Even if your Sword Pierces my Heart

 

At the sound of Izak’s menacing voice, one of the soldiers quickly added an explanation.

 “The Duke has instructed us not to let anyone in until he comes out.” “Is he inside?”

I asked, suddenly uneasy. 

 

I’d always thought it odd that my father was absent from the victory banquet, but was he with Cayden?

 “Step aside.” “Yo, Your Imperial Highness…” 

They hesitated but seemed unwilling to move out of the way. 

 

Izak had no choice but to draw the sword at her waist. The startled soldiers shrank back in fear. 

 

She stared straight at them, her eyes unwavering and cold, indicating that if they didn’t move out of the way here and now, she would enter by force.

 “If you don’t want to die, you’d better get out of my way.” 

They glanced at each other, hesitated, and then stepped aside. 

 

Sheathing her sword, Izak’s stoic expression began to crack as the Crown Prince’s bedroom door came into view. 

 

As she reached the end of the strangely rat-free hallway, she saw it slightly ajar, a groan of agony escaping from within.

 

Cayden…? Why did I think it was Cayden, it couldn’t be Cayden? 

 

Still holding her breath, Izak moved toward the door and heard her father’s voice.

 “I made myself clear.” 

Izak nearly screamed in disbelief at the unbelievable sight he could see through the two-finger crack in the door.

 “You must keep your emotions in check.” 

The Duke of Macthurden spoke to Cayden in a flat voice and cracked his whip against him.

 

Izak wondered if this was a nightmare, if the insomnia was making her delusional. Sometimes, when she slept too little, she would have all sorts of horrible dreams, but nothing like this. 

 

There was Cayden in a chair, wearing nothing but a pair of pants, with red streaks running down his pure white back.

 Swoosh! 

A whip flies at his painful-looking backside. It lunged like a snake, slicing another red stripe across Cayden’s back, and that was it. 

 

His body was covered in scars, except for his face and the ones visible through his clothing.

 “Are you pleased to feed the nobles!” 

What the hell am I seeing? Why doesn’t Cayden scream for him to stop, his face contorted in pain like he’s used to? Why the hell?

 “Are you happy to disrespect your wife after she returned from that hellish battlefield without the slightest sign of affection!” 

The Duke of Macthurden grunted, then kicked the chair that Cayden was seated in.  

 

With a loud clatter, the chair collapsed, sending Cayden sprawling on the floor. 

 

As the Duke of Macthurden swung his whip once more at the fallen Cayden, panting like a wounded animal, Izak thought nothing of it. 

 

Slamming through the door, Izak snapped the Duke’s arm.

 “Ack!” 

Izak threw down the whip she’d snatched from his grasp.

 “Now this…” 

Cayden, who had been moaning softly, came to a screeching halt and raised his head. 

 

His honey-colored eyes, as expressionless as a porcelain doll’s, fluttered uncontrollably as they caught sight of Izak. His eyes were stained with shame. 

 

Shame that he’d shown her the bottom of himself, the part he didn’t want her to see, even if everyone else did. 

 

But she didn’t see him and glared bloodshot eyes at her father.

 “What do you think you’re doing!” 

Izak’s voice burst from her mouth like a scream.

 

Her voice trailed off, leaving only silence. 

 

For a moment, the Duke of Macthurden was bewildered, but then his lips curled into a fierce line, and he yanked his arm out of Izak’s grasp.

 “What do you think you’re doing, Your Highness, that’s what I want to ask.” 

How could he be so nonchalant, how could he do such a horrible thing and look so unaffected? 

 

I tried to understand my father more than anyone. He loved my mother more than anything, and I was just as angry about her death as he was, so I tried to understand him.

 

I never thought he would show me this side of him. 

 

Six years ago, when he insisted I marry Cayden, the moment I caught a glimpse of his ambition, I should have rejected it all and confronted him. 

 

Since then, since I left, he’s always treated me like this. I slap his cheek and feel like an idiot for putting up with it.

 “It is an education, Your Highness.” “Education? That’s what you call it?” 

Izak stared at his father, dumbfounded. 

 

What did I just hear?

 

Education? What I saw was abuse. It was torture.

 

I was so furious that I felt dizzy with rage. I’ve faced a lot of anger in my life. 

 

But… I’ve never encountered anger that felt like it would kill me. I could still see the scene in my head from earlier. 

 

The vomit rose. Half-consciously, Izak reached for the sword at her waist, but Cayden stood up.

 “I don’t see what the big deal is.” 

Stunned, Izak turned rigidly, her face frozen and blank as she looked at him.

 “I’ve heard enough, Lord Macthurden, and now that I think about it, I think I may have been a little too hasty in my behavior earlier.” 

He said something that seemed to make no sense to either my father or Cayden. 

 

It felt bizarre to see them both so casually accepting of the situation. It was insane.

 “What’s so hard about showing a little affection to my wife, who’s been risking her life on the battlefield every day for the past six years, as opposed to me, who’s been sitting in the palace, playing and eating.” 

Cayden smirked and leaned playfully toward the Duke of Macthurden. He felt like he was in the wrong for being angry when they were clearly the ones at fault.

 “I’m glad you’re clear enough, then let’s spend some much-needed husband-and-wife time together.” 

Izak clenched her fist and turned away, remaining as stiff as a statue until the Duke, who had set the example for the Crown Prince that nothing had happened, went outside. 

 

He strode briskly down the hallway and caught up with her father.

 “Once again.” 

Her voice was crushed with rage as she spoke each word. Her blue eyes locked on the Duke of Macthurden, ready to explode with fury at any moment.

 “If I ever lay a hand on you, Father, you do not know what I will do to you.” 

The Duke of Macthurden, who had listened to Izak’s words with his back to the door without turning away, resumed his walk.

 “I’ll have my chamberlain attend to him, but in the meantime, keep an eye on your Highness.” 

His footsteps echoed in the darkened hallway, and Izak stood and watched until he was out of sight and out of earshot, then returned to the bedroom.

 “Get out.” 

Cayden’s sharp voice cut in before Izak could open the door and step inside. Ignoring him, Izak hastily searched for a bandage.

 “You’re bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding…” “You’re not the one making a big deal out of nothing, have you changed after six years on the battlefield?” 

Cayden picked up his tattered shirt and tried to pull it on.

 “It’s no big deal?” 

Izak lunged forward, grabbing the shirt and ripping it off.

 “Oh!” 

With a yelp, the fabric ripped and one arm of the shirt fell to the floor.

 “No big deal?” 

Turning, Cayden stared back at Isaac expressionlessly, his lips curled into a sneer.

 “What do you say, don’t you find it amusing to see a noble Crown Prince get beaten like a dog?” 

His true face slowly revealed itself as he smirked, as if the beating was nothing. His eyes were filled with anger. They were filled with disgust and hatred.

 

They weren’t directed at the Duke of Macthurden; they were directed at Izak, who had witnessed this, and they became arrows, piercing Izak’s heart over again to the core. 

 

The pain of being torn apart was worse than the arrow in her forearm being pulled out alive. The sight of his eyes staring at her hurt.

 

Leaving Cayden alone to go off to war was something I regretted like hell right now. 

 

My father, who had suppressed his anger at the imperial family and dreamed of a new dynasty through marriage… I had left him, fearing for his survival. 

 

But even so, I never dared to imagine that my father was abusing him in this way. 

 

How could I dare to imagine?

 

What in the world was the Marquess of Greyburn or his chamberlain, Jacob, doing not to protect Cayden? 

 

No, perhaps my father’s power was too great for even them to protect him.

 “Oh, well, who would think of me as a real Crown Prince when everyone knows I’m just a puppet of the Duke of Macthurden, right?” 

No, the noble Crown Prince, in fact, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth, because it was her father who made him a puppet, and she was the one who allowed him to do it.

 “This isn’t funny.” 

After staring at Izak with annoyance, Cayden decided enough was enough and turned away.

 “I’m tired, so I think you should leave.” 

Izak didn’t leave. He just stared at his back, which was covered in blood from the whipping. 

 

Starting at his shoulders, he ran his hands over every inch of exposed skin. 

 

As I counted the wounds, one by one, the heat rose from the ground. I felt like if I opened my mouth, it would all come out. It was hard to breathe.

 

As Izak stood stubbornly, Cayden glanced back at her nervously and shouted.

 “What is it about you that makes you look at me like that every time, why, w-why!” 

It was odd to see him screaming like he was letting out all of his pent-up frustration.

 “Why, why you, you’re the one…!” “I know, I don’t know why I happened to see it, maybe the gods were warning me once again.” “What nonsense…” 

Izak suddenly drew her sword, and as Cayden stumbled backward at her sudden action, Izak slashed at her hand.

 “What the…!” 

In contrast to Cayden’s wide-eyed panic, Izak’s gaze was as determined as ever.

 “I swear to the noble sun that I am Izak, knight defender of the Empire of Rohem, not Macthurden.” 

Izak brought a bloodstained hand to her chest. Her pure white uniform was quickly stained with blood. 

 

With her hand on her chest, Izak gazed up into Cayden’s eyes and swore.

 “When the time comes, I will step down of my own accord. No matter what oppression you may face from the Duke of Macthurden, I will stand by you until you can fend for yourself.”