Butterfly Effect

31. Realise

The fractures were gradually surfacing. The flawless, pure image he had constructed of her was intentionally disintegrating. He was finally seeing her true self. Broken. Completely and utterly broken.

Her mother had endured an unimaginable torment that no human should ever have to endure.

And now, he was discovering that her daughter had suffered the same fate. If not worse.

Ridden in shame and sorrow, this was the first time the princess had felt so desolate in a very long time. She hadn't ceased crying, shedding honest tears from the depths of her broken heart.

He had never seen her sink so low before. In the past week, this side of her that had surfaced was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

She was almost unrecognizable. It was unfamiliar, to say the least.

"Jana, I promise you that none of this changes anything for me. It doesn't alter the way I feel about you, how much I love you. Tes larmes brisent mon cœur, angel. Please, don't cry." He comforted, holding her tightly in his embrace. "If you want him gone, just say the word, and he'll vanish."

Her defenses were crumbling, and she knew it was too late.

"This isn't... this isn't how I wanted you to find out."

She struggled to breathe, feeling that suffocating sensation closing in on her once again.

"Darling, breathe. I promise you, this changes nothing. I love you. I want you just the way you are. Now tell me, do you want him gone?"

"Julian... he," she sniffled, unable to draw in a breath long enough to breathe properly. "He needs to be alive for us to get married. I'm still his possession until he gives me away, that's how my Kingdom operates. You can't do anything."

Julian felt his heart sink at Jana's words. The weight of the situation crashed down on him, and he struggled to comprehend the archaic customs that held her captive.

The realization that their love was being held hostage by tradition and a man who had caused her so much pain was infuriating.

"I can't stand by and watch you suffer like this," he said, his voice filled with determination. "There must be a way, a loophole, anything that can free you from this prison."

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and gratitude. "I wish it were that simple, Julian. But the laws of my kingdom are deeply ingrained, and breaking them would have severe consequences for not just me, but for my people as well."

He held her face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away her tears. "I don't care about the consequences. All I care about is your happiness and well-being. We'll find a way, together. I won't let this man control your life any longer."

Her green eyes sparkled with a flicker of hope, but it was quickly overshadowed by the weight of her reality. His heart sank as he listened to Jana's words. The weight of the situation seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment.

He had hoped that their love would be enough to break free from the chains of tradition and oppression, but now it seemed that their hands were tied.

"But Jana, we can't let him control your life like this," he pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "There has to be another way, a way for us to be together without his hold on you."

Jana gazed up at him, her eyes filled with tears, desperately searching for a glimmer of hope. "I wish it were that easy. But duty and honor bind me, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness."

"No, I refuse to accept that as our only option." His grip on her tightened, frustration etching his face. "There has to be someone who can help us, something we can do."

Her voice trembled, her vulnerability exposed. "I've tried, Julian. I've searched tirelessly for a way out, but the laws of my Kingdom are unyielding. I am trapped, I always have been. It's something I must endure, and I am doing my best."

He sighed, gently caressing her face. "I don't want you to have to endure it, my love."

A sad smile graced her lips as he wiped away her tears, tenderly caring for her. "It's alright, Ju. I... I cope with it by receiving gifts. It might sound foolish, I know. But whenever my father needed a deal to be sealed, he would promise me diamonds if I could enter a room with the person he was negotiating with. Alone. And they would all promise me a gift if I could..." Her eyes squeezed shut, her voice faltering.

Her words stumbled, an unfamiliar sight for someone usually composed and articulate.

"You don't have to tell me any more."

She shook her head, determination flickering in her eyes. "No, I do. You deserve to know, at least half of it."

"I don't deserve anything, especially not your suffering. Jana, my love, I will understand if you want to put an end to this."

Jana's heart ached at Julian's words, his love and concern pouring out of him. She knew he meant well, but the thought of leaving him, of giving up on their love, was unbearable. She took a deep breath, gathering her strength.

An emotionless tone washed over her. "They'd promise me with all kinds of gifts if I could take my clothes off and show them my private parts. And, and more gifts if I could let them touch me. More if I could let them go further. I was a stupid little girl and I always said yes. I wanted the gifts. I know it's disgusting but gifts were the only way my father showed an ounce of love towards me."

"It's not disgusting - what's disgusting is that anyone would take advantage of an innocent little girl. You didn't know any better, angel."

"Maybe not when I was a young child, maybe not at two, three, four... but I knew when I reached sixteen. I knew and yet I did nothing to stop it."

"Jana, stop blaming yourself. This has nothing to do with what you could've done, it's simple, okay? Your father, whom was supposed to be your caretaker used and abused you for his personal gain. No child should ever go through something as wicked as that."

Her eyes flashed with recognition, a pressure squeezing her heart.

No child, he said. No child.

His name bled into her psyche and she felt that overwhelming feeling yet again.

No child, but his own brother was an exception?

"I guess you're right," she mumbled, the thought of him forcing her back to reality. She rose a brow, studying his face as she spoke again. "To watch it happen and not say a word is worse than anything, right?"

"To watch it happen and to sit there idly is inhumane. In my very opinion, it merits death."

His response was enough for Jana to finally understand Keenan's anguish.

Although he had done the worst thing imaginable to her, she understood it perfectly.

Why he had left her father barely alive. He had done it for her.

In some fucked up way, he had done something right by making this come to light. It was about time Julian saw her for what she was.

A flicker of determination flashed in her eyes as he held her closer. "I want you to kill him and I want you to release the letters to the public."

His gaze met hers, searching her face carefully.

One second, turned to two until eventually, silence had overtaken them.

All he needed to do was offer her a curt nod and then she was removing herself from his lap.

His kiss on her forehead lingered before he turned and headed down the pathway, back into the palace walls.

"Winston, please gather everyone in the conference room for a formal meeting. Including my brother. It is a direct order by the King that he returns immediately."

His order was firm, booming throughout the entire first floor.