Girl in the painting

Lucian showed no mercy, swiftly beheading the other man on the spot. The courtroom floor was now filled with pools of blood. Lucian ascended his throne, his gaze sweeping over the bloody scene before him. The marble floor was stained with the blood of the two men, and his own clothes were splattered with crimson droplets. Yet, he sat majestically, with a satisfied look on his face. He gazed at the courtiers, his eyes piercing through the silence.

Lucian's gaze moved to the girl beside him, his eyes lingered on Kat for a moment before he turned to Sabastian. "Take her back to her room," he ordered

Sabastian nodded not bothered by any of it as he was used to it. "Miss Kat, let's head back," he said calmly, approaching her.

But Kat didn't respond. She just walked forward, her eyes fixed on some point ahead, her face had turn pale and her expression numb. Sebastian followed her, trying to keep pace with her quick strides.

As they walked, one of the guards picked up the body of Garrett, but the head fell, rolling towards Kat's leg. She didn't flinch, didn't even seem to notice, just kept walking forward like a automaton. Sebastian calmly picked up the head and handed it to the guard, who carried it away.

he pulled the glove of his left hand that had held the head.

Sebastian caught up to Kat, trying to guide her towards the door.

But Kat shook him off, her eyes still fixed ahead. "I can walk myself," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sebastian nodded, he understood that Kat was still in shook from what she just witnessed, and it would take a while for her to process what she had just happened. He followed her at a distance, his eyes watchful, as she walked out of the courtroom, leaving behind the bloody scene and the gruesome reminder of Lucian's wrath.

As Kat walked, her mind drifted away from reality and into her subconscious. She began to stagger slightly, and Sebastian stepped forward to try and stop her from falling. But Kat, still lost in her thoughts, slapped his hand away.

Kat felt her vision began to blur and distort, voices started echoing in her mind like they were bouncing off the walls.

"Mama!" a little girl's voice rang out in Kat's ears. It felt like her head was getting heavier with each step she took, as if the weight of something was crushing her, the scenes Kat had witnessed in the court room had triggered Kat's child hood trauma.

The scene shifted, and Kat saw herself as a little girl, sitting in the backseat of a car. Mama!! She screamed as the car suddenly stumbled, the sound of shattered glasses was load in her head.

A high-pitched ringing sound overwhelmed Kat, before she looked over to her brother Nathan's face was contorted in pain, but he tried to hide it from her. "Can you move your feet, Kat?" he asked, pain evident in his voice.

Kat's big eyes stared at her brother, then at her little feet's she nodded. "Yes, I can."

"Good," Nathan said. "Do you remember the rules of the game? You have to listen to everything I say."

Kat's eyes darted from her brother to her mother in the driver's seat, who was now upside down, blood dripping from her face. Scars and bruises covered her, and her eyes were closed, lifeless. Kat's eyes began to swirl with tears. "Mama," she whispered.

"Mama's fine, she's just taking a nap," Nathan tried to lying to his sister, thought Kat was a little girl, she knew her brother was lying to her. Her eyes flooded with tears as she nodded, trying to comprehend the situation.

Nathan instructed her to take his phone from his pocket, and she slowly crawled over to him. "Hey, Catherine, don't look down, okay? Just keep your eyes on my face," he said, trying to distract her from the gruesome scene.

But as she took the phone, her hand shook, and her gaze fell upon her brother's legs. A large piece of metal had pierced his thigh, passing through the seat of the car. Kat's eyes overflowed with tears as she cried out in horror.

Nathan tried to hush her, but little Kat's tears only fell harder. "Hey, Katherine, listen to me. It's unsafe for you. You need to pay attention and stop crying. You have to crawl out of here and run as far as you can. When you get far enough, call Uncle Michael, he will come and get you," he urged, his eyes filled with anxiousness.

As the fire spread, Nathan's words became more desperate. "I'm so sorry Katherine. Me and Mama love you so, so so much. More than the depth of the ocean....", "More than the distance of the stars." Kat finished his words. He placed a gentle peck on her forehead. "Okay, now go. Run, mouse, run. I'll be right there with you. I'll always be there, okay? Remember that."

Little Katherine crawled out of the car, her legs running as fast as they could. As she continued to cry, she was crying out for her mom and brother, her little heart shattered into a million pieces.

As Kat ran, her little legs pumping as fast as they could, she couldn't shake off the feeling of terror and loss. She had left her brother and mother behind, and the sound of her brother's words echoed in her mind: 'I'll always be with you, okay? Remember that.'

But how could she remember anything except the horror she had just witnessed? The image of her brother's leg impaled by the metal rod, the sight of her mother's lifeless body. Suddenly Kat ran back to the direction of the car she wanted to save her family, she had to.

She caught sight of the car ahead the fire already overwhelmed the car, Kat saw as Nathan coughing engulf in smoke from the distance. When he noticed her in the distance his eyes widened I terror " stay back Katherine" he screamed, making Kat stop in her tracks.

Just then the fire crackled and spread, and the car exploded. The impact tossing a part of the car towards her, her heart raced with fear, but she couldn't move, in the plot second she was pulled out of the way by Michael, she continued to cry in his arms as she watch the car go off in flames with her family in it.

Kat's gaze became hazy as she held the wall for support. "Mum," she muttered, her voice barely audible, before her knees gave out and she fell unconscious, Sabastian brushed forward catching her before she fell.

Kat now slept in her bed, her face scrunched up in discomfort as she slept, indicating she was having an unpleasant dream. Kat stood in the dark, and in front of her was Lucian. He held a sword, blood dripping down his sword, his body and face also covered in blood. Before in the blink of an eye he was standing right in front of her, a smile on his lips. her brows frowned in confusion, Kat's gaze moved down to see Lucian had pierced the sword through Kat she coughed up blood. The smile on Lucians face brooded.

Kat's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for air. As her vision cleared, she looked up at the ceiling, taking in the familiar paintings. A voice spoke on Kats right "give her this after a meal, She just needs rest" she heard an unfamiliar voice speak. When she turned to her right, standing a few distance on the right side of her bed was Sabastian and a man she didn't know. The man who appeared to be a doctor, spoke with Sebastian before excusing himself.

"How are you feeling now, Miss Kat?" Sabastian asked when he noticed kat awake, coming to stand beside her.

Kat sat up, her movements slow . "I'm fine," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sabastian nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," he said, pouring her a glass of water.

Kat took the glass, gulping down the whole glass before handing it back to him. "Thank you," she said, her eyes avoiding his.

He nodded again. "You should get some rest. I'll check up on you later," he said, before leaving the room.

Kat stared into the distance for a while, her mind racing with thoughts. She eventually got up and went to the bathroom, washing her face and staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She thought to herself that the king was no doubt a psychopath. She thought to herself, if she should run away but where would she run to and what's to say she wouldn't come across someone even worst, not sure If she would survive leaving here. He's not someone to mess with, he could kill her in a whim, she realized Lucan wasn't bluffing when he said he could get rid of her if he wanted to, "How did we get into this mess?" Kat asked her reflection.

Her hand shuffled through her hair as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She knew she had to think clearly and come up with a plan if she wanted to live long enough to get back home.

When the time of dinner came, Kat ate alone apparently Lucian was busy with some work. That night, she was haunted by nightmares of the horror she witnessed in the courtroom.

The next day, Lucian wasn't again present, and Kat had breakfast only having the usual company of few maids, she was glad Lucian was busy and she could get some time to process what had happened. The day went by slowly, she explored the castle, but this time not out of curiosity, rather looking for every exit in the castle. If she ever needed to run, she needed to be well-versed in her environment. This time, no one dared approach Kat, the servants also avoided her, hurriedly greeting her and scurrying away as fast as they could.

Not having seen Vivian for a while, Kat also wondered if Vivian would avoid her. She stopped a maid to ask about Vivian's whereabouts. The maid, utterly scared for her life, bowed deeply. "I'm not sure, my lady, but I saw her a while ago weeding the garden on the east wing of the castle, ma'am." The maid breathed out, "You can leave, thank you." The maid was more than happy to leave the lady's presence, not wanting to be the next to be beheaded by His Majesty.

Kat, who had stepped out of her room in the evening to continue her study but to her dismay, Lucian had arrived from where he went to. He walked in one of the corridors, not far from where she stood. He was walking towards her, and she intensely wanted to bolt, but he had already noticed her. That was when Kat noticed he wasn't alone, a young woman walked alongside him, a pleasant smile on her lips as she spoke about something, her hands wrapped around his arm. She was a brunette with a lean yet attractive figure.

Kat noticed Lucian listened to the girl calmly, as they reached her, the girl's smile widened into a type of sweet smile Kat hadn't encountered so far in the castle until now. "I see you're finally awake," Lucian commented, Kat couldn't tell if he was taunting her or just being himself.

The girl let go of Lucian's arm. "Lucian, I didn't know you had a guest."

'Lucian?' Kat's brows frowned inwardly. The girl referred to Lucian by his name, her sweet voice spoke, she bowed to Kat. "I'm Josephine Hawthorne."

'Hawthorne?. The girl was related to Lucian', Kat thought. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kat"

"Kat," the girl repeated. "Wow, I've never met someone named Cat." The girl stated. "It's Kat, K-A-T, short for Katherine, Katherine young" Kat clarified, and the girl let out a short "Ohh" before laughing awkwardly. Kat felt the girl looked familiar. her blonde hair and forest green eyes, with the innocent looking smile then it dotted on her, 'she's the girl in the painting'.

Kat noticed how Lucian was more calm compared to the normal suffocating air around him. "Where were you headed, Katherine?" Lucian questioned. Kat's eyes moved from the girl to Lucian, though he frightened her, she kept her composure. "It was a little stuffy in my room, so I came out for a walk," Kat responded. "Oh is that so?. I thought you might have lost something, as you seemed to be looking for something," Lucian stated.

"Your room?... You live here?" Josephine beamed, Kat wondered what got the girl so excited. "Just for a little while," Kat responded.

"That's great, means we can spend some time together. I do hope we can be friends," Josephine smiled. Kat returned the smile. "Of course, I look forward to it."

Josephine turned to Lucian. "I will take a walk with Lady Kat. I will meet up with you in a while." She raised to her toes and pecked him on the cheek. Though Lucian wasn't smiling, one could tell he reciprocated her care.

"Let's go," she said to Kat, and they both walked out to the courtyard, taking a walk by the gardens. The girl's smile never died down, and Kat wondered how such a character could be around the vile man.

"So, where are you from, Lady Kat?" Josephine asked, stopping to pick a flower. "Very far from here," Kat said, not sure if it was okay to tell Josephine where she was from.

"Oh, you must really get out a lot," she commented. "Not really," Kat replied. "It's the same for me; I don't really leave the castle much. Brother Lucian can be really strict at times, but he does let me visit our aunt in Davina, which is where I'm coming from now," Josephine went on.

"Brother?" Kat asked, surprised. "Yes, sorry I didn't clarify; I'm Princess Josephine, sister to Lucian."

Kat: "...."

"Step siblings?" she asked. "No, just siblings," Josephine laughed, and stared at her for a while. "It's hard to believe you both look nothing alike nor do you act alike," she said honestly.

"Well, brother Lucian took after Mama's looks, like I took after Papa's, and yes, he can be a bit gloomy at times, but I love him," she informed. 'A bit gloomy?... at times?... He is a reincarnation of the devil in the flesh,' Kat thought to herself.

"I see," Kat muttered. When the Josephine walked back, Josephine's room wasn't too far before Kat's room. "Well, I have to head back now; it was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Kathrine," Josephine said after a while.

"The pleasure is all mine, you can just call me Kat," Kat added. "Then you can also just call me Josie," Josephine said, after saying goodbye, Kat walked back to her room. Though Josephine didn't appear to be bad, Kat didn't quite want to trust her just yet; who knows if psycho syndrome runs in the family? It was better to be safe than sorry.