Zhizhu Baihe Pavilion: General’s Secret Lady

The scent of the blossoming Cherry Blossoms in the courtyard could not hide the stench of the bloodstain. The crimson splash of endless red liquid that was supposed to symbolize the sign of life became the bringer of death for the young lady who was slumped on the pig stys muddy floor. Her fingers scraped the floor. Her voice dried from her constant screams of utter horror as her wet emerald eyes watched the matriarch clad in Phoenix garb strangling her frail mother.

”Please, no! Not my mother! I will do anything! ” Thetas voice, scratch and barely a whisper, was buried by the labored breaths from her mother.

The burning pair of cerulean eyes glared at Thetas hunched form on the ground. ”Do not worry, Theta. It will be your turn soon. For now, watch your slut of a mother struggling to live. Hold her. ” Rea Mariyah, the main wife of the Mariyah Clans patriarch, General Ronin, commanded her loyal servants.

Thetas body got lifted by the two servants who were tasked to beat her up together with her mother. They held her upper body in front of the morbid scene to let her witness the cruelty being gifted to her mother. One servant held her chin to make sure she was watching the entire act of entertainment for Madam Rea.

The wicked glint in the households madams eyes made Theta freeze. Her flailing from the two sets of firm hands stopped as she realized her inability to protect the one person who made her endure their wretched life under the Mariyah Clans Manor. Thetas red-colored straw-like hair fell on her face while reaching out her right hand in her mothers direction. In front of her, she watched her mother beaten black and blue by her fathers main wife. The whip hugged her mothers back – the splashes of crimson evidence reached Thetas face for the nth time.

All of these punishments were because Theta asked for her mothers medicine in front of her father, General Ronin Mariyah of the Kingdom of Amina. The domineering main wife witnessed the distant interaction and fussed over her mothers attempt to seduce the patriarch of the Mariyah Household. What they failed to see were the whip marks littering her sickly mother, her sunken eyes that were once the center of mens attention and dreams, and her dried lips that showed the mistreatment her mother and Theta had to endure inside the manor.

Theta hated how they treated her mother as a common whore as if the people in the manor forgot how General Ronin Mariyah forcibly took her mother from her homeland – because of her sinful beauty.

And now the flower was withering while its bud had been nipped before it was given the chance to bloom. Thetas gaze narrowed upon seeing Madam Reas cultured fingernails drew blood from her mothers immobile form – as if she had given up all hope to survive.

Mother, please. Do not leave me. I have survived because of you. I have endured because you are here to tend the wounds. Please, do not leave me alone! Theta pleaded in her mind – contrasting the ominous laughter from the main wife and the grunting of the livestock. Crystal clear liquid fell from her dull green eyes – she realized how these wretched people valued prestige and wealth more than blood ties.

If only I am stronger, I could have protected my mother. Theta swallowed the mockery at the back of her mind as she succumbed to reality.

Power. One word that would dictate ones future.

A loud thud resonated inside the pigsty followed by Theta being shoved in front of her lifeless mother. The echoes of their laughter engraved deeply in her soul as Theta cradled her mothers bloody body. Beneath her fingertips, she could feel the warmth leaving her kind mothers body. Though dead, her mother, Yuna Mariyah, was still suffering. Countless opened wounds crisscrossed her petite body, blood seeping from them. And all Theta could do was wipe the mud from her mothers pale face.

Touching her mothers forehead through hers, tears freely washed the dirt decorated on her mothers once pristine face. ”I am so sorry, mother. Forgive this daughter for being powerless. I am sorry for being born. Because of me, you have to endure all the misfortunes of this clan. You should have abandoned me, because maybe, just maybe, you could have a better fate than this. ”

The retreating footsteps and the whimpers from the battered Theta were all dulled when the familiar chiming of gong resonated at the entire manor. This only meant one thing – an Imperial edict had arrived in the manor to be received by the Mariyah Households heads.

Theta did not bother to move from her position while cradling her mother. She did not bother to wipe the tears nor swat the flies around them. The creeping coldness in the pigsty could not match the frosty feeling shrouding inside Thetas broken heart. Along with the cold came the numbness, stopping her eyes to weep for her past and present.

The servants passing by them did not even bother to ask. Theta knew how cruel the world worked for someone like her.

Born from a slave, no matter how beautiful her mother was before, Thetas life in the Mariyah Clans manor was meant to be like this – cruel, ill-fated, and tragic. Concubine Yuna, Thetas mother, was a slave that was forcedly impregnated by the famous General Ronin during one of his expeditions. He bought Thetas mother and married her as the third concubine in the prestigious Mariyah Clan. The said clan was the powerhouse in terms of producing outstanding generals for the small kingdom of Amina. Since their small country was not blessed with any magical prowess, the Kingdom of Amina compensated by producing outstanding talents both in culture and combat. Naturally, as the daughter of a noble house such as the Mariyah Clan, Theta was supposed to be taught the basics up to the nitty-gritty details of singing, dancing, tea making, and embroidery. However, she was born from a slave concubine with no means of influence from her matriarchal side. Hence, she was treated as lower than the slaves.

From the moment