Betrayal and witchcraft

Tears rolled down my face in despair. He was going to kill me, his eyes said exactly that, I had no chance of surviving.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness the Crown Prince," the treasurer said as he approached. He was shaking from head to toe, sweat already collecting on his forehead as he rubbed his hands together. "Since we weren't going to be long, I left the door open. I knew that Princess Camellia would come, as she had received permission from the emperor to go to the library to pick up some books."

I was grateful that everyone in the castle knew where I was. The library was next to the treasurer's office, and the doors weren't very different, one with straight handles and the other with rounded ones. Theodore let go of me, pushed me to the floor, and then leaned forward with a frightening smile. He stepped on my ankle, causing a sharp pain that spread throughout my body. I wanted to scream, but I knew that would only make things worse. So I bit my lip and contained the pain.

"I don't care for a second if my father allowed you to set your filthy feet in the imperial palace. If I see you wandering around here one more time, I'll kill you and feed your corpse to the dogs." Panic enveloped me. I knew that this was no empty threat and that Theodore was capable of anything.

I walked out of there with difficulty and went straight to my palace. I couldn't find Laura anywhere, so I strolled until I finally reached my room and went straight to shower.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, I sat down at my desk to write letters. The first one was for the Grand Duke. I told him that the war probably started because the empire wanted new resources and people to exploit for their wealth. I also warned him that the nobles might manipulate him if he became too valuable, forcing him to take the throne.

The next letter asked the doctor to move all patients to a secure location, since the war was likely to end badly for the country. Additionally, I sent a message to my mother's side of the family to express my affection and wish them good health.

Days went by, and I didn't receive a reply to any of my letters. It seemed that things were getting worse. I prayed every day that Eonora would protect the people of the empire and their loyal soldiers.

It was a strange gray morning, a strong wind was blowing, shaking the trees violently. Weeks had passed without any reply to my letters and I was becoming increasingly worried. My letters had never been intercepted before, and it would be impossible for them to know that I had sent anything, and it was only moments after I met Theodore in the treasurer's office.

"Laura," I called out, and she emerged smiling as always.

"No, Your Highness."

"Prepare a long, hooded cloak, I'll need to go out tonight." Laura looked at me confused and I wasn't confident about what was going to happen.

I changed into my riding clothes for comfort while jumping over walls and sneaking through gardens. Laura gave me a worried glance as she readied to leave. Going against what I learned as a child, my fear of the empire's collapse was too great to ignore. The lives of many depended on my actions, and I couldn't just sit idly in my room and watch.

We walked through the dim streets, alleys, and lanes, avoiding fights and homeless people scattered around. The outskirts of the empire worsened daily, and if my fears came true, things would only deteriorate.

Eventually, we arrived at an isolated house located on the edge of the vast forest that encircled the capital. The house was bright, and a red flag waved by the door. As soon as Laura saw it, she grabbed my arm, halting me from moving ahead.

"Your Highness, we can't go into this place." I touched Laura's trembling hand and smiled, trying to calm her down a little.

"It's all right, Laura. Nothing bad will happen," I told her, and then continued walking towards the house.

I looked around to see if anyone was approaching before raising my fist and knocking on the dark wood of the door.

"There's no need for that, just come. We need to talk." a voice from inside the house said, and then the door opened.

A black-haired, black-eyed woman emerged, wearing a discreet, full-length dress that completely covered her neck and arms. She led the way, inviting us in. Laura still seemed frightened by the whole situation, holding on tightly to my arm. The only source of light in the small room came from a fireplace in the corner, adding an air of mystery to the place. We sat down at a small table, the woman stared at Laura for a moment and then turned her attention to me.

"I apologize for not welcoming you properly, Your Highness, Princess Camellia." My shock must have shown, because the woman just smiled and spread her hands on the table, palms facing upwards. "I know what you came for, and I must say that the answers you want are not simple."

"What do you mean?" I asked, then she looked down at her hands, lifted mine, and placed them over hers.

Images flooded my mind, my eyes seeing nothing in front of me. The woman's voice flooded my ears, her touch on my hands was the only physical sensation I could feel.

"The future is uncertain, and there are two paths ahead. One leads to a bright sun shining over the empire, bringing prosperity, peace, and power. The other leads to a night, with fear, death, and despair in a ruined empire," she spoke and then disconnected, leaving me alone in the dark room.

In desperation, I asked: "What must I do to make the sun shine on our empire?" The woman just smiled, stood up, and opened the door for us to leave.

"As I mentioned, the future is uncertain, and passing on any information could be counterproductive. But, the princess's intelligence surpasses that of anyone in this vast empire, so I have faith that she will act appropriately from now on." The woman remained silent, bidding us farewell.

That night, I lay awake, contemplating her words and devising a plan to remedy the situation, while looking for a way to contact the Grand Duke.

The gloomy morning gave a sense of foreboding. Suddenly, the doors to my room burst open, making a loud noise. Perfumes fell from my dressing table, and the bottles broke and filled the room with a bizarre mixture of scents. Soldiers entered and pointed their swords at me, surrounding me. I was really scared. My body was shaking so much that I couldn't stand up. Then Theodore and the Emperor entered with the soldiers, and my fear turned to panic.

"Camellia, first princess of the Empire of Arventia, you are being taken into custody for investigation." one of the soldiers said, advancing towards me holding iron handcuffs.

"Investigation? What are you talking about?" I said hysterically, then the emperor approached and slapped my face, causing me to fall off the chair and onto the floor.

"Shut your fucking mouth. You're lucky I don't execute you right here and throw your body to the dogs." The voice of the man who was supposed to be my father had no feeling in it, just the coldness of a man who saw nothing but an uncomfortable animal in front of him.

I was dragged through the palace corridors by the soldiers, the servants crowding around to get a better look at what was going on. It wouldn't be long before the news spread, and the whole empire learned that the first princess had been arrested for treason and witchcraft.

The cell they put me in was in the prison tower, the worst place to be when a supposed investigation was going on. On my first night there, they poured a bucket of ice water over me, it was the coldest night of the year, and I nearly died. The next day was the first torture to make me confess, supervised by a bishop from the temple of Eonora and the crown prince.

My body was cut, burned, and broken, and my face was disfigured by Theodore's beatings. The bishop approached, there wasn't a hint of compassion in his eyes, but he maintained a false smile of empathy.

"The truth will set you free, child. Just tell us who else is part of all this heresy, and we can intercede for your life with the emperor."

Lies, sweet, seductive lies. Nobody cared about my life, my father was doing everything he could to make sure I didn't get out of that situation alive, it was obvious that my death was already certain. I looked at the bishop and then at Theodore, the brother who was supposed to protect me, who was smiling, amused at seeing me in this situation. He didn't love me, but I still believed that, because we were brothers, he might have some good feelings for me. But how could I wish for such a thing, when I already had the worst feelings for the man in front of me?