Defying The Bloody King

Aren't You Ashamed?

Gulping, Seraphina quickly pushed away the medicines from her hand back to Princess Elowen's hands. The Princess was dead sure that Seraphina would immediately take the medicines from her hand, knowing well that being married to an Umbra is an extreme shame to someone of Luminera's bloodline, especially she is the daughter of the Hero who had managed to win against the many battles against the Umbra. But more than that, Princess Elowen had never been rejected by anyone thus she was immediately crossed.

Seraphina furrowed her eyebrows and spoke, "I won't be doing that." She looked back at Elowen's eyes and spoke again firmly, "I do not come there to kill, Princess. I am no killer. I came there to marry a man who will become my husband. Killing my own husband is unheard of."

"Unheard of? What's unheard of is a princess being married to an Umbra!" Princess Elowen had tried not to scream but it had gathered many attentions. She then scoffed, reaching her hand to play with Seraphina's pearl necklaces, "You don't understand it yet? Being married to an Umbra is a deep shame to a Princess, although you aren't on the same title of mine, I thought you would be so embarrassed to death and consider this as a blessing from the Heavens."

Seraphina could see the poison dripping from each of Elowen's words. But she remained firm, "I have never seen this as a shame. I have gone to wed the King of Umbra as a symbol of peace between the two realms. Isn't this— a great honor?"

Elowen was unhappy with how Seraphina seemed that the marriage was something to be proud of, "We are the Luminera! Don't you understand how great of a shame it is to marry the King of that land that had killed many of our own people?"

It wasn't that Seraphina had not thought about it. The Luminera's hatred against Umbra is equivalent to the depth of the sea. There was almost no bottom to their anger towards each other after the hundred years spent on war against the other land. The Umbra had also looked down on the Luminera, and the amount of people they had killed included her own father, the Hero of Dawnfire.

Seraphina however had long relished herself from the idea of revenge. Even though it still haunts in her head that she was about to marry someone who had caused so many suffering to her land, she wasn't someone who could kill another person. She couldn't bear the idea of taking away anyone's life even if her own was stake on it.

She could say this with firmness, "Haven't we killed as many people as the Umbra had to us?"

Elowen's eyes were immediately filled with rage, "FOOLISH! This is why you were sent down you know that?" Gritting her fist, Elowen cursed under her teeth, "Fine, I was not supposed to tell you this but I think after hearing about it perhaps you will finally change your mind, Seraphina."

Seraphina began to feel something grim she heard Elowen who had spoke with a malicious grin, "You weren't supposed to go. It was supposed to be your cousin who will wed the King. Because you are a princess, no one would have sent you but guess what your uncle had done? He chose you. He chose you because he didn't want his own daughter to be sent to his enemy's hand. He knows that monstrous King might kill you as soon as you arrive. Despite it, he still sent you so willingly because he thought you were a better pawn. The people you love had betrayed you long ago and have you even forgotten how you live like a maid because of them?"

Seraphina's heart tinge and she stared bright at Elowen, "So there was a choice that I didn't have to go?"

She could no longer hide the anger that cross her eyes as she imagined her uncle willingly gave her away. That wasn't even the worse part— her uncle must have known how desperate she was to stay with her mother— yet he still chose her to leave because he didn't want his own daughter to go to Umbra. She had thought she had no choice in this matter because of the King's order, but it turns out everything was a sham!

"There was a choice! You weren't even supposed to be the chosen one," Elowen pointed, "Even though now nothing can be changed anymore, I can help you. You can spare yourself from the shame of being wed to that monstrous king. All you have to do is to poison him before you consummate. If you manage to do this, the Crown Prince promise to bring you back from Umbra. He would even do more than that he promise to make sure your uncle will lose his right to your father's inheritance. Which means you will become the head of Dawnfire family again as the Princess. Remember King Throne is a monster. It's either kill or to be killed. Even if you disagree to poison him, keep this to yourself."

Seraphina felt as Elowen's soft fingers touched her palms, pressing the drugs deeper to her hands, "This is for your own sake, Seraphina. Make the good choice. I'm sure you wouldn't be so foolish to leave your own mother here forever."

With her mother mentioned, Seraphina's heart wavered. She held to the poison, not agreeing or disagreeing to the idea of poisoning her soon to be husband. As she contemplate about it, Priestess Lyra had came with a worried expression. She seemed to be aware of the tense air but didn't know what she should say to ease the air considering Elowen is the Princess.

"We should go now," Seraphina said as she walked into the carriage. As much as she wanted to rush back to her uncle and aunt to shout at them for being a merciless monster, she was running out of time. If she back down now, she would be the one punished. Luminera people are extremely unforgiving to sinners and betrayers. Her punishment would be hanging. Either way, she would die if she doesn't enter the carriage by another hour. It angered her deeply to know all of this too late— but she questioned herself if she would be able to change anything by knowing it earlier. She was still powerless...

She then stared outside to the castle where no one was waiting to bid her goodbye. A bitter smile appeared on her face, "They sold me off for their own daughter, tear me away from my mother, marry me to a man who will kill me yet won't even spare a time to say goodbye to me huh."

Seraphina closed her eyes and leaned her head to the wall. Even though she might die, at least her mother is now in the hands of the priestess in the temple and if she did die, money from the castle will be offered to her mother as appreciation. She could be losing her life soon and although she is desperate to remain alive, a part of her was extremely exhausted. She was so angry she could feel hear head ring earlier with a loud headache. Her heart burned as she felt pitiful to herself who was still expectant that her uncle and aunt wouldn't have sold her to danger so willingly.

Yet they did, even worse, none of them feel guilt over it. She felt the urge to scream but couldn't only held it back to her throat.

"What did I even expect?"

She just thought she needed to sleep before making any decision. Decision whether she should run away— kill— or be killed.

Long after she had closed eyelids a sudden shake woke her up. She opened her eyes drowsily, trying to comprehend what was happening only to see a man standing before her. His height towering her, his face covered in the dark duvet of shadow. He reached out his hand toward her knees, his fingers that felt so cold like ice then slowly moved upward to lift her skirt.

His voice was as sweet and droopy as honey as he whispered to her, "Wake up sleepy head, or should I do more to jolt you awake?"