#twstangst

Oh, you poor, Sleeping Beauty . . .

You were merely a doll and nothing else.

A beautiful, docile, dumb doll who was only kept to keep Malleus' wife and Princess Consort in check.

Yes, that's right.

You were not his wife.

You were not his consort.

You were his mistress.

You were the other woman.

You could still remember that humiliating day when Malleus introduced you to his grandmother, Queen Maleficia, and the Senate of Briar Valley . . . and all the cruel, awful whispers that followed.

"How dare a lowly, magicless human commoner think she can stand beside the future king?"

"It's truly a pity that she's engaged to the Crown Prince instead of my daughter."

"The kingdom shall never flourish with her inadequacies".

. . . Not to mention the cold, heartless stare Her Majesty sent you as she furiously asked her grandson, "Malleus. Is this some kind of jest? Surely you mean not to insult me and the entire court by not only bringing this . . . girl here, but by asking all of us to welcome here as the nation's future queen!?"

Needless to say, it was decided that you would not be Malleus' wife and consort. You would be . . . his mistress and concubine. You would be the other woman.

It's fine. You thought. Even if another woman has his ring, I am the one with his heart.

But then . . . why did your heart ache so much during the day of Malleus' wedding to another woman, specifically one who was considered the "proper royal bride" . . . and everything you could never be? Powerful. Beautiful. Elegant. Traditional. A Briar Valley fairy noblewoman. Perhaps it was because your pride couldn't handle being forced into living in the shadows while another woman wore the title of his legal wife and consort despite the fact that it was you who Malleus truly loved. Maybe it was something else. Regardless . . . you had no choice. This was the pain you had to endure if you were going to continue being loved by Malleus. This was the pain you had to endure if you were going to be the other woman.

"(R/N)!", Malleus yelled at his wife, "Put. Her Down".

"Oh? And why should I?", said (R/N), the Crown Princess of Briar Valley, with an arrogant smirk as she held you in the middle of the air by the neck for all those in the royal courtyard to see, "Is it not a wife's duty to protect what is hers?"

"I'm serious" Malleus growled.

"Hmph. Fine. You're no fun".

THUD.

Malleus rushed to you as you clutched your neck and chest, gasping for the air you had been denied for so many minutes.

"(R/N)! What in all of Twisted Wonderland is wrong with you!? Don't you know that humans have bodies that are much more fragile than fairies!?" Malleus roared at (R/N).

"Then maybe you should have chosen a stronger woman to keep me in check. Tsk".

Of course. You thought. The problem is not that I'm a mistress . . . but rather, because I am a human mistress.

The reality of your status as a royal mistress to the Crown Prince became even more painful to endure when the talk of offspring began.

A child born from (R/N) would be recognized and celebrated as a legitimate heir who was destined for great things.

A child born from you . . . however . . . would be seen as a royal bastard, destined for a life full of humiliation.

Your heart broke. Not only were you unable to endure the thought of another woman carrying Malleus' children . . . but you were unable to endure the thought of being so selfish that you would put your child, should you ever have on in the future, through the pain of being a human commoner in a royal fae court, which was a pain you were much too familiar with.

That's why . . . you decided to run away. Your love for Malleus? It was best for you, for him, and, most importantly, for whatever child you may have in the future, to burn it away.