Chapter 2

Seraphina let out a cold laugh and summoned her magical whip. She lashed it directly across my abdomen.

Moon Rabbits feel pain much more intensely than others. One strike from her whip sent fire through my nerves, and blood soaked through my dress instantly.

I reached out with my trembling, broken hand. "Princess, please! The King and I are married in the eyes of the gods. This baby is his blood, his heir!"

I coughed up a thick puddle of blood. "If you do this, he will cast you into the abyss when he returns!"

The soldiers looked at each other, some of them visibly shaking. They looked at Seraphina, worried. "Princess, if she’s telling the truth..."

Seraphina’s eyes turned cold. "She’s a rabbit! I am the niece of the former King. My father is the God of Water. Do you really think the King would choose a pet over me?"

"The idea is laughable!"

The soldiers relaxed. They drew their spears and drove them into my body, cold and sharp. They ripped the unborn life from my womb before it could even draw its first breath.

"No!" I shrieked. My heart shattered as I watched them hold up that small, bloody light on the tip of a blade. It was just a lump of still flesh now.

"That was his child!" I wailed.

Seraphina didn't care. She ordered the men to bring over a cauldron of boiling water.

"They say every part of a Moon Rabbit is a miracle cure," she said, a wicked smile on her face. "Since the King is away, I’ll prepare a special life-restoring broth to welcome him back."

One soldier bowed low. "You are so thoughtful, Princess. The King will be so impressed."

Seraphina looked down at me, her face like a mask of ice. "Once you watch your little mistake boil, I’ll gouge out your eyes and take your bones. I’ll make sure you’re the main course at the banquet."

The pain was more than I could bear. I began to slam my head against the stone floor over and over. "Please, just take me. Let my baby go. Do whatever you want to me, but please, stop this!"

My skin broke, and blood ran into my eyes until the world turned red. But I kept hitting the floor, hoping for a miracle that wouldn't come.

Seraphina kicked me aside with disgust. "I was going to just teach you a lesson, but you keep lying about that brat being the King’s. For that, you deserve a slow death."

I was tossed into a corner like a piece of trash. I watched my child bobbing in the boiling water, unable to move as the whip kept me back.

Within minutes, my child was nothing but an ingredient in her pot.

She walked over to me, her eyes glowing with triumph. "Guards, take her eyes. Moon Rabbit eyes are perfect for boosting magical power. Whoever does the best job gets to keep them."

The soldiers lunged forward, their faces full of greed. "Thank you, Princess!"