Suzy, still fuming about the incident of the wall, stomped across the plush carpet of her room. This whole situation was ridiculous! Marrying a complete stranger just to save her father’s sinking finances? Unacceptable!
Lost in her frustration, she didn’t hear the soft click of the door opening. Suddenly, a sharp slap across the face sent her reeling. Suzy spun around, hand flying to her stinging cheek, to find Countess Helene standing there, her face contorted in a mask of fury.
Suzy’s jaw hung slack. This wasn’t part of the plan! No one, not even her most obnoxious high school bully, had ever dared to hit her. A wave of hot anger crashed over her, momentarily pushing aside the confusion.
"What the..." she sputtered, her voice trembling with fury. "Who do you think you are?"
The woman, unfazed by Suzy’s outburst, drew herself up to her full height. "You insolent child," she declared, her voice dripping with disdain, "you will address me with respect!"
Suzy stared at her, dumbfounded.
Helene’s nostrils flared. "you are a disgrace! A scandal waiting to happen! Do you have any idea what you’ve done by climbing walls and cavorting with strangers in alleyways?"
Suzy blinked.
"Don’t you understand, you silly girl? Your little tantrums are jeopardizing everything! This marriage to Duke Ryan is our only hope! The only way to save this family from ruin!"
Just then, the door flew open again, revealing Doris, her face pale with fear. "Milady Countess, please!" she cried, rushing towards Suzy and the Countess. "Forgive her! She doesn’t know any better!"
The truth, cold and hard, slammed into Suzy. Cassandra, or rather, the real Cassandra, wasn’t some beloved daughter. She was a constant reminder of Count Edmund’s infidelity, a living embodiment of his shame. Countess Helene, it seemed, never forgave her husband for his affair, and all that resentment was now being directed at Suzy, the innocent bystander in this twisted family drama.
Doris threw herself to the floor, her forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. "It’s all my fault!" she wailed. "I should have watched her more closely. Punish me for my negligence, Milady Countess, but please, spare Cassandra!"
Suzy stared at Doris, her anger momentarily forgotten. What was going on here? Why was Doris taking the blame for something that wasn’t her fault?
The Countess glared down at Doris, her nostrils flaring. "You!" she thundered. "You dare to show your face after such negligence? This is a disaster! Do you understand the repercussions of your carelessness?"
Doris, tears welling in her eyes, nodded frantically. "Yes, My Lady! Please, punish me! But spare Milady Cassandra! It’s all my fault!"
"Hold her down!" Helene screeched, her voice laced with a fury that sent shivers down Suzy’s spine. Two burly maids materialized from behind the Countess, their faces blank as they grabbed Suzy’s arms, pinning them behind her back.
Suzy struggled against their grip, her heart pounding a frantic tattoo in her chest. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" she shrieked, but her voice was lost in the Countess’s tirade.
Ignoring Suzy’s pleas, Helene turned to another maid who stood by the door, a small bundle clutched in her hand. "The whip," Helene hissed, her voice barely a whisper. "Now!"
The maid stepped forward, her face grim, and presented the whip to the Countess. Doris, who had been kneeling at Helene’s feet, let out a strangled cry.
"No, please, my Lady!" she begged, her voice thick with tears. "Punish me! It’s all my fault! Spare Milady Cassandra!"
Suzy’s heart hammered against her ribs. A whip. They were going to whip her?
With a predatory glint in her eyes, Helene grabbed the whip, its leather thongs curling menacingly. Suzy strained against the maids’ grasp, her pleas swallowed by the rising tide of terror.
"Don’t!" Doris shrieked, lunging forward in a desperate attempt to shield Suzy. But the Countess’s hand shot out, a cruel smile twisting her lips.
Helene’s eyes narrowed. "Silence, you fool! You’ll have your turn." With a cruel smile, she raised the whip, the leather thwacking menacingly in the air.
Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape, a weapon, anything to defend herself.
But there was nothing. Just the two maids holding her captive, the tear-stained face of Doris, and the cruel glint in Helene’s eyes. A whimper escaped her lips, a sound that seemed to echo in the vast emptiness of the room.
The first blow landed on Suzy’s back, a searing streak of pain that ripped the breath from her lungs. A strangled cry escaped her lips, tears blurring her vision.
"You ungrateful thing!" Helene snarled, her voice dripping with icy contempt. "Don’t you realize the sacrifice your family is making for you? A Duke! A man of wealth and power! And you have the audacity to cause such a scene!"
Each word was punctuated by another lash of the whip, the leather tearing at Suzy’s clothes, leaving angry welts on her exposed skin. Her body screamed in protest, but her spirit refused to break.
"You should be grateful, Cassandra," Helene continued, her voice laced with a sickening sweetness. "Grateful that the Duke accepts you, even with your... deformities."
Suzy’s blood ran cold. Deformities? What deformities? The beauty standards of this world made her blood boil. What’s wrong with freckles and dimples?
As the whip bit into her flesh again, Helene’s voice switched gears, turning silky smooth with a hint of malice. "Or are you jealous, Cassandra? Jealous of your sister, Isabelle? Jealous of how flawless she looks, how perfect she is?"
Suddenly, a primal rage surged through Suzy, a desperate need to fight back. With the strength she managed to gather, she threw her weight against the maids, sending them staggering back.
Before they could react, Suzy lunged for the whip, snatching it from Helene’s grasp. The Countess recoiled, surprise flickering across her face.
Suzy didn’t hesitate. She flung the whip across the room, the leather thongs uncoiling like a defeated snake. Then, she met Helene’s gaze, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"Don’t you dare touch me again," Suzy rasped, her voice hoarse. "I’m not your punching bag."
Helene, momentarily stunned by Suzy’s defiance, sputtered incoherently.
"You... you insolent chit!" she finally screeched, her voice shrill with outrage. "How dare you speak to me in such a tone! Do you forget who I am?"
Suzy stood her ground, her chin held high despite the tremors running through her body. "I don’t care who you are," she retorted, her voice surprisingly steady. "You may be the Countess here, but you have no right to treat me like this!"
Helene’s eyes narrowed. She had never seen this side of Cassandra before. The quiet, submissive girl she had known for years, the one who endured endless barbs and punishments with barely a whimper, was gone.
"Getting stubborn again, are we?" Helene sneered, her voice dripping with icy condescension. "Seems you’ve forgotten your place, Cassandra. But fear not, I’ll be happy to remind you."
Clapping her hands with a theatrical flourish, Helene summoned a pair of burly guards who materialized at the doorway. "Guards," she commanded, her voice laced with a dangerous sweetness, "take this... unruly girl and lock her up in the storage room in the kitchen. And make sure she doesn’t get any food or water until she learns some manners."
The guards, their faces emotionless, advanced on Suzy. "But... but My Lady," Doris stammered, her voice trembling with fear, "that’s... that’s cruel! Surely there’s another way!"
Helene glared at Doris, her eyes narrowed in icy disapproval. "Silence, you! This is none of your concern. Do as I command!"
Suzy felt a surge of anger and protectiveness towards Doris. This kind woman, the only one who seemed to care about her well-being, was being treated like a servant, not a human being.
"Leave her alone!" Suzy cried, her voice surprisingly steady. "This has nothing to do with her!"
One of the guards, a burly man with a thick beard, reached for her. Suzy flinched, a primal fear clawing at her throat. She wasn’t going back to being restrained, not without a fight.
"I... I’m claustrophobic!" she blurted out, the words tumbling from her lips in a desperate plea. "You can’t lock me in a small space! I’ll... I’ll panic!"
The guards exchanged a hesitant glance. They wondered what this young lady was spewing. Helene, however, seemed unfazed. "You will remain there until you learn to behave like the proper lady you are supposed to be."
The guards, unsure but unwilling to disobey a direct order, grabbed Suzy’s arms roughly. Suzy struggled against their grip, her pleas for mercy swallowed by the heavy oak door as they dragged her out of the room.
She watched in horror as Doris crumpled to the floor, a sob escaping her lips. Helene’s cruelty knew no bounds. She wouldn’t hesitate to hurt anyone who stood in her way.