"Father..." Aries called under her breath as tears rolled down her cheek, watching her father get dragged into the scaffolds. Her breathing was suspended as the other man positioned her father to be beheaded. The voice that was stating the crimes of her beloved father sounded distant, as her mind was barely functioning.
"Thus, with the atrocious crimes he committed, he shall be beheaded."
Those words sounded like a gong drumming right in front of her ears. The next second, the large-angle blade of the guillotine dropped, and her father's head entered the bucket while his blood pooled on the wooden planks. All she could do was stare blankly as they dragged the headless body of her father like nothing while dragging her brother to do the same to him.
"Stop..." she whispered as her brother looked up, locking eyes with her. The latter sported a weak smile, breaking her heart into smithereens.
As her brother faced the same fate as their father, Aries could only ask one thing: how did Rikhill come face to face with such a nightmare? Their country had been living in peace and prosperity with a wise and kind king like her father. With a harmonious royal family that was closed to their subjects, how did it all come to such a tragic end?
The king and the rest of the royal family were deemed traitors. Those who fought alongside her brothers were disgraced. And all she could do was watch everyone she held dear to share the same fate. One after another, the blood of the royal family stained the floor as their heads left their shoulders in a blink of an eye.
"What a sight to behold." A voice from beside her caressed her ears, bringing Aries back to her senses. She slowly turned her head to the side and her eyes instantly landed on a man.
He had this playful smirk on his dashing face. His silver eyes were full of contempt while he stared at her in delight.
"I specifically told my people to use the sharpest blade so their death will be painless and quick. Aren't I generous? A blunt blade will take three tries until their heads fall over," he gloated, extending his arms towards her to wipe the tears on her cheek. "You should thank me, Princess. Instead of a blunt blade, I am being merciful since I don't want you to cry so much."
Merciful? Generous? Aries laughed in ridicule. Sure, he was merciful for not using a blunt blade that would make her family suffer even more.
"Disgusting," she remarked through her gritted teeth, balling her hand into a fist. "You disgust me."
The man smirked, unfazed by the remarks she uttered. "This is why the Rikhill had fallen. You think so highly of yourselves." In a blink, he grasped her wrist as he stood from his seat on the podium, where they were watching the execution.
"What are you --" her breath hitched as the man, the crown prince of the Maganti Empire pulled her up without restraint. Aries winced in pain as she felt her arm joints loosen.
"What am I doing?" he raised a brow and smirked evilly. "You will find out soon, Princess."
As soon as those words tickled her ears, a sense of dread crept up her spine as he dragged her with him. Aries tried to fight, but when the crown prince had enough of her resistance, a punch landed in her gut. In the end, Aries could only gasp for air as he carried her in his arms.
That day, not only Aries have to endure the agony of watching her family die right in front of her. But the crown prince had violated her to his heart's content. And that was only the beginning of an endless nightmare that haunted her even after escaping that devil's den.
*
Aries gasped for air as she snapped her eyes open. She was sweating buckets as her hands and feet were cold as ice. That nightmare again, she thought. Assisting herself to sit upright, running her fingers through her emerald locks. She gritted her teeth as her heart calmed down, seeing the familiar room in the Haimirich Empire she was staying in.
'Haimirich!' she panicked as she gazed at where Abel slept; he was gone. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips.
"I'm alive," she whispered while patting her chest. "I'm alive."
Her eyes were filled with bitterness, bending her knees to hug them. Until now, Aries didn't know why she was trying so hard to live day by day. Was it out of guilt? Her way of atonement? Or the growing hatred for the man who caused her pain? To prove to him that despite the hell he gave her, she would survive everything? Maybe all the above?
She went through hell for the past two years with that wicked man who treated her as an object he could violate, harm, and toy with. So her determination to survive Haimirich, even if she had to act like a clown to keep Abel entertained, was stronger. She had lived this long — two years was no joke.
"I can't die here just like that," she whispered, hugging her trembling knees to calm herself down. She looked at the door when she heard a knock, hearing a female servant's voice telling her she brought her water to wash her face. Aries didn't respond immediately as she took deep breaths.
While keeping her silence, she turned her head towards the window. "Abel... as long as that man is happy, I will live in peace. All I need to do is to make him forget about me once he found a new pastime." She nodded, eyes burning with determination.
In her mind, she had to carefully make her exit once Abel had enough of her so he wouldn't kill her. And for that, she needed to maintain a good relationship with Abel as much as possible to receive his mercy once the time comes.
'You can do it, Aries,' she cheered herself, holding her fist up. "Keep him entertained."