POV Courtesan

My eyes burned, even in the face of pain, but I refused to cry, just as I wouldn’t beg for mercy or say something they expected to hear from me. Even with nothing to lose, I didn’t want to die, not for something that was not my fault. It wasn’t enough that I had no right to my own freedom; now I was here, being tortured and humiliated, reminded once again that I only exist because those in power allow it.

The soldiers held my arms tightly, stretching them out. My chest was completely bare. Nudity had never embarrassed me, but this was different. This was humiliation.

“I’ll ask you one more time. Who is behind this?”

They beat me so badly that I could no longer stand, so they suspended my body by my arms, lifting me to the same height as the soldier who continued torturing me with blows.

“I-I… don’t know.”

It was the truth. I didn’t know who had orchestrated this, and I had only learned about the plan by chance. But I did nothing to stop it either.

“Just kill me already.”

I spat blood into his face, which became stained. I didn’t have much strength left, but I laughed to provoke him.

“You filthy bitch!”

He slapped my face with the back of his hand. I saw him draw his sword and thought this torment would finally end. Death was not what I wanted, but it felt like my only chance to rest.

“Lower your sword, soldier.”

The cold female voice, with the cruelest tone I had ever heard, invaded my ears. All the soldiers seemed to freeze in her presence. She wore a hood that hid her face, but from the soldiers’ posture, I knew she was someone of great importance.

“Death would be a reward for her.”

She held my face, forcing my head up, her sharp nails digging into my cheek. I knew she wanted me to see her face, even if only briefly — her cold eyes piercing my soul.

She leaned close to my ear and whispered.

“I truly believe that you were not part of this plan. But I know that you knew. A cunning fox would never step into unknown territory. My beloved Prince lost his sight because of you, and now you will become invisible to everyone. It seems fair, doesn’t it?”

She moved away.

“Today, the Voice behind the throne wisely advised the great Emperor Shun to spare the life of this courtesan. And in his magnanimity, Your Majesty decided to be merciful.”

The words came out like a beautiful poem, recited as if declaring the will of a god, not a man of flesh and blood like me.

“But even in mercy, he could not allow one of the pieces of the cunning attack on the beloved Crown Prince to go unpunished. She must become an example.”

The woman stopped right in front of me.

“And remember, everything she has belongs to him.”

She stepped back.

“Even the face she is so proud of.”

She turned, holding a glowing ring with metal tongs. One of the men pulled my hair back. I wanted to beg. I didn’t.

I tried to struggle, but they were too strong. I felt the heat approaching my face, and before I could scream, she pressed the ring against my skin.

The pain was unlike anything I had ever felt. The smell of burnt flesh, the sound of skin burning, the way the ring pulled away with pieces of my flesh stuck to it, these are things I will never forget, along with the cold, terrifying gaze of the woman who marked me.

“Throw her in the trash where she came from.”

Her distant voice faded as my senses finally gave in.