-Early Morning; Amoria Palace, Luxana's Room-
*Splash*
The sudden sensation of cold water jolting me awake, I rose from my bed with a startled shriek, "Ugh, what is it?"
The sudden splash of water catching me off guard seemed far too bold a move for any ordinary maid. Could it be that those disgruntled maids from yesterday sought revenge?
And right then and there, my heart halted. My eyes widened in terror as I locked gazes with the imposing figure before me—my nanny, who was tall and broad, with a stern, imposing demeanor that suggested a domineering personality and a penchant for cruelty. Who had haunted my nightmares for the past six years. A shiver ran down my spine as the memories of my past traumas came flooding back, and I found myself paralyzed with fear at the sight of the woman who had once made my life a perpetual hell. I was petrified with horror.
Every fiber of my being screamed at me to run, but I was frozen in place, unable to move as she took a step closer, her eyes filled with malice and cruelty. The nightmares that had plagued me for so long were now standing before me in the flesh, and I knew I had to confront my fears once and for all. Summoning all the courage I had left, I strained myself to meet her gaze and whispered, "My soul does not pitch an exhortation to be yours. Hence, I grant you no authority over my manipulator."
"HAH! So now, YOU'll tell me who gets to manipulate you? DEAR PRINCESS, from the start till the end I'll FOREVER be the one who will control you endearingly. I am the manipulator of your soul, I do not require your permission to do anything! I am...." (Continues blabbering)
-Amoria Palace; In one of the corridors-
"Oh, God! I can't believe that happened in the princess's room! I ain't goin' near that place ever again, I swear!" said a maid, her voice trembling with fear.
"Screw this, I'm resigning. I've got six damn kids to raise, and I ain't gonna get myself killed for this job!" replied the other maid, her face pale with terror.
"Who said anyone wants to die? Pull your brain cells together, how do you plan to leave the palace in such chaos? The investigators will be here any second, every little dust particle will be questioned that moves in and out of this palace and we won't be able to even flinch until the case is solved. " replied the other maid, her voice laced with a mixture of panic and reason.
"So, what the heck are we gonna do now?! Just wait until we're all dead? Who knows what those murder's are planning next!" exclaims a maid, her hands trembling as she spoke.
The chatter continuous
"Move out of the way!" howled the butler in full anxiety.
The doctor and the butler rushed to my room, their faces etched with concern and urgency. Why, you ask? Oh....cause there's been murder. Who's been murdered, you ask? Oh, it's my beloved nanny. The doctor's trying his best to save my nanny's life, while the butler is desperately searching for clues to catch the killer before they strike again. The tension in the room is palpable as time ticks by, with each second feeling like an eternity in this deadly game of cat and mouse. But I swear by the heavens and the hell that I will not let this woman stand on her feet again.
*30 minutes prior to this incident*
"I am the only one who has accepted you and brought you up, do you think your foolish little words will scare me? You have no idea how much...." (Nanny Continues blabbering)
....Mother......mother.......do I consider this my last chance, mother?
In a frenzy of unbridled fury, I launched myself at her with a force that sent us both crashing to the floor. The impact rattled through my bones as she landed heavily beneath me, her bulk absorbing the shock. For a moment, she lay there dazed, her broad, fat body sprawled out, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. But I gave her no time to recover. I was on her in an instant, my fists a blur of merciless intent.
My knuckles connected with her face with a sickening, bone-jarring crunch. The sound was almost drowned out by her piercing scream—a wail that shattered the air like glass. Her eyes, wide with a mix of shock and terror, locked onto mine, but all I saw was the face of a betrayer, someone who had brought nothing but pain into my life.
She had always seemed strong, this nanny of mine. Her broad shoulders, her towering frame, the way she lumbered about the house like an immovable force—but now, in this moment of reckoning, she was nothing. Beneath my onslaught, she was pitifully weak, a mere shadow of the strength she had once pretended to possess.
I grabbed her by the collar, the fabric bunching in my fists as I yanked her upward. Her head lolled helplessly, her eyes rolling back as I shook her with all the fury I had bottled up over the years. "You ruined my life!" I bellowed, the words tearing from my throat like a beast unleashed. "How dare you show your face to me after all these years!"
My grip tightened, and I watched with a detached sense of satisfaction as her face turned a mottled red, then blue. She clawed at my hands, her nails scraping against my skin, but her efforts were laughably feeble. "I... I... I'm... sorry..." she choked out, her voice a pathetic rasp, her eyes wide and glassy with fear.
"Sorry? SORRY?" I spat the word, venom dripping from every syllable. "You think a simple 'SORRY' can make up for all the pain you've caused me?!" My voice was a thunderclap, shaking the very walls of the room. I felt her body tremble beneath me, but I was far from done.
With a savage growl, I sank my teeth into her hand, tearing at the flesh until the warm, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. She let out a gut-wrenching howl, her body writhing in agony. "You violent beast, UGHHHHHHH!" she screamed, trying in vain to pry my jaws open. But her struggles only fueled my rage further.
I released her hand, blood dripping from my lips, and unleashed a flurry of blows upon her. Each strike was delivered with brutal precision, every punch a hammer driving nails into her coffin. I felt the bones beneath her skin shatter, the sharp crack of breaking ribs, the dull thud of splintering cartilage. Her screams grew more frantic, her pleas more desperate, but they only spurred me on.
Spotting a heavy flower vase on the desk, I snatched it up and brought it crashing down on her head. The porcelain shattered with a violent explosion, sending shards and a spray of blood into the air. A deep gash split her forehead, blood pouring down her face like a crimson waterfall. The sight of it stirred something dark within me—a primal satisfaction that made my heart pound with exhilaration.
Without hesitation, I grabbed a pen from the desk, my hand trembling with adrenaline. I plunged it into her throat, the sharp point tearing through flesh, muscle, and sinew. She gurgled, blood bubbling from her lips as she tried to scream. Her eyes bulged in their sockets, filled with panic and the dawning realization of her impending death.
"I told you," I hissed, my voice low and venomous, "my soul does not pitch an exhortation to be yours." I twisted the pen savagely, and her body convulsed, a strangled scream tearing from her throat as the life bled out of her.
"This is for every time you hurt me, every time you made me feel worthless!" I screamed, tears blurring my vision as I drove the pen deeper. Her hands, slick with blood, clawed weakly at the instrument of her demise, but it was no use. "P-please..." she rasped, her voice barely a whisper, a pitiful plea for mercy.
"Hahaha, right, wasn't I simply your pawn to curry political favor with the Queen and gain acquaintance with the Royal Family? *Tears falling* bu-but di-did you th-thin-k I wu-wu-wud-wouldn't fa-find out, that you *sobs* you *sob* you h-ha-had the main role i-i-in ki-kill-ing ma-my mother"? {But did you think I wouldn't find out that you had the main role in killing my mother?}
I cried, the tears streaming down my face as I stabbed her throat again and again, the pen slicing through flesh and bone with each thrust.
I leaned in close, so close I could feel the heat of her final, labored breaths on my cheek. "Beg all you want," I whispered, my voice a cold, emotionless monotone. "You'll get no mercy from me." And with that, I pushed the pen in one last time, driving it home until I felt her flesh give way completely.
She shuddered violently, her eyes losing focus, her body going limp beneath me. I stood up, my chest heaving, every muscle in my body taut with the aftershocks of violence. Blood was everywhere—on my hands, my clothes, splattered across the walls and floor. It was a grisly scene, a portrait of madness and brutality.
"Please die happily, May God Bless your Demise." my voice eerily calm as I grabbed a vial of poison from my drawer as I forced the liquid down her throat, watching as the life faded from her eyes.
"In your next life, please attempt to become a better nanny." I said with a soft smile, clapping my hands together in a silent prayer for her soul.
But as I looked down at the broken, bloody figure that had once loomed so large in my life, I felt nothing. No guilt, no remorse. Only a twisted sense of satisfaction. She had gotten what she deserved, and I knew, deep in the darkest recesses of my soul, that I would do it all over again without a moment's hesitation.
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
"Haha, I didn't think such a murderer resided in this palace," said a sarcastic voice from behind, leaning nonchalantly against the wall beside the entrance of the balcony.
I stood frozen, my eyes fixed on the lifeless body of my nanny, my face a blank canvas devoid of emotion. Each breath felt labored, as though the very act of inhaling and exhaling had become an insurmountable effort. It wasn't fear of the murder I had committed that paralyzed me; it was the bone-deep exhaustion that sapped my will to move.
The voice that reached my ears was unmistakable, belonging to the man who had vowed to rescue me from this torment. Yet, in this moment, I found myself utterly drained, bereft of the strength to even acknowledge his presence. The promise of salvation felt distant and hollow, overshadowed by the relentless fatigue that weighed down my spirit.
I tossed the bottle of poison aside, the glass clinking softly as it hit the floor.
"Grab the pen and that bottle, you don't want to leave any evidence, do you?" he asked, his voice smooth yet laced with an edge of curiosity as to what move I'll make next.
"What do you want now, Cillian"? I asked, my tone flat and uninterested. My mind was elsewhere, trapped in a loop of horrifying images—the brutal end of my nanny, the woman who had raised me, now reduced to a grotesque memory.
"Oh, are we so familiar now that you call me by my name? How amusing," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I believe this isn't your first murder." His words dripped with sarcasm, but there was an underlying seriousness that made me uneasy. He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, "Luxana, listen closely. People like you shouldn't be here, playing with fire. It's only a matter of time before you get burned."
A chill raced down my spine as his grip tightened on my shoulder, but I refused to flinch. I had come too far to show any weakness now.
"..."
"Let's first clear the mess you made; we don't want to be caught." His tone shifted, becoming more authoritative.
I shot him a suspicious glance, my mind racing. What did he stand to gain by helping me?
He moved with purpose, gathering the evidence of my crime with a practiced efficiency. "When they ask you what happened here, tell them you were in the bathroom. You heard the screams but were too afraid to come out. The attacker wore a black suit and had his face covered. You don't know who he was or why he did it. That's all you're gonna say. So, just stick to the facts and let the authorities handle the rest."
His logic was sound, and I couldn't deny it. If I said more than necessary, I would only dig my own grave deeper.
He glanced at me, his expression disapproving, and let out a frustrated sigh. "When the time comes, I'll tell you everything, so until then, all I want is to grant your wish, and in return, you help me with what I want."
I remained silent, weighing his words.
"I'll come again tonight. If you come out with me now, people will suspect you. Stay in the bathroom until someone finds you," he suggested, his voice low and persuasive.
"And what if no one does?" I challenged, my heart racing at the thought of being trapped in this nightmare.
He sighed again, exasperated. "Then you go call the butler yourself."
I considered this. If I reported the murder, my suspicion would likely decrease. I nodded slowly, the decision settling in my mind like a stone.
As he slipped out through the balcony, he turned back to me, his expression serious. "Luxana, I will help you avenge your mother, I promise."
His offer caught me off guard, and I felt a flicker of something—hope or perhaps dread. There was a sincerity in his voice that contrasted sharply with his intimidating presence. Yet, a nagging doubt lingered in my mind, whispering that there was more to his intentions than he let on. I was caught in a web of uncertainty, and as much as I wanted to trust him, I knew I was treading dangerous ground.
To be Continued...