Chapter 12: Game, set, strike
....
"Let go"....
"Grab her by the legs"...
"Stone the witch"...
"No please"....
"Tie her legs"...
"No, I beg you.... my parents.... they are dead, please don't do this to me"...
"Keep shut"...
"No, please... please"
"You killed them, you're a murderer"...
"It's a lie"...
"You are an outcast"...
"Stop it"...
"Drive her out away from the kingdom by stones"...
"I said stop it"...
"From sand you came from, to sand we shall make you become again"...
"No!" ....
.....
My heart flickers, I blink twice, the tears is gone. Am suffocated here, the memories are back, my heart is failing me, but still I sit, as I watch, but still I watch them come out one by one introducing themselves...
It flickers, my eyes did, it looks at her, my soul's angered, but still, not a single word out, I dare not speak now, my lips which longed to speak of the rage in my heart, they are no longer mine anymore...
I make a mistake now, it is finished and I will die, I dare not speak now, mistake I dare not make...
My eyes still looks, it looks at her...
Curly blonde hair, bright eyes, she dresses in white, but she is no saint, her body is not pure, covered with the blood of the unjust, covered with the blood of me..
Every blood I shed, she and her ruler, the ruthless king, carries it all, they share my blood, they shares it all...
....
"My king, you can't let them go scot free...
"What do you mean...
"They dare threaten his highness, they are a threat to the throne, the crown prince, to you, banish them both"...
"Indeed you've spoken....
"Call me those traitors now, let them face the consequences.....
"Long live king Japheth, long live my king, for you have listened to the words of this mere countess, long live"...
"Bring them both to me, Now!...
"If you say so, My king"....
...
My burning eyes, burning with hatred... It stares at her, her face is strict, her figure slender. I watch as those foolish maidens introduce themselves proudly in front of the countess, I watch it all...
The countess, she was the one in charge of this selection, this madness, she was in charge of it all. After all, the queen was long dead, if not this bloody woman, who else would be in charge.
It makes no sense for the almighty king to choose anyone else apart from her, there was no sense in that...
Either way, I cared less. I can still vividly remember the joy I felt, the satisfactory joy I felt, when the news of the queen's death, when it spread like fire, across the kingdom...
Her death was my wine, the smile that was longed gone on my lips, was back when her death spread..
The smile that was gone, would be back again, when am finally done with this, when I finally kill them all, I swear over all the blood I shed for this...
"Number 94!"... The voice calls, it was the woman's, it was referred to the last sit, she was referring to me....
Slowly it drifted up, my eyes did, as it finally met her bright ones that stares distance away...
My heart burns, it's ready, my legs are, as I watch it, they finally stood up, it walks towards my enemy, it walks to my own death, but yet again, am the one letting it happen, I feel no regret for this, not one bit, not at all...
.....
"What's your name?"....
She said, her voice echoing round the silent hall room, I cared less...
It drifted up, my eyes did, it meets her gaze, but it didn't stare for long.
Slowly I feel it, it wanders away from her face, my soul becoming as cold like that of ice, my heart crushing, the pain is unbearable, it hurts more than any wound, it hurts more than death. It finally meet his.
The man in my nightmares, the evilest villain of them all, he hunts my dreams, he never let me rest...
The one who makes the pain, the hurtful memories never go away, he's the one who killed me, took my soul away and left me with nothing else, ashes, pain, he left me with misery...
It was him, that cruel soul. The bitter lump, it was back on my throat, it threatens to tear out, it threatens to make me break, to make me weak, to make me die, but yet again I try to survive...
Yet, even after all what the bastard has done to ruin my entire life, yet I moved my legs, yet I bowed to the bloody mad man, yet I bowed to my killer...
My head lowering down, I disgraced my soul, my parents, my pain, yet I bowed to the most evil being. I bowed to the king....
He still intimidates me after all this years, he still makes me weak, he still hunts me, he's still my deepest pain, my first killer, but it was all enough now, no more again would I be intimated by him, no more again would I let him smile any longer...
"I asked you what your name is"... It speaks, her voice echoes again, it dives into my soul, it brings me back to my misery, back to this wicked life, it brings me back, yet again.
My burning eyes, it met hers again, eyebrows strict, the inhuman beast wanted her answer, she wanted it now..
Rule 1: Your identity would have to be dead now, it would have to change completely, you would have to be a complete different soul. With the first step I took into this palace, Agatha Harris died, there's no more Agatha anymore, no more...
"Name" She repeated...
"Agnes" My lips speaks out, it looks up into her eyes, it conceals the rage in my heart, it hide it all....
"Full name" Her voice rose again, her filthy eyes, it shows no remorse, and I cared less. Clearly she doesn't know who I am anymore, it was obvious and it made me at least glad for once...
She knows me not, it would be easier for me to destroy her and all of their wretched souls as well..
"Clifford" My lips finally speaks, as my hateful eyes watches her eyebrows tilting up...
"Pardon?" She questions, my blood boils...
"Did I stutter" My raging lips spat out, it spoke of my rage, it spoke of my pain...
My lips had a mind of it own, my raging feelings it wanted to yell, it wanted to speak out, but no, would I let my raging lips ruin everything, never!...
I immediately shut myself up.
Rule 2: Keep your emotions to yourself, no matter how much it bleeds, act only the way that wouldn't get you kicked out, act only the way that would finally get you to your burning vergence....
"Are you even listening?" Her voice roars out, my anger I tried controlling, my eyes meeting hers again, my eyebrows tilting up...
"Pardon?" I whispered.
"I said tell me your full name" Her voice echoed out, she repeated again, but now the harshness on her voice was there, it was clear now, this time the silent chuckles from the foolish maidens I could hear...
My soul boiled, but I'll keep my cool, my bloody cool, I'd keep it to myself. I tell my raging self, as I could feel my dull eyes wandering again, it wanders a little, but still it eventually fixed back to her light eyes, yet again.
"Agnes Clifford...My name is Agnes Clifford" I tell her, my voice whispered, she heard it,they all heard me...
"Alright" She says, as her eyes trails, she stares at me from head to toe with her filthy eyes, as I tried controlling the urge to kill her, to stab her and cut her body into pieces, to watch it bleed...
"May I leave now" My lips speaks, it hides the rage in my burning heart, it hide it all...
My eyes wanders to her face, it stares into her eyes, I watched, her eyebrows arching up, yet again.
"Gracious, it seems that you are in a hurry to leave, why is that so?" She questions, her eyes glued to mine...
Rule 3: Composure.
"Anyone would be stressed out after the stressfully journey, it's only natural to be tired, to want to leave and rest" My lips speaks, as I feel it letting out a smile, it was fake, but she?, she wasn't smiling, not at all.
"Just so you know, this is not your parent's house, it is the crown prince palace, rules and conduct are to be abide here, just so you know" ....
I said nothing wrong, but still, she bragged about that shit to my face, still, she said all that bloody trash to me.
My eyebrows, it titled up again, but still I dare not speak, I dare not say a single word out.
I watches her eyes balls, it wanders round the hall a bit, it was clear, she was searching for something, but I know not what it was. I watches her eyebrows, it lands on me, yet again.
"If I may ask, I have notice none of your parents are here, why is that so" She questions again, as I felt my heart, it sinks, bitter memories are back, again.
"You do know that until his royal highness chooses the top ten maiden, your parents are allowed to live here, that is for the meantime"...
Her eyes stares into mine, my soul's boiling, with every useless word she said, I am stabbed with dagger on my heart, my heart bleeds blood, with every word she pronounced, but still I ought to be strong.
I dare not show any emotions, not now.
"Why is that so?" She questions again, as I could feel the suffocation, the irritation, all eyes are glued on me, I could feel it, but I dare not stammer...
"Died"... After much thought, my voice, it whispered out, after some minutes of silence, but still she wasn't satisfied, she wanted me to say more, still she choose to make me insane.
"Pardon?" Her voice, it echoed out again, my eyes meeting hers, it flickers my hatred, it flickers my rage...
Don't dare act like you didn't hear me, My raging mind yells out, but I dare not say it out loud.
"They're both dead" My lips whispers out, it stares at her arched eyebrows, it stares at her sympathy, but I needed none, it was fake, she was fake..
My raging eyes watch, her lips slowly parting away...
"Oh gracious, am so...
"No need for apologies, it been a long time now, I need to sympathies" My lips speaks of the hatred in my soul, my pain was the one thing, I could never curtail..
I watch her face, it squeezes, but I cared less now...
"How did they die?" She dared utter, as if she did nothing, she dare ask me those lines. Curse you countess, you'll never be forgiven, my bitter soul screams out, as it stared into her eyes.
"It's my personal matter, you can't change the past, I see no point in telling you anything else" Her eyes widening, her lips agap, it spits out...
"Excuse me?" She yells at me, am ruining my chances of everything, but hell no, now I cared less, my lips won't sit back, keep shut and let her treat me like this, hell no...
I'd strangle her if I can, I'll feel no remorse.
My heart hardens, it watch her disbelief angry eyes, she feels insulted, but her pain, her disgrace is what gives me joy.
"How dare she, a mere nobody insult the countess like this" Voices whispering from the crowd of maidens, still I cared less...
I watch with joy, her eyes swelling up with hate, she stares at me, her lips parting to speak, parting to show the demon she really is. I was prepared for it all...
"How dare you.....
"What's happening here?"....
It cut sharp, it spoke out, a voice did, it was bold and all the maidens screamed, my ears bled.
My eyes wanders around me, their head down low, they all were, except of the almighty king, they all bowed, but my legs didn't let me...
"How insulting, Bow!" That wretched woman screamed, her voice penetrating into my earlobes, it made my ears bleed, I wanted no more of her scream...
I wanted to save myself from the bloody yells, I wanted to spare my ears from the pain, so my legs, it obeyed reluctantly.
I disgraced myself, my soul, I disgraced yet again, I bowed.
But still, she wasn't satisfied yet, still she wanted to ruin me, how typical of the wretch to do that, how typical of her indeed.
Either way, I cared less...
"Thank Heavens you're here your highness" Her voice echoes out through the already silent walls, but still I dare not move, I kept still
"This... this thing can't be in here" Her raging voice spat out, it was too obvious, she was referring to me, I was the thing...
My heart boils, it grips unto my leather trousers, it tightens, my hand clenches...
"Let her stay" The voice spoke, my heart doubles the boiling, my grip tightens....
"She would stay, everyone will, after all, they all deserve a chance before been disqualified"...
The bold voice speaks out, as my eyes flickers yet again. Slowly it traced up, it catches a glimpse, it catches the exact opposite of mine...
It was the lightest shade of blue, bright, cheerful, but mysterious....Black hair, wavy. It was the Lucifer's son...
It was him... The one I was met to destroy completely, he was the heir, the crown prince, but definitely not for long when am done with him
His eyes, it trapped mine, his lips curved, it was a smile, he gave me, he made my blood boil....
"Didn't you hear him"....
Her awful voice yelled, it brought me back to life, back to my suffering..
"Go have your sit and be thankful the crown prince gave to a second chance, I wouldn't, if I were him, you'd be out of here, for good"...
How typical!...My mind tells me...
Her voice yells, my eyes, my soul flickered hared, but still I choose to keep it to myself, still I chose to hide it all, as I felt my legs, it finally took action again, it moved, it marched to my sit.
But all it did was stir my hate, visible laughter from them all, I kept on hearing...
I was disgraced!.
My eyes turning back, it shows it all, it flashes my deep hatred for him, for them all, it flashes my fury...
"Countess Lavinia, never judge a book by its cover" His voice whispers, he tells her, that witch, as I watch it all...
His eyes slowly drifting, it wanders away, it met mine again, it caught it... His lips formed, it curved into a smile, mischievous, I felt nothing..
Dead to emotions, I have no feelings, they caused it all, but still he was right.
Exactly!
Never judge a book by its cover, don't judge me by my appearance, I look this way, but I'll make you burn, along with me...
We'll both burn together, that is my promise I give to you, my dear crown prince.
All hail the prince!....
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone