CHAPTER 3:PRINCE KAEL'S JUDGMENT

The silence in the hallway was suffocating. Every servant, guard, and maid kept their heads bowed, too frightened to breathe too loudly. The Head Maid remained on her knees, trembling violently.

"Your Highness... please forgive me," she sobbed.

 "I only wanted to maintain discipline," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The excuse only fueled my anger.

I looked down at her without a trace of sympathy, only utter disgust. How can a woman be so cruel? Even if she was a werewolf, she was still a woman. Yet she had the heart to torture another woman—a frail girl who could barely stand. Looking at that tiny body covered in bruises, I couldn't imagine what threat she could possibly pose. 

"Discipline?" I repeated. 

"You call starving a defenseless girl for three days discipline?" I said angrily.

My fists clenched so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. A slave... punished over a single loaf of bread.

No one with such a petite body should have been forced to endure such cruelty.

"N-No, Your Highness..." she said, terrified.

My fists clenched at my sides until my knuckles turned white. Every word from the Head Maid tested the limits of my patience. 

"You denied her food?" I asked, my voice dangerously low.

She lowered her head even further, unable to utter a word. Her silence was pushing me to the edge. I had to restrain myself from wrapping my hands around her neck.

"You ordered her whipped." I asked.

She didn't utter a word or answer my question. She was testing my patience at this rate and it might lead me to do something drastic to her.

"You intended to brand her like a criminal." I thundered.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. My restraint was wearing thin. I was holding myself back from striking her. I didn't hit women, but that didn't mean I wouldn't make an exception for someone so despicable. Her tears disgusted me because they were obviously fake.

"And your excuse is that she stole a loaf of bread?" I asked again, this time, my voice dangerously calm.

The hallway remained as silent as a graveyard, every servant and guard frozen in place, afraid that even the slightest movement would draw my wrath.

I turned to one of the guards. "Is everything she has said true?"

The guard hesitated before dropping to one knee. "Yes, Your Highness."

My expression hardened. "So not one of you thought to stop this?"

No one answered, terrified to their bones, Cowards. A kingdom that allowed the weak to be abused from the shadows would eventually rot from within. I knew the people of Lunaris hated humans, but the King had never approved of starving human slaves. Yet it seemed this frail girl was the only one being subjected to such cruelty.

I pointed at the glowing branding iron. "Throw it away."

One guard hurried forward, taking the iron with shaking hands before placing it into a bucket of water. A loud hiss echoed through the corridor as steam rose into the air.

"From this day onward," "no slave is to be branded without direct authorization from the royal family." I declared.

Every servant immediately bowed. "Yes, Your Highness."

I shifted my gaze back to the Head Maid.

"You abused your authority."

She broke into louder sobs which only sounded irritating to my ear. I despised people who inflicted suffering on others, yet expected mercy when it was their turn to face justice. I didn't really want to raise my hand on her, I had a far better punishment in mind for her.

"You will be stripped of your position as Head Maid while this matter is investigated." I declared.

I can demote a ranked person without my brother's consent but can't promote. He doesn't bother himself with such a trifling matter of demoting, it's hardly even done. The last time I demoted someone was around 100 years ago.

Her eyes widened. "Your Highness... please!"

"You should have considered the consequences before starving another human being." I said.

Two guards stepped forward, "Take her away."

She cried and begged as they dragged her down the hallway, but I didn't spare her another glance.

Silence returned, and my attention drifted back to the girl. She was barely standing. 

Without warning, her knees buckled but before she could hit the floor, I caught her. She stiffened immediately, as though even being helped frightened her.

"Easy," I said quietly.

She didn't answer, she didn't even look at me. She was still terrified out of her wits. Her body felt alarmingly light, too light like a withered leaf. She felt weightless in my arms, as though even a feather weighed more than she did. How long has she been living like this?

"Bring food," I ordered.

A maid rushed away, no one dared disobey my order, l might not be as ruthless as my brother but that doesn't mean I'm not.

"And summon the royal physician." Several servants looked up in surprise.

"The... physician, Your Highness?" A maid asked, obviously frightened.

"Do you expect me to repeat myself?" I thundered.

"N-No, Your Highness!" They hurried away.

Moments later, a tray of warm food arrived.

The smell alone caused the girl's fingers to twitch, Just how much torture had this girl endured? I couldn't understand why I was so determined to help her. It wasn't like me to involve myself in the affairs of palace slaves. Perhaps it was the injustice of it all... or maybe it was the quiet strength in her eyes. Whatever the reason, I couldn't simply walk away.

"Eat," I said to her in the most gentle voice, which l never knew l had.

She stared at the food but didn't move. I frowned slightly, she's terrified of me. Then again, everyone is. I couldn't expect anything less from her.

I sighed, "Did you not hear me?"

"I... I need permission." She mumbled.

I blinked repeatedly,"Permission?"

She nodded weakly. "I've been punished before... for eating without permission."

For a moment, I couldn't find the right words.

What kind of life has reduced someone to fearing food? "You have my permission."

Slowly, almost hesitantly, she reached for a piece of bread. She held it as though someone would snatch it away. Then she slowly took a tiny bite... as though she feared someone would snatch the bread away or punish her for eating it. She ate slowly, carefully, almost as if she'd forgotten how to eat. No one in the hallway spoke, not even a single soul.

The physician finally arrived and examined her. "Your Highness," the old healer said gravely, "she is severely malnourished and exhausted. Had this continued for another few days..."

He didn't finish.The words seemed too heavy to say aloud. I already knew how that sentence ended. I looked at the girl once more. She had endured more suffering than anyone ever should, yet somehow... she hadn't broken. There was something about her that lingered in my mind, something I couldn't explain.

And for reasons I couldn't understand, I had the unsettling feeling that this wouldn't be the last time our paths crossed.