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Chapter Three

I watched him struggle between his honor and oaths.

The tension thrummed making me itch to dance. The screams of my poor staff were still ringing.

"I don't think you'd be thinking this long if they were nycturnian," I whispered to him.

It was like a light went off in his head and he narrowed his gaze on me. The silence was no longer tense but filled with unspoken words. "Why do you think I asked you if you ever killed before? It wasn't just for fun."

He clapped his fist to his chest and bent at the waist. "Dalton will follow your orders." Straightening he pulled his large sword from his back and took off. The wind stirred from his speed, and I lost my smile watching him leave.

No matter how I try I can't evade old grievances.

A sniffling sound pulled my attention away from my musings and found Scarlette had fallen to her knees and was staring in horror at the blood-covered walkway ahead.

I walked over to her and knelt, and crossing my arms I watched as tears slipped down her cheeks. "Since you were kind to me dear laundry maid, I'll give you the ability to save those you are friendly with."

She stiffened and slowly turned to look at me. "Your m-majesty?"

"Poor girl, you didn't know what I would do. I know, you're probably regret serving me, but the truth is I don't regret killing any of them. I've no good memories of those who ignored me or treated me harshly. The kindness I displayed before was nothing but fear. Fear that if I did anything anyone Imperial didn't like would lead to be being abandoned." I reached out and brushed a gentle hand against her cheek. "Now, I have no fear...In fact, I would welcome some aggression."

"Princess are you telling the truth when you said I could save those I cared for," Scarlett asked those brown eyes no longer filled with fear but something extraordinarily like strength.

"Yes, I've decided lying should only be used to send people to their deaths."

"Okay," she clapped her hands against her cheeks. Rising to her feet she gathered her skirt and took off running shouting. "Knights, the princess has given me the right of mercy."

I leisurely followed behind, some of the bodies hung over the railing of the front porch which wrapped the right side of the palace. Humming, I hopped over a fallen hand.

If only Rebecca had bothered to clean my room as she was assigned.

And there was poor James, he'd been very emotive. Always making faces when I pass by, as if I stunk of something but now he was missing a head.

As I strolled through the carnage finally entering my palace I let my eyes roam over the red paint that covered the marble flooring.

When I was young I always wanted to dance in the place and since their was no one but corpses, blood and echoes of screams. I drew my arms wide and lifted upon my toes pretending I'd been allowed to the many balls I'd been excluded.

One step forward, two steps right, and then hop. Spin and then retreat a step and exchange a bow with your partner and allow them to hold you and guide along the floor.

A old tune came to me like dream and I glided across the floor. My eyes closed to the world around me. The days of dreaming of—.

"Princess, we've finished."

Darn, I opened my eyes with arms still raised I could feel the wet sensation of blood in my shoes. Lowering my arms I turned around and found All three knights with their weapons sheathed and six shivering people standing behind Scarlette.

Everyone's gaze held open doubt over my sanity.

"What, haven't you seen someone dance before?"

"Your highness are you sure you're not crazy—,"

"Boros!"

"Shut him up!"

I stared at Dalton and Cirilo, who'd nearly covered Boros face to keep the young knight from speaking his accusation.

Deciding to ignore his question, and focused on Dalton. "Since we've finished spring cleaning, let's get my old gowns and along with the bodies have them thrown out. Also, if anyone ask please tell them that the Seventh princess decided since she'd turning eighteen. It's time she started sorting her things."

I hummed as I passed them, and headed upstairs eager to see who else had fallen to my new nights blades.

I guessed it would be at most a week I'd be bothered over killing rats and flies.

~LBK~

"What were you thinking?!"

I was wrong. 

It took only four hours before a retinue of knights along with the Empress and Emperor, who'd been taking on a stroll along the gardens. Which also happened to be where the outer palace servants had been passing by with the lovely, dressed servants.

Karma is a wild thing. All the times I'd craved for them to visit me, or at the very least see me they'd never bothered but when I wanted to cover up killing a few rats here they were.

The Emperor, Carthage Mason Agryos was your typical good looking Imperial man. Tall, muscled despite being in his dotage. Blonde hair, blues eyes...yada yada.

And the Empress, Ethelride Hera Agryos-Hardt, was a red headed bent who probably killed enough babies to be diagnosed as a psychopath.

The two had deigned to enter my palace grounds and were both currently sitting on outdoor furniture was delivered since the scene of the crime was currently being cleaned by my servants, all nine of them (including my knights except for Dalton) he's big and can block the sun.

A pale hand slammed on the table between us. Carthage glared at me, his cheeks red from his anger. "How could you kill innocent people over no cleaning?"

"Dear, I'm sure the seventh princess had a good reason rather than coming to me about changing staff," The bent said pretending to help.

I groaned, "I don't have time for this your majesties. I killed them. Unlike the third prince who dumps bodies on the hunting grounds after raping the guys he thinks are "strong" but beats at sword play." The bent and Carthage stiffened. "Or like the 8th princess who likes sewing her maids into their clothes and plucking their eyes to pop in marbles. I think me killing spies, bullies and servants not performing their duties is great. I'm doing pretty good and let's not forget I've only killed what," I glanced up at Dalton. He mouthed a number at me. I frowned, "Only twenty-five? I only had twenty-five servants in this place."

Carthage drew back and cleared his throat, and crossed his arms as Ethel the Bent looked in another direction. "Still, you can't just kill people with out a story ready to explain to the people why you're doing it."

"I'm doing it, because since you betrayed my mother and caused her to die choking on her own blood begging for mercy I've been terrified you'd do the same thing to me." I watched the color drain from his face. "I'm turning eighteen, so I'm going to find the hottest foreigner I can and sleep with him till his seed catches. When I'm pregnant I'm going take his hand in marriage and leave this place and never look back."

...

..!

"I was joking."

But I'd wanted to say everything I did just once.

The silence was loud, the knights and servants who'd followed Carthage and Ethel were bold enough to stare directly at me. If those pesky memories weren't buzzing around and messing with my wishes to run away I'd do exactly as I said. 

I'd find myself a noble, good man at a pub and have him use me in the most disrespectful way and then convince him to marry me before he knows I'm royalty and then we'd say goodbye to the imperial kingdom.

"Zorya!" Carthage rose to his feet and pointed the anointed finger at me. "You have obviously been left in the wild too long. I can't abide the idea of a princess of this court having such thoughts. I order you moved to Grace Palace, from here on you will be relentlessly trained and educated and only, only after you're ready will you be given your 18th birthday."

Stunned I watched as he turned his heel and marched out. "Call all those wretched pedantic men, and tell them to send their daughters names. This hellion needs a teacher who's strict and gets results."

I slowly glanced up at Dalton who pallor was an odd mixture of yellow and green, but his neck was red. "I thought he'd get mad and banish me to this palace."

Dalton shook his head. "I'm sorry, princess. I'm still trying to get pass your words from earlier."

Throwing my arm over the back of my chair, that had been left behind while everything else had been collected; "You mean the part about sleeping with some random commoner?"

"Princess," he shouted looking at me alarmed. "How could say something reckless?"

Looking him over I frowned, "Knight Dalton don't tell me you've crossed the threshold of death but never crossed the lilly pat—."

"Princess!"

Seeing his face turn bright red, I coughed. "Alright, let's focus on the most important point. My father is intruding on my plans, hmm. Welp, if you can't control it take advantage of it."

Uncrossing my legs, I came to my feet. "Dalton, have them light the palace on fire and we'll head to the new palace tonight."

Dalton sucked in a quick breath, but I wasn't interested in his thoughts. If my father wished to bring me up to par.

Who was I to stop him?

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Author Notes: This chapter is a bit more chaotic but Zorya is a tad bit...hmm she's trying to live her best life and stress less.