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All Chapters of The Villain's Obsession: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

53 Chapters

His Thoughts (1)

Blood splattered onto Alexander Claiborne's crisp white shirt. He grimaced. The shirt would have to be thrown out now that it had been stained with an imbecile's blood. The grey tweed suit was still pristine, however, so it could at least be saved. "My gloves, please," Alexander held his hand out. The gloves were placed in his hands, his attention fixated on the sobbing mess on the floor. Slowly, he slipped his long elegant fingers into his gloves, then pushed back a strand of his blonde hair. He motioned for the men in front of him to move to the side. Bending down, he sneered, "I really hate when I get blood on me. People already consider me a dastardly villain, I try not to look the part." He grabbed the sack of bones in front of him by the hair and bashed its face into

His Thoughts (2)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Prince Johannes Chevalier from Arendal, sixth in line for the throne and as presumptuous as all royals tend to be. He had been in the same year as Ms. Knight. Alexander remembered how he and the crown prince tended to crowd around her. He assumed it had to do with the fact that they lost to her at the academy. He had watched as they had lost to her intellect at every turn. He had never cared for Johannes. Stocky, blustering, and composed of two left thumbs, Johannes was lacking in the grace expected of royalty. Compared to his siblings, Johannes was of little consequence, possessing no qualities that would improve his chances of inheriting the throne of Arendal. Alexander and Johannes had interacted on many occasions both inside and outside the academy. International relations were always a tricky subject and the meetings and affairs to promote unity se

Edwina Knight (1)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Edwina Knight devoted her life to her studies. For nineteen years she had spent every day honing her intellect and it had taken her very far. At twenty-four years old, she was now the Grand Historian. The King of Wintenborough had appointed her personally, due to her exceptional performance at the Royal Academy. She was the first commoner to receive a role on the King’s Court, made up of only his most trusted advisors.Born in a remote village to the south of the capital, her parents were kind, simple people. Her father had worked as a stablehand and her mother worked as a maid for Baron Schloss. For the early part of their lives, they had lived in the servants’ dormitory but after marrying and giving birth to Edwina, they had moved into a small house in town.Together they raised Edwina diligently and they were happy. Edwina never remembered much from this time, but when she tried to recall this period of her life she felt nothing but warmth.When E

Edwina Knight (2)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Edwina latched onto the opportunity the Baron had given her. She met with him daily and in a month she was able to read the fairy tales all on her own. Now she could escape to these distant worlds without the help of the Baron, and she took every opportunity.The baron had a chair prepared for her in the library. Instead of idling away her time in the kitchens, Edwina now spent most of her days curled up in her generously large red velvet armchair.The servants were so impressed. A commoner who was able to read was fairly rare. They were happy at the many opportunities that were now open to Edwina, who all of them had come to cherish.The Baron didn’t stop by just teaching her how to read. He taught her math, history, and philosophy as well. He taught her about military strategy and politics. He taught her about science and agriculture. He taught her everything a young noble should know, and she soaked it up like a sponge.Her mother encouraged her

The Plan (1)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

“Eddie!” Crown Prince Thackeray opened the door to Edwina’s office with a bang. Edwina’s head jerked up in surprise, her glasses slipping off her face. Breathless, the brown-haired, brown-eyed prince stormed up to her desk, “We can catch him!”Scrambling to adjust her glasses Edwina replied, “Catch who?”“That Claiborne bastard!” Thackeray slammed his hand on Edwina’s desk, obviously feeling very gung-ho about his news. “I got word that tonight he’ll be meeting with the heads of the Grand Peerage. He’ll travel alone without any guards. He’s trying to keep the meeting location secret!”“We can snatch him then,” Edwina joined in, jumping up from her seat.“Exactly! Then we’ll interrogate him!” Thackeray clenched his fist.“And find out all the info about that Alliance of Assholes!” Edwina completed.Thackera

The Plan (2)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Edwina returned to her work. It would take the Duchess at least half an hour to arrive. Capturing Claiborne was important, but so were the documents Edwina poured over. “What are you working on?” Thackery opened one eye to stare at his friend. “I’m finishing up transcribing notes from His Majesty’s morning meetings,” Edwina explained. “Sounds boring.” “You would say that,” Edwina smirked. Edwina was in her office before dawn most days and other days she just never left, choosing to sleep on the red velvet couch that was currently covered with documents. She had never once taken a day off since she started her work. There was simply no one to replace her. Edwina worked as the King’s Royal Historian. Her tasks included taking notes during all of the King’s meetings with advisors and nobles, translating and preserving old documents, and advising the King when it came to general affairs. The work seemed endless and Edwina was constantly on

Kidnapped (2)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Alexander looked around. He was in a small windowless room. It was filled with overstuffed bookshelves and one small desk. The molding on the wall was familiar to him. It was a design only used in the royal palace. They hadn’t been foolish enough to bring them to one of their personal rooms, had they? The room was a mess. There was parchment scattered all over the floor along with empty ink bottles, and broken quills. His eyes caught on a piece of parchment near his foot. It had a date on it, and upon closer inspection it was a document about a meeting the king had with farmers a week ago. My god, they brought me to Ms. Knight’s office. His head whipped up to stare incredulously at the three conspirators who didn’t have a single conniving bone in their body. Normally, when you kidnap someone you bring them to a neutral location and if you bring them somewhere else, you certainly don’t remove their blindfolds, especially if it's your private quarters!

Kidnapped (1)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Alexander woke to a dull throbbing pain radiating through his skull. He opened his eyes and saw…. Nothing. He was blindfolded and bound, his arms tied tight behind him and his legs tied to what he assumed were chair legs. He jostled a little. The chair creaked. He knew he could break it easily if need be. Calmed by that fact, Alexander took a moment to get his bearings. His head was a drumbeat of pain radiating from his temple. He took deep breaths and waited for the pain to subside. His composure regained, Alexander noticed a buzz of whispers. Two women, one man. He resisted the urge to smirk, recognizing some of the voices. He had been captured, all according to his own plan. “What do we do?” That was Ms. Knight. His mouth twitched, almost forming a smile. “To be honest, I didn’t think we would catch him so easily.” Another woman’s voice answered. “I say we just start with hitting him, just to get our message across.” Alexander recognized th

The Deal (1)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

Capturing Claiborne had been a surprisingly simple affair. After their planning session, Edwina, Lily, and Thackeray decided bringing any guards would be risky and unnecessary. So the three secured an unmarked carriage and traveled to a street a few blocks away from Claiborne’s casino. Edwina positioned the carriage at the end of an alleyway located in a particularly sketchy neighborhood that Claiborne planned to pass by. Thackeray and Lily hid behind abandoned barrels and crates and waited for Claiborne to appear. Claiborne had sauntered down the alley, whistling a tune, oblivious to the attackers lurking and waiting for him. His grey tophat shielded his eyes and the echoes of the click-clack of his shiny black oxfords seemed to shield the anxious fidgeting of the Crown Prince and Lily. Thackeray rushed him and put him in a chokehold until he passed out and together, Lily and Thackeray hauled Claiborne’s limp body into the carriage. Thackeray carried Claibor

The Deal (2)

The Villain's Obsession/penelope_bones

“How about we make a deal?” Claiborne asked smugly from the chair. Edwina glanced between him and Thackeray and breathed a sigh of relief. The prince had calmed down, his cheeks no longer flushed with anger, and his eyes were filled with determination. The shock of Lord Claiborne’s confession must have brought him to his senses.“A deal? You’re in no position to negotiate, Claiborne,” the prince sneered. He crossed his arms and leaned against a wall, feigning disinterest.“Ah, but I am,” Claiborne smiled, “You want the information I can provide. I could dismantle the entire alliance and serve them up to you for sentencing on a silver platter, depending on my mood,” Claiborne drummed his fingers on the chair armrests.“You act as if you aren’t tied up,” Lilly scoffed.“You should give us the information we want or you’ll get hurt. How’s that for a deal?” T

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