Birth and Betrayal: Raqueena's Destiny

Raqueena cast an indifferent glance at the gift presented by King Henry. A dirty-looking wooden box that could only have venomous snakes inside. King Henry, initially with an alluring smile, held Raqueena's chin gently, hiding his true intentions. However, the mood changes abruptly as his smile disappears and is replaced with a threatening glare. Henry insisted that Raqueena obey his order to open the gift, but she responded by spitting in his face.

"I will not accept your gift! I only need my freedom!" cried Raqueena with a defiant glare in her eyes.

The spit landed on King Henry's cheek, momentarily silencing him. However, his anger radiated even more strongly. Raqueena's rebellious actions had pierced through the mask of control that Henry had so carefully grasped.

"You dare defy me?" King Henry's voice cut through the tension, carrying a tone of hidden anger. Raqueena looked at him with unwavering determination, her eyes radiating a resolve that matched her intensity.

The room was sucked in by the tension as Raqueena stood her ground, a lone figure challenging the oppressive power of the monarchy. The majesty of the moment did not escape the witnesses, as the clash of wills between ruler and captive unfolded.

With surprise, King Henry recoiled, wiping the spittle from his cheeks with a look of disgust. However, his eyes held a storm of anger beneath the surface. This sudden change left an unspoken tension floating in the air.

The tension reached a crescendo as King Henry suddenly grabbed the box, and slammed it in front of Raqueena. The wooden box broke into pieces, and something horrible rolled out, stopping right under Raqueena's feet. The maidservants around them screamed hysterically in unison. The situation was so frightening that one of them fainted.

Raqueena was transfixed, her eyes looking at the monstrous object in front of her with shock beyond measure. Meanwhile, the sounds of crying and screaming created a landscape of madness in the already deteriorating kingdom.

"Is this what you want, Raqueena?"

 King Henry said in a condescending tone.

 "You always refuse to open your eyes to reality. This is the world you created with your rebellion."

Ignoring King Henry's words, Raqueena's fragile hands began to move to grasp the hideous object lying at the tips of her toes. Her hands trembled, and as she turned the object, a horrifying reality was revealed. Raqueena immediately screamed hysterically, calling her father's name in a voice full of despair. The horrible gift that King Henry had just given her was the head of Raqueena's foster father, the one who had lovingly raised her.

"Demon man! I can't believe you got this far! I swear! I will repay you a thousand times more painfully!"

Amidst Raqueena's swearing, King Henry laughed contentedly, enjoying the pain, anger, and helplessness on Raqueena's face.

"Yes... yes... be satisfied and let out all your curses, my Empress. Let's see... how much power this blessed holy woman can wield over a chosen king, while you alone are shackled in my grasp!"

King Henry's dismissive manner further instilled a deep resentment in Raqueena's heart. Her hateful gaze sharpened, piercing through King Henry's scornful gaze.

"Just so you remember, my Queen. What I'm doing is just something small. I can go further if you dare to defy me again. Remember, I still have three brothers and your beloved mother left."

This time the real shackles had been tied around Raqueena's neck. Yes! It was King Henry's threat that concluded Raqueena's rebellion.

"All the beautiful, sweet, determined words you once spoke turned out to be a trick. Like an illusion. But... how can the pain you inflict be so real and so painful?"

An aura of darkness crept over Raqueena, who was now wrapped in fear and despair. Her eyes stared blankly, searching for the strength within herself to face this cruel reality. King Henry, in his cruel way, had created deep suffering in Raqueena's life, tearing apart her inner bonds, and leaving scars that would never go away.

The servants still in the room were transfixed in fear. They watched the heinous scene unfold before their eyes, unable to do anything about it. Sadness and despair dominated the atmosphere, making the room feel even darker.

From then on, Raqueena no longer rebelled or even put up the slightest resistance. Even her chains were removed when she was three months pregnant.

Time passed without any more drama and bloodshed. The atmosphere of the palace became much more conducive, although King Henry's infatuation with Lady Isolde became more vulgar and blatant until Raqueena's pregnancy entered the age of eight months.

It was the night of the red moon that brought the power of darkness, a time when demons were hungry and looking for prey. Raqueena, who had gone into labor earlier than expected, was bleeding heavily.

"This is serious, Your Majesty! We must summon Lord Luminaris immediately. Only he can help Her Majesty at this time."

Seemingly ignoring his royal physician's suggestion, King Henry focused on welcoming his twins into the world. It was clear that King Henry had no intention of saving Raqueena.

"There is no need to trouble Lord Luminaris to take care of that piece of trash. Just call the soldiers outside, and have them come with a sack or a chest."

The palace doctor looked confused. He did not understand his king's order. However, even so, he still obeyed King Henry's orders. Not long after, some soldiers arrived with sacks, without knowing the reason behind it.

"Put the garbage in the sacks you brought, and throw them away as far as possible."

The coldly spoken order left the soldiers as well as the palace doctor confused. They did not understand what King Henry meant by 'trash'.

"What's with the silence? Hurry up and get that filthy woman out of here!" snapped the king, which made the soldiers nervous, and immediately approached Raqueena who was lying weakly, seemingly still semi-conscious.

"But... Your Majesty ...."

The palace doctor who was about to help Raqueena was immediately ultimatumed with King Henry's sharp gaze.

"No one is allowed to mention Raqueena's name anymore. Neither in this palace nor outside. Announce it tomorrow morning, Mark!" said the king who immediately lowered his order. In that instant, King Henry also announced that the mother of the twins was Lady Isolde. The woman was appointed as his new consort.

That night, the soldiers carried Raqueena who had been put in a sack into the forbidden forest. A forest known to be a den of demons.

"Hey! Isn't this too cruel? What did Empress Raqueena do wrong? Wasn't it King Henry who betrayed her? Then. Why...," said one of the soldiers who felt that his conscience was torn by doing such a thing.

However, his fellow soldier refuted him by saying, "Stop your babbling, and watch your mouth if you still want to live. Although we don't have the heart, what can we do? Do you think you can fight the King?"

"You're right. But what if we just leave it here, then we tell Mr. Luminaris? Won't he come to help? I heard that Empress Raqueena and Lord Luminaris have a good friendship."

Again, the soldier's proposal was rejected by his partner. This time on the pretext that they were just ordinary soldiers for whom even meeting Luminaris was a real impossibility.

Along with the wolf howls that were like nature's alarm indicating that it was midnight, the soldiers finally arrived at the edge of the forbidden lake.

Although hesitant and feeling their consciences being torn apart, the soldiers threw Raqueena into the forbidden lake.

In an instant, a dark aura evaporated from the lake. The smell of blood was so thick that it made the soldiers' hair stand on end. The atmosphere was already tense. It became even more terrifying, making the soldiers run for their lives. Unfortunately, their panic led them to take the wrong path, causing them to get lost and end up as food for hungry wild wolves.

Meanwhile, Raqueena who was currently drowning, and unable to struggle began to be plagued with shortcuts of memories that increasingly tormented her mind.

"Henry... Henry... I will carve that name into the depths of my heart. I will make you the deepest grudge that will become the new goal of my life."