Chapter 4 Worst Nightmare

As the ray of morning sunshine seeped through the window of the room, Ashley smiled while cuddling her own body beneath the soft comfort of the warm blanket.

Her mind was going back to the day Philip proposed marriage to her, although many thought they were a bad match.

But then, she recalled something that made her open her eyes slowly, “Today is my wedding day!”

Looking around the unfamiliar room she was in, Ashley gasped. Moving her body slowly, she whispered to herself, “Where the f*ck am I?”

Lifting the soft silky covers on her body, she gasped again seeing herself without any piece of clothes on her body. Her head started to pound from the inside as she tried to recall what happened.

Then, she saw a ring on her finger.

‘That’s not my engagement ring.’ She thought and stared at the gold ring carved with a symbol she was not familiar with.

‘Damn! It is stuck.’ She thought while trying to remove the ring but failed to do so.

Few seconds later, a memory came in. One by one.

Tears fell on her cheeks as she realised what kind of a mess she was into.

Ashley could never imagine she would give her virginity to another man than Philip. A complete stranger she had randomly met.

Although, for some unknown reasons, she felt a connection with the man, Ashley still blamed it on the drug.

The drug Helen put on her, which totally ruined her life.

Ashley was going to make sure Helen would pay for what she had done to her. But first, she needed to go home and find Philip, confessing to him what happened to her.

After wearing her slightly torn dress, she whispered a spell to ease the pain she was feeling on her body.

Tiptoeing quietly with her heels raised, Ashley whispered another spell and blew her one breath around the room. It was a spell to remove any trace of her ever being there.

Nothing should be evidence that she had ever been here and lost her virginity to a stranger on her wedding day.

On the way back to the Palace, a lot of plans were playing in her head. She was determined to reveal Helen’s true colours to everyone.

Walking towards Helen’s room, she formed a fire in her palm and opened the door, “Where the f*ck are you, you lying b*tch!”

“Ashley!” The voices she heard came from both Helen and Philip.

Ashley froze while staring at the scene in front of her. It was her worst nightmare.

She wished she had a spell that could stop it from happening. But, there was none.

“Ashley, I can explain.” Philip got up from Helen’s bed, wearing his pants matched with an unbuttoned shirt. He did not even realise Helen’s red lipstick was still on his cheeks.

Standing behind Philip, Ashley could see a smirk was forming at Helen’s face. It made Ashley hate her more by the second.

“I do not mean to hurt you, Ashley. I’m sorry. After you left me, it made me consider our marriage again. We are still too young. And last night, I realised that I was truly in love with Helen and..." A slap came across Philip’s cheeks before he could finish his sentence.

Tears watering her eyes, Ashley already knew what he was going to say next. She did not want to hear any more of his hurtful words.

“Why Philip? Am I not good enough for you?” She couldn't help questioning.

“I’m so sorry, Ashley. We are sorry. It just happened.” Helen sniffled her fake tears, “Your parents also agreed Philip to marry me."

Shivering in anger and humiliation, Ashley was trying her best not to cry or even worse burst into flames.

Yet Philip rubbed his cheeks and a wicked smile was forming on his face, “You dare slap my face, Ashley? Do you know who I am? I’m the Crown Prince of Dracor! "

"I can’t have a wife who does not respect me. Helen is a better choice to be my wife.”

How could he say such things to hurt her? He had promised only to love her and today was supposed to be her birthday and their wedding day.

“Is it your true words?” Ashley sobbed her tears which made Philip paused looking at her.

It was the first time he saw her in tears. For a moment, he felt a little pity for her, but when Helen held his hand, he regained his coldness.

“You can’t force love, Ashley. You can’t put a spell on it either. That’s bad magic. ” Helen’s words made Ashley stop crying and her eyes turned shades of red with fury.

“Shut up! Stop pretending to be this nice person who you are not!” Ashley raised her hand, intending to throw fire at Helen. But before the fire in her palm escaped in the air, a warm hand landed on her cheek.

SLAP!

“Calm down, Ashley! Control your powers” It was her father but Ashley  only felt painful to hear.

“Calm down and suppress your powers. NOW!”

It was like poison to her ears.

Why could father slap her when Helen was at fault?!

Why was he even angry at her when it was Helen and Philip who betrayed her?！

Her anger grew higher and higher with blood tears falling down her cheeks.

“How could you do this to me? I would never forgive you. Both of you! All of you!”

“Now I finally know, you were never happy to have me as your daughter. You think I am cursed, so you even sent me away to Yenzen when I was just a little girl." She giggled wildly while tears bursting more.

"Maybe you wish for Helen to be your daughter instead of me. Fine, I’ll make your wish come true.” Turning away to exit Helen’s room, she looked at her parents facelessly.

“Ashley, please. Don’t say that.” Her mother tried to approach her but Ashley moved back and shook her head.

“Ashley is dead. Your daughter is dead. I have enough of this, b*llsh*t. Today was supposed to be my happy day, but you gave it to Helen. How ironic!”

Ashley then looked at Helen one more time, “I’m going to make you pay for this. Everyone will know what a manipulative b*tch you are, Helen.”

Ashley’s mother Annabella, was in tears. Annabella shouted as she sensed what her daughter was going to do next, “Ashley, no!”

Freezing everyone that tried to stop her from leaving the Palace, Ashley removed a bracelet from her hand. It was used to control her powers that would lead her to be darker and stronger.

Throwing the protective bracelet down on the floor, Ashley smiled at her parents. “Now, you watch what you see in me unleash. Since you never believed in me trying to be good, I will show you what you want to see in me.”

Raising her hand in the air, Ashley burnt parts of the Palace with fireballs from her hand, before she left the place that she once called home.

That day, she left everything.

But not long later, something would bring her back to the past.

A past with the man named Nikolai.