Chapter 12

I was so sad seeing my friends being whipped like slaves, I am sure they came to see me.

"Hey you! Stop whipping them, can't you see that they are women!?" I yelled running over to them.

"My queen please, I would like for you to leave this place now, this isn't your business" the head guard said authoritatively, nearly making me scared but I had to act boldly to save my friends from that touture.

"If you whip them again then you will have to whip me too!" I said as they all turned to me in shock.

Rosamund and Seren gave me that look of "what are you doing?" But ignored their gaze and stood my ground Making up my mind to make them whip me too.

"What are you doing here Pearl!" The cold voice of the King came from behind Making me flinch in fear and turn to see him coming with one of his guards.

He had no expression written on his face but I could tell that there was danger behind that look.

I suddenly lost my voice as his presence was intimidating me. I don't know if telling them that Seren and Rosamund are my friends will help or make it worse but still I have to act fast to save my friends' skin.

"Please tell them to stop flogging these women, they are too fragile to be punished in this manner no matter what they did" I pleaded as tears escaped from my eyes, I didn't want to look weak in front of the king but my tears betrayed me.

"Leave this place Pearl" the king said coldly as I fell to my knees.

"My king you can't do this, please have mercy on them, they came all the way here to see, please my king it won't be a good thing that my friends came here and left in a bad shape" pleaded as tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably, I could see the pain in their eyes as their eyes were already pure red.

"They still have to be punished and this time I am flaying their skin myself… Now leave this place or they lose their lives!" The King yelled, making everybody flinch by the anger of his voice.

I quickly ran back inside in tears, I don't want my only friends to die and King Archer doesn't mind killing them if I disobey.

I lay on my bed and covered my face with the duvet in order not to be caught crying like a kid, I couldn't control my tears as I felt guilty for putting them in that situation, who knows how many strokes they will be flogged.

I am sure their skin will be flayed to nothing!

"My queen, are you okay?" Sage said worriedly as she hurried inside my room, she had ran after me all the way back to my room.

"Sage, leave my room now" I said in a cold authoritative tone as the room suddenly went silent, she didn't relent or try to talk me into calming down she just left.

I asked for that though, and I think all I need is just me and my new life.

I prefer myself as a peaceful commoner that I was, I was free to breathe the free air God has given to humanity but now the King is slowly taking away my joy!

My Friends never had to sneak in to see me but now they did and that mere act got them to this mess!

Why has my parents done this to me! And worst still without letting me know all these years at least I would have prepared my mind to face all this or maybe runway.

I know that I am supposed to be missing them but unfortunately I am not! My heart is rather filled with hate for them selling me out to the king to relieve themselves from debt.

After doing all that they were still killed! My parents gave me out so easily as if I have been a burden to them or maybe I was worthless for them to have given me cheaply.

I hate them so much!

After sleeping for what seems like hours I finally woke up as the thought of my friends hit my head hard.

I looked out the window and saw that it was dark already. I wondered if my friends were still being punished or maybe sent to go back home with much pain!

The thought of that sent shivers down my throat as I choked up in fear.

I quickly ran out of my room as I ran through the hallway hitting guards who tried to block my way.

The sudden strength marveled me but all I wanted was to see my friends and give them a nice treat as an apology.

I can't imagine them leaving this castle this late and passing through the bushes and trees in pain, anything bad can happen to them in that situation.

What if they are still being punished! Can Archer be less ruthless?… Or maybe what if they have gone!

"My queen, stop running, you will slip and fall!"

"My queen, where are you headed!"

The guards kept calling out but I didn't care to stop and answer them, I didn't look to my left or right I just kept running down the steps and hallway until I was held back by two huge guards that stared at me expressionlessly.

"My Queen, it is dangerous to run and my queen you are not allowed to go outside by this time" he said as I raised my brows at him angrily.

"And what do you mean by that! What's the time and why will you stop me from going outside?" I asked as the guard released me from his grip.

"It's an order from the king and my queen it's past twelve in the mid-night already and it's dangerous out there" the guard explained calmly leaving me speechless.

How long have I been sleeping! Why did I sleep so long? I never slept lazily before… Gosh! This pregnancy is making me lazier by the day.

"Where are the maidens that were being punished today?" I asked, expecting the worst.

"They left since afternoon, I must say the king was in a good mood for letting them go, on a normal day he would have made them maids or probably slaves" he said emotionlessly, how could that easily come out of his mouth.

I was sad and guilty at first but hearing what my friends escaped from got me relieved that they left.

The next question is if they got back home safely and what will people say seeing them in such a distasteful state.

"My queen, please you have to get going back to your room before the king sees you here" the all time quiet guard finally spoke in a frown, I know that he isn't frowning for real that was just his facial expression "We will lead you back to your room to be on the safe side" he said as he pointed forward for me to move.

My belly suddenly grumbled reminding me that I had only eaten once and that was in the morning before sleep to the better part of me.

I was embarrassed but was Lucky that the grumble wasn't loud.

I couldn't bring myself to tell them that I am hungry, how will that sound coupled with the fact that it was late in the night.

They followed me back to my room as they watched me enter, making sure that I closed my door.

I turned on hearing a glass clicking sound to see Sage setting my table with various kinds of dishes for just me.

Yeah I have had a crazy large appetite lately and that's getting me scared of adding much weight because I was eating equally healthy.

"You literally saved my life Sage!" I found myself salivating at the sight of the food as she smiled, pouring some contents of water into a glass cup.

"I knew that you would wake up hungry so I decided to get your food ready for you to save my skin" She said in a smile as I sat on my couch facing the food.

"Thanks for this Sage" I said, picking up my spoon.

"Uhmm… My queen" she said, drifting my attention to her as I noticed her sudden frowned face.

"The King is angry at you and asked to see you in his chamber first thing tomorrow morning" She said as my heart nearly left its position.

"Wh…what have I done?" I muttered, perturbed in a scared cracked voice hoping that it's nothing serious.

"This is the second time ever since you came to this castle that you haven't eaten at the dining with him and the other wives and that is so disrespectful to him and his wives… It's a must for all queens to eat at the dinning when the king decides to eat at the dinning and he literally eats at the dining everyday" She said and I could sense the danger in what she said.

"I am in trouble right?" Tears threatened to escape from my eyes as I blinked in back.

"I won't really say my queen, but I think you are, he was so angry that he nearly punished me as your maid" she said as tears dropped streamed down my cheeks freely.

Who knows what the king has planned for me this time.

@pop precious