1291 A Historic Event In Dafaren

Tilda began counting her steps in her mind while staring at the well-detailed stone looks beneath her feet.

The artwork was truly magnificent and was grander and more inviting than several others across the same estate.

But no matter how stunning it looked, Tilda had no mind to appreciate its beauty.

She dug her nails into her gown, holding it up and trying her best to advance in the most inconspicuous way.

Shiver. Shiver. Shiver.

Her body continuously shivered from fright the further she advanced into the grand estate.

And from time to time, she would also peek around, hoping that she could disappear altogether.

Why? Why did she have to come back to this dreadful place?

Tilda had never had fond memories of this place, especially since her Grandfather was disgusted by her.

She had to pay a yearly visit to him and would no doubt stay here for a week or so.

But within that time, she lived a far worse life than when she was in the palace.

The people in the palace might treat her as a servant. But those in her Grandfather's estate treated her like an unfree space instead.

She had been whipped, thrown into the woodshed without food or water for days straight, and had undergone all sorts of punishment for doing absolutely nothing. At times, she also got framed as well.

But more importantly, every time she saw her Grandmother in the 'abandoned courtyard,' they would treat her ten times worse instead.

However, what she didn't know was that all this was still under the watchful eyes of her so-called Father, Alexander.

.

Alexander was truly a scum father.

He wanted her to know that no place other than the palace would be able to treat her better or give her a certain level of freedom.

With her current reputation and several other facts, she had no choice but to stay put.

To Alexander, she had to pay the price for her late mother. Alexander hated this daughter of his.

But since she did carry his blood, he had long taken her as a commodity or a bargaining chip for the future.

So way back, even before she got engaged, Alexander had already prepared for her future.

Thus, to make sure that she stayed out, he had made a few moves in the dark.

And for a larger part of the years, he thought he had eventually succeeded in taming her. Thus, he did allow her some degree of freedom and lessened his monitoring over her year by year. But who would've known that when he relaxed her guard, she would try to flee in hopes of not getting married?

Heh.

The moment she got caught and reeled back in, Alexander had decided not to go soft on her anymore.

Now, even the little freedoms she had to wander around the place, was taken away. To put it some, she had been under house arrest for months... Unless he demanded her attention for vents just like today's

And until her wedding in a few more weeks, she would continue to remain under house arrest, not stepping a foot out of her current isolated home. He had 70 people watching her tiny cottage on rotation day in and day out.

That is, how can the bride flee, leaving the renowned Crown Prince of Lingingburg distracted?

The compensation he would have to give Lingingburg would no doubt be excessive. Those bastards would take advantage of this and demand all sorts of things from him. So how about he allow that to happen?

Alexander sneered while staring at the dazed Tilda, who was now hovering from fright alone.

Deserve it!

.

Tilda stared at her silver-haired grandfather walking behind Alexander, only feeling deep-rooted fear for him.

Monster!

This man was the epitome and full embodiment of her nightmares.

She continued walking behind the massive entourage until finally, they arrived at a moderately sized indoor space that was set up as though it were a gladiator colosseum.

The stone slaps and bleachers winded around the room, leaving the centre part open for all to see.

To put it simply, the indoor space was more or less very similar in size to a professional indoor basketball court.

Well, it was a little smaller than that... But still took on an impressive feat, featuring a lot of stone pillars and slabs all around it.

Indeed, it was designed like a gladiator colosseum, meaning at its very bottom, there were exits and entrances for participants or animals to enter the arena.

The Abrodus family typically used this for entertainment purposes, as well as estate-public punishments for all staff to see.

Sometimes, they had to make an example of others. And showing it in this manner allowed the others to think twice before doing any treacherous acts.

And today, at the bottom centre of the indoor colosseum, there was a high wooden post, designed as though it were a place to behead people.

However, looking at the large basins of feathers underneath the wooden stand, many couldn't help wondering what the actual devil was going on here.

Features? What the hell did they need feathers for?

(?~?)

.

Alexander took his seat at the very well-decorated position at the topside corner before several others could dare take their seats.

"Quickly! Quickly! Serve the fruits and ale!"

"Yes, my lord!" Replied the many servants who began serving Alexander with golden trays of fruit and other delicacies.

On such an occasion, how could they keep his majesty snackless?

With lightning speed, many slaves came to get her to severe his majesty first, followed by the other royals, before the novels.

As for Tilda, her food was almost thrown to her face by the servant serving her.

The person looked very impatient and disgusted with her, as they showed no care or considerations whatsoever.

And of course, all this was still under the eyes of Alexander.

He kept Tilda very close to him, waiting to see her reaction when the show finally began.

"My dear Lockhart daughter... Do you know why I brought you out today of all days?"

Tilda's lashes fluttered uncontrollably while slowly moving her head from side to side: "N-no, father... I do not."

"Well, it's normal that you wouldn't know. But don't worry. Soon enough, everything will be clear."

Bubuum!

Her heart drummed loudly with a bad premonition lurking within.

What... What... What did he mean?!!! What will soon become clear?

Instantly, her mind became as chaotic as a tsunami, with all sorts of thoughts mingling and intertwining nonstop.

But before she could gather the courage and ask Alexander about it all, her cheap grandfather suddenly snapped his fingers, and someone from heaven knows where quickly stepped into the arena below, with a large metal megaphone in his hand.

And at this moment, all this whispering and commotion within the place ceased.

-silence-

... Alright, it looked like it was time for the show to begin!

.

"Your majesty, Alexander Lockhart... Your highnesses... Our esteemed guests... Welcome to the Abrodus estate! " The host said while giving a deep bow to the various people he called out today.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Today, you all will witness a spectacular sight that will be recorded down in Dafaren's history for years to come." The host added, making everyone open their eyes with expectancy.

Instantly, many of the novels felt their blood boil in shock.

"What?! So his majesty called us in to demonstrate this historical thing to us?"

"Yes! Yes! That must be it... ~Phew... For a moment, I honestly feared that his majesty might be coming for my head."

"I as well... luckily, I didn't do anything rash and flee, or else once I got back, wouldn't I just die by then?"

"That's right. I would've been digging a bigger while for myself by doing that. Fortunately, with my clear convenience, I stood my ground waiting to see what sort of situation could make his majesty call us out like that."

"Hmhm...the fact that his majesty said that he wanted us to watch a 'show' was what disturbed me throughout the night. But something is truly off about this. If his majesty doesn't want to teach us a lesson and doesn't also want to teach The Abrodus family a lesson, then who exactly is his majesty aimed against?... Or could it be that we're purely here to watch an innocent show? This… this… this doesn't seem like his style at all!"

...

Everyone was utterly taken aback by the turn of events, with many finally putting half of their worries at ease.

But Tilda only grew more and more panicked deep within.

She had been obedient for the last few months, doing nothing but staying still in her tiny home and being invisible.

So when had she offended him again?

Wait! Again... Again...

Immediately, everything clicked in her mind.

He wasn't retaliating over something new but something old instead.

Meaning her past actions still made him full of rage. And the fact that they were in her Grandfather's house can only mean one thing...

Nana!