"I hate everyone"

Qaya bitterly muttered and woke up from her dream. Ever since the treasure hunt, she'd kept dreaming of the memory she had of the slave market.

She stood up from her bed and rubbed her temples. She looked out of the window, it was still late, infact, she had just come back from the King's banquet, that evil place.

She sank back into her bed as her mind went back to the event that unfolded:

Awin had announced to everyone, something obscene that she agreed to marry him. And then he put on this bizarre show by unveiling the golden box which was the Duke's trophy for winning the hunt. The duke, in order to be in the King's good graces and show his loyalty surrendered the trophy.

"I am incredibly grateful to the duke who had given me this gift"

He opened it to reveal a beautiful crown, it was the symbol of elegance and grace. Just merely seeing it screamed that it was made thoughtfully made with diamond wires, so it wasn't so heavy, the crown was made with intricate eye-catching technique and was riddled with saphires and amethyst pearls, the whole party gasped in astonishment.

"This is my gift to you, Qaya Heris-Mariale."

Qaya stood in horror at Awin's display. She stumbled backwards and shook her head.

"Just what do you think you're doing in front of everyone"

"This is my price, your folly. You promised me this"

"You're just being absurd, do you know that? I know that you are not well in your mind but don't you think this is pushing it far? What made you think that when I made the wager, I made my body part of the spoils?"

"Well, there was nothing really to make think otherwise either"

Qaya scoffed and looked down at the people below them, the people couldn't hear what was being said but the hostility between the two of them was too evident.

"Still, I refuse to partake in such tomfoolery"

"Qaya" Awin called out in a way that filled her with dread, chills ran through her like she had just been called upon by the grim reaper. "You don't really have a say in this matter, you may decide to walk away and embarrass me and I will devastate all that you love"

Qaya looked at him with burning rage, rage so immense she had to take a seat and drink cold water. "Just what are you thinking, Awin? Do I look like the stupidly selfless person that will believe your threats and destroy my life for the sake of family?"

He walked up to her where she was sitting and crouched down before her, "you don't, and you might not even be the type. But like all creatures, I can subdue you with frustration and bend you to my will, and it won't take much time for you be a spineless dog waiting at my beck and call"

"Your confidence is sickening"

"Try your best and tolerate it, you'll have to endure it for the rest of your life"

"Stop it, stop it" Qaya screamed and broke out of her reverie, she couldn't think about how she disregarded her pride and common sense and received his proposal, it would break her. The night before was surely eventful and she had no choice now.

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, but no one was as crippled with surprise like Marie, Qaya's mother.

All night, the night before, as everyone went home crestfallen, she kept questioning why her daughter would go and do this.

"What is this? Why did you agree? Tell me, is he blackmailing you?"

"Mother, that's not it, really. I know he doesn't have influence over me or this family because of father's political standing"

"What nonsense are you sprouting? You know how evil this man is, you weren't blackmailed and chose to accept his proposal. What even is this? Because I know saying something stupid like you fell in love won't cut it. Qaya tell me, I am your mother I will cause the universe to turn on itself and turn to dust if it's for your sake"

This was getting too much for Qaya to beat, with each second she could feel her resolve dissolving and she was beginning to hate herself with a passion for making such a decision.

"Leave me, you keep saying you can help, you can help, but when have you ever helped. I think back to everything and can't see anything you've done that could make me trust you if there was actually a problem I was facing. Your own empire was about to collapse under your watch safe for my and father's intervention..." Qaya paused, she had caught of a hold of herself but it was too late, the damage was already done, she sighed "I see that I have crossed a line with you, mother. I apologize for my misconduct but I'll also have you know that I didn't just spew nonsense, there is some sense of truth in what I said. If you'll excuse me I'll have to pack for my matrimonial home"

Marie winced, she looked down at herself as if staring at imaginery holes in her body that Qaya's devastating bullets called words had caused. With that kind of humiliation, she couldn't probe further and silently and pathetically walked to her room.

"I was harsh last night" Qaya thought as she dressed up, she'd been wearing more dresses recently. But what could she do, this seemed like the appropriate thing to wear to move to a matrimonial home"

She grew dizzy just thinking of it, never in a billion years would she have conceived the thought of Awin's house as her matrimonial home.

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"But fate scorns me, and entertains herself with my peril"

Ever since her large outburst at the lady of the house, nobody was talking to her and even the servants under Jaslin's instructions had stopped attending to her.

"That's much better, it will make my departure easier on me, such a selfish thought"

It might have been selfish, but it was also a futile thought, because Qaya was not consoled in anyway.

When Zachary and the King's convoy came to pick her up, her whole family had refused to show them hospitality. Qaya looked back at the mansion as it kept getting smaller and farther, it looked like a home in mourning; they were mourning her.

And with the painful realization that she was entering a cruel stage of her life without familial support and her mother's warmth, she bowed her head in sorrow. She has caused this with her own hand, blaming Awin would just be an attempt to ease the burden. All her rash decisions; stealing a corpse, wagering in a competition she had no chance at winning, all these were the cause of her downfall.

"Oh how stupid I have been" she said with her eyes brimming with tears, and her body started shaking, not from the turbulence of the carriage but the heart wrenching emotion of dread, regret and sadness that permeated her whole being.

Qaya wept, and no one has ever wept has bitterly and no one should, but Qaya wept.

***

"How dare him do this to me? Why?"

Melinda's voice caused all her servants to turn from her chambers and run in hiding, because she was out for blood.

Since she came arrived from the party, she refused to eat anything and has been thrashing her anger on the furniture and novelties in her room.

The Melinda Charmale that was always graceful, with innocence emanating from.her looked like a someone who's been deranged half her life.

She fell to the ground, clawing at her skin and crying profusely "Awin, you fool, you monster, why would you do this to me? Arghggh" she screamed again and this only caused her servants to fall into deeper fear.

"I've done everything in power to be seen and this is what I get?"

She sat down exhausted, debris from what was furniture, and novelty decorations surrounding her. She slowly muttered to herself, with blood shot eyes and injuries all over her body.

"I crave Awin with a maniacal urgency, I thought winning his heart would give me...what am I even saying? When has ever being innocent gotten me what I want"

"Just when?" And she repeated that over, and over and over again. Laughing such a soul crushing laughter that the servants feared that they may have stumbled upon the devil's lair, yes they must have stumbled on hell.

***

The sun frowned and the birds had drooping wings, time dragged his feet, water tasted foul, it seemed that the whole universe was in unsion and agreed that nothing was good. At least that was the sentiment in the Heris-Mariale household.

The servants found themselves constantly walking on eggshells, for fear that a slight misstep would earn the anger of the masters upon them. Everyone kept to themselves and while they all seemed to go about their daily activities with no problem, the atmosphere was now cold. When they ate together, everyone was quiet.

Jaslin was the one trying her best to hold the family but there was only so much to do. Truly, anyone that stumbled upon their house would think they were bereaved and to the family they were indeed bereaved. Something so untoward and evil had happened and they could do nothing but watch as everything unfolded and life collapsed against itself.

Marie's health had become terrible, she lost her appetite and kept to herself. If she was not working herself to the bone she was wallowing in self pity and alcohol. This night was like every other night.

She sat down in the verenda, her face flushed as the aggressive night wind blew against her, drinking gin.

She felt someone put a shawl around her.

"You'll catch a cold" this was Dylan, he seemed calm but his eyes told a different story, he seemed angry almost as if he was staring at Marie with disdain.

"That's what the spirit's for" she said waving the bottle at him and adjusting the shawl so that it could cover her properly.

"It's been three days" Dylan muttered as if to remind himself but he was talking to her.

"And?"

"Nothing, it's just you could achieve so much instead of looking pathetic"

"Watch yourself, Mr Mariale. We're you not there when I wanted to protect her, were you not there when I was humiliated and belittled by my own flesh and blood? My daughter said she wants to live with that monster for the rest of her life, she tells me there's nothing I can do about it.... Argh" she screamed and smashed the bottle against the wall.

Dylan frowned as he watched her walk back into her room and settle into the sette.

"That was quite the tantrum"

"What are you even doing here? What right do you have to stand here in MY room"

"I didn't come here for you, I came for the good of this family, mind you Qaya is also my daughter"

"So what does that mean? I'm over reacting? How is the chicken to react when she sees her young in the fox's jaws?what should a mother do when her daughter readily communes with the devil? Forgive me, 'lord' Mariale that I cannot maintain decorum and be a respectable matriarch but I'm trying my best"

"That's not what I meant Marie and you know it. I'm tired of this, tired of being your punching bag, I'm not exactly a perfect man but that doesn't give you the right to continuously transfer your aggression to me"

Marie scoffed "since we're on the topic, you have quite the gall, Mr. Mariale. To appear before me after what I told you, after everything you've done"

"Marie..."

"No, I will talk, I must talk, because living with you has been so suffocating. Do you think it's easy for me to continually look at the man that abandoned me with child, act like a perfect father. You disgust me" she spat

"You know I apologized and I came back for you, my family..."

"You lie, Dylan. You only came because your perfect princess wife died and you needed a replacement, Qaya and I were nothing but spares. Dylan you left me, forget me, you left your daughter. We were living from hand to mouth, on the whims of humans. For my daughter's sake I built up my estate with my blood, sweat and tears, for what? For you to swoop in and play Hercules"

"This seems like a convoluted account, you refuse to mention..."

"You are not to decide for me, I know what I went through it is not for you to say if it's convoluted or not"

"I'm..."

"You know what? Do me a favor and leave"

Dylan did not protest, he knew better than that. But with this the atmosphere becoming more asphyxiating. Everyone was tense as if an executioner's knife was against their necks.