Beautiful Scar

Eighteen

The last time they remembered was during the same breakfast they found out the identities of the Princess’s Lady Companions.

Lady Lydia, who happens to be the older sister of Officer Lucas, one of the survivors and victims of Ronald’s abuse and ill-treatments.

It was all quite shocking and terrifying. That breakfast was the last they ever saw Ronald.

When they heard a sudden gasp coming from the Princess’s table, they saw Ronald was wearing a servant’s uniform and was serving the ladies over there!

But the gasp came from Lydia who was shocked to see her assaulter after a few years she had escaped from those nightmares, no, that real hellish place.

Her upper body was shaking in her wheelchair, she was clenching her newly tailored dress made by Brie, she didn’t know how to react. A part of her wanted to slap, to kick even, to inflict pain on him, to hurt him for the humiliation and torture he had put her and the other women and weak men through.

But she could only shake, withholding her sobs.

For her loss.

Ronald, who was solemn and quietly serving the ladies, saw the wheelbound lady shaking. The fool and the bastard he were, he forgot what her name was. But he remembered the face or somewhat.

There were many young women like her, that he broke.

When the verdict decided by his ruling parents was death, it was not however immediate. He was to serve, at least, the remaining survivors of his assaults until the victims were satisfied.

At first, he was very furious. He felt humiliated. He was stripped of a body part, of his position, of everything. Every part that made him a man, no every inch that made him felt superior and above. He wanted to go berserk at that Scarlet girl. She caused him this.

But Scarlet ensured to break him, or she was tasked to do that, and she did it so excellently.

They chained him in the dungeon, starved him from food and more importantly, water. Once in a while, physicians and healers came to clean and treat him. But they didn’t bother wasting any sleeping medicine on him. Those pain combined by the lack of energy easily made him asleep.

But one time, as his consciousness was slipping in and out. He saw the young boy he dueled before. The Lucas boy. He looked angry but there were tears in his eyes.

He remembered he felt his body was pulled as Lucas grabbed his collar, he couldn’t make out what were the words that the boy said. But he was probably punishing him for hurting his lover, his relative maybe. Whoever the female in his life that he had hurt.

And as he eventually accepted his fate, a wave of utter despair and regret washed over him. But it would never be enough. Even if they had cut his legs, it could not heal the damage he inflicted on those victims.

His arrogance was his demise indeed. What a fool he was. He succumbed to his devils and foolishly followed even though deep down, he knew it was wrong. Very, very wrong. But arrogance and twisted pleasure were his undoing and it seemed only death, pain and servitude were the only things he could redeem for.

When Lydia managed to ease her breathing, she gave her order as the Lady she was, without even looking at him, she said “I don’t want to see his face, where is Martha?”

With that, Ronald quietly obliged. He had no say at all, hearing from his victim, he felt the guilt and shame. He went back accompanied by guards.

And at a decent distant, Lydia turned, just to see the back of her former assaulter.

All the while, her clenching hands had been held warmly and reassuringly by Scarlet and Brie who were sitting by her sides.

“Don’t tell me you pity him, now”, Scarlet said, knowing her gentle older friend.

“No, I-I-I’m not…sure”, she stammered. “You should’ve warned me, he was serving. It was cowardly of me of not facing him”.

“Nonsense, you don’t need to look at him, he never actually looked at you”, added Brie.

“You are gentle and merciful, Lydia”, Fina smiled and extended her hand and Lydia held it with both her hands.

The Ladies continued their breakfast.

And on another end, the suitors were still shocked and puzzled at the scene unfolded between them and Ronald.

They could never know what actually happen unless they asked those young ladies, which they didn’t dare to. And just like the ladies, they left him at that.

The breakfast itself was the only time they saw Scarlet came and dined at the garden. And the first time the suitors saw her in a dress. All the ladies wore the dress made by Brie, their stunning purple-themed coordinated dresses made them prominent and stood out in the pastel ambience of the garden.

But Dylan could not shake off the dress Scarlet wore. How it covered her from neck to toe and yet still attracted people’s stares. Provocative. The long slit in her dress, that instead of showing the flesh of her leg, she had worn tight black pants underneath.

And the netted veil which covered her right side of face, attached to her wide fascinator. The enigma radiated by those four ladies. It drawn people’s eyes to them, to her.

Ah, stop thinking that far!

Dylan mentally scolded himself. He really needed to find other ladies he could entertain himself with around here. But he was so exhausted from that hellish training that Scar girl had put him through!

Tch.

As the Warriors and Princess left, the five suitors sagged in relief.

Despites the weaknesses and backgrounds were being exposed in the room, the air was somehow tense after knowing that other Generals and Captains might want to ally with either of them, or annihilate them, if they had hold of the precious information.

Neville thought how bold Scarlet, Fina and Lance were to tell upfront of their findings on them. If it was up to him, he would’ve kept this information to himself, to protect him, to insure him. Were they so strong or powerful to discard such thoughts? What were their actual plans?

And then, those other Generals and Captains.

He tried to remember the names and faces he acquired from his readings and his own intel.

Most of them were very experienced, around the same age as General Homes, veterans of many wars and battles. Older men who had passed through histories seeing ruins and glories. The rise and fall of various kingdoms.

And then, he glanced around, he wondered if some of them were considering allying with these war-obsessed veterans.

For Neville, he was still, and wanted to be on the Princess’s side and earned Captain Scarlet’s grace. But ah the thought that the Princess’s father, the King, who had once wanted him dead. Had ordered Scarlet to dispose of him but she failed.

Then it dawned him. Well, while Scarlet was no ordinary warrior, she still could make mistakes. And maybe her assassination attempt was a misstep on her part or maybe, she intentionally did that. To bring him here?

Then, he realized that not exactly everything was also discussed here. There was room for him to decide his next action plan.