Much time had passed when the Count was brought to the front, tied to chains that held him down behind a prisoner's dock. The chiming sounds of the bells echoed through the courthouse as the visitors settled in at their seats, while glancing up at the Imperial family members at the front. The Count was being seen as a culprit who everyone now disgusted.
At the platform above them, only the duchess stayed seated with George staying stood beside her seat.
Despite the interesting scenes around her, she stayed glued to her screen for specific reasons which couldn't bring her attention up at any possible ways. "Come on... Are you really going to be reading boring documents for the entire day?" Their younger brother asked while glancing over at her screen. Aefia had decided to sit all the way up, while the others were far from her.
"Why do you need to memorize written laws?" He asked while grabbing onto her right arm as she used her left thumb to scroll down.
"I am sorry I am not being able to pay attention today. If I am to lose the case, I might be the one who gets executed. I promise you this that I will be able to hang out with the rest of you after this courthouse." Aefia spoke while rustling through his deep purple hair and then diverting her eyes back to her screen.
"Can't you get George to do it for you?! He is our eldest brother and must be the one to take responsibility of these cases! You are still a fifteen-years-old! Just how much can you take?!" The kid shouted while tugging at her arm a little bit more.
Something about what he had said, sent her into spiralling deep into her mind. Her hands started to tremble and her eyes widened. Lewis noticed, but didn't try to calm Henry down.
So everyone... Is waiting to came me insane.
Finally, she flicked off her screen and looked at the kid properly this time. "Fine... What do you want to do? Remember I can only afford to hang out with you until the beginning of the verdict." She spoked while offering a smile.
"No! You have to stay talking to me until the end of the trial!" The kid spoke with almost teary eyes.
"Henry... Settle down... This is the matter between who dies and who survives. Don't try to mess it up because it might also be us who loses our titles to false assumptions and lies. That is why she is busy." Lewis strictly replied while grabbing onto the kid's shoulders and pulling him back towards his seat properly. "She already said she would hang out after this. If she doesn't, then I will have her punished for it."
With that, the entire row fell silent as the kid turned serious with a last glance at her, then she returned to her screen while muttered quiet words. "Thank you for understanding." She spoke under her breathe while reading the clauses that were related to the Imperial family and the governors. Just when she leaned sideways to level her head with her fist, a brush of a familiar fabric went past her as her eyes glanced up at the woman in bright gold and green, while also heavily draped in ornaments. The woman with blonde hair looked down at her with side eyes.
"I wish for your luck." Elanor bowed with a more serious face. Aefia straighted up while staring the woman with bright red eyes that flared with agony.
"Well aren't you desperate for getting my attention?" She smiled in a mean way. Beside her, Henry tensed up, standing on both knees to personally confront the woman.
"Hey Lady! Why are you so obsessed with my sister?! What do you want to marry her?!"
He shouted while pointing a finger at her. "And what is with your requesting for luck from her?! Are you mad in the mind?! You are the enemy's daughter!"
From both sides, the siblings strangled the kid at place while shutting his mouth with a double layer of protection. "Yeah whatever. Just get lost already..."
Aefia spoke while narrowing her eyes and her smile dissappearing for the woman. Just when the woman stepped away with a mocking smile, the siblings let go of the kid while eyeing him from both sides. "What in the world? Why would you say somethingb that to a woman?" She asked first while leaning back at her seat, face-palming her eyes. "She is definitely going to see us a joker now."
"This is a literal courthouse and someone is about to die... Let's stay silent for at least an hour at most." Lewis added while settling back on his seat while smiling. "But I like the joke." His voice left in a laughter-like tone.
However, Aefia didn't find it funny.
"Just shut up at this point." She spoke while pocketing her phone and glancing up. Her earlier expressions completely vanishing.
Lewis's expression became distorted, given how he had expected her mood to have lifted. But he couldn't quite do anything since it was her mind that he was thinking of changing. For someone as strong as Aefia, it would be an impossible task completely.
Nevertheless, he took Henry and stepped away from the section of the place that she was sitted, out of everyone else's eyes. For an Imperial family member to do this, was an insult and showed that she was arrogant. However, not much people knew who exactly she was. So it wasn't a matter to keep in mind at all. Even after some time had passed and at the to trial had ended, the mental situation that she was facing, didn't really lift.
At this point, it was prove enough for Lewis to know that she was definitely not worried about the trial. Instead, it had probably been something to do with her own mental matters.
***
(Discrimination alert: Some contents might be upsetting to some viewers.)
"You did like you said... And I am definitely proud of being an ally to you." Aefia spoke while offering a hand to Lady Elanor, who took it and shared a handshake at the dark entrance of the dungeons the Count got taken inside.
"Although... I need to warn you... The punishment is gruesome." But it wasn't until that she had seen it that she finally believed what the Lady had said.
The Count was tied up as a few hungry wolves walked up to him with their teeth in full show and growling. The two people watching were outside the cage, out of the reach of the wolves. Inside, the man screamed for dear life as the fabric around his eyes turned wet due to tears. As Aefia asked one final question to the woman beside her, the man inside shouted a few statements at her direction, which caused her eyes to widen and her ears to prick.
"You don't know just yet! The Duchess is about to take away something important from you! Remember that! And it will be an unavoidable matter! Remember that!" He shouted while trying to escape his metal hand cuffs. "She is about to emotionally break you down and harm you to be able to use you in the future for more gruesome works! She knows you are feared by a lot!"
But before he could continue about it a little bit more, the wolves all pounched at him while gnawing at his flesh and bone. His screams echoed into her mind as she started nauseating with the past minute in memory. The blindfold was removed as a wolf tore off both of his eyes and the others trying to rip his bones apart. His screams worsened as a much bigger, possessed looking monster entered the field.
"This... Is what will be the finale." Lady Elanor whispered as the wolves bowed at Aefia's direction before fleeing. One in specific was able to interpret it's thoughts to her, probably due to having the same elemental animal. Death... I bow to you.
With that, they all fleed as blood spilled across the ground while the monster broke open his skull to rip his brain apart, ending all screams from him the rest of his life.
"What sort of a punishment is this?!" Aefia shouted in disgust and shock.
"This here... Princess... Is the punishment of execution." Lady Elanor replied shortly afterwards, while walking out of the chamber and leaving behind Aefia to cower in her thoughts for the next ten minutes or so.
"Execution... Haha!" She laughed out at the end. Tears started to pour down her face as she placed a hand on her forehead with a smile on her mouth. "Is this how my life will finally end?"
***
Once back at the palace, Lewis has made clear precautions of not being in sight until he could quietly sneak into Aefia's room. Since she was still outside, it was alright to investigate around.
Unwillingly, he shut the door and went directly over to her desk first.
The last time I checked, she was in a state of mind just like this because of the trial request on George. What if there was something of that sort again? She didn't let me do much although she said she wanted me to help with it.
However, he couldn't find anything suspicious or of that sort. This left him feeling exhausted and confused, until his eyes flew to the bedside table that set neatly tucked away at one corner. He had a feeling of doubt, which led him to walking towards the drawers and pulling them out.
Indeed, whatever she didn't keep in show was inside this drawer, that was closest to the bed. She knew that no one would had the nerve to touch it, so she must have tucked these away too.
There was a used bottle of foundation and concealer, but she didn't really use make-up products. This got him questioning about what else was inside. Because the depth of it felt suspicious, he pulled on the hidden latch at the side.
What... The... Hell?!
However, that was when Aefia and her personal servant came to be walking towards her room.
"But young master! How long exactly have you been itching your eyes like that! The makeup has all worn off!" Brittany asked with concern while catching up to her as she pushed open the door or her room, blindly.
"I don't even know. I am just going to rest up so I don't need to apply it for the public again..." She replied while stepping inside with her door wide open. As she looked towards her bedside, her eyes flew wide open with shock. "What are you doing... Standing over there?!"
"I should be asking you a question of that sort myself too... Shouldn't I?" He harshly replied while clasping a small vile filled with sleeping pills.
"Brittany..." She spoke almost instantly while not even cutting a gaze to her servant beside her. "Call the duchess. She should be here in five minutes at maximum. Say it is urgent."
The servant immediately nodded and headed that way, while Aefia stepped inside and closed the door.
"Put that down. You have no right to mendle with my personal belongings. I would have accepted if you were Henry's age." She harshly made a command while glaring at his way.
"Why?" He asked back with the same intensity. "So I have no right to mendle with the personal belongings just because–"
"Because I don't see you as a brother. If that is what you are trying to say then yes. Now put that down."
"But what if I break it? Would you pick it up form the floor? Just to injest it? Even after being from the Imperial family."
"I had said it before. I am just a pawn."
"A pawn who is forced to be my sister."
"But I don't see you as my brother mentally or physically. You are just in my way."
Lewis felt the pain of her biting words, however, he couldn't properly interject against her words. He gritted his teeth and crushed the bottle with his bare hands.
"However... I will force you to view me as your brother." He muttered after a long time, even if he were bleeding, he didn't give it a care. "And now that it has been said... Why are you consulting toxic sleeping pills instead of getting anyone of us to help you with your insomnias if you really have any."
Aefia folded her arms in anger while furrowing her brows. "Why is it something you should care about?! Its not like I am your biological sister. Just one forced upon you to take care of once I had unwillingly signed that contract."
"Stop being arrogant!"
"See? This is what I mean when I say I don't want to ever be associated with the Imperial family. You all think of me as someone who probably convinced the duchess into taking me in as her child. Is it because she had given me the throne which the rest of you wanted?"
"I don't care about the throne! What I mean here is–"
"I don't want to know what you mean by why you crushed that bottle of my medication." She harshly interrupted him while clicking her fingers to bind the bottle back together. "And my medication, health and well-being shouldn't be something you should worry about at all. It would be a bother for you. So why choose to keep up the hassle?"
Lewis was silenced out completely, as his head dropped to face the floor. "I don't know why..."
"Then that's great. It would be better to forget our sibling relationship and continue the way we had been the first time you had met me. I would prefer being constantly threatened of death then you mendling with my belongings." She replied while walking towards her desk, while setting down the bottle.
"You may leave now."
Lewis hesitated for a long while, and instead, he turned to face her completely, replacing his earlier expression for a more softer tone.
"Aefia... Why do you think your life is something you can give away just because you suffered in pain while living it?" He asked with an upset face. She stayed silent without even glancing at him. "I know you don't see me as a brother. However, if you want me to walk out of your room, you could at least answer me this sincerely."
"Stop trying to brainwash me!" She shouted while slamming her palm onto the table with anger. "Why is it that you all want me to go insane and die?! What did I ever go to this family in the first place?!"