Chapter Three: Confrontation and Deception

Chapter Three: Confrontation and Deception

A Week of Waiting

Seven days felt like seven years. Each day made me more nervous and anxious. Aizen and Sebastian tried to calm me down, but even they looked extremely worried.

On the seventh day, the familiar sound of footsteps returned to the corridor. Prince Edward, as I had expected.

He entered with his usual arrogance, but this time there was a glint of early victory in his eyes.

"A whole week to think, my dear Georgina," he said, standing before the bars, "I hope you've reached the right decision."

I looked directly at him, trying to hide the confusion in my voice. "I... I agree."

A broad smile spread across his face. "Excellent! I knew that wisdom would prevail in the end."

The Road to Hell

A few minutes later, two heavily armed guards arrived. They were tall and broad, their faces as hard as stone.

"Follow us," the first said dryly.

As I walked through the long, dark corridors, I felt Aizen's hand press against my shoulder for a moment as I passed him. A silent message: "Be strong."

The corridors sank lower and lower, as if we were descending deeper into the earth. The air grew damper and colder, and the echoes echoed eerily.

Finally, we stopped in front of a heavy iron door at the end of a narrow corridor. There was a small window in the door—a magical window that glowed dimly.

The First Shock

I cautiously approached the window, my heart pounding so hard I could almost hear it echoing in the corridor.

What I saw made me take a step back, clasping my mouth to stifle a cry of shock.

Shu... He was in a pitiful state.

His hair, which I imagined to be glossy black, was now disheveled and long, covering his face. His once-strong body was thin with starvation. He was sitting in the corner of the cell, shackled by heavy chains, scars covering his arms.

But worst of all... were his eyes. Two eyes that had completely lost hope.

This sight... was heartbreaking, even for someone who was ungrateful to love.

"Leave him in if you want to end this," said the first guard.

"But remember," the second warned me menacingly, "if you don't carry out the agreement exactly as His Highness asks, you will regret it very much."

I nodded, trying to hide the trembling in my hands.

The Painful Encounter

The heavy door opened with a terrible creak. I slowly entered, and it slammed behind me with such force that I shuddered.

Shu slowly raised his head, and when his eyes met mine, I saw something light up in them for a moment. Hope? Love? Relief?

"Georgina..." He whispered my name, as if afraid I'd disappear if he spoke too loudly.

He tried to stand, but the chains held him back. He reached out for me, and in that moment, I saw all the love and pain in his eyes.

My heart tore. How could I hurt this man?

But I remembered the warning. If I didn't play well, the guards would know I was lying.

The Painful Lie

"Sho," I said, my voice as cold as possible, "I came to tell you something important."

The shy smile on his face faded. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath. "I don't love you anymore."

A long silence. I could hear the drops of water falling from the ceiling, and my ragged breathing.

"What?" he asked, barely audible.

"I said I didn't love you anymore," I repeated, forcing myself to look him in the eye. "I want you to give up your claim to the throne and disappear forever."

He shook his head slowly. "No... no, that's impossible. You don't mean it."

The Necessary Deception

I knew I needed something more convincing. Something to make the guards believe me.

I raised my hand and slapped him hard in the face.

The sound of the blow echoed in the small cell, and the shock in his eyes made me feel sick.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered in the lowest voice possible, "I hate people like you... who make me put up with this charade. Listen carefully—it's all a deception. The Prince hears us. I'll come back for you. I swear to God this is all a deception. I'll come back for you."

I saw understanding flash in his eyes for a moment, but he quickly hid it.

To make sure the guards believed me, I hit him again, harder than the first. This time the blow was so hard that even the two guards heard it from outside the cell.

"I don't want to see you again," I said loudly, "you're just a miserable dreamer."

Then I turned and walked out of the cell, leaving behind the man I was beginning to feel I might one day love.

Waiting and Doubts

The two guards took me back to another cell—smaller and more isolated than the previous one. I was completely alone, waiting for Prince Edward.

The guard who had opened Shaw's cell for me was giving me suspicious looks. He clearly suspected something, but he couldn't prove anything specific.

I sat in I turned the corner and forced myself to think about the plan. I had whispered the truth to Shaw—that this was all a deception, and that I was being forced into it. I trusted he understood.

In Shaw's Cell

Elsewhere, in the lower towers...

After Georgina left, Shaw sat in silence for long minutes. Then, suddenly, he started laughing.

Quiet at first, then louder and louder, until it echoed through the darkened corridors.

"Cunning Georgina," he said to himself, wiping blood from the corner of his lips, "my foolish brother thought he could trick you."

He lifted his head toward the ceiling, a genuine smile spreading across his face for the first time in months.

"But you're not the Georgina I know, are you?" he continued, his voice lowering, "The real Georgina would have struck me very differently. And her whisper... the blended soul in the familiar body."

He stood up despite the weight of the chains, a new gleam of hope in his eyes.

"Edward, my dear brother," he said, his voice full of restored confidence, "you underestimated the wrong woman."

Continued in Chapter Four...