Chapter 31
(?Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of torture and graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.)
The door slammed shut behind me.
CLANG!
I flinched at the sound.
I slowly looked around.
A cold stone dungeon surrounded me.
The walls were damp and covered in moss. A single torch flickered outside the cell, casting faint shadows across the floor.
I lowered my gaze.
Heavy iron shackles were wrapped around both my wrists.
Another pair was locked around my ankles.
I tried moving my hands.
Clink.
The chains rattled.
They were tight.
Too tight.
I pulled against them, but they didn't budge.
"Damn it..."
I leaned back against the cold stone wall and let out a frustrated sigh.
They really went all out.
A dungeon.
Shackles.
And apparently, I'm a criminal now.
I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"What a mess..."
Footsteps suddenly echoed through the corridor.
I lifted my head.
Someone was coming.
The sound grew louder with every step.
I stared toward the entrance of the dungeon.
A moment later, three figures appeared beyond the bars.
They were Solaris knights.
The one in front carried a leather whip in one hand and a metal case in the other, while the two behind him stood silently, their hands resting on their weapons.
My eyes narrowed.
The two knights remained outside as the man in front unlocked the door and stepped inside.
He placed the case on the floor before standing in front of me.
What the hell was that?
"Why did you slaughter everyone in that village?" he suddenly asked.
I glared at him. "It was those men who slaughtered them, not me!" I snapped.
His expression hardened.
"You dare lie to me?" he demanded.
"I'm not lying!" I shouted.
The knight slowly opened the metal case.
Inside were several instruments.
My eyes widened.
Is he going to torture me?
"Last chance," he warned.
He picked up the whip and slowly uncoiled it, letting the leather drag across the stone floor.
My eyes followed it.
"I'm not afraid-"
CRACK!
Before I could finish, the whip struck my arm.
"Ah!"
Pain shot through my arm as I instinctively recoiled.
I gritted my teeth and glared at him.
"I won't admit to something I didn't do!" I shouted.
The knight's expression remained cold.
Without another word, he swung the whip again.
CRACK!
This time, it struck my face.
My head snapped to the side.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Then I felt something warm trickle down my cheek.
It dripped onto my hands.
Blood.
I clenched my fists, refusing to let him see me break.
I closed my eyes and tried to use my divine power to heal myself.
But...
Nothing happened.
My eyes snapped open.
No...
I tried again, focusing harder.
Still nothing.
Why couldn't I use my power?
The knight let out a cold laugh.
"You can't use it, can you?"
I glared at him.
He smiled faintly.
"Those aren't ordinary shackles."
He lifted the chain attached to my ankle.
"They suppress magic and divine power."
My eyes widened.
They're really going this far just to make me confess to something I didn't do?
"You bastard!" I spat.
The knight's expression didn't change.
He swung the whip again.
CRACK!
The leather struck my other cheek.
Pain exploded across my face, and I stumbled backward as the shackles rattled against the stone.
The knight slowly smiled.
"Let's see how long you last."
He turned toward the two knights waiting outside and gave them a signal.
They nodded and immediately brought a wooden chair into the cell.
My eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
They unlocked the shackles around my wrists and forced me into the chair.
"Let go of me!"
I struggled, but they pushed my back against the chair.
One of them grabbed my arm and placed my hand on the armrest.
Then he tied my wrist tightly to it.
The other knight did the same to my other hand.
I pulled against the restraints.
They wouldn't budge.
My heart began pounding.
The knight stood in front of me and reached into the metal case, pulling out a pair of pliers.
I stared at it.
"No..."
He slowly walked toward me, the pliers dangling loosely from his hand.
"Don't..."
He stopped in front of me.
I tried to pull my hand away, but the restraints held it firmly against the armrest.
He grabbed my pinky finger.
I struggled desperately against the restraints.
"Wait!"
He positioned the pliers around my fingernail.
Then, suddenly...
"AAAAAH!"
A searing pain tore through my finger.
My scream echoed through the dungeon.
"Confess. You slaughtered those people."
The interrogation continued for hours.
Again and again, he demanded that I confess, but I never gave him the answer he wanted.
Each time I refused, the torture resumed.
By now, three of my nails had already been torn out.
My voice had grown hoarse from screaming, and my body trembled from exhaustion.
But even as the pain became unbearable, I held on to the truth.
The knight was about to reach for the pliers again when footsteps suddenly echoed through the corridor.
He paused.
The footsteps grew louder.
Then the dungeon door opened.
The two knights standing outside immediately straightened.
"Her Majesty, Queen Nadia, has arrived," one of them announced.
My exhausted gaze slowly lifted toward the entrance.
Queen Nadia.
Uncle Silas said she must have been the one who sent those men to the village.
"All of you, leave and wait outside," Queen Nadia ordered.
The knights immediately bowed and stepped out of the dungeon.
The door closed behind them.
Queen Nadia slowly walked toward me.
She stopped a few steps away and let out a quiet scoff.
"So this is the child she left behind..." she muttered.
Her eyes swept over me.
"I felt such relief when that brat, Raya, finally died," she said coldly.
A bitter look crossed her face.
"But seeing another version of her standing before me..."
Her expression twisted with disgust.
"It makes my blood boil."
I glared at her through my exhaustion.
Uncle was right.
It was her.
She was the one behind everything.
"What did I even do to you?!" I demanded, my voice trembling with anger despite my exhaustion.
Queen Nadia laughed softly.
"Oh, you didn't do anything to me," she said, a cruel glint appearing in her eyes.
She stepped closer.
"Blame that mother of yours for giving birth to you," she said bitterly.
She paused, watching my reaction with a faint, cruel smile.
"Did you know your mother didn't die giving birth to you?" she asked, a mocking grin spreading across her face.
My eyes widened.
My breath caught in my throat.
"What do you mean?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Did I hear her right?
Princess Raya didn't die giving birth?
My thoughts raced.
But Prince Haru said she did.
Why was the Queen saying otherwise?
Queen Nadia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass vial.
A thick, black liquid swirled inside.
She glanced at the vial before looking back at me.
"People from that annoying bloodline of yours don't die so easily," she said with clear irritation. "All thanks to the goddess who bestowed her divine power upon your ancestors."
Her expression twisted with annoyance.
"Now think about it. How could your mother have died simply from giving birth?" she asked, her voice dripping with contempt.
My body went cold.
"W-What did you do?" I asked, my voice trembling.
Queen Nadia's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"This poison is what killed your mother," she said calmly. "I fed it to her."
My entire body went still.
My eyes remained fixed on the black liquid inside the vial.
That tiny vial...
That was what killed Princess Raya?
Queen Nadia slowly raised it to eye level, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
"And now, you'll be the third one to die from this."
My blood ran cold.
I glared at her, my hands trembling with anger.
"You witch!" I spat.
Queen Nadia opened the vial and stepped toward me.
"Stay away from me!" I shouted.
She grabbed my chin and forced my head back.
I struggled against her grip, twisting my face away from the vial.
"Let me go!"
She tightened her hold.
"Drink it!"
She pressed the vial against my lips.
I clamped my mouth shut.
Queen Nadia's expression darkened.
"You stubborn brat."
She raised her hand and slapped me across the face.
SMACK!
My head snapped to the side.
Before I could recover, she grabbed my chin again and forced my face back toward her.
She brought the vial toward my lips once more.
But just as she was about to pour it into my mouth-
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Queen Nadia suddenly stopped.
Her hand remained frozen in place.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Then they suddenly stopped.
Queen Nadia slowly turned toward the dungeon entrance.
"Who is it? Didn't I say to wait outside?!" she snapped angrily.
A figure slowly appeared beyond the bars.
"It's me, Mother," the person said.
I froze.
That voice...
My eyes widened.
It was Haru.
Queen Nadia immediately slipped the vial into her pocket.
She turned toward Haru, her expression changing instantly.
"My son, what are you doing in such a filthy place?" she asked sweetly.
Haru's eyes landed on me through the bars, his expression unreadable.
His gaze lingered on me for a moment before shifting back to his mother.
"I was looking for you, Mother. We have a visitor waiting outside," Haru said.
"Who?" Queen Nadia asked, her sweet expression fading slightly. "Can't they wait?"
Haru shook his head firmly.
"It's Duke Grimaldi of Sylvania. He is asking for your presence immediately," he said.
Queen Nadia's eyes shifted toward me.
She glared at me for a moment before looking back at Haru.
"Alright. Fine. Let's go," she said.
She turned and walked toward the dungeon door, leaving me behind.
My exhausted gaze followed them.
Duke Grimaldi...
Was he here to save me?
Before I could think any further, footsteps echoed through the corridor.
My body tensed.
The knights must be coming back.
I looked down at my trembling hands, my eyes falling on the fingers where my nails had been torn away.
My stomach twisted.
Creeeak...
The dungeon door opened.
I closed my eyes, bracing myself.
It seemed like they weren't done with me yet.
I didn't know if I could hold out much longer.
"Luna."
I froze.
That voice...
My eyes slowly opened.
Tears immediately welled in my eyes and began streaming down my cheeks.
"Am I hallucinating right now?" I whispered weakly, unable to believe what I was seeing.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he walked toward me and gently held my face.
The moment I felt his touch, I broke down.
More tears spilled down my cheeks.
"You're real..." I whispered.
My trembling voice barely escaped my lips.
"Travis."