? Or get eaten by sharks? Or lose her legs and hands before she dies?"

But then I stopped.

Why was I even doing this? Why was I sitting here in the middle of the night, bleeding onto a cursed book just to kill off a girl I supposedly didn’t care about?

Suddenly, Lily’s annoying, knowing voice echoed in my head: ’Are you by any chance jealous, my lady?’

"Ah hawl nah! I am NOT jealous!" I hissed at the empty room, shaking my head violently. "I am doing this to take revenge on Alina! That white lotus thought she could take me down with Elias. She wants my life? Fine, I’ll take her ’ending’ first."

Yes, yes. Exactly. That was the only reason. I was a villainess, and this was just professional rivalry. I nodded proudly to myself, feeling much better about my life choices as I dipped the pen back into my blood.

"Now... let’s add something about a very painful, that makes her skin break out in hives before the end."

___________

NO ONES POV

Lily peeked through the narrow crack of the door, intending to check if Viella needed more bandages or perhaps some tea to calm her nerves. Instead,

she froze.

The candlelight flickered against Viella’s face, catching the sharp, manic glint in her eyes and the twisted, creepy smirk playing on her lips.

Her hand was bleeding freely again, the dark red ink of her own life force staining the pages.

"Uh... I guess I should come back later..." Lily whispered to herself, a genuine shudder running down her spine.

She backed away slowly and closed the door with a soft click, retreating into the cold, quiet hallway. "I have no idea what my lady is writing now, but she looked like she was planning a massacre," Lily muttered, her footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

A part of her felt like she should go back in and tell Viella that the book might not actually work But then, the image of Viella’s creepy smile flashed inside her head again.

"I don’t think so," Lily breathed, shaking her head. "If I interrupt her now, I’m pretty sure my lady is going to murder me with that pen and finish writting the book with my own blood.

She continued walking through the empty hall.

Suddenly a door was slightly opened. Lily paused, her sharp eyes tracking the sliver of light spilling into the dim hallway.

"Hiss... hiss..."

The sound was faint. Lily’s brow furrowed. She knew this part of the floor belonged to Lucian’s eccentricities.

"I think those are Lord Lucian’s snakes," she whispered. "This is where they live, but why is the door open? If they come out, they’ll cause a scene and most importantly lady Viella might get scared."

She walked closer, reaching for the handle to pull the door shut. But just as she stepped into the frame, a pair of hands slammed into her shoulder. The force was sudden and violent. Lily stumbled forward, her boots skidding on the cold tile.

Before she could regain her footing, the heavy door swung shut behind her with a CLICK. The lock engaged from the outside.

The maid standing in the hallway pulled her hands back, a nasty smirk dancing on her lips. She adjusted her cap, listening to the muffled silence from within.

"I hope she learns her lesson now for disrespecting our master," the maid whispered venomously. With a final, satisfied glance at the locked door, she sneaked away into the shadows, leaving Lily alone in the dark.

Inside, the temperature was dropping. Lily stood frozen. The hissing didn’t stop, it grew louder.

"Great," Lily muttered, her eyes adjusting to the dark. "First the book, now a room full of Lucian’s bitey children. These siblings really are the death of me."

She felt a weight slide over her left boot. Something cold and slimy wrapping around her leg.

Lily looked down. In the dim, emerald glow of the heat lamps, the scales of Luciferina shimmered, Lucian’s absolute favorite and the most venomous snake in his entire collection.

One strike from those fangs would stop a heart in seconds.

The serpent flicked its forked tongue against Lily’s stockings, its hood beginning to flare slightly as it sensed the warmth of her skin.

Lily’s hand moved with agonizing slowness, hovering just a few inches from the hilt of the dagger hidden beneath her apron. but she didn’t dare make a sudden move.

"Of all the snakes in this house," Lily whispered, "I had to get stuck with the one that has the same temperament as its owner."

She knew that if she drew the blade, she’d have to be faster than a strike that moved like lightning. If she killed Lucian’s "precious" pet, he’d probably throw her into a pit of even worse things. But if she stayed still, she was just an expensive meal

_____________

Lucian stood in front of the mirror, the golden morning rays catching the sharp angles of his face.

He tilted his head, admiring his reflection with a satisfied hum. The bump was finally gone. He had spent the entire night busy freaking out over a potential scar than deal with his sister’s cryptic behavior or her irritating maid.

"Oh, where is that annoying girl now?" he muttered, adjusting his silk cuffs.

He walked out of his room, his presence commanding immediate silence. The passing maids bowed low, wishing him a good morning, but he barely offered a stiff nod in return.

"Where is my sister?"

"Uh, Master... Lady Viella still hasn’t come out of that room," one maid answered timidly.

Lucian raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

"Did she eat anything?"

The maids shook their heads, and a small frown tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"And where is that anno—I mean, her maid? Lily?"

The maids looked at each other, their eyes darting nervously. They had no idea.

"Speak," he commanded, his voice dropping into a icy tone.

"We are really sorry, Master! We truly have no idea. She hasn’t been seen since last night."

His frown deepened into a dark scowl. He signaled his security detail immediately. "Check the CCTV. Now."

As he waited, his thoughts drifted to Lily. For some reason, ever since they were children, he had found her intolerable. She was always so cold, so efficient, moving like a robot without a shred of human fear or warmth. He hated that he couldn’t get a reaction out of her. He hated that she looked at him like he was a minor inconvenience rather than a powerful Lord.

"Boss... we found... something," a guard whispered, handing him a tablet.

Lucian watched the footage. He saw the shadow of a maid pushing Lily into the serpentarium and locking the door. His jaw tightened. He looked at his men, and they immediately understood the silent fury in his eyes, that maid would be dealt with.

He turned and began walking toward the floor where his "babies" were kept. His heart, though he’d never admit it, started to race. Will that robot girl finally be terrified? Will I finally see a real expression on her face? Or... is she even alive?

His footsteps became faster, almost a run, until he reached the heavy door. It was locked, and he hadn’t bothered to grab the keys. Cursing under his breath, he threw his weight against it, using his raw strength to kick the door off its hinges with a violent crash.

He stood in the doorway, chest heaving, his eyes searching the darkness for a grisly scene. But what he saw was entirely unexpected.

Lily was sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. Wrapped around her like a living, breathing silk scarf was Luciferina. The most venomous snake in the estate was cuddling her, resting her heavy head on Lily’s shoulder as if they were old friends.

Lucian crouched down, his fingers trembling slightly as he checked Lily’s pulse. She was alive. Sleeping peacefully, as if she were in a five-star hotel rather than a death trap.

He let out a long, ragged huff of air, a small, disbelief-filled laugh escaping his lips.

"Hah... I thought you would’ve killed my baby to save yourself, but instead you’re here laying with her?" He shook his head, looking at Lily’s calm, robotic face even in sleep. "You really are a robot. A strange robot."

Before Lucian could even reach out to lift her,

In a blur of motion that Lucian’s eyes could barely track, Lily’s eyes snapped open. Before he could even breathe, he found himself pinned flat against the cold tile, the sharp edge of a dagger pressed firmly against his jugular.

The silence in the room was deafening. Lily’s gaze was predictoy, her pupils wide. Then, the recognition clicked. The tension left her shoulders, and she withdrew the blade as if it had never been there. She stood up in one fluid motion and offered a stiff, formal bow.

"I am sorry about that, Lord Lucian. Instinct,"

she said, her voice as level as a lake in winter.

Lucian stayed there for a long moment, sprawled on the floor of his own serpentarium, staring up at the ceiling. His heart was pounding fast.

"You know my clothes cost twice your annual salary, right?" he muttered, finally sitting up and brushing at his silk sleeves. "And now they smell like snake scales"

Lily looked at him silently. She didn’t apologize a second time. She didn’t even look guilty.

"Tsk. Anyways. Help me up, at least," he huffed, reaching out a hand.

Lily’s eyes drifted to the door or what was left of it. He had just used enough physical strength to kick a heavy oak door off its hinges, yet he needed her to pull him up? She mentally added ’Drama King’ to his list of titles but took his hand anyway and hauled him to his feet.

Just as he steadied himself, his men appeared in the hallway. "Boss, we caught the culprit. She’s in the holding room."

Lucian’s expression shifted instantly. The slight smirk disappeared, replaced by the cold, ruthless mask. He glanced back at Lily, taking in the dust on her apron and the way her hair was slightly disheveled.

"You stink," he said bluntly. "Go take a shower. I’ll have the maids send you some fresh clothes. standard uniform, nothing fancy. And once you’re presentable, bring Viella down for breakfast."

He paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. "I’m letting her stay here for today. Only today. If she cause another trouble on the breakfast table, I am kicking you both out"

With that, he swept out of the room, his long coat billowing behind him.

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TO BE CONTINUED