Chapter 4: Who's Victoria?

[Status windows unrolling in 5,4,3,2,1,0...]

Woah! I'm not blind! I'm not blind. Wait?! Who's Victoria? Is she my savior? At last, someone had finally come to save me! Goodness, gracious! It doesn't matter if you're a lady or a princess! A beast or a frog.

Once you make me free, I'm going to marry you and take you home! I'll feed you to death!

Clank… clank… clank…

What's that noise? Who's there!? Well, I think what she'll only hear would be my "Hmff, hmff." Come on, free me, free me! I can't stand this any longer…

The fine thread of reason just snapped deep in my head. I shredded all of my reservations, spitting on the word ‘shame’. I don’t care anymore!

Wait. That's the sound of shoes or boots.

I listened, focusing on the echoes. Based on what I am hearing, there were at least three to four people. Wait, there's also a sound of clanking metal? Are they starting a building construction here?

Bang!

"Kuhumm!"

Ah! That sweet squeaky voice. Though you sound like a rat, whoever you are, I declare my love for you! I'll marry you! Come here, baby! Come and meet my smiting love!

"Princ--, no, Victoria Rothfield Rosenberg! Listen to the pronouncement and receive your verdict!"

Wait, there’s someone else besides me in this room? That Victoria again? D-Don’t tell me she’ll be the only one getting a free pass? I squirmed, wiggling until I turned into a worm so that I could catch their attention.

"Stop it! What are you squirming for bitch!? Knights hold her down. Tsk, even magical chains aren't enough to seal your evil nature. Peh!"

Hmff. Hmff. Hmff.

Wait, don't hold me there. Ouch, that's my wound! It's painful. Just wait, you vile violent women beater! Justice will be served. I am going to sue you at the high court! You'll pay big time for the physical and mental damage you have caused! Hey! Ouch!

"Don't make me waste my time. Men, remove her magic blindfold! Listen, Victoria!"

Suddenly, my eyes throbbed. It was painful. I can only see blurry lights. Hah! I finally got my sight again! I'm not blind after all. I knew it! It was just a blindfold.

I roamed a gaze from left to right, feeling dizzy. Not one bit of Antarctica. I knew what it was. It was a damn prison cell.

Wait, who's this guy holding me down? He's wearing something funny. The man wore tawdry mail, akin to a walking tinman from the middle ages. The ones displayed in those castles that I visited in Europe. A knight?! Wait, why are they pinning me down? Am I stuck in some play or drama? Where's the camera!?

I stopped moving and raised my head, trying to figure out what the hell was happening. The newcomers stared at me with loathing. Anxiety crept into my mind as I glanced at my saviors with caution.

Something’s not right. Their gazes were akin to keen daggers.

My palms turned moist, making me feel clammy.

"Victoria! Receive your verdict!"

I looked to my left, then to my right, trying to look for a lady called Victoria.

Where the hell is that lady? Receive it already, I don't want to be man-handled like this forever. Anyway, could anyone remove these bothersome chains from my hands?

Wait… why is the man looking at me?

Then I remembered something. The crimson tint on my face ebbed, turning ashen-white.

I thought of the word 'status' in my head…

My two eyes widened upon realizing a chilling possibility. ‘D-Don’t tell me?’

‘Status. Status? Status!’

I tried rechecking the flashing screen before my eyes, fighting for a chance against fate. However, each repeat was a hammer into my coffin as if I was being slowly submerged into a bucket of chilling water. I trembled. The likelihood of the worst possibility just went through the roof.

I stared at the moist prison, blanking out, 'I-I am Victoria!?'

Terror slowly crept, pushing my heartbeats to gallop. It was turning louder and louder. Transmigration. Did I read too many fantasy novels? Or watch too many drama movies? But man, I couldn't explain everything here with regular logic.

I saw the supposed leader of the group gazing at me. The puffy and overly intricate design of the man's clothes gave him away. His frilly fashion sense was awful enough to make me roll over and cringe. He looked like a clown.

"Let’s end this fast.” The fat man’s forehead scrunched up. “The stench of this place is so irritating. Tsk, why did they even choose me for this damn job!”

Then, the plump clown opened up a scroll-like parchment before me. “The high council has reached their consensus about your punishment!”

"For the sin of stealing from the coffers of the kingdom."

"…"

"For ordering the deaths of many innocent commoners."

"…"

"For patricide against the late king!"

"For conniving with your fiancé, To-be-Count Edmund of Lavender, in the assassination of the royals."

I did not! That idiot is still living and already married with kids! Wait, his name is Albert, not Edmund. I don't know anyone called Edmund!

"For the attempted assassination of the crown princess and the Queen!"

"For killing Prince Louis of Markandir."

Holy! These are false allegations! Give me a fair trial! This was the first time I felt an impulse to strangle someone to death. You cannot accuse someone with no evidence! Did lady justice finally become blind and mentally handicapped? Maybe if I put a gun barrel on lady justice’s head she’ll return to sanity.

"For inciting rebellion causing the War of Cloves."

"For massacring the nobles of the assembly of dignitaries."

"You evil bitch! Ahem, excuse me!"

"For creating chaos in the entire realm of Carmandy!"

Damn! Can I say something? The accusations were just getting wilder and wilder! Give me a gun, anyone? Let me shoot this clown and his dirty mouth now. A bullet in the head and he’ll be nothing but a perfect man.

"Victoria of Rothfield! You're fully stripped of your rights as a noble, as a royal, and as a commoner. Your deeds have angered the temple of the goddesses!"

"No more shall you be called princess. Forever you shall be called the Witch of Rothfield!"

"The high council of Carmandy has brought down their verdict! Victoria, the nightmare of Carmandy, is now judged and condemned! The villainess who butchered her people! The cursed tyrant! You shall suffer a slow, agonizing death! We will spill your blood to appease the dead! You shall be burned on a thorned-stake like the witch you are!"

Wait! Wait, that's overkill! I remember nothing. I refuse. I object! I appeal for a retrial for goodness’ sake!

[You have earned a new title, ‘Witch of Rothfield’]

I watched the crazy flickering screen as it gave me a mad title that in no way I deserved.

"Knights! Bring her out. Let her receive her just desserts. Parade her around for two days before bringing her to the stake!"

I-I want to stay inside. I'm not Victoria! Blindfold me again, please? Anybody? I didn't even do any of those deeds. Just let me die in Antarctica! Wait? Stake?! Not so fast! This is not fair!

I tried to protest and speak for myself. I need to defend myself. Yet, all I could utter were a few pitiful sounds.

"Hmff! Hmff! Hmff!"

"Don't struggle, you witch! You-you killed my daughter. I'm going, going….!"

"Calm down, Sir Shear! Don't kill her just yet. Wait for her punishment. Everyone must witness this witch's downfall!" The armored man shook his head, his hand trembling as he held the hilt of his sword.

Bam.

Someone punched me in the guts! I tasted the sour and rancid acids gushing upward to my mouth. I retched. Am I going to die again? What did I do in my last life to suffer this kind of torture!?

Damn! I only traveled the world. I didn't kill anybody!

Wait, I'm losing consciousness.

Am I being dragged somewhere? Where are you bringing me?

I hope everything is just a dream.

My sight turned blurry. My thoughts drifted into the dark abyss…

…

I feel very nauseous. Where am I? Did I drink too much? I still have to go to Antarctica. Wait, is it today?

Damn, I had a bad dream. I want some Turkish coffee to wake my sleeping nerves. One shot and I’ll be among the living again.

Ouch. What's that? I shifted my head and scowled due to pain. I lowered my eyes and saw a stone lying near me...

I lifted my hand and touched my head. Is this a hangover? I shook my head and caught a whiff of rust. Sticky crimson-colored water filled my hands.

Red? Blood? This is... a dream, right?!

I raised my head. I saw many people eyeing me. I saw nothing but deep-seated hate burning inside those glassy beads. Their stinging glares pierced right through me, scorning me like I was a supervillain.

"Kuhumm! People of Carmandy. Witness and see. We have already caught the witch. The killer of your parents. The butcher of your wives. The executioner of your husbands and children. The kingslayer. Behold! The Witch of Rothfield is on her way to death!"

Suddenly, I heard a cacophony of crazy roars and wild cries booming all around me. Disgust and abhorrence covering each of the thundering bellows.

"Kill the Witch!"

"Ya witch! Return my only child. You killed her! You killed her!"

"Victoria the Bloody! May you rot in the flames. The goddesses will torture your soul."

"My poor child, why did you send her to the war?! I couldn't even say goodbye to her. Heck, we didn't even win."

"Damnation! Rot in the fire, you witch! You will rot in hell for all the things you've done! The underworld will show ya’ no mercy!"

I tried to move around, trying to scamper and hide away from those accursed eyes. It seemed like they locked me in a cage before being paraded like an animal. I closed my thoughts, muting all the words entering my ears as I trembled.

This was the worst nightmare I had ever had in the entirety of my life. I ached to return to my normal life. All I wanted was to travel to Antarctica. I didn't kill anybody. I don't even know anyone here! I could feel my body gasping for breath. My stomach lurching, my legs trembling, turning into a pudding.

I tried to close my eyes, squinting before opening them again, wishing everything was not real. Despite knowing that this was very far from a dream, I still tried. The accusing voices drifting into my ears turned louder, resounding like thunderclaps. The rumbling echoes scrambled my hopes of escape.

"Behold! People of Carmandy! Let your eyes be open. Let your ears hear. Let your mouth speak! Justice has come. Your vengeance is at hand! The Villainess has fallen!"

"The Villainess has fallen!"

"Villainess has fallen!"

"The great virgin bitch has fallen!"

"Hey, that's foul!" I could hear a great roar outside my cage. Hate and relief filled the wails. Since I couldn't even speak. I could only gaze at the twisting faces outside; their wrath centered on my visage.

They couldn't hear the cries of my heart.

The cries of innocence.

I had already accepted my fate.

I could feel a warm dew falling from my eyes.

This is condemnation for things I didn't even do.

Victoria or not, I'm sure I'm going to die again.

Not in freezing ice.

But in a burning stake…

What an irony!

ChronicleCrawler

Check out my Patreon for advanced chapters. Don't forget to follow my story and click that heart-shaped button. Credits to Rydenius and MarkOfWisdom for the edits. Thank you for reading.