"The General is right outside this door. We can start right now and have him drag you to the dungeon or have him execute you. Save you from the troubles of seeing your unwanted 'product' ascend the throne." She paused and added with a bitter smile, watching how Isa's eyes went cold the more she spoke. "Rescue you from bowing to her. I wouldn't want you to hurt your back with all that stressful process, mother."Isa lost it right there. "I should have killed you the moment I gave birth to you! I should have strangled that tiny little neck of yours, I should have pressed a pillow over your head and seized the breath from that small nose, I should have stuffed the life right out of you a long time ago.""You could have!" No matter how many times she had already been told that she was unwanted by her mother, hearing it again always hurt. "You could have done all that so why didn't you?!" All the pity Belladonna would usually have towards her mother for the traumatic thing she had to ex
The next day had been really busy. First, a set of maids had come into Belladonna's room to clean it up. There wasn't much to do though and their presence had reminded about her maid, Belladonna had asked Anok if he knew anything about what was going on in the Castle recently.He had told her that the maid committed suicide, and it seemed there was someone she had been reporting to before that. "The King is out to find the culprit, Milady. Put your mind at ease, he will find whosoever is behind this."Belladonna had offered Anok a smile but it was unconvincing, even when he had added that the King was the one who instructed him to keep her updated while he was absent or the the fact that he had been here by her door last night, before he had to leave in a hurry because of the interrupting event."And Head Kuftan?" Belladonna asked, as they walked along the hallway, and down the stairs. "Do you know anything about what is going on with him? As the King informed you to tell me anythin
Belladonna's heart had thundered in fear as she felt herself slip down to the ground, her head feeling strangely too heavy for her to carry, as she wondered if the whole baby missing thing was all a set up to pull her away from Anok, by the people who were after her life.If this was just one of their missions. If they had used Aniya and her baby for that, or if Aniya was simply one of them too.Wondered if her parents had even left in the first place, or maybe they had not and this was one of their plans. If this was the people trying to kill her or her parents. But what difference would it make anyways.They were both after her life. Isa had made her intentions pretty clear. Belladonna had reached down for her heels, feeling the action taking a toll on her, as she observed the bare feet at her eye level, one that moved around frantically."I'm sorry---" she knew that shaky voice. That voice that always made her feel sick to her stomach. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I--- just want
He sat down on the bed, leaning towards her face, as his lips brushed lightly against hers and he grabbed her arms to further his assault.Disgust crawled underneath her skin and she clenched her fists, once again, an action she didn't make it all the way through. "I want to tell you something." She whispered and he frowned, pulling away to look back at her and make sure she wasn't hatching any crazy plans in her head. "I am doing this for us. You know that, right?" He asked, brushing his hand through his golden, curly hair. She nodded slowly, trying to fight the pain she could still feel from her throbbing head. Lytio's lips stretched into a small smile and he leaned down to hear what she had to say. "He will kill you." Her whisper was faint and his frown deepened, as he pulled away again. "I will do anything for us to be together. I don't care about the consequences."Her heart raced.He was obsessed and it didn't seem like she could stall him any longer, she had to attack him
Trigger warning: A little physical violence. Death too, maybe."I touched her! Did everything you would ever imagine and she loved it." He yelled, pulling against the chains that bounded him and making no progress. Someone had hit him from behind earlier and he had passed out. His head was aching and his whole body was in pain from how tightly the chains hugged his skin. He had woken up to see himself in a dungeon and soon afterward, he had been dragged here. Into this dark, empty, place. The only light was the torch in the King's hand that reflected on his golden mask. "She screamed my name. Told me she wished I was you and she didn't have to pretend to tolerate you just so you wouldn't kill her. You monster!" He struggled to stand up from the laying position they had pushed him into. It was uncanny to watch the King so still in front of him, his mask putting him at a great disadvantage in gauging his reaction to his words. Did he believe him?He couldn't figure it out. "Just
"She is my sister!" Someone's voice cut into the room. "Let me in!"There was a groan and the sound of someone stumbling in. Belladonna held her head, blinking as Aniya barged in, with Arlo placed against her chest, one hand on his back to hold him in place. "You are awake! You are fine." She heaved a sigh of relief and Belladonna frowned, standing up to her feet, fighting against the swaying floor to hold her ground. She could feel the headache banging in her head when she stood up and she pressed her hand against her forehead to find it wrapped in a bandage. What happened?The guard rushed in, apologizing to Belladonna, as they attempted to drag Aniya back outside but Belladonna stopped them."I told you I was her sister." She mumbled to the guards who were left with no choice but to leave the room. Then she walked closer to Belladonna who was standing by the side of the bed. "I was so scared when I found out what happened. I was--" she paused, sniffling. "Lytio deserves whateve
"It was a mistake. It happened once, then twice, and more times till it became a habit. It was a secret that would have cost him his position if people were to find out, especially his wife. It had to happen."Belladonna was not moved by her tears but she was shocked by the truth. Truly, such a secret would have cost the now-dead Village Head his position, since his wife's family had been the one with the royal blood to begin with, and he had simply married into it. But this still didn't make sense!"If you were already pregnant, why did you have to do all that?" She took a step forward but halted immediately when she felt like her head had swayed on her neck along with that step she had taken. You wouldn't have been qualified for the Choosing Ritual. You would be with child and a woman with child cannot take part in the ritual.""I had to save my reputation! If by keeping my mouth shut, I save the Village's Head's reputation what about mine? People will call me names if I can not pr
"You should start taking off your dress."Belladonna frowned, attempting to move away from him, but finding her feet refusing her command, her whole body was, in fact, refusing her command. Eli did not observe her nervousness and if he did, he didn't show it as he went into the room and placed his mask on the bed. He moved through the space like he owned it, it was a sight to behold. One Belladonna could not fully appreciate because of her racing heart. He looked back at her and arched her a questioning eyebrow."You should have undressed by now, Donna.""All of it?" She managed to ask and he frowned, looking at her with deep assessment."That gown especially. You have to change that, it is stained with dirt." He covered the distance between them in three large strides and held her wrist, leading to her wardrobe. "Did you fall on your way to the den?"Belladonna's brows knitted into a line as she tried to remember if that had happened. Had she?Oh, she had!She had fallen, but it a