Chapter 1.6: Goodbye For Now

It took a week for the king to request her to leave. During this time Leila found herself getting weaker by the day. Her body had shriveled up with dehydration, a migraine overtaking her for hours. She struggled to remain conscious when the guard commanded her to get up. She couldn't, barely opening her eyes as she lay on the ground. This earned her a swift kick to the side by the bastard. He yelled at her again to get up but stopped when she coughed up a glob of something. It felt warm and had a metallic smell to it like blood.

This all led to her being carried by the man down to the king's chambers. The movement made her nauseous but she clamped her lips shut. The older man wouldn't get the satisfaction of her throwing up in public. Instead, she swallowed the lump of stomach acid building in her mouth and shivered. The teenager had purposely refused any food and drinks the king's men offered her. She could see that it had been tainted with and threw it at the walls. They had sent a doctor to see her but the woman treated her horribly. It was obvious everyone in the palace wished she had been executed with the others.

This didn't hurt the teenager's feelings. Everyone she was surrounded by were book characters. She knew that whatever happened to them didn't matter. They weren't real and this comforted her as she spent hours planning in that cell. She had combed over every detail she knew from the books. Every loose plot thread and character backstory was tucked in the back of her mind as she was carried. To survive this hell she would need to play her part and be who Cleo should have been. Her body was that of a weapon's a woman who was trained to kill. So screw it, Leila would use it endlessly.

"Your father has requested your release." The king sat on a chair that was reminiscent of a throne. His body was heavy with jewels and medals as he spoke.

He got up from his seat and walked towards her. The guard had positioned her body so she was facing him. His grimy hands moved to cup her face as he stared into her soul. The touch felt like a hot iron being pressed on her skin as his nails dug in. Her body was already bruised from the torture so his fingers dug into healing wounds. They left an indent as he let go and watched her body twitch in pain. Blood dripped down her chin as he turned and touched his hip momentarily. On it was an empty hilt in which his sword used to be.

"Take this as a sign of mercy,” The guard’s grip on her body tightened. “You are to never set foot on our lands again or it will be your head." The teenager felt a small smile grow on her face at his words. She wouldn’t dream of walking back into the palace unless the prince was groveling at her feet.

She had expected Cleo's mother to break first. The woman favored her daughters above all else. She trained them herself and went mad with grief when her youngest died. They said she burned the man responsibly alive and enslaved his poor wife. Admittedly, Leila thought the woman was badass. She had dreamed of having a mother like that who would take a bullet for you. But she supposed the news of her torture sent her father in a downward spiral. His crown jewel was close to death and the man was unaware of the fact she faced execution. Both would be interesting to interact with, even if Cleo's brothers were anything but loving.

"You are tainted for life wench. The sight of you would disgust my son." The king peered at her bruised form. Her skin had started to yellow and swell. "Don't even think about trying to contact him from afar. He's grown sick of your manipulation."

'Seriously?' The teenager was grossed out. The prince had thrown her to the wolves. Even if Cleo was here she'd be done with him after that.

Thankfully the pig was done with her after that and she hurried away. It appeared that her father had done more than simply requested her freedom. There was a certain air to the guards' actions as they stripped her of her clothing. She covered herself from their leering eyes and seethed. It was obvious the men were worried, she wondered what exactly the famed killer had said.

Stolen story; please report.

Unlike Cleo and her siblings, her father was a former soldier. After countless wars, he turned to be a bodyguard for noble families and eventually met her mother. She was hired to seduce and kill the father of a young boy he was watching over. Once he caught on, their blades were drawn and a tense game of cat and mouse began. Their final meeting wasn't peaceful, the relationship included plenty of drugging and reconditioning.

But it worked and the man was loyal. Like a dog, he probably went feral in his communications with the royal family. The teenager was overjoyed as she imagined the man threatening to kill the king's daughters. She heard murmurs that those brats spoiled endlessly since toddlerhood, had sworn to send their dogs to 'tease' her. That day she lost it and it took her an hour to calm down. She had cried in the darkness of the cell and begged. It was so unfair, to be punished for something she didn't even do. But now, that would be rectified and the teenager would make sure both girls died slowly.

'There are some perks to being in a world based on dark fantasies,' Leila hid her face as cold water was dunked over her head. They put no effort into a proper bath and instead drenched her in water that smelled. 'No one important enough has the morals to protest the murder.'

It truly was astounding to her how dark this world was. She knew that authors tended to think grimdark stories were meant to be edgy but this was ridiculous. Every guard, servant, and straggler she'd encountered was desperate to look at her bare body. The scum was washing her in the open, with her body practically thrown on the grass. It was to beat down her spirit even further but she just scoffed. This was ridiculous, the teenager felt like she was losing it. All she craved was to escape and torture the prince the way she had been. If he was stripped and beaten black and blue she'd be pleased. The thought just made her heart quicken at its pace.

She bit at her nails as they yanked off of the ground. 'I need to kill these bastards,' Roughly, she was pushed into a room where an annoyed woman stood holding a dress. 'And she can die too.'

The woman looked at the guard with disgust. "This girl is soaking wet and naked. You didn't have the decency to get her a towel?" She gestured for Leila to come close as she glared at the sheepish-looking man.

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "She tried to murder the prince's consort madam. We cannot afford to give her luxuries."

"Even monsters are able to properly clean themselves," The dress was brought to her body to see if it fit. The color didn't really fit Leila being a muddy plum color but she had no room to protest. "Look at her! Her body looks unsightly."

With that being said the teenager droned out for the rest of the conversation. She took the dress offered and began to dress. She hated that it was in front of two strangers but she had to get moving. Cleo's father would be here soon and she'd like to be presentable for him. If she was going to play up her fragileness, she needed to look like a weak-willed woman. The dress hung off of her due to the rapid weight loss she went through and she held back a grin. This also helped more bruises and healing cuts be shown to anyone who came across her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the woman grab something. She was hopeful that it was shoes but instead it was a cloak. Her dress stuck uncomfortably to her wet skin as she accepted the jacket. It felt rough, whatever fabric it was made of was warm and improperly cared for. It felt like sandpaper against her neck as she looped a piece of three across her neck into a sloppy bow. If she didn't look like a corpse the ensemble might look decent. She waited for shoes but the stern glance the woman gave said that was all the charity she had to offer. Leila didn't care as the guard was pulling her away and out of the palace once more.

This time she didn't end up in the grass but standing on the stone pavement. There was a carriage in front of her with two horses attached to it. A man walked over to talk to the guard and she recognized the broach he wore. It was the symbol of Cleo's family. Her eyes widened as she realized she was leaving right away. There would be no more running around, no she was free of her chains. A wave of relief overtook her, the teenager was grateful that the man had gotten her freedom.

But soon that relief disappeared as she entered the carriage. It was clean and smelled like fresh fruit. There were blankets for her to wrap herself in along with a pillow. She grinned at the sight and sat down. Her freedom had been achieved but she now had something else to worry about. Something that would require a lot of work to succeed in. Her legs crossed over one another as she turned and smirked at the guard. The man couldn't do anything to her now. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him squirm under her gaze.

'Cleo's brothers.' Leila smiled as she thought about what little she knew of the men. They'd be troublesome but the teenager had days to plan.