Ivory
“Care to explain what the fuck this is about?” He barked out after pulling me into a room that adjoined his throne room.
It was so spacious and heavily decorated but I was too busy worrying about my life to admire any of that.
Auden was standing a few feet away from me, his eyes blazing with so much rage as it raked over the mess I was covered in.
The look in his eyes made my entire insides quake with an intense amount of fear.
“I… I don’t…” I stumbled over my words until he growled, and a scared whimper left my mouth.
“Start speaking! Why are you covered in food? And why the hell did you interrupt my meeting? Why did you come up my wing despite me warning you agsinst that?” As each word left his mouth, he slowly narrowed the distance between us.
I desperately wished there was anywhere i could run to, but the wall was plastered against my back.
“I… I didn’t disobey you on purpose, I’m sorry!” I cried out while my heart thumped away.
He barked out a low laugh as he finally got fully close to me, so close that his scent assulted my nose instantly.
“People don’t mistakenly break rules, ivory. You must want to be punished so badly, huh?” He leaned even closer, his breath brushing my ear.
My eyes widened from panic as I quickly shook my head.
“Start speaking then, and it better be quick.” He bit out on pulling away this time.
I bit back a whimper, wringing my hands nervously before starting to speak.
“M- Miss Violet h- has been… s- she made all the other maids treat me like a m- maid and force me to clean, unless i got s- starved.” I began fast, my voice thin and shaky from fear.
“I- I was hurt if I resisted, and m- Miss Violet gave the maids permission to treat me h- however they pleased. They poured these food on me this morning b- because I asked for a fruit before starting my c- chores, and that was after they snuck into my room and cut my hair offI… I thought—”
He held a hand up, his gaze sharp.
“Why the fuck are you lying to me?”
“What?” I whispered, and his eyes raked over me one last time, then he swung his hand.
I cried out in panic, squeezing my eyes close.
But when nothing happened, I tentatively opened my eyes and I realized he only picked up a strand of my hair.
And he looked even more furious now.
“Didn’t you say your hair was cut? Why the fuck is it still long? Or are you trying to say it grew back in hours?” He demanded sharply and I shook my head.
“I- it grew back under thirty minute—”
“Bullshit. That’s how I know you’re only lying right now. No hair can grow back that fast, which means everything you just said was a lie!” His voice was higher now and my stomach twisted bitterly.
“I swear, I’m telling the truth.” I cried out but he wasn’t listening anymore.
“Not only did you boldly lie to my face after disrupting my meeting, you had the audacity to fabricate lies against Violet,”
My hands trembled at my sides as I shook my head fast.
“I- I wasn’t lyin..:”
“Silence!” He roared and I whimpered, my shoulders hunching up.
“I assume everyone in the palace has already seen you in such a ridiculous state, and what do you think my council members are thinking now after seeing you? Huh?” He continued in a sharp voice that made more fright ripple through me.
“They’re undoubtedly wondering what kind of insane bride I got myself. And you only did all of this— purposely dumping food over yourself and stomping all the way here with those little ass feet, to most likely get my attention.”
My heart thumped hard against my ribs as I desperately shook my head, unable to believe my ears.
If I had guessed that he’d react like this, I’d never have tried doing this.
I only assumed it was better I tried getting myself out of my situation to avoid facing the same thing for the rest of my life until when I’ll get discarded.
Auden’s hand landed on the spot beside my head and I flinched, trembling hard against the wall while blinking up at him.
“Are you forgetting the first rule I gave to you? It was to never ever lie to me.”
A heartbeat passed.
A dejected, horrified wail left my lungs when he pulled away and summoned his guards.
All my attempts to explain the situation to him once again got ignored, and I almost fainted when the guards roughly grabbed my hands.
“Take her to the rooftop, and have her kneel on the iron there.”
“No! Please no!” I cried out loudly, kicking with all my might but the guards holding me up didht even waver.
And I was dragged out after that.
On the roof, I was forced to kneel in a spot made of pure iron.
It’s been under the blazing sun for hours, meaning it was hot enough to fry eggs.
I let out a scream as my knees made contact with the smooth surface, tears sprouting out my eyes as biting pain shot through my knees, blazing through my body.
I doubled over, my voice breaking as I cried out in pain
I’d have fully fallen over if it wasn’t for the ropes around my wrists, pinning my hands high above my head.
Guards stood beside me, and they made no move to intervene.
The pain refused to stop and instead worsened, and at some point, my head grew wozzy and my eyes spinned.
I was sniffling, pain throbbing in my scalded knees, and my entire life feeling like the biggest joke ever… when the loud clicks of heels pulled me out of my inner thoughts.
Then I watched as Violet leisurely approached me, in an elegant purple dress and matching silhetoes, stopping right in front of me and regarding me with a condescending look.
“Look who’s right at my feet… where she clearly belongs.”
She let out a loud laugh, throwing her head back while her entire body shook.
And as I stared up at her; rage simmered underneath my skin, along with a deep wish to strangle her to death right now.