Chapter Three - A Glimmer Of Mercy

Arianna's POV 

I strode down the palace hallway, my feet aching from another long day of being locked up within these oppressive walls. 

Two months had passed since I had been dragged away from my family, and every day had been a struggle to survive.

I sighed, feeling a familiar sense of despair wash over me. Living with Kael was like being trapped in a never-ending nightmare. 

Every day, I woke up with a sense of dread, wondering what new torment he would inflict upon me. It made me hate myself and i always questioned my own existence, why was I born with such a horrible fate like this? It would have been better if I was born with a curse rather than a death wish.

Kael's stubbornness and nonchalance were like a constant drumbeat in my mind, wearing me down with every passing day. I felt like I was losing my mind, bit by bit, as I struggled to survive in this toxic environment.

I hate him, I thought, the words echoing in my mind like a mantra. I hate him for his cruelty, for his indifference, for the way he makes me feel like I'm nothing more than a pawn in his game of power.

But as I walked past his chambers, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror of the window. My eyes looked sunken, my skin pale. I looked like a shadow of my former self. I had been doing a lot of crying in my secret place, I missed my father and Darius too. I missed everything about home.

And in that moment, I realized that my hate for Kael was consuming me. It was eating away at my soul, leaving me an empty shell of a person.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling of despair. I could not let Kael win. I could not let him break me.

But as I turned away from the mirror, I could not ignore the feeling that I was already broken, that Kael had already won.

As I turned a corner, one of the guards stepped out of the shadows, his eyes leering at me. "Hey, slave girl." He sneered, reaching out to grab my arm.

I jerked away, my anger flaring. "Do not touch me!" I spat, my voice echoing down the hallway. "I will report you to the king if you dared to do such to me again!"

Those were all threats. There was no possible way I could report a guard to Kael. Even if I tried to, Kael would most likely pick the guard's words over mine. After all he hated my guts too.

The guard laughed, his eyes mocking me. "You think the king cares about you? You are just a slave, a plaything for him to use and discard. You will be dead soon anyways. Stop acting like you are some kind of queen here or something." The guard empahsized his words.

I felt a surge of rage, anger coursed through my veins. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist tight. The guard's words held a lot of truth in it and as expected, the truth tasted like bitter water in my mouth. 

I wanted to retaliate but even bfore I could respond, a voice cut through the air.

"What is going on here?"

I turned to see Kael standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing with anger. The guard took a step back, his face paling. He bowed his head at Kael and cleared his throat to respond "N-nothing, Your Majesty," he stammered.

But Kael's gaze never wavered. "I did nott ask you," he said, his voice cold. "I asked her." He pointed at me. I was taken aback by that, did he really care about what I was about to say?

Either ways, I was not taking any chances. I swallowed hard, meeting Kael's gaze. "He was...harassing me." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kael's face darkened, and he turned to the another guard lurking around the hallways. "Take him away." he said, his voice dripping with venom. "I want him dead by sundown."

I was taken aback by his sudden judgement. He believed my words? Just like that? What if I had been lying? Or had Kael witnessed all of that himself? 

The guard who had harassed me gasped loudly, his eyes widened in terror as he was dragged away, screaming for mercy. I watched, stunned, as Kael assembled the other guards in a haste. 

"Let this be a warning to all of you," he said, his voice ringing through the hallway. "Arianna is under my protection. Anyone who harms her will suffer the same fate as that guard. Do I make myself clear?"

The guards nodded, their faces pale, and Kael turned to me. For a moment, our eyes locked, and I felt a spark of surprise. Why had he intervened on my behalf?

As I stood there, frozen in shock, Kael's gaze seemed to soften, just for a moment. And in that moment, I felt a slight soft spot for him, a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, he was not the monster I thought he was.

I began to reason things from a different angle. After all my death would not be his fault, he need me to unlock his powers in order to rule the kingdom well. No one was to blamed for my unfortunate fate. 

Kael's soft gaze immediately disappeared , the moment was gone, and Kael's mask of indifference slipped back into place. "You are safe now," he said, his voice cold once more. "But do not think this means you are free to do as you please. You are still a under me, Arianna. And do not forget your purpose of being here." 

I nodded, still reeling from the shock of Kael's intervention. But as I turned to leave, I could not ignore the feeling that something had just shifted between us, something that would change everything.