THE KING'S POSSESSION

Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Six Years Ago






The West Kingdom was a land of beauty and strict traditions. Princess Victoria was the cherished daughter of the king and was known for her grace and poise. Yet, beneath her royal demeanor, she harbored a secret that defied her father's expectations.

In the shadowed halls of the palace, Victoria had found comfort in the company of Benjamin Marlowe, the scholarly son of Head Minister Marlowe from the Middle Kingdom. Their clandestine meetings were filled with whispered conversations of their affection. Benjamin's intelligence and gentle nature captivated Victoria, and their bond deepened into a forbidden love.

One moonlit night, as they stood in the secluded corner of the palace, Benjamin took her hand and spoke earnestly, "Victoria, we cannot hide forever. Let us find a way to be together openly. Let us be married. No. Will you marry me Victoria?"

Victoria who was overwhelmed by her love for Benjamin, nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Of course I will marry you."

But fate had other plans. The king, learning of their illicit affair, was furious. Without Victoria's knowledge, he ordered Benjamin's execution days later. The scholar was taken in the dead of night, his life ended swiftly and without mercy.

As the next morning came, while Victoria waited in their usual meeting spot, her heart was filled with anticipation. The pavilion was quiet and the air was filled with the soft scent of blooming roses. She paced nervously, glancing down the path every few moments, expecting to see Benjamin's familiar figure emerging from the shadows. Minutes turned into hours, but Benjamin never came.

Instead, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, a stern-faced guard approached her. His heavy steps on the gravel path made her heart sink. She knew something was wrong.

"Your Highness, I bring news," the guard said, his voice cold and formal.

Victoria turned to him, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What news?" she asked, her voice trembling. She could not possibly ask for Benjamin's whereabouts knowing well that nobody knew about their relationship.

The guard's expression remained hard, his eyes unforgiving. "Your Highness, I regret to inform you that Benjamin Marlowe is... gone."

The princess's voice trembled, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean he's... gone?"

The guard replied once more, his tone was devoid of sympathy. "By the king's order, Benjamin Marlowe was executed last night."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

"No!" Victoria screamed, her voice echoing through the garden. "That can't be true! He wouldn't... He couldn't..." She clutched at the man's arm, her nails digging into his sleeve as if holding on to him would somehow make the news untrue.

But the guard roughly pried her hands away and his face was a mask of stern duty. "Your Highness, the king's will is absolute. Benjamin Marlowe's execution was carried out as a matter of necessity."

With that, her knees buckled. But instead of collapsing, she sprang up, driven by a desperate need to disprove the guard's words. "No! I need to see him! I need to see for myself!" she frantically cried.

Victoria ignored the guard's attempts to stop her and ran through the palace grounds, her heart pounding in her chest. Her vision blurred with tears as she sprinted toward the execution grounds. Every step felt like a lifetime, her mind refusing to accept the reality that awaited her.

The moment she arrived, the scene was eerily quiet. Her eyes immediately fell on a body lying on the ground, covered with a white cloth. Her breath caught in her throat, and she stumbled forward, her hands shaking as she reached out to uncover the face beneath the cloth.

"Please, no... Please, let it not be him..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

But as she lifted the cloth, her worst fears were confirmed. There lay Benjamin, his face battered and cold, lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky. Victoria's scream of agony pierced the stillness of the morning, a sound of such raw pain that it seemed to echo across the entire kingdom.

She fell to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she touched his cold, lifeless face. "Benjamin... No, no, no..." she sobbed, her tears falling onto his skin. "You can't be gone... You can't leave me..."

Her cries grew louder, more desperate, as she clung to his body, her heart shattering with every passing moment. "This can't be happening! We were supposed to be together! We were supposed to be happy!" she wailed, her voice filled with an anguish that seemed to consume her very soul.

"Benjamin, you need to open your eyes," she sobbed, her tears falling onto his cold skin. "You have to see our child. I'm pregnant, Benjamin. You have to see our baby."

As she cradled his lifeless body, the enormity of her words seemed to echo around her. The palace, which had once been a place of secret joy, now felt like a tomb. Her tears flowed freely, her heart breaking not just for herself but for the life that would never know its father.

Unbeknownst to her, her father, the king, had arrived at the execution ground. He had come to ensure that his order was carried out and was now standing a few paces away, having overheard her heart-wrenching confession. His face twisted with fury at her revelation.

"Victoria!" he bellowed, his voice thunderous and filled with wrath. "What did you say?"

Victoria looked up, her tear-streaked face contorting in fear and defiance. "Father... I...," she stuttered, her voice trembling. "Benjamin and I... we were going to start a family. But you killed him! Why did you?! He did nothing wrong!"

The king's eyes blazed with fury as he stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. "You do not speak to me that way! You have disgraced this kingdom, Victoria! You know the law! Women who are pregnant without marriage are to be executed!"

Victoria's heart pounded in her chest, a fresh wave of terror washing over her. "No! Father, please!" she begged, her voice breaking. "Don't do this! Please!"

But the king's face was a mask of cold rage. "You have shamed us all, and you will face the consequences of your actions."

"No!" Victoria cried out, her voice cracking under the weight of her desperation as she cut his words off.

"What?" The king's eyes widened in confusion and disbelief at her defiance.

"No, you will not have me stoned," Victoria declared, her voice trembling yet resolute. "I will marry someone, anyone you wish. Just do not hurt me and my unborn child. Please... Father, this is your grandchild. Please do not hurt us."

The king's expression flickered with a momentary hesitation. Her plea cut through his fury. Victoria fell to her knees, her hands clasped in front of her, tears streaming down her face. "I beg you, Father. Spare us. I will do whatever you ask, but do not let your anger destroy your own flesh and blood. I love Benjamin, and this child... this child is a part of him, a part of me, and a part of you. Please, show mercy."

The silence that followed was thick with tension, the king's stern visage faltering as her words settled upon him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the king spoke, his voice cold and unwavering. "Very well. Prepare yourself to be wed within seven days. If you fail, I will have that child come out of you forcefully like a growing seed being plucked out of the soil." He warned.