*WARNING:THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL ABUSE AND VIOLENT SCENES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. *
* Notice: Fl's mother and Ml's father are siblings. In some cultures and communities, first cousin marriages are considered ideal and actively encouraged and expected. In our region one can marry mother's brothers ( younger and older brothers) son or daughter accordingly and it is legally permitted. So I just used that point and there are many countries which accept first cousin marriages. So I don't see that as an incest. Hope I gave you the clarity you needed. *
All the officials and people were gathered together waiting for the execution to take place. Many of them were there to see the miserable state and the dejected face of the person who once considered as the beauty of the empire.
"We have gathered here today for the execution of the former princess, Aeinshia Rutz, for the crimes of misleading the authorities, the attempted to murder of princess Lily Carmondy, and the murder of the almighty former emperor of the empire," the royal announcer yelled from the middle of the execution grounds.
There had once been a time, when everyone had wanted to be like her, had wished they were her. But they had all slowly started to show their true colors as she had lost her identity, the power on which the society rotates.
She thought her friends would defend for her when they heard the rumors about her. But it turned out that she was the only one who thought them as friends. They threw her away as a piece of garbage knowing there's no more use of her. They nodded their heads hearing the rumors and talked about her behind the back.
Soon after, Aeinshia Rutz, once the popular and respected princess of the empire, the one who had been the intended Empress of the empire if everything went well, was now dragged to the execution grounds.
Her hands were turned into bloody red as she was dragged to the execution ground by those long and heavy chains on her hands. Her long black hair disheveled, her deep ocean blue eyes now dried like lifeless. Many felt thrilled to watch this state of once the high and mighty high society lady. Of course she didn't do anything wrong neither to the citizens nor to other's. It's just it's exciting for them to see the downfall of someone of high position. Society, they say. Indeed this is a world which only runs with mouth and not out of kindness.
She was pushed onto the executive plank and was ready to be executed.
Aeinshia raised her head to look at prince Evan for the last time. She wanted to see his face for one last moment. She wanted to see the love in his eyes once. She wanted to show how much she loved him, that now she was here. She wanted to spend her last minute's of life with him. Together and forever with him. He was her life. She was meant to marry him. He was her first and last love. But the horrible nightmare that night changed everything in her life.
Prince Evan sat straight ahead to her. For some reason their was a hint of sorrow on his face. His eyes told he was about to loose the most precious thing in his life. How could he not feel anything. The person he loved almost all of his life and wished to protect was straight in front of him.
Just when their eyes met, he instantly scrambled to his feet and left the execution grounds. He can't make himself sit there still. He felt like dying. He wants to throw away all law and set er free. He wants to see her smile and willful nature. He want to spend his life with her. But, nothing he wished happened.
Aeinshia only wanted him to stay here. He is the only relative left for her and now he too abandoned her in the end. She truly felt alone and betrayed now.
How did things end up this way?
Where did it go wrong?
Or could it be that the start itself was wrong?
The leaves scud over the ground and took small flights into the air. As she raised her eyes to the sky a smile spreaded from ear to ear. The branches swayed like the arms of a soccer crowd. This wind carried the fragrance of the woodland. Maybe only nature was there for her in this moment where everyone abandoned her. The essence of her surroundings she has seen from her childhood days making her to reminiscence about her past.
The past-----
They say giving birth means hand shaking with the death. Aeinshia's mother, princess Beatrice, was unable to bear the pain and died due to the complications at the delivery. Like that, the heiress to house Rutz, Aeinshia Rutz was born.
Many of them saw her as an omnious thing and called her mother killer and named her cursed Child. Yet despite all these, her family and her Royal uncle loved her all no matter what.
As soon as she was born her Royal uncle, the emperor himself granted the name 'Aeinshia' and gave the title of princess trying to nullify the rumors circling about her birth. He couldn't bare the rumors and put an end to them once and for all. She is just a child, it's not her fault. So knowing that it might create an inner wound to her, he decided to take this big step and tagged a title princess of Seazle empire.
Aeinshia and her father, Andrew Rutz were never affectionate before. The talk between them was more like two officials meeting instead of the father and daughter casual meeting. Its not like he didn't love his daughter. Its just, the death of his wife took a toll on him and he slowly distanced away from everyone, including his children and bestfriend, Alexander Seazle. He was afraid to lose anyone again who is precious to him.
But one's silence could be misunderstood. His silence resulted Aeinshia to feel guilty. Aeinshia thought herself as the cause of her mother's death and as she grew up, that guilt only increased and she didn't have the nerve to face her father.
But her brother Felix was different. From childhood he was the one who took care of her. He is the one who fed her, played with her, made her learn new things, played sword fighting with her. To him, she was his whole world. And totally made sure to help her grow into a beautiful and understanding maiden.
Even though how much love Aeinshia received from her brother and emperor, the empress, her royal aunt noticed Aeinshia was still lacking mothers love.So she decided to share her affection and love equally, to both Aeinshia and prince Evan. For Aeinshia her aunt was like the God sent. Both her and the young prince fought for the empress's love. But fate didn't plan to let her feel mother's love. Soon the empress was poisoned and got murdered.
After the Empress's death both the prince and Aeinshia stopped fighting and learned to share things. At first she thought it was out of brotherly love but without realizing she fell deep for him and her love for him increased more and more as the days passed on.
The emperor loved his sister alot. Seeing her mother in Aeinshia he raised her with utmost care and attention. She received royalty treatment more than any prince or princess and was raised on her Royal uncle's lap.
Being given the top priority within the empire, everyone tried to favour her and tried to befriend her. She is the one most of the people aspired to be.
Whatever she did, wore, everything would become popular since many tried to copy her. No matter how much her uncle or brother indulged love upon her, she didn't turn arrogant and never took others for granted. She know, to gain few things, one should be able to earn for it.
She is the definition of kindness. She is humble and generous.She never once badly treated the one's who worked loyally for her. She thought everyone were her friends. She thought the society is just like how she sees it forgetting it's not her home to have true relationships and love. She didn't know, being kind means easy to get bullied and easy to get betrayed.
Everything was smooth sailing till Lily came. Her love rival, Lily carmondy. By the time she arrived Aeinshia was already engaged to the prince.
But one day her dignity collapsed in the high society. When she went to accompany her deceased mother in their family's territory on her way to the temple to pray for her mother's soul to rest in peace she was attacked by a mercenary group.
But before getting attacked, she was drugged. She was drugged in her own house. But who was it? Was this all planned ahead? Did she fell into a trap? Is she the one to blame for thinking everyone are good? Is it ber fault to trust people who work for her?
She didn't know who played this underhanded trick.
Under a starry sky, Aeinshia's cries echoed in the cave. She screamed for help but there's no one to save her. She was panting heavily. She struggled to get up and run for her life. But she didn't find any strength remain in her body. She just stared at the cave. Emptiness. Everything felt like empty for her.
If not for the tears coming from her eyes anyone could have mistaken her as dead already.
After long time she heard foot steps coming in her direction. She wanted to call for help. But afraid it might be those thugs again. She tried to cover her naked body with something.But she couldn't get up as though she was pinned to the ground.Even breathing came hard for her but one could see her stubbornness to live and lead this life. Probably God listened to her screams of help... it was her family who was approaching her.
After hours of search, Rutz family finally found their half dying, half alive young miss, still lying naked over, while eyes filled with tears, body covered with bruises. Many thought she won't be making through it. But there's something more waiting for her 'The pain she need to claim.Her ill-fate'.
Even before she returned back to the capital, all those rumors about her losing her chastity by a group of thugs was being the hot potato in capital.
Knowing the empire's mother can't be tainted she was confiscated of her title as the empress and gave the position of a queen by the force of imperial family on the court members.
This decreased her status highly in the society and was made into a laughing stock. She is the victim, but nobody noticed her pain and just thought as a chess piece for their arguments.
Even though, after all this she thought she still had the prince. But after seeing him being intimate with Lily she thought she lost her last hope of survival.
She tried her best for him to notice her. But his eyes only searched for Lily. She wanted him to love her back just like as she did for him, just like how close they were in past. She wanted his heart to flutter for her. But being by his side all these years except at times he never spoke to her much, and much less speak his heart to her.
After waiting for all these years, here he was being attracted to someone who just came. She thought Lily was the root cause for all her problems and for the distance between her and prince not knowing it was her who changed the personality. It was worse than any pain she experienced.
Seeing him laugh with other girl made her heart filled with jealousy. She know deepest parts in her heart that he still cared for her,but her mind was not into reasoning getting things to this point. She know, he still liked her despite all other things. But, never getting a confirmation from his side she didn't know how to react. He never admitted his love for her, resulting her to assume anything and everything she sees, not understanding our own eyes sometimes deceive us.
She thought she however won't get the prince back now that she lost her chastity. So why not loose humanity? Now the only thing she intended to do was kill Lily. She thought everything will come to right place once Lily was out of the picture not knowing it was Lily who was trapping her down the fall from the start.
Being the manipulative queen, Lily has been successful in creating misunderstandings between the prince and princess. Taking the advantage of Aeinshia's state of mind, she started to play mind games and corrupted Aeinshia's heart.
As Aeinshia thought she even took measures to kill her. But her first attempt was a fail and Prince Evan saved her.
Exactly at that time an anonymous person began sending her letters. It was a perfect deal. He just wanted Aeinshia to kill Lily and in return he promised he will help her reclaim the title of Empress.
She thought it was a deal meant for her. However she will kill Lily, now she thought she could kill Lily and cover up the incident using the anonymous person. Clearly, both of them are using each other as scapegoat. No matter what. Lily carmondy is a princess from carmondy empire. Her getting killed means waging a war with the carmondy empire. So if the war starts, then the other can escape leaving one person to take blame. Aeinshia fell into that trap.
Both of them planned many attempts to kill Lily. But Lily somehow or the other found the loophole in the plan and escaped her death. Prince Evan got the word about Aeinshia's evil plans and he tried to stop her many times.
But the more he tried the more she misunderstood that he loved Lily and that came as a fuel for her burning envy as she more desperately tried to kill Lily just like the villianess trying to seperate two true lovers.
Wearing the mask of a kind facade, Lily has been successful to get a strong foot hold inside and outside the palace with great supports working behind her. Soon enough, both the princesses were compared with each other and Aeinshia began to get anxious.
Amidst all this chaos one day the emperor asked for Aeinshia's presence. After eating her hand made cake, the emperor was seen lying down dead. Someone framed her. But who? She is the one who made the cake. No matter how she tried to explain, all evidences pointed at her and at this point, no one want to bet on her and take a stance, ultimately turning their backs to her. Unless the person who poisoned came and claimes that it was him, Till then Aeinshia is the real cluprit in the eyes of the subjects and imperial family.
All evidences pointed at her. Her father and brother tried to cover up her by tampering the evidences but caught red-handedly. As they tried to cover up for the murderer who murdered previous emperor the whole family was ordered for execution.
She understood how much her father actually loved her. Her father sworn loyalty to the emperor, his best friend. Yet, at last moment of his life he decided to choose his daughter forgetting all his vows and promises. Even at the brink of the death her father begged mercy for his daughter at the stake of all Rutz achievements and aiding the imperial family along all these days. But none of them listened to him.
Both her father and brother were executed in front of her eyes. Losing the most loved ones Aeinshia was broken down. Losing her family made her loose all the hope to live and she began to count her days of living.