[Disclaimer: This chapter contains graphic violence and hints of sexual assault that some readers may find uncomfortable.]
I watched as Millie's plans slowly came to fruition. Say what you want about Millie, but she can be patient when she wants to be. She waited until Simon killed the King and snuck him out using the underground tunnels that she had discovered prior. Coincidentally, this was around the time when Dante disappeared as well.
Only, he didn't disappear. Simon had kidnapped him all along. When Dante awoke, he was completely chained up as if the one tying him up was afraid he would be able to get out. They were meticulous in making sure that Dante couldn't break out at all.
Simon stepped out when he noticed he was awake, "Oh good. You're up. Just in time too. There's someone who wants to meet you."
Millie stepped out of the shadows with a wicked smile, "Do you remember me?"
Dante glared at her, "Why would I remember an insignificant person like you?"
Millie's smile twitched at his snarky response. She bent down to look at him with a deranged look in her eye, "You broke my toy."
"Your toy?" Then, it was as if he realized something, "Seri."
"That's right. You killed her."
He broke out into haughty laughter, "This is all about her?!"
"Stop laughing!"
He jeered, "She didn't even know you existed!"
"Shut up!"
He didn't relent as he mocked her, "She was never your toy! You were never going to be able to have her! She never even looked your way and she never would."
Millie grinded her teeth from his mocking, "You took something precious away from me. Now I'm going to take something precious from you."
She took her time torturing him. Breaking bones. Pulling out things that should never leave his body. She tortured him until nothing was left. Her torture was even more horrendous on him as it had been on the child version of Ilene from my timeline.
Watching her do unspeakable things made my stomach churn in disgust. Even though it was not my Dante, it still looked just like him. Watching him be tormented like this... It was too much. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. I wanted to help him, but I couldn't even touch him.
Despite all of this, he never once cried out in pain. He remained mouthy and kept taunting Millie until she finally had enough and cut off Dante's tongue. But, that didn't stop the taunting look in his eyes. Millie was overwhelmed by rage and stabbed Dante's eyes over and over until he no longer moved. She was disappointed to have ended it so soon, but deep down she knew Dante would never beg her to die.
Then, the next part of Millie's plan started.
William was overwhelmed with the war and trying to move on from his father's death. However, he still found time at night to visit Mary. Millie would always be there, hidden in the secret passageways behind the wall. Mary massaged William's shoulders as Millie listened in on their conversation.
Mary spoke, "William... How are you doing?"
William sighed, "Not so good. The war isn't going according to plan. For some reason, it's like the other side knows our every move. I think there is a spy in the War Council. I've been investigating it, but I haven't found any leads."
Millie smiled behind the wall. In fact, there was no spy. Millie had been there listening and reporting what she discovered to Simon. William had no idea about the hidden passageways behind the wall and under the Imperial Palace, so he naturally assumed there was a spy among them. This suspicion only further divided everyone in the Palace. They were all looking at each other with distrust.
They were being defeated from the inside and they didn't even know.
"That sounds awful..." Mary paused then hugged him from behind, "Well... There is some good news."
William turned to her, "What is it?"
She grinned, "I'm pregnant!"
He jumped up in excitement, "Really?!"
She nodded happily, then hesitated. "I know it's probably bad timing..."
He shook his head with a bright smile, "On the contrary! This is perfect. This is just what I need to feel invigorated! I will definitely win the war and our child will have the perfect life."
Millie covered her mouth behind the wall to contain her laughter. This was even better for her. Seeing how happy they were only made their fall into despair that much more gratifying. Thus, Millie decided to add a new step to her plan.
A much more sinister one.
While she hid behind the walls, she would sneak into the Palace to drop just a small dose of poison into Mary's food. Her intention wasn't to kill Mary. It was to kill something else. Mary had no idea about the poison nor did the doctors. They saw nothing wrong with the pregnancy.
William had learned that his wife was giving birth so he left behind his war preparations to go see her. He was thrilled to become a father. Even if the war wasn't going as planned, at least he still had his wife and child. He approached the door with a beaming face as a servant tried to stop him.
"Wait! Your majesty!"
He couldn't wait. He knew everything would be alright once he opened that door. However, the sight he saw was one no person should ever have to see. His wife sat in a chair rocking the baby in her arms with despondent eyes. Her face was swollen from the tears she had cried until she ran out. William hesitantly stepped forward and looked at the child in her arms. A look of horror soon covered his face.
The baby, who everyone had thought was healthy, had been dead.
Mary whispered in a hoarse voice, "It's a girl..."
Mary, who had carried the baby and grew so attached, was no longer the same person. She wouldn't speak. She wouldn't eat. Her soul had been crushed and thoroughly destroyed. She had lost her first love so tragically and now she lost her child tragically as well. To make things worse, the doctor confirmed that she could never give birth again.
Even her health worsened. As a result of the poison that no one knew about, it also made her extremely ill. She couldn't walk on her own anymore. Her entire body was destroyed and she had to have help just to move.
Mary received one blow after the other and finally gave in once and for all to despair.
William was at a loss. He was still trying to recover from losing his child, his father, and now even his wife was emotionally dead. He could barely handle his grief as well as the war. The stress was eating him alive as the war progressed and began to look like they were losing. Soon, infighting began in the Imperial Palace. Each one accusing the other of something else.
They didn't even know the Sanki army had forcibly entered the city while slaughtering innocent citizens. No one was left alive. They even killed the dogs that were on the street. They broke into the Palace led by Simon and forcibly gained control. William and Mary were thrown into the audience room and watched as all the other nobility and workers in the palace were slaughtered like lambs. They were helpless to stop it.
Mary's expression never changed even as the blood soon drenched the room. Her eyes were dull and lifeless. William, however, was pale as he could do nothing but watch. He glared into Simon's cold eyes, "You bastard!"
Simon chuckled, "Oh my, our little Prince has learned how to curse."
William screamed, "Y-You! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to make you regret ever doing this!"
"William. I've already won. I've taken over your kingdom. I killed your father." Simon sneered, "You were never the King your father was."
William gnashed his teeth, "How did you do this?! How did you know about everything!? Who was your spy?!"
Simon tilted his head, "It wasn't any of the ones you suspected. Instead, it was one you never could have guessed."
Simon turned and watched Millie elegantly walk across the bloody floor. Her heels splashed in the blood, but didn't falter or slip. She smiled at William, "Hello King William. Do you remember me?"
His face fell, "You... But how did you..."
She bent down to meet him face to face, "You helped take away something precious to me."
"Haah?" William was confused. What had he ever done to this girl?
"I wouldn't have had to give Seri back that night if it wasn't for you getting so close to discovering me."
William looked at her in disbelief, "Seri?" Then a realization came over him, "You were the one who kidnapped Seri."
She sighed with a smile, "I was... That was the best week I ever had. I never wanted it to end..."
"What are you talking about?! You tortured her!"
"I merely played with the toy that rightfully belonged to me."
He looked at her in horror, "You're a monster."
She smiled, "That's not all. I was the one who tried to push the bookcase on Mary. I was the one who convinced Ilene to try to kill Mary. I was the one who gave away all your precious plans to Simon. I was the one who helped him kill your father. I was the one who killed your unborn child. It was all me."
William tried to attack Millie, but was held back. He screamed, "But why us?! Why did you do all this to us?!"
Her voice was cold, "You took my toy away from me. I had to make you suffer."
"Dante was the one who killed Seri! Not us!"
Millie chuckled, "Don't worry... I already got my revenge on him."
"...What?"
She sighed, "It's a shame. No matter what I did to him he never once begged for mercy. He spent every last breath fighting back. I do admit I admire him for that, but now he's dead. I only regret not finding better ways to make him suffer."
William stopped fighting and looked at her in horror, "You... You killed Dante? How?"
"That doesn't matter. If I were you, I would worry more about yourself." Millie turned to look at Mary's dull eyes and clicked her tongue, "I wanted to play with Mary some more. However, it looks like she's already done for. I can't believe how easy it was to destroy her. How boring."
Millie grabbed a knife and slashed at Mary's throat. Mary fell to the ground gagging on her own blood as she slowly bled out. She stopped twitching. It was only at this moment that the original Seri's ghost changed. For so long she was following Mary with a blank expression. However, seeing her death, Seri wailed and screamed. She tried to reach out to hold Mary's body, but her hands only passed though.
"MARY! MARY! PLEASE MARY!" The original Seri still couldn't touch her body. She looked around frantically, "MARY! WHERE ARE YOU!?"
The original Seri's ghost frantically tried to find the ghost of Mary. Yet, unlike her, Mary's ghost was no where to be found. The original Seri collapsed to her knees sobbing and screaming out for her missing love.
Did Mary abandon her even after death?
Was she ever truly loved?
Meanwhile Millie had got her revenge, yet she felt nothing except boredom. She turned back to William who was also screaming and wailing, "MARY!"
Millie nodded to them and they released William. He crawled to Mary sobbing and holding on to her dead body. She looked at him with bored eyes, "Dante and Mary were boring... But perhaps you could be more fun? I'd like to see that indifferent face of yours cry out in agony."
While he was being tortured, he surprisingly remained silent and gave nothing away. Millie was upset that he too wouldn't cry out in pain or agony. Thus, she tried a different approach. Although physical torture didn't faze him, psychological torture certainly would.
She dragged in his wife's dead body while Millie tortured him for several days and nights. This seemed to have an instant effect. Watching her corpse decay in front of him was too much. He started weeping which made Millie want more. However, as she watched him, she decided it wasn't enough. If it hadn't been for him, Seri would have been even more alone. She would have belonged to her.
So her torture reached a whole new level. She brought in Queen Luna who had been imprisoned after the raid. William was panicked as his mother was placed in front of him and tortured before his very eyes. Millie was sadistic and cruel. She had men come in to do unspeakable things to his mother right in front of them.
If there was ever anything f*cked up, it was certainly this.
When his mother finally died from the torment, William begged Millie to kill him. Millie smiled at him, "Do you regret it? Do you regret being a friend to Seri and helping her out? If it wasn't for you, everyone would still be alive."
The original Seri, who had watched his entire ordeal, seemed to be animated once she heard this question. She looked to William whose gaze was on the floor.
He turned to look at Millie with pure hatred. He shouted, "I REGRET NOTHING!"
Millie clenched the knife in her hand as she screamed. She stabbed the knife into his neck still panting in anger. William fell to the ground with the knife still lodged in his neck. He began to crawl to Mary's body desperately. Millie watched his last desperate attempt with dull eyes.
William let out a final breath before he could make it to Mary.
Millie was bored once again.
Simon approached her, "I am going to lead this Kingdom as King under my father's orders. I must admit that look in your eye is interesting. Would you like to be my Queen?"
She looked at his outstretched hand with apathetic eyes. She reached out and took it, "Why not."
The two were promptly married and took over the kingdom. They were complete tyrants and tortured the original citizens that managed to avoid the bloodshed. No one dared to go against them. Soon, the kingdom was slowly being destroyed under their rule.
Millie lay naked in a bathtub surrounded by dark crimson water. She stared at the ceiling with bored eyes as a red liquid dripped down into the tub from above. Simon entered the bathroom and looked at her, "My Queen."
His gaze turned toward the ceiling where the body of a commoner girl was tied up and staring down with fear in her eyes. She could not move as a result of a heavy sedative created by Millie. Her stomach was cut open as her blood slowly dripped into the tub. She was alive and aware, but she was immobilized. Millie looked into that girl's frightened eyes feeling incredibly bored.
Simon spoke, "You rather like playing with the commoner girls, don't you?"
She responded, "They all have that same stupid look that Mary had. Innocent and naïve. Every time I see that optimistic smile I want to rip it off."
Simon glanced up at the girl once more. She did look a lot like Mary. In fact, they had similar looks and they were both commoners. He didn't care about his wife's hobby. He spoke in a cold voice, "How many does it make this time?"
"246." She responded in a monotone voice.
"I fear that you will soon run out of commoners to play with if you keep it up."
"Then I will move on to the Sanki nobles. They are rather annoying anyways."
Simon's face grew serious, "My wife. I let you have your fun, but the Sanki nobles are not the Imperial people. If you harm them, I will have no choice but to punish you."
Her crazed laughter echoed off the walls, "Punish me? I'd like to see you try."
After that, Millie killed a noble woman in the same way as she had the commoners. However, she wasn't done yet. Before Simon could punish her, he coughed out blood. He stumbled to his wife's room where he glared at her, "You whore. What did you poison me with?!"
She laughed crazily, "Something that you can never hope to cure. It's already to late for you DEAR HUSBAND!"
Simon clenched his jaw and unsheathed his sword. Millie's deranged laughter echoed off the walls until they were stopped with a gasp. Millie looked down to the sword buried in her stomach, "Y-You... You actually killed me?"
Simon smirked at her as blood dripped from his mouth, "If I die, you die as well."
And they did.
Except even with Millie and Simon gone, the Kingdom never returned to how it had been before.