As soon as he came out from the hunting ground ,he was greeted by people who wanted to congratulate him, he only replied with a slight smile. His eyes were still looking for her between them.

He realized, he had violated his uncle's orders, but strangely than feeling worried about his punishment, he was even more worried that he might not see her again.
"Is she not coming? Did she forget her promise? Or is she waiting for me somewhere else?"

He tried to split the crowd in front of him.
"Forgive me, please give me a way."

He ran and looked for her in every corner of Golden Light Castle and still didn't find her. He was breathing heavily, he had been searching for three hours without any break. He had never done anything as irrational as this before. This was the first time he had let his emotions overcome him.
"Is she doesn't want to see me again?"

Suddenly he remembered, Ilex had danced with her last night.
"I'll ask him, her name."

He ran towards Ilex's room, but he stopped after a few steps.
"She broke her promise, maybe she changed her mind and didn't want to see me again. Maybe she thinks all of this is just a game."

He gave himself a bitter smile as his heart ached like being pierced.
"Angelus Raizel, what do you expect? Acting like a fool all day for someone you just met, " he whispered to himself. He knew there was nothing good if he let his feelings take over him and he was right... once he let his emotions take control of him, he only got disappointment.

He walked back to his room, today he won the competition but he felt like he was completely defeated.

He just about opened the door to his room when a guard approached him.
"Your Highness, the king called you to the study room."

Angel took his hand off the doorknob and turned around.
"Take me there."

He breathed a weary sigh as he followed the guard to the study room. He knew what awaits him.

*

*

*

Once he entered the study room, King Gervis was already standing near his desk, staring at him in anger.

He secretly took a deep breath, approached him then bowed.
"Uncle, did you call me?"

"How dare you ignore my orders! Didn't I tell you to lose on the hunting competition ?!" King Gervis snapped.

He lowered his head.
"Forgive me. The situation was really dangerous at that time. I had no choice but to kill it otherwise we would be killed."

"I don't want to hear your reasons!"

Suddenly, Ilex walked into the room, without warning, he pulled his collar and threw a punch to his face. Angel took his punch without a flinch.
"How dare you stealing my spotlight!" he said in anger.

He turned his gaze to Ilex and gave him a straight face.
"I already gave you a chance! Twice! But you ruin it. Don't blame me for your incompetence, " he said as he glared at him.

Ilex pulled his collar once again, his fist raised, ready to give him another punch .
"Angelus Raizel!"

"Enough! I don't want to see your fights here!" King Gervis shouted.

He brushed off Ilex's hand from his collar and turned his gaze back to King Gervis.

"Angel, you have ignored my orders. I will punish you fifty lashes. Take your punishment after all the guests leave, " King Gervis continued.

He sighed as he already knew his punishment is unavoidable.
"I understand."

"Wait!" Ilex shouted, he turned his gaze to Angel and gave him an evil smirk. "If we want to punish him why we need to wait for all the guests to leave? We can punish him here and no one knows."

Ilex and King Gervis exchanged glances a moment as if they were up to something.
"He's right. We better punish him now, before he learns about the competition is actually a match to determine who is the next King of Asteria."
"Alright, I'll leave his punishment to you. But I'll remind you before, don't be too harsh on him, " King Gervis said, a slight wicked smile appeared on his face then he stood up from his seat and left.

"I understand, father, " Ilex replied as King Gervis walked pass him.

After King Gervis left the room, Ilex turned his gaze back to him.
"Do you know? Today our royal blacksmiths has just finished some weapons and I'm very interested to try them. This is one of them..."

Ilex gestured his hand, a guard swiftly approached him with a box of whip. He took the whip and showed it to Angel.
"This is Agony, its inside is made of soft steel and coated with titanium spines. As soon as I see it, I want to try it on you. I hope you don't mind." he continued.

Although he knew his sentence was unavoidable, he did not think they would punish him this hard for his first offense.
"Is it because the competition is actually a match to choose who will be the crown prince? But he knows that I was forced to kill it to save him. Besides, I still need the court approval before being declared as a crown prince. I don't even have a good relationships with the nobles and they still doubt my identity, they will reject me. "

He gave Ilex a sharp stare, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.
"I saved you, but is this how you thank me?"

"Save me? You embarrass me in front of other people and you said you save me?!" said Ilex angrily.

"Like I said before, don't blame me for your incompetence."

Ilex laughed sarcastically as he stared at him in disdain.
"I really want to see how you keep your arrogance after you taste this Agony!"
"Guards! Make him kneel!" he ordered.

Two guards grabbed his hand and kicked his legs forcing him to kneel. They also stripped his uniform and sword.

Ilex walked around him. He clapped his folded whip on his right hand to his other hand, his eyes observed every detail of him like a hungry beast surrounding its prey.

Ilex pressed the wound on Angel's back with his whip's handle harshly.
"This bandage looks new, it looks like you just have been injured. I will try my best to avoid it, but don't expect me too much, because I'm not good at using whip."

He could felt the pain sting his back as his wound back to open.

Without saying anything else, Ilex slashed his whip to his back precisely hit his wound. He held his groans as the spines from the whip tearing his bandage, piercing his skin and flesh. Blood started flowing out from his wound.

"C'mon cousin, give me a good scream!"

Ilex kept slashing his whip accompanied by his evil laughter. Angel clenched his fists as he kept hold his groans. The whip tearing all of his back, more blood flowing out from his wound, wetting his own back.

"Tsk! So persistent! Scream you idiot!"

Suddenly, he caught Ilex's whip with his hand and turned his gaze to him.
"You have slashed me fifty times, your job is done, " he said as he throwing the whip back at Ilex.

Ilex looked at him with a sinister smile.
"Fifty lashes without a slightest scream. Amazing! As expected from our Asteria's Demon Prince."

Ilex threw his whip back to the box and left.

Angel panted in pain.

-Ttuk, - ttuk, - ttuk.

Red blood droplets flowed from his back dripping to the floor.
"He did not spare me at all, even though I had saved him."

He struggled to stand up, then he put his uniform back on, taking his sword and exiting the room as if nothing had happened.

"Call a doctor to my room, " he said to a guard in front of his uncle's study.

"Yes, Your Highness, " the guard replied then he left.

He walked down the corridor to his room slowly while enduring his pain.

"Angel!"

Someone called his name in a familiar voice. He turned his gaze to the source of the voice and saw Ophelia running toward him.
"I heard my father and brother punished you, how are you?" she said in a worried tone while extended her hand trying to touch his face that was injured by Ilex.

He brushed it off.

Ophelia startled in surprise, her two knights immediately step forward, they looked irritated at his act. But he paid no heed to their irritation and kept his cold attitude.
"I can't let her know my condition... I will only give her trouble."
"Ophelia, stay away from me. I already have enough problems, don't add it anymore, " he said in cold voice then he walked away.

She could only watched him walk away.
"I'm just worried about you," she whispered sadly. But before he disappear from her view, she realized there was a blood stain on his blazer that was getting more and more every time he took a steps.
"Oh no! He is seriously injured."
Without second thought, she moved her feet to followed him.

He just entered his room but after he took a few steps he lost his balance and collapsed . His breathing become heavier, his body trembling and his consciousness began to disappear. The wound on his back was so severe that made the back of his uniform red with his own blood.

When his consciousness was almost gone he looked at the sofa in his room where she had treated him last night.

He smiled faintly.
"It seems like I had a beautiful dream last night... but a dream is just a dream... in the end I have to wake up, " he whispered.

After that, everything became blurry for him, he only remembered there's a voice calling his name and a doctor's voice who told guards to lift him to bed.