"Guards! Take her away and deliver one hundred lashes with the silver whip!"
His roar dripped with unrestrained rage and disdain, leaving the air heavy with dread. Moments later, the guards stormed in. Two of them seized Claire by the arms, their grips like iron shackles.
She struggled desperately, but it was useless; their hold was unyielding, dragging her forward despite her thrashing. The more she fought, the more pitiful and disgraced she appeared.
And though she once dreamed of mingling with nobles as their equal, this scene would forever cling to her, an indelible image of humiliation that would ensure she was looked down upon from this day forth.
"Brother…" Dimitri began, his voice heavy with conflict. Everything he had just heard from his older brother was so shocking that his mind felt numb, and his heart ached for his niece.
