The Villianess story: A 100 ways to kill your husband-Chapter 284: Nothing made sense again

Abrielle’s eyes shut out, her chest heaving while she struggled to breathe. It was a dream, there was no way to escape. Even in her dreams, she was doomed.

It was still dark. The rain continued hitting the glass window, the fireplace burning slowly. She felt faint sparks on her cheeks, drawing her attention to the bedside. Her eyes were still hazy. It was a blurred figure merged under the dull lights.

"It’s just a dream, go back to sleep." The figure said, a thumb rubbing her cheeks. Despite her heart being chaotic early, her body reacted quickly. Her heart quickly calmed, her eyes going heavy.

"Am I still dreaming?" She asked, thinking maybe this was still a dream, an endless one she could not escape from now. The person hummed. "Yes, it is still a dream, continue dreaming. This time, the nightmare won’t come back." The voice was hypnotizing, like a lullaby drawing her deeper into her sleep state.

"This is still a dream but in my dream and reality, the nightmare continues..." Her voice trailed until she was drawn into her deep slumber forgetting the shadow that was by her bed that should not be there.

Her face was more relaxed as she slept this time around. A long sigh was heard by her side. The figure that stood there slowly crouched on the ground sitting on the floor with its back against the furniture.

He should not be here, Cedric knew that, but after the whole episode in the forest, the first time on his mind was to teleport to this very spot. Like a shadow that lurked around from the night.

Nothing made sense anymore...

********

The next morning, the sun hit the sky, and the lush grasses and leaves were covered with water droplets. The soil is soaked with water. Last night was a long one, but at last, the last day of the rose duel approached.

When Abrielle woke up again, her heart ached knowing she was back to this hell hole. Last night was disturbing, she knew she had a nightmare but could not remember the details or anything that happened next.

The roses she has received all sat in a jar by her bed. They reminded her of the deal she had with Alfonso.

It didn’t matter anyway. Abrielle walked into the arena, the loud chatter and cheer coming into her ears. Everyone was excited about the final day of the duel. Abrielle’s face was stoic; she didn’t care about the duel that much.

She knew Lucian would win and Callista would get the rose. None of this mattered; she had 24 hours left.

The duel started. A total of 3 matches were going to be fought between 4 contenders. It was one-on-one combat with swords. The most brutal part of the Rose duel, the rule was simply to fight until conceded defeat.

Anything goes; it was like a gladiator match; just don’t kill the other person. The crowd was excited, but a few didn’t share the same sentiment, including Abrielle.

Callista, on the other side that was seated close to Eleanor, was nervous; she was secretly biting her cheeks. Cedric didn’t return last night, and that left her in deep trouble. Lucian said it was better not to spread her concerns.

"Is anything wrong?" Bernice could not help but sense the Priestess’s unease. Callista shook her head, "I am just nervous about the duels. Today’s matches are going to be more gory." She made an easy excuse.

Bernice nodded, she was worried about the same thing. Lucian and Cedric rarely clashed their swords but it was never a pleasant sight whenever it happened. " I understand. We can only hope for the best "Her hand reached out for Callista. She was trying to assure her.

"The goddess will protect them," Callista mumbled, her eyes going to the octagram below. The duel was yet to start.

Abrielle’s attention was drawn to a figure, one that had caused her a lot of trouble. Alfonso Von Drakkar, she was surprised he was brave enough to show up in public after his last match.

Alfonso walked towards Karissa and sat by his mother’s side. He gave her a fleeting glance, and he smiled at her. Some people never change. The princess shook her head ignoring him.

The duel started, but the first two matches were not as anticipated as the final. Lucian was placed against Eris, Astrid’s husband. That was the first match of the day.

The match outcome was easy to predict from the start. Although Lucian didn’t show his true potential the outcome was fixed. Eris fell to Lucian’s sword as the crown prince easily overpowered him.

The crowd cheered all the way, a proud smile on Eleanor’s face at the end. Abrielle felt Lucian was a bit hard on poor Eris, she guessed it was due to his ill feelings for his brother-in-law.

The next duel was between Cedric and Sebastian, " why are today’s fixtures like a battle against in-laws and family?" Ava could not help by comment; her hand clutched her stomach, nervous about the battle between her son and Cedric.

The gates rose, and the first knight walked into the octagram. It was the silver-haired Duke’s success or Sebastian Nightshade’s. The crowd roared to welcome him.

The opposite gates opened but no one stepped into the arena. The audience got rowdy wondering if Cedric was not going to show up. Callista was very disturbed remembering last night

"What is holding him back?" Abrielle asked herself. She wondered if something was wrong with Cedric. Luckily, her question was soon answered, and a figure slowly emerged from the dark entrance carrying a long sword. His hair was cascading down and an ominous aura clouded him.

Something was off about him, Abrielle felt it in her heart. His eyes fell on Sebastian. The horn rang and the battle was issued. Cedric unsheathed his sword.

Callista felt a weight leave her shoulders once she saw Cedric step into the light. The battle started, and Cedric attacked first without giving Sebastian a chance to react.

He wanted this battle to end as quickly as possible. Sebastian did his best but the strength gap was too great. After a few minutes, the former priest fell to his knees, his sword flew from his hand, and Cedric’s sword was against his neck.

His blue eyes met the first prince’s gold eyes. He had lost.