The Villainess Is A Little Crazy

Lidia was starving.

Not the oh, I could use a snack kind of starving.

No.

This was the gut-twisting, stomach-growling, hallucination-inducing, I-might-eat-my-own-hand kind of starving.

And yet—

She was meal-less.

And the absolute bastard sitting across from her?

He was eating.

Shamelessly.

The knight sat comfortably by the fire, chewing on his dried meat and hard bread with the grace of a heartless villain. His jaw moved slowly, deliberately, as if he were savoring each bite.

Lidia watched him, eyes narrowing.

He wasn't even trying to hide it. He just sat there, munching away, pretending she wasn't right there, starving to death.

Her stomach, clearly offended, let out a loud, agonized growl.

The knight paused.

Their eyes met.

For a long, tense moment, neither of them spoke.

Lidia's expression was blank. Completely void of emotion.

And then—

It shifted.

Slowly.

A judgmental look of pure disappointment settled on her face, like she had just witnessed the most shameful act of betrayal known to humankind.

The knight stiffened.

"What?!" he snapped, his chewing slowing down.

Lidia simply stared.

His grip on his food tightened.

He cleared his throat. "I— I made rations for one person," he said, as if he owed her no explanation but was giving one anyway. "So as much as it pains me…" He took another deliberate bite, chewing extra slow for emphasis. "…I can't share with you."

Lidia's eye twitched.

The devil himself.

Her stomach growled again, this time so loud it might as well have been a battle cry.

The knight let out a long, suffering groan, dropping his head back as if he was the one in pain.

He turned his glare on her, eyes burning with irritation—as if it were her fault he was feeling guilty.

Lidia, seeing an opportunity, smirked.

Her lips twitched as she tried to frown at the same time. A weird, twisted smile-frown hybrid took over her face as she drawled, mockingly:

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She placed a dramatic hand on her chest. "Is my pathetic rumbling interrupting your royal feast?"

The knight exhaled through his nose, hard.

She was enjoying this.

And she was right, which made it worse.

His stupid conscience was nagging him.

She could see it, feel it—like a tangible weight pressing down on him.

He was trying to be a heartless bastard, but unfortunately, he was bad at it.

Lidia's stomach growled again—even louder this time.

The knight groaned dramatically, snapping his head to the side like he was actually in physical pain.

"For fuck's sake."

Lidia grinned.

The knight reached into his pack, yanked out a piece of dried meat, and threw it at her face.

Lidia caught it expertly, smirking.

"Wow," she gasped, clutching the food like it was a sacred gift. "You do have a soul."

"Shut up."

"I almost thought you were an actual demon, but look at you! Feeding the needy—"

"Eat your damn food and be quiet."

Lidia sniffed the meat, taking a big, exaggerated whiff. "Smells like guilt."

The knight rubbed his temples. "I regret this already."

Lidia cackled and took a bite. It was dry and kind of tasted like shoe leather, but in that moment, it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

She chewed dramatically, making loud exaggerated noises just to annoy him.

The knight shot her a deadpan look. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Lidia nodded, chewing obnoxiously. "Mmmhhmmm."

He shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

Lidia just grinned, stuffing another bite into her mouth.

Victory had never tasted so dry

Lidia finished the last bite of her meal with a satisfied sigh, wiping the crumbs off her fingers.

"Thanks," she muttered, glancing at the knight.

He didn't respond.

Didn't even look at her.

He just frowned and started arranging his stuff, his movements stiff and irritated—like he was regretting every life choice that had led to this moment.

Lidia rolled her eyes. No 'you're welcome'? Typical.

She stretched out her arms, feeling her body ache from the long day. Her muscles were sore, her butt still hurt from the horse ride, and her eyelids felt heavier than her regrets.

The fire crackled softly, its warm glow making her eyelashes flutter as exhaustion started pulling her under.

Yeah… sleep sounded good.

Just for a moment, she told herself.

She curled up on the ground, using her arm as a pillow, and slowly let her eyes drift shut.

---

Something Woke Her.

A sound.

Distant.

Unfamiliar.

Her eyes snapped open.

The fire had died down, leaving nothing but smoldering embers. The only light now came from the moon, casting eerie silver shadows across the trees.

A sudden chill crept up her spine.

Something felt… wrong.

She turned her head—and froze.

The knight was gone.

Her breath hitched.

The campsite was empty.

Only the dark forest surrounded her, the trees swaying gently, their branches whispering secrets to the wind.

But where was the knight?

Her heart pounded.

His horse was still there, standing a few feet away, flicking its tail calmly. That meant he hadn't ditched her.

Right?

She swallowed, sitting up slowly.

"...Mr. Knight?" she called, her voice barely above a whisper.

No answer.

Silence.

Only the sound of the wild—the rustling of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl, the unsettling croak of something unseen.

She hugged herself, suddenly hyper-aware of how vulnerable she was.

Then—

A growl.

Close.

Too close.

Her blood ran cold.

Her head snapped toward the sound, and that's when she saw it.

A pair of golden eyes, glowing in the dark.

Watching her.

Not blinking.

Lidia's breath hitched.

Her entire body locked up, instincts screaming at her to RUN—

And she listened.

Without a second thought, she bolted.

Her feet pounded against the ground, twigs snapping beneath her weight as she sprinted blindly into the trees.

Branches scraped her arms, the wind whipping through her hair, but she didn't dare look back.

She could hear it behind her.

Heavy footsteps.

Breathing.

The low, rumbling growl getting closer—

Lidia's chest tightened.

Her legs burned, her heartbeat roared in her ears, but she pushed forward, weaving through the trees desperately.

Shit, shit, SHIT!

Was it a wolf? A bear?

Whatever it was, it was fast.

Her lungs screamed for air, but she couldn't top.

Couldn't slow down.

She tripped.

Her foot caught on a root, and she went down hard, her hands slamming into the dirt as pain shot up her palms.

She bit back a cry, scrambling up—

She was dead if whatever that creature was get her so she continued her run.