"Father! No! I cannot allow this! Father!!" The princess in her ragged and tattered, once marvelous golden yellow dress, wails. "FATHER! FATHER!! No! Please, not my children. Please, I beg of you."
"Father, what is happening?" A young little lady tagged onto her father's clothes, "Why is mother crying so badly? Father?" Asked the lass with her golden amber eyes shedding tears, as she saw her mother in such a state.
"My child, why are you here? Cirillo, take your sister back with you, this is not a place the two of you should be." The man who's said to be the father of the children spoke.
"But father..." Cirillo hesitated. He glanced at his mother. His eyes showed her grief and anger.
"My son..." The words that came out from their mother's lips were not too loud enough for them to hear.
"Let's go, Csilla." Cirillo frowned as soon as he turned his back at his mother, then without any more say, Csilla trailed behind her brother. She was weeping.
"No! NO!! DON'T LEAVE ME, MY CHILDREN!" The mother of the children cried. " Conan. Duke... Conan, my love—"
"Don't... call me with your half-hearted endearments, Didianne. You brought shame not only to me, but also to our children, and so is to your father, the King." Duke Arvendon told Didianne in a monotone voice.
"No, no... Oh no, what have I done?" She grasped her face with both of her hands as she wept. "What have I done... so wrong.... that you do this to me?"
" 'What have I done so wrong'... you ask? What have you done so wrong? You daaaare to feign ignorance in front of me?!?! The King?! You! You ungrateful woman!" The mighty King yelled on top of his lungs as he looks down upon the princess in a tattered dress, from his throne that is made out of gold. "You shameless woman!! Having an affair! And worst is with whom?! With whom?! That bastard prince of the Erbach's??!!"
King Charles's veins in his neck ridging due to his furiousness. "You fool! Ignorant fool!"
The King let out a frustrated sigh. His face was beet red. "GUARDS! CAST HER OUT OF THE PALACE!"
"Father! My King, you cannot do this to me!" The princess begged as the knight in shining silver-plated armor swept her up. "Let go of me! Argh—"
"Behave yourself, Your Highness, the Duchess. We do not wish you any harm." The knight with blue eyes said.
The princess's eyebrows furrowed and as she turned her gaze upon her father, it softened. "Please, father..." She mumbled.
"HEED ME, EVERYONE! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY PEOPLE HERE RIGHT NOW SHALL BE MY WITNESS AS I STRIP OF MY DAUGHTER'S TITLE AS A PRINCESS, AND AS THE DUCHESS OF ARVENDOR, DIDIANNE MAY SIGFRIDR, THE FIRST PRINCESS, SECOND BORN, FROM HERE ON... YOU SHALL BE BANISHED AND EXILED FROM THIS KINGDOM." His almighty King Charles Sigfridr ended.
"My King, but she's the mother of my children." The worried Duke Arvendon interrupted.
"I am aware, Conan... after all, your children are my grandchildren. I assure you that their reputation will not be tarnished. Everyone who dares to insult the Royal Family shall be beheaded."
King Charles assured the Duke. Duke Conan Bray Arvendor frowned. The thought that the reputation of his children puts him at ease. However, the fact that his precious daughter and son to grow up without love from their mother worries him. His heart throbs whenever he takes a glance at his wife. Or moreover, his soon-to-be ex-wife, for she will be soon banished from the High Kingdom of Sigfridr.
"GET HER OUT OF HERE, NOW!" Ordered the king, yelling in rage.
"N-no... NO! FATHER! YOU CAN'T! PLEASE, DON'T DO THIS FATHER! Please—" Before the princess even finishes her sentence, she was dragged out of the King's throne hall.
"My King..." Mumbled Duke Arvendon.
"She has brought this upon herself, Conan. She has to pay for her sin." King Charles glanced at Duke Arvendon. Sorrow in both of their eyes was shown as they stared at each other. "I apologize on my daughter's behalf… I have never seen this coming." He sighed.
"She has always… obeyed me, my orders. Didianne, had never once disobeyed me. I… How could she do this? Especially to you, Conan. I'm so ashamed… how could I beg for your forgiveness?" The dejected king said with a frown on his face.
"My King… you do not have to ask for forgiveness to me. The one that should be apologizing is Didianne. It's just that she refused so." He joked.
A peal of half-hearted laughter came out of his mouth. A laugh that seemed more of like a cry that is in disguise. His smiling eye with a tear peeking from its corner.
'Conan… This son-in-law of mine… Haaah… You loved my daughter dearly, and so did she. So, when found out the feelings the both of you harbors for each other, I immediately arranged your marriage. Just as the both of you wanted. But who would have thought that… Didianne would do such a thing?' King Charles buried his face into his calloused palm.
SNIFFLES SNIFFLES SNIFFLES
"Are you really not going to stop crying?" Cirillo asked almost in an irritating manner as he scratched his nose. hard "Hey, don't you know that you are crying way too loud here in the hallway? You are dragging the knight's attention if you have not yet noticed." He remarked.
"Stop crying now, Csilla." Audemar comforted as he rubs Andraste's back. "Csillaaaa… Stop crying. Everything will be alright." He continuously rubbed his younger sister's back as he reached for the doorknob.
"Come on in Csilla. You don't want the knights to see your ugly face when you're crying, don't you?" He teased.
Csilla nudged her brother's arm. "I am not ugly! And I am not crying! My eyes are just sweating..." She muttered at the end of her sentence before walking inside the room. Csilla looked around the room. The floral wallpaper of the room calmed her a little. She phased back and forth with her fidgety hands.
"Brother… sniffs… you're saying that everything will be alright… sniffs… but I know mom will never be… sniffs… be back a-again." Andraste hiccupped at the end of her sentence.
Audemar avoided Andraste's gaze. Guilty of knowing what will happen to their mother, yet not caring what befalls her. He pouted before saying;
"What has befallen mother, is just retribution for the sins she committed." Then he flicks his tongue. Acting a bit childish, who's only natural for a boy at the age of seven.
Andraste sniffled before looking at his brother and asked. "Why is that, you look so composed and unaffected by what is happening, brother?"
"Why is it, you asked?" Audemar glanced at his younger sister, then he looks up at the ceiling. He sighed. "I, myself, do not know either, Csilla. But perhaps it is because I think it is only rightful for the one who sinned to have their punishments."
SOBS…
"Huh? EEEEHHHH?!?!?!" The flustered Audemar shrieked. "W-w-wait… I uh— Wh-why? Wh-Wha-what… What happened? Why are you crying so suddenly again?!?!" His mouth gaped. Still flustered.
"B-because… UUUWAAAAAH!! HAAAAH! HAAAAAH!…" Andraste cried even louder.
"H-HEY!!! D-don't cry like that!? If someone hears us from the outside of the room, they might think I made you cry! Ahhhh p-please stooooop…" His voice wavered.
"Heeey, stop already… Csillaaaaa." Tears starting to pour from the boy's eyes because of nervousness.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"I'm coming inside." The person who knocked declared, as the knob turn.
'That voice!' Audemar thought to himself. 'Noooo!! I have to stop Csilla from crying too loud!'
"What… happened here?" The man who just entered asked. The shock was evident in his voice. He frowned. "Audemar Cirillo Sigfridr Arvendor?"
'Ah… This is all a misunderstanding!!' Audemar internally screamed. "No, Father!! It's not like—"
"What have you done to your sister this time?" Duke Arvendor crossed his arms.
"EEEEEEEKKKKK!!" Audemar squealed. "I swear! I didn't bully her this time!!!!"