Ravenna stood barefooted outside the huge courtyard cutting trees in the rain. The continuous rumbling and clashing of thunder was on par with the boiling rage inside of her.
Everyone had been ordered to go inside, as soon as the bell rang. It was meal time—everyone except Ravenna.
She didn't even need their disgusting food, but shelter. Staying out in the rain would definitely affect her health and her almost healed wound.
A bad health would slow her down in this crucial time. She was cornered without any way out.
Acting stubborn and defying those pesky servants would result in her getting severely whipped or serving time in the dungeon.
And she was only few days away from the full moon, she couldn't risk trying anything that would further put her in a tight spot or ruin her next attempt to escape.
And that prince.....that Damned prince ! To think he had dared to poison her.
Does he really think she would give in ?
Kill for him?
She scoffed.
He must be joking. Did he really think she would do as he says just because he had poisoned her.
Just a few more days and she would make sure to escape this cursed palace whichever way she could.
She wasn't going to bend for anyone, not even with the poison in her system. She would escape before it kicks off again then find Maurice's mother.
Yes that's what she would do. The woman was indeed a physician, she would definitely be able to thaw this poison.
With gritted teeth she raised the axe and struck the tree, lightning enhancing the scene.
PAK!
At the same time an earth shattering thunderclap echoed and the strong bluish string of thunder missed her by an inch—striking the very tree she was cutting down.
The tree shook greatly, huge branches falling off at an awfully fast rate.
She ducked immediately, swiftly avoiding being hit. Dread washing down her back.
That was close.
Screw this ! She wasn't doing this anymore.
Being obedient was a hassle.
She scurried away from the rain to the nearest place with shelter and it was a small shed where guards and servants would usually stand to watch over the slaves in the yard.
She stood in the shed heaving and panting—her sack cloth still heavily dripping from the rain pour.
The rain blurred everything but her sharp gaze cut through the downpour as she scanned the yard.
Despite the blur she could still get a clear view of the surroundings. It was quite as she took in the scene realizing it was actually the first time she was paying attention to the palace surroundings without any hidden motive like escaping.
Before all she had ever seen while taking in the palace view was routes and curves for her escape like a mastermind drawing a visual map for escape.
But it felt different, like....like...she was getting used to this place.
No!
NEVER!
She refused to be confined, and the fact that the Crown prince had denied her freedom meant he was onto her.
She wasn't entirely sure but what if he had his suspicions and decided to trap her within the palace
If only the second prince hadn't interfered last night. How dare that damned prince?
She cursed bitterly.
But then she wondered if he hadn't interfered would she have been able to escape the palace last night despite the barrier?
Finding another escape route would have taken time but she was sure she would have successfully gotten out with her perfect disguise as a court maid.
That's right, Where was the court maid uniform?
She definitely hadn't changed out of it last night.
All she remembered was being poisoned and then he had tricked her into drinking his blood.
She clearly remembered the anger and utter speechlessness as she pounced on him, but she couldn't tell what happened next as she had blacked out.
Totally at his mercy!
Ravenna's eye twitched at the thought of being so clueless.
' what had he done while she blacked out?
Had he brought her back himself?
Most importantly, did he change her clothes?!
Her thoughts were all over the place as she once again thought of her situation with the second prince. He definitely was a dangerous man, there must have been something in the antidote she drank for her to lost consciousness.
She would definitely even her scores with him when she got a chance.
How dare he poison and toy with her.
Rage was all that she felt as she thought of the second prince. Both brothers were truly despicable—one much more than the other but she wasn't going to give in anymore.
Screw both prince and their aids she would leave this cursed palace and kingdom very soon. She had only few days left and she wasn't going to waste time.
The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle but the lightning and thunder were still having a duel with each other.
She breathed in, the chilly breeze biting into her skin but it would take more than that to shake Ravenna.
Her barefeet soiled with mud and dirt, her hands sore—Her bones aching, but spirit unbent and full of vigour.
She never imagined being reduced to such a state of patheticness. As strong and deadly as the dagger she carried about—yet small and sharp as the needles always hidden in her hair.
But here she was after the horrid betrayal from her master. She wouldn't be writing to her sister anytime soon as she still had a lot to do
And the first was to successfully escape without a series of badluck tailing behind her.
The rain resumed it's heavy downpour once again, breaking her train of thought.
She had this nagging feeling of being watched—she raised her lids towards at the blurry pour of rain, and her eyes caught something out of her place.
A figure.
The figure stood like a frozen shadow in the blurr of the harsh rain causing Ravenna to squint in suspicion.
The blurr of rain was like a tear of transparent sheet separating her from the figure in the rain. She stood, senses heightened every fibre at alert.
The flash of lightning caused a glimmer of silvery light reflecting from the black figure. And Ravenna's lids lowered, her gaze turning cold.
' A sword '
Her hands slowly and skilfully reached for a needle tucked into her hair.
He was most probably an assassin, but if he was here for her why wasn't it attacking?
Unless.....