Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 77: The Punishment (03)

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: The Punishment (03)

A smirk appeared on the queen’s face as she looked at the guards and signaled them with her eyes.

The guard instantly understood and drew his sword and placed it on Cassian’s neck.

A sharp gasp escaped the princess but before she could step forward two guards grabbed her arms. They held her firmly and did not allow her to move even an inch.

This time the guards were fully prepared for the princess’s resistance and gave her no chance to fight back.

Selena clicked her tongue in distaste as she looked at the pitiful sight of her daughter. She walked in slow circles around Cassian’s bloodied figure and spoke coldly. "You want to save him? How? Do you have the power to rebel against me?"

You are nothing but a useless princess who can only obey and look pretty in the palace. The queen added sharply and her words cut into Aurelia like a blade. Her cruel tongue destroyed the last traces of hope that lingered in the princess’s eyes.

Aurelia clenched her fists as her eyes burned with anger and frustration. She hated her mother deeply but more than that she hated herself. She knew it was all her fault and she should have thought before making bold claims she could not back up.

Her tears threatened to spill but she held them back with great effort. The queen was right and she knew she had no power to save the one she cared about. She did not even have loyal people by her side in the palace. How could she possibly act against her mother in this situation. She truly felt useless.

The queen’s smirk grew deeper as she looked at her daughter’s defeated figure. A cruel glint flashed in her sharp and unforgiving eyes.

Go back to your room Aurelia and stop making a scene here. If you refuse then be ready to watch me behead this servant with my own hands. The queen said with a cold and merciless tone.

You cannot do this. You cannot be so cruel. Aurelia cried out as her voice trembled with disbelief and shock. Do you not have a heart at all.

Heart. The queen laughed darkly and stepped closer to the princess until she was inches away from her face. She bent down slightly to speak directly into her ear so only she could hear.

Power comes at the price of a heart my dear daughter and I cannot afford such a meaningless luxury. The queen said with venom in her voice.

Aurelia felt her stomach turn and churn with disgust. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out no matter how hard she tried. She could only stand there and stare at her mother in shock and disbelief that turned her expression hollow.

The queen reached out and tapped Aurelia’s cheek lightly and spoke to the guards with an air of authority. Take the princess back to her room because she clearly needs rest.

Aurelia stood and followed the guards without resistance. She began walking away from the punishment hall slowly with her head down. Before leaving entirely she paused for a moment and glanced back at Cassian’s broken and bloodied form on the cold floor. Her throat tightened painfully and her vision blurred with tears she could not allow to fall. She shut her eyes tightly for a moment and then continued forward without looking back again.

Her heart felt unbearably heavy and weighed her down like a stone she could not carry.

The queen watched her daughter’s retreating figure with an unreadable expression that gave no hint of her true thoughts. She murmured under her breath softly to herself. I hope she remembers this lesson for the rest of her life.

The queen signaled the onlookers to disperse with a sharp wave of her hand. Her patience was wearing thin and the humiliation her daughter had brought her burned deep in her chest. She had already lost face in front of her subjects and her temper was hanging by a thread.

As the crowd hurriedly scattered and cast fearful glances behind them, the queen’s gaze followed their retreating forms. She clenched her fists tightly at her sides an cursed them silently in her heart. Cowards!

Her jaw tightened as she watched them disappear one by one with their backs turned and their steps quick and uneven in their haste to escape her wrath.

The punishment hall grew eerily quiet . Her piercing gaze shifted back to Cassian’s limp figure on the ground and her lips curled into a sneer. The sight of him reignited her rage yet her thoughts still lingered on the shame she had endured in front of her people.

Turning her gaze back to Cassian’s motionless body on the cold ground the queen sneered with disdain. Dump him in the graveyard like the trash he is. Whether he survives or not is entirely up to him.

The soldiers carried Cassian’s limp body out of the punishment hall without saying anything. Their heavy boots made loud noises on the gravel as they walked toward the graveyard.

The graveyard was a lonely and empty place far from the palace. Broken stones and tangled roots stuck out from the ground. The smell of death filled the air and made it hard to breathe. Above them in the gray sky, vultures flew in circles. Their loud cries echoed in the silence.

The soldiers looked at each other nervously as they reached a shallow hole that had been dug quickly in the hard ground. They dropped Cassian’s broken body into the hole without care. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud, but he did not move. He stayed still and lifeless on the cold dirt.

The vultures in the sky screamed loudly. They flew lower as if they were waiting for him to die. Their dark wings cast moving shadows on the ground as they came closer.

The soldiers stepped back quickly. Their faces showed no emotion, but one of them paused and looked down at Cassian’s broken body. For a moment, his eyes showed something like pity, but the feeling disappeared as fast as it had come.

We should go, the other soldier said in a firm voice as he grabbed his companion’s arm. We have done what we were ordered to do.

They turned and walked away without saying anything else. Soon, their figures vanished in the distance. The graveyard became silent again. Only the soft sound of the vultures’ wings and the wind could be heard.

The vultures flew in slow circles above Cassian. The air grew heavier as the day passed. Cassian lay still in the dirt. His chest barely moved as he took weak breaths that were hard to notice.

Cassian’s fingers moved just a little. It was such a tiny movement that it could hardly be seen.

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