Chapter 4.

The Punishment.

Christianne Bardot, determined to teach Alain a lesson, returned to the stable during the night. She watched the young man, now dressed in the blood-stained outfit, as he slept in the straw. Her expression was one of pure determination and she would show no mercy.

Goyo, the loyal stable keeper, watched silently as Christianne approached Alain and rudely woke him up. Wake up, intruder, she said in a cold voice, shaking him…

Alain opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at her, his face pale with pain. ¿What do you want from me? he asked, his voice filled with anguish.

Christianne did not answer. Instead, she pulled out a razor and shaved his head completely, letting strands of hair fall to the floor. Alain tried to resist, but he was too weak to fight back.

Once she was done, Christianne forced him up. Now, you will dance for me, she said, pointing to a circle of hot embers that had been prepared especially for the occasion.

Barefoot and with no option to refuse, Alain began to walk over the embers, his bare feet feeling the scorching heat. Each step was a torment, but he knew he could not stop. Christianne watched him with a mixture of contempt and satisfaction, enjoying the power she had over him.

Finally, when Alain could not bear the pain any longer and fell to the ground, Christianne took a piece of wood and began to hit him hard. Each blow was a reminder of her betrayal and her recklessness.

Alain tried to protect himself, but the blows were relentless and he was soon unconscious.

Goyo, who had watched silently the entire time, approached Christianne and said quietly, Miss, we must get rid of him before anyone else finds out.

Christianne nodded, her gaze still cold and calculating. Do it. Take him to the river and make sure no one finds him, he ordered.

Goyo obeyed without question, lifting Alain's unconscious body and carrying it to the riverbank in the darkness of the early morning. There, he threw him into the water, hoping the current would carry the young man away from the Bardot estate.

As he watched Alain's body disappear into the distance, Goyo muttered to himself: May the gods protect you, boy. For you would find no mercy here.

With the mission accomplished, Goyo returned to the stables, knowing that Alain's fate was now in the hands of the river and destiny. The young lady had already left and she felt a satisfaction for not paying even a small punishment like this for her actions. 

However, she could not help, but remember the desire she had to laugh when she saw him dancing with the dress on the embers. He really looked like a person desperate to survive. It was a shame that the river was the one to dictate the last words, because with his wounds and his weakness she doubted very much that he could withstand the changes in the current of the River...

It was not for nothing that it was called the most lethal river of all, because it was said that even fishermen had lost their lives in it when it seemed calm. Now, what would she not do to a poor devil who was injured and wore a woman's dress... when they found him it would be funny to think that they would identify him as a manola...