I passed all of the people at the corridor of palace. Duke Theron is beside me and my lady in waiting is behind us.
A lot of gossips while I am walking, until the door opened. A light from the big room makes me blinded for a seconds, but I am very sure that all eyes on me now.
At the moment that I opened my eyes, I saw the person that I hated the most, the people that makes my life miserable for almost nineteen years, and the people that I don't want to get along with.
My father is sitting at his throne and the empress is beside him, while Terrence and Hannah is behind them. They look a perfect family of stupid people, that all they know is to let their pride work overnight instead of improving themselves for their people.
He look angry at me, my father didn't even hide that he is fuming mad at me, maybe because I am alive for many months and I wasn't useful to him, didn't give the favor that he want me to do for him?
Why he didn't give his favorite daughter, Emperor Blake is dead already, or even Kier didn't want Hannah?
"It's a great pleasure to meet the sun of the Drivike empire, emperor Divino." We bowed our heads, and my father didn't even talk.
I feel some gossips at the back, those useless nobility of Drivike empire.
"You may rise now." I rolled my eyes, ans I can feel the heavy stares from my behind now.
I stand still, looking at each expressions that they are showing, and the empress is acting scared, what a naive person.
All of people here know how heartless she is, that assaulting me is like a daily basis for her, to release her disgust to me and to my mother.
The nobles behind me and Duke Theron is like stupid today, as if we don't know their real colors. But that is true, at nobility, it's a power to act like a fool even though you already know the truth.
"Princess Delaney, I want you to explain your side, as what the Princess Hannah said at the last time you and her have an encounter, as a fair ruler of this empire, I'm giving you an opportunity to explain, even you don't deserve to be heard!" I rolled my eyes for the second time and let go of the hand of Duke Theron.
"And the illegal engagement, without my approval?" Duke Theron smirked, and I can't help but to hide my smirk too.
That's true, this engagement is illegal, but if the Duke Theron will push the engagement, there is nothing they can do about it.
Because my real fiance is dead, now I am available.
"Do you have any proof to prove your innocence?" My father asked, smirking at me and I placed my hand at my chest.
"I don't have any, your majesty." I bowed my head after saying that, and the whispers behind me is getting louder.
That I am a monster, like my mother.
The same breed as my mother, and didn't respect the emeperor who raised me and give me privilege, how does this man gave me a privilege if he's the one who abandoned me for my whole existence?
I just want to laugh, he recognized me now as his daughter, but the last time that I checked, I am just a replacement for his lovely daughter.
"How insolent of you, hurting the property of royal family, I command to punish you!" A loud gasp behind me, and Duke Theron looked worried at me now.
"Your illegal engagement, I won't allow that!" Duke Theron glare at my father, and he placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head.
"Your majesty, I'm sorry but even you don't like to approve the engagement, then I will turn down my responsibility as a Duke here at the Drivike empire, will pull out my land and will build my own, as Windsor, not part of Drivike empire." He said fiercely, and my father gulp when the Duke said that without any hesitation.
That's true, Windsor is really rich. It's really big and that land can become a nation itself.
"And I won't hesitate to cut off my ties with royal family, it makes me feel that you don't want me to become part of your family, even you treated me as your own son." Duke Theron raised his head and look coldly at my father.
"It's not that I don't want you to become part of my family, but not Princess Delaney—"
"So you're showing a discrimination to your daughter? But Princess Delaney is the one that I want to marry, she's the one who makes me feel loved and appreciated." My father stood up and raised his voice, calling the sages.
"I'm calling the Great Sage, Azriel. To check the Duke if he's under the curse of my daughter! I have a feeling that you are under the curse of my daughter!" Duke Theron chuckled and shook his head for a short time.
I am just standing here, listening to their little argument.
"If the Great Sage prove that I am not under the curse of Princess Delaney, you shouldn't meddle with my marriage with Princess Delaney, tell it in front of your trusted people and the nobility." Duke Theron said proudly, and my father looked trapped now.
He just making his situation worse now.
"F-fine. Just prove that you're not being used by Delaney," Emeperor Divino said and Sage Azriel showed up, he's looking at me. Holding his staff and bowed his head to my father.
"It's a big opportunity to be summon here, your majesty." Sage Azriel raised his head and I sit down where I am designated to sit, watching how the Sage perform a test to the Duke Theron.
They are whisper something, and Azriel rolled his eyes and show the aura of the Duke.
It's green and yellow, in harmony. "There's no sign of curse or any manipulation, your majesty." My father's swagger stick tapped hard, and obligating all of people here to kneel.
Now, he want to berserk. He embarrassed himself at his own people, all people at the capital see how stupid he is today at this trial.
"I am demanding a hundred whipped to the princess Delaney for attempting to kill her sister, the princess Hannah. And for illegal engagement without my knowledge."
"Prepared to get whipped tonight, I want it as much as possible, now dismiss." He stand up, and walk out of the trial room.
Duke Theron still looked mad, glaring at the emperor, and his empress was with him.
"Your father is really prideful one. He can't admit that he made a mistake now," he whispered and when thw emeperor successful get out of the room, all of the people at trial room stand up.
Princess Hannah went to my direction, and pulled my hair.
All of the people was shocked by the actions of princess Hannah.
"You really act like you're nice, but you're wicked just like your mother! Seducing the Duke!" The Duke tried to stop Hannah, but Terrence was there.
She keep pulling and scratching my arms. Duke was about to hit Terrence, when the Emperor Divino showed up, again.
See how Princess Hannah was assaulting me now.
"Hannah Yuzane Rebinity!" She went pale, and look at the emperor.
"F-father, I was being under the curse!" She utter, but the Sage Azriel showed up beside me.
"Your majesty, I can prove if the Princess Hannah was being under the curse, just like how I perform to the Duke Theron. If you allow me?" My father looked stressed now.
"You don't have to, fifty whipped, I reduced it and Princess Hannah, you will detained for a month!" Hannah is being held with the guards, and Terrence and Duke Theron still glaring at each other now.
"Terrence, stop." Empress demand and Terrence walk away now. Duke Theron is holding me, and the Sage is behind us.
Lady Critesa helped me to fix my hair, and she's crying now.
"Your highness, allow me to get whipped instead of you," lady Critesa asked and I shook my head.
"I can't, if I allow you. They will kill you," I explained and we walk out of the trial room.
All of the nobility are talking, gossiping on hiw the princess Hannah act lately, and now the opinion of nobility, changing each time that the royal family made a mistake.
They finally see how my father think when it comes to his children, the unfair treatment. I know that no one cares about me, but now. He's being unfair, just a detained? Unlike me who got whipped?
But it's okay, all of my sacrifices has a great result. I just have to wait, manipulate the mind of these people and prove that I am more worthy than the successor of my father.
"I won't allow the whipped!" Duke Theron said and I hurriedly went to secluded place.
"It's okay, there will be an impact to the nobility on how my father act lately, do you trust the process?" I asked the Duke and he's hesitating.
"I believe that all of my sacrifices is also part of the plan, today. I should act like I was am, as part of plan, just trust what we are planning." I hold the hand of Duke and showed my half smile.
"How about you, your bruises?" I look behind me, and the Sage Azriel was there, waving his hand and showing his beaming smile.
"I got you, always." Duke Theron feel relief but I can still sense that he's worried, because it's painful.
"I will be alright, just wait after I got punished. Stop lady Critesa, she might force to get involved here, and she is not part of nobility here, even she is part of nobel family of Gribe, she might become target of uncanny people." Duke Theron nod.
I walk away, to the basement.
I took a deep breath and walk, I won't look back. I know that they will stop me again if I look back.
My decision is final, at least the people see what is wrong, they are not that stupid, that the successor is so dumb to become a leader of a big empire like Drivike.
"Princess Delaney," it's Sir William, waiting at the entrance of basement and look around.
"I will guard you there, to make sure that no one will harass you, and I will try my best to lessen the count of your punishment—" I cut him off and look around.
"You don't have to, I will accept what is being sentenced to me, because I am following the rule, even I am a princess." I smile and he opened the door of basement.
So dark and there's a chain.
I changed my clothes, and tied my hair. The one who is in charge for my punishment is here.
Even though I want to manipulate this man, it can still be noticable once that they will test it using the Great Sage Azriel.
I won't do anything, just let this punishment and recover.
They tied me using the chain, facing the small window that is showing the rays of moonlight.
It will be a long night, I need to stop the bleeding once that they start, so the damage won't be fatal.
"The whipping punishment will start, at the count of one." I took a deep breath, and the whip hit my back and legs.
I didn't make a noise, just taking a deep breath and enduring the pain. This will end soon, I know that I didn't do anything wrong.
"Eleven!" He shouted and still whipping behind me, I can feel that they are terrified, I didn't make a noise even the whip sounds is heard all over the whole place.
"What the?" They still continues to hit my back using the whip leather.
I look at the window, and there's an eye or it's just my imagination.
The eyes seems terrified when it feels that I am looking at it.
"Go on, make it fast." I whispered and smiling from ear to ear.
This isn't painful at all, because my whole existence is enough suffering that I had since the day I born is also the day that I died.
"Twenty nine!" He seems tired, and changed who is whipping the leather at my back.
I can feel the hot fluid at my back, taking a deep breath and look behind me.
"Is that it?" They step back and feel that I am staring at them, they look terrified.
"Monster!"