[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: THE SOUND OF SILENCE ~ DISTURBED]
"Stand," King Curtis called the girl again, and every time she stood, he made sure the slap was heavier than the last. By this time, Oriana's face was already swollen, with purple and black marks forming on her pale cheeks.
Satisfied with the slaps, the king said, "Lady Adeline, lash her." He ordered.
The governess's throat became dry; she had thought it would be over with the slaps. "Your Majesty, the princess her-"
"Now!" The King ordered.
The governess took out the cane she used when teaching etiquette, and she walked to stand behind the princess, who now raised her dress, showing the back of her leg.
"I'm sorry, my princess," The governess apologized first before raising her hand to flog the girl's leg.
Wham! The harsh sound of the cane was heard, and another sound, and another, until everyone lost count. Even Lady Adeline's hand now became sour.
Oriana finally lost her balance and fell, her body shaking from pain.
"Nobody should give her food until she repents of her sins; she stays outside," the King ordered as he walked back inside with his wife and the crown princess, who followed behind without saying a word.
The governess looked at the princess with pity, but she wouldn't dare to say a word when the king had given his orders. Lady Adeline turned and left the place.
Oriana lay on the ground, her eyes closed peacefully as if she had passed out, but she could still feel her surroundings. The sky began to change color, to a darker contrast, and the first drop of rain fell on the girl's face, mixing up with her tears. Soon, it started pouring heavily on the land of Orion.
The rain didn't pity the girl who lay on the cold floor; it poured with its might, beating Oriana's body that now shivered as the heavy rain touched the open cuts that occurred as a result of the harsh flogging.
Oriana whimpered, curling herself on the floor. "Nana... I can't stand," she sobbed silently to herself, wishing that the rain could wash her away too, just like it did with the soil. It was the way her father looked at her, like she was less of a human, that tore her heart into shreds. Then came the doubts. None of them ever believed a word she said; it was better to listen to a total stranger than to her, and that was what they had just portrayed. But weren't they supposed to be her family?
Family was supposed to stand by her, even if the world rejected her. They were meant to hear from her first before others... why was her case different? Oriana's mind drifted with the rain, as she had made peace with the pains it caused her. On her body were mere physical pains, which she had gotten used to, but the hurt and tightness she felt in her heart were deep.
"Princess Oriana..." The faint voice that echoed in her mind sounded familiar to Oriana, but it was as if she was in a different dimension from where the voice was coming from. In the dimension she found herself in, was peaceful and serene. No pain, no sorrow, just a blank feeling.
"Princess Oriana..." Bessie called out again, using the towel she had hidden under her dress to cover the princess, but it still got soaked with the rain. The maid tried to cover the princess with her body, as the rain poured heavily and harshly, with roaring thunderstorms that were frightening.
Oriana didn't move; she stayed there as if she had no life in her. Her body had numbed to the pain, but not her heart. No matter how hard she tried, she always hurt in her chest; she felt suffocated. She has tried to keep her head above water, but yet somehow she finds herself drowned in the realization that she would never be accepted, not by her family, or by the kingdom. This made Oriana wish she had never been born at all.
Bessie was already scared, as she tried to cover the princess whose eyes were open but she didn't blink even as the water touched her face. The maid was scared the princess would die out in the cold, that she had snuck out to help her, yes, the story about her was true. She was a walking danger, but from what she had seen in the afternoon, the princess was right in defending herself yet her family didn't waste time in condemning her before a total stranger.
Oriana finally moved her eyes to look at the maid, "What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to sit up but her whole body ached, causing her to fall back down. "Go back inside before you catch a cold."
Bessie's eyes welled up with tears; even after being whipped like a criminal, the princess was worried about a lowly maid like her. "You'll catch a cold, not me. Look at your body, look at your face. My princess," the young girl tried to stop herself from crying. She wasn't the one flogged, but she could feel the pain.
Oriana held up the girl's face, "Aw.. look at that. I was given a crybaby this time." The princess sighed tiredly, but the maid didn't stop crying, her lips now trembling.
"There.. there..." Oriana touched Bessie's back, "It's okay, stop crying." She consoled the maid who was bawling her eyes out.
The rims of Bessie's eyes turned red, "W-hy are you being treated this way... and W-hy are you.. not crying?" the maid struggled not to stutter as her tears became choking.
"I have lost all my tears, that I can't even cry even if I tried to. Do you think I'm abnormal too?" Oriana's words caused the maid to cry even louder. "You will only understand when you go through a pain that becomes part of you; you become numb." She sighed.
Bessie shook her head, "I don't think you're abnormal, My princess. You have a golden heart," the maid replied, only to get a pat on the hair from Oriana.
After a while of trying to console Bessie, with the rain still pouring down, Oriana noticed the movement inside the palace; someone was soon coming out.
"Quick, Bessie, hide." She tapped the girl before lying back on the ground, pretending to be hurt from the punishment.
The crown princess, escorted by maids who held a paper umbrella over her head, walked to where Oriana was and kicked her to be sure she was still alive.
"Father said you can go back to your quarters now," Sophie said with a sigh, without waiting to hear Oriana's reply. The crown princess turned and walked back inside the palace.
Oriana raised her face when she was sure her sister had gone back inside. She tried to stand, but her leg still ached badly from the flog.
"Seems like today was worse than others." She muttered to herself, and at the same time, Bessie returned to stand beside the princess.
"Let me help you," Bessie suggested, trying to get the princess's hand over her shoulder so she could lean on her.
But Oriana shook her head, "You don't have to worry," she replied. After struggling for minutes, she finally got on her feet.
Dragging her leg, she made her way to her own quarters. Not that Oriana didn't appreciate Bessie's offer to help; it was just foreign to her. She had lived over a decade of her life taking care of herself when moments like these came. She wasn't used to taking people's hands; in fact, there was never any hand stretched out for her to take. So she got used to fending for herself, crying alone, consoling herself, and treating her own wounds, while watching them heal or not.
The last time she depended on someone, which was her grandmother who had promised her another day. Oriana realized it was all a lie because before the next day. The Queen mother slept and never woke up, and a part of Oriana left with the woman. After then she promised herself never to hope on anyone because humans were unreliable and can switch or leave at the most unexpected moments.
Oriana dragged her leg to her quarters, and anytime it felt numb, she would stop and hit it with her hand until she could move again.
Bessie followed the princess behind, watching as she struggled all by herself until she got into her room without anyone's help.
The bathtub was already filled with clean water, which Oriana quietly had her bath before going to bed.
"Should I call the royal physician?" Bessie asked, seeing that the princess was about to sleep.
Oriana waved her hand, "He wouldn't be able to heal me, even if he tried." She muttered to herself, but the maid didn't understand the meaning of the words the princess had said.