Forgotten Wife: Let the Traitors Kneel Down

1 I don't want to die April was sitting on the bed hugging her knees, the cold winter pierced her bones like sharp thorns, she tried to cover her small and delicate body as best she could, but that abandoned palace where she had been sent to live did not give her the shelter she needed.

April was the first daughter of the king of Venobich, a cruel and ruthless man who saw all his children as mere tools.

In the kingdom of Laios the heir to the throne was always the firstborn, regardless of the gender of the child, however, the king did not want a small, sickly girl as his heir, so he sent her to the most remote part of the palace to die in silence.

April had clung to life with all her might, even though she was only receiving one food a day and that she did not have the proper conditions to survive, she did not give up and clung to life in an admirable way.

In silence and among tears it was repeated over and over again.

_I don't want to die, I don't want to die, God, if you're listening to me, please help me, I don't want to die.

April repeated those words every day, over and over again.

No one could understand why someone as weak and unfortunate as she was kept clinging to life.

One day, one of the maids who brought her food once a day asked her.

_ Why do you still want to live? Wouldn't it be easier to just let yourself die? That way all the pain and suffering you're feeling would disappear.

April was 12 years old, at that young age 6 years had been hell, but she did not give in to the claws of death that whispered in her ear every day to stop fighting.

While eating the thick soup with a voracious hunger, April answered him.

_ Why don't you jump off the highest tower in this castle? _You're crazy! If I did that I would die.

You see, just as your life is valuable to you, my life is valuable to me, so stop asking me to die, because I won't.

She continued eating in silence, when she finished the maid took the tray with the empty plates, she had not left a single crumb, she had finished everything.

After the maid left April looked out the window, outside the snow had started to pile up, as she looked out the window she raised her gaze to the sky and said her little prayer again, putting her two hands together.

_I don't want to die, please God, don't let me die.

April continued to say the same prayer for three more winters.

In the spring of her fifteenth birthday, the servant who always brought her food brought her a beautiful dress, beautiful jewelry, and ornaments to decorate her hair.

Why did you bring all that? he asked curiously.

_His majesty asked me to bring all this, to make her beautiful, he wants to see her.

It had been 9 years since April had last seen her father, she still remembered the cruel words he had spat at her with rejection the last time she had seen him.

"I don't need a crippled daughter as my heir, so just die already." _Do you know why he wants to see me? _No, he just told me to hurry up.

That servant gave her a cold bath, April's whole body shuddered as she felt the cold water pouring over her thin body, she wished it would all end quickly, but it didn't, it was long and tortuous, since she had to be very clean.

After bathing the maid helped her get dressed, she put a beautiful, neat white dress on her, then she put two flower ornaments, one on each side of her long reddish hair, then she applied light makeup, finally, she adorned her neck with a small necklace with a teardrop-shaped sapphire.

The maid made her look at herself in a broken mirror that was in a corner of the room.

She looked beautiful, despite not having lived in adequate conditions, April had become a beautiful young woman with reddish hair, with white and pale skin like flour because she almost never received the rays of the sun since she was always locked up in that cold palace.

Her sun-golden eyes shone brightly and her mistletoe-red lips looked beautiful and delicate.

While April looked at herself in the mirror, the maid placed the last ornament in her hair that was at the bottom of the box she had brought, it was a fine veil, when April saw it she realized what was happening, she was going to get married, since death never came into her life, her father wanted to get rid of her in another way, with marriage.

April didn't say anything, she just wished that whatever place they sent her to was a better place to live.

That's all, please follow me, his majesty is waiting for you.

April walked with a relaxed pace through the halls of the palace, everyone who saw her murmured as she passed, wondering, Who could she be? And where had she come from? She had red hair, a unique feature of the Venobich royal family, which was why everyone was so surprised to see her since no one remembered that she was the first princess of the kingdom of Laios.

April continued walking, completely ignoring the murmurs of the people, she was taken to the throne room, she did not bow, nor greet the man who looked at her coldly and contemptuously sitting from his chair, he told her.

_My dear daughter, I see that you have grown beautifully.

Although the king's words seemed sweet to April, they seemed like an insult.

Her father smiled maliciously and said to her.

_This day you will be sent to the kingdom of Cosset, due to the constant wars I have decided to send my most beloved daughter to form a peace alliance.

April didn't complain or say anything, she simply stood there listening to her father's words, hoping that it would all be over soon.

The dress she was wearing was heavy and uncomfortable, and the shoes she wasn't used to wearing were tight and made her feet hurt.

_Dear daughter, I hope you have a good life with your husband.

The king signaled to some guards wearing white uniforms, they must be soldiers from the kingdom of Cosset, the king said.

_Escort my precious daughter carefully.

The guards approached April and told her.

_Please follow us, a carriage is waiting for you.

April didn't say goodbye to her father or bow before leaving, she just turned around and followed the guards.

While looking at his back his father said to him.

_May the light of Airón be with you.

Those last words seemed affectionate to the guards escorting her, only those who belonged to the Laios kingdom knew what those words meant.

"May death come to visit you soon." Although April had lived her entire life locked up without receiving any education, she had learned to read before being locked up, there she used her time to read, she also knew that her father's last words were a death wish for her.

April did not turn around, she walked with her face held high ignoring everything around her, when she left the palace she saw a huge white carriage with gold decorations waiting for her at the entrance, one of the guards helped her get into the carriage.

April looked out the window, from there she watched as they left the palace behind, she thought she would feel something when leaving her place of origin, however, she felt nothing, there was no regret, no joy, nor sadness, no emotion April did not turn around, she walked with her face held high ignoring everything around her, when she left the palace she saw a huge white carriage with gold decorations waiting for her at the entrance, one of the guards helped her get into the carriage.

April looked out the window, from there she watched as they left the palace behind, she thought she would feel something when leaving her place of origin, however, she felt nothing, there was no sorrow, no joy, no sadness, no emotion overwhelmed her.

She closed the curtain of the carriage window and said to herself.

_I hope my life in Cosset's kingdom will be better than it was here.