Chapter Nine: Beyond Revenge
EVERY day, Tia stared at her cramped, dirty prison cell with glazed eyes. She hated this place. Worse, whenever she slept on the cold, thin bed, she woke with aches and pains all over her body.
She received two meals a day—one in the morning and one in the evening. The bland food consisted of hard bread and cold soup. When the first meal arrived, Tia hadn’t touched it, as she’d never eaten food so devoid of flavor in her entire life. Nevertheless, hunger whetted her appetite, and she now subsisted entirely on these bland morsels.
Each day, Tia awoke in her cold, solitary prison cell. After doing nothing for hours on end, she ate her allotted food and fell asleep on a chilly bed. She woke in the middle of the night due to pain and the cold air. As she gazed at the moon through a small window, dawn would eventually break.
Despite having nothing to do, Tia clung to life. Up until now, her existence had been empty and boring. She spent her days creating games and indulging in merrymaking. Winning battles had always filled her with delight. She’d never even considered the future beyond losing a battle.
“How long must I stay here?” Tia muttered.
Her voice sounded hoarse; she hadn’t spoken in a long time. Once, men compared her voice to the ringing of a light bell. Now, she sounded like an old woman.
Furthermore, her body emitted a putrid stench, as she hadn’t been able to wash properly. Every three days, she received a damp washcloth to wipe herself down with, but she couldn’t cleanse her entire body with so little. Even so, being able to wash once every three days felt more refreshing than anything she’d experienced in her life. Without exaggeration, that damp washcloth had become her single comfort in prison.
Even after Tia was driven from the royal castle, handmaids still served her around the clock. Those women rubbed oil into her red hair, bringing out its luster while she bathed. Now, her hair had lost its moisture, and she combed out its tangles with her hands.
As a side note, she’d been given an embroidery set provided to women in solitary confinement. Though she had nothing else to pass her time with, she hadn’t touched it since she didn’t like embroidery.
I visited Rosemary in this prison cell a long time ago, Tia recalled. She was doing embroidery back then.
Tia’s situation perfectly mirrored Rosemary’s. At the time, she laughed at Rosemary for being filthy. She deserves to be in prison, Tia had thought. Not only for viewing me as her enemy but also for interfering with my game.
Tia bit her ragged fingernails, a habit she had developed since her imprisonment.
How frustrating. I shouldn’t even be here to begin with.
She should have received special treatment as the queen. During her trial, she expected the court to take her position as King Rizel’s mother into account and merely exile her. In reality, she’d been cruelly condemned to hanging.
Tia hadn’t believed her ears. She’d never considered the possibility of being executed. Naturally, she wanted to scream in protest. However, she’d been restrained immediately, dragged out of court, and thrown into this solitary cell.
Since then, she counted the days until her execution. While this terrified her, she couldn’t stop. She needed to know how many days she had left to live.
Please let me wake up from this nightmare.
Unfortunately, reality tormented her. Every day, she grew hungry and had to dispose of waste.
Tia had never found reality so painful. Never had she wanted to escape from it so desperately. From birth until now, she’d found life dull. Her father instructed her on how to live, and she’d only found purpose in games.
Three things brought Tia joy: the frustrated expressions of those she deceived, the despair of someone realizing their own defeat, and laughing at those who tried to hurl their rage back upon her. Tia had never experienced despair or frustration for herself, for she’d never engaged in battles she couldn’t win. If failure seemed likely, she fled, made new arrangements, and began the game anew from her hiding place. She repeated this process over and over again.
This time, she failed spectacularly. She couldn’t deny that fact, no matter how hard she tried. Still, she feared one thing more than defeat.
Death.
Since learning how little time she had left to live, fear, such as she had never known, plagued her every waking hour.
If I don’t escape, they’re going to kill me, Tia thought. No, no, no, I don’t want to die! I want to live!
But why? What would she even do with the rest of her life?
Tia had already lost her status, position, and wealth. She couldn’t even formulate a survival strategy. She was just clinging to life with all her might.
These emotions were brand new to her. She’d never begged for her life before; she’d considered such actions pitiful. Countless people pleaded with Tia to spare them, and each time she laughed at them derisively.
How filthy, she’d thought. Why should the victor spare someone who begs for mercy?
So she’d abandoned them to their fates. Yet, with the roles reserved, she realized something for the first time. She couldn’t face death and would relinquish every modicum of her pride if it meant salvation.
Nevertheless, the day of her execution drew closer with every hour.
Someone, please save me!
Tia wanted to scream herself even more hoarse. Sadly, the guard outside wouldn’t rescue her, no matter how much she pleaded for her life. She needed to think of a way to survive.
Now’s the time to use my head. I’m skilled at winning games, aren’t I?
After finally thinking up a plan of rescue, she called out to the guard. He approached reluctantly, speaking in a cold voice when he greeted her.
“I need to see my son before my execution,” Tia pleaded, gripping the bars hard enough that her knuckles turned white. “Please, tell Rizel that I wish to see him.”
Her eyes watered as she made the request. She played up the part of a loving mother who longed to see her son.
The guard fell silent for a short while. “I’ll let him know,” he finally replied, turning around and leaving the dungeon.
Tia had never been pious enough to pray, but right then, she could have dropped to her knees and thanked God. Surely, a kindhearted man like Rizel would be merciful enough to spare his mother. She began thinking up a plan. How could she convince her son to set her free? Being the mother of the current king was the only ace up her sleeve.
However, as someone who only saw people as pawns, Tia failed to realize what vital component her card was lacking.
Love.