CHAPTER 30: PUNISHMENT

By the time they arrived at the palace gates, the sun had risen high, casting its glow over the sky. Lilith dared not look in the prince’s direction, weighed down by shame and guilt, for being deceived by someone she thought she knew and for running away. She had stopped crying a while ago, leaving her feeling empty and numb. Her eyes and face were red and swollen.

When the carriage came to a halt, Hades was the first to step down. Lilith hesitated for a moment before following, her head bowed as she walked into the castle. Though they passed several guards who showed their respects to the prince, none of them cast her judgmental glances. It was as if they were unaware of what she had done.

Instead of heading to his chamber, Hades led her to his study. As they entered, Lilith was met with two faces, one familiar, the other not.

Madam Thalia stood at the edge of the massive table in the center of the room, while an unfamiliar man sat comfortably in a wooden chair.

"You will have the dressmaker prepare new dresses for the witch and have them delivered as soon as possible," Hades ordered, breaking the silence.

"Very well, Your Highness. Should I take her now?" Thalia asked, keeping her hands clasped neatly in front of her.

"Not yet. I have a few things to discuss with her first. You may excuse us." Hades moved around the table and collapsed into the plush chair beside it.

Thalia bowed before walking out of the room, leaving behind a heavy silence. Lilith remained stiff, her gaze fixed on the ground. For reasons she couldn’t understand, her heart pounded violently against her chest, and her palms grew clammy. What did the prince want to speak with her about? What was going to happen to her now? Fear clouded her thoughts.

"Are you aware that what you did is punishable by death?" Hades’ voice was deceptively soft, yet it carried a weight that made Lilith’s breath hitch. "Give me one reason why I shouldn’t rip your head from your neck, little witch."

Lilith’s eyes shot up, wide with fear and shock. "Y–Your Highness? I..."

"One reason why I shouldn’t kill you," he repeated, his gaze unwavering.

"I... I have nothing to say, Your Highness," Lilith admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was utterly foolish of me to run away when you have shown me kindness. I promise that I will do anything you ask, and I will never attempt to run away again. All I ask is for your forgiveness." She lowered her gaze once more.

"Your promises means nothing to me, little witch," Hades replied, his voice. "But I will let it go this one time. However, you must be punished for your behavior to ensure it doesn’t repeat itself."

"P–Punished?" Lilith stammered.

"Of course." He leaned back in his chair, watching her with an unreadable expression. "You may return to your chambers. By 10 p.m., come to my chambers, and I will inform you of your punishment."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Hades ended the conversation. Lilith wasted no time stumbling out of the study, her pulse erratic as she hurried away, leaving Hades and the other man alone.

"She seems oddly familiar... almost as if I’ve seen her somewhere before," the man said, his gaze distant as he stared at the spot where Lilith had stood.

"If you’ve been to Eryndor before, then perhaps you’ve seen her. But if not, I doubt it," Hades replied, casually swinging his legs onto the table. "The witch has lived her entire life in this village."

"Perhaps I’m mistaken." Viktor narrowed his eyes before shifting his gaze to Hades, who appeared utterly bored. "Shouldn’t she already be trying to help you with the curse? She’s been here for almost two weeks."

The prince let out a lazy sigh. "I know that, Viktor, but I need to make sure she’s ready for this. She is my last hope, and I would hate to see her die, at least not before she gets rid of the curse."

"Did the herbs do anything? Is the pain still as bad as before?" Viktor asked, concern lacing his voice.

"It’s getting worse," Hades admitted, his expression unreadable. "And it’s getting harder by the day to contain it. Sometimes, it feels like every part of my body is being ripped apart by fire, which is strange... considering I have no idea what being burned alive feels like." He chuckled lightly, flashing Viktor a smile—one that wasn’t returned.

"The sooner she begins the process, the sooner we get this over with," Viktor stated firmly. "Because, Hades, I can feel you losing your mind."

Hades chuckled again. "Don’t be dramatic. It’s not that bad. I’ll be fine. I’ve always been fine."

He could tell Viktor wasn’t going to drop the subject, so he swiftly changed the conversation to something less focused on himself. "How is Lucy? I was so caught up that I didn’t see her when she arrived."

Viktor narrowed his eyes at Hades for a few seconds before replying, "She should be in her chambers. She complained about being tired and wanted to rest her head after the strenuous journey."

"That’s wonderful. I hope to see her soon, perhaps during dinner," Hades said casually.

Viktor raised a brow. "Since when did you care about Lucy? You two never liked each other."

"I still don’t care about her," Hades admitted with a smirk. "I only asked because I didn’t want you to keep stressing over my affairs with the witch." He stretched, then added, "Anyway, I’ll leave you to do whatever you wish while I take a walk."

With that, he rose from the chair, winked at Viktor, and strolled out of the study.

Viktor let out a long sigh, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. He had traveled all the way from his hometown to see Hades, hoping the prince had already started using the witch to break the curse. But here he was, still playing games as if he had all the time in the world.

If only his mother hadn’t died trying to save his father, things wouldn’t have become this dire.

The curse fed on pain, anger, hatred, and resentment, growing stronger with each passing day. And Hades was giving it exactly what it needed. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he lost control completely—and the curse consumed him. Viktor could only pray to the gods that day never came.