Aurelia's knees gave way beneath her as she crumpled to the ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps. This couldn't be true. Her parents—her beloved parents—could not be guilty of such monstrous acts. But the evidence… The evidence was right in front of her.
Erick, her father's most trusted servant, stepped forward, his face pale but resolute. "Your Majesty, I've seen it all. I've witnessed the deals your parents made, the children they sold. I've been part of their schemes."
Aurelia's eyes widened with disbelief. Erick, too? The man who had served her family faithfully for years? He was the one who had betrayed them?
Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Erick… How could you?"
But the servant looked at her with pity, his face hardening as he spoke the words that tore her soul apart.
"The evidence is clear. There is no escape from the truth, Queen Aurelia."
Aurelia turned to Aldric, her heart filled with a burning rage. "You've framed them! You've manipulated everything! This is your doing, Aldric!"
But the king merely smiled, a cold, sadistic smile that made her skin crawl.
"My dear queen," he said with mock sweetness. "You've been blinded by your love for them. But now you must see the truth. Your parents are guilty. And they will pay the price."
Aurelia stood up, her body trembling with fury. "You cannot do this!" she screamed. "I will find the truth. I will expose you, Aldric. I will bring justice to my parents!"
But Aldric's eyes narrowed, his face darkening as he stepped toward her. "You think you can stop me, Aurelia? Your parents' fate is sealed. And if you stand in my way, I will make sure you suffer the same."
The grand hall fell into an oppressive silence, broken only by the heavy, ragged breathing of Queen Aurelia, who stood frozen before the tragic spectacle of her parents' execution. The birthday celebration she had once looked forward to was now shattered into irreparable pieces, the weight of sorrow and betrayal hanging thick in the air.
Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the pain and disbelief that gripped her. Her eyes locked onto her parents—Edward and Isabella Sinclair—brutally bound and forced to kneel before the very man she had once hoped could be her partner in ruling. Her mother's face was bruised, her lips split, blood staining her cheek; her father's eyes were dull with despair, his body limp, barely holding onto consciousness. The dignity they had once carried was now nothing more than a distant memory.
Aurelia's body trembled, her hands balling into fists at her sides as her mind tried to process the horrific sight. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe that the man she had married —was the same one who had ordered the brutal punishment of her family.
The cold, impassive gaze of King Aldric rested on her, his lips twisted into a cruel smile. He stood like a shadow of a monarch, his presence more suffocating than regal. His sharp, perfect features, his cold eyes, the smile that never reached them—it all felt like a mockery. He was a master of manipulation, and now, he had woven his web so tight that Aurelia couldn't escape.
She opened her mouth, her voice trembling at first, but growing firmer with every word. "What are you doing, Aldric?" Her voice was raw with emotion, but it broke through the heavy silence. "Why are you doing this to my family? They are not criminals! This is a lie!"
Aldric's expression hardened, his smile faltering, before his cold eyes flicked toward the guards. "Enough," he said with a quiet, terrifying finality.
The executioner, standing to the side, stepped forward with his axe, his eyes unwavering. The blade gleamed under the torchlight. Aurelia felt her stomach churn at the sight.
"No, no!" Aurelia screamed, her voice shattering as she rushed forward. "Stop! Please, I beg you! I will do anything! Just let them go!" Her words were desperate, the raw emotion flooding her chest like a raging storm.
Before she could get any closer, the guards reacted swiftly, grabbing her arms and yanking her back, forcing her to her knees. Aurelia struggled against them, her breath quickening, her heart slamming against her ribs. She fought with every ounce of strength in her, her body writhing, trying to break free from their iron grip.
"Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed, her eyes wild with fear and fury. "You cannot do this to them! They are innocent!"
Her words fell on deaf ears as the guards held her back, one of them slamming her to the floor, while the other kept a vice-like grip on her arms. Aurelia's struggles only made them tighten their hold, their stoic expressions unyielding. She was powerless, but not willing to let it go.
King Aldric's eyes glimmered with dark amusement as he watched her fight. "Do you see now, Aurelia? Your parents' sins are too great for them to be spared. They will pay the price, as will anyone who dares defy me," he said, his voice dripping with venom.
Tears burned in Aurelia's eyes as she was forced to look at her mother and father once more, their bruised faces filled with sorrow, but also a quiet acceptance. Her mother's gaze met hers, filled with a painful mixture of regret and love. Isabella whispered something, but the sound was muffled by the roar in Aurelia's ears.
Aurelia felt her world shattering, every piece of her heart crumbling away as the moments stretched on. She couldn't breathe; it felt like the air itself had turned to lead, suffocating her, crushing her.
"Please…" she begged, her voice trembling. "I don't care what they've done! They're still my parents. Please, I will take their place. I will do anything!" She could hardly speak through the tears streaming down her face.
But the king only raised a hand. "Enough." His tone was final, devoid of any remorse.
He turned to the executioner, and with a swift, commanding gesture, signaled him to proceed.
Before Aurelia could scream out again, the executioner raised the heavy axe high above his head, and with terrifying precision, brought it down onto Edward Sinclair's neck.
A sickening thud rang through the hall, followed by a sickening silence.
Aurelia's world collapsed around her. Her father's head rolled from his shoulders and landed on the cold stone floor with a sickening thump, his lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. Blood splattered across the stone, marking the end of his life, marking the beginning of Aurelia's grief.
"No!" Aurelia cried out, her voice torn with agony. Her entire body went limp as the weight of what had just occurred crashed over her. "Father…" she whispered in disbelief. "Father…"
Her breath caught in her throat, and her body shook violently. She could hardly comprehend the depth of the tragedy that had just unfolded before her. Her father, the man who had once protected her, who had always been there for her, was gone. And the one responsible for his death stood beside her like a shadow, unmoved by the horror he had just unleashed.
Isabella cried out, her voice breaking as she looked toward her daughter with desperate eyes. "Aurelia, forgive us…" she managed to whisper before the executioner turned his attention to her.
Aurelia's heart shattered. She fought with every ounce of strength, but the guards held her tightly. She could do nothing but watch as the axe was raised once again, and with it, her mother's life was snuffed out.
"No! No!" Aurelia screamed, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her cries were deafening, filled with a rawness that came from the deepest parts of her soul. "You… You can't…!"
But there was no stopping the inevitable. The axe came down, and once again, the sound of the blade slicing through the air was followed by a sickening thud.
Isabella's head fell to the ground, her once vibrant face now lifeless, blood pouring from her neck in torrents, staining the cold stone beneath her.
Aurelia's sobs were guttural, wracking her body with a pain she had never known. The guards held her firmly as her body went limp in their grasp, her heart torn to shreds. Her parents, her beloved parents, were gone, and in their place, nothing but cold, lifeless bodies. She had nothing left.
The execution was over, but for Aurelia, her life had ended right there along with her family. The bitter taste of betrayal burned in her mouth as she turned her gaze to Aldric.
Her heart, once full of hope and affection for him, now seethed with an anger so fierce, it threatened to consume her entirely.
King Aldric, for all his power, had no idea what kind of wrath he had just unleashed.
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