Page 90 of A Kingdom so Crimson

"He'll be here to congratulate you on your winnings, my ward," Jesri spat, his tone dripping with malice. "So win it."

"Who?" I breathed, my voice sharp with anger as Levon stooped to help me to my feet. My nails dug into my palms as I shook with rage.

A twisted smile curled Jesri's lips. "Lord Winslow of Bricol."

The slimy wastrel, known for his old, touchy, wrinkled hands, was old enough to be my grandfather.

Acid lined my throat as the air vanished from me, remembering the last time I encountered Lord Winslow at the Spring Harvest, conversing with Levon before I intervened.

"No," I spat, my voice dripping with defiance.

"No?" Jesri cooed, his tone sickeningly sweet. "It has already been arranged, dear; he will be the one to take you home."

"Burn in hell!" I yelled, the words bursting forth like flames from a raging inferno. I spat in his face, the disgust and anger bubbling up from the deepest parts of my core.

His fury burned to the surface like dead fish in a boiling sea, and his features contorted with rage.

I stormed out, with Levon at my heels, before Jesri could retort. Behind me, I heard Calum's shouts echoing through the long hallway as my head felt submerged, muffling all sounds except my pounding heart. I stumbled over my own feet in these cursed heels, the skirts of my dress clinging to my legs like shackles, dragging me down with each step. It felt as though every thread of fabric was woven with the desire to see me fail, to drag me down into the depths with thatmonster.

Everything had a price, and now I was forced to pay it.

My rage drowned out Levon's desperate pleadings until he grasped my hand, forcing me to stop. I tried to twist out of his hold, but tears fell, blurring my vision as he pulled me into his warm embrace, only causing the tears to fall harder.

All that hope, all those dreams—I realized wouldnever come true.That wretched tree was nothing more than a cruel bad luck charm, always cursing me with never-ending punishment.

"We'll find a way," Levon whispered through his own despair. "We have to."

"How? There is nothing we can do. I will always be under his chains," I replied, my voice choked with despair.

He pushed me away only enough to hold my tear-stained face in his calloused hands. "I won't let this happen."

"It already did," I voiced, sliding out of his embrace and heading to my door. My feet feeling so heavy.

"I promise you," he cried out, his tone turning to anger. I could only shake my head as the tears fell to the carpet as I forced myself to keep moving. "I won't let it happen."

All I could hear was the rage pounding in my ears as I closed the door behind me and fell to the floor in a heap of tears, wallowing in a darkness that crept over me with a threatening vengeance.

29

Irefused to get out of bed, eat, or drink, hoping the hunger pains would rile me up, but they only left me feeling more desolate. Aoife, Calum, Levon, and even a few scullery maids tried to tempt me with food, but they all failed. The darkness in my mind grew more concrete; Their dark touch wormed deeper in the mindscraping, clinging to each memory like a ravenous parasite. It ate away at me, begging for more and more.

My body felt heavy as memory after memory flashed by. I couldn't remember my name as the thick, suffocating fog wrapped around me. The world outside my bed felt distant and unreal; the voices of those who cared for me were just echoes in a void.

I let the darkness take over, giving in to its relentless pull. My dreams of freedom and a life beyond this torment felt like distant fantasies. The crushing weight of hopelessness pressed down on me, overwhelming my spirit. This time, I didn't resist. I allowed it to take everything.

A vivid memory flashed by, dragging me deeper into the dark pit.

"What's wrong with her?" asked a young girl with ringlets in her hair, pointing at me. Her mother glared at my old, worn shoes and spat on the ground.

"Everything. Don't dirty yourself with that," the mother replied harshly. They walked off, leaving me with the sting of their disdain. My scraped, bloody knees burned as I ran, my dress snagging on branches as I darted into the woods, running as fast as my small feet could carry me, heading for the tree. I clung to its trunk, weeping hard until the force of it overwhelmed me, and I fell asleep.

When I awoke, the setting sun bathed me in warm light, coaxing the fog out of my brain. Darius sat next to the tree, either asleep or pretending to be, as I looked down at my bruised and scraped frame. Earlier, Calum and I were playing a game of tag, which ended with me falling into a rose bush and tumbling down a hill. Fearful of the punishment I might receive, I had run to the river to clean up while Calum tried to distract his uncle, yet on the way, I had accidentally run right into courtiers who mocked me with disgust. I could still see the repulsion rippling off that mother, dragging her daughter away like I was some infectious disease.

Tears continued down my dirty face as I prayed to the tree and the stars above, hoping they would grant me my parents' return, praying for a better life anywhere but here. I prayed so hard, feeling the weight of despair crushing me.

Finally, after I stopped my tears, I found the courage to tap Darius on the shoulder.

He slowly smiled and turned toward me. I helped hoist him up with my young frame as he gently wiped away the tearstains.

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