THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 62: Better Me Than High

Chapter 62: Better Me Than High

In all my years, I’ve always known my father to be a ruthless man. It didn’t take me that long to know either. Ever since I was of a young age, I knew my father was nothing but ruthless, he was different from any other father that I knew of. Whereas other father brought smiles to their children’s face, mine only brought tears to our eyes. Something we had to get used to at a later age.

My father, King Sigurd the great wasn’t only ruthless, he was merciless, calculating and always cunning.

He established harsh rule through compelling words that he used to conduct cruel disciplinary actions. Men constantly prostrated near his feet while they addressed him with fearful adoration. To me he remained the person who stole my youth to transform me into a tough character while remaining one more item in his extensive collection.

I’ve never felt the comfort a father’s embrace provided. He never offered me a word of a praise either, every remark always held prescribed expectations in them. My worth was measured in how obedient I was, in my ability to be in perfect compliance to his demands.

I did everything that was asked in the hope that he would one day love me back, okay maybe love was a far stretch but still I had hoped he would feel something for me. But I slowly began to realize that, it was a dream that wouldn’t be possible. So, I continued to do all that he asked of me without expecting anything in return.

And now he needed me to be a killer!

I stared at my father still not saying anything and he continued to stare at me, looking at me as if he hadn’t just ask me to take the life of another just to ensure my stay in a married home.

"Well?" My father drawled out, "What are you waiting for?" He asked, his tone impatient as he stared at me.

I snorted at him with a slight shake of my head, "You want me to kill the concubine? And how do you propose I do that?"

"Some poison, make her break her back by pushing her off the stairs, hell, murder her in her sleep, I don’t care." My father scoffed at me as he suggested ways for me to commit murder.

"And Reagan?"

My father brushed me off with a wave of his hands, "He will get over it." He said and I just arched a brow up at him, "He can sleep around with plenty of other women, I do not care, but as long as he doesn’t use them to replace you, then I really do not have a problem with that. I mean can you imagine the words going on at court that the king’s daughter got replaced."

The king’s daughter, never ’My ’daughter! I was just a tool to be used to secure his place at court and be discarded in case things do not go well for me.

My father leaned back in his seat, waiting, watching for my compliance as he always had. I shattered my own identity to become acceptable according to the way my father wanted me to be from the day I was born up until today. And for what? Living as a mere piece in his endless pursuit of dominating control?

I tightened my fists while looking at the floor until the discomfort kept me from drifting away. Finally heaving a breath, I stared up at my father.

"So, let me just get this straight, you want me to kill an innocent woman because you are worried about how it will have you look in front of the court?"

"Because you are the princess of Iravia and I will not have you made into a fool!" My father suddenly yelled slamming his hand down on the table, clear evidence that his patience was running thing with me.

Right, the princess! I thought dryly. Swallowing, I stared my father straight in the eye, ignoring his attempt of intimidating me. "If I do this? If I kill her, do I suddenly become worthy of you to finally acknowledge? Do I finally gain your favor? Your love?"

My father let out a hearty laughter, "Oh don’t be ridiculous girl, you gain something far more better."

"What is it?" I asked and my father groaned in response, "Well if I’m about to become a murderer, I might as well know don’t you think?"

Sighing, my father rubbed at his temple contemplating whether or not to answer me. He seemed he already made his answer already because he finally spoke. "Your reputation."

"My reputation?" I asked in disbelief.

My father was asking me to kill someone, take an innocent all because of my reputation? Just when I thought he couldn’t get any lower! Drawing in a deep breath, I raised my head up to stare at my father. "No." I said and the silence that followed was almost deafening.

The smirk on my father’s face vanished as his gaze darkened, "No?"

"No." I repeated firmly not looking away from him, "I won’t do it."

My father slowly stood up from where he was seated, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room as he slowly round the table to come and stand in front of me, his expression twisting into something dangerous and I could feel the anger emanating from him as he stood in front of me.

"You won’t do it?" My father asked in a deadly calm tone.

I straightened my back, "Ye_" A sudden slap to my cheek cut my words off.

The impact from the slap was enough to send me crashing to the floor but I quickly braced myself on the table, hitting my head on the sharp edges in the process.

"Your majesty." Madam Heidi gasped, "You have to be careful with her she is with child!"

My father didn’t seem to care as he immediately reached down to yank me by my hair. I hissed slightly at the pain but didn’t glared at him.

"Listen here wench, you are starting to get really bold and you might consider it brave but I think it’s stupid." He hissed at me, his grip on my hair tightening with each words, "You will do as I ask of you, with no questions asked or their will be consequences. Besides, don’t forget you are easily replaceable, I should see what your younger sister Evie has to say about the knight."

No! I turned to stare at my father and the seriousness in his gaze was enough to terrify me. "No." I breathed out.

"Yeah, that’s what I thought." My father hissed before he shoved me away, causing me to bump my head on the table in the process, "Now clean yourself up and come down stairs for dinner, it’s time for us to celebrate your news don’t you think?" He asked before he turned and left his study, slamming the door hard as he did so.

The moment he left Madam Heidi sighed heavily, "You shouldn’t have provoked him." She said before she walked to the table and yanked the drawers open bringing out the salve to use on my face.

Right, I should just allow him to treat me as he see fit even if it’s killing me on the inside! I thought to myself as Madam Heidi begin to apply the salve to my cut and as she did so, I couldn’t help but think.

Better me than her, Evie! My little sister.