A Withered Flower

Thunders roar as the pouring rain swept the Aritish Kingdom. Amidst the cumulative strike of lightning and the non-stop hitting of drums, the chattering of the crowd could be heard in the ground of the Aritish Royal Palace.

"Ha! They deserve it. How dare they try to rebel!"

"Just because their family was powerful, they thought that they could have everything. How dare they covet the throne!"

"Their daughter was already a Queen. Their greed has no limits!"

It was the day of the powerful Camer family's downfall. It was the King's order.

Every 'Camer' should be beheaded.

A young woman was standing at the balcony of the palace. Both her arms were held tightly by two guards. There were bruises all over her body. Her once beautiful face had turned pale and her lips were purple. Her once beautiful dark blonde hair was all disheveled. She was a complete mess!

Though she mustered all her energy to break free from the guards, all her efforts were futile. She was already a weak girl herself, but days of torturing made her weaker.

"Begin the execution." The King of Aritish who stood just a few steps away from her ordered.

"No! Rayan Varence! Don't do it!" Eloria Camer exclaimed as she struggled to break free harder than before.

As if he was listening to her, King Rayan ordered to halt the execution. Then he signaled the guards to let her go.

Eloria hurried to the King and dropped to her knees. "Please! Don't do this, Rayan. M -My family is innocent." She stuttered as she desperately begged the man who was once her 'husband.'

"Is that so?" King Rayan's lips curved into a playful smile. "Then go down and beg anyone. If even a single subject begs for your family; then I will let them go."

Eloria's gaze was shifted to her family members who were chained on the execution platform. Her mother, her aunt and uncle, and finally, her father who was the Commander of the once-powerful Camer Army.

Her families were like lifeless souls.

After enduring days of horrendous torturing, they were barely conscious. They sat on the execution platform, without even struggling! They didn't have the strength to do so! Tears rolled down Eloria's face as she saw their desperate situation.

It was none other than herself who dragged down her family! If only she had not fallen for the wrong man, her family will never crumble like this!

Eloria hurriedly ran down to the ground barefooted.

"Please! S -Speak up for my family. We are innocent. W -We never plan a rebellion," she shouted but... no one paid attention to her. Instead, they pointed fingers at her and kept on cursing her.

They were the same people whom she used to help when she was their Queen. She worked so hard for their well-being. But now, even a single person wouldn't stand for her!

She cannot give up.

She approached one woman who stood the nearest to her and held her hand. "Please! H -Help me. My -"

She could not finish her words. The woman pushed her away; which made her fall really hard to the ground. When she moaned in pain; the crowd laughed at her!

Eloria lifted her head and glanced at King Rayan who was still standing at the balcony. Though she was his wife of two years, he didn't show him any signs of pity. Instead, he showed her a wicked smile and sneered at her like the people did.

She stared at the platform and realized that her father was watching her. However, the once greatest warrior of Aritish was now too weak to even move on his own! He sat still as if he was a cattle waiting for the butcher to chop him to pieces! He might be dying on the inside. Just the thought of it made Eloria tremble!

She loved her father more than anyone else. Her father's pathetic and helpless condition broke her heart into a thousand pieces!

"Begin the execution." The King gave his order once again.

"No!" Eloria stood up, forgetting all the pains and aches throughout her whole body. She tried to climb up the platform but the guards held her back.

"P -Please! Don't kill m -my family! Someone, please h-help me!" She cried and begged until her voice become all hoarse but no one stood up for her.

She watched her beloved family being executed one by one!

First, it was all the leaders of the Camer Army. Second, all the allies of the Camer family. Then now, it was her whole family!

It was over. Everything was over. The people who enjoyed watching her family being executed were gone.

Eloria collapsed to the ground as she watched the dead bodies of her families lying everywhere. The rainwater on the ground even turned red from all the blood! She didn't even have the energy to climb up the platform now.

Why was fate so cruel to her? Was this the price she had to pay for loving a two-faced man?

She met him four years ago when she was 16 and fell for him right away. Back then, he was just a powerless Fourth Prince. Then she married him when she was 18. It was also the same time when he became the King. He promised her that he will only love her in this lifetime and... she fell for his lies.

Now, only two years had passed since they got married yet his heart already belonged to another woman! On top of that, the woman was the one whom she always hated the most in this world!

Eloria mustered a little energy left in her to crawl up to the platform. She desperately hugged her father's body and cried her heart out; until the man who once claimed that he loved her, came to her.

"Everything is over now. Drink this poisoned wine and let's end it all. Letting you die in one piece is the last thing I can do for you," King Rayan said to her. He sounded as if he was doing her a big favor yet his face remained stoic and nonchalant all the while. He didn't have any regrets at all.

Eloria slowly rise with much difficulty and sharply gazed at him; the man whom she used to love with all her heart. "Why did you do this? My father helped you so much. He turned you, a powerless Fourth Prince, into a King! He got rid of all the obstacles that came your way. I also gave you my everything!" She snapped. Her gaze was fierce like a ferocious beast.

She didn't care about anything now. She lost her family and her everything.

"That's the exact reason," Rayan Varence spatted. "Your family became so powerful, to the point where it threatens my position. If your family can make a powerless Prince like me into a King; what could you not do? So I decided to cut it off from the roots," the King howled.

"Are you that power-hungry? To the point where you even want to bite the hand of the person that fed you? What a lowlife -"

THUD!

Eloria could not finish her words. King Rayan's hand hit her face so hard that she stumbled to the ground once again!

The King bent down and roughly grabbed her chin. "Stop talking nonsense. You are not the only daughter of the powerful Camer family anymore." He let out a mocking laughter and then whispered to her ear. "You are just a withered flower now."

He stood up and left Eloria alone on the ground.

Eloria stared at the wine that was bestowed on her. She never thought that her last moment would be so pitiful! Now that she had lost everything, she had no desire to live but... dying just like this when she was completely innocent? She found it so unfair!

What had she ever done to deserve this?

If she ever had another chance, she will never let all these happen again. She will do whatever it takes to prevent her family's downfall! And she will let everyone pay for shunning her!

Looking up at the skies where rain was still pouring down hard, Eloria Camer shut her eyes and asked for a second chance. Then she raised the cup and drank the poisoned wine.

Instantly, she felt a pain in her chest, her breathing became abnormal and she spat out a huge amount of blood! Her body collapsed on the floor and she slowly closed her eyes.

Her unbearable pain was finally gone...