The girl was lying on the floor, her cheeks burning and streaked with tears. She could feel the cold white marble, veined with gold, pressing against her aching face. The tall pillars, carved with endless lines, towered above her, stretching into infinity from her low vantage point. She felt so small in that enormous chamber... her chamber. Yet it didn't feel like hers. The heavy heels echoed mechanically between the walls, each step sharp against the oppressive quiet. The silence itself roared in her ears, relentless. Over-soft carpets, blankets smoother than clouds, and a bed adorned with the shiniest yellow... All mocking comforts. Even the scent of the finest wood, drifting delicately into her nostrils, made her chest tighten. She couldn't breathe properly in that place, let alone call it home. Her red eyes, heavy with tears, could take it all in... The marble, the gold, the carved pillars, the silken bed... Yet not a trace of happiness stirred within her gaze.
- You shall not cry again. A princess does not cry. Stand up.
She did her best to rise from the floor, gathering all strength she had, unsuccessfully.
- Look at those clothes... Don't let them get any worse. Stand up now!
Her strength had all but vanished. The poor princess tried to rise but could not. With a sharp glance at the guards, Queen Raphysis Irenne DehLorange gave the signal. In the next moment, the girl was slammed against the carefully detailed wall and kicked repeatedly by tall, powerful men. She had no power to resist.
- Sigh... It seems a sterner etiquette governess must be appointed. One who will ensure that every lesson is etched into your very being, inspiring obedience in ways you cannot yet imagine.
She looked at the other girl lying unconscious at her side. Her sister's blood dripped from a small, cold nose, the dark red stark against her delicate pale face. Her slender body seemed as if it would break at the lightest touch. The princess felt disgusted, impotent... she was weak. They were weak... and there was no one to help them. No one they could trust.
A suffocating weight pressed against her chest, invisible chains of expectation and fear binding her mind as tightly as her body. The urge to let her tears fall like waterfalls down her aching face, the breath trapped in her lungs demanding to be released in a scream, the muscles tingling with the need to move, to act... everything was overwhelming. But she could not. A princess does not cry, a princess does not reveal her feelings, and a princess never makes a bold move without ensuring victory — just like in chess. The board of life is merciless: one wrong move, and the piece falls, leaving the king exposed...