The Villainous Prince Is Obsessed With Me

When I opened my eyes, the ceiling above me was unfamiliar—smooth white stone carved with gilded patterns I'd never seen before. It wasn't my room.

The first thing I noticed was the dull ache that pulsed through every inch of my body. The second was warmth. Someone was holding my hand.

When I turned my head, I saw Arzen slumped on the chair beside the bed, still wearing his uniform, his hand clasped tightly around mine as if letting go would make me vanish again. His hair was disheveled, shadows carved deep under his eyes, and there was a faint bruise along his jaw.

"...Arzen," I whispered.

At once, his eyes opened. For a heartbeat, disbelief flashed across his face—then relief flooded in, soft and breaking. "Adenae," he breathed, his voice trembling as he pressed his lips against the back of my hand. "You're awake."

He called the doctor immediately, hovering close as the royal physician examined me and declared that I only needed rest, proper food, and time to recover. When the doctor finally left, silence filled the room again.

I looked at Arzen, my throat dry. "How did you find me?"

He leaned back slightly, exhaling a shaky breath as if trying to gather the right words. "It started the night you disappeared," he said quietly. "One moment you were supposed to meet the Grand Priest... and the next, you were gone. No word, no trace. It was as if the ground swallowed you whole."

His jaw tightened, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I lost control. I went to Fierra—almost killed her on the spot. If Duke Erian hadn't stopped me, I might have. But he reminded me that rashness wouldn't save you. So I forced myself to play my part again."

I stayed silent, listening, heart tightening at every word.

"Erian immediately sent out the crest you found, the copy you gave to Rory. It became our first piece of evidence. But your brother..." Arzen's voice softened, almost fond. "He couldn't be stopped. He wanted to tear down the temple himself. I had to lock him in your estate—at least officially—so the council wouldn't accuse him of rebellion. But it was only a cover. In truth, he and Erian searched for you every night."

My eyes widened. "My brother..."

"Yes." His fingers brushed mine gently. "He never stopped looking."

He took a slow, steady breath. "I stayed near the saintess. Pretending. Smiling. Every moment made me sick, but I needed to see where she went, who she spoke to. And then... I noticed something. She kept visiting the temple. Always alone, always late at night."

Arzen's eyes darkened. "I followed her once, but the moment she entered the altar hall, she vanished. No door, no corridor. Just gone. I knew then that something was hidden there. So I waited. The night she left for the capital, I gathered a few knights I trusted and went back."

He paused, his voice low and steady, but his hand trembled where it held mine. "We searched the temple from top to bottom until I felt it—an energy behind the altar, faint but alive. When I touched it, the passage revealed itself. A hidden stairway... leading underground."

My breath caught. I could almost feel the damp darkness again—the cold stones, the smell of blood and rust.

His jaw clenched. "You were barely breathing. I thought..." He stopped, voice breaking. "I thought I'd lost you. Again."

A silence lingered between us—heavy, fragile, full of all the things neither of us could yet say.

After a moment, he whispered, "We still haven't caught her. Or the thing that calls itself the Grand Priest. They vanished the night I found you. But I swear to you, Adenae—I'll find them. I'll tear down every wall in that temple if I have to."