The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

The air in the workshop grew thick with tension as Ravenna's gaze lingered on Kenric for a fleeting moment—just long enough for him to notice. He seized the opportunity instantly, bowing deeply as if practiced grace.

"We specialize in sapphires, Your Highness," he said smoothly, gesturing toward the display with a well-manicured hand. His voice was carefully modulated—respectful, but with an undercurrent of confidence that belied his station.

Noah Jade scrambled forward, his expensive silk robes rustling as he pushed past his workers. "Y-Yes! The finest sapphires in the capital!" His voice wavered slightly, beads of sweat forming at his temples despite the winter chill.

Ravenna's lips curved into a faint, disinterested smile. "Show me."

The command sent the workshop into a flurry. An apprentice—a gangly youth with ink-stained fingers—rushed forward, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. "T-This way, Your Highness! Our violet sapphires are unparalleled!"

Kenric hung back, observing from the periphery as the apprentice led Ravenna to the gem displays. The young man's hands trembled as he gestured to the velvet-lined trays. "Each stone is cut and polished by master artisans. Flawless clarity, perfection if you will, they also have a perfect symmetry—"

Ravenna barely glanced at them. With a flick of her wrist, she began selecting stones at random, dropping them into the lacquered box Alice held open.

Noah watched with growing unease as his prized inventory was handled with such casual disregard. "Your Highness, perhaps if I could—"

"Can we afford these, Alice?" Ravenna interrupted, not looking up as she continued filling the box.

Alice's quill scratched across her ledger. "Within the revised budget, yes."

By the time the answer left her lips, Ravenna had already moved on to inspecting the settings. Noah, sensing an opportunity to salvage his dignity, stepped forward to personally package the selected gems. His fingers, usually so steady, fumbled as he lifted each stone—until one caught the light wrong.

A hairline fracture, nearly invisible to the untrained eye, spiderwebbed across the violet surface.

Ravenna's hand shot out, snatching the flawed gem from his grasp. Her voice, when she spoke, was deceptively soft.

"'Perfection,' Lord Jade?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Alice held up the stone between thumb and forefinger, her glasses glinting as she turned it to expose the flaw.

Noah's face drained of color. The workers had never seen their master look so utterly terrified.

The apprentice who had boasted of the gems' quality now stood frozen, his mouth working soundlessly.

Ravenna's voice cut through the silence like a whip. "You—the one who assured me of your workshop's 'perfection.' What do you have to say for yourself?"

The young man fell to his knees. "P-Please, Your Highness, I—"

"Silence." The single word carried the weight of imperial authority. "You dare interrupt me?"

Noah found his voice at last. "He's fired! Effective immediately! Your Highness need not trouble herself with—"

"See that he's properly disciplined,"Ravenna said coldly. "And do recheck your inventory. Thoroughly."

With that, she swept from the workshop, her knights falling into step behind her. The door slammed shut, leaving behind a room full of stunned silence—and one young man whose newly hatched plan was successfully executed.

The moment the princess's entourage vanished down the snow-dusted street, the workshop erupted.

Noah Jade backhanded the stammering apprentice hard enough to send him sprawling into a display case. "You imbecile! Do you know what you've cost me?"

Kenric moved swiftly, catching the dazed young man by the collar before Noah could strike again. "Father, the labor strikes," he murmured, low enough that only Noah could hear. "If you dismiss him, who will replace him? The guilds are blockading the—"

Noah's fist clenched, but the logic struck home. With a snarl, he rounded on Kenric instead. "You. You'll take over gem inspection. Tonight. And if I find one more flaw—"

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"Of course," Kenric said, bowing his head.

His Plan worked! A smile creeped in as he was bowing his head.

Few Hours Later,

Midnight painted the workshop in shades of blue and black. Kenric worked by the light of a single shuttered lantern, his fingers dancing over trays of uncut stones. The vault door stood ajar behind him, its lock picked hours ago.

He'd planned this for months.

The labor strikes had left the workshop's security in shambles. The usual night watchman had joined the picket lines. The replacement was a half-blind old man who snored at his post.

Kenric's satchel lay open on the floor, already heavy with emeralds. But it wasn't enough.

His gaze landed on the Aconite Diadem, its central emerald the size of a quail's egg. The piece was commissioned for the Solstice Ball—a gift for the Empress.

"With this," he thought, "Anna and I could disappear forever."

The diadem slid into his bag with a whisper of velvet.

Few minutes later on Snowbound Streets, Imperial Capital City, Ancorna Empire

The cold bit at Kenric's cheeks as he slipped through the workshop's side door, his breath fogging in the air. He'd just turned onto the merchant's lane when he saw it—the black-lacquered carriage, its sigil unmistakable even in the dark.

Princess Ravenna's.

Parked as if waiting for him.

Kenric tightened his grip on the satchel and walked faster.

"You. The handsome one."

Ravenna's voice cut through the night like a blade. Kenric froze, his pulse hammering in his throat.

The carriage window slid open. Ravenna's face, half-shadowed by the interior lamps, regarded him with amused detachment. "I know you pointed me to those sapphires deliberately."

Cold sweat prickled down Kenric's spine. He forced a laugh. "Your Highness, I don't—"

"Bold." She interrupted, her lips curving. "I like it."

Something small and metallic flashed through the air. Kenric caught it on reflex—a token, its surface stamped with the Solarius crest.

"I need clever men when the succession race begins," Ravenna said, already withdrawing into the shadows of the carriage. "Use that when you're ready to serve."

The carriage rolled away, leaving Kenric standing in the snow, his stolen fortune suddenly feeling lighter than air.

She hadn't mentioned anything more.

She definitely knew he was planning on stealing gems.

Kenric broke into a run, the token burning in his pocket.

That didn't matter because Tonight, he and his sister would vanish like smoke with thought in mind, Kenric's boots crunched through the frozen slush as he sprinted toward the Jade Estate, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The stolen diadem weighed heavy in his satchel, its emerald pressing against his ribs like a second heartbeat.

Almost there.

The estate loomed ahead, its gated walls frosted with snow. No lights burned in the windows. Strange—Anna always left a candle lit for him.

Kenric slipped through the servant's entrance, his fingers numb from cold and adrenaline. The house was silent. Too silent.

"Anna?" His whisper slithered through the darkened halls.

No answer.

He took the stairs two at a time, his pulse roaring in his ears. Her door stood ajar. The scent of lavender, her favorite, lingered, but the room was empty.

The chains lay discarded on the bed, their hinges pried open. The iron collar that had circled Anna's throat for years sat atop her pillow, its locking mechanism shattered.

Kenric's knees hit the floor.

A scrap of parchment fluttered from the collar.

"Payment received in full for one Conley-blooded female, Client – Lord Dain's Emissary"

The world tilted.

Somewhere downstairs, a door creaked open.

Kenric moved on instinct, his dagger sliding free before he'd fully risen. The satchel of gems tumbled to the floor, the diadem spilling out in a glittering arc.

Noah Jade stood in the doorway, his silk robes rumpled from sleep, his face slack with wine. His gaze flicked from the stolen jewels to Kenric's blade.

"Ah." Noah's lips peeled back in a smile. "I wondered when you'd finally grow a spine."

Kenric's voice was a stranger's. "Where is she?"

"Sold." Noah shrugged, stepping over the threshold. "Lord Dain's men took her at dusk. He's always had a taste for broken things."

The dagger was in Noah's gut before either of them could blink.

Kenric twisted the blade. "You promised."

Noah choked, his hands scrabbling at Kenric's wrists. "She was worthless," he spat. "Just like both your Conley whore of a mother… Just like you."

Kenric yanked the dagger free and stabbed again. And again.

By the time he stopped, the room smelled of copper and spilled wine.

Next Morning, Jade Estate, Imperial Capital City, Ancorna Empire

Dawn bled across the horizon as Kenric knelt in the courtyard, the Jade Estate burning behind him. Flakes of ash settled in his hair like snow. The diadem's emerald glinted in his palm, its facets reflecting the inferno.

Useless now.

Boots crunched through the snow. City guards, their spears leveled at his throat.

"Kenric Jad," their captain intoned. "By order of the—"

A fanfare of silver trumpets cut through the morning air.

The crowd parted, revealing Princess Ravenna atop her white mare, her midnight gown untouched by soot. Alice, her hawk-eyed maid, stepped forward and plucked the diadem from Kenric's grip.

"This," she announced, "is imperial property now."

The captain sputtered. "But the criminal—"

"Is mine." Ravenna dismounted, her boots sinking into the bloodstained snow. She crouched before Kenric, her perfume cutting through the smoke. "Well? Will you hang? Or serve?"

Kenric's voice was raw. "I want my sister."

Ravenna's smile was a blade. "Then you'll need an army." She tossed something at his feet, the token from before, its edges blackened by fire.

He collapsed at her feet. "I'll do anything."

"Anything?" She crouched, tilting his chin up. "Even if I ask you to become my lover, handsome boy?"

Kenric met her gaze. "Yes."

Alice stepped forward, her ledger open. "Your Highness, his heritage—"

"Will be overlooked," Ravenna interrupted, "if he's mine." She traced the Conley religious mark on Kenric's wrist, a relic from the mother he'd never known. "The court will whisper, but they'll obey."

Kenric's fingers curled around the token. "And Anna?"

Ravenna's laugh was low. "Do I have to do everything for you? I have no use for a lover who can't stand on his own" She snapped her fingers. Servants rushed forward with bandages and wine "be a two faced player if you have to, take responsibility for your sister on your own"