Chapter One: The Filthy One
"F-forgive me this time! Pl-"
"Shut up, you filthy whore!"
The cold wind stung Nadeira's cheeks, and then Harriet's fingers twisted deep into her hair.
"Ouch!"
"I told you to shut up! Why won't you listen?!"
Every pull sent fire across her scalp, but Harriet didn't care.
Victoria walked on her other side, gripping Nadeira's arm so tight it left marks.
The wooden deck of the ship made a weird sound under their steps as they dragged Nadeira toward the rail.
"Please! Please, I won't do it again!" Nadeira cried agaij, trying to plead with her family. "I'll listen, I swear, just let me go!"
Harriet yanked harder, making her stumble. "Shut your mouth, disgrace. You don't even know how much shame you've brought to the Mancini name."
"I didn't bring shame!" Nadeira sobbed. "I couldn't marry him. He's old, he's cruel, he-"
Another slap cracked across her face, forcing Nadeira's head to jerk sideways, and the taste of old iron filled her mouth.
Harriet glared down at her, as if her eyes were burning with disgust.
"You dare speak while Victoria is here? You are not worthy," Harriet hissed. "You are filth."
Victoria's lips curved into an evil smile. Her long dark hair whipped behind her. "You should not have survived yesterday's attack, Nadeira," she mumbled, but almost sweetly.
Nadeira's knees went weak. She stared at her stepsister, lips felt apart. "W-what…?" she whispered, shaking. "It was you? You sent those men?"
Victoria's eyes shined with pride, not shame. "It was Father's work. He arranged it, just as he arranged your mother's death."
A hollow ache spread in her chest, leaving Nadeira breathless. "No… no, that's not true!"
"Oh, but it is," Victoria smiled again, leaning close so only Nadeira and Harriet could hear. "Your mother demanded more gold from him. She grew greedy. He poisoned her tea. I watched her cough until she couldn't breathe."
Tears spilled down Nadeira's cheeks. "You're lying… you're lying…"
Harriet let out a laugh as well. "She isn't. Your father got tired of your mother's whining. And now he's tired of you."
"No," Nadeira whispered again, her body starting to tremble. "Why? Why would he-?"
Victoria's hand shot out and closed around her throat. Nadeira gasped, clawing at her stepsister's fingers as the air left her lungs.
The ship's lantern light glowed on Victoria's jeweled rings as she squeezed tighter.
Something slipped from Nadeira's neck. Her silver necklace, her mother's last gift, slid free and tumbled over the edge.
She heard the splash as it disappeared into the black water below.
"My necklace!" Nadeira choked. It felt as if her ribs had caved in.
Victoria's face was just a few inches away, "That trinket won't save you. Nothing will."
"Don't compare yourself to Victoria," Harriet rolled her eyes and stepped closer. "You will never be as beautiful as her. Even the crown prince saw that. He will not marry you, Nadeira. He would rather take Victoria's hand than look at you."
To Nadeira, colours blend into one another, but she heard every word.
It felt like Nadeira's chest opened to a cold emptiness... "The prince…?" she managed to mutter it through cracked lips.
Harriet smirked. "Yes. He belongs to Victoria. That's why my dear husband chose the Baron for you instead. Baron Leviticus was willing to pay enough for your hand. That was his idea. His and Victoria's. Sell you to the Baron, and we would all benefit."
"He… he's evil," Nadeira croaked. "He's older than Father. He…he's cruel! No woman my age could marry him!"
Harriet's nails dug into her arm. "It doesn't matter what you want. You are nothing but a coin to trade."
Nadeira's strength slowly faded away. Her knees buckled beneath her, but Victoria only tightened her hold on her throat.
"You will not shame us again," Victoria made her statement clear like the poison that Nadeira's mother was forced to drink. "You will not ruin our name."
And with one easy push, both women shoved her over the rail.
'So this is how I die…?'
The night sky spun around as Nadeira tumbled.
Not even a single scream left her throat… the wind would've swallowed it anyway.
The icy water punched the breath from her chest.
It felt cold… So cold…
Nadeira kicked and flailed, but the weight of her soaked dress dragged her down. Salt burned her eyes, filled her mouth, and eventually choked her.
She clawed upward, desperate for air and land, but her arms felt heavy as stone.
Above, dim lanterns glowed on the ship's deck. She saw the shadows of Harriet and Victoria leaning over the rail.
"She's gone," Harriet spoke in a hard tone, finally letting out that suspended sigh.
"Good," Victoria replied. "Captain!" Her voice was louder. "Take us to shore. Not a word of this... Not a word, or you'll join her in the sea."
The captain's reply was lost in the crash of waves, but Nadeira saw the ship turning, moving away.
As her arms grew weaker… and her chest screamed for the rescue, Nadeira stopped fighting.
She sank deeper, deeper into the dark. Her body gave up its fight, surrendering to the pull of the ocean.
'Is this how I end?' she thought dimly. 'Alone, forgotten, drowned like nothing?'
Her eyes darkened. She could no longer see the ship. Only the endless black water around her.
But then she felt something surrounding her…
At first it was very faint... But then it grew brighter, burning gold, wrapping her in warmth that the sea could not steal.
The heavy body started to feel lighter, as though the water itself pushed her upward.
'What is happening…?'
Nadeira gasped, though she was still beneath the surface. Instead of water flooding her lungs, air filled her chest.
The golden light coiled around her arms, her legs, her neck, until she was swallowed in it.
Her eyes just flew open.
And there, through the golden glow, she managed to see three faces.
"Mate!"