THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 74: Letting Darkness Overcome Me

Chapter 74: Letting Darkness Overcome Me

Tears rolled of Heather’s face as she dipped her hands into a bowl and brought out the bloody wash cloth she was using to clean me. My teeth clenched together while a harsh breath escaped when Heather put the wet fabric onto my open injuries. My entire body burned with a fiery agony as if flames were licking the skin. It hurt. It hurt so much.

This wasn’t the first time that Madam Heidi would discipline me but it was the first time I would be receiving such lashings from her and without the usual balm to accompany it, the tears of a mermaid.

I wasn’t a stranger to the pain she inflicted on me but without the salve to take some of the pain away, it was just unbearable.

Immediately the first cane hit my back, a wave of scorching pain spread through my back instantly. I clamped my mouth shut through the white hot agony that exploded across my back. The salt water added to the cane didn’t help, it penetrated the open wounds which extended the painful sensation to a level that felt as if my skin was removing itself from my body.

When the very first cane impact hit my back a wave of scorching pain spread through it instantly. A gasp escaped my lips when the first strike hit me while I lay on the cold stone floor with my clenched fists. The salt water penetrated the open wounds which extended the painful sensation to a level that felt like my skin was removing itself from my body.

I didn’t scream.

I would never allow them to experience satisfaction from my frightened reaction.

Another lash. Then another. The intense vibrations from her striking motion passed through my body but I remained strong by gnawing on the inside of my cheek until I tasted the tangy taste of blood.

Through it all Heather continued to wail, pleading but everyone seemed oblivious to her screaming or were deaf to it.

I tried to remain strong, I really did try to but by the time it got the seventieth lashing which was caused by one of the male servants since Madam Heidi had now gotten tired, I fell forward, my hands hitting the icy floor as my body collapsed. The trembling in my arms failed to support me as I struggled to catch my breath. My back became a scorching flame of complete miserableness while my pain reached excruciating levels. Dark clouds invaded my sight but I held onto consciousness while dark spots appeared on my peripheral vision.

I pitched forward while my palms beat against the frigid hard surface of the ground until my body went limp. The weakness in my arms allowed me to drop to the ground as I struggled to catch my breath through my broken breathing. My back charred like a thousand fires inside while suffering unending pain in every movement. I stared through blurred vision but managed to stay conscious despite the dark spots forming at my field of view.

I refused to give them that victory of passing out but I must have did by the time they reached the ninety seventh stroke and when I came too, I just met Heather cradling me sobbing as she stared at me but one thing I would never forget and could still remember clearly was Lady Marina’s voice.

"Pain is the best teacher." She had whispered in my ear, "Now you know what it feels like, so get used to it for a while because there is no happiness here, your highness." She whispered her voice dripping with mockery as she leaned forward and placed a kiss to my forehead.

After that, I was carried into my old but familiar room in the manor while Heather was left to cater for me. She hadn’t stop crying ever since and I didn’t have the energy to console her. Every part of my body experienced the sensation of having tiny pieces of glass extending throughout my entire skin surface. Every inhale caused my body to undergo excruciating pain that traveled through every section of my body while the most basic motions became too much to endure.

Heather sniffed as she dipped the wash clothes into the water that was now bloody. "Perhaps we should tell Sir Reagan_"

"No!" I jerked but immediately hissed when the sudden movement sent waves of pain through my body. I whimpered as I hugged the pillow I was hugging tighter, "Reagan can never know about this."

"But you are hurting my lady!" Heather wailed dropping the wash clothes into the bowl forcefully, "And this isn’t even helping at all!"

I turned my head to look at her and tried to smile despite the pain. "I...I will be fine Heather, all I need is a little bit of rest."

"But you are in pains!" Heather yelled at me, "How can you rest when you are in pains?" She said more tears streaming down her face.

I chuckled dryly as I rested my head back on the pillow. "Trust me, I’ve been through more severe pains than this one!"

Except the difference between that pain and this one is the fact that I had the salve to speed up the healing process! I thought to myself as I stared at Heather. "I’ll be fine I promise, just promise me you won’t tell Reagan!"

"But he needs to know!" Heather argued.

"He doesn’t!" I said through gritted teeth, my body hurting as I raised myself to stare at Heather, "Reagan has so much he is dealing with at the moment, the last thing he needs is to start sorting out something as petty as this!"

Heather gaped at me, "Petty? This isn’t petty!" She said her gaze roaming up and down her body, "To be quite honest it’s quiet a miracle you even got out alive after being beaten half to death. So you need to tell Reagan so he can do something about this because next time you won’t..."

"There won’t be a next time!" I cut in my words sharper than I intended, "Now promise me you are not going to tell Reagan!"

Heather looked away not saying anything, instead she dipped the wash clothes deep inside the water and wrung it out with trembling hands. She pressed it against me and I whimpered as I fell back, huggin the pillow tightly as I felt the sting of the wounds all over my body.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I clenched my jaw tightly refusing to let the tears to fall from my eyes and making it visible to her. The sting from the injuries scorched my flesh while a tightness in my chest resulted from fighting back tears. Short rapid breaths escaped from my mouth as I kept my face turned away from Heather because tear drops had started forming in my eyes.

"I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry." Heather wailed loudly as she stopped.

I shook my head at her still not turning to look at her, "You shouldn’t have to apologize. It wasn’t your fault."

"But I was the one who came to call you for tea. I swear to the gods my lady, I had no idea this was going to happen." Heather continued crying, "I swear if I had I wouldn’t have allowed you to, I would have suggested you do anything to stay in Sir Reagan’s room, I’m so sorry."

I groaned as I turned my head to the side, "For the last time Heather it isn’t your fault. They would have found a way to get to me either way, Madam Heidi never misses a day to teach me lessons."

"So she does that to you back at the castle?" Heather asked me with a slight frown "But isn’t she just a servant? What right does she have to you?"

The same right she had when she began to climb into my father’s bed when my mother’s body was barely cold! I thought to myself as my jaw tightened at the memory which left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I vividly remembered the servants and people of the court with their whispers while treating me like an object of pity and stares. Madam Heidi secured the role in her new household through her ability to deceive rather than expecting loyalty or affection.

"Madam Heidi doesn’t need rights, whatever she wants she gets and my father let’s her because he is the kind of man who always fails to see what’s wrong." Who would rather prefer to let the thing between his legs to think for him rather than his own heart! I thought the last part but didn’t say it out loud.

Heather sighed shaking her head at me, "I honestly still can’t believe it, I’m just so sorry!"

I groaned as I fell back to the pillow, "I swear Heather if you know you are going to cry and apologize all day, then you might as well just leave right now. All this crying is giving me a headache!"

Heather gasped as she leaned forward, she immediately reached forward pressing her hand to my head. "Gods my lady, you are running a fever."

I chuckled weakly at her, "You think?"

Heather gasped as she immediately stood up from the chair, "I’ll go change the water and step out for some supplies, there should be some medicine in my cabinet upstairs." She said.

"Thank you." I whispered but Heather was already running off not bothering to wait and listen and I couldn’t help the weak smile that appeared on my face before I allowed darkness to overcome me.

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