Lauren was rendered speechless.
She did not flinch nor her eyes widened a fraction, but the shock vibrated throughout her body. She felt her skin almost tearing up with how hard she was digging her nails into her palms.
She could not believe that her maidservant for five years whom she trusted took the knife from the enemy’s hand and stabbed her.
Sally was orphaned so it was impossible Queen Thalia threatened her with her family.
Even if she was doing this because she was threatened, it hurt Lauren that she didn’t trust her enough. With the years of them being together, she thought Sally would have faith in her in the face of a difficult situation, yet she chose to let her fear eat her up instead of trusting her.
"It is really her, father. She deserved to be tortured for killing Casper!" Cassandra said out loud which was heard by every servant in the castle.
"I didn’t do it," Lauren said coldly but the wrath in her father’s eyes was something that she could not put out.
"Bring her to the dungeon," King Martin ordered and two of the guards immediately went by Lauren’s side.
"This is not fair, father! How could you believe a mere servant’s words over your daughter? You should-"
With Queen Thalia’s hard slap on her face, her cheek felt numb. But the indifferent look remained on Lauren’s face, her eyes were cold and sharp looking at the Queen.
"How dare you deny your filthy crime. Do you think you can get out of this mess you made just because you are the Crown Prince’s wife? Killing the former crown prince is a grave crime punishable by death. Painful torture will only serve you right, you criminal."
Queen Thalia smiled evilly before the guards dragged Lauren out of the hall.
The guards’ grip on Lauren’s arm did not hold gentleness as if they did not regard her as a princess at all.
"Get your hands off me. I can walk," she said but the guards acted like they did not hear a word from her.
If only she could rip their heads off and make her way out of the castle like an escaping criminal, she would have done it but that would only bring her more problems. This was the royal family they were talking about, the death of the King’s only son. Acting rashly would do her no good.
The guards pushed Lauren inside a dirty cell. Their disdained look slapped Lauren again with the truth that no one in the castle was taking her seriously. For everyone, she was just a princess in name but she was useless without it. She gritted her teeth in silence and kicked the cell’s steel bar door.
Back in the hall, Queen Thalia continued with her laments.
"It is only right to torture her, Martin! That ungrateful child, how dare she kill my son! You should have never let her step into the castle back then. Look what kind of monster she had become!"
She wiped her invisible tears and even feigned her sobs to gain the King’s sympathy when the truth was, she and Cassandra planned to frame up Lauren. She thought that it would be easier for Cassandra to win Alec over once Lauren was out of the picture.
"If you are worrying about Alec, I don’t think he would mind it, father. I don’t think the former lord is really head over heels for Lauren. A maid told me that Alec usually stays up all night doing paper works while leaving Lauren in bed alone despite them being apart all day. Do you think that is how a doting husband should treat his wife? I believe he just married Lauren for the throne. Now that he is the crown prince, I doubt if he would give a damn about her," Cassandra said.
King Martin thought about it. If what Cassandra said was true, then there was no need for him to hold back in giving the right punishment to Lauren. Casper was his beloved son and he felt so bad when he lost him. Although he wasn’t fond of Lauren, all these years he gave her a roof to stay and privileges as a princess. He thought she was only rebellious but he didn’t imagine she could be this evil.
After telling the royal guards to get rid of the maidservant, together with Queen Thalia and Cassandra, King Martin went to the dungeon.
All these years he had been patient with Lauren despite her mistakes and wanted to marry her off to an honorable gentleman so she would leave the castle, and even though he planned to replace her with Cassandra as the crown princess, the plan didn’t include killing her. But now that she was proven guilty of a horrible crime, he didn’t think he could still stretch his patience.
Lauren stood in the middle of the cell when her father with his wife and daughter came.
Her face was bleak when they stood in front of her with only the steel bar door between them.
Queen Thalia’s lips tugged up. Satisfaction was carved on her face, which was the same expression Cassandra had. The King had nothing but anger in his eyes as he sharply glared at her as though she was a stranger who offended him.
None of them had ever been by her side. What’s new?
"You are stripped from your title now, Lauren. As the king of this land, I have the right to do that. You will die as a commoner and a criminal."
Her jaw moved but instead of going berserk, she remained unmoving, yet she was livid. She swallowed the burning lump in her throat and fought the tears of anger. Shedding tears for worthless people would be a waste.
"Bring her to the red chamber," Queen Thalia commanded and the dungeon guards were quick to move.
The red chamber was the place in the dungeon where the torture of criminals who committed grave crimes took place.