Warning: This chapter contains both physical and psychological abuse.
The change in engagement was announced the next day by Prince Artanis. The bastard smiled with that landscape face while holding Luke's hand as if they were the most passionate couple in the world.
Of course, Luke imitated the gesture and so, soon after, was announced the new position of Aretha, as a cartographer and real researcher.
The king, queen and people did not care about the change of groom. After all, what mattered was the happiness of the prince.
However, there were two people who would surely care.
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At the end of the day, Aretha took Luke to the home gardens to tell him something very important. This ended up delaying the moment he already predicted would occur later.
The smell of roses filled his nostrils as he sat on the white bench around them.
Aretha wore a red dress today and her hair was tied in a tight bun. So, like him who wore a shirt of the same color.
"What did you want to talk about?" - Luke asked curious.
"I want to tell you something. I'm glad you can marry the prince. He's not so bad when you think." - She took his hand. " I thank you for that. That way, I can follow my journey in search of someone I'm looking for."
"Who is it?" - Her brother watched her curiously.
She was serious, looking at the horizon, as if she remembered a distant memory.
"Remember the dream I told you about? So it's this person. And she's been lost for some time. I need to find her." - Aretha avoided the subject. " You'd be good friends."
Luke looked surprised. He never saw his sister say anything with such conviction. When she told him her dream, he thought she would still fall in love, not that she already had someone in her heart. Her gaze was wild and focused. This reminded the count that the prince had called himself and Aretha wolves.
His sister leaned her head on his shoulder affectionately and they waited for the sun to go down without saying anything else. Luke would trust that she would tell everything when she was ready.
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When his sister said good night and went to his room, the young man already knew what was waiting for him in the room at that time.
The looks of hatred stared at him like sharp knives cutting into his soul as soon as the door was closed.
"How dare you ruin your sister's life?"
Luke felt his mother's hand on his face that now burned due to the strength of the slap.
"Aretha had the perfect opportunity to be someone important, a queen. How dare you spoil it?" - The woman screamed enraged.
"Aretha did not want this. She is happy with the end of the engagement." - He answered firmly.
"Besides, I saved your life. But, you don't care." - Luke thought
And obviously, your parents didn't take it well.
Luke was thrown against the bed and his shirt removed by his father. His back was showing and still slightly bruised the other times that it happened. It wasn't too hard to hold him there. After all, he was weaker than his sister.
The young man took a deep breath, preparing for what would come next.
The sound of the whip snapped against his body, marking the weak flesh to the bones, since there was not much skin to protect them. Luke squeezed the covers and the lips. They wouldn't hear his cries, it wasn't fair. Blood came out of his mouth, but he didn't make any sound.
The tears tried to appear, but Luke also restrained them. They weren't worthy to see that either.
"Do you think the prince will love this ugly body? You don't have curves, you're not beautiful enough, you're too tall, you don't have muscles and you don't even have a thin enough waist. On the very first day, he will surely regret having traded the perfect woman for someone as useless as you." - The stern voice of his mother humiliated him.
Hearing that hurt, hurt a lot. But he couldn't show weakness.
"For sure the prince will look for other companies soon. How could he be interested in a worthless talent like you? What did you do to hold him in your, claw, you slut?" - Your father held your face strongly, forcing you to look into his inhuman eyes.
"I did nothing. The prince was the one who proposed to me." - Luke replied.
And sure enough, it was answered with another slap in the face and another lash.
"Come on, dear. Unfortunately we can't go against the prince's wishes. Maybe we'll have a chance to change his mind before the wedding."
It was the last thing he heard from his mother before they slammed the door behind him.
Luke blacked out and didn't even notice when someone came in. It was Lily who watched his, in shock.
The maid soon ran out of there and returned with towels and bandages.
"Lord, please. Let me help... Help you. We need..." - She started sobbing. "We need to take care... of... your injuries."
"Thank you, Lily." - Luke smiled gratefully, no employee had felt so much for him before.
After preparing the bath, she helped him into the bathtub still in his pants. His body burned and he gave a slight scream as the wounds were wet.
Lily rubbed the wounds with soap and water, drying them lightly afterwards. She still trembled and her tears had not dried.
"What are you doing here at this hour, Lily?"
"I came to bring a message from Miss Aretha, sir. I'm sorry, sir, so..."
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." - The count smiled, shaking hands with the girl.
"Luke..."
She heard his sister's voice. Aretha went to check if Lily had sent the message and came across her brother's injuries. Tears immediately came to her face.
She quickly left and returned with an ointment made of herbs, soon after applying it to the wounds.
"This will help close the wounds." - Aretha trembled.
"Forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." - She murmured in the middle as she passed the ointment.
"Don't cry, Aretha." - He looked at Lily who looked like she would shed tears again. "You too, Lily. Don't shed tears for me."
But saying that didn't help. After the ointment was ironed and his back bandaged, Luke fell asleep while listening to the cries of the two women, between Aretha's apologies.
Before closing his eyes, he thought of the prince's cold gaze. Artanis could be a demon, but surely living with him would be better than going through it again. Even if in the end, Luke ended up dead.