A Shattered Dawn

Chapter 20

My father looked at me from his throne with his cool, calculating eyes. My eyes.

"I want to be your heir." He leaned back when he heard my words.

"My child, you are everything a father could want, but you cannot be my heir." He paused, smiling. "If only I had one child..." He shook his head. "You'll have to prove to me that you are worthy of being my heir."

I nodded. I am ready to prove myself to my father.

~~~

I had never killed anyone before I killed Lucia. I couldn't pay a servant to do it—it would be too dangerous with all the rumors that spread around these grounds. I had to do it myself and use the rumors to my advantage.

I was lying in bed, pretending to be asleep so my lover wouldn't hear, and started thinking: How will I ever get what I want without killing Lucia?

I tried to talk myself out of it, but the truth is I had been thinking about it for weeks. It would fix everything—truly everything—for me. It would set all my plans in motion. I just had to plan it right.

So I slipped out of our bedroom without waking my lover and slipped down the hall. Her quarters were near ours, so it was easy to locate her. Unfortunately, she was not alone. She slept with someone else, a man I did not recognize. I was able to cover her mouth and tie her limbs together, dragging her from the room while her muffled screams failed to awake her lover. He wouldn't be able to save her anyway.

I dragged her onto the roof and carefully untied her arms and the rag around her mouth, allowing her to speak.

"You—Why are you doing this?"

I smiled.

"This is the only way, Luce."

I slowly walked toward her, and she backed up until she was leaning against the rail, looking behind her in fear. She had no escape.

"Please, no—"

I pushed her over the edge. She screamed on the way down, and I winced.

So loud.

What a pity she had to die.