Chapter 10

Aurelia's near-constant state of vigilance began to wear thin after a week of gilded captivity. The opulent surroundings, once a source of tension, now felt like a gilded cage decorated with mockingly beautiful flowers. She hadn't seen the King since their tense dinner almost a week ago, a fact that both unnerved and intrigued her.

Instead of being treated like a prisoner, she was treated like a peculiar guest. Days were spent in solitude, adorned in luxurious dresses that felt alien on her skin. Servants, their faces etched with nervous tension, delivered her meals and tended to her needs in a hushed silence. Attempts at conversation were met with averted gazes and mumbled excuses. Only the ever-watchful eyes of the castle butler followed her every move as she explored the designated areas of the castle, with the exception of the upper floors of the castle.

Escape was a constant thought, a flickering flame in the darkness of her confinement.

Though unfamiliar with the surrounding lands, a desperate yearning for freedom fueled her determination. Perhaps she could find her way back east, back to her aunt's manor. Maybe, with time, her aunt would devise a new plan, a less blood-soaked path to vengeance. Had her aunt even realized she was in the castle? The gnawing uncertainty gnawed at Aurelia's resolve.

Oh,she yearned to return to her room back in her aunt's manor. Surprisingly to her, she missed it, she missed Freya, always bubbling with life, she missed Gaius' stoic gestures, his ever so impassive face. She missed...home. Home. Her aunt's manor didn't really feel like her home...her parents were her home. Her home snatched away from her from the man that has confined her in his castle.

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The oppressive silence of the castle night had settled in, broken only by the mournful wail of the wind outside. Aurelia, a prisoner in gilded captivity, had spent the past week in a state of restless anticipation.

Tonight, however, restlessness morphed into a different kind of unease. The faint sounds of footsteps echoed through the hushed hallways, an anomaly in the usual quietude of the castle after dark. Curiosity piqued, Aurelia crept out of her room, the plush carpet deadening the sound of her bare feet.

The guards, who had usually stood vigilantly outside her door, were conspicuously absent. A shiver ran down her spine – a new kind of fear, a fear of the unknown. The flickering candlelight cast grotesque shadows on the walls, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

'Ahhhh!'

A scream ripped through the silence. It was a sound unlike any she had ever heard – raw, primal, and devoid of any humanity. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drum echoing in the stillness. The scream resonated through the halls, vibrating in the very stones of the castle. It didn't sound human… it sounded like... a beast?

Panic threatened to consume her, but a morbid curiosity, a desperate need to understand, propelled her forward. The scream seemed to emanate from below, which made no sense. As far as she knew, the dungeons were located in a separate building outside the main castle walls.

Following the echo of the scream, Aurelia reached a corner and peeked down the hallway. There, in the flickering candlelight, she saw it – a trail of blood leading towards the grand staircase. Blood. Fresh, crimson blood staining the polished marble floor.

A wave of nausea washed over her. Her mind conjured horrific images, fueled by the nightmarish scream and the trail of crimson. Had someone been punished for some unknown transgression? Or was something more sinister at play? Was this the cruel king's doing?

Gosh,it was just her first week in the castle and she was already experiencing all these morbid horrors.

The memory of Malcolm's stern warnings about venturing beyond the first floor flickered in her mind. Yet, the trail of blood, the unearthly scream, all screamed of a hidden truth, a truth the castle desperately tried to conceal.

Taking a deep breath, Aurelia made a decision. Fear battled with a nascent defiance within her. She couldn't ignore the macabre spectacle before her. Cautiously, she crept down the hallway, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger concealed beneath the folds of her nightgown – a cold comfort against the unknown horror that awaited her.

As she neared the top of the grand staircase, the flickering candlelight cast an eerie glow on the ornate railing. Hesitantly, she reached out to grasp it, the cold metal sending a jolt through her. One foot ascended, then another, the silence broken only by the soft creak of the ancient wood.

As Aurelia's hand grasped the cool metal railing of the upper landing, a sharp voice cut through the silence, chilling her to the bone. "Hold, milady."

Aurelia spun around, nearly tripping on the hem of her nightgown. Malcolm, his face a mask of disapproval under the flickering candlelight, stood at the end of the hallway leading back to her chambers.

"My apologies," Aurelia stammered, her voice betraying a tremor of fear and adrenaline. "I... I heard a scream. A horrible scream."

She gestured back towards the grand staircase, the crimson trail of blood a stark reminder of the unsettling discovery. "I... I followed the blood trail. I didn't mean to intrude. I simply..."

Malcolm strode down the hallway, his movements measured and cold. He stopped at the end of the grand staircase a few steps near Aurelia, his gaze sweeping over the bloodstains, his expression unreadable.

"A scream, you say?" he finally spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Yes! A terrifying scream," Aurelia confirmed, her voice gaining a hint of defiance. "What happened? Is someone hurt?"

Malcolm turned to face her, his eyes reflecting a coldness that sent shivers down her spine.

"There are things," he began, his voice low and menacing, "that are better left unseen, unheard, by those who do not have a need to know. The blood you see... well, it's a stark reminder of what happens to those who are overly curious and don't mind their own business."

His words hung heavy in the air, a chilling warning laced with a cryptic message. Aurelia opened her mouth to protest, to demand an explanation, but Malcolm cut her off with a sharp gesture.

"Return to your chambers, milady," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. "And perhaps... for your own safety, forget what you saw tonight. Consider it a… lapse in judgment."

Aurelia, her heart pounding in her chest, felt a wave of frustration and fear wash over her. She wanted to argue, to demand answers, but something in Malcolm's cold, calculating gaze stopped her.

Aurelia's retreat was cut short by a gloved hand clamping down on her shoulder. She flinched, a gasp escaping her lips as she whirled around to face Malcolm. His normally stoic features were etched with an intensity she hadn't seen before. The flickering torches sputtered and it flames dying slowly one by one. Only Malcolm's eyes seemed to hold a glint of light, reflecting an emotion she couldn't quite decipher.

"Forget," he rasped, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous command. "Forget all you heard and saw tonight." His grip tightened momentarily, the pressure a stark warning wrapped around her bones.

Aurelia, her heart hammering against her ribs, could only nod dumbly. The implications of his words hung heavy in the air, laced with an unspoken threat. What had she stumbled upon? What dark secret was the castle so desperate to conceal? What dark secrets did the king held?

As abruptly as it began, Malcolm's grip loosened, the torches flared up again regaining it's intensity. He stepped back, the unsettling smile returning to his face. But this time, it didn't hold the usual warmth or kindness. This smile was cold, devoid of warmth, the first smile Aurelia saw on his face, it sent a shiver down Aurelia's spine.

"Safely return to your chambers, milady," he said, his voice regaining its usual composure, though a hint of the former intensity lingered beneath the surface. "There's nothing to see here. Just… an unfortunate accident that needs cleaning."

He gestured towards the bloodstain on the upper landing, a stark reminder of the horrors Aurelia had glimpsed. But the way he spoke of it, as a mere inconvenience, only heightened her unease.

Aurelia stood rooted to the spot, her mind a whirlwind of questions and fear. A stronger instinct, fueled by the chilling command in his eyes and the unsettling shift in his demeanor, urged her to obey.

With a final, lingering glance at the bloodstained stairs, bathed in the eerie darkness, Aurelia turned and retreated back towards her chambers. Each step felt heavy, burdened by the weight of the unseen horrors and the chilling secrets she had glimpsed.