castle runaway. ᵈᵒⁿᵍʰʸᵘᶜᵏ

ELEVEN

Monique's POV

They didn't send me to my bed room by the time we arrived. As we climbed up the flight of stairs, I was looking down on my feet and I just noticed how bloody it was. But I didn't feel anything.

The guards dragged me to the throne room and there were my parents, eyes filled with hatred and disappointment. The guard let go of me. The mob bowed at my parents before going back to the Ballroom.

No one spoke for a couple of minutes before Father's voice echoed in every corner of the throne room. "So this was your plan all along?! To escape?! You teamed up with the Head Knight to escape?!"

I didn't look at him, nor at Mother. They were both monsters. "What did we ever do to you? We disciplined you all your life and all you can repay is trying to escape the castle?!"

"DISCIPLINE?" I raised my head and gave them glares. "That was discipline?! Throwing me into the dungeon, making me spend nights with some princes that I do not know, keeping me locked up here, telling me what to do and telling me who I am supposed to be! You call that discipline?!"

"Don't you talk bac--"

"NO! You don't tell me what to do," Mother gasped. "I endured all my suffering because I used to believe you two would change. I gave you every chance I kept but you made me lose my patience. This palace is the description of what you call hell! You only care about the towns people and the kingdom! You don't give a single damn about your daughter that's of your own blood!"

"You are just our daughter!" I was taken aback. "You have maids to feed you, you have your golds and treasures but you preferred books! All we want in you is not to destroy our reputation! If kingdoms see what an animal Crescent's princess is, they will never negotiate with us again!"

"Well, if they knew how the King and Queen of Crescent treated their daughter like a rag doll, they won't ever, ever communicate with terrible rulers like you!" I earned a slap from Mother but I slapped her back. "Don't touch me." I snapped.

"Diamonique Alexandrite, I do not approve of this attitude of yours! You must behave at once!" I scowled. "Why don't you behave?" Mother slapped me again.

"If you want to know why Mark helped me escape," I said, giving them a nasty look. "Because he didn't like you either." Father scoffed. "And he likes you?"

"He loved me," My mind flashed memories of him and of the moment where he lost his life. "He wanted me to be free. He wanted me to be happy even though it means the both of us will be separated. He loved me for what I am."

Father remained stiff. "Well, no one loves you anymore because he's dead." Anger flowed through my veins and I sprinted towards him. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK." I shouted. Two guards held me, one in each arm.

"It's true. Oh, dear, why would anyone love someone like you?" Mother giggled. "One, you tried to escape. Two, you misbehaved in front of us. Three, you talked back to us," Father grinned like a psychopath. "That's three weeks in the dungeon,"

He looked at the guards. "Take her there. Now. And tell the punisher he can touch her wherever he likes to."

"You can't do that!" I cried out. "Oh, but I can."

The guards dragged me to the dungeon. Every step was bloody as we made our way there. I can't fight them off because they were too strong. I am such a petite princess. I should have at least learned how to escape from wraths before sword fighting.

The dungeon door was in front of us and they opened it, the hinges creaked and echoed inside the dark room. A guard suddenly appeared from the room and the guard in my left whispered something at him. He nodded and went back inside.

The two guard knights pushed me inside and I fell on my knees, black dirty water making contact with my hands. "Well, well, hello, princess." I heard Lucas' voice behind me.

I winced when I felt him grip my hair and pull me up. He let me face him and he has a sly smirk on his lips. His brown hair brushed to the side, exposing his forehead. "I would've liked you if you were Good."

"Oh? But I'm Evil, princess, what can you do?" He slowly unzipped my dress from behind. His fingers brushed on my wounds. "Looks like they're gonna have some siblings~." He hummed.

He gripped my hair tighter. "I'm sorry to see you like this, princess, but you look so cute when you're punished." He hissed in my ear.

"Get. It. Over. With."

"Feisty fella, aren't you? Of course, you are, princess." He said and threw me towards the wall. I felt the whip hitting my back and I howled in pain. He did it again and well, history repeats itself.

•••

For the next two weeks, I woke up in the same dark dungeon, Lucas the punisher greeting me (whiplash and inappropriate touching) and I never felt so out of life. I didn't return to my bed room for those days and I missed my bed.

I sat still on the chair that Lucas handed to me, staring blankly at the wet floor. I felt lifeless, empty and useless. I lost motivation to get out of here and the guilt that I was the reason of Mark's death swallowed me.

I was depressed. I feel so bad about myself that I just want to die.

"Good morning, princess." Lucas flashed a grin and kissed my cheek. I didn't move. Morning? I lost track of time. What is it today? Has the three weeks passed by already? Was it still day two? Am I even alive at this point?

I heard the dungeon door open, but I didn't dare stand and run towards it. Last time I did, I got thrice the whipping. I heard voices whispering and it was impossible to hear the words.

"Princess~. You're going back to your humble dome, your lovely bed room," Lucas said in a sing-song voice. "I'm gonna miss playing with you, princess. You've been a fun playmate." He added and pulled me up.

Lifeless I am, he dragged me out of the dungeon and threw me towards Rosella. I fell on her as she struggled to let me stand. "Princess, come on." She whispered and I followed her back to my bed room.

"Princess, are you okay?" She asked when we finally arrived at my room. I didn't reply when we walked inside the shower room. "Princess?"

"You think I am?" She paused. "You think I am okay after three weeks of being whipped and inappropriately touched?" I asked softly. She gulped. "I-I'm sorry, princess. You must be tired."

"Yes," I replied as she helped me take off my dirty clothes that I've worn for days. "I'm so tired I want to die and never wake up."

"Princess, don't say that!" I looked at Rosella with no such life in my eyes. "My life makes no sense anymore, Rosella. I'm no one now. I'm just a princess rag doll or puppet of the worst parents ever," I said and dipped myself on the tub.

"And don't call me princess. I am not one anymore." I muttered and helped myself get clean. The both of us stayed silent and she asked, "So, what are you going to do now, princess?"

I sighed. "I might feel like I wanna die, but.." A tear escaped my eye. "I don't want to disappoint Mark.. that his plan backfired. He helped me in the first place to set me free," I looked at Rosella.

"And I still have a pinch of hope left in me, Ro. I want to die but not in here. So," I sniffed. "I'm still going to do it."

•••