A Befitting Punishment Natalia wondered if it was safe for her father to reject the marriage proposal; according to the 'very true' rumors, the Dragon Emperor is a very stubborn man, and if he deemed the refusal as disrespectful, things would turn bloody. "I can't hand you over to that blood-sucking monster." For the first time, they saw fear in their father's eyes. "It will be over my dead body that you get married to that demon." "But father, it could be to our political gain that Sister Griselda married him," Natalia suggested instead, and it earned her a glare from her father, and yes, she figured he had something for her as well. "I say this because I'm concerned. The Dragon Emperor is known as a notorious warlord; Your refusal might offend him." Griselda nodded in agreement. "And who gave you the permission to speak in my court?" Izaiah asked sternly, glaring at his youngest and favorite daughter. "I was coming to you, but since you are eager, let's continue with you." "What?" She whispered. "The surveillance team of the village has been noticing the bodies of wild animals." Izaiah read as he stretched his hands to receive more reports from his assistant. "Just last week, we recovered the bodies of seven deer, thirteen foxes, two tigers, and a bear; all of them had multiple arrow wounds on them, but none of our archers have been deployed to the eastern sides of the village." Natalia's mouth dried up immediately; she should have disposed of the bodies, but her father already suspected her, so she decided to act clueless. "Oh, wow. We should find such a good Samaritan and reward him for taking care of those dangerous animals," she suggested with an awkward smile plastered on her face. Josiah shook his head; the tribe leader wasn't dumb. "Things would have been bad if they got in." "Ah, I see." Izaiah dropped the papers in his hands. "I have also been hearing reports about a woman running around the rice plains barefooted and carrying a bow." Izaiah got up from his seat and walked toward his daughters, stopping when he was in front of Natalia. "The descriptions those villagers gave me were matching descriptions of you, Natalia Ayala." He said with a scowl on his face that he was furious. "Am I wrong?" Natalia's eyes flickered towards her sister for help, and Griselda looked away immediately. "Yes, father." She lied; she couldn't risk getting caught. "You are wrong; I have not stepped out of my tent in the last few days." "I see..." He spat, his teeth clenched tightly. "If that is true, then raise your skirt." Natalia flushed in embarrassment; asking a princess to raise her skirt in a courtroom filled with men was disrespectful. This time, Griselda stepped forward. "Father, that is a bit too much." Griselda whispered, "I can attest to the fact that she didn't leave her tent." "Griselda, stay out of this." He warned, and Natalia frowned. "Natalia, prove yourself by raising your skirt." He urged, but the girl remained still, yet she was boiling with anger; it couldn't be that the chief had forgotten the code of conduct for the princesses. "Are you trying to dishonor me, Father?" She glared at him, and a smirk reached Izaiah's lips. Natalia looked and acted exactly like her mother; he was trying to stop the softness that stirred in his heart whenever she looked like that. "Right now, I am not talking to you as your father; I am ordering you as the chief of the tribe." He barked the rest of the word at her. "Would you rather let someone else do it?" "I would rather you kill me, Father." She held her ground stubbornly, and Izaiah hissed in anger. Her mother was also very stubborn, and it was that stubbornness that caused her death. He could never bear to see any of his daughters end up like their mother, and that is why he was going to end it. Izaiah pulled out the sword from Josiah's sheath; a small squeak escaped Josiah's lips. The chief was too fast, and he didn't notice him. "Your Highness," Josiah tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Izaiah swung his sword at Natalia, and for a while, there was dead silence in the courtroom. Griselda inched forward, afraid that her father had probably killed Natalia in his fit of anger. Natalia blinked, and a small gasp escaped her parted lips as well. Her father had cut open her dress, and now she was in nothing but her undergarments since she had refused to raise her skirts; unfortunately for her, her feet were covered in bruises and cuts just like he suspected. "How many times have I told you not to touch a bow or a sword?" He rasped; his voice thundered across the room. "You are a woman, Natalia. And a woman should only do women's things. The battlefield is not a place for a little girl like you." "But I am a skilled soldier; Josiah himself said it!" Natalia yelled back. "Have you ever been to a battlefield? Have you ever looked death in the eyes?" He rasped. "Women should only do things assigned to them!" "I will not spend the rest of my days making babies and tending to the egos of men!" Natalia retorted. "Draw out a sword," Izaiah barked in anger. "Let's settle this in a duel." "Chief..." Josiah stepped out, but the angry chief pointed the blade at him. "Stay out of this, Josiah." His gaze quickly darted back to his daughter. "If you beat me, then I will let you do whatever you want." Natalia bit down on her lip but didn't question the seriousness in her father's voice; she received a sword from one of the guards in the room. "Argh!" A stifled cry escaped her when her father delivered a stiff blow with his sword. As soon as she took her stance, she was barely able to block it. Without giving her time to recover, he went for her again, striking her with sheer force. She had a hard time meeting up, and he knocked the blade out of her hands, punching her in the gut. Natalia felt the air knocked out of her lungs as she fell to her knees, losing the duel. Griselda and Josiah ran towards her; both of them were so worried for her. "You can't even beat an injured old man in a duel; how long do you think you would last against able-bodied, young-blooded men on the battlefield?" Natalia bit down on her lips, silent. "Since you lost the duel, it's time to give you a punishment fit for your disobedience." Izaiah stood over his daughter, who still glared defiantly at him. "In three days, you will get married to Josiah." "What?" She gasped loudly as her eyes widened, "No! You can't do that to me!" Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!