Celine's expression didn't change, even as her mind raced, "Are you jealous that I'm not this weak with you, father?—ouch!"
Her father's eyes turned sharp, almost cutting her in half, as he squeezed her hand to shut her up, "I have no tolerance for your brattiness today, Celine. I'm giving you a chance to come clean right now."
Denying any kind of involvement with the hay head would be a smarter thing to do, but she was so far gone that she was happy to be associated with Lucian in any way possible.
Before heading to the carriages, they made a detour to her father's office. There was only one thing that he could do to change her attitude, and that was the hidden door behind the bookshelf.
He lit up the torch on the wall and made his way down the stone steps. She followed behind him, her hands holding the sides of her dress so as not to trip on the hem.
"Ah, I haven't come down here in a while," she commented as they reached the bottom, "I must have behaved well through the years."
He didn't say anything, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries. He had found out about her feelings toward Lucian, and was disappointed.
She was disappointed in herself too, but she couldn't make herself regret it.
The punishment room was built of stone and wooden floorboards. Two desks where she and her brother used to sit side by side were pushed to the corner.
Two beds on top of each other (bunkbeds) reminded her of the nights she had to endure her brother's crying, unable to sleep. He was the less resilient one. Cabinets of documents and ledgers on the walls were the only decoration to the room.
Her father grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving further, "Two pawns are better than one. If one gets stuck, the other will move forward," he reminded her, "How is it with King Eon? You didn't give up on the plans after you got attached to a hay head, did you?"
"What if I did?" she asked.
A slap landed on her face, snapping her head to the side.
"Are you sure you want to be this rebellious on the day of your engagement?" her father asked.
"You already know, father, so what─"
Another slap came, this time stronger.
Her eyes burned from the sting, and her right hand immediately went to cover her reddening cheek.
"Face the wall."
Celine took off her shoes and began to walk forward, removing her dress on the way, keeping only her inner dress on.
Facing the wall was a typical kid's punishment; supposed to make them reflect on their actions.
He raised her arm and cuffed her wrist to the metal ring on the wall, then did the same with her other arm. The mirror before her showed her the red handprint on her cheek, and her father standing behind her.
"You want to serve a man, and kneel in his shadow?" he asked with a tone so calm, like he was talking about the weather, not about chaining her like an animal, "If you start acting like a pathetic woman, I will treat you like one."
"Not pathetic, just an honest daughter who is confessing her feelings," Celine said, her tone equally calm, "Wouldn't you prefer to know the truth than be lied to?"
A slash of a whip sounded in the air, but it was the pain on her shoulder blades that made her hiss out. The force of the impact made her muscles ripple like waves.
"You caught feelings for a man who can't even stand up for you. You think he will come for you? He won't. What womanizer would go through the trouble of getting in the kingdom's black books for a mere woman? He is using you, and you are letting him. A man who does not value you, is not a man worth your time."
Her father's words were worse than the whip he held in his hand. They were getting too close to the truth.
"You did your research, father, I see."
"Do you love him?"
"I do-ugh!" Celine's back arched from the second hit, biting back her answer.
"Do you love him, or is he just a tool for you to use?" her father asked again, the whip raising for another strike.
"I love him," she repeated, making the whip land on her shoulder this time.
"And you think he loves you back?" He whipped her again.
"Hopefully...yes," she gritted her teeth when the whip landed on her back, cutting through her dress and marking her skin.
"He does not. You are just another woman in his collection. Delusion is a dangerous thing for a woman in your position. He is probably sleeping with every whore he can get his hands on as we speak."
The whip kept hitting her, tearing into her skin. The shackles cut into her wrists as she pulled on them, trying to endure the pain. His words were driving her mad, and she wanted to rip his throat out for daring to say them out loud.
"Men lie to get into a woman's bed, Celine. They will say they love you, but the moment they have you, they will start looking for the next prey," he was not holding back, "Especially men who are new to money and power. They will drown in their new lifestyle, and you will be forgotten."
The reflection of Celine's face in the mirror was twisted in rage, her eyes like a beast's. He was testing her patience, and she would be damned if she lost control of the situation, "I thought you would teach me something new, father, my memory is not that short."
He struck her again, making her body jerk, "You know, yet you still let yourself fall into this trap? What's so special about that man?"
She remained silent. She didn't want to say anything more when she was on the verge of snapping.
"Does he make you feel special?" He hit her again, "With a handsome face and sweet words? He probably tells you that you are his one and only, how he will kill for you, die for you─"
"You can't make Rochefort change their mind. You should know that better than anyone, father," she cut him off, blood dripping from her lips as she bit them, "I have decided, and I'm seeing this through. So save your breath, father."
"I can't change your mind, but I can change the Crown Prince's," he knew he couldn't break Celine's will, so he used another method to get to her, "When the prince finds out that there's more to you than the foolish act you put on, do you think he will hate you?"
He continued, "No. He will be mesmerized, and he will not let anyone have you but himself. Your hay head won't be able to do anything about it. He can't fight the Crown. You deserve a man, who will chase you to the end of the world if need be. Not a coward who hides in the shadows."
He knew Lucian worked from the shadows. He did not underestimate the man Celine had chosen for herself, but he was well aware of his limitations.
"Do you still love him?"
"Yes." The whip hit her again, not stopping even when her legs gave out, and she hung from her wrists. She continued to say she loved Lucian even when the blood stained the whip, and her back was a mess of criss-crossed cuts.