Eleven

Caralyn jerks awake at the sound of a long scream.

 

Her eyes move to the small clock on her bedside table, and it reads five O’clock in the morning.

 

She slowly sits up, willing her fast heartbeat to slow down. She knows where the scream is coming from, and she also knows the people who are screaming; it’s been going on for three days.

 

She didn’t know who was doing the torturing, but she knew it was being overseen by the Supreme Ultima. After he heard the news Alessio came to relay to her four days ago, he had stormed out of the room.

 

Within some span of hours, he had summoned Mrs Hale for questioning. Caralyn didn’t even know that until the woman knocked on her door to drop by before she went back to the palace.

 

After getting Mrs Hale’s statement, investigating the royal doctor and throwing the royal household into chaos, the perpetrators were finally caught. It was two of the royal doctor’s apprentices. They had confessed to having incorporated abortion potions into one of the liquid ingredients the royal doctor had sent them to get.

 

But Riccardo wasn’t satisfied; he wanted to know who was behind them.

 

He brought them back to the Supreme Faction Fortress and has been torturing them since yesterday. It was quite strange that they easily confessed to what they had done, but kept insisting that they couldn’t remember who had given them the potion, nor did they know why they had done what they did.

 

Even though Caralyn is having a mental torture of her own from losing her baby, and she wanted to know who could have done such a wicked thing, she isn’t totally comfortable with the torture the men are going through.

 

She had been there the first time they were brought in for questioning. They had really felt remorseful, and even though it doesn’t seem to make sense, it was almost convincing that they really didn’t remember who had ordered them, and why they had done what they did.

 

A word has been bugging her mind, but she hasn’t mentioned it to anyone: Sorcery.

 

‘What if sorcery is involved and the men are really telling the truth? That would mean innocent men are being punished.’  

 

She stood up and went into the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed, knowing she won’t be able to sleep anymore anyway.

 

That reminds her to thank Riccardo later for the dresses. How he had gotten royal gowns and clothes that fit her size, she doesn’t know.

 

However, in the deepest part of her mind, something is bothering her greatly. Something she has been trying to push away. But it keeps resurfacing: her rage fit. It’s the last day of the month, and she’s no longer pregnant.

 

Her mind is filled with several ‘What ifs’.

 

 

*

Caralyn cautiously descends the stairs, her eyes moving in every direction, trying to look for the familiar face of Alessio. She stops when she sees a guy her age and a little girl sitting on one of the couches placed in the living area. She wonders why they are awake by that time.

 

Mateo Bellini and Chiara Bianchi; Enzo’s younger brother and Alessio’s younger stepsister.

 

Mateo is tapping away on his phone while Chiara is looking straight at Caralyn with wide eyes. Caralyn gives her a warm smile, and Chiara gives her a wide one in return. Caralyn watches as the girl leans towards the guy.

 

“Mateo, is that a princess?”

 

Caralyn silently chuckles at the girl’s attempt to whisper.

 

The guy raised his head with a confused expression and traced the girl’s. He immediately stands up and moves towards Caralyn. “Your Highness,” he said with a little bow.

 

“Good morning. Can you show me where Alessio- no- can you take me to where the scream is coming from?” Caralyn asked.

 

Mateo smiles. “You mean the torture basement?”

 

Caralyn nods with a fake knowing smile, even though up till a second ago, she didn’t know that there was such a place as the torture basement.

 

“Chiara. I will be back,” he tells the little girl and starts leading the way while Caralyn follows.

 

Caralyn looks back at Chiara, whose glinting eyes were still on her. She winks at the little girl, who releases a giggle. Just as Caralyn's face went back to the front, Mateo halted and glanced back due to the sound Chiara had made.

 

Chiara was still giggling. He looks at Caralyn, who gave him a questioning look. His brows furrow as he continues walking. Caralyn glances back at Chiara, who did the winking this time.

 

She faces her front and continues following Mateo with a mischievous smirk on her lips.

 

The noise grows louder as they approach the torture basement. Mateo stops by the large door and tells her he is not allowed in there. She thanks him and watches him till he is out of her view.

 

Then, she sighs heavily and pushes the door open.

 

It opens with a creak, and the sight that welcomed her as the double doors opened was enough to make a horror movie. The two men from the palace aren’t the only ones in there. There were others; some inside cages, others strapped to a chair, some tied to the ceiling.

 

And in the middle of the room, facing the two men from the palace who are tied to a chair, is Riccardo. He is sitting in a black chair, man-spreading with his hands on the arms of his chair.

 

“The one on the right. Kill him,” Riccardo orders.

 

Caralyn’s mouth opens in surprise. “Wait!”

 

But Enzo didn’t.

 

She watches as his gloved palms are placed on either side of the man’s head, and what follows is the unmistakable sound of a broken neck. The man’s head drops, his neck still in the direction it has been forcefully snapped to.

 

“What is wrong with you?!” Caralyn screams at Enzo.

 

“What are you doing here?” Riccardo asks without looking back.

 

Caralyn’s eyes shifted to the other man, whose eyes were wide as saucers with tears streaming down the large orbs. “I want the man released, My Lord.”

 

Riccardo ignores her and motions for Enzo to continue.

 

“Your death won’t be as simple as that of your companion, amico,” Enzo says into the man’s ears. “Are you willing to confess now?”

 

{Amico - Friend}

 

 

The man sobs, snorts, dripping down his nose. “I already confessed everything.” His eyes moves to Caralyn. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’m really sorry about everything. Please, spare me!”

 

Enzo suddenly jabs a needle into the man’s thigh, and he screams in pain, his whole body shaking.

 

Enzo smirks. “Lycan-Bane portion, I bet you’ve heard of it. It slowly kills your wolf. You know how painful that can be, don’t you?”

 

Caralyn hurries to stand in front of Riccardo. “My Lord! You said ‘my body, my rules’. Why do you seem so furious now?”

 

He stands up, and Caralyn cautiously takes a step back. “The only people who decide whether that baby gets to live… are me and you, the parents.”

 

He slowly walks towards the table filled with various weapons and picks up a sharp dagger. He walks around the man till he is standing behind him. He yanks the man’s head back by his hair, which makes him release another painful grunt.

 

“It is a different case and a great atrocity for someone else to be so audacious as to decide my child’s fate!” Riccardo roared.

 

 

He looks crazed, as if he’s going to bust out in his lycan form any moment. A rage-provoked action that will be disastrous.

 

Caralyn’s heart thuds hard against her chest.