Chapter 1.1: The discarding of Cleo 

Chapter 1.1: The discarding of Cleo 

The trial room was full of chit-chatter as people awaited the last criminal. They were gathered to hear the story of six men and women who betrayed their clan. Bribery, unfair taxation, and conspiracy to kill the prince's prized concubine were on the table. Each of the five who had arrived stood with shame on their face. Jeers were hurled at them by those who had once been their friends and neighbors. 

The entire thing was chaos, the royal family sitting back and letting them do the dirty work. No one took the time to think why such trusted friends would betray their prince. Rage took control of them as the criminals looked down at their shackles. They were so tight that their arms were red with black bruises forming underneath the cuffs. Truly, it was a miscarriage of justice and a mockery of justice. 

"Where is that whore of yours?" The king looked over at his middle son with disdain as he spoke. 

The man was someone well past his prime but saying so risked a beheading. His grey beard was long and perfectly trimmed just like his hair. The man's gaze was intense as his son threatened to break from it. The king wore a ceremonial robe fit for this day. As did all his family and their concubines. They were a shade of plum with hints of gold, the colors of their family line. Each robe was exactly the same except for their size to show unity. 

"She's not my whore father," The middle child of the king stuttered. "She's a low-born criminal."

If the woman in question had heard those words, she would have crumbled. Like all princes and princesses, the prince had multiple partners. Women he bedded had similarities that he was drawn to. Their hair was the color of a midnight sky and their eyes reminded him of a jade jewel. They would spend nights with him and awake to jewelry as a show of good feelings towards them. 

The prince had gifted the last criminal many since she was young. But now, those jewels had been stripped out of her possession. They would typically go to the prisoner's family but she didn't get the luxury. Knowing this made the prince perk up and manage a tense smile. This woman would be gone for eternity and beyond after today. She wouldn't haunt his dreams any longer. And when he was king, her name would be long forgotten. 

"Even in squalor, that woman shows her ass," The king's oldest child snickered behind her fan. "I wonder if she tried to offer herself for freedom to one of the guards again?" 

"Wouldn't matter. Not even a boar would want her now." The youngest whispered back with a grin on her face. 

Rumors had spread around that the prince's former concubine had become desperate. Mad even, as she tried to bribe her way to escape. The guards were proud men who could have any whore they wanted and made sure to boast this in her face. Stricken by panic, the woman had screamed her head off for hours before falling asleep. People laughed, how could an assassin not think the consequences of their actions through?

The state of the woman was despicable. She had given up a comfortable life out of jealousy. Like a child, she threw tantrums when the prince moved on. It was expected as she had grown older. She wasn't a fresh new face for him to spoil. Another girl had taken her place, one with a beauty that even rivaled the queen. It was sickening to know she had attempted to harm the younger woman with her tainted hands. 

In any other story, death was the only option. It was the only answer to the crime committed. But the gods had given the woman one last chance. The courtroom's doors swung open and three figures came into view. Two guards sat on either side of the criminal, her body covered in chains and shackles. Her face was scarred from beatings, as were her legs as she shuffled forward. The room erupted into curses as she kept her head down and her eyes closed. 

From above, the royal family looked down on her. Their judgment was final. The two princesses never cared for her, having always seen her as a whore. The Queen didn't bother to come, ignoring the situation entirely. The king was like his son sneering down at her in displeasure. And the last one, she smirked as she felt that bastard's gaze burning itself in her soul.

Like a viper, her head moved upward and she stared. Her eyes landed on the two people who she had once trusted more than her own mind. Green eyes that looked mad trembled as she grits her teeth. The woman next to the prince hurried to hide in his arms. This only made the jeering worse as people demanded she stops scaring the concubine. They told her to leave the victim of her devilish schemes alone once and for all. 

'This is really like the book said,' A large grin appeared on the monster's face. One of the guards yanked her hair to keep her in line. Her scalp stung, but she didn't give a damn. 'Every single line is coming true before my eyes.' 

The woman was overjoyed as she tried not to laugh. But laugh she did, she snickered quietly at first. No one could hear besides the guards who commanded her to stop. The snickers turned into giggles and the prince flinched back. Her green eyes burned into him, as he once did to her. She fell over herself, her balance wavering as she convulsed. 

A slap rang throughout the room followed by another as the guard hit her. They murmured she had gone mad and cried for execution. With her head bowed once more, she licked her bloody lip.

The game had begun.