PUNISHMENT
1467 Words
“Start from the beginning.”
That was all it took.
Something in her broke.
“I-I didn’t mean for it to go this far…” she stammered, her voice shaking.
“I was only following orders… I was told what to do…”
Sirian’s gaze sharpened. “What orders?”
Elyse hesitated—just for a second too long.
His expression darkened.
“Be very careful,” he said quietly. “Because if I find out you’re still hiding something… I won’t be the one deciding your fate anymore.”
Her face went pale.
“I-I contacted them,” she blurted out suddenly. “The assassins… I was the one who met them.”
Sirian didn’t interrupt.
“I… I hid my identity,” she continued, her breathing uneven. “I told them I was one of Princess Sera’s ladies-in-waiting… so if anything went wrong…”
Her voice faltered.
“…the suspicion would fall on them, it was so just to see Her highness desperate”
Sirian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Continue.”
Elyse nodded quickly, tears beginning to form.
“The plan was… to plant the evidence in one of the attendants’ chambers. That way… even if something failed, someone close to the princess would take the blame…”
Her fingers clenched tightly.
“But the room I was supposed to use… it wasn’t accessible,” she whispered.
Sirian’s attention sharpened.
“And?”
Elyse swallowed hard.
“Lady Selene’s chamber… it was open.”
Silence.
“I didn’t question it,” she rushed out, her voice breaking.
“I thought—it was my only chance. If I delayed, everything would fall apart. So I… I placed everything there instead…”
Her head dropped lower.
“I wrote the letters myself… all of it… it was me…”
Sirian said nothing.
The confession hung in the air, heavy, suffocating.
After a moment, Elyse fell to her knees.
“Please, Your Highness!” she cried, her voice desperate now. “I was only following orders—I didn’t plan everything, I swear! I just carried it out… please, protect me… I don’t want to die for this…”
Sirian’s expression remained unreadable.
“Do you have proof?” he asked.
Elyse nodded quickly, almost frantically. “Yes! Yes—I kept everything… the letters, the instructions… they’re in my chamber.”
Sirian turned without hesitation.
“Guards.”
Two knights stepped forward immediately.
“Search her chamber. Bring back everything you find.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As they left, Sirian’s gaze returned to Elyse.
“You will remain under my protection,” he said coldly. “As a witness.”
Relief flooded her face—but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“But you said someone gave these orders. Who sent you? Who made you do this?”
Elyse’s eyes widened, she had unconsciously let that slip out, and her fidgeting intensified.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, shaking her head. “I… I cannot say. Please, I-”
Sirian’s expression darkened. “Do not think you have a choice. You either speak now… or I will ensure that when the truth comes out, the world knows exactly who is guilty. Every lie, every omission, it will all fall on you—and I won't be able to protect you.”
Elyse froze, the weight of his words pressing down. Her mind raced.
She wanted to deny everything, to protect herself and her secret, but the tension made her stomach churn.
She swallowed hard, eyes wide, whispering, “I… I… I can’t… I… I-”
Sirian hadn’t even finished pressing her when a few guards, different from the ones he sent had arrived. They were from the Emperor
“The Emperor has given his order,” one of them said firmly. “The culprit is to be presented immediately.”
Sirian’s gaze darkened slightly.
So soon.
His father’s patience had run out faster than expected.
Elyse’s breath quickened as she was pulled away, her eyes darting toward Sirian in panic—like she wanted to say something… but couldn’t.
And then she was gone.
---------------
The chamber was still.
Not silent—
But heavy
The kind of silence that pressed against the skin, making it hard to breathe.
At the head, the King sat unmoved, his expression cold, already finished with the matter before it had even settled.
Around him stood a few members of the council.
Among them—
Duke Veyrant.
Straight-backed. Composed.
Uninvolved.
As though none of this concerned him.
His patience had already worn thin.
Elyse was brought forward, her steps unsteady as the guards forced her to her knees.
Sirian stood nearby, his gaze fixed on her, sharp and searching.
This was it.
“Speak,” the King said coldly. “I will not ask twice.”
Elyse’s lips trembled.
Her eyes lifted—
And landed on Isolde.
The princess stood composed, hands folded neatly before her, her expression calm… almost gentle.
But her eyes—
Cold.
Unforgiving.
Elyse froze.
In that single look, she understood everything.
Say nothing.
Or suffer the consequences.
Her breath hitched.
Then slowly.....
She lowered her head.
“…It was me.”
Silence fell instantly.
Sirian’s brows furrowed.
“I arranged everything,” Elyse continued, her voice shaking. “The letters… the assassins… the plan… all of it was mine.”
Sirian took a step forward.
“Elyse,” he said, his tone firm. “Think carefully.
She flinched—but didn’t look at him.
“I acted alone.”
The words came out stronger this time, despite the tears slipping down her face.
“No one else was involved.”
Sirian’s gaze hardened.
Elyse kneeling at the center, her body trembling, her thoughts were no longer keeping up with reality.
“…It was me.” she whispered
Her own voice echoed faintly in her mind.
The decision came swiftly.
Too swiftly.
Elyse barely heard the King’s final words.
They echoed—distant, distorted—like something spoken underwater.
Execution.
The word lingered, heavy, suffocating.
Her mind struggled to catch up.
Execution…?
No-
No, that wasn’t right.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Her breathing grew uneven, shallow, her chest tightening as reality began to settle in.
This is real.
Her hands trembled violently against the floor.
This is happening.
A sharp, panicked laugh almost escaped her throat—but it twisted into a broken gasp instead.
She lifted her head slightly, eyes darting around the chamber as if searching for something—anything—that would stop this.
Then her gaze landed on Isolde again.
Still.
Calm.
Untouched.
Elyse’s lips parted.
For a moment—just a moment—
She almost spoke.
Almost said it.
But then-
That look again.
Cold.
Final.
Her heart dropped.
No…
Her fingers curled tightly into her palms.
She couldn’t.
She wouldn’t.
Her body began to shake
“P-Please…” her voice came out small, barely audible at first.
The guards stepped forward
That’s when it truly hit her.
They were coming for her.
“No-wait-!” she cried, scrambling forward slightly before hands seized her arms.
Panic surged violently through her.
“I didn’t mean-! I didn’t—please, Your Majesty, I was only-” her words tumbled over each other, desperate, broken.
No one responded.
“I’ll fix it—I can fix it!” she pleaded, her voice rising, cracking under the weight of her fear. “Please, don’t—don’t do this, I’ll say anything, I’ll-”
Her voice faltered.
Because she already had.
She had said everything.
And it had only sealed her fate.
Tears streamed down her face now, uncontrollable, as the guards began dragging her back.
“No… no, please…!”
Her eyes darted again—wild, searching—until they landed on Selene.
Selene stood there.
Watching.
Silent.
Unmoved.
Something in Elyse broke further.
“Lady Selene—!” she cried out desperately, her voice cracking. “Please-I-!”
But the words wouldn’t come.
She couldn’t say it.
Even now.
Even at the very end.
Her body resisted, fear locking her throat shut.
All that came out were broken sobs.
“I don’t want to die…” she whispered, barely audible now as she was pulled further away.
Her legs gave out, dragging uselessly against the floor as the guards continued.
“I don’t want to die… please…”
Her voice faded.
Her cries echoed briefly
Before the doors shut.
And everything went still again.
The King had already moved on.
The council remained composed.
Duke Veyrant did not speak but he was quite surprised as he was wrong about the way he judged Selene who was innocent the whole time
And Selene—
Simply stood there.
Watching the space Elyse had been dragged from.
Unmoving.
- Writer
