Chương 3: Final decision
Rhea didn't have to wonder to know that her white lotus of a sister and step mother had added salt into the open wound to make their father choose her instead. Since she was considered a monster who froze her mother to death after birth.
"Rhea, my decision is final. Whether you like it or not, you will be the one to marry the devil general not Zoorah!" Gerold said firmly, leaving no room for anymore argument.
Rhea stared at her so called father in disbelief with slight pain evident in her black orbs, did he really hate her that much to give her away to the devil general? He was so willing to protect his favorite daughter without hesitation while using her as a shield. At least as a father, wasn't he supposed to protect her as well? Ha! Who was she kidding? If this man did so much as to protect her one day, she would puke out blood from her eyes!
Ever since she was born, he'd never showed any concern towards her, he would lock her up in a dark room for the slightest mistake. He would allow her to starve for days before finally feeding her, sometimes she would be forgotten in the dark room until she'd need to sneak out of the mansion to go and hustle for food in the city, which had led her into stealing and becoming the labeled con artist she was known for today.
"I will not marry him, and you can't make me do that!" She yelled back at her father with her fist tightly clenched on her sides. He had never for once acted like a father to her, so who was he to control her life, or to decide her future? she would stand her ground today!
The Duke chuckled darkly at his useless daughter's attitude, "You really are testing my patience young lady, if you won't listen to me easily, I will have to do it the hard way. And I don't think you'd like that."
Rhea knew what hard way her father was talking about, as he'd used it on her countless times before. Even if she wanted to refuse and fight back, her ice spikes had no chances against her father's magic powers. He could use his powers to make her limbs unmoveable for days.
"From today onwards, I will seal your yard with a spell until the day you are to be taken to the general's house. No more going out!" Gerold gave his final say.
Selena, who had been in the room as well smiled in satisfaction at her husband's decision. With this, her own daughter would be safe, and the evil will soon leave their mansion. Selena left satisfied as she said to her step daughter at the entrance, "Congratulations Rheanna, General Jurian is young and talented, you should be celebrating."
Rhea looked at Selena with full hatred in her eyes, "Heavens are watching, don't be too proud because karma will hit you twice."
Selena was not angry at Rhea's words, she humphed, "Karma? You're the one being hit by it for killing your mother." she laughed and brushed past Rhea and walked towards her two daughters courtyard. Selena was happy to have blurted out the suggestion to change the daughters, otherwise her own daughter would have to marry that God of Massacre.
In her daughter's courtyard, Zoorah who had been waiting at the door, hurriedly asked, "Mother, how is it?"
Looking at her lovely-as-flower daughter, Selena smugly said, "Don't worry, you are safe."
Zoorah breathed a sigh of relief, hugging her mother's arms she said, "Scared me to death, Delia and I have heard that devil general looks horrible, and he is an evil monster who kills without blinking."
Delia, Selena's second daughter also breathed in relief, "Yes, mother. I heard he's the reason his whole family were killed, and the only close family he had was blinded by him as well. Also, it is said that his late wife's death was not an accident, she was killed because he was not satisfied with her and was jealous of her beautiful looks because he's actually hideous himself."
"Yes, I heard he dislikes anything beautiful." Delia also said, "He kills people everytime he is angry."
Zoorah shrugged as she brushed her silky ebony hair in front of the mirror, "As long as it is not me then it is fine, he can kill anyone he likes." Delia laughed, "I don't know if Rhea will even make it to the wedding day in the general's house. What do you say we go and bid her farewell beforehand?"
Zoorah's beautiful black eyes brightened up in mirth.
In contrast to the joyful laughters in the sisters courtyard, in Rhea's courtyard the feeling was as if the sky was going to collapse on her. Her heart sank with every step she took towards her shabby courtyard. She wondered if her fate would be any better if her birth mother was still alive. All the twenty years of her life in this mansion had been like a living in hell. She had no one to back her up in the mansion like her two sisters, but the third concubine of her father who also had no say in the mansion for being the childless wife.
Irene was the third wife of the Duke, but as she hadn't birthed a child even after twenty three years of marriage, she had been reduced to nothing in the mansion. But unlike Selena, she had been fostering Rhea for as long as Rhea could remember.
The moment Rhea stepped into her shabby looking courtyard, she saw her foster mother pacing around worriedly as if she was waiting for her to return.
"Mother..." She called softly as she approached.
Irene turned towards her daughter and worriedly asked, "How did it go?" She couldn't help the worry that grew in her heart by noticing Rhea's broken expression. Irene had been the one to watch this silver haired young lady grow into a woman, even though Rhea wasn't her daughter, she'd considered her to be of her own since the day the Duke and his other wives had abandoned her after birth on the floor for being born different.
Everyone had called her names, saying she was a monster who should be burned to death even though she was just a little girl. Irene had taken it upon herself to foster her and gave her the little support she could offer in the mansion.
"Rhea, what actually happened, what did your father decide?" Irene was desperately anxious, repeatedly asking. But Rhea chuckled darkly as she said nonchalantly,
"Your cruel husband wants me to marry that Cursed devil general in place of his favorite daughter, while also sealing my entire courtyard with his magic so I won't be able to step out. All of them want me to die."
Irene's eyes rounded in shock, she had heard about the devil general, he was pictured like a hideous monster, so moody and murderous that even the highest ranked men in magic were terrified of him. How could her daughter marry him?
"Those black-hearted people! How could your father be this biased? He could turn down the Emperor, but he wanted you to marry that man! How could he do this to you? I have only you my precious daughter..." Irene knew it was impossible, but was still hoping that Gerold could change his mind.
Irene's eyes moistened as she saw how Rhea looked calm, she had known her daughter long enough to know that she looked this calm because she was cooking up a plan in her head.
"Rhea...what do you plan to do now? You shouldn't do something drastic, or your father..."
"Mother, worry not. Come to think of it, there is no harm in marrying the general. If I marry him, I will be given the title of the general's Lady, and will also have a higher position, with that...I will be able to get you out of this place, and I will live the life I've always wanted. I will become rich and powerful even without any magical powers." Rhea hugged Irene's arm as she rested her head on her shoulder to seek comfort from the only person who cared about her.
She had put up with a lot of things for so long because she had no where to go to and decided to endure it all, but today, she realized how much her own family disliked her. It would be best to just leave, and by chance...she could escape from the general and make her own money to give her foster mother a better life.
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