Another Cinderella Story

22. Betrayal ~Liam~

"He stole my crown! Punishable by death!" Father bellowed through the heavy polished wood door, his words so loud I could hear them from the other side. Ella's and my hands were tied with guards surrounding us, so there was no hope of escaping. Listening to my father's yells of frustration over his stupid crown were enough to keep my mind off my fate.

"And we found the thief! What are you so angry about?" Mother said back to him, her voice rising.

"You told me to lead him into thinking I was on his side! You told me to act anguished as though he had died from a terrible fever! You said that you would ask nothing else from me! I know this is another one of your manipulations, Mary. You set him up to it, and we need to make an example of him! Public execution is the only way, but you're telling me that I can't punish this criminal just because I have to be mourning my son's death," Father said.

His betrayal stung. I thought I had an ally in this prison of luxury, but he was just as evil as Mother.

"Stop shouting," Mother said, her cool voice growing harder to hear through the thick door. "They'll hear you outside," she said.

Father growled, and I heard his footsteps over to the door before he flung it open. I saw him like I had never seen him before, with that certain glint in his eyes that only people with Mother's cruel ambition seemed to possess. Why hadn't I seen it in him before?

"Come in," he said to me and Ella.

My breaths shook as I walked over the intricately woven carpet across the impeccably clean cream-colored tiles. This palace was just as cold as my ruthless parents now.

My eyes traveled the length of the room to where a middle-aged man was tied to one of our marble Corinthian columns. His face was haggard and frightened.

"Don't look at him son. Nothing but a low down thief who thought he could get away with stealing my crown," Father said.

I slowly turned my head away, but not before Ella cried out in disbelief, "Father!"

All eyes turned to her— even the guards who still had their weapons trained on us.

Mother looked amused.

"Did you steal the crown father?" she asked. "Is it true?"

There was silence in the room before the man — Angus — nodded. "I did it for you Ella. You didn't deserve to live in poverty or in the fake riches of the glass slippers."

I turned to her and saw she was crying. It was unbearable, and I turned my head away.

"Ella, you will be the ruler, and I shall use him as an example of how you treat criminals who try to get the better of a princess," mother said.

"I'm not your princess," Ella said, her voice choked from tears.

"Now, now," Mother said. Her words were sweet on the surface, you could hear the sharpness underneath. "Your title will soon be queen, but let's not jump to that so quickly."

"I won't give him any sentence," Ella said. Her voice was stronger now.

A breeze rattled the open window, and goosebumps spread over my skin.

Mother smiled. "It's going to be a very long night for both of you."