Love and Redemption

The news of the death of King Philips the Gustaf I was announced by the palace, sound of trumpets and mourning from the residents reached the ears of Rania, who was hugging her mother. She is currently in prison on charges of betraying the king, poisoning the royal family, and being a user of black magic, which is forbidden in the Gustaf kingdom.

"Mom, are we going to get out of this prison?" Rania asked her mother, who was holding back sobs.

"Sure, we'll get out of here safely," her mother replied.

"But for how long? It's cold in here, and it smells like mom…." Little Rania started to whine.

"It's okay, and mom will hug you. It won't be cold anymore," she said with tears.

She felt guilty that her daughter, who did not even know anything, was Implicated in the political schemes of the kingdom that wanted the Guinevere family to fall into ruin. A well-bred daughter with affection had to be in a cold, dirty slum with her. Hera began to cry.

Hera's beautiful face disappeared, leaving a pale, unkempt expression. Previously, she always praised her face for her beauty in royalty. But now, only insults await him when seen by the eyes of others as a black magician.

Her body was still weak from giving birth to her first son, the second child of the Guinevere family. But the correctional officer took the baby away somewhere. Hera tried to restrain herself to avoid making her daughter more afraid to cry over the cruel fate that befell her family.

"Mom, I miss my dad and Ines..." Rania began to whine as she pulled herself closer to her mother.

"Mom, too, so hurry up and sleep. The day is getting colder. Tomorrow we will get out of here, "Hera said in an uncertain tone. Her eyes stared at the hard prison wall hopelessly.

"Is that true?" Rania looked up to look at her mother but instead saw the sad look in her eyes that she had lost hope of living. "Mother, is it true that tomorrow we will get out of this prison?" Rania asked again.

"Hmm... sleep, dear. Because mom is getting tired, very tired..." she said as she lay down on the rotten, smelly mattress underneath with her daughter.

Meanwhile, in another room, a man who was once beautiful and well-built has now lost his good looks but has not lost his majestic figure whose hands are now bound by chains to form a standing position. His long black hair was messy, covering his face, which was full of wounds; there were still traces of blood on his face and body.

Even many new and old wounds dried up and then bled again. The lashes and knife cuts were terrible. But the woman in front of Benedict just looked and smiled, and she liked to see something that no one could own.

"You should have listened to me, Benedict!" said the Queen to the helpless head of the Guinevere family.

"Hey! For someone who can't be loyal and wants a throne, why should I listen to what you have to say?!" said Benedict in a weak tone.

The Queen clenched her fists on the chair angrily, "You realize that whatever you do now will kill your beloved wife and child!"

"This is destiny, Your Majesty. But god knows what will happen after all this; there must be justice, and I will watch your destruction from there, Cassia!!" said Benedict looking up at the end of his sentence and mentioning the Queen's name.

The so-called Queen stood up from the chair she was sitting on and walked briskly, her hand lifting her majestic and beautiful dress before the heels of her golden slots stomped on the wound on Benedict's shoulder. A scream rang out as the heel of the shoe pierced the flesh of the damage.

Those white, slender legs looked beautiful in the dim light of the torture prison where Benedict was now, but Benedict wasn't interested. He feels more disgust and hates for the woman who once loved with all his heart but betrayed his love because of power.

Terrible, greedy woman!

"Argh!! You will be rewarded, CASSIA!!!"

"Keep talking until the announcement of the execution arrives. Philips is dead and can't save the fallen pillar of the royal family. Because in the end, you will die with your beloved family!!" the Queen swore to her former lover.

"Argh!!!" Benedict shouted again as the Queen took her foot off the head of the Guinevere family.

Emma, the Queen's maid, closed her eyes seeing and hearing that heartbreaking scream, and she couldn't stand it. The two soldiers on the other side, holding a whip and knife stained with Benedict's blood, didn't blink their eyes because they used them for all this, but still, there was a shock in their hearts to see the Queen could be so cruel to the head of the Benedict family and relations. Between the two that are just known.

"The destruction of your family is imminent, but you don't want to accept my offer. Then please wait for death to pick you up tomorrow because I have already decided this if you refuse, "said the Queen before walking towards the door together with Emma.

"My family and I would rather die, Cassia!! Instead of being the slave of a terrible woman like you… spit!" Benedict was spitting in the direction where the Queen was going.

And seeing that Cassia could only clench her fists in disapproval, it hurts to know the man she loves to spit on her who has kindly offered to help in exchange for being her lover again.

"What's so special about Hera, Ben?" asked the Queen, calling the name of the head of the Guinevere family familiarly.

"Heh, you ask what's so special about my wife?! She is better than you, not greedy like you, loyal to me, and loves me, and I dedicate myself to her entirely!! And you?!! You ask what's so special about her with you who betrayed the love I had, all the attention I gave you even to the point of being willing to go into a big war to get recognition so that she could propose to you from a big family, Cassia!!!" Benedict answered without hiding the hatred he had.

The Queen gulped painfully at Benedict's compliments to other women who were open to him. All the expressions of love and praise were directed at him. Even when she married Philips, she never got the love that Benedict did for her. King Philips only loved Queen Clementine before. The king never touched even Cassia, nor could she give heirs to the kingdom.

Only Alaric was the only crown prince the kingdom had, and it became a great controversy that the elders and court ministers raised for the Queen and king to give other descendants to strengthen the empire.