He was meant to belong to me. He was supposed to be mine. The one person who would love me—and only me—unconditionally.

Alas,  I realised that would never be the case for me. I watched her- Myra- as I swirled the glass of wine in my hand and brought it to my lips. My gaze zoned in on her hand wrapped around Tyrahnn's  as they smiled chirply at one of the invited guests, fixated on whatever stupid conversation they were having. There was nothing that interesting for her to smile that wide or for her eyes to crinkle that hard when she exchanged sneaky glances with him. 

It was instinctive to admire his face- the beauty I had stolen hidden glances at for years. The memory of ambushing him with a kiss yesterday rushed back, replaying in my mind like a permanent play. The way I  would lead him to the balcony, where I would steal a kiss, and he would push me away. He would then engrave in me that he never desired me and would be declaring his intention to marry Myra at his coronation. 

The raw hurt boiled just below the surface and I shut it down, somewhere deep inside of me. 

My focus shifted to the servant that approached and offered wine beverages to both of them. Tyrahnn took one for himself and handed the other to Myra. I felt the devious grin form on my lips. An immediate urge to cackle rose within me, but I subdued the instinct with another gulp of my wine.

The flavor was even sweeter than the initial sip. 

So close now, I thought.  Her lips had almost touched the glass. My eyes  practically sparkled.  Almost there. 

"Stop!" Someone yelled from afar. The crowd parted as a maid dashed towards Myra, drawing all attention when she slammed the glass from her hand. It crashed to the floor, shattering into countless pieces. The sharp sound sent a ripple of shrieks through the guests, some jumping back to avoid the broken shards. 

"Zeny!" Myra's  voice rose in shocked anger. "Why did you do that?" 

Zeny- Myra's personal maid- was hyperfixated on scanning the room rather than clarifying the situation.  She looked with a deadly sharpness as her eyes passed searched the space and halted when we locked eyes across the room. 

She raised an arm, her voice dripping with venom. "You. Rionya. You attempted to posion my lady." 

Her words rang through the ballroom. Everyone whipped their heads in my direction.

There was only one reaction I cared about. 

Tyrahnn. 

 I couldn't fathom the look upon his face.  His anger at this new revelation was apparent in the dissapointment and disgust he carved into his expression before it shifted to one of disdain. I yearned to see many expressions from him... longed to be the cause of them.

 But never this.

  In a weird and twisted way, my heart leapt even in this moment to know that I had drawn his attention so completely- even if it was for all the wrong reasons. 

For a few agonizing moments, we spoke only through our eyes.

 

  'Is it true, did you really try to posion her?'

'I did' 

'Why?' 

'You already know the answer. You've known for a while' 

"Guards!" His voice cut through the silence. On command, soldiers barged into the room. Within minutes, they had encircled me. 

 "Take Rionya into custody- for she has just attempted to take the life of my beloved and intended queen, Myra." 

 I was smart enough to know that my life was now in danger. I expected this if my plan was to fail. The loss of many things began to sink in and I felt so... deflated. I willingly allowed two guards to subdue me with a firm hold on both arms. 

Tyrahhnn delivered my final sentence. 

"Rionya will be stripped of her title as princess and the fate of her life will be determind in a few days. Take her away!"