"Ana, we must go quickly," Charlotte whispered weakly as she tried to move away from Isabelle, who remained in a state of shock.
Ana nodded in agreement, and the two of them began to walk away, leaving the stunned Isabelle behind.
"Isabelle?! What are you doing?" Helen's voice quivered with panic as she rushed to check on her daughter. Her eyes followed Isabelle's line of sight and landed on the retreating figures of Ana and Charlotte. Without a second thought, she raised her voice and called for the guards.
"Guards!" Helen's cry echoed through the corridor, and the heavy, echoing footsteps of the guards quickly drew near. "Isabelle... Why didn't you call for me or the guards? They can't be allowed to escape!"
Finally, Isabelle's gaze shifted from Charlotte and Ana to her mother, a sense of urgency now etched on her features. "Mother, you're right. Charlotte can't be allowed to escape."
Isabelle knew the dire consequences of Charlotte revealing the secrets she had been guarding so closely. These secrets had the power to shatter her relationship with Anton, and she couldn't let that happen.
"Ana, you must leave," Charlotte commanded, attempting to push Ana away from her.
"My lady, I can't leave you. I need to help you," Ana insisted, determination in her eyes.
Tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes as she gripped Ana's shoulders tightly. "Ana, the guards are almost here. I can't bear to see them capture you as well."
As the guards closed in, Charlotte felt her heart race. She couldn't let Ana get caught in the crossfire. She gave Ana a pleading look and signaled for her to run, to escape while there was still a chance. But Ana's determination was unwavering.
Ana held onto Charlotte's shoulders, tears in her eyes. She nodded as if she was accepting her fate, knowing the consequences that lay ahead. "My lady, no matter what happens, I will always stay by your side."
As Ana's tearful farewell words echoed in the dimly lit corridor, they served as a poignant reminder of her unwavering loyalty. The guards, their faces etched with a sense of duty, steadily closed in to carry out their orders, and with a heavy heart, they forcibly separated Ana from Charlotte. The cold, iron grip of the guards on Ana's arms was a stark contrast to the warmth of her loyalty, and as they led her away, Charlotte couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation. She watched Ana's retreating form with a mix of gratitude for her selfless sacrifice and a fierce determination to navigate the treacherous path that lay ahead.
Amidst the looming uncertainty, the tension heightened as Helen shouted and commanded the guards. Her voice was commanding, and her eyes bore a dark, menacing intensity as she issued her chilling command, "Bring her back to the dungeon!" The sinister undertone in her voice hinted at a hidden agenda, leaving Charlotte in a state of bewilderment and dread.
Desperation washed over Charlotte as she resisted the guards' attempts to return her to the dungeon. She fought against their firm grasp, pleading for freedom, but the shackles of fate were already tightening around her. Her struggles were in vain, and she found herself bound to a chair, a symbol of her helplessness. Her hands and feet were secured with unyielding restraints, leaving her immobilized and vulnerable.
The torture materials nearby cast a shadow of fear and foreboding. Blades, restraints, and ominous devices whispered of unspeakable torment. Beside her lay a coiled rope, a grim reminder of the horrors that could be inflicted. As she gazed upon these instruments of dread, Charlotte knew that her future had taken a dark and perilous turn, and her determination to find a way out of this dire predicament burned brighter than ever.
"You badly want to see hell, don't you, Charlotte?" Helen said with a sly grin on her face as she entered the dimly lit dungeon. Despite being morning, the dungeon had no light source except the candles and one dimly lit light bulb, making it look more sinister than it already was.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow before laughing loudly at Helen's remark, "It was already 'Hell' the moment you stepped inside this palace, Helen." Charlotte taunted Helen with a satisfactory smile on her face.
*Slap*
The resounding slap reverberated through the room, a harsh and sudden interruption in the tense atmosphere. Helen's anger blazed, fueled not only by her displeasure at Charlotte's words but also by her frustration that she couldn't break Charlotte's defiance. The room seemed to hold its breath as the aftermath of the slap lingered, the silence punctuated by the seething tension that hung in the air.
Helen fixed Charlotte with a glare brimming with fury, her eyes akin to a predatory beast closing in on its prey. Her hands, now flushed crimson, bore the evidence of the fierce and unrelenting slap she had just delivered.
In the face of Helen's seething anger, Charlotte's defiance only grew stronger. She couldn't help but laugh, a defiant smirk playing on her lips. With a mocking tone, she taunted, "You really think you can bring me down to my knees? Over my dead body, Helen. I will never lie down to you."
The words hung in the air, a declaration of Charlotte's unyielding spirit in the face of her stepmother's wrath.
The door then opened, revealing Isabelle, Callisto, and a servant who was carrying a bloody bag. Charlotte squinted her eyes as she looked at the servant's bloody bag.
"Mother, I already did what you wanted me to do," Callisto said, grabbing the bloody bag from the servant and then throwing it out on the floor.
With the motion, the knot on the bag loosened, opening the entrance and making the item inside roll out onto the cold floor, leaving a trail of blood.
Charlotte screamed, her voice filled with anger, fear, and despair as she took in the sight in front of her. It was by far the most horrifying thing she had seen in all of her life...It was something that will forever haunt her in her dreams...
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To be continued...