Annelise instinctively dropped to the floor, ready to beg for forgiveness, but Princess Eleanor halted her by delivering a sharp kick to her shin. Then, she gestured to her personal maid, Hanne, who swiftly restrained Annelise, gripping her arms tightly behind her back.
"Don't even think about begging for mercy; it will not sway me," Princess Eleanor declared, resuming her seat.
"Your Highness, I have diligently kept watch over Princess Elisa. She managed to escape during the time when I had returned briefly to my quarters. As you are aware, Your Highness, I must be in my quarters when other servants are present to avoid arousing suspicion," Annelise hastily fabricated her excuses.
Both Annelise and Hanne knew that the truth was Annelise had never spent her nights in the dungeon. She deemed it unnecessary to sacrifice her own sleep to monitor the youngest princess, believing that Elisa had no means of escape on her own.
Suddenly struck by an idea, Annelise exclaimed, "Someone must have aided her! It must be Lady Runa. She has been relentless in her search for Princess Elisa. I suspect she discovered the dungeon and released her."
"That despicable woman?" Princess Eleanor mused, tasting the possibility on her tongue.
"Yes!" Annelise's excitement grew as she continued, "Lady Runa has been frequenting Princess Elisa's chamber at night, Your Highness. I am convinced she is the one responsible for the escape."
"Hmm..." Princess Eleanor leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the candlestick resting upon the table. She ran her fingertips along the brass, as if searching for traces of truth.
Noticing Annelise's focus on the candlestick, Princess Eleanor remarked, "I found this near the water fountain."
"It must belong to Lady Runa, Your Highness. There were no missing candlesticks from Princess Elisa's chamber, I am certain," Annelise affirmed.
"If you had been more cautious, that silver fox would never have had the chance. Your recklessness cannot go unpunished," Princess Eleanor declared with an air of finality.
Reality dawned on Annelise. For a fleeting moment, she had entertained the hope of escaping punishment if Lady Runa were proven to be behind Princess Elisa's escape.
"Your Highness, I swear to exercise greater caution in the future. I humbly request another opportunity to serve you and prove my unwavering loyalty," Annelise implored, knowing the dangers of serving under Princess Eleanor.
However, she had no choice but to continue serving, for Princess Eleanor would not allow her to live should she cease to be of service.
Princess Eleanor hurled the candlestick at Annelise, striking her in the face. As Annelise struggled to rise, Eleanor forcefully pushed her head down, commanding, "Pick it up!"
With trembling fingers, Annelise crawled to retrieve the fallen candlestick. Seizing the opportunity, Princess Eleanor crouched down and yanked on Annelise's hair, asserting her dominance.
"You're making this unnecessarily complicated for me," she hissed through gritted teeth.
In a fit of rage, Princess Eleanor flung Annelise's hair aside and delivered a forceful kick to her abdomen. This cruel action seemed to unleash a surge of further negative emotions within Eleanor. Relentlessly, she continued to rain down kicks upon Annelise, ceasing only when exhaustion overcame her, leaving her breathless and fatigued.
Princess Eleanor let out a deep, weary sigh and massaged her temple. "I blame myself for entrusting such a simple task to a fool like you. Commoners always possess empty minds, don't they? Is betrayal an inherent skill among your kind?"
Wincing in pain, Annelise struggled to rise. "Your Highness, I would never betray you," she managed to utter, her voice laced with determination, despite her physical discomfort.
"Oh, really? Will you still work for me? Will you swear your service to me?" Princess Eleanor asked nonchalantly.
From the outside, the oldest princess looked demure, but her eyes held cunningness and cruelty that Annelise had never spotted in anyone else before.
"Yes, Your Highness. I swear my allegiance to you," Annelise declared.
"Let us test the truth of your words," Princess Eleanor declared, signaling Hanne to summon a male servant. Hastily, the servant encased Annelise within a coarse potato sack, dragging her away to an undisclosed location.
Annelise fought against the constraints of the sack, but Princess Eleanor whispered a chilling warning, "If you persist in your struggles, do not blame me if I cast you into the lake. No one will ever discover your remains there."
Silenced by fear, Annelise endured the brief journey in tense silence. When finally released from the suffocating sack, she found herself within the depths of the dungeon.
"Your Highness, I beg of you..." she implored, her voice trembling.
Numerous harrowing scenarios raced through her mind. She could be confined to this very dungeon, mirroring the fate of Princess Elisa. Alternatively, she might be subjected to unspeakable torment, enduring excruciating suffering until she begged for death.
She had secretly hoped for the former, but her worst fears materialized as the male servant deposited her into a chair, firmly securing her in place. Nearby, a table lay adorned with menacingly sharp instruments. Annelise shuddered in dread.
"Your Highness, I beseech you, show me mercy. Please, Your Highness..." she pleaded, her voice laden with desperation.
Princess Eleanor delicately removed her gloves and caressed Annelise's face with a chillingly calm demeanor. "Hush now, remain silent. You promised your loyalty to me, and I require undeniable proof."
"Your Highness, please..." Annelise began, her voice trembling with fear.
"You do not need both of your eyes, do you?" Princess Eleanor sneered, brandishing a sharp object as she advanced toward Annelise. With each step, she inched closer to Annelise's right eye, while Annelise's desperate screams echoed through the chamber, escaping from the depths of her lungs.
***
During Yohana's daring mission to save Princess Elisa from the depths of the dungeon, she couldn't fully observe her surroundings due to the pervasive darkness and the urgency of the situation.
As she retraced her memories now, a particular door caught her attention near Princess Elisa's cell, sparking her curiosity.
What could possibly lie behind it? Were the animals that Princess Eleanor mentioned hidden there? Or perhaps the source of the haunting screams she had heard earlier? There were also faint gasps, indicating someone's presence and fear.
Contemplating her next move, Yohana realized that the door was likely secured with a unique and challenging lock that would be difficult to pick. Forcing it open, as she had done with Princess Elisa's cell, would undoubtedly leave behind evidence of her presence. She needed another approach.
Her only option now was to gather information from Princess Elisa herself. Having been confined in that cell for days, Princess Elisa must have witnessed or heard something crucial.
Yohana sent Thea to invite Princess Elisa for a walk in the park. The two met in front of the grand water fountain, and as Princess Elisa's gaze fell upon the rock Yohana had used to free her, her eyes widened in astonishment, probably recognizing it.
As they strolled leisurely, basking in the refreshing air filled with delicate floral scents, Yohana initiated a conversation, addressing Princess Elisa, "How are you, Princess?"
Princess Elisa's response came with a hint of resilience, "Better than last time."
It seemed that her demeanor had grown stronger compared to their previous encounter. Yohana suspected that her mother and sisters' overpowering presence had severely subdued Elisa's innate courage.
Taking a moment to ponder, Yohana carefully inquired, "Does that happen frequently?"
Elisa sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes, her fingers tightly intertwined. "More often than I'd prefer. Eleanor tends to be overwhelmed by stress, and she resorts to certain actions to alleviate it; otherwise, she'd be on the verge of explosion."
Feeling a pang of empathy, Yohana quickly interjected, her gaze lowered, "Please forgive me, Princess. I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories."
"Lady Runa, please, call me by my name. I am considerably younger than you, and we are destined to be family soon. Let us make an effort to establish comfort and ease with one another," Princess Elisa suggested, her tone warm and inviting.
Observing Princess Elisa, who appeared to be around the age of twelve or possibly thirteen, Yohana noticed her childlike facial features with chubby cheeks, innocent eyes, and a button-like nose. Similar to Queen Emma, Princess Elisa's face was freckled, particularly in the middle region, which would blush when exposed to sunlight for an extended period.
Fully aware of Princess Elisa's tender age and the unjust treatment she received from her own sister, Yohana felt a surge of anger bubbling within her.
However, she quickly composed herself, recognizing the futility of acting impulsively without a well-thought-out strategy. With clenched fists, she suppressed her righteous indignation, knowing that a rash action would not yield any fruitful results.
If the time for decisive action came, Yohana resolved that she would strike with precision and force, ensuring that Princess Eleanor would never torment the third princess again, even long after Yohana's departure from the royal palace.
"Very well, Elisa. Actually, there is something I would like to confirm with you. In the darkness, I may have been mistaken, but I believe I saw a door in the cellar—" Yohana began, but Princess Elisa interrupted her abruptly, her breathing uneven. She impulsively grasped Yohana's hands tightly, as if fearing she would vanish if she released her grip.
"Please, don't!" Elisa pleaded urgently, her voice quivering. She turned pale, her emotions clearly in turmoil.
Confused and concerned, Yohana gently questioned, "Elisa...?"