THE CABIN became her prison cell while sailing back to the capital. Tori was dragged back after she met the captain of the royal guards and the sly snake. She could not help but grin when she remembered the wretched face of the person she underestimated, no, Tori did not underestimate her. Instead, she just chose that they had a mutual understanding. She miscalculated the weight of that person's ambition.

With her hands held tied and mouth been gagged as she kneeled on the cabin's floor, Tori was unable to move freely or talk leisurely. Her limbs started to grow numb and her mouth started to ache, but she was long numbed by the shock of betrayal.

I thought I was safe. Ha! If the wretched plot has only a face, he must be laughing like crazy while rolling to the ground. Aah, I want to whack that imaginary grin from that make-believe persona of the wretched plot.

The path I was taking, where did it go wrong? I never trusted anyone. I made it clear to draw the line even from my vassals. And I even followed the rules of equivalent exchange. Just, why?

Not even bothering to knock, the door opened. Restrained, Tori could not turn her head in the direction of the door, but the silhouette of the person who entered was giveaway who it was. Steeling herself, Tori's red eyes met familiar emerald eyes.

There was only one family who had that distinct character, the House Larat of the aristocratic faction. The captain of the royal guard walked in next which did not surprise Tori anymore. He walked straight to her with his icy stare, grabbing the cloth behind her head as he briskly pulled it off her.

"Now, talk." The anger behind every word of the royal captain made Tori raised her eyebrows. You have some serious issues with me. Tori watched the silhouette of the captain of the royal knights left the room leaving her alone with the person who betrayed her.

Tori's golden ringlets were in a mess, her dress in disarray, but her mocking ruby red eyes were relentless even with her current state. The captain of the royal guard remained standing at her back while that person took a seat on her bed.

She did not falter nor showed any signs of emotions as she gave her best innocent smile to that person. "What do you want me to say? Congratulations?"

"No, but close. I want to know, how does it feel? How does it feel to be defeated in your own game?"

"I felt ecstatic. The war in the north did not give me this thrill. I am looking forward to this one. So give me an awesome show. Entertain me well, Merilla Larat."

Tori bit her lip discreetly to stop herself from shouting when the lunatic Merilla Larat also know as Lady M placed her soles atop Tori's head. Chuckling to herself, Merilla replied with a mocking tone. "See the difference, Victoria? I am always above you as I am always two steps ahead of you. You belong beneath my feet."

Tori shrugged her head to shake Merilla's feet on her head. "You will pay for this!" Tori's façade broke.

Merilla stood up and placed her right foot on Tori's head as the latter could not move from kneeling on the wooden floor. "How, Victoria? What awaits you in the capital is your death alone."

"What have you done!"

"What have I done? It's quite simple. I fooled you by making you believe that I am loyal to the aristocratic faction. You believed the context that I gave you. And as someone who knew your every move, it was easy to set you up. It is quite easy to manipulate the letters you sent to the king making it s if you are threatening the Imperial Majesty. The siege of the north and the war of the north were orchestrated by you. Of course, King Elphaim knows the truth. He's the benefactor, you know. But who cares, right? Executing will give His Majesty the most prized Wall and the control of the North. With the information by my side, I will always win." Merilla added more force on her foot making Tori crumbled on the floor. With the latter's face on the floor, while her limbs were tied, she was in a compromising position. "But you know what is stupid to watch? It is you, tolerating that idiotic lovesick fool. I don't get it, you know. Why are you so hung up with the second prince when you can choose Prince Lauren?" Merilla crossed her arms as she looked down at Tori.

"You stick to him like he is the last man in this world. Is it the looks? Well, I can say that I had fun getting Tessa from Crown Prince Yei Lin. Oh, that reminds me. Tessa announced to the higher echelon that she will marry Prince Corean. Well, she got some nerve after I told her that you won't live long to marry any of the princes."

The audacity!

"You are after the crown, huh. With the House Larat being at the bottom of the power chain, you have to resort to this. Maybe, the reason why you're helping Tessa is that you see yourself in her? How is it, Merilla? Is it satisfying? After all, I can conclude that you have some unrequited feelings with the second prince." Though Tori's words were almost muffled the venom laced upon her voice oozed like honey.

Oh, poor you.

Tori felt the heels of Merilla's sandals piercing her scalp as the lunatic traitor added brute force on her head. She closed her eyes but Tori never yelped in pain. Instead, she let out an insulting laugh as blood from her wounds flowed to her forehead then to the floor. "Did I hit your sore spot, Lady Merilla? With your wit, you can be an asset to the first prince yet you stayed in the aristocratic faction. Before I arrived, Prince Corean's candidacy to the throne was almost close to none yet you did not leave him for Prince Lauren. You had a lot of chance yet you remained by his highness's side. You love the second prince so you chose to be his aide. You wanted him to recognize you. And perhaps, you are hoping to bring back my head as a prize to be recognized by both the aristocratic faction and your beloved unrequited love. Poor Tessa, she won't see what's coming until it hit her until you betray her too."

Afraid that she could crush Tori to death, Merilla kneeled to grabbed her hair which was splattered on the wooden floor matted with her blood. "Laugh all you want, Victoria. But at the end of this journey, your head will roll. Your sister and father will be delighted. I bet they'll take the VIP seats at the plaza when your execution day comes." She let go of her head harshly causing her forehead to hit the wooden floor.

The loud thud of her forehead followed by the loud bang of the door being closed was the last thing that Tori felt and heard before passing out from the impact.

TORI'S VISION spun like a cartwheel. She felt her body being lifted briskly after two days of being starved inside her cabin turned prison. A royal knight secured a sack around her head to obstruct her vision as the knight carried her like a sack of rice on his shoulder.

She could feel that the merchant ship stopped moving. Light pierced through the baggy sack, enabling Tori to grasp that it was already afternoon and they just landed on a part. The way people buzzed around her, Tori could guess that they were back in the capital.

The high lady of the Rozenreff Duchy being carried like this was a disgrace enough for Tori. She got carried disgracefully for a while until the royal knight grunted a sound of relief before dumping her to the stone pavement. They treated her like she was already a criminal and that made Tori throbbed in fear.

For the first time since she came into this world, Tori felt scared. But she refused to cry and give her family the satisfaction they wanted to see.

If I will die today, I would rather go down with my head held high.

"Get up, wench!" An unfamiliar voice of a royal knight grabbed her tangled hair to make her stand. Someone cut her temporary bind from her wrists and ankles. Instead, she was bound again by chains around her ankles, enough to make her walk. Her wrists were bound again in front of her as the sack covering her head was harshly taken from her that the force almost made her trip.

The light flooded into her eyes. Slowly adjusting to the scenery in front of her, she realized that she was going to get dragged by a knight on a horse as the royal knights would parade her to goddess-knows-where.

Tori's ruby eyes scanned her surroundings only to bite back her sobbed as she realized that the buzz came from the common folks that waited for her being paraded like a prized criminal.

She saw Merilla being escorted to a grand carriage while she was being dragged as the knight riding his horse started to march. The celebratory sounds of the trumpets announced the start of the parade.

Why? I tried my best. I never trusted. I refused to trust. I believed in the power-hungry struggles of the high society. I shed blood just to stay at the top. Yet, why am I here? Where did I go wrong?

I was so careful! I never let anyone in. But why am I still marching to the guillotine? Is this the power of destiny? Am I meant to die no matter how much I struggle?

The road stirred clear for the parade. Tori was the only one walking while the royal knights were riding their horses as they escorted her like she was some kind of a sick criminal. The people around her cheered as they saw her battered form. She was still wearing her outdoor dress but her sandals were long gone. Her golden ringlets spread around her while being matted with her blood from being knocked down countless times in the ship. The gagged around her face created a wound on her cheeks and lips yet Tori remained blank.

For the people around her, they thought that she already surrendered to her fate. What they did not know was the fact that she was cursing everyone around her as this was the only thing she could do to sate her anger.

"Death to the traitor!"

"Kill her!"

"Criminal!"

A drunkard yelled at her, "Death to the northerners' whore!" Followed by applause from the crowd, Toru heard them but she refused to look at them. She was afraid that the last restraint of emotion she was holding back might snap. The drunk commoner threw his bottle of rum to the road that she had yet to step into. His action was followed by the other common folks making the pavement she had to take a sea of glass shards.

Shit

With her movement being constraint by the rope, Tori had no choice but to step into a road full of broken glass. The moment her soles stepped into them, she could feel the piercing of pain every step she took. Blood followed her footsteps. Tori had to stop for a few moments after staggering from the pain but the royal knight that dragged her body never stopped. Even so, Tori refused to show emotion.

She refused to show weakness even when her body got thrown at by eggs.

She refused to cry even when a royal knight to her left spit at her.

She refused to wince even when every step she took, the shards pierced her soles deeper.

She marched to the capital's plaza with her head held high.

Too preoccupied with her dark thoughts, Tori realized that they already arrived at the plaza where more angry common folks awaited her. The rope was cut as two royal knights grabbed her arms. Unable to talk, Tori only glared at them which the latter did not mind."You are a brave little girl. To be able to think such heinous crimes at such a young age. You are a devil in disguise." One of the knights insulted her.

Tori looked up above to see her pet flying around the plaza as if it was waiting for her command. So they did not notice you, huh. At least, you as Talia will live on in this world.

Tori muted her surrounding. The moment that Tori stepped foot into the podium, she refused to look at the guillotine. But she did not refuse to meet her father's eyes, his eyes that held no affection for her. He was standing beside Merilla and Sabina as if he was just a mere spectator.

His eyes held no emotion as he met her eyes. What did I expect? Tori was not able to control her tears as they dropped to the podium's floor.

Every nerve of her body screamed at her to run and to shout but she simply could not. It was simple, she lost to the original plot of the Netflix Series.

Everything was in a blur as the royal knight guided her neck. She was pushed to kneel on the podium's table while waiting for the sudden drop of the blade. Looking down, Tori saw the basket that would catch her head. Smiling sadly as tears started to drop, Tori finally broke down.

"Stop it!"

Tori opened her eyes when she heard the familiar voice of Rowan and Lily. "Stop it! In the name of the Castaña Dukedom's power, I command you to stop!"

"How dare you interrupt a punishment for a criminal?" Merilla's angry voice rang.

"Criminal? Did you investigate enough? Clearly not. Why? Because the criminal confessed to me!"

Tori was unable to see the commotion but she could hear them. She could hear the gasps of the people especially Merilla's. "H-How? That's not true! Lady Victoria Rozenreff is the criminal! The letters are the proof!"

"This one here framed Victoria. He sent the letters. He is the one who made her go to the northern region. Isn't it right?"

What? I did all of those on my own accord! Who is it? Who is the fool who tries to save me by taking my supposed crimes from me?

"Yes, you are right Duke Rowan Castaña. I, Prince Corean Shuia Eckrett did it all. Lady Victoria Rozenreff is my collateral damage."

What are you doing? No no no!