Cynthia's POV
My heart pounded against my chest as Zander urgently pulled me inside the mansion. It loomed atop the mountain like a regal palace, its dark exterior giving off an air of mystery and even a touch of unease. Despite the dimness, I could make out the grandeur of the structure, painted entirely in black. The mansion was surrounded by towering trees, adding to its enigmatic ambiance.
As Zander guided me further into the mansion, a small gasp escaped my lips. It was nothing short of breathtaking. The interior was a stunning display of ancient beauty, with a massive throne crafted entirely out of pure gold placed prominently in the center of the dining room. Flanking the throne were individuals seated on chairs of the same regal material. The palace walls were adorned with black paintings, while a massive chandelier hung overhead, casting a slightly dim light over the room.
The room fell eerily silent as all eyes turned towards Zander and me. My heart raced even faster as I took in the sight of the people seated in the room. All the women donned elegant, flowing gowns that exuded grace and beauty. The men, on the other hand, sported black robes reminiscent of ancient kings and queens, rather than typical vampires. Amongst the crowd, I spotted Zander's mother, radiantly dressed to match the splendor of the setting.
"A long life to the king."Everyone said, bowing their heads, as Zander approached the throne and seated. I stood next to him. I felt so little as everyone looked at me as if I were a meal.
"You may all rise!"When Zander spoke, everyone raised their heads.
"Today, I have a very important announcement to make," Zander declared. Everyone kept quiet, clearly, they were scared of him.
"The woman you are seeing in front of you today is my wife and she is your new queen. Cynthia Philip, I want you all to treat my wife with the respect she deserves." Zander said his voice filled with authority and power of a true kind.
Everyone in the room let out a gasp, widening their eyes, and began whispering among themselves. Their reactions made it evident that I was not wanted here, and I appreciated that.
"Silence!! "Zander roared, and everyone became silent.
"But, my king, how do you marry such a woman? Just look at how she is dressed. And, my king, this girl appears to be a weak person; I do not believe she is qualified to be our queen!"One of the men said, and I sneered. If only they could scrap this wedding so I could be free.
Zander grinned, and I felt my heart quicken at the menacing smile he had on his lips. I was afraid of this man because he was so frightening.
"My king, how can you marry another lady if you are already married and have a son? How can you marry anyone?" Another man asked.
I wish I could be freed from this hellish life. They should just tell him to take it back from where I come from.
"Guard!!! "Zander roared, and my pulse skipped a beat. This man was really scary, I really wish to come out alive being surrounded by vampires was not easy. Two guards dashed forward, wielding swords.
"I want you to behead Mr Kenny and Mr Marriott for going against my orders," Zander said coldly.
my eyes widened astonished as the guards dashed forward to seize the two guys! How is he able to kill someone for simply opposing him? Did he not give a damn about what other people thought?
"Leave those guys alone," I shouted before I could stop myself; if there is one thing I can not stand on this planet, it is injustice; he can not just murder them because he disagreed with what they said.
All eyes turn to me, including Zander's. I can not allow innocent people to die because of me; they may be bloody vampires, but they do not deserve to die for something so trivial.
"I apologize for interfering, but you cannot just slaughter these innocent men! They did not say anything wrong, and you cannot kill someone simply because they disagree with you. If you have done something wrong, accept it and stop abusing your position by punishing people for expressing their opinions. Everyone has the freedom to express their viewpoint."I said:
Zander scowled at me, his cheeks flushing.
"Maids!! "When Zander shouted, two ladies dashed into the courtroom.
"Get her out of here!"He spoke in a chilly tone.
My eyes widened in surprise; I can not go with these women what if they murder me?
"I am not going anywhere; I am staying here with you! Can you not punish me for stating the truth? Why even behead them when they all told you the truth? I am not qualified to be your wife, nor do I qualify to be queen; you should marry someone your people choose and just divorce me; I do not want to upset anybody. "I spoke.
These bloodthirsty vampires were my last hope; all I needed to do was irritate them into doing something outrageous enough that Zander would reconsider and let me go.
"Yes, my king, this girl is telling the truth. We need a strong and dignified lady to be our queen. You will come to regret marrying her. Do you notice how she is going against your orders? If you do not leave her, she will continue to do so."Another man said.
I held my breath for a while in my chest. I am hoping these men create a fuss over it so I can leave. If the counselors disagreed with him, I am confident he would reconsider. I am sure that is how things operate in the royal court. I have seen a lot of movies.
"Attention, Emperor Jonathan Jones is approaching." I heard a security guard at the entrance yelling. A man in his early fifties dressed in a black robe entered the room, accompanied by a lady.
"Long live the emperor!"Everyone said, bowing their heads, except for Zander. This was my golden ticket out of here. I am hoping that everything works out as planned.
"You all may rise."The man stated he sat on the throne adjacent to Zander's, but his was somewhat larger and indicated that it belonged to someone of a higher status than Zander. He also wore a black and gold crown.
"Emperor, I have come here today to introduce my wife to everyone. But they do not appear to like her." Zander said, his mouth curved down.
"Are you calling this girl a wife? Look at how she is dressed and how she fights in court with men present! Why did you get married to this girl? She is a human girl, and you know how greedy they can be. They only want money and nothing else. I refuse to accept this gold digger as your wife; the only lady you will marry is Nancy, and that is it."The old man said.
I let out a loud snort, drawing attention from everyone around me. I refused to take offense by remaining silent.
"Stop it right there, old man! You can't call me a gold digger or a mannerless girl. I do not give a damn about your so-called son or anything else, nor do I care about your riches or traditions! It was he who compelled me to marry him! Trust me, I am trying so hard to break away from him, but I can't; you should tell your son to divorce me right now so he may marry anyone you want him to marry; I couldn't care less about him."I said sternly
Everyone looked at me in disbelief, but I did not care. I just wanted to wake up from this dreadful nightmare.
"Hey, girl, how dare you speak back to me? Do you not know that women should remain silent when males are speaking? Didn't your mother teach you manners? "He questioned coldly, his gaze fixed on me.
"My mother taught me to stand up for myself and confront men like you who believe that you are superior to women. I will not sit silently and listen to your insults. If you had raised your grandkids properly, I would not be here, but your upbringing was so horrible that you spawned a monster who believes they can use their power to force a lady into a marriage she does not desire. Tell your grandson to leave me alone, trust me. I am not going to get involved in your foolish conversation."I said.
My blood pressure was increasing with each passing second, and my chest was throbbing. I can not believe this man would disrespect me because of Zander. I did not care about them or their money; I was forced into this marriage, and I did not want to be here with these bloodthirsty vampires.
"Guards, take this girl away; I want you to behead her right now!"The old man said angrily.
When the guards ran into the dining room, my pulse raced with panic. What if they beheaded me?
"I command you to stay just where you are and not take another step!!"They came to a halt when I glared sharply at them. I breathed a sigh of relief—at least I was heard.
"Guards, I said take this girl away!"The old guy roared violently, while the guards remained there without taking a step towards me.
"The queen of queens has instructed us not to take any more steps; I am sorry, Your Highness, but I can not behead the queen of queens because I will be cursed for the rest of my life."One of the guards spoke.
I am not sure why, but everything around me began to darken, I became disoriented, and before I knew it, I had fallen to the ground.
<><><><>
I was back in that snowy area, and I saw my mother on top of the mountain, which was covered with snow.
My mother changed into a massive serpent with several heads, my mouth fell open. My heart began to race, I let out a gasp, and a heavy heaviness settled into my stomach. What exactly is going on right now? Why did my mother transform into a snake?
"Cynthia, your life is in danger, run for your life! Your powers are awakening, if you stay with that man, you will die! "My mother's scream rang out, and I glanced around but could not see her; all I could see was that gigantic serpent on top of the mountain.
"Where are you, Mom?" Please come to me; I can not comprehend what you are saying!"I yelled loudly, but I could not see her anywhere.
"Run for your life, my sweetheart. If anyone learns your true identity, you will perish! "In the same way I died!"My mother's voice sounded, and the snake vanished off the mountain.
"Mom!! "I shouted, but no one responded.
I jolted into a sitting posture, panting profusely, covered in perspiration, and my heart still pounding so hard! What was that nightmare about, and what did my mother mean when she stated my abilities were awakening? What kind of powers was she talking about? I ran my hands through my hair, and I could feel my head aching.
"What happened? "Zander asked.
His voice caught my attention, and I quickly followed it to see him sitting on the couch next to my bed. I needed to talk to someone about this before I completely lost it, but I could not trust these bloody vampires.
"What has happened to me?"I ignored his questions with my questions.
I can not recall anything that happened today. I frowned as I noticed my hand bandage; when did I get hurt?
"You passed out because you had not eaten in two days. The doctor administered an injection and advised you to eat." Zander stated as he got up from the couch and was about to go.
"What happened just before I passed out?"I inquired, feeling as if he was deceiving me; something had occurred, but I had no idea what.
"Nothing happened; you sobbed so much and were hungry; I suppose that is why you passed out!"Zander said. With a straight face, I knew he was lying; something had happened.
"We are both aware that you are lying; tell me the truth right now!"I replied harshly.
I wanted to know what had happened; perhaps I could figure out what my mother was talking about. I knew she was attempting to send me a message about something about to happen, but I could not figure out what she was trying to say. My mother has been rescuing me since her death; why did not she protect me from Zander or warn me about going out that day? And now she is telling me to run for my life? Why?
"You had a nightmare; could you tell me about it?"Zander asked:
My mother's words made it plain that I can not trust this man, and I do not think telling him was a wise decision.
"Why should I tell you?" It is none of your concern."I stated firmly.
"What makes you believe that I will trust you if you do not trust me?"Zander asked.
"I do not trust you, and I never asked you to trust me! What I am asking is simple: What occurred to me before I passed out? Just tell me what occurred to me; it is about me, and I have the right to know. I murmured, and Zander came back to the sofa and sat down, staring at me. I am not sure what he saw in my eyes.
"You tried to burn yourself this morning, and I rushed you to the hospital. When we got back You repeatedly stabbed your hand with a knife in the evening, almost cutting it. Fortunately, I arrived in time, so I contacted the doctor, who treated your wounds. You had been sobbing since then, and you passed out. "That is what happened to you. Zander replied,
My eyes widened and I rubbed my jaw. My gut tightened with astonishment. I knew I did such things when I was upset, furious, or sad, but I never imagined I would do it in front of these gory vampires.
"Oh! "That was all I could think of to say at the time.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?"Zander inquired, and I stared at him momentarily before turning away.
What should I say to him? I was so addicted to it since my own father used to do it to me. It seemed like the only thing that could make my heart hurt any less! I was too scared that it would suffocate me to death, which is why I hurt myself physically. I will keep my mind on the physical pain while the pain from my heart goes away for a while. Most people may believe I have gone insane or am psychologically ill. But this is what I was taught and I'm too addicted to it.
"I am depressed; that is why I do it!"I lied through my teeth.
"Where are your parents?"Zander asked, and I gulped hard! Did I have parents at all? My mother was never there for me; she was constantly miserable, and all I remember of her was her sobbing or my father coming home to yell at her. My father was happily married and had a very nice family. He would come home now and again to unleash his rage on my mother, then leave both of us sobbing while his mood mended before returning to his favorite family beaming.
I had no parents; my mother was so miserable that she could not work to feed us. I had to start working at an early age to pay for my school fees and make ends meet at home. Besides selling my soul and body, I have done the worst labor anybody could conceive, and I have had to learn to protect myself from the evil man on this planet. I've been through a lot of shit and my parents couldn't protect me? So, did I ever have anything like a family?
I hastily wiped my tears with my palms and said, "That is none of your concern!"I said, hastily getting out of bed and heading to the restroom. I went inside and shut the door behind me.
Tears welled up in my eyes; why did he have to ask me that question, resurrecting scars that I strive every day to close and forget about? The stinging anguish in my heart was so intense with each passing second that I could not stand it any longer. I was unhappy and angry, and my heart was in anguish, and I knew there was only one way to end it.
I grabbed the glass on top of the sink and flung it on the floor, breaking it into numerous pieces. My fingers shook as I grabbed one of the shattered glass.
I glanced at my lovely flawless skin and began scratching it with a broken glass, blood dripping down my face. I wanted to experience the physical anguish, but this time I couldn't. All of the memories from the past began playing in my head like a movie that I could not stop; I kept scratching my face, but it did not work as well as it used to.
All I wanted was to live peacefully with my mother and father, but what did I get in return? I experienced suffering, distress, injuries, heartache, insults from others, and being held responsible for everything because my mother had an affair with a married man, which made me appear to be an illegitimate kid to the entire world. And now I am married to a bloody vampire? Why are all my hopes being smashed like this? Sometimes I just wanted to terminate my life, but I was afraid of dying. I lost my mind a long time ago, but now I was losing my sanity, which was all I had left.
The door was kicked open, and I realized it was Zander, but I did not stop what I was doing. In less than a second, Zander was standing in front of me. He attempted to grab the bottle bits from my hand, but I bleached them into a fist and refused to release them. Tears kept streaming down my cheeks. I have completely lost my mind! I am going insane; only a mad person could do what I am doing right now.
"Cynthia, have you lost your mind?" What are you doing? "Zander inquired; I could hear him speaking, but his words were deaf to my ears.