Krysta has spent 4 years in this underground cell. She narrated the older tragedies to Terren, stroking her messy hair as though she's telling a lore.
She began softly;
"This all started not at the Bi-annual ball. No no, that senile Emperor started his shenanigans, long ago..."
Krysta fell back with a sigh. A water droplet that was hanging for a while on the cell ceiling, falls to the ground. She laid her face against the stone floor, rubbing her cheek and absorbing the cooling sensations she felt from it.
One day, all those years back. She was a free-living curious 5-year-old who was always glued to her dad's side. That day, she went out to pick flowers to make a bouquet. She was taught in one of her many etiquette lessons, how to design a meaningful bouquet. She went to this exquisitely large greenery where flowers are on the west side, grains in the north side, fibres in the east side, just like the Tri petre food production. A beautiful tea party area was at the south side, near the entrance.
Krysta was always amazed by the "green mansion" no matter how many times she snuck in. Her excited-self began racing round and picking flowers, knocking over anything in reach. She finally found the most beautiful flower patch and she said to herself "Perfect!"
"Oh my, dear. You'll soil your clothes!' an old maid walking through the flower garden spoke in a kind manner. 'Get up, child' she instructed as she leaned over but young Krysta fell flat from her squatting and began rolling across the tilted garden floor till she rolled all the way into the legumes area, hitting her back on a full-grown watermelon, smashing it to bits-n-pieces.
The old gardener; Heather, rushed to help her from her hunched form but, a spine-tingling pain shot to her head. She slumped on the spot and lost consciousness.
"Don't worry, she's fine", she said giggling to herself. A maid's shrill voice forced the child to sit up. The young girl grew pale and ran to help the old gardener, "Heather! Get up, please!! My dad will kill us!!!", she grew scared. The gardener didn't wake up.
Her father; Duke Qazier Cauldrin, was a strict man who was enamored with family. Despite Krysta being the only child, she was trained to be modest and any form of acting out will have serious punishments. He only hit her inner thighs in severe cases and it was always cases where people were afflicted.
The maids rushed her to the ducal clinic, instructed by the butler, using his worker's pass. The pass gives any commoner access to royal facilities like the clinic and living quarters. The butler looked over at the quivering girl with a soiled dress and bloody fingers, all he could do was sigh.
A cold wind filled the manor. The butler felt uncomfortable all day.
That night, the duke called her to his room and ordered for a deadly whip. He hit her with 20 lashes for causing harm to her subordinates. She fell ill and was out cold for 4 days, missing the Queen's birthday celebration. It enraged the King and caused him to declare something devious.
"I, King Derther, am enraged by the absence of The Duke Cauldrin. He not only supported avoiding noblesse oblige, he is involved in child abuse", he told a guard to bring the abducted Krysta to the ballroom in her pajamas. She stared in fear as the King made her into a freakshow. "I hereby call him to trial for custody of his child and property. He has failed to show good examples to all my people"
"N-no", she tried to convince the scrutinizing stares, "my-my daddy just wanted me to be nice to the old lady. That's all…"
"Don't worry, I as the king, will protect you"
He got down from his throne and went to pat her head. Then, he gave an exasperated flick of his wrist. His eyes shone with a sinister light and the guards bundled up the child who was sleeping soundly 2 hours ago, dreaming of her mother. She began kicking and whining after his statement, as the guard who secretly kidnapped her, took her out of the ballroom. He used her mistake to ruin her family. The tension between the 2 families can't be cut with diamonds and now, her family will be at his mercy.
The King never liked the Duke. First, the Queen developed feelings for the Widower Duke Cauldrin, then, the Duke developed the biggest chain of business and now, his perfect self had a perfect daughter. He'll raise Krysta to take revenge on her own father. An evil smile danced in the King's mind.
From that moment, the King adopted her and began draining the Cauldrin family for every speck they were worth. Yet, they looked so perfect on the surface, not losing that noble glow. The duke still sent her dresses every month, never forgot her birthday, and came to visit her every time he finished work early. He made plenty of petitions to sway public opinion, but the king won't return Krysta. And surely, she grew up just like her father.
It went on for 10 years until she was sent to Royal boarding schools, across the entire country to 'groom'. Although she was treated like the future queen, she was enslaved. She had no servants, in fact, she was the king's personal chambermaid. Also, she'd be beaten anytime the king felt like it and he'd serve it as wine at one of his personal feasts. Still, she bore it all.
The day she turned 14, she stepped out of her birthday dinner, her family didn't come;her father came to her, covered in wounds and scars that would tear the eyes of its beholder.
"Dad!", she remembered calling out. She braced him just as he lost his standing and stumbled. The pain in his voice could only be masked so little.
"Dad!", she cried out but even in his state, he reassured her, "I'm fine. J...just need to sleep", leaving her standing there, her face to squeeze and wrinkle in unsheathed rage.
Her memory began failing her recently, but she could never forget her father's sacrifice. At 16 years, finally of age, she returned to the Empire's capital on one of the long holidays; The Autumn Equinox, she made it her agenda to strike a deal with the King.
After relentless days of writing contracts, sending letters and trying to meet the King despite them being in the same building, he finally granted her a night audience in his quarters. From a distance, she spoke boldly enough to hide her fears. Her voice trembled ever so little. Despite his age, he was once a tyrant in his youth and that hasn't changed.
…
"I would spare your family, if...", she held the air in her lungs, her heart playing like bongos "...you sell yourself to me. Become a Hearthron, work exclusive for me and become my puppet"
"The actual fuck, who'd agree to that right off the bat", she rebuked, pushing back. She has had it. She gave him several propositions, even 80% of everything they owned was his yet, all he wanted was to "own" her. She is not a thing that he can claim to own. With blinding rage, she left, leaving him to dive into his dirtiest thoughts.
The King had a lot in store for his soon-to-be prized possession.
She returned to school sour than ever. She didn't show her problems, but everyone knew that something happened nonetheless no one knew. Better for her.
An unfortunate day soon came. She was returning to her dorm in this expensive school on one depressing Wednesday. She got a parcel straight from the palace. The gory content made her drop the parcel instantly. She collapsed instantly on sight of a pinky with her dad's insignia.
She started failing in school, cut off her friends,
She knew he wanted her to distance herself. That was the message. For her sake.
Around 5 years ago…
Krysta was in a bind. She was secretly given odd jobs from King Derther to alleviate the debt of her family failing a 'royal decree'. They ranged from assassination to interrogation, even restocking the King's private pantry. She was stuck under his thumb, for the price of her father's life.
The night of her graduation, she didn't go for the after party. Instead, she wore a male burglar's disguise and snuck into the house of Baron Elli. He has somehow angered the King and now, she is to clean them from existence.
Like a gymnast, she jumped into a tall nearby tree and vaulted herself over the wall. She entered swiftly through a window on the 1st floor. She hid by the next corner, took the patrolling guards off guard and sent a needle to their acupoints, killing them without bloodshed. When she started this, it was not long after her adoption so she used a knife. She was mercilessly trained by that senile King himself.
It took almost 2hrs to reach the heart of the manor. The peacefully sleeping Baron and his wife didn't suspect anything. She still had a conscience and ensured that her victims had a sleep-like death.
She quickly made it out of the manor through the front gate, another successful mission. Suddenly, a paper bag dropped to the ground. Krysta didn't bother to check and quickly ran across the street. She climbed kiosks, bungalows and higher buildings, making an escape on the rooftop.
Irvin Huston made another jailbreak and went to get himself some pastries before his rearrest when he saw the so-called King's treasure; Krysta Cauldrin emerging from a quiet manor like a thief.
A dirty plan formed in his head.
Now here she was, at the Bi-annual ball. Her 3-tier dress caught the eyes of many. At the beginning, she was already avoiding dances from people; men and women.
A fruity-floral smell made all the fruits bland. The air felt hazy and she couldn't help but trace its source. Behind one of the pillars, a man in a penguin mask, stared in her direction
She felt entranced, his green eyes resembled a deep jungle, curiosity to journey in. She moved in his direction, her heels sounding on the tiles. The mysterious man vanished behind the pillar and she followed him out of the ballroom.
They say that when a hunter has a prey in mind, he lays a trap so deep, in plain sight and yet the prey falls for it.