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🖤 The Villainess Just Wants to Sleep

Chapter 11: The Court Whispers Her Name

> “The court only praises what it cannot control — right before it tries to destroy it.”

— Empress Almyra

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The Golden Throne Hall was filled with quiet thunder.

Noblemen in fur-lined robes. Noble ladies with jeweled veils. Courtiers, scholars, ministers. All gathered for the monthly court session — where policies were debated, alliances whispered, and the King silently measured the worth of every word.

But today, they were not discussing taxes or treaties.

They were discussing a ten-year-old girl.

> “I heard she held her own against the Crown Prince — ten exchanges, maybe more.”

> “Twelve, according to my son, who trains at the Academy. And she yielded first. Not out of weakness, but strategy.”

> “She quotes ancient law better than the academy tutors.”

> “They say her etiquette is flawless. A perfect curtsy, and yet never once groveling.”

> “The bastard daughter, yes? Kaelaira?”

> “Bastard in title. Royal in presence.”

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On the raised dais, the King listened in silence.

To his left, Queen Seraphine held her fan tighter, the muscles in her jaw clenched.

To his right, Empress Almyra sipped her spiced tea slowly — face unreadable, but her eyes sharp as ever.

A high lord from the West rose.

> “Your Majesty, if I may — this child, though born of lesser rank, has shown exceptional character. The Academy praises her. The court notices her.”

Another noble chimed in.

> “Indeed. If brilliance is the measure of leadership, she walks beside the Crown Prince as an equal.”

The room quieted.

The Queen spoke through a frozen smile.

> “And what would you suggest, Lord Vallen? That we raise her to equal standing? That we confuse the people with two stars instead of one?”

Lord Vallen bowed slightly. “Only that a diamond, no matter where it’s buried, still shines.”

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Whispers rippled.

One minister leaned toward another.

> “She could be useful, if aligned properly.”

> “Or dangerous, if pushed aside.”

> “A girl with brains and blade? The last time we had one, she founded her own province.”

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The Crown Prince, standing near the pillars in royal robes, said nothing. But his gaze had fallen to the marble floor. He hadn’t spoken Kaelaira’s name once since the duel.

> And yet — her name was all anyone else said.

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Then, at last, the Empress set her teacup down.

Her voice was calm, but silenced the room.

> “Kaelaira is not a flower in the court’s garden. She is a blade left out in the frost — and the longer we pretend not to see her, the sharper she becomes.”

The King finally spoke.

> “She is still a child.”

The Empress looked at him.

> “So was every threat, once.”

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Outside the court doors, Kaelaira stood quietly, having been summoned but told to wait. She wasn’t allowed to sit in the throne hall. Not yet.

But she could hear them.

Every word.

And she smiled — that same soft, practiced smile.

> “The court is noticing me,” she whispered.

> “Which means they’ll soon try to break me.”

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End of Chapter 11

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