The door to the prison creaked open. Rusty smell of iron drowned in the morning light coming through the door made things look almost alive. The prison had an interesting demeanour. Almost as if it was mirroring her emotions.

Dark.

Cold.

Abandoned.

She looked up slowly. There stood a guard at the very end of the opened door with handcuffs hanging off his scarred fingers. Those were for her.

She will die today.

"You should confess your crimes by today since his Highness doesn't want to execute a person who hasn't spoken the truth until now." The guard said. There was barely any evidence. However, witnesses did their job of writing her a tragic fate. The court needed the confession and that's what she was going to give them now.

Bounded by fate, it ended in tragedy.
That's probably going to be the headline of the next day's newspaper.

Sasha Le Castina. Her name was enough to be hated by many. Hated by her. Hated by him.

The Lady or Sasha, as the nobles of the higher society addressed her, nodded her head silently. She wasn't sure if she could speak. She wasn't sure of anything. No remorse. No regrets.

Him.

Him.

Him.

She glanced at the small piece of glass on the hard concrete floor which was the only company she had for 17 days and 23 hours. Unsure. Probably two years. Still unsure.

Him.

The reflection stared back.

Blue dead eyes. Frozen lips.
Cold and pale skin.
Unsure of the reason she ended up here.

Because of him.

"Revenge..." She muttered silently. Slowly. Steadily.

Before she could process her thoughts, her hands were handcuffed and she was already walking through the corridor of the imperial family.

The walk to the court was memorable. It reminded her of the aisle she walked on her wedding day. The irony almost made her laugh.

The rooms were too bright, she thought. Very different from the place she now left abandoned for another someone just like her. Another one who will rot in the endless pain of hanging in between the thin thread of death and breath.

Thousands of paintings and portraits and ornaments decorating every inch of the castle glared at her. Once she found them beautiful, elegant and hers. Now it all looked like dark dead branches of a winter tree.

The guard halted and so did she. Time was running too fast too fast too fast. The huge door separating her from her death opened.

"Presenting Sasha Le Castina to the court!" The guard alarmed everyone.

Everyone.

Those who hated her and few who sympathised with her. Unsure if she deserved either.

Her eyes unwillingly found his. She wished she hadn't.

Kyle Louvremont casted her a look whilst pulling Kate Livian closer to himself.
Hr is trh Crown Prince of the Empire and her dear fiance.

Love.

Him.

Love.

Love is a petty thing. Heartless emotion powerful enough to crave someone into a monster.

Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. She hadn't cried for days. For weeks and months. For perhaps a year.

Sasha stumbled ahead as she had completely forgotten the reason she was here today. She wished she did forget everything. It would have hurt less.

The emperor along with the nobles were not present in the courtroom. Rather, a group of some young noble ladies, knights, Kate and Kyle were present. All glancing at her miserable state.

"I order you to speak." Kyle looked at Sasha as if she was the nastiest being living on the face of Earth. He looked so different yet indifferent at the same time. He looked changed. Less pathetic than her in every way possible.

I did those 'evil deeds' in the name of love, Kyle.
Sasha wanted to voice out her thoughts one last time but she chose to fess up. No point. No remorse.

Love.

Was it love?

"I put the fire on Kate's dress during the party. " Her throat felt dry. Drier than it had ever been before.

Kate hitched and pulled herself to show a brave face, the burnt scars on her hands visible.

Pretend.

Sugarcoat.

Delusion.

Mask.

Kyle held her hands and pulled her closer to give her more comfort.

Ignorance. Envious. Betray.

"I put the poison in her drink during the party that was held two months ago." Sasha continued.

With each heartbeat, her voice felt heavier than before.

"I was the one behind all those crimes, Your Highness." She wondered if he deserved to be called by that title. Her sombre face along with those dead eyes made her look pathetic.

Pathetic.

Miserable.

Undeserving.

Kyle seemed furious. She waited for him to part his lips and-
"I order the guards to immediately execu-!"

The door to the court crashed open with a loud yell.

"Your Highness!"

Sasha blinked and spun around. A duke was standing near the door, his chest heaving with unrhythmic breathing.

It was Zachary De Zekallion. Who else would have the audacity to barge in like this anyway.

"You better have a good reason to interrupt me, Zachary." Kyle's irritation was evident in his voice. Zachary frowned and looked around the court when suddenly his eyes met hers. He held the gaze for a second then looked away.

"I sincerely apologise for my interruption, Your Highness." He bowed. "His Majesty has summoned your presence along with Lady Livian." He continued.

Sasha closed her eyes for a split second. The Emperor was and is the only one who treated her like a human.

"I remember telling The Emperor that I have some business to be taken care of."

Zachary looked at Kyle. Unspoken words not at all hesitant to be confronted. Yet. Yet he chose to stay silent today.

"As you wish, Your Highness. I'll take Lady Castina then. I hope you hav-"

"I am afraid," Kyle's venom-like words stopped Zachary mid-sentence. "I have some business with Lady Castina."

"I understand but, His Majesty has asked for The Lady's presence." He smiled. "Your Highness."

Zachary looked at Sasha's hands. They were handcuffed. There were some ridiculous rumours circulating in the empire for the past few weeks. He wasn't sure now if those were ridiculous anymore.

Sasha glanced at Zachary.

What is his motive?

Sasha had known Zachary for years. He was the closest friend of Kyle Louvremont. Zack, a name by which she used to call him, knew everything. Knew it and stopped it. She wasn't fond of his obsession of doing good things even if it means to get walked on by many fools. Her priority is serving what she has received. For him, repenting comes foremost.

He was always the wall that blocked her from every intention.

The Grand Duke of Zecallion, Zachary De Zekallion. The only weed she failed to uproot.

Kyle had no choice. He couldn't disobey his father's orders and neither could he face the horror of his secret 'business' being known to His Majesty. If a single word about execution reaches outside the four walls of this courtroom, he would have to clear up many inconveniences which would ultimately end him up losing his title.

Sasha couldn't possibly justify her actions even if she decides to tell everything to The Emperor. If Kyle doesn't let her go right now, Zachary would inform The Emperor and everything will mess up one way or another.

"Kyle," Kate tapped on Kyle's arm lightly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Kate?" He looked at her worriedly.

"Let her go. She is looking miserable." A sad sigh left her lips.
"I don't need your pity." Sasha snapped. Kate made sure her forgiving fake generous facade was heard by everyone in present.

She looked down at Sasha with an innocent look. "Don't be stupid, My Lady. Your ego is not what you should be having right now."

Sasha would rather die than put up with Kate's words of arrogance. "I really appreciate your concern-"

"Zachary, go take her out of here. You are dismissed." Kyle's interruption added fuel to fire.

"I wasn't done talking." was what she wanted to say. Instead she stayed silent, waited and followed Zachary out of the courtroom. The castle. The door of death, she was very close to knocking.

The same guard who had come to escort her in the prison, unlocked the handcuffs. She glanced at him. He looked eased. Relieved probably. For what, she wasn't sure.

"Come on." Zachary tugged her wrist lightly. His touch felt like an illusion. As if he's not even there. "We need to go."