The blooming of bright red flowers greatly added to the all-white decor. Tora felt her heart rate increase as she stared in awe at the bride and groom placed on the elevated platform.
It was a spectacle to behold.
The chimes of the musical bells ranged by children signified the end of the vows.
The red amongst the white is very beautiful, lamented Tora as she gently caressed the rough petals.
She couldn't quite describe the clenching in her heart as she watched everyone indulge in the joyful occasion.
The constant streams of people saying their congratulations were endless. Freya found herself unable to stop grinning.
Everything was perfect except for the 'thing' that was tainting their home. Her mind kept on recalling 'it' even during the happiest time of her life.
"Th—the effects of the drugs were a lot more potent than expected. Please, spare my life! Your Highness Freya will never bear a child!"
Freya's heart ached beyond compare. It clenched and twisted, she felt breathless.
"Mer—mercy! Please, I beg of you! Please, spare this lowly doctor, Your Highness!" His head continued to bang as he pleaded for his life.
The sound of steel meeting flesh echoed in the ears of those present. The breathtaking white outfits became stained with red.
"Does it matter if you can or cannot carry a child? Besides, we have that thing locked up in the basement." Ethan flung the blood that stuck to his sword. His voice was tainted with hatred as his mind wandered towards a certain Omega.
"I can't have people knowing, otherwise my position as the new ruler will be taken..." Freya wrapped her arms around the love of her life. Her body quivered against his, asking desperately for some comfort.
Ethan lovingly caressed the pale cheeks. Their lips met passionately, only breaking away for a moment.
"What shall we do about this issue, Love? They will question you if we can't produce an heir." His lips tickled her cheeks, leaving a heated trail as he grazed it.
"Just once! That's all I'll allow! Once the baby is here, send her to the 'others'"
"So wicked...how lovely."
Yes, wicked indeed...
Tora took a sip from her drink to hide her grin. The eyes of many were currently watching her. Their eyes barely hid their amusement at this awful situation.
The bride and groom were guided to the center of the dance floor. It was customary for them to have a final dance before they were off greeting guests.
The insufferable atmosphere around the bride and groom was starting to annoy Tora.
She placed her drink on the table and walked towards the two clowns in white.
The music stopped momentarily but continued once they saw her gesture towards them. The song's slow pace gradually picked up, the tempo increasing at every step Tora took.
"Pardon my intrusion, as I'd like to be first when it comes to congratulations."
Freya's pale lips twitched, a frown quickly decorating her face as she blocked Tora from greeting Ethan.
"We're legally married now. This man is mine, so whatever words you have to say, keep them to yourself!"
Are all protagonists idiots? What the fuck logic is this bullshit? Why would I want that piece of shit?
Tora's eyes glowed as she gripped her wrist. With a bit of strength, Tora yanked Freya close enough to whisper the words of the devil.
"I planned your wedding with a lot of care. Don't waste my last gift, you dumb fucking bitch."
It was amusing to watch as Freya's eyes widened in shock. Tora pushed her into Ethan and quickly wiped her hands in disgust.
"May your happiness be everlasting." With a soft bow, Tora left the venue.
She gave one final look at the ostentatious peacocks, I'll make sure to dye your whites with red, the same way you did with the red of the innocent.
.
.
.
The majority were already wasted from the joyful occasion. It had been a long while since a Royal married, let alone the only son of the Clarks. The giggles and loud chatter filled Tora's ears as she watched from the second floor.
"You look very good in this Royal Purple suit as well." Warm hands gently brushed her loose hair aside. "Should I wear a dress to match?"
The slight smile on her face fell instantly at the insane suggestion. Her happy mood disappeared in the blink of an eye as she stared incredulously at the person leaning lazily on the rails beside her.
"Sure."
"Not even the slightest reaction, huh? I dare say that I'm beautiful even in a dress."
"Since you're here, everything must be ready." Tora could see his lips pout at her changing of the topic.
"After this song, the trial will begin immediately." he took something out of his pocket and twirled it around. "By the way, I found something interesting."
A circular piece, made from bendable metal imitations, spun around in front of her. She reached out to grab it, only for Liam to quickly pull away.
"Careful now, this has your blood on it." Liam watched as Tora's face scrunched in disgust. He noticed her eyebrows twitching and the frown on her lips. "So you know what this is?"
"Where did you find it?"
"The Clarks. They seem to have prepared it since the incident on the field."
Fucking pieces of shit! She was angry. Her head fumed as the heat of anger tightened around her chest.
She felt it familiar but didn't think much of that collar until Liam said her blood was on it. To think that he would try to bind me in such a way!
"Easy now. You're going to bite a hole in your lips." He patted her head softly to soothe her anger. It was the first time Liam had ever seen her seething and he couldn't help but feel slightly startled.
Tora glared at the collar, wanting to shove it down Ethan's throat that instant.
The Binding Collar. As stated in the novel, it was an illegal item that one used to bind someone to. As long as you have their blood in it, the collar would only latch on to that of the blood owner.
It was made with an imitation of metal that was able to bend, shrink, or expand according to the wearer's throat size. It was something easy to break off, but you could never take it off unless someone helped you.
This was because of one important property, aphrodisiac. It constantly injects the wearer with tiny amounts of aphrodisiac drugs to keep them from functioning normally. This was great for those who wanted a 'pet' by their side.
Those fucking scums!
"Change of plans, death is too easy of an ending." Although she seethed with anger, she tried to regain her composure and glanced at the prancing peacocks on the dance floor. "If it's pleasure that they want, I'll grant it to them."
"..." Liam stared in silence, unsure of what to say at the trembling body of the woman next to him.
"I'll show them how 'merciful' I am, to grant them a fantasy they truly wished for."
The image of those she stared at began to blur and then came complete darkness.
"Don't look at them if you don't want to." She felt his breath tickling her ear. His voice was soft and no longer had that playful tone. "I'll be your eyes and ears from now on, so don't look at unworthy things."
For the first time since she woke up in this world, Tora cried into the warm palms that covered her eyes. She heard something breaking and clashing against the floor before a warm and strong arm wrapped around her.
The heat against her shoulders and back attempted to comfort her as her lips quivered and occasional squeaks escaped her lips. She could barely hold in her cries.
It was the same, whether it was this world or the last one, I gave them a choice and it still led to this. Why is the world pushing so hard for the 'me' in this body towards a horrific ending? Even when I tried to keep away from your beloved protagonists, you're still trying to force my ending!?
Why have you been so quiet, Asier?
I hate you. Why did you drag me into this?
"It's time for damnation."
.
.
.
The sounds of heavy footsteps startled everyone to sobriety. It was so loud that it deafened every other noise.
"Let the trial commence!" The loud announcement from the right-hand man of General Moores caused a stir of uneasiness in everyone's heart.
The crest of the Hills, the Moores, the Carsons, and the Williams brightly decorated the armed men that stormed into the room. Every entrance was blocked and soon, the nobles and associates found themselves separated.
"What's the meaning of this, Duke Carson!?" The Emperor shouted.
The sight of Liam cradling his granddaughter infuriated Robert, but what infuriated him more was the sight of his granddaughter's tears. His lips twitched, his eyebrows furrowed, casting a shadow over his face. The stoic expression scared everyone.
"As Sir Jason stated, the trial will begin now." Duke Carson's infamous evil grin stretched across his lips. His eyes curled upward, forming a crescent moon shape. "Since the wedding has come to an end, we will proceed as scheduled with the trial for the incident that led to the death of many participants. Do make yourself comfortable."
Everybody watched in anticipation through the livestream. They felt something life-changing was about to happen, the complete opposite of those who stood at the dance hall.
"Why was I not informed that it would be conducted in this way!?" The Emperor was enraged. He felt like he was being made a fool by those who stood on the steps.
"But you did, Your Majesty. You even personally stamped your approval on the request." Duke Carson shook the piece of paper around without a shred of politeness.
I knew...but this person is still impressive... thought Robert as he glanced at Duke Carson.
Robert approached The Duke and the Williams per his granddaughter's request. He had only two encounters with the two houses in his entire lifetime and to his surprise, they were a lot more eager to join his side than he had originally thought.
I suppose that they've also grown sick and tired of having little to no progress. Robert knew best of how advanced their technology was, yet the fact that they've continuously failed at recapturing the world was enough to be suspicious of.
As he glanced at Hallie, his annoyance kept growing. How dare he stick so close to her!?
The air thickened as his anger deepened. The noble factions couldn't help but shutter. They felt as though a noose had wrapped around their necks, ready to hang them at any moment.
"Now then, the court shall commence as planned. I implore you to keep silent until further notice." Clearing his throat, Duke Carson took note of the General's worsened mood and promised not to further agitate the man. Although he was a Beta, even he felt a chill in the stifling atmosphere.
"We have decided that...everyone here..." His lips curled as he covered his face with the piece of paper. His eyes twinkled as he choked on the laughter that nearly escaped his lips. "Deserves death. All done! The court is adjourned!"
Audible gasps could be heard from all over. Everyone was at a loss for words, bewilderment adorned their faces. "What kind of absurdness is this!? How dare you make a mockery of us all with this blatant child play of a trial!"
The Emperor had enough of this nonsense. The authority he tried to display as an Alpha was quickly thwarted by the immense pressure displayed the moment they sensed hostility from him.
The glow in the soldier's eyes scared those who tried to rally behind the Royals. A loud chuckle could be heard on the second floor, breaking the tense atmosphere in an instant.
"It seems our kindness of allowing these criminals to die with dignity is unwanted." Her red-rimmed eyes scanned the crowd as she walked along the rails. "Killian Lee, your crime of joining hands with those barbaric lizards shall condemn you to death."
Tora watched as Emperor Killian Lee fell silent from the shock. His inferiority had led him to establish secret relations with the head of the invader's colony.
"My glory in exchange for my people, was it? The exact phrase you used when you made the deal that led countless youngsters to their deaths." Tora's mocking words were like revelations to the heartbroken parents of the participants of the 118th regimen. "If you wanted to commit treason, you should have been smart about it. The body suits that my family created, became the downfall that ended up killing you."
She gestured for the execution sword, flinging it around to test its weight before pointing it toward the Emperor. "Your title as Emperor shall be stripped from this moment forward." Her grin was menacing.
"Can you bear the consequences of your ridiculous actions!? Do you dare to act this way even though you are nothing but dirt under my polished feet!?" Killian attempted to make himself seem higher and bigger than anyone there, causing multiple chuckles to be heard in response.
"Dirt under your feet...?" Tora mumbled softly and then broke into a fit of laughter. Her eyes watered as she clutched her stomach. "I dare."
Her eyes glistened with tears as they looked down upon the Emperor. "As a gift for making me laugh..." She waved around the sword once more before saying, "Give me your life and everyone else will be spared from death."
All eyes fell on the Emperor. The look on the Empress's face showed a bewildered expression that slowly turned into expectations. Everybody was now asking the almighty ruler to die.
"H—how dare all of you!"
There was no need for Tora to dirty her own hands. She glanced at Freya who had paled from fright earlier, slowly regained color, and showed a new determination. Her eyes focused on the back of her father's, hands opening and closing as she tried to figure something out.
Perhaps...the quickest way to kill? Tora watched in great amusement. She swung the sword and "accidentally" had it slip out of her hands. The sword was flung and crashed onto the floor near the pair of lovers. The impact from the crash had broken it in half, leaving the sword battered with rugged edges.
The Emperor saw this as an opportunity and pounced forward to grab hold of it, however, his arm was caught in something. The pale and shaky arms clung tightly to her husband's as she kept him from moving. Her eyes watered as she stared at him with sorrow.
"For our sake, please die, Father." A jagged sword plunged deep into his heart before he could even react.
"Yo—you! Ugh..." The groans of pain echoed in the silence. With a harsh kick, the Emperor was thrown aside and lay there bleeding to death. Colonel Jack quickly disarmed Freya right after he kicked the Emperor aside.
"Seriously, people." Duke Carson comments and pinches his nose bridge to exaggerate his annoyed tone. "We have yet to state the full proposition. Aren't we all a little too eager?" Although he acted as such, the hint of amusement couldn't be hidden.
"What are you saying!? As per our agreement earlier, my father's death was for our freedom. Please act accordingly!" Freya yelled in frustration.
She felt like everything was no longer under her control.
The world that Freya had in the palm of her hands was now too big for her to grasp.
"Your freedom?" The snickering that they heard caused their face to heat up from embarrassment. "Let me repeat it."
Freya cringed in fear when Tora took a step forward. Her body trembled uncontrollably at the intimidation she felt when Tora glanced down at her.
"The Emperor's life for yours. Spared from death was the exchanged here." Tora glanced at Ethan, who simply stood still, watching with great interest.
Hmm, what's this?
His reactions weren't what Tora expected. Tora squinted her eyes, watching him intently, trying to figure out his thoughts.
He must think that he's simply a spectator and nothing else.
"The Royals, The Clarks, The Kettlers, The Windsors, The Bourbons, The Hastings, and accomplices that will be named in the release documents, have been found guilty of colluding with the enemies and human trafficking of our people for their gains."
The color drained from Ethan's face in an instant. His eyes darted towards Hallie in a confused look. His lips parted, almost saying something before Duke Carson continued.
"As promised, they will be spared from the death penalty due to the magnanimous self-sacrifice of His Highness, The Emperor. They are hereby, in service of the survival of mankind, serve as companions to our enemies as per the peace treaty we signed with them."
Loud gasps were heard, followed by wailing and fainting from the people convicted.
Duke Carson showed the peace treaty to the live viewers with a wide grin on his face. He felt proud for managing to procure such a treaty when he and the Williams contacted the High Lords of the otherworld beings.
Tora glanced towards the Duke in amazement. The peace treaty was never actually what was planned, but a plan that they would enact later on when the criminals had already faced death. As if he read her mind, he gave her a playful wink.
Like father like son. No wonder 43 looked silly and dumb.
Flabergasted at the audacity of this middle-aged man, Tora sighed and looked away in disgust. Feeling both the male and female protagonist's eyes on her, Tora smiled gently, almost saint-like towards them.
You should've killed me when you humiliated me by making it seem like I tried to commit suicide with a head injury.
You should've killed me when we were stranded during the test.
You should've killed me before the date of the wedding.
That's right, everything that Hallie had to face in the novel was orchestrated by these two peacocks. I should have killed them earlier instead of dragging it out until now.
Tora excused herself using her injury. There's no need for me to interfere with anything anymore. I'll live the rest of my time here doing what I truly want to do.
Asier...are you still going to ignore me?
Fucker.
'Geez'
The response was so short it made her head fumed in anger. She felt a headache coming and decided to sleep for a bit.
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.
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It had been a few months since they relocated back to Earth. The Williams took on the task of dealing with the civilians since they had the most experience. Land was distributed equally to every household.
The criminals were made to wear binding collars and sent straight to the otherworld beings. That night was the last time Tora saw either of the protagonists.
Tora learned from Kierra and Ryan, who came to visit, how they procured the peace treaty. The Carsons and the Williams had approached the Clarks the night before the wedding, detaining and searching their estate.
Numerous crimes were found, including a secret lab that was testing robotic imitations of those beings and the multiple enslaved otherworld beings being held captive. They released the 'things' they were testing on the field to cause the dying rage and discord the people had for the beings to surge.
This was a ploy to manipulate the citizen's thoughts for their gains and to further expand their dying influences in the hearts of the people. Once they send a new force created under the Throne to dispatch the enemies and reclaim Earth, they would be hailed as Gods and their authority would remain absolute.
Disgusting pigs.
They learned that the Clarks were the ones who maintained contact with the High Lords of the Claymores and that was when they decided to discuss the peace treaty.
To think those lizards would call themselves Claymores is amusing. I suppose it is fitting since they have those sword-like limbs that extend from their body.
The High Lords of the Claymores were uncannily human-like. Their race is made from tiny organisms that grow and adapt to whatever shape they need to transform into. The original form was a copy of another species they coexisted with before the planet died and nearly went extinct from it.
This explains their arrival on Earth and their craze for Omegas who had the highest fertility rate and was the weakest of the three.
You should thank me, Hallie. I delivered a slut like you into a life of debauchery and pleasure out of the goodness of my heart.
You should thank me, Freya. I gave you the future you pushed on Hallie as a final act of kindness. The you, who is narcissistic and self-centered, will wish you were dead instead.