Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 73: The Dream That Should Have Stayed Forgotten

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Dream That Should Have Stayed Forgotten

Cassian woke up suddenly, like he was about to suffocate. Someone was clenching his throat. His chest was heaving. There was a faint taste of blood on his tongue.

Moonlight filtered through the thin curtains of his small room. It cast pale shadows across the floor. For a moment, he struggled to breathe. His mind held onto the remains of the dream. It was a nightmare so real that it left him shaking.

This was not the first time.

The same dream came again and again.

A wide and empty field stretched out before him. It was barren and lifeless. The sky above was painted in dark red and black. In the distance, a figure waited. It was hidden in mist.

Its shape was unclear but felt familiar. Cassian could never walk toward it. He could not turn away either. His feet stayed frozen in place. A whisper echoed around him. It was soft but sharp.

"Do you remember"

The voice was not kind. It was not cruel either. But it always crushed him with its weight.

"Do you remember what you did"

He wanted to scream. He wanted to say no. He wanted to insist he had done nothing wrong. But deep inside, in the corners of his heart, he knew the truth.

He had sinned.

It was in another life. It was long before he became a servant to Princess Aurelia. It was long before he looked at Prince Dorian with silent longing. In that life, he had been something different. He was not a servant.

He was not a man who stayed unnoticed. He was someone cloaked in shadows. He was bound by fate. He had held power. It was dangerous and wild. He had left destruction behind him.

The figure in the dream always reminded him.

Then came the pain. It was the same every time. A burning fire tore through his chest. It forced him to relive the moment he fell. He never saw the whole memory. He only saw pieces.

A pair of eyes filled with fear. A hand reaching out too late. His own voice speaking cold and distant words of betrayal.

Then there was silence.

Cassian stumbled out of bed. His body was still shaking. He splashed cold water on his face. The dream stayed with him like a second skin.

The memory of pain clung to his bones. He gripped the edges of the washbasin. He breathed hard and tried to focus on the present.

He has a gut feeling that the person in the dream was him. It was past of him, which he could not remember. He had always live a quite life. he had never dome anything wrong. But the man feel awfully familiar to himself. But how?

A strange thought passed through his mind, was it was his past life and the destiny was trying to tell him something.

But the dream said otherwise.

"Do you think you can escape" the voice had once asked him. "Do you think he will save you"

Cassian did not know who the voice meant.

Cassian tightened his grip on the washbasin. His thoughts pressed heavily on his chest and suffocated him. He did not notice the cold water dripping from his chin. He barely felt the chill crawling up his spine.

A loud bang on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

His heart jumped. He turned toward the noise. His eyes blinked as if waking from a fog. The knock was not polite. It was forceful and impatient. Before he could answer, the door burst open with a loud crash. Wood splintered against the frame.

A group of palace guards stormed into the room. Their faces were filled with disdain. Their heavy boots echoed on the stone floor. The sound filled the small space with tension.

"How dare you" one guard sneered. His voice was thick with contempt. "A lowly servant like you looking at the princess. You have forgotten your place."

Cassian barely had time to react. Rough hands grabbed him. The cold metal shackles bit into his wrists. They chained him without hesitation.

"Wait, I did not—" Cassian began. His voice shook with fear and confusion. But the guards’ jeers drowned out his words.

"Save your breath, filth" another guard spat. "The Queen herself ordered your punishment."

Cassian’s heart sank. **The Queen.**

They dragged him from his room without another word. The chains clinked and rattled with each step. They hauled him through the palace corridors.

Servants and nobles peeked from behind doors and columns. Their eyes were wide with curiosity and fear. Whispers followed him like shadows.

"Is that the servant boy"

"They say he had ulterior motives towards princess."

"The Queen ordered a public punishment. I heard it will be brutal"

Cassian’s face burned with humiliation. His mind raced with confusion. Why are they doing this I did not do anything.

His legs stumbled as they pulled him into the open courtyard. It was the Punishment Hall at the heart of the palace. The space was grand and circular.

Stone pillars reached high into the sky. The ground beneath his feet was cold and smooth. It had worn down from many punishments over the years.

The Queen sat high on an ornate chair. Her gaze was cold and unyielding. She was draped in rich silks. Her face was calm. It seemed like this was just another task in her day.

Cassian’s breath caught in his throat. She looked down at him with indifference. It was the same indifference she might show to dirt on her robe.

The guards dragged him to the center of the hall. The chains clattered against the stone. They forced him to his knees. One guard grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. He wanted Cassian to see the Queen clearly.

"By the order of the Queen" the guard announced loudly. His voice echoed across the courtyard. "Cassian, a servant of the palace, is guilty of disrespecting Princess Aurelia. He will receive one hundred lashes as punishment."

A gasp rippled through the crowd. Some people looked away. They could not watch. Others leaned in closer. They were eager to see the spectacle.

Cassian’s eyes widened. **One hundred** His body tensed with fear.

"Your Majesty" Cassian tried to speak. His voice was hoarse and trembling. "I swear I did not—"

"Silence" the Queen’s voice cut through the air. It was sharp and final. She did not look at him as a person. She saw him as a problem to be dealt with.

"Begin" she commanded with a wave of her hand.

Two guards stepped forward. Each held a thick leather whip.

The first lash struck Cassian’s back. It cracked loudly across the courtyard. His body jerked forward. Pain exploded through his spine. He bit down on his lip. He refused to cry out.

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