Ellena swung her sword at Karl, but he effortlessly blocked her attacks. She was more focused on attacking, continuously swerving her sword and targeting different areas, but she struggled with blocking. On the other hand, the fifth prince was a skilled warrior who excelled in both offense and defense. It was clear that the prince was going to win as they battled back and forth.
The prince was relentless, not giving Ellena a moment to catch her breath. She was panting heavily, her once smooth hair now slightly disheveled, yet she refused to give up.
Once again, the prince swung his sword, and Ellena was knocked down to the ground. She tried to get back up, but the prince held the tip of his sword against her neck.
"You've lost!" he smirked. "Now you'll have to marry me, won't you?"
Ellena brushed her hair away from her face and glared at him with anger. "That will happen over my dead body, Karl."
"Let's have one more round," she gasped.
"No, it's obvious I'll still win. Don't forget, I'm a prince," he remarked, and Ellena rolled her eyes. She couldn't let him win. She had to do something. She attempted to stand up, but he kept the sword in her sight.
As if the world was on her side, Ellena found herself suddenly kicking the sword out of the prince's grasp. She fiercely attacked him, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. She picked up her sword and pressed it against his throat. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
"See?" she tousled her hair with her left hand and looked down at him with a triumphant smirk. "You've lost now," she declared proudly.
The prince tried to rise, but it seemed as if his body was glued to the ground. Ellena sheathed her sword and confidently walked away, wearing a smile as the crowd celebrated her victory over a prince.
Something didn't feel right. Everyone knew that Ellena wouldn't be able to break through the prince's defense. How did she suddenly manage to kick the sword out of his grasp and win? I turned my head towards the direction she had walked and caught a glimpse of a familiar maid disappearing into the crowd.
I squinted my eyes, trying to make sense of it. Wasn't that the same maid from my wedding night? I tried to recall more, but my head throbbed, making it difficult to remember.
"My lady, the fight is over," Lisa's voice brought me back to reality.
"Let's go then," I replied, and she led the way to our chamber.
****
Regan stood before the door of a familiar room, a place he despised— the room where the people who detested him the most resided. He took a deep breath and pulled back the curtains before entering.
"Mother," he called out as his eyes met the woman seated at the far end of the room. Her face registered shock upon seeing him, and the smile on her lips vanished.
"Don't call me that, Regan!" she snapped, a mixture of fear and hatred etching itself onto her frowning face.
Regan averted his gaze, a sad chuckle escaping his lips. What had he expected, after all?
"Moth..."
"Don't call me that... I'm not your mother!" she angrily yelled. "Who let you in? I thought I made it clear the last time. I don't want to see your face ever again! Don't you understand?"
"I do. I heard you weren't feeling well and wanted to check if you're okay," Regan replied.
"Mother is fine, now you can leave," the third brother spoke up, his face twisting into a sly smirk as he glanced up at Regan with eyes filled with hatred.
Their eyes locked, and a mutual glare ensued. Ivan was his blood brother, yet he harbored the most intense hatred for him. He was the cruelest of them all, he tormented him the most during their childhood. Regan's eyes narrowed, feeling an overwhelming urge to snap Ivan's neck, but their mother interrupted them as her wine glass struck the table.
"Enough! Now get out," she yelled, her finger pointing sharply towards the door. "Leave."
Regan's jaw clenched tightly, almost ticking with anger. He was seething. Slowly, he turned around and left the room.
He walked through the hallway that led to their chamber, feeling someone following him. He stopped and looked around.
"What?" he asked, and a shadow emerged from the darkness, standing in front of him. It was Darius, the commander of his men.
"Your highness," he bowed deeply.
"Why are you following me?"
"I'm sorry, your highness," he bowed again. Regan noticed something strange about Darius. He always seemed to trail him whenever he was angry and wanted to do something bad to calm down. Then, out of nowhere, Darius would appear just to interrupt him. Regan feared that one day he would make him a scapegoat, causing his men to fear and hate him.
"Apology accepted, now stop following me," he warned and walked away.
He entered his chamber. He hadn't seen her since she woke up, and he wondered where she might have been. He took off his shirt and sat on the chair, closing his eyes and sinking into deep thought. He had thought that getting married would soften his mother's hatred, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Everything remained the same. Nothing would ever change his mother's hatred for him. His eyes slowly opened when he sensed her presence. She wasn't in the room, but she was nearby.
Lisa showed me to my chamber and left. I let out a tired sigh as I opened the door. I was utterly exhausted and in desperate need of a good night's sleep before dinner.
As I stepped inside, my eyes fell upon a familiar figure sitting in the room. My body trembled, and I couldn't help but gasp in fear. I quickly shut the door and stumbled away, my legs shaking uncontrollably. I was terrified of him, and just the thought of him made my stomach churn with fear. I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to escape from him as quickly as possible, before anything else happened.
"Nora!" I heard his voice call out my name, followed by the forceful closing of the door and approaching footsteps. He was coming after me. I hurriedly ran towards a corner and found a small, empty room. I rushed inside, locked the door, and finally let out a sigh of relief. I thought I had managed to get away, but then I heard a loud bang on the door, and my blood turned cold.
He had caught me, and now I dreaded what he might do to me. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard another bang on the door.
"Nora, open the door..."