Suddenly, an idea struck me.
Picking up a loose stone from the ground, I tossed it into the opposite direction, creating a loud clatter.
The guards immediately turned their heads toward the sound, hands on the hilts of their swords.
"Who's there?" one of them barked, stepping forward cautiously.
Taking advantage of their distraction, I slipped past them, darting through the courtyard and into the servant's passage.
My heart was racing now, adrenaline surging through my veins as I continued to move quickly, avoiding any suspicious glances.
Finally, I made it to the outer walls of the palace.
There was only one guard patrolling this section, and he seemed half-asleep.
Thank the heavens for lazy night shifts.
I crouched behind a stack of crates, waiting for the guard to pass by.
When he did, I moved quickly, climbing over the low section of the wall and landing on the other side with a soft thud.
I was out.
I had done it.
But I couldn't stop now.
The palace grounds were vast, and I had to get as far away as possible before anyone noticed I was gone.
I sprinted through the dark, open fields surrounding the palace, my legs burning from the effort.
The moonlight barely illuminated the path ahead, but I didn't care.
I was running on pure adrenaline now, desperate to escape the fate that awaited me if I stayed.
"Haah... Haah..."
After what felt like hours, I finally stopped, collapsing onto the ground behind a thick cluster of trees.
My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, my muscles aching from the effort.
But I had made it.
I was free.
At least for now.
I leaned back against the tree, staring up at the night sky.
The stars twinkled overhead, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a glimmer of hope.
But I knew this was just the beginning.
The emperor wouldn't let me go so easily.
"I'll have to keep moving," I whispered to myself, feeling a pang of fear.
"But at least I have a chance now."
I wasn't going to let my fate be decided by someone else.
Not by a game, and definitely not by a tyrant emperor.
I was going to survive.
******
As the sun struggled to break through the heavy clouds that clung to the sky, a foreboding atmosphere settled over the palace grounds.
Within the grand hall, a chilling silence reigned, thick with dread as the morning light crept through the tall windows, illuminating a scene that was anything but serene.
The air crackled with tension, each breath a reminder of the unspoken horrors lurking in the shadows.
At the center of the hall stood Emperor Avendial, a formidable figure swathed in a long black cloak that billowed ominously with each step.
His sharp features were etched with fury, and his eyes glinted like cold steel, scanning the terrified faces of the servants and guards who knelt before him, trembling and pale.
They bowed their heads, pressing their foreheads against the cold marble floor, their hearts racing with fear as the emperor's presence loomed over them like a dark storm cloud.
"How did she escape?" Avendial's voice cut through the silence, sharp and menacing.
Each word dripped with a lethal edge, echoing off the walls like a death knell.
"How could you let Deventhia slip from your grasp?"
The guards, once proud and confident, now quaked in their boots, their bravado stripped away under the emperor's icy gaze.
"W-we were caught off guard, Your Majesty! It was the night watch's fault!" one of them stammered, desperation twisting his voice.
Avendial's expression remained impassive, but the air grew thicker with menace, a palpable tension that made the servants flinch.
"Is that so?" he said, stepping closer, the blade of his sword glinting ominously in the flickering torchlight.
"Let's see how your excuse holds up."
Without hesitation, he swung his sword with brutal precision, severing the head of the guard who dared to speak.
Blood sprayed like a crimson fountain, splattering across the marble floor and painting the once pristine tiles with the stark reality of his wrath.
The other guards gasped, horror-stricken, as they recoiled from the sight, the metallic scent of blood filling their nostrils.
"Next," Avendial commanded, his voice chillingly calm, as if the violence was just another mundane task he had to attend to.
His eyes scanned the room with cold detachment, lingering on the terrified faces before him.
"Who else wants to share their incompetence?"
The room fell into a deathly silence, a heavy stillness that enveloped everyone like a suffocating shroud.
The only sounds were the soft whimpers of a servant who dared to meet Avendial's gaze, his wide eyes reflecting sheer terror.
In a swift, merciless motion, the emperor struck again, his blade flashing as another body crumpled to the floor.
The thud echoed ominously in the grand hall, each sound a haunting reminder of the price of failure.
The once pristine marble tiles were now marred, painted crimson, a grotesque canvas of his wrath.
Each execution was not merely punishment but a chilling reminder of his absolute power, a brutal demonstration that incompetence would not be tolerated.
"Please, Your Majesty!" cried one servant, his voice cracking with fear as he stumbled over his words.
"We were doing our best! It was dark, and—"
"Silence!" Avendial's voice boomed like thunder, a terrifying roar that silenced any remaining protests.
The air grew thick with tension, oppressive and stifling, as he continued his grim task.
The marble floor became slick with blood, the bodies of the fallen accumulating like discarded remnants of a macabre harvest.
With each life extinguished, the remaining servants and guards trembled, their hopes of survival dwindling like the flickering flames of the torches lining the walls.
Finally, his icy gaze settled on the butler, who stood trembling at the foot of the dais.
The butler, usually composed and dignified, now appeared as a mere shadow of himself, a reflection of the terror enveloping the room.