Rania's heart raced as she made her way to her father's chambers, a sense of foreboding settling in the pit of her stomach. She had been summoned, and she knew that it couldn't be good. She pushed open the door and curtsied low, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Father, you called for me?"
Lord Morales looked up from his seat, his expression grim and unyielding. "Rania, I have news. You are to be married."
Rania's heart sank, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. She had been dreading this day, fearing that her father would marry her off to some stranger for political gain. "To whom, Father?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Lord Morales' expression turned cold, his eyes flashing with a hint of cruelty. "To Asher, of the Winters clan."
Rania felt like she had been punched in the gut, the air knocked out of her lungs. "The Winters clan? The people responsible for her mother's brutal murder?" She couldn't believe it. "No, Father! Please, no!" she begged, tears streaming down her face.
Lord Morales' expression turned hard, his voice dripping with malice. "It is done, Rania. The arrangements have been made. You will marry Asher and secure our alliance with the Winters. You will do your duty to our family, no matter how much it pains you."
Rania felt like she was going to vomit, her stomach churning with horror and despair. Marry Asher? The son of the man who had killed her mother? She would rather die than submit to such a fate. "Father, please. Have mercy. Don't make me do this," she pleaded, falling to her knees.
Lord Morales' expression turned cruel, his eyes flashing with contempt. "You are a disgrace, Rania. I know about your improper relationship with Ethan, that useless grandson of your godmother! You have brought shame to our family!"
Rania's face burned with shame, but she knew she had done nothing wrong. "No, Father! We…we never did anything to bring shame to the family. We love each other, and we want to get married!"
Lord Morales sneered at her. "You are a liar, Rania. I know you have given your body to him. You are no longer pure!."
Rania's eyes widened in horror. "No, Father! That's not true! We never did anything like that!"
Lord Morales' face turned red with rage. "You are a whore, Rania! You will do as I say, or suffer!"
With a furious roar, her father hurled the candle stand at Rania, striking her with a brutal force that sent her crashing to the ground. The metal edge sliced into her scalp, unleashing a torrent of pain that radiated through her entire body. Her vision erupted into a kaleidoscope of colors, and her head spun with a dizzying intensity. As she struggled to stay conscious, Rania felt the warm, sticky trickle of blood coursing down her face, and her heart racing with terror. She knew in that moment, her own father had become a monster, and she was staring into the abyss of his unbridled rage."
"Please, Father, stop!" she pleaded, her voice trembling as she cowered in fear, her small body cringing beneath his enraged blows. "You're hurting me, Father! Please, stop!"
Lord Morales' gaze froze, his eyes glinting with icy disdain. "You're nothing but a pawn in my game, Rania," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "You'll obey my every command, or face the repercussions. Your defiance will be crushed beneath my heel, like the insignificant rebellion it is."
Rania's desperation to escape was a living, breathing creature, clawing at her chest and screaming to be free. But she was entombed, trapped in a prison of her father's making, with no key to unlock her freedom. His grasp was a vice, squeezing the life from her, and his determination to control her was a relentless, crushing force. Mercy was a distant memory, a fleeting dream, and she was at his mercy, a fragile, flickering flame threatened by the tempests of his wrath.
As she cowered on the cold, unforgiving floor, Rania's mind raced with desperation. She knew she had to think fast, to conjure a miracle escape plan, but her thoughts were shrouded in a fog of fear. Her father's menacing presence loomed over her, suffocating her, making it hard to breathe, hard to think. She was utterly alone, abandoned by her family, and forced to rely on her own fragile resources to survive. The weight of her isolation crushed her, making her feel like a tiny, vulnerable creature at the mercy of a ruthless predator. Her father's estate, once a sanctuary, now felt like a prison, a trap from which she might never escape.
She came to her father's estate alone, and she had to rely on herself to survive.
With a resolute breath, Rania drew upon her last vestiges of strength and stood tall, her eyes flashing with defiance as she confronted her father. "I refuse to marry that man!" she declared, her voice steady and unwavering, despite the turmoil that ravaged her soul. "I won't be a pawn in your cruel games, Father. I won't be held captive by your twisted desires." Lord Morales' face turned a deep, mottled red, his eyes bulging with a malevolent fury that made Rania's blood run cold. "You'll do as I command, Rania!" he thundered, his voice like a crack of doom. "Marry Asher, or suffer a fate worse than death! You'll beg for mercy, but it will be too late!" Rania knew she had to flee, to escape the suffocating grip of her father's tyranny. With a burst of adrenaline, she sprinted towards the door, her heart racing like a wild animal's, her very survival hanging in the balance.
"Guards!" Lord Morales shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Stop her!"
Rania ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to escape, to get away from her father and his cruel plans. She ran through the castle, her eyes fixed on the door.
"I have to keep running, I can't marry that man! I have to survive no matter what."
But just as she was about to reach for the entrance door, the guards caught up to her and dragged her back to her father's feet, her struggles futile against their iron grip. Lord Morales pulled her hair, yanking her head back, and Rania cried out in pain.
"You are good for nothing, Rania," he spat, his voice dripping with malice. "This is me showing you mercy."
The guards locked her up in an empty room, and Rania screamed and begged for her father to let her out. She cried for hours until her voice was hoarse and her body exhausted.
Meanwhile, Lyra, her half sister, watched the scene unfold with an unpleasant smirk on her face, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as Rania was dragged away.
Later that day, Lord Morales visited Rania in her prison, his expression unyielding. Rania crawled to him, begging him to let her go.
"Please, Father, I'll never disturb you again. I'll never cause you any trouble. Just let me be free," she pleaded, her face on his feet.
But Lord Morales gave her a hard slap, making her fall to the ground. He then moved closer to her and showed her a necklace that she had given Ethan as a charm to keep him safe.
"W…where did you get that? What have you done to Ethan?!" Rania asked, her voice cracked and barely audible.
"Ethan was found stealing from the wives of the noble elders, who happen to be his lovers too," Lord Morales replied, his voice dripping with malice.
Rania's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's not true! Ethan would never steal or have affairs with women!"
Lord Morales just shrugged. "He's been arrested and will be prosecuted as a thief and an adulterer. He'll be hanged unless you do what I say and marry Asher."
Rania's heart sank, her world crashing down around her. She knew her father had her trapped.
"You have until tomorrow morning to make up your mind, Rania. If you don't comply, Ethan will be sentenced to death."
Rania wailed on the floor, her body shaking with sobs, as she knew her father had her right where he wanted her.