Antagonist Agnes

A theatre, that's what it was.

Or that's what it felt like. An old opera where I was the antagonist.

The setting was a witch trial, the witch, of course me.

The judge was played by the man in the middle, the prosecutor by his brother.

The family crowd circling around us was the jury.

It was quite the elaborate setup, for someone unimportant like me. However, since they had gone trough all that trouble, I should at least play along.

"Do you swear to speak the truth, and only the truth," I asked.

"Of course I do," she answered.

I nodded my head in admiration.

"First of all, please state your name," I requested of her.

"What would be the point of that?"

"Is that your full name or just the given one?"

Raya brows furrowed. It took a while, but she reluctantly announced, "Raya Josephine D'Anele."

"Good job," I smiled, "I will proceed with the questions now."

"Get on with it."

"As you wish," I pretended to think, "so Raya, tell me how often do you touch yourself."

"Hueh," she let out a strange noise.

Afterwards, everybody turned quiet, letting only her cry reverberate against the walls.

It was like the saying where a needle could be heard if it was dropped. I finally didn't have to hear the chattering of these fools anymore, albeit it was only for a short time, as following the silence came the biggest outcry yet.

"Absolutely audacious," an older woman screamed.

"H-how improper," her friend joined in.

"What?", "Unbelievable, what an imprudent query!", "Someone take her off the stage!", "Such a crass young girl!"

The voices multiplied.

I let them shout, let them yell. That was all they could do anyways.

I could see the young boys her age, fidgeting around, unable to maintain eye contact with the platform. The girls had a look of horror, wondering what would have happened if they were the ones on the stage.

The older ones would stare at Raya, with either a slight blush on their faces, or just gaze away.

The adults condemned me like I was a spawn from hell, whose purpose was to wreak havoc in this peaceful household.

A myriad of emotions just by a simple question.

I moved closer to Rayas head, who was still caught in shock and asked, "are you not going to answer the question," my breath tickling her neck, "why aren't you denying it?"

Her ears reddened like ripe tomatoes, and she was frantically biting her lower lips. She stared at the floor but I was able to tell, how her eyes moistened and glistened like morning dew, while her breathing grew erratic. The black dress she held onto formed creases by her strong grip and she was unable to utter a single word.

"The look you have right now suits you a lot more," I blurted out.

She hid her face behind the fan she brought, but could not conceal that she was visibly shaken. Her shoulders drooped and she hunched forward. Now that she had shrunk a size, she was no longer able to look down on me.

"Agnes, I do not see the relevance in asking this question," the man who interrogated me yelled.

I rebutted, "but it is very relevant. Why don't you wait and see?"

"How is it relevant, I will not allow this nonsense," he bellowed.

I stuck out my tongue, "why don't you shut up, your turn is over."

He grew louder from my provocation, "you delinquent, watch your tone."

"And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it," I shoved Raya aside, "are you saying that you have the right to stop me, when I listened to you statements without complaint?"

"Miss Raya, step aside please," he confronted me, his tone seething with rage, "I will teach this fiend some manners."

"Behave yourself," I said with a cool voice, "this is a place to fight with words, not fists. I urge you to stop your aggressive approach." I smiled, but not the fake smile, it was my real smile tempered through the cold depths of hell, "or are you willing to bear the burden of disrespecting the rules set by our ancestors?"

He stopped approaching me, as if he turned into a frozen statue.

"What, cat's got your tongue? I was hoping that you'd come at me. Too bad."

"Alright, that's enough. Brother return to my side, do you not see that you are making a fool out of yourself," Rayas father, my uncle, said.

"Yes, I apologize."

"And Agnes, I will not allow one more word about this, or I will make you regret ever stepping into this room," he included and I saw the veins twitching on his forehead.

"I don't mind, her silence was an answer in itself already, isn't that right my sweet cousin Raya?"

She hugged her body tightly and her face was still flushed red, but her sharp eyebrows pointed downwards, and her pupils were dilated. The girl was visibly shaking due to her anger.

I continued without care, "Let's move on. Raya tell us, what is your impression on the third prince?"

She was still skeptical, but decided to answer for now. Like a growl, her voice was deep, "the exact opposite of you. Benevolent, righteous and optimistic," she added, "you whore."

"Ah, it would seem like you have a good opinion of him. Then how many times have you actually met?"

"Twice."

"I see, only twice, and you already have him in high regards. The prince is truly blessed to amass quick followers like you."

"Say whatever you want, your cheap sarcasm won't work against me."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I was merely stating facts. Anyways, is it correct for me to assume that you do not know each other at all," I said, delighting in the fact that I had driven her into a corner.

She racked her brains to think about an excuse, until she seemed to have realized something, "I see, you are trying to tarnish my image, but I will not be caught in your schemes," she then began laughing, "as a matter of fact I know him quite well."

My eyes widened, "As if. What supports your claim?"

Seeing my reaction, she regained her confidence and struck her chest out, "the prince has gifted me a hairpin before, I wear it on grand occasions."

"What, there is no way this is true," I stepped back.

"Are you saying that I lied," she said, her unwavering composure infecting those around her.

"It's true, I saw it with my own eyes," a girl I can only presume was her friend shouted.

"I heard they send letters to each other," another one fanned the flames.

Looking like I was lost for words, Raya continued her story, "we first met at the ball hosted by Madame Bellaine. At that time, we were still young and naive. No one knew what the future awaited us. I was feeling nauseated by the heat, when he came over to support me in my distress. Naturally we thus engaged in a conversation. However, fate was not on our site that day, as he had to return, leaving only this ornamental hairpin behind."

She recounted her tale with fervent passion, getting more into it the longer she talked. The momentum I had gained on her, was lost.

"The second time was only years later, when it had already been announced that you would be engaged to the third prince," she gritted her teeth in hatred, "but still, when we saw each other again, in the palace garden, it was like a thunderbolt that had pierced both of our hearts. It was much unlike you who was only bound by necessity. So hearing that, maybe you should ask yourself why he broke it off in the first place."

She stole a quick glance at her group of friends, which had been shouting supports such as how I couldn't gain the princes favor, and how Raya was more suited.

The idea was simple, my engagement being annulled meant that the prince was partnerless too. If he only had a personal vendetta against me, than the marriage proposal could still be renewed. She planned to use that chance not only to appeal her charms, but also derail my plans of defamation.

The crowd broke into discussion, murmuring over what Raya had just said.

I squinted my eyes and sighed in frustration, "is what you said all true."

"Without a doubt, I swore an oath."

"I feel sick, someone please support me," I faintly asked, with the back of my hand on my head.

"Crocodile tears, do not try to escape responsibility after I have foiled your mischief by playing the damsel in distress now," she humphed and pointed her fan at me.

"No, I was just baffled by the unbelievable sight I was witnessing," I whimpered.

"What do you mean?"

"So it really is true that you stole my husband," I announced with a low voice.

"Hueh," the girl let out another strange noise. I really did love hearing it.

My statement caused another wave in the spectator stand, which had only been invited to act out the appropriate reactions.

Raya bellowed in fury, "Liar!" And threw her fan at me, leaving a scrape on my cheeks.

"How so? Before you came, I was still in an ordinary relationship with the prince. However out of sheer greed, you displayed your womanly charms to win over my future husband," I tightly gripped my chest and shook my head, "I thought that I should let it be, since we were family. I thought surely I must have misunderstood," my eyes became watery, "but my heart ached when I thought about all the times he would stare at me, while wallowing in self pity that it was not you, who was standing by his side. All of this because of your deceitful nature that sullied the prince's purity," my voice grew coarse as if I was unable to contain the emotions anymore, "until the end, I trusted you, but seeing you so brazenly admit and furthermore pin the blame on me, I cannot hold back anymore."

The whole time she was at a loss for words, unable to comprehend how it had turned out this way. For the first time, the crowds piercing gaze fell not upon me, but on her.

"A tale filled with lies," she pleaded, while swinging her arms around.

"But does that story not suit you, a girl that indulges herself in worldly pleasures."

She blushed, "t-that's not true."

I stepped forward again, meeting her with a guiltless expression, "then was your desire for the prince you displayed also untrue?"

She stepped back, desperately searching for an excuse, "you're just spinning my words around."

I moved another step in her direction, "all I'm asking is for the truth," I grinned, "or are you saying that you lied?"

"No, never," she immediately responded.

"Then did you in fact, steal my husband?"

"I-I," she stuttered.

"Is that the truth?", "It does seem like it.", "Miss Raya sure is vicious.", "This outcome wasn't what we were told."

Raya tried explaining herself one more time, but the people have already reached their verdict.

I turned towards the crowd, "I would also like to add, that after finding out about this whole ordeal, the prince vowed to never marry anyone from our family, so I request that Raya Josephine D'Anele, a driving force behind the annulment, will face the same punishment that I will."

Thump, I suddenly heard the sound of something heavy falling on the ground, it was Raya whose legs had given up, causing her to fall on her knees. I tried inquiring if she was okay, when she abruptly lunged at me.

I lost my ground and fell on my back and she took the chance to climb above me. She held me down with her body and pulled at my hair.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you," she yelled with tears forming around her eyes.

"Cry," I urged her, "you were so cute, I just couldn't help it."

She pulled the cloth around my chest towards her and screamed, "fuck you and your stupid mouth."

I wiped the water around her eyes away with my thumb and laughed loudly, "if you make such a beautiful face now, I might just want to keep you for myself."

Like a broken record she repeated her words, while her tears fell with the same rhythm her punches were thrown. Meanwhile I silently held onto her, watching her crestfallen expression warp with every second that passed.