The royal hall felt colder than usual that night.
Rows of guards lined the marble floor, their armor reflecting the golden torchlight that danced along the palace walls. Yet despite the light, the air inside the chamber felt dark—heavy, suffocating.
At the center of the hall stood the throne.
And beside it… the woman who had ruined everything.
"Guards," the royal concubine said softly, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
"Take him away."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"And do not let me see him again… unless you wish to die."
The guards seized my arms.
Their grip was tight—far tighter than necessary.
"Let go of me!" I shouted, struggling against them. "You have no right!"
My gaze burned as it locked onto the woman beside the throne.
"You're not my mother," I spat. "You're nothing but a concubine who seduced the king."
The words echoed through the silent hall.
"You think you can command the crown prince?"
My chest rose and fell as I turned toward the throne.
"Father," I said, forcing confidence into my voice. "You know this is madness."
The king stared down at me.
For a moment, I waited.
I expected him to scold me for speaking rudely.
Perhaps even order me to apologize.
But he would protect me.
He always had.
Instead, the king slowly stood.
His footsteps echoed across the marble floor as he approached me.
His expression was empty.
Cold.
Then suddenly—
His fist struck my face.
Pain exploded through my skull as I crashed against the ground. The marble floor slammed into my back, knocking the breath from my lungs.
Blood filled my mouth.
I stared up at him in disbelief.
Why…?
Why would he do that?
"Watch your tongue," the king said coldly.
His voice no longer sounded like the father I once knew.
"How dare you insult my wife."
My wife.
The words struck harder than the punch.
"You are not my son," he continued with disgust. "You are nothing but the child of a filthy woman."
He turned immediately to the concubine.
His voice softened.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, my love."
The woman trembled dramatically and clung to his arm.
"Oh my king… I'm frightened," she whispered, her voice shaking. "He threatened to kill me."
Her eyes glistened with tears.
But when she glanced at me…
She smiled.
The smile of someone who had already won.
Something inside my chest snapped.
"You lying—!"
Before I could finish, the king shouted.
"Guards!"
The soldiers forced me to my knees.
"Take him away immediately."
But the concubine suddenly spoke again.
"Wait."
Her voice trembled softly.
"My king… we cannot let him live."
The hall grew even quieter.
"He hates me," she continued weakly. "One day… he may truly try to kill me."
The king's expression darkened.
My fists clenched against the floor.
This woman…
Before anyone could stop me, I lunged forward.
My hand grabbed a ceremonial dagger lying near the throne steps.
"I'll kill you!" I screamed.
The blade flashed toward her chest.
But before I could reach her—
A powerful kick slammed into my stomach.
The king had struck me himself.
The impact sent me rolling across the floor.
Blood spilled from my lips as agony tore through my body.
The guards immediately pinned me down.
My arms twisted painfully behind my back.
"Take him to the dungeon," the king said flatly.
Then something else caught my eye.
They were dragging someone else across the hall.
My heart froze.
"Mother!"
She was being pulled away by two guards, her wrists bound tightly.
"No!" I shouted desperately, thrashing against the soldiers holding me.
My mother looked back at me.
Tears glistened in her eyes. Yet she smiled.
"My son… it will be alright."
But outside the hall doors stood several rough men.
Their clothes were filthy.
Their smiles were worse.
Fear gripped my chest.
"Punish me instead!" I shouted. "Please! Hurt me, not her!"
My voice cracked.
"Take me in her place!"
My mother's smile faltered.
"Don't say that," she whispered.
Then she turned toward the king.
"Please… spare him," she begged.
The concubine walked slowly toward her.
Her silk dress brushed across the marble floor.
"Why would I?" she asked calmly.
She looked down at my mother with contempt.
"Your son is a threat."
Her gaze drifted toward the waiting men outside.
"And besides… I'm sure those men would enjoy some entertainment."
My vision blurred with rage.
"You monster!"
But the guards forced my head down.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed my vision was my mother being dragged away…
And my father laughing.
---
The Dungeon
Cold water splashed across my face.
I woke with a gasp.
Darkness surrounded me.
Chains bound my wrists and ankles, biting into my skin. The air smelled of mold and rust.
A cellar.
Footsteps approached.
A servant woman stood nearby, holding a whip.
Her hands trembled.
"I'm sorry… Your Highness," she whispered.
The whip cracked across my back.
Pain tore through my body.
Again.
And again.
Each strike burned like fire against my skin.
"You dare…?" I growled through clenched teeth. "How dare you whip the crown prince?"
My voice was hoarse, but my hatred was clear.
"When I escape this place… I will not spare you."
Tears streamed down the servant's face.
"I don't want to do this," she cried. "But it's the king's order."
The whip struck again.
My vision swam.
I refused to scream.
I would not give them that satisfaction.
Hours passed.
Or maybe days.
I could no longer tell.
Eventually the guards dragged me from the chains and forced me toward a massive iron basin.
Steam rose from the surface of the water.
My heart sank.
They weren't going to…
"No…"
The guards lifted me.
Then dropped me inside.
The moment my skin touched the water—
Agony exploded through my body.
My flesh felt like it was being peeled away.
I screamed.
The sound echoed through the dungeon as the boiling water scalded every inch of my skin.
My body thrashed helplessly, but the guards held me down with iron poles.
"Keep him alive," one of them muttered.
Hours passed in endless pain.
Hatred burned hotter than the water.
Hatred for the king.
Hatred for the concubine.
Hatred for this cursed kingdom.
Finally they dragged me out.
My body collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
My vision blurred.
Then I saw something lying nearby.
A body.
My heart stopped.
"Mother…?"
I crawled toward her.
Her skin was cold.
Lifeless.
Her once beautiful face was bruised and pale.
I grabbed her hand desperately.
"Wake up… please…"
My voice broke.
But she didn't move.
I pressed my forehead against her hand as tears fell silently onto the stone floor.
"I'm sorry…"
My nails dug into the ground until they bled.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Something inside my heart shattered.
The dungeon fell silent.
But deep within that silence.
A new emotion was born.
Not grief.
Not sorrow.
Hatred.
Cold.
Endless.
One day…
I would return.
And when I did—
This entire kingdom would burn.