I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

The Imperial physician was still hovering by Iryna’s bedside, fussing with the silk bedding as though one last adjustment might somehow improve her condition. His fingers trembling slightly as he adjusted the small glass vial of clear fluid on her bedside table. He was an older man, his velvet robes smelling faintly of dried lavender and sour vinegar, and he moved with the frantic, bird-like anxiety of a courtier who knew his head was directly on the chopping block if his royal patient took a turn for the worse.

”Really, there is no need for all of this extra trouble,” Iryna said as she leaned back against the high, stuffed pillows. ”The High Priest actually already came to check on my condition this morning. I told him then, and I will tell you now, I am already quite fine. An ice garden? You want one right now? I can make that happen.”

”Yes, Your Highness, we understand your perspective perfectly,” the physician said, offering a hurried, nervous bow. ”But still... we are simply doing our work. The King’s direct order was to ensure your complete recovery. We will send up a specialized warming tonic within the hour. Please ensure you drink it all down to the last drop.”

Marielle stepped forward from the quiet corner of the room. She had been standing near the washbasin, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the entire medical circus play out. ”Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she drinks every single drop of her tonic, even if I have to hold the silver cup to her mouth myself.”

Iryna let out a small laugh. ”Yes, she will. Lady Marielle here will indeed take exceptionally good care of me.”

With a collective, audible sigh of relief that seemed to deflate their stiff shoulders, the medical staff bowed their way out of the chambers. As the doors clicked shut, the last of the commotion disappeared with them, leaving the room blissfully quiet.

Marielle let out a long, dramatic breath, her shoulders dropping significantly as she turned away from the door. She walked over to the bed where Elios was already leaning casually against the wooden post, his arms folded across his chest, his tunic unbuttoned at the collar.

Iryna watched the two of them for a long moment, her gaze lingering on how naturally they stood beside each other.

There was no trace of formality between them, despite the difference in their status. ”If you don’t mind me asking... have the two of you known each other for a very long time? You carry yourselves differently.”

Elios cracked a small as he rubbed the back of his neck. He shifted his weight from one boot to the other. ”We practically grew up together, Your Highness. We shared everything right up until Marielle managed to pass the trials, join the royal academy, and went out to see some more of the world.”

Marielle tilted her head, a mischievous spark lighting up her hazel eyes as she leaned closer into Elios’s space. She poked his upper arm. ”Oh? Is that a hint of bitter longing I hear in your voice, Elios? Don’t tell me you actually sat by the old well and missed me while I was away.”

Elios caught her finger with a quick flick of his wrist, brushing her hand aside before letting out a stubborn, long-suffering, ”Hmph.” He turned his face toward the dark glass of the window to avoid her teasing gaze, though the slight twitch in his jaw betrayed his amusement. ”I spent those years enjoying the absolute peace and quiet, if you must know. The well was much less noisy without someone talking my ear off from sunrise to sunset.”

Marielle laughed loudly. Her expression softened into something incredibly warm, an old, deep-rooted affection showing plainly on her face as she patted his shoulder. ”Don’t worry, Elios. I’ll never leave you or my brother behind again. You’re completely stuck with me now, whether you like it or not.”

Iryna leaned forward slightly against her pillows, her small hands resting flat against the fine silk sheets. She looked between them, her gaze lingering on how comfortably they stood beside each other. ”The two of you look remarkably close. I don’t often see people of different ranks speak to one another so freely.”

”Yes, well, we don’t just look close, we indeed are close,” Marielle said with a bright grin. She casually threw her right arm over Elios’s broad shoulders, dragging him down a fraction of an inch into a heavy side-hug that he didn’t even bother to fight off, merely groaning under the sudden weight. ”We’ve pulled each other out of frozen ditches and shared countless drinks over the years.”

Iryna blinked, her gaze darting between Marielle’s bright, laughing face and Elios’s long-suffering expression. She hesitated for a second, her fingers lightly tapping against the blanket as if trying to frame her words politely. ”Oh. Are you... perhaps promised to one another?”

The room fell into a dead, stunned silence for a half-second before the absolute absurdity of the question caught up to them. Both Marielle and Elios burst into a simultaneous, loud fit of laughter. Elios shook his head vigorously, waving his hand in front of his face in frantic dismissal. ”We get that a lot, Your Highness. Quite frequently, actually, from people who don’t know us.”

”But fortunately, or maybe unfortunately for his future prospects,” Marielle added, giving Elios’s shoulder one final, playful squeeze before letting her arm drop back to her side, ”we are strictly as close as siblings. There’s absolutely nothing romantic about it whatsoever. I know entirely too many of his embarrassing childhood secrets.including the time he cried over a dropped meat pie, to ever look at him that way.”

Elios rolled his eyes toward the ceiling with a dramatic sigh. ”The feeling is entirely mutual, believe me.”

Iryna nodded her head slowly, the tense lines around her shoulders visibly relaxing as she settled much deeper into the plush velvet of her pillows. Her gaze drifted down toward the blanket, her expression turning soft and distant. A tiny, barely audible whisper escaped her lips: ”Good then.”

Marielle paused, her laughter dying down as her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She took a step closer to the edge of the large mattress, tilting her head to catch the girl’s eye. ”Sorry, what was that, Your Highness? I didn’t quite catch that last part.”

Iryna lifted her head immediately, slipping effortlessly back into the composed smile expected from a princess. She pulled the thick silk blanket all the way up to her chin, her demeanor reverting straight back to that of a poised princess. ”No. Nothing at all.”