Chapter 5 THE EMPEROR LEFT ME IN A WELL

ANGELA'S POV 

Look at him run, I thought, dusting the table with a smug smile. He acts like a big, bad Emperor, but he can't even handle a little eye contact. 

"Seraphina?" Lily's tiny voice broke my thoughts. She was sitting on the floor, tugging my gray skirt. "Are you making funny faces again? Your eyebrows are doing the angry dance."

I quickly wiped the smirk off my face and looked down at her. I puffed out my cheeks and crossed my eyes, making a ridiculous clown face. 

This is what the almighty Angela has turned to, shamelessly making disgusting faces to make a five year old laugh so I can keep my damn head.

Lily burst into a high-pitched, giggling fit, clapping her small hands.

Yeah, laugh it up, pink pest, I rolled my eyes internally. You're my golden ticket in this place. As long as you like me, your crazy father can't chop my head off, and his evil stepmother won't strangle me.  

But playing the tragic victim was exhausting, and I knew I needed to change my strategy if I wanted to guarantee my survival. 

She's kind of cute though, can't lie. It must be nice having servants wait on her from birth huh…

I hadn't realized I was smiling at her until she smiled back. I quickly turned away and cleared my throat awkwardly, I remembered I still had to succeed so I can at least keep my head on my shoulders.

It was time to unlock Persona Number 2: The Bubbly, Innocent Angel.

A few days later, the sun was shining brightly over the royal palace. The head maid ordered me to take Lily out to the royal gardens for her morning fresh air. 

I knew Alexander usually took his walk around this time, so I made sure to position us right near the main path.

"Catch me, Seraphina!" Lily laughed, running weakly through the rows of glowing, vibrant flowers.

I didn't actually want to run, running makes you sweat, and sweat ruins the skin barrier but I saw a flash of a black velvet cloak out of the corner of my eye.

He's here, I thought. Cue the music. 

Camera rolling. Action.

I let out a soft, silent laugh, tossing my head back so my hair caught the morning sunlight perfectly. 

I chased after Lily in slow, elegant motions, pretending to be the happiest, purest soul in the entire kingdom. I spun around a large rose bush, letting my maid apron flutter in the wind like a ballroom gown, and gave Lily a bright, glowing, breathtaking smile.

Behind a large oak tree just twenty feet away, King Alexander stood completely frozen.

He was staring at me like he had just been hit by lightning. His cold, icy eyes were wide, and his jaw was slightly slack. He couldn't take his eyes off my face. 

The absolute joy radiating from my silent laughter was doing something crazy to his chest. I could see his hands trembling against his royal sword.

“That’s right, keep staring,” I bragged in my head, keeping the gorgeous smile glued to my face. “I’m a natural on camera. You don't stand a chance.”

I turned around to chase after Lily, ready to keep the perfect act going, but my foot caught on a thick tree root hidden under the grass.

"Whoa…!" I gasped silently.

My balance completely snapped. I didn't just stumble; I went flying sideways, straight toward an old stone royal well at the edge of the path. The wooden safety cover was wide open.

“Oh, great,” my mind screamed in absolute horror. “I'm going to die in a well like a cliché horror movie character!”

I braced for impact, expecting a thirty-foot drop into dark water. Instead, I hit the bottom within two seconds. 

My butt slammed hard against a pile of dry dirt, dead leaves, and old twigs. I blinked, rubbing my aching tailbone, and looked up. 

The opening of the well was only about seven feet above my head. It was completely dried up and surprisingly shallow.

A shadow covered the opening. Emperor Alexander walked over and looked down at me, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was completely blank, but there was a tiny, mocking glint in his icy eyes.

"Are you completely stupid?" Alexander said, his voice dripping with pure judgment. "Do you not have eyes in that head of yours, Seraphina?"

I glared up at him, my bratty side flaring up instantly. “Stupid?! You're the one who leaves an open hole in the middle of a playground, you giant medieval caveman! Get me out of here before I ruin this dress!”

"Father!" Lily ran over, her tiny face full of worry as she peeked over the stone ledge. 

"The bad hole swallowed Seraphina! Help her get out!"

Alexander didn't even reach for a rope. He casually scooped Lily up into his arms and adjusted his heavy velvet cloak.

"Don't worry, Lily," the King said, his voice perfectly calm as he turned away from the well. "Your maid just has some very important cleaning duties to do down there. She will be out very soon. Let's go inside for your medicine."

“This damn King, what the fuck does he mean cleaning? Does that mean he's not going to help me? Even though I'm a literal damsel in distress?”

"But Father…" Lily protested, but her voice grew fainter as Alexander simply carried her away, leaving me behind without a single care.

What?! My jaw literally dropped. Did this jerk just leave me in a hole?!

"Hey! Come back here, you royal freak!" I tried to scream, but only a dry, pathetic puff of air left my locked throat. I slammed my fists against the dirt walls of the well, internally cursing him, his crown, his boots, and his entire family line. 

“I hate this place! I hate him! I swear, if I ever get my voice back, I am going to make him pay for this!”

I waited. One hour passed. Then two.

The bright morning sun started moving across the sky, leaving the bottom of the well freezing cold. 

The cheerful birds outside stopped singing.

The silence around the garden was deafening. No guards walked past. No maids came looking for me.

I curled my knees tightly against my chest, shivering in my scratchy gray maid uniform.

The smug confidence I had just a few hours ago completely vanished, replaced by a sudden, heavy wave of dread.

“Wait... what if nobody actually comes for me?” I thought, my heart dropping straight into my stomach. 

I looked up at the circle of sky above my head, feeling completely helpless. I was stuck in a dirt hole in the 1800s, completely mute, and I had absolutely no way out.

“Am I really going to die in a dried-up well?”