008. Long Live the Queen!

[ FOUR YEARS LATER ]

A dark room along the dim-litted corridor. Chains from various prisoners could be heard inside the dungeon, and the loudest ones came from the prisoner in the last cell of the dungeon.

"How... How could you..? They loved you... They cherished you... How could you kill them?!" Amaryllis shouted as he aggressively pulled on his chains.

Hyacinth stood before him. Calm and emotionless. She looked down on her older brother with her cold blue eyes. Amaryllis could feel a dangerous chill run down his spine as he saw the glint on her eyes. It felt as chilly as the first snow of winter.

"It's been four years, brother. You should get over it and think. Though, it wouldn't matter if you'll die in this cell either." Her once warm voice came out cold to him.

Amaryllis could only clench his fists and jaw. He glared at her with the same blue orbs she possessed and turned his back before her.

"Leave. I do not wish to speak with a murderer anymore."

Hyacinth sighed loudly, expressing how disappointed she felt.

"Let's go," she ordered.

Her dark blue dress brushed against the stony corridor. The chains from the prisoners were becoming too loud as she marched her way out of the dungeon. Giovanni and her other servants followed behind her.

Today marks the 108th time that Hyacinth had failed to encourage her dear brother to ally himself with her. And maybe, this would be the last time she'll persuade him. She was now thinking of disposing him while she still can.

Four years had passed since the war that her siblings instigated and since her accession to the throne. It was the roughest years for her since she had reformed everything—from forming the new members of the royal court to taking back the Dukedoms as part of the Fleurian Kingdom. It was a lot of paper works, but thanks to the Chancellors and Ludwig that her job became easier.

Merilyn, one of her ladies in waiting, bowed to her. Hyacinth and the rest of her servants took a halt in the middle of the corridor as she listens to the news that Merilyn brought.

"Everything is in order, Your Majesty. The prisoners are already in the court for the trial." She kept her head low as she relayed the information to her Queen.

Hyacinth nods her head. "I see. Dispose the prisoner on the last cell in the dungeon. Make it quick and discreet," she ordered then handed a piece of paper to Merilyn.

Merilyn accepted the paper with both of her hands then clasped it between her palms. "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Queen proceeded to the royal court. She waved her hand and dismissed her remaining servants one-by-one. "Giovanni will accompany me today." The other servants glanced at one another. They were reluctant, but they still heed to her command.

Ever since she was crowned, Hyacinth did not have any time alone for herself. She was always guarded by servants or knights. And that annoyed her.

"You don't have to attend the trial if it bothers you, Your Majesty," Giovanni suggested. He was behind her, his tall figure towering over her.

Hyacinth shook her head, her gaze fixated at the path in front of her. "I know that I can persuade them if I'll show up. They're the remaining family I have."

"And if they still disagree?"

"Then it ends here," she answers, glancing at him quickly.

"If that's what Her Majesty wishes then."

The royal court was filled with important people from representatives of the noble faction, the commanders of the royal guards and knights and the representatives of the common people. They were given an invitation to witness the trial of the former royal highnesses that were captured after the war four years ago.

They were in prison for the last four years because of their refusal to accept their new ruler. And as Hyacinth runs out of patience, she had decided to place them in a trial. Knowing that the two tried to conspire behind her after the war, Hyacinth won't be able to let them escape, unlike the decision she made for Amaryllis. If she must, then she shall spill their bloods in order to prevent anyone from conspiring against her and her Kingdom.

The members of the royal court were starting to make a ruckus when the two former prince and princess were dragged to the court. The noble faction representatives were expressing their disapproval with the crude treatment that the former prince and princess are receiving. Whilst the others were expressing how the two deserves it.

Aside from the former royals were the former members of the court. The proud Count Wilmington, the coward Baron Tremure, the aggressive Marquess Lewis, and the other ambitious nobles who joined the war.

"Entering, Her Majesty Queen Hyacinth La Fleur."

The noise in the court died down when Hyacinth entered. She was escorted by her personal knight and guard Giovanni. The Queen sat in front of them. It was a special chair made from the agony tree. It was decorated with golden linings and in the middle of it was a blue gem called the 'mermaid tears'. It was a beautiful chair suitable for a beautiful Queen like her.

Hyacinth's stoic expression remained on her face even in front of her disgusted siblings. She sat on the chair and crossed her legs. One of her arms rested on the arm of her chair then her head leaned against her closed hand. Giovanni stood beside her chair, guarding her closely.

"The trial shall now commence," Chancellor Von Swelch announced.

The two Chancellors and Ludwig were standing on the podium. They were all holding documents where the crimes of the nobles and royals in front of them were written.

"Now that our Queen had spared the traitors some of her time, we can now discuss their crimes and the punishment they deserve," Ludwig said.

Chancellor Von Reich spoke soon and announced the crimes they have committed. The heat in the court rose when the council members shouted their opinions for their punishment. Then the Queen stood up from her seat.

Hyacinth took a few steps forward, her eyes darted on her two siblings. They were glaring at her intensely, yet she could feel their fear of dying. She smirked. "As your Queen, I shall bestow upon you two options. To serve and kneel before me or to give your life back to our god Aoife."

Azalea clenched her fists tightly, her long nails digging against her palms. Her glare became more intense upon hearing her little sister's remarks.

"I will never accept a murderous Queen like you! You're a traitor! You don't deserve the crown!" Azalea screamed, pulling on her chains.

If she was like Amaryllis, Hyacinth might have taken pity on her. But she was the one who almost had her killed back then. She turned her attention to her brother, Chrysanthemum. Like Azalea, the latter was glaring at her. Then he spat. A way of showing how disgusted he felt.

"Very well then," Hyacinth said. And with her cold voice, she added, "Execute them."

The executioner knights on stand by went in the middle of the court. The nobles chained with the two royals were begging for their lives to be spared, but Hyacinth didn't spare them even a glance. Their lives depended on the acceptance of her siblings, but they refused her.

She placed her hands behind her back and clenched them tightly. With clenched teeth, she watched as the executioner knights ended the lives of the nobles in front of them. What made her flinch was the end Azalea and Chrysanthemum met.

Hyacinth didn't need to watch the execution unfolding in front of her, but she also refused to close her eyes or walk away. It was her way of redemption. Her way of accepting her destiny and a reminder of her own goals.

▬▬

BLURGH!

Hyacinth covered her mouth quickly then she dashed to her bathroom. She had been vomiting since she head back to her chambers. The image of her siblings covered with their own blood kept on flashing on her mind. Her face looked pale, as if blood had run away from her complexion.

Her fingers and body were shaking, her legs weakened. She couldn't stand firmly, nor could she walk properly. Her heart was pounding frantically against her chest, making her more nauseous. It has been quite some time since she felt helpless like this.

The first time was when she saw the camp of her elder brother and sister, both campsite were full of dead bodies. The second time was when she killed an assassin that tried to kill her. The third was when she had caught the traitors that conspired against her late father.

By this time, she should be used to seeing blood. Or maybe it's the way her body was reminding her of how weak she was from the inside. Which was, indeed, true.

Hyacinth was almost crawling back to her bedroom. The tough mask she was showing everyone was nowhere to be seen. All that's left was her weak, true self. The real Hyacinth.

The ruined one.