The Duke's Thoughts

The moon hung in the sky with an ominous glow as the crow pecked on the dead and dried branches. Their eyes open and search for their next prey.

A crow in this world is known as the bird of death and if its nearby it means someone's about to die. The crows stopped their crowing as hurried footsteps were heard. Their eyes widened as they flew up and chased the sound.

A gown flowed in the air as it was tugged and scratched by the dry and torn branches, the figure's body was bung scratched by the branches as she continued her relentless effort to run.

Her breathing was becoming ruffy as she jumped a fallen tree only for her gown to get stuck, which sent her tumbling straight to the ground.

The crows lament as they watch the scene, awaiting the girl's death. Her body was still so only the crows sound could be heard.

A groan and she started to move, her silver brown hair being a statement to her beauty as her blue eyes were marked with pain.

She groaned again and tried to pull herself up, only to scream in pain. Her side was bleeding, she seemed to have got stabbed by a branch when she fell.

'Why?'

'Why me?' The girl asked as she struggled to move.

'I have given them everything, my heart, my soul'

'Even my love!'

'Can't they just leave me alone' the girl begged as tears threatened to fall from her face, but she held them back and proceeded to push herself back to her feet while keeping a hand on her injured side.

She staggered but continued to move, her breath becoming more ruff as the bleeding continued flowing effortlessly as her hands did nothing to slow it down.

My name is Lucille Celeste, an illegitimate daughter of the Celeste family. In all my life I have never received love.

My mom was a maid in the house of Celeste when she was impregnated by the Lord, who was a womanizer and never kept his hands to himself.

My mom, on finding this, was taken in and made a mistress of the Lord, but was still treated as a forsaken maid.

My mom and I were constantly bullied by the other families and even the servants of the house saw us as nothing but dirty garbage. It continued on until my mother fell ill and died.

I was then taken in and given the title of princess, but I knew I was just a vessel to gain political power for the family and that's why I'm in this predicament, Lucille thought, as she used a tree to balance herself.

She balanced herself on the tree as her vision swirled. The tears that she was holding back had fully begun to fall as her face was drenched.

She groaned and held her breath as she almost screamed when her hand brushed her injured side.

A huff and Lucille's eyes snapped open. She didn't remember closing them. The huff grew stronger as they galloped through the dark forest.

Lucille was petrified with fear as she pushed herself to move forward. She needed to escape, that was the only way she would be free from this nightmare.

"Damn it!" A voice shouted in anger as the horses came to a standstill. The person who cursed had the same light color as Lucille.

"How could you let that thing escape? You're supposed to be the best guards in our Dukedom, and you can't even keep a girl who is already on her way to death in check", the man screamed in total anger as he waved his sword to the guards beside him.

"We're sorry, sire, but she tricked us with the excuse of relieving herself" stated a guard as he bowed to the man. The man was Mark Celeste, the firstborn and the heir to the dukedom.

He sneered at the guard before looking at the dense and dark forest. It was creepy, no one in their right sense would enter this forest unless they were courting death.

But his stupid and dirty sister just had to make his day more worse. It was a good thing father was marrying her off to that darn ugly old man. He can do anything he wants to her, even sell her parts for all he cares. But because of making him look for her like that, he would be sure to give her a brutal beating before sending her off to her own hell.

Mark smirked as he noticed the fallen tree and the shape of a shoe climbing over. He giggled as he pulled his horse to face the tree and sighted a blood path leading straight.

"Look alive soldiers" he said, pointing to the blood stains on the ground.

"It seems she won't be able to go very far" Mark giggled manically as he pulled his horse into a gallop and the other guards followed behind.

Lucille's body screamed with fear as she heard the gallops getting closer and closer. She had forgotten her injured side and was now on a full blown sprint.

She needed to escape. No, she had to escape.

If she didn't, this may be the last time she may ever see the light.

The adrenaline of not wanting to be captured gave her the strength to run. She dragged her legs as her side burned with tremendous pain.

A light shined at the end of this dark forest, she was almost free.

A wiping sound was heard as she felt a sharp pain in her leg before falling to the ground, her side hitting the floor like a brick as she screamed out. Lucille groaned and fumbled her body like a ball, trying to drown out the pain.

"Huh. You really thought you could escape me?"

Lucille paled as the voice sent shivers down her spine. The horse galloped had gone quiet as a horse hove stamped in front of her vision.

"No" she prayed, she cried, she should have escaped.

She can't go back. She won't go back!

Mark looked down at her as a smile appeared on his face. The moon hunged in the sky like a warning.