Ch. 41 - An Exhibition

Ch. 41 - An Exhibition
That night, Michelle reported Elena's condition to Lucian.

Lucian nodded, staring blankly at the papers in front of him. Then he set the papers aside and took a deep breath before looking at Michelle, who stood in the middle of the room.

"How is your daughter?" Lucian asked.

"She’s willing to eat now, Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern. I don’t know how to repay your kindness," Michelle replied.

"Just take care of her. I’ll ask the doctor to examine her bones and nerves. Hopefully, she can walk again. I’m sure Livia will be happy to have a friend," Lucian said.

Michelle nodded, unable to hide her hope and joy.

"Princess Livia has also been looking better lately. Especially after you asked the painter to accompany her," said Michelle.

Lucian smiled. His previously tense face softened. "She loves painting. I want her to stop focusing on her nightmares."

He didn’t want to visit Livia often, because every time he came, his daughter would start having nightmares again. He avoided it, even though he desperately wanted to have a normal father-daughter relationship. But he would do anything to ease his daughter’s pain.

He only hoped that one day, Livia could truly forget her trauma.

After a moment of silence, Lucian looked back at Michelle. "Have you told the girl my message?"

Michelle nodded slowly. "Yes, Your Majesty. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her what’s going to happen. Oh, forgive me, Your Majesty. It was very hard to say it," she said regretfully, bowing her head.

Riven glanced from Lucian’s side, sensing the weight in Michelle’s voice.

Lucian stayed silent for a few moments, lost in thought. "It’s not something you were supposed to explain. But she does need to know what’s coming. The sooner, the better," he said.

Michelle fell silent. Her chest tightened. Elena was like a daughter to her. She couldn’t bear to tell her that the girl would face another trial with the neighboring kings. That she might be humiliated again in front of everyone.

Lucian wouldn’t be able to help her this time—unless he was ready to fight those kings on the battlefield.

Lucian nodded, signaling Michelle to leave. "It’s okay. I’ll tell her myself."

Michelle bowed respectfully before leaving.

Lucian asked Riven to summon Hera.

The servant was worried about why Lucian had called her so late at night. She bowed before the king. Even Riven hadn’t told her anything, no matter how much she asked.

"I know you care a lot about Elena. So I’ll tell you. Then you can tell her," Lucian said, getting straight to the point.

Hera nodded slowly, curious.

"Emeria’s problem isn’t over. She’s still a prisoner. Even though she escaped the death sentence last time, she hasn’t done what the kings demanded. They want compensation for the losses caused by Wilhelm’s actions. Because of that, Elena will be summoned for another trial," said Lucian. He appeared calm, but his chest felt heavy. Thinking about what was to come gave him a headache. He didn’t know how Elena would get through it.

Hera swallowed hard. "Elena will face another trial before the kings?"

Lucian nodded. "Tell her. She has to prepare herself."

Hera’s stomach dropped. She had heard about Elena’s last trial. She couldn’t imagine the girl standing naked in front of the kings and nearly being raped. But Lucian had saved her. Couldn’t he stop this one too?

But Hera didn’t dare ask. She bowed her head. Her thoughts were all over the place. So Lucian had asked Elena to do the ritual to ward off evil because of this?

Hera slowly stepped out of the king’s chamber, her mind in turmoil. Her heart ached thinking about Elena’s fate. The girl had already endured so much. And now... another trial? In front of the kings who had nearly violated her? Hera bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to hold back her sadness and fear.

She barely noticed Riven following her. She was startled when the king’s guard blocked her path. Without saying a word, he handed her something.

Hera furrowed her brow and opened her palm. The man placed a black bracelet in her hand.

Hera looked at him in surprise. "What is this?"

"This bracelet is a gift from His Majesty for Elena. Please give it to her."

Hera looked at him, then at the small object in her palm—a black bracelet with delicate engravings that looked like protective symbols. There was a small stone in the center, dark blue in color. The bracelet was beautiful but gave off a strange energy.

Riven looked at Hera intently before speaking. "The bracelet was specially made by the royal craftsmen as a protective amulet. His Majesty wants Elena to wear it during the trial."

"Protection?" Hera whispered, running her fingers over the bracelet. It looked like a simple, beautiful bracelet, but after hearing Riven’s explanation, it seemed much more special.

Lucian was deeply concerned about Elena.

Riven nodded. "That bracelet is the only item Elena can wear during the trial without breaking the agreement."

Hera held her breath. She looked at Riven and asked cautiously, "What exactly will happen during the trial, Riven?"

Riven hesitated. He didn’t like to talk. But for some reason, he felt comfortable around the servant. And he felt the need to give Elena some sort of warning, especially since Lucian was also worried. He hoped the girl wouldn’t be caught off guard.

"The trial will be the final judgment for Princess Emeria. The kings want to make sure she pays for her father’s sins."

Hera swallowed hard. Her heart was racing.

"It’s not just about punishment. They want an exhibition," Riven continued. Though he appeared calm, he was clearly uneasy saying it.

Hera tensed. "An exhibition?"

"I can’t say more. Many things could happen. But tell Elena to prepare herself well. What’s certain is that she must strip off everything in front of everyone," Riven replied.

Hera held her breath. This sounded even more terrifying than she had imagined. "Can’t His Majesty stop it?"

Riven shook his head slowly. "He already angered the kings during the last trial. If he stops them again, it’ll be seen as breaking the peace agreement. War could break out again."

Hera looked down at the bracelet. Tears began to fall from her eyes. "Elena doesn’t know any of this..."

"That’s why you have to tell her," Riven said. "She must prepare herself—not just physically, but mentally. Because this trial is meant to break her."

Hera clenched her fists, gripping the bracelet tightly. She didn’t know how to tell Elena any of this, but she knew one thing: no matter what happened, she wouldn’t leave the girl alone.