PART ONE RAISING THE CURTAINS: THE BETRAYAL

They are all terrified of her intelligence and never-bending attitude. They pointed fingers at her, claimed she was a witch and a threat. She was burned and expected to die. However, she survived, and now it’s her vengeance. she was never a witch, but now, she was. And she was thirsty for blood.

--

YEAR 1590 OCTOBER

High Court of the imperial palace - The council of defiance

“There will be no more questions nor evidences needed.”

No! This wasn’t the outcome she had hoped for! Stop! Please, stop!

The woman continued to begged inside her mind. However, she knew perfectly well that her reasons won’t be heard. She was sentenced as a criminal now, forever silence and stripped off her rights as a noble.

"Laurence Williams is charge guilty with the crime of murder and arson, killing her family in the process and is possessing forbidden arts that was against the the imperial law. Hence, she will be execute in the island of iliha De Grande.”

The very moment Laurence Williams heard the sound of the mallet in the court room being pounded countless of times followed with the sound of people’s murmurs whispering words of condemnation and persecution, she realized that all of her dreams had been burned along with her precious reputation.

People witnessing her trial pointed fingers at her. They all begun to claim that she was the devil herself.

“SHE’S A DEVIL!”

“THE SPAWN OF THE DEVIL! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!”

“SHE DESERVES TO BE TORTURED TO DEATH!”

“I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING!”

Laurence continued to plead despite being dragged by the knights through her hair. Her dress that was supposed to be elegant was drenched with blood for her whole body was covered with bruises. Laurence had been tortured in order to make her confess her supposed to be crimes but they weren’t able to get the statement out of her.

She was innocent. She knew perfectly well that she was innocent.

“I AM INNOCENT! I WAS FRAMED!”

“I AM INNOCENT! PLEASE HEAR ME OUT! LISTEN! I AM NOTHING BUT A WOMAN WHO DREAMED OF WORKING FOR THIS EMPIRE! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!”

These were the words she continued to insist despite being lashed with a whip. She can’t barely stand and her blonde hair was stained with blood it was adapting to the color of red just like her eyes that reflected a beautiful ruby color.

“PLEASE! HEAR ME JUST THIS ONCE!” Laurence continued to fight the knights dragging her by her hair. She wanted to make a stand- to prove that she was innocent but they won’t let her speak. She was nothing but a criminal now. She was even lower than a slave.

“ I AM INNOCENT! IT WAS TRUE THAT I WAS IN THE MANSION WHEN THE CRIME HAPPENED BUT I WAS ASLEEP! I WAS FRAMED! I DID NOTHING! HEAR ME! PLEASE! PLEASE! ”

She pleaded several times but the crowd’s ears were shut. This can’t be. She was the heir of her family. She have dreams and aspirations. She had a bright future ahead of her. How can all of these happened in just one night?!

“DRAG HER!” A voice from the ground echoed through the four walls of the court room. The people agreed with the voice. Soon enough they were all shouting, throwing rocks and any things that came contact with their hands.

“SHE’S THE DEVIL! DRAG HER OUT!”

“I AM NOT! I AM LADY WILLIAMS! I AM A PROUD DAUGHTER OF MY FATHER! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! ”

Veins started to form on her neck. She pleaded quite desperately. Her fingers digging through the marble floors trying to fight the strength of the knight dragging her. After being tortured for almost a week, her will and strength never seemed to diminish as she knew to herself that this was not the treatment she deserved.

She was a victim.

Someone who was innocent.

She continued to resist. She won’t be sentence like this!

Her eyes surveyed the crowd of people fast enough for she was being dragged. She saw all of their disgusted expression filled with contempt and prejudices. Their whispers can’t be considered whispers anymore as everyone can even hear other’s peoples opinion and accusations of her.

The stinging prejudice pointed in her direction were like an arrow filled with poison killing her soul. She was also a noble! One of the successors of the count family of Williams. She was a noble lady elegant and above all, she has power, wealth, and honor.

But All of those just turned into ashes one night on a rainy day. A day that was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

The court was filled with murmurs. Their words contained malice and judgment never wanting to be in the same room with a criminal.

“Drag her out immediately!” one of the court judges said. They stood up on the podium and turned their backs on her. They even spared a glance and continued walking to the door closing it with a loud bang but Laurence continue to fight.

“We will be cursed if we stay in the same room with a criminal.” Some nobles uttered but all of the people present on the courts nodded in agreement. Her worth can never be the same anymore.

The knights were quick to act. Laurence can hear them all. However, she ignored that. One person, she was trying to find one person who was always by her side. Moving her pupils from left to right, she was getting swallowed by desperation.

Laurence struggled so much wanting to see that one person but despite scrutinizing the crowd, to her horror, the person she wanted to see was not there.

Laurence struggled to break free from their hands but they were men and they were too strong. What can a fragile woman who had been beaten with a whip within seven consecutive days can do? It was even a miracle that she can shout like this.

Her throat hurts. It stings and she wanted water. Laurence foot up to her knees and legs were all full of bruises marks and wounds being scrapped against marbles and prison floors for she had been resisting. For one last time, eyes hopeful, she looked up wanting to see the person she longed for.

But it was the most regrettable actions she had done.

The court room was wide and big. The dome and the chandelier looked like a monsters feasting at her despairs and the people seating around were all looking down at her. Their facial expression looked hideous and disgusted. However even more so, there quite a few number of people who laughed at her.

The pressure from the eyes that sees her nothing but a trash and a criminal hurt her more than she had thought, almost tearing her soul and burning her to ashes.

Laurence wanted to cry.

Why are they laughing? She asked like a fool who doesn’t know about the world.

Horror filled her red eyes.

The noble elegant lady was no more.

She was now seen as a criminal nothing more. Not Lady Laurence Williams who was the heir of the Williams county or a noble elegant lady who was a genius and knowledgeable. She was Nothing more.

Just one night and everything was stripped from her

In the end, just as she was being dragged, Laurence looked down and let the knights threw her away like a corpse waiting for the crows to eat and feast at her.

--

It was filthy.

In the cell she was thrown into, not even a single light coming from the outside can seep though the thin windows. Laurence can hear the waves and different footsteps above the ship. She knew that there were people but in this cell, she was alone shivering to her death.

“I have done nothing wrong,” she insisted greeting her teeth. The rage climing from her stomach up to her throat was making her restless. She wanted to feel something beside this. She wanted to be assured from all of what was happening now but that would be impossible. She was thrown in a ship, hands tied waiting for her to die in a small barren isaland.

Feeling as though the gods had abandoned her, tears started to stream out of her eyes. It was pathetic. She did not cry over the last few days after being tortured but now, everything slapping her hard with reality that she will be thrown to death without even getting the justice she deserves.

Her small cries were trapped on the four walls of the room. Only the disgusting rats can hear her pleas now. “I have dreams,” she added. “I wanted to become someone. I wanted to be written in books and be recorded in history.”

Well she can be recorded in history now but not as a woman who was genius and often praised by the scholars. Now, she was just a recorded criminal who had cold bloodedly murdered her whole family because she was possessed by the forbidden arts she was practicing.

It wasn’t dark arts, it was alchemy with science! She was about to reach the fruits of her study but now this!? She insisted in her mind infuriated by the thought. She tried so hard to not clenched her jaw for it hurts but in the end, she can only express her anger this way.

“Is this the witch?” Laurence heard a masculine voice accompanied by the sound of keys hitting one another. She immediately jolted up heading towards the bars of her cell. Her knees hurt after crawling her way but she doesn’t need to mind that now. Maybe, she can plead to the guard to hear her.

Just as she was considering the thought, a pair of boots stopped in front of her. She looked up expecting to see a gentle man who can hear her pleas and help her gain justice. However, just as her hopes lifted, instantly despair soon followed seeing the man’s black eyes lingered on her red ones.

This man, Laurence shivered. She was a noble. She heard rumors after rumors of men gaining reputation in the battlefield. Among them, a very infamous one she heard recently came to mind.

“I heard that he had slaughtered everything in that city leaving no soul behind,” She can hear her maids talking in her mind. “The emperor was pleased but even his subordinates were afraid of him.”

“That’s right, my lady! They all claimed that he was a war hero who rescued the empire but he was nothing but a cold blooded murderer who had no sympathy over the weak and innocent! He’s just a dog nothing more!”

“If you see her my lady, please run! We hope that you survive a day without being matched to him! He’s nothing but blood and trouble despite of his disgustingly handsome face!”

Remembering all of it now, she gasped crawling few steps back hitting the wall. His eyes followed her every movements. Laurence shivered. Through her breathes, she said, “Benedict Van Seinsfield.”

A cold grinned formed on his lips. There was no pity between his eyes. “Seems like you know me,” he said, threatening.