Being Cinderellas Evil Stepsister - Chapter 54 The Punishment Iii
Drizella opens the wooden slide door, only to be greeted by the presence of the crown prince, Tang Qin.
The two big bulky guards were on their knees, quivering out of fear as Tang Qin said, “Give us five minutes.”
He waves his long white sleeve and a black portal appears in front of them. Tang Qin motion for her to enter after him, not having the concept of lady’s first.
Drizella took a deep breath and slowly raise her hand to touch the portal then quickly withdraw to look at her hand again. She sighs in relief, glad that her hand was still intact than she finally enters the portal with her whole body.
The sky was filled with Cumulonimbus clouds, the air has a shivering chill surrounding it, with a background full of bamboo trees sticking out of from the grass surrounding it. Drizella landed on a clear surface of water, as she gazes into the surface of water Tang Qin steps on as it changes into frost. This was the difference in their skill and their elements. Tang Qin element is mostly compost of ice while she, on the other hand, is water.
“What does the almighty crown prince want with this one,” Drizella sluggishly said.
“Do you not know respect anymore,” he answers back.
“If we are talking about respect, my name is not you. And I see no reason to after having the guts to threaten the emperor. Also aren’t I respectful enough,” Drizella rebuked. Her eyes trail from the ice to his structure, “I did follow you here like a faithful servant and address you as crown prince. In my opinion, this is respectful enough to the crown prince before my punishment.”
He felt like what he said won’t get through to her as he sighs. He eyes at the slender figure in a black robe with a veil covering half of her face. She has a passive nature as unlike before where she was assertive and always sticking to him like a sore thumb.
“You do know what the eighteen punishment of hell is right? I don’t think that you can deal with it,” he question, yet slightly answer his question.
“I don’t think that a child can handle it when an adult can even. I believe that the first to third level question your value. The fourth to eighteen are all physical torture without many concepts to mental torture,” Drizella answer but inside her own thoughts, she thought about running away. Yet. as someone with the soul of an adult, she should follow through with her intentions.
Tang Qin shook his head, “All of the eighteen levels are physical torture with the first having your tongue ripped off, the second your fingers will be cut off and the third being hangs from iron trees. The fourth and under, we do not have much knowledge on, however, we can say that it’s more cruel and sickening. The levels a person experience is due to the sin they commit and have to atone. There are two halls. the east hell and west hell, each having nine-level each. Questioning someone’s value became before the first level. Do you still think that you are able to do it?”
“Who would be able to. In there, there is no concept of true death. It is a cycle of death, again and again, making you wish that you really are dead. Just thinking about it makes me want to run away,” Drizella responds with lower eyelids and a succumbing tone.
“It’s not too late to stop. We have already noticed your achievements for us.”
Drizella shook her head with a faint smile, “No. I’m not doing this for you, the crown prince to notice me. I have already done enough to the point of being tired. This is for myself and the child you decided to abandon who I took as a disciple. OSP! Time’s up.”
She steps foot into the portal but before leaving he said, “Besides, it’s my fault for being in a love that is unable to shine.”
Drizella didn’t allow Tang Qin to speak out anything more, leaving him hanging in place.
Drizella exit the portal to find the head eunuch with a grumpy face looking straight at her. She creaks a weak smile as she headed to where he stood. She did hear him saying the two guards were gonna lead her the way but instead he decided to do it. Maybe he isn’t as bad as she thought he is… but he still hates her.
He swings his head slightly, the eunuch on the back step forward holding a pillow cloth with a thick black handcuff sitting nicely in the center. Drizella folds the black long sleeve over her arm, allowing the eunuch to cuff the handcuff on her wrist. She touches her wrist and the handcuff, feeling the heaviness and coldness of it on her fingers.
‘I’m really being treated as a criminal now, huh.’
Drizella once again follows the head eunuch. He leads her the whole way to the gate where the punishment is going to be hold without uttering a sound or turning back.
They walk the whole 666 stairs up the second-highest mountain called Emo Mountain which is rumored to be hunted by spirits that can’t be reincarnated or have a second chance at life. Stone statues of komainu were stationed every twenty stairs with candles lighten in their mouths.
Spirits hide behind the komainu statue as they pass by each giggling dreadfully with contempt at them. Until one spirit finally whispers, “Isn’t the woman in black the one who killed her own sister?”
Another whisper back, “Oh! Is she finally getting her retribution for murder.”
“Hehehehe! She definitely going to be a wandering spirit.”
“Isn’t that person in the front the one her sister’s in love with?”
“No stupid, he is the friend and not him.”
“How would you know?”
“I caught a glimpse of him when he rushed up here before.”
“Ohh!”
“Shush! Those that are bad will get to serve their crime.”
Drizella pretended not to hear or see any of them since she has a fear of ghosts even before being reincarnated. Yet, their whispers and ideas can’t seem to escape her mind.
She gazes at the head eunuch in front, lower her head, “Hey, according to the spirits you must really hate me, even though I don’t know you or your name at all.”
He seems to halt in his step thinking about something. He opens his mouth about to speak yet, bite down on his lower lip and quicken his steps up the stair.
Drizella kept her head down, muffling her own voice. The only sound that rings out with the ghost soft whispers was the clang cling of the handcuff rattling as she ascends the stairs.
…
The air at the summit of Emo Mountian was very thin, so much so that not one in a thousand made it to the summit. For instance, the only one who reached the summit was the head eunuch and Drizella, with her sweating buckets and out of breath. All the other eunuchs and the two guards that follow suit were left behind, resting within some stairs down below the summit.
There was only the sound of the wind to keep them company without the lingering of spirits. No spirits or ghosts were willing to visit in the summit due to how freezing and cold it is. The summit was a wasteland without any life including nature. The only thing that accompanies the summit is the snow that falls every 200 years.
Drizella gazes up into the clouds then walks over to the edge to look down below. Due to the (original) body having been trained for many years and her spiritual energy, she can see tiny shadows of people gathering around in groups as their heads turn upwards to look at Emmo Mountain. There was no one up the summit yet people gather down below to watch someone’s own suffering.
She took a deep sigh as the sound of creaking and crushing can be heard behind her. Turning her head, on the other right side of the edge a bridge made out of timber slowly emerge, leading farther into the distance.
Two heavily armored guards suddenly appear out of thin air wearing demon masks, near the entrance of the bridge.
Drizella look at that scene, the two guards with demon masks, the snow falling covering the wasteland in white, and the bridge that seems to have no ends. Those things appear to overlap with a memory, a memory that she wants to forget, yet in that memory there stood a man in a plain black robe walking towards the distant bridge with a straight back and bringing with confidence.
The memory with the man instantly evaporates leaving only the snow, the bridge, and the two guards standing there.
“Go on,” were the words she heard to arch her onward from the head eunuch.
“Before that, tell me your name, head eunuch…” Drizella’s sentence trail off. She felt like there really is something wrong going on here. The vivid memory she just saw and from the spirits’ whispers, isn’t her or Yun Xuehua. It’s almost as if the memory and the spirits’ story is someone’s life story. She tried to convince herself it is someone’s life story, yet her heart is telling her that it’s hers. Everything is hers rather she likes or hates it.
She did feel in love and ended up killing someone she considers her older sister. What’s more, the head eunuch is a witness to that story.
