THE NEXT DAY
Gwen was fast asleep, when she felt something wet, dripping down her forehead. She immediately snapped her eyes open, glancing up to see Nadia standing in front of her with a jar of water in her hand.
Gwen gasped, her eyes widened in shock. "How come she's still alive? did Roxanne fail to deliver my message to Draco?" She pondered, in confusion.
Nadia saw her confused look and smirked. "Lady Gwen, you must be wondering, how I'm still alive, you don't have to worry, soon you'll have all your answers," Nadia tells Gwen.
"Draco," she called, and he walked into the cottage with a smug look on his face. "Lady Gwen," he greeted, bowing slightly.
Gwen stared at him in disbelief. "what happened here?" She mulled, glancing from Draco, to Nadia.
"Draco, I'll leave you two, make sure you do to her, exactly what you did to me, and after that, give her to the men outside, they'll finish the task," Nadia instructed him, then she turned to Gwen and said, "I would love to stay and witness the way they torture and have their way with you, but I have to go prepare for my wedding." with that said, she walked away, but not before giving Gwen one last look. "one enemy down, one to go," Nadia muttered under her breath...
Gwen didn't care about what Nadia said about her wedding, all she cared about now, was saving herself from the man in front of her. "Draco, how could you betray me? I thought you were a man of honor, someone whose loyalty cannot be bought, what happened now?" she inquired.
Draco let out a burst of amused laughter, then he said, "Lady Gwen, I thought you were smart, but it turns out, you're not. A man's loyalty cannot be bought only when he has no heart desires, however, I do have a heart desire and you want to know what it is?"
Gwen scoffed, raising her brow in question. "Let me guess, power, status..."
"No lady Gwen, it's queen Zara, the beautiful queen Zara," Draco told her.
It was now Gwen's turn to laugh. "Queen Zara! you must be out of your mind to think that you can have her. Is that what princess Nadia promised you? you must be a fool if you think she would fulfill that promise."
Draco scowled, his eyes darkening in rage. "Lady Gwen, I'm only going easy on you, because I once served you, but don't think for once that I will take your insults. you're at my mercy now, so watch what you say," he rasped.
Gwen shivered slightly at his tone of voice, beads of sweat, dripping down her forehead. Although she didn't look scared on the outside, her heart was beating fast in fear. She has known Draco for many years, and by now she knew that he was very dangerous and ruthless.
If she knew that he had feelings or was obsessed with Zara, she would have promised him the same, even if she knew it wasn't possible, just to avoid a situation like this.
"Draco, you are making a big mistake, you think Princess Nadia, is going to help you get queen Zara, but it's a lie. You know who Carl is, and you know he loves Zara, there's no way, he would let you have her," Gwen reasoned.
"I don't care lady Gwen if I have to kill him, just so I could get her, that's what I would do, but for now lady Gwen, I'll have my way with you. who would have thought that a day would come, where I'd taste your pussy," Draco said, with an evil grin.
Gwen shrieked, wrinkling her face in disgust. "Draco, please, you have to reconsider, princess Nadia is using you, and once she's through with you, she'd probably kill or thrust you aside."
"Lady Gwen, it's all the same for people with high status, you all use people, and you Lady Gwen, is no different," Draco muttered, taking slow strides towards Gwen.
"Sorry, milady, but you can't save yourself." After saying that, Draco tore her dress, and have his way with her...
...
ZARA'S POV
When I woke up, I found myself in the chamber, instead of the bureau with Carl, he must have brought me here. but where is he? I thought, glancing around. when I didn't see him, I decided to go out of the chamber to go find him.
How long does he intend to avoid me? I can't take it anymore.
When I walked out of the chamber, into the hallway, I saw the servants busy with some kind of preparation.
"What's going on here? I asked one of the servants.
"Your Grace, the king has asked us to make preparation for his wedding to princess Nadia," the servant said before walking away.
It was like I was struck by lightning and my heart clenched tightly against my chest
"Queen Zara," someone called, and I twirled to see Nadia sauntering toward me.
I wanted to walk away, and avoid talking or listening to any of her tantrums, but she stood in my path, preventing me from doing so.
"Zara, you don't have to be so arrogant, you should at least be nice to me. after all, we are going to have the same husband, or are you jealous?... yes, that must be the case or why would you be in such a bad mood. lighten up Zara, cause no matter what you do, you won't be able to stop the wedding. You know Zara, I didn't think that you'd be so ungrateful, if it were others in your place, they wouldn't have more gratitude, knowing that I saved their life, but you... you're ungrateful and selfish. you want the power and everything all to yourself," Nadia muttered, with her lips curved into a smirk.
I gave her a fake smile, striding closer to her. "Nadia, I might be selfish, but I'm selfish for love, not power. I won't share the love of my husband with anyone, especially someone like you, who take advantage of someone's weakness," I told her, before turning around to leave. I could feel her burning gaze on me, but I ignored it. Right now, my priority is to find Carl, nothing else.
...
I walked into the throne room, where I was told that Carl was, addressing some issues with the council.
Once he was done and walking out of the throne room, I approached him.
"Carl," I dubbed, clasping his arm.
He turned to look at me, his gaze void of any emotion. Although I promised not to ask him about his marriage to Nadia, I couldn't help myself.
"Carl, tell me what's going on, please tell me," I pleaded.
He sighed. "What should I tell you, Zara?... I have nothing to tell," he retorted.
"Not even why you are going ahead with the wedding?"
"I already told you why Zara, and I'm not going to do it again."
I clenched my fist, to suppress my pain and anger. It hurts that I hoped and kept believing that he would do something to stop the wedding, or at least he would explain the reason why he's going ahead with it, but he just shattered that hope, that belief.
"Do you still love me, Carl?" I asked, my heart beating fast in both fear and anticipation.
He sighed, taking his gaze away from mine. "Zara, I... I have to go prepare for my wedding," he said, attempting to leave, but I prevented him from doing so, by standing in front of him.
"If you don't tell me, I promise that I won't talk to you, or even come close to you," I threatened, praying that it would make him talk, but instead, he said, "you can do as you please Zara," then he walked away.
I watched his retreating figure, heartbroken. "Why are you treating me this way?" I mumbled under my breath, with tears trickling down my eyes.
"Zara," someone called from behind me, and I turn to see Catherine and aunt Anna, heading toward me.
"Zara, I know that this is hard, but please you have to be patient. Although even I don't know why Carl chose to carry on with the wedding, even though he has the power to stop it, but I hope that you would at least trust him," Catherine said. It seems like she already knew what was bothering me.
I hugged her, shutting my eyes tightly to suppress my tears. "I'm trying mother, but it's just so hard, especially since he keeps telling me the same thing, that he likes her and wants to form an alliance. what should I do mother? what if he really does like her?"
Catherine remained silent, lightly patting my back, before she sighed and said, "Zara, I don't know the answer to that, because when I asked him, he said the same thing, and worst of it all is that, I couldn't read his emotions."
I nodded, pulling away from her embrace. "Mother, don't worry about me, I'll be fine," I told her, but it was obliviously a lie.
Aunt Anna, who has been silent all the while, patted my shoulder and said, "you don't have to act strong Zara, we all know how difficult it is to see the man you love marrying someone else, so you can talk to us if you need to, we're here for you."
I nodded and gave her a light smile. "Thank you, aunt, thank you mother, but for now, I'd like to be alone," I said, before turning around to leave.
...
Meanwhile, Roxanne looked for Gwen once again, around the palace, asking everyone she came across if they saw her, but to no avail, they all gave her a negative reply.
She wanted to approach Carl, and tell him about Gwen's disappearance, but changed her mind and went to lord Francis(Gwen's father)instead.
"Lord Francis, I'm here because Lady Gwen disappeared, and I haven't seen her since dusk," she explained.
Lord Francis raised his brow in question, then he said, "Did you look everywhere in the palace?"
"Yes, I did, I also asked around, but they said they didn't see her leave the palace," Roxanne replied.
Lord Francis sighed, although he looked unfazed on the outside, inside he was worried, after all, Gwen was his only daughter.
"There is no need to panic Roxanne, I'm sure Gwen might have gone outside the palace, for something urgent but still, I'll send some men to find her, and if after today, she is not found, and doesn't return, we'll have to inform the king," he tells her, and Roxanne nodded, before leaving his chamber...
...
Gwen was molested and raped, by both Draco, and two of Nadia's men. After that, they stabbed her, and throw her body in the forest, for wolves and other creatures to devour, then they returned to Nadia, to report the news.
"Princess Nadia, I kept my end of the bargain, that is sparing your life, and giving you revenge, now it's your turn to uphold your part of the bargain," Draco tells her.
Nadia laughed, then she said, "I'm a woman of my word Draco, after my wedding to Carl, I'll deliver queen Zara to you, it's a promise."