After an hour's journey, we reached the town square.
The place appeared as though it had been plucked straight from the Roman Empire, essentially a colosseum constructed feet into the earth.
It resembled a massive hollowed-out rock, with rows meticulously carved in a cascading, staircase-like formation.
Lucy and I stepped out of the carriage, our wrists bound by chains. The knight was there to receive us.
"Refrain from any antics; his novelty is in a pleasant mood today," he commanded.
We quietly trailed behind him, our heads lowered in shame.
The town of Nablis was large, despite being under the ownership of a lower-ranking noble.
The open hall was filled with over five thousand inhabitants seated on the stone pavement. Their attire primarily consisted of black suits for the men and colorful dresses for the women.
As we followed the knight, he led us down a staircase, and from there, we proceeded along the stone floor of the miniature colosseum that served as the town square.
The crowd roared, chanting, "Hail Lord Henry the Third!" They raised their fists rhythmically, their crimson eyes mocking our very existence.
We reached the center of the Colosseum and stood beside a rectangular stage, which was flanked by two massive pillars, one located to the west and the other to the east.
The pillars supported a massive metallic pole that was positioned horizontally across their tops.
Beneath the metallic pole, a hole was excavated and filled with clay. Below the clay, a furnace was being fed with an intense amount of charcoal, burning with the ferocity of an active volcano.
The knight ascended the staircase connected to the stage and positioned himself beside a pyramid made of gold bars.
We watched in horror as he picked up the gold bars one by one and threw them into the clay pot. The pot was so hot that it immediately melted the gold as soon as it entered.
The two guards following us shoved Lucy and me from behind, urging us to step onto the stage.
After we ascended the staircase, the heat emanating from the pot of molten gold captured my attention.
It boiled like hot water and formed bubbles resembling those of soap; each time a bubble burst, it felt as though a bullet was piercing through my brain.
"Three moons ago, two slaves escaped from Lord Henry's household. In adherence to the law handed down by our ancestors, their punishment would be execution by molten gold."
North of our location. Lord Henry sat majestically upon a golden throne, wearing a dark velvet suit with gold embroidery.
Two knights in shining silver armor stand guard on either side, holding ceremonial swords.
His cheek rested upon the palm of his right hand, his elbow poised on the armrest. Lord Henry offered us a gracious smile before raising a glass of wine and presenting it to the crowd.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and every gaze shifted away from Lord Henry to focus on us. His Majesty had never spoken more than a single sentence at a time, leading many to believe he was mute.
Lucy gently tugged at my shirt, and as I turned to face her, she surprised me with an unexpected kiss.
"I realized that since we are destined to die, I should at least accomplish some of the items on my bucket list." She licked her lips and swallowed the lingering saliva in her mouth.
"You stole my first kiss," I murmured.
Lucy stepped on my foot. "That is not an appropriate way to address a lady."
"I thought you were a goddess."
"Even gods have feelings,"
"But not as fragile as yours."
"What did you just say?" Lucy once again stepped on my foot, this time with even greater force.
I looked at her face, and she knitted her brows.
"Are you scared?" I asked.
Lucy remained quiet for a moment before responding.
"Throughout my life, I have had to fight; a girl is not safe in a household full of men. I had to fight my father, and I had to fight my uncles." She paused, a single tear slipping from her eye.
"Could you fight for me? I am utterly exhausted and fed up with this shit," she pleaded.
Before I could react, the knight swiftly seized her from my grasp. He secured another chain around her torso and cast the end of the chain over the horizontal beam positioned above the pot of molten gold.
Aggressively, he yanked the chain, and Lucy was hoisted and suspended above the molten gold.
The gold had lost all its allure; it had transformed into a searing orange lava, burning with a thirst for blood.
The knight looked at the crowd as they extended their eyes like owls looking through a periscope.
The excitement made them appear no different from wild beasts who took pleasure in the suffering of others.
"Lucy Grey, do you have any final words?" the knight inquired. Though he held no microphone, his voice resonated throughout the entire hall.
"I have nothing to say to an asshole like you," Lucy managed to spit into the face of the knight.
Before the knight relinquished his grasp on the chain and allowed Lucy's body to plunge into the molten gold, I cried out with a voice that felt as though my lungs would explode.
"STOP!!!"
Every gaze turned toward me like I was a light bulb in a dark room.
I firmly planted my feet on the ground and looked at Lord Henry.
"Just because we are slaves, does it suggest that our existence was devoid of purpose from the very beginning?"
Two guards stationed at the stage encircled me, each pointing a spear at my throat.
"Naturally, there was no scenario where the weak would ever win. Are we gonna be killed simply because that's what everyone else wants? I can't stand it, it pisses me off."
Lord Henry glared at me and gestured for the guards to leave me alone.
"All I want is to make you understand I'm here to protect Lucy! I won't let you lay a finger on her. Anyone who tries to take her from me will get no mercy."
His eminence extended his hand, and a sword was placed into it. With majestic grace, he descended the staircase and approached me, flanked closely by two guards.
When he arrived at my location, he made hand signals with his fingers, and the guards accompanying him grabbed my shoulders and forced me to kneel on the concrete stage.
The crowd was silent; from the nobles to the peasants, all the spectators stared at me with their breath.
"Someone tell me why this scum thinks he can do anything." Lord Henry articulated a full sentence for the very first time.
"You are a complete idiot," he pointed his sword at me.
"Now I want you to think as hard as that puny brain of yours can manage. Have you ever seen a big or a cow talk back to their master?"
I swallowed, but my throat felt raw and dry, my stomach twisted into knots so tight that it hurt.
I looked at Lord Henry. "Have you ever seen a peasant talk back to their king?"