Page 3 of Vicious Princess

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Through the rustleof the leaves around me, I almost miss the distant shouts of men.

My eyes snap open.

I blink, confused. I must have fallen asleep right here in the tree.How long was I out?

The cool air caresses my cheeks, and the smell of smoke tickles my nose. I frown. Right in front of me, at the direction of my family home, the sky is painted in faint reds and oranges.

My heart drops to my stomach.

Swiftly, I make my way down the tree. The moment my feet touch the ground, I run.

As I get closer to home, the smell gets stronger. The smoke thicker. The acrid, sharp stink tickles the back of my throat.

They’re okay, I repeat in my head like a prayer.They’re okay.

Finally I reach the edge of the forest. I burst out of the woods and?—

No.

Flames. Towering, roaring, devouring our house.

I cover my eyes when the second-floor windows burst in a shower of sparks.

“Dad!” A scream rips out of my throat.

No answer.

“Mom!”

Nothing.

Horses whine. I whip my head towards the sound.

Royal Guards—I recognize their uniforms.

Even Royal Commander Axel Dukas is here, glaring at the fire with dark eyes. I sigh, panting as I brace my palms on my knees for a moment.

Relief punches through my chest. Until Axel Dukas raises a hand.

A rider lights another torch…and throws it. It arcs through the night and lands in the flames.

No.

I stumble forwards. “Stop! What are you doing?!”

They don’t hear me through the crackling of the flames.

The soldiers turn their horses. They ride away. Not towards the fire, but away from it.

Away from me.

The cold realization hits me like a sack of bricks.

I run. My feet move forwards, and ignoring the flames devouring the place I’ve spent my whole life in, I make my way inside.

I scream my sisters’ names. I claw through the door leading to the kitchen, but it’s all flame and smoke and ash.

I don’t care.

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