Toxic Obsession: Massimo Maxence (Emperor Series, #2) ✔️

Chapter 33

Chapter 33 

BRIELLE couldn't just stop sobbing. Her heart is aching as she trudges through the cold night to the elder's pavilion. What's happening to her is too much, and she needs to take action; if that means kneeling, then she'll do it. She's desperate; please don't touch her family or she'll break into pieces. Her breaking point is the suffering of her family; let her suffer alone but don't involve her family at all.

She knocked hardly at the elder's door, and the old man opened it with a disgusted look. But Brielle doesn't care anymore if she looks like a peasant begging for food; she needs to save her family; she needs to do this, and the only person she doubts is this old man. This might be the consequence of her actions; the elder made a move when she did not leave.

Brielle immediately kneeled at her lowest point, her face already licking the cold and dirty floor. "Elder, did I wrong you?"

The elder scoffed, "Look at you, crawling like a peasant. Ah, you are a peasant."

Brielle sobbed loudly, "What did I do wrong? I'm sorry. I'll repent. I'll remorse. I'll do everything to make up for my mistakes."

The elder frowned and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"I don't mean to be rude, sir. But please stop making things hard for me. I'm just a servant—" She cried louder, but she was cut off when the elder kicked her.

"You insolent, disgusting slut! Are you accusing me right now? So you're saying I'm the one making you miserable?" The elder yelled. It's a good thing they were the only ones in that hall, or others will see how badly she's being treated.

Brielle trembled, her courage slowly succumbing, "No, no... I'm sorry..."

"Disgusting! Disgusting! Insolent slut! A bitch!" The elder swung his cane, hitting Brielle barely on her head, saying, "I'm not just an elder, so Massimo will listen to me. I'm his father's trusted friend. How dare you disrespect me?"

But Brielle couldn't contain it anymore; everything's been so hard for her, and she can't just back out because of the pain caused by the elder's cane. She wailed, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"This bitch!" The elder slapped her face; it echoed throughout the hallway, and Brielle's sobs became louder because of her desperation and pain.

Brielle lowed herself more, "Why are you doing this to me? I did not seduce him! I was the victim in the first place!"

The elder continued hitting her with his cane, saying, "Shut up, you slut! You did! The Emperor will not be like this if you didn't do anything! All he talks about is you; did you put something on his meal?"

"I didn't do anything! So please stop! Stop doing this to me, Elder." She begged. "I didn't do anything! Not my family, please!"

"Look at you, a wailing slut. You deserve to weep because you are a disgusting slut!" The elder gripped her hair badly, making her look up.

"I'm not a slut, I'm not a bitch—" she bravely said, but she was eventually cut off when the elder slapped her face barely once again.

"No! You are a slut! People like you should be banished from the palace!" The elder spat saliva on her, "Don't you dare try to talk with the Emperor ever again or your beloved family will face the consequences! You think the Emperor will do something to help you? Are you out of your mind? He'll just laugh at you and throw you away! You are just a toy!"

Brielle's fear arose: "No! No! Please stop! Stop doing this to me! I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you doing this to me?" This old man can do more; this is just the beginning of her suffering because she did not listen when she was told to leave. Now her family is experiencing the consequences of her actions.

Brielle was crying loudly when the guards came. They took her harshly away from the elder.

"Throw her away!" The elder told the guards.

Brielle tried to thrash away against the guards, saying, "No, let go! Please, elder, I'm begging you: Not my family."

The elder hooked her chin up by his cane and said, "I don't know what the fuck happened to your family, but all I can say is you deserve it. So go, leave this place, and never come back before I do things with my own hands."

Brielle continued thrashing away; she's desperate. If only she could do this in front of the Emperor, she'd have done it already. But she's scared she might receive worse or deadlier punishments. And the Emperor might not know anything about this; it's the elder; if not the old man, then Brielle doesn't know anymore. She can just die sad.

She was thrown into the servants' hall. There, she continued to cry her heart out. She wailed loudly, not minding the other servants walking past her. Her family was banished, and it's truly breaking her soul. She's working in the palace for her family, and now her family's suffering because of her. How would she make amends for everything? She just wants to work. How could all of this happen now?

Will the Emperor help her? He's her only choice now. Maybe, after what has happened to them, he will listen to her and offer her some help. Although it might sound impossible, at least she tried. The Emperor... but how would she make a move when the Emperor's not in the mood lately?

She was hardly crying; she was sobbing in pain. But she paused when she heard someone else crying beside her as well. She looked behind her, and her heart sank deeper when she saw Winter sobbing as well. Oh no, what happened? Is she crying because Brielle is crying? 

"Brielle..." Winter called.

"Winter," she replied. Although she's at her downfall, she caressed Winter's cheeks to listen. "Why are you crying?"

Winter sobbed louder, her agony showing: "I think I might be pregnant."

Brielle's eyes widened; she eventually stopped crying to console her friend, even though she was hurt as much as her. "Oh God? Winter? What happened..."

Brielle never thought that Winter's next word would totally end her soul that night. The pain came all at once, breaking and shattering her heart and soul, and her mind stopped processing all of a sudden.

"The Emperor..." Winter replied.

Brielle froze, "What?"

Winter cried harder, "He was drunk, Brielle... I was serving him one night, and that night, he and I kissed, and we made love."

"W-what?" Brielle fell on her knees. There was no one and nothing to support her. She fell onto her knees with agonizing pain in her chest.

"I told him I was just a servant, and yet he continued. He knew it was me; he even called me..." Winter almost whispered, "He made love to me, Brielle."

"Winter?" Brielle's tears began rushing down like a stream.

Winter caressed her belly and said, "He's now betrothed to aristocrats in his harem. What will happen to me now?"

"Winter..." Brielle held her temple as an excruciating pain crawled around her head. "I don't know... I don't know what to do now."

Brielle began crying loudly again as she tried to stand, "Please stop. I can't anymore. I can't take this anymore."

Winter cried with her, "Yes, Brielle... something happened between me and the Emperor."

"No, stop! Please stop..." Brielle cried while running towards her room, "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

What's happening? Why is everything crashing today all at once? Is there more trouble coming? Can they all come at once so she could carry them in one go? Why today?

She was supposed to walk to her room, but her feet brought her to the matron's room.

"Matron," she called.

The matron looked at her in shock, probably because she looked dead, and said, "Xara?"

Brielle replied dryly, as if her mind were not in the right state: "My wage. Please give it to me."

"Xara..."
 
Brielle cried once again, "Matron, I want to escape. Please help me escape."