CHAPTER 4

I couldn’t bring myself to picture the nightmare unfolding back in the slums as I broke into a full sprint. My legs moved like a blurred tempest, gliding over the cobblestones at a speed I had never reached before in my life. The wind howled against my ears, but it couldn't drown out the frantic, terrifying roar of my own heartbeat.

When I reached the grand gates of the palace, the courtyard was a frenzy of activity, servants rushing, armaments clanking, guards taking up positions. I ignored them all. I darted past the entrance, taking the grand marble staircase three steps at a time, my lungs burning as I made a mad dash for my eldest brother’s quarters.

I threw the doors open, gasping for breath.

It was empty. The bedsheets were pristine, the desk neatly organized, looking as if he had merely stepped out for a quiet evening stroll. A cold, knotting anxiety twisted in my stomach.

I sprinted down the corridor to my second brother's room. It was the exact same story, distressingly immaculate, perfectly arranged, devoid of any sign of life. Panic began to claw at my throat.

When I reached my youngest brother’s room, the illusion shattered.

The chamber was in absolute ruin. Furniture was overturned, tapestries were torn from the stone walls, and the floor was scuffed with heavy iron boots. He had put up a fierce, desperate fight against impossible odds, but he had still lost. Smears of dark, wet blood stained the rug near the bed, silent witnesses to his violent capture.

My heart physically ached, a sharp, stabbing agony that made me double over. ‘Where are my brothers? What are they doing to them right now?’ Tears welled up in my eyes, burning hot and heavy, threatening to spill over in uncontrollable waves. But I forced my jaw tight and swallowed the sob. I couldn't cry. Not yet. I had to be strong. The King and Queen didn't know I had discovered their dark deal, and I had to play the fool until the moment came to strike.

The heavy thud of approaching footsteps echoed down the stone hallway. Before I could slip into the shadows, a team of palace maids stepped into the doorway, carrying linen baskets and scrub brushes. They froze, their faces turning pale as they spotted me.

"My Lady! You, you shouldn't be here," the head maid stammered, wringing her hands nervously.

"And why is that?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain smooth and cold. "Am I no longer permitted to visit my own brothers? That reminds me, where are they? Did you clean their quarters? They seem unnaturally tidy."

"Yes, My Lady," she lied smoothly, avoiding my eyes. "The young princes simply went out for an evening ride."

‘Liars.’ The brutal truth was painted in blood right in front of her, yet she still parroted the Queen's script. *Fine, Two can play this game.*

"Is that so?" I stepped closer, pointing a trembling finger at the reddish brown smear on the floorboards. "Then explain the blood in this room to me."

The maid didn't even flinch. Her expression flattened into a practiced, chilling mask. "Oh, My Lady... the princes went hunting earlier. They brought back game, and a few patches of blood on their riding clothes carried into the room. You know how careless the youngest prince can be. We had to clean and disinfect every chamber immediately to prevent any sickness, as instructed."

I stared at her, sickened by her efficiency. *I didn't realize we employed such professional liars in the royal household.*

"I see," I lied back, giving her a hollow smile. "I'll be on my way then and let you finish your duties. When you're done, come to my chambers. I have something special for you."

"Yes, my Princess," she replied, her face instantly beaming with greed. What an utter fool.

I turned on my heel, my dress sweeping the floor as I prepared to round the stone corner, but a low, frantic voice called out behind me.

"Medea!"

Only one person in this entire cursed palace dared to address me so informally by my middle name, my childhood nanny, the only mother figure who had ever treated me with genuine warmth. The sudden realization hit me, and my stomach plummeted, where is my baby?

"Oh, Medea! Thank goodness you're safe!" she whispered hurriedly, rushing toward me with wide, terrified eyes. She reached out, her hands trembling as she smoothed down my shoulders. "You had me worried sick! Where have you been? Why are your clothes torn and covered in dirt and blood?"

Her motherly concern wrapped around me, but my overwhelmed mind couldn't process her questions. Only one terrifying thought consumed me. I looked at her, my voice barely a whisper: "Is your daughter okay?"

The nanny paused, her eyes softening with deep, sorrowful affection. "She's fine, Medea."

"Are you sure?" I pressed, clutching her forearms. "Can I see her? Please, I need to see her with my own eyes!"

"No, Medea, you can't, not now," she urged quietly, glancing nervously down the empty corridor. "She is hidden far away from the kingdom, safe from the guards. Don't worry about her, you need to worry about yourself and your own safety right now. Your brothers left something for me to give you before they were dragged away, and the Queen, the Queen is actively searching for you. You need to go see your mother immediately."

"No!" My voice cracked. "I want to see my brothers first! I need to find them!"

"You can't, darling," she pleaded, tears brimming in her own tired eyes. "Listen to me, go see your mother first. Once you have faced her, come back to my quarters, and I will pass along the secret message your brothers left for you."

"I can't face her now..." Tears finally broke through my defenses, spilling down my cheeks as I squeezed her hands. "I can't, I'm in so much pain, I just want my brothers back please"

Seeing me crumble on the verge of a full breakdown, the nanny acted fast. She gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back into my eldest brother's empty chamber, shutting the heavy oak doors tightly behind us to block out the outside world.

The moment the latch clicked shut, my restraint vanished.

Everything I had been holding back, the crushing trauma, the violent rage, the profound sorrow, and the suffocating sense of betrayal, came crashing down all at once. I fell to my knees on the cold floor and wept, I sobbed until my throat burned, wailing for the brothers who had sacrificed everything for me, for Tiberius bleeding in the dirt, and for the helpless people I had left in chains. For nearly an hour, I cried until there were no tears left to shed, while my nanny held me tightly, rocking me back and forth, whispering soft words of comfort into my hair.

Slowly, the storm inside me subsided into a cold, still calm.

I sat up, wiping my face with the back of my sleeve. I wasn't alone. I still had my nanny. I had the innocent citizens to whom I had made a solemn vow. I had my brothers, who were relying on my strength, and I had Tiberius waiting for my signal. I had to pull myself out of this dark pit before, The Hunt departed Pompeli for Rome, the deadly second stage of the games. If they left the continent, I would never see any of them alive again.

This wasn't just a political crisis anymore. This was war. I hadn't asked for it, and I was entirely unprepared, but I would face it with fire in my veins.

I straightened my posture, wiped the last traces of tears from my eyes, and stood tall. I looked at my nanny with a cold, terrifying clarity.

"Let's go," I whispered, my voice steady and sharp as steel. "It's time to go see my mother, and the werewolf monster I am forced to call my father."

"Good day, Mother," I said, stepping into the dim, towering grandeur of the throne room, forcing my tone to sound naive, sweet, and entirely oblivious.

"It is evening, Medea, You should greet me with ‘good evening’, silly girl," she replied coolly, her sharp voice dripping with clear displeasure.

"My apologies, Your Highness. Good evening, Your Highness," I said, lacing the words with subtle sarcasm. If she wanted to play cold, distant royals, I was more than happy to indulge her.

"That is more like it," she sniffed, sitting erect on her gilded throne. "And I am quite certain you are aware your father is present. Why have you failed to acknowledge him?"

"I am sorry, Mother, but I unfortunately cannot see him."

"Don't be ridiculous, greet your father this instant"

"No," I said, my jaw tightening as a flare of irritation broke through my calm facade.

"Regardless," she dismissed with a wave of her jewel-encrusted hand, "I will not ask how you have been, considering you look entirely fine." Her sharp eyes swept over me, inspecting every fold of my velvet gown.

A silent wave of relief washed over me. Thank the gods I had listened to my nanny when she practically forced me to bathe, scrub the mud from my skin, and change into a fresh gown before coming down here. I looked pristine, composed, and completely unsuspicious.

"I heard you ventured outside today," my mother continued, her tone dropping into a dangerous register. "Directly against my explicit orders that you were not to step foot outside the palace walls."

"And since when did you start bothering yourself with where I go?" I countered.

"We have foreign guests coming and going from the city for the assembly, Medea. I need to know your whereabouts so I can be certain you are safe."

A bitter laugh nearly escaped my lips. "Wow, So now you care about my safety? How I wish your concern were genuine, What do you actually want from me?"

She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I am sure you have heard whispers about the tournament, its rules and everything concerning its return."

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. "What rules?" I whispered, dreading her answer. "And what does any of that have to do with me?"

"Indeed, you are so hopelessly naive," she sighed, a faint, melancholic shadow passing over her face. "Have you seen your brothers today?"

For a fraction of a second, I caught a glimpse of genuine sadness flickering in her eyes. ‘Good,’ I thought bitterly. ‘She deserves every ounce of torment.’

"No," I lied smoothly. "In fact, I am just coming from their quarters, but they weren't in their rooms. Then I received your summons and assumed they were here with you, but they aren't. So tell me, Mother, where are my brothers?"

She looked away, her voice dropping into a flat, casual drone, as if she weren't speaking of her own flesh and blood. "I am sorry, Medea... but they are gone."

"Gone?" My voice cracked. "Gone where? On a trip? Visiting the provinces? Where?"

"They are locked in the subterranean dungeons awaiting the commencement of the games," she stated plainly. "They may be of royal blood, but there will be no special treatment in The Hunt. And considering the trials this year are exceptionally brutal, they are as good as dead."

A fake tear glistened at the edge of her eye, but I saw through the performance instantly.

"No, don't say that!" I cried, my composure fracturing as hot tears surged to the surface. "How can you say something so monstrous?!"

"I am sorry, my darling," she said softly. Then, in a terrifying display of cruelty, her mournful expression vanished entirely, replaced by a wide, chilling grin that stretched across her face. "But you must pull yourself together. You are the absolute future of this kingdom's bloodline, so we need you to be perfect."

The drastic, psychotic shift in her demeanor left me breathless. A violent urge to scream at her, to rip that sickening smile off her face, clawed at my chest. But I couldn't. I had to hold back the inferno raging inside me. I had to play the submissive, broken daughter. Too many lives were riding on my restraint, Eden bleeding in the slums, the chained commoners, my brothers rotting in the dark below.

I swallowed the bile in my throat, lowered my head, and adopted a small, meek voice. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing much," she replied, clearly delighted by my sudden submission. "Simply return to your chambers and do not leave without my express permission. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Your Highness," I whispered.

I turned and began the long walk toward the grand double doors, but halfway across the cavernous room, my feet froze. I turned my head, gazing across the vast, oppressive hall. The last time I had stood in this space, it felt like a nightmare. Now, I was trapped in a full-blown horror show, and I was forced to play the doomed lead.

My eyes drifted toward the dark alcove beside the throne, where my father stood in the shadows. He was staring at me, cold, detached, disappointed, likely evaluating whether I would ever amount to anything of value to his empire. After all it was already disappointing enough that I had a child out of wedlock, even dou it was all his fault, I am the one left to bear the punishment and watch as my daughter address a maid as her mother, heartbreaking isn’t it.

A sharp, pathetic ache pierced my chest. Oh, if only he knew how deeply the younger version of me had craved his affection. Maybe, just maybe if I played this sick game right, if I allowed them to marry me off to the highest bidder in the tournament, I would finally be worthy of his notice.

No, I squeezed my eyes shut, choking back a sob. I couldn't be the perfect, obedient daughter he wanted, not after what they had done. They had stripped away everything that made me human, they had taken my lover, chained my brothers, betrayed my people, and reduced my life to a bargaining chip.

And what could I do in return? Nothing. Except smile, bow, and walk out of the throne room.

And that is precisely what I did.

As I walked down the dim, quiet corridors toward my quarters, tears finally spilled over, streaming down my cheeks in warm, silent rivers. I felt hollowed out, utterly worthless, drifting through the dark of my own home like a ghost waiting to be erased.