They'll Think of Me Kindly (2)

"Please teach her the court rules and etiquette," Vivianne had said when the head maid walked in with her head still wrapped in bandages. It had been only half an hour since she got discharged when Eloise had knocked on her office door.

As soon as she arrived, she dragged Peony with her before she could protest, the three male escorts harshly digging their hands into her shoulders.

"I'll teach her immediately, your highness. I'll send Nancy to help you get ready for your meeting,"

Her arms and feet felt heavy with terror as she was forced into a brisk pace through a jumbling sprawl of endlessly convoluted passageways. She could only let himself be strung along, keeping an ear out for clues about where the head maid's three escorts were taking her.

The head maid looked content, strolling leisurely behind without a care in the world, even greeting some passing servants. When Peony got escorted out of the main building, all ideas of what the punishment entailed vanished, leaving her completely confused.

She could handle a beating; it was nothing new to her. Any child that had lived on the streets was familiar with the feeling of bruises blooming on their skin. The breeze rattled her clothes harshly, reminding her of the cold winters of her childhood.

The flogging post had various straps attached to it, which were used to secure the person to be punished. There were also hooks on the base, which were used to attach additional restraints if necessary.

The post was prominent in the courtyard, serving as a deterrent to others considering breaking the law or disobeying the ruler's orders.

A servant checked the straps, pulling on the thick leather to test their give. Quickly, like blood-sniffing sharks, a crowd of spectators formed. Peony mentally braced herself when she realised a servant had fetched the head maid a whip with cords dangling off them like medusas cursed hair.

"Peony, to think you'd do such a treacherous thing! To steal the royal family's heirloom, you need to be disciplined. I'll make an example out of you." The head maid's voice boomed, and the crowd whispered among themselves, condemning her.

"If you acknowledge your wrongdoing and beg me, I promise to show mercy," The head maid turned to Peony, who was forced on her knees by one of the escorts. Silence enveloped the garden, everyone watched in suspense, and the young maid lowered her head, seemingly deep in thought.

The mocking faces of Rose and Nina rose in her mind, who had deceived her with no remorse. They made her feel helpless, and now, as she was staring down at the lush grass beneath her, she was again helpless. Something had changed in her when they had restrained her to examine her pockets.

At that moment, she painfully realised her position in the royal court held no weight against her birth status. Being diligent and well-mannered had given her nothing in return.

Never has she felt such fury before; it still burned in her.

"I have done no such thing; I don't care if you believe me or not; I will never beg," she spat spitefully, holding her head up. The head maid merely smiled at her antics, signalling for the beating to start.

She lay on the ground and thought of how much she wanted to strangle the attendant's long, slender throats, and each punch and each smack only fuelled her budding hatred for them.

Did this betrayal have to come from her mother? If only her mother hadn't been deep in debt, would she have led a different life?

"Beg," the head maid ordered. Her head got yanked up forcefully,

Stubbornly, her lips remained shut, her jaw clenching in resistance so hard that she wouldn't be surprised if they ever separated again. The escorts backhanded her, but no amount of beating could ever make those words spill forth willingly from her mouth, not to that corrupt woman.

If the head maid wanted to hear her beg, he'd have to pry it from her cold, dead mouth.

"Stubborn like a donkey," the head maid scoffed.

The surrounding servants didn't flinch as the three escorts continued to punch and kick her. She bit her tongue to swallow her groans, determined not to give them what they wanted. Her face was black and blue, and her mouth bled, but she was as silent as a mouse.

"As expected from a lowly commoner like you, too prideful to admit wrong!" The head maid exclaimed, unfolding the whip. Her dress got ripped off her, leaving her in her thin undergarments. In another circumstance, she would have been ashamed of being exposed in such a manner. Right now, she only glared at the head maid.

Before the whip made contact with her, she opened her mouth to speak. "I should have cracked your skull harder when I had the chance," The young maid shot Rebecca a scathing look from beneath her lashes.

The realisation spreading across the old woman's face was satisfying. Her face turned stoic, and the furious flush painted her an angry red. The whip in her hand trembled harshly, its handle creaking in protest.

In her poorly contained fury, she thought long and hard about how to make Peony suffer. Her eyes landed on the escorts; among them was a tall and muscular man. She sneered at Peony and handed the leather whip over to the man.

"Shall we begin?" She asked, plopping herself onto a chair a servant brought out, eerily calm.

The escorts shoved a leather mouthpiece into her mouth and blindfolded her quickly. All of her senses heightened, but she was grateful that no one could see her tears.

The first whip landed across her shoulder, brushing against her collarbone. She clamped down on the mouthpiece, still refusing to budge. The blood trailing down the length of her arms soaked her skirt.

"Another, don't stop until I say so," The head maid laughed. The escort wasn't going easy on her; he put all his strength into the next whip, which landed across the entire length of her back. She cried out. No human could withstand such unrelenting pain.

Her skin was falling apart. She felt herself floating somewhere high up above the tree crowns.

The rest of the whipping didn't hurt as much, her skin numb from the swelling and her brain mush from the shock.

Just as she was about to pass out, the head maid strutted over to her and leaned in, "You better keep your mouth quiet about the third consort, or I will whip you for every little misdemeanour, even if it wasn't you." she whispered.

...

She awoke slowly, naturally, like someone surfacing from a deep slumber. Her tongue felt swollen in his mouth; it was like she had been put under for days, if not weeks. Even with her eyes closed, Peony sensed light brushing her face gently; its heat felt nice against her dry eyes.

After a deep and steadying breath, everything flooded her all at once; the voices of nurses fussing around her, speaking in sharp tones; the way she couldn't move and how the dividers didn't offer her any privacy, as somebody had left them open.

Peony opened her eyes and found herself lying on her stomach on a stretcher in the infirmary; next to her were the royal physician and his assistant Agnes, who had a stiff expression. She groaned in pain. The bandages covered every inch of her body.

"Don't even try moving for a month at least," she ordered before shoving a handful of pills into Peony's mouth. She redid a couple of her stitches on the lacerations, with amounted to a staggering sixty-three tears.

Doctor Rune examined her back with a tired grimace. "That insane woman, you're lucky you're alive, little lady,"

"Peony,"

Peony turned her head with great effort and saw Juno on the stretcher to her right, staring at her with a horrified expression.

I must look crazy, she thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She tried to use her voice, but it was raw from her previous screaming. Finally, she lifted a bandaged arm in greeting.

"Who did this to you?" Juno asked grimly, attempting to rise to his feet but accidentally pulling on his stitches; he grunted in pain and frustration.

"Lay down," Peony rasped out. He looked at her with round eyes. To her left, the concubine Coco was staring at her blankly.

...

She passed in and out of consciousness and lost her sense of time. The sky above her had turned a fiery red, the same as poppies, her favourite flower. Juno, next to her, was struggling to keep a meal down. He'd suddenly spring forward in a panic whenever he closed his eyes for rest. Finally, he had been given sedatives, pushing him into a dreamless slumber.

"It was you who had saved me," Coco spoke with certainty. She regarded Peony with her amber gaze. She remembered staring up at the tiled ceiling after she had been struck, cursing the royals with her whole heart.

When she came too, it was on the back of a thin maid, struggling to hold the weight of her body up. The maid had encouraged Coco to hold on tightly; her back was cold from the sweat she had worked up.

Now, said back was torn to ribbons, marred by a ruthless beast.

"You remember," Peony whispered, still groggy from the pills Agnes routinely forced down her throat. Only the passed-out guard's soft puffs of breath were heard for a moment.

"Once when I was younger..." Peony forced her voice to function. "My mother had told me a bedtime story." she finished.

"Ever hear of the popular fable The Honest Woodcutter?" Coco shook her head, not recalling such a story.

"A woodcutter had accidentally dropped his axe into a deep river, his only means of income. He wept, distressed, and Hermes had taken pity on him." Peony recalled.

"When Hermes had dived into the water to fetch the axe, he had grabbed a golden axe, way more valuable than the woodcutter's old one," she said.

"The woodcutter was honest and refused to accept the golden or silver axe. Only when his axe was presented to him did he claim it. Proving that cultivating honesty at the price of self-interest would always pay off,"

"Impressed by his honesty, Hermes gifted him all of the axes."

Coco listened to the story, looking at the wounded girl avoiding her eyes. She was a child brought up in slave houses, never to have someone to share fables or tales with.

"My entire life, I had practised honesty, yet, I have never gotten anything out of it," Peony said, her eyes fighting to stay open.

"You're right. Being a good person doesn't grant you a life of leisure," Coco replied. "Did you expect that?"

"No, I didn't. I was deluding myself," Peony's eyes closed, not waiting for Coco's reply. The sky had darkened into a plum colour, and the strong breeze of the day had stilled. A calm night fell upon the royal court.

...

Deep in the night, escorted by the royal knights who had increased security after the attack—Vivianne had arrived with Mio, wearing simple garments. Mio flinched when he first laid eyes upon her, but he quickly scolded his expression into one of indifference. She sat down at the edge of the bed.

Juno had also awoken. He heaved himself up, avoiding the princess's face; his bandaged torso was once again soaked in blood from his movement. Agnes scolded him as she made quick work of him.

"Good to know one of you will heed my orders," she said when she draped Juno with a new blanket. Then, the assistant left the princess and her subordinates alone, once again reminding Peony to remain still.

"This never meant to happen; she was supposed to make you copy the rule book, not whip you," she murmured. Peony just looked at her in silence.

"It's not your fault, Princess." she rasped out, her voice still wrung out.

Vivianne sighed, placing her cold hand on her cheek. Peony smiled as best as she could, but her swollen face stiffened her muscles. She was to lay at the infirmary until her sick leave was over; until then, Nancy, a senior maid, was to attend to Vivianne.

"Worry not. The head maid will be called into a meeting with the courtiers for her behaviour." Vivianne assured her before standing up. After exchanging some quick words with Mio, she headed back to the main building alone, leaving him seated at the foot of her bed.

"I hope you see my point when I said that no one would believe you," he stated, ever so rudely. Peony didn't bother entertaining him, simply turning her head away from his chastising gaze.

She did understand his point; it was hard not to after what had happened. Still, she wanted to help the consort, even surprising herself.

"The key..." she muttered, and Mio's eyebrows raised in surprise. He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're not sane; I refuse to believe it," Peony rolled her swollen eyes at him.

"I already fetched it. When Juno gets discharged tomorrow night, we will show her the hidden pathway. You just rest; I already dealt with those idiots," he said, crossing his arms. They regarded each other silently.

"I was right; by the way, we're also being targeted," Peony couldn't help but say, watching satisfied as Mio's smirk slipped off his face.

"Hm, maybe I should be the advisor," Peony rubbed in.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly said.

"Why?"

"I came too late. If I had known that the head maid got discharged early, I would have stuck around for longer,"

Peony didn't have the energy to process what that meant. "There was no way for you to predict this outcome," Peony threw his words back at him with a grimace that was supposed to look like a smile.

"Touche,"