Chapter 1-Blood Bath

Juno's POV

The guilt from my bad decision struck me like lightning when I saw the shock on my father’s face the moment the sword pierced through him. Tears dropped from my mother’s eyes when she was struck by the sword too; her crown fell to the ground and the sound from it was a white noise because I blanked out the moment my parents fell to the ground unresponsive. The look on their faces before they took their last breath was something that would haunt me my entire life. I knew at that moment that I would regret my decision for the rest of my life.

At this point, I couldn't control the tears that flowed from my eyes; my emotions were clinging like a mighty wind and there was no space to process what had just happened.

“No!! No!! This wasn't the plan!

Prince Kyrous was filled with rage; it seemed like an external force was pushing him; he was filled with the quest for blood, hence the unplanned killings. I moved from where I was and pushed him violently on his chest.

“Ask your men to stop now! This was not the plan! Why did you kill my parents?

Kyrous pulled me by my tender hair and dragged me to the corner of the room. His eyes were red. He pulled me closer to his body and as I was up close to his face, I could smell the flavors of whiskey and cigarette combined from his breath. He pulled my hair harder, forcing me to look into his face.

“I AM KYROUS!! I am your god! You will bow to me; your people are now my slaves and your land will be used to raise my cattle.

Tears dropped from my face. Kyrous was still holding on to my hair; his grip was tighter each time he spoke.

“Let me go; you are hurting me.

Kyrous looked at me in a manner I couldn't explain; his eyes were both flirty and dangerous at the same time. He used his blood-stained sword to draw a line on my body. I thought he was going to slit my throat and I was shivering like I just caught a cold but rather, he ran the sword through my breast and smiled in such a way that only one part of his cheek was lifted.

“The almighty princess Juno!! You are all mine now!!

“I wish your mother was alive to witness the monster she made!!

“One more stupid word from you and I will kill you like I killed your miserable parents.

Kyrous left me and reverted to what he was doing. I fell to the ground like a weak sheep, waiting to be rescued by the shepherd but no help came.

“Raid the whole place, make sure nothing is breathing, and bring the whole place down!

Kyrous’s voice roared like thunder as he left instructions with his men. I watched as everything my father had worked hard for went to the ground, my people were slaughtered like sheep, and my 20th birthday was a bloodbath.

Wondering how I came into contact with the heartless and dehumanizing man named Kyrous. Kyrous’s father, King Achilles Frances VII, the king of Drakonia, was friends with my father. King Achilles provided us with maximum protection because of the relationship he had with my father. My kingdom, Astoria, was just a small kingdom without sovereignty, and King Achilles’s protection was the only force we relied on to protect us from external forces.

A few weeks before my 20th birthday, I was told that I was betrothed to Prince Kyrous Frances VIII. I was disgruntled because he was not in the league of men I admired; he was rude, uncultured, proud, and pompous. He was seen in every club harassing the ladies and having his way with them if they refused to cooperate with him. My parents forced me to accept him because it was the only way to keep their friendship with King Achilles Frances VII.

After so many nights of processing my thoughts, I came up with a plan. I approached Prince Kyrous for a negotiation; he was my mate but there was no way I would get married to such a person. We met in a secret garden, and he had the most piercing eyes I had ever seen. His hair was to die for, his haircut faded nicely. I was lost in his eyes for a few seconds, he had a cold demeanor, a broad shoulder, and a strong jawline but I knew I had to look beyond looks if I wanted a happy marriage.

I offered to give him half of my inheritance and he would come tell my parents that he wasn't interested in getting married to me. He agreed without making a fuss, I knew something was off with the way he accepted my proposal but I didn’t think much about it because I was naïve. I barmily signed the document with my father’s seal that I stole, which was a gruesome offense. Kyrous was supposed to come to tell my parents about the recent development on my 20th birthday in a peaceful way, but rather, he treated my birthday to a blood bath.

Maybe I should have just accepted to marry him and my parents would still be alive. I was tricked and betrayed by Kyrous. I was lost in my thoughts because everything was happening like a dream. I was brought back to reality when I saw Kyrous’s men pouring gasoline in every corner of the room. That was when I jerked up.

“What are you doing?" Stop! Stop!!

I tried to obstruct them but someone pulled me backward and when I turned to see who it was, I was met with a slap that threw me to the floor. I thought I had lost consciousness; I couldn't move because of the gravity of the hit and the only thing I could hear were distant noises. Someone lifted me and placed me on his shoulder. I am guessing this was one of the Kyrous men. They came out of the house with me on the shoulder of his beta. Kyrous poked open a lighter and flung it into the house and it caught fire. I could only watch from a distance. Astoria was burned to the ground and wiped out of existence. I was on the shoulder of the person carrying me, and I blanked out. I couldn't tell if I was still alive or not; I had no idea where they were taking me. My life was now at the mercy of Kyrous.