THE USELESS PRINCE

Many days had passed since that day, and it was only now that Furina realized a terrible truth. Her mother was dead, and Furina only recognized it when her mother's body began to decompose, with no more flesh left.

However, instead of feeling sad, Furina felt nothing, worse yet, she wasn't even angry at her father - the one who caused her mother to end up like that.

She was like a robot, without any emotions, only knowing how to obey her father's orders like a slave without freedom.

'Forget it.' In the end, Furina decided to leave the corpse there, trying not to pay attention to it.

After all, what could she do?

She couldn't ask for help from the Imperial guards, she didn't even have enough money to buy the smallest coffin, and if she told her father about this…

…Nothing would happen.

Father definitely knew that mother was dead, and to be frank, he didn't care about Furina and her mother's life or death at all.

What a terrible father, but at the same time, he was the person Furina needed to listen to if she didn't want her life to get worse.

Then, she closed her eyes and started making a wish:

'May this hell end.'

***

"DAMN IT! THAT BASTARD! SHE DARE CHEAT ME OUT OF MONEY?"

While sleeping, Furina was suddenly awakened by the sound of smashing outside the living room.

She slowly sat up, and it didn't take long for her to find out that the mastermind behind what was happening outside was none other than her father.

But as for why he suddenly did that, Furina didn't know.

But there was one thing she could be sure of, and that was that when her father got angry, all she could do was hide away from him, trying not to be discovered.

Or prepare herself to be beaten.

Just like that, she quickly ran into the closet and sat there for an extremely long time.

Because she was so scared, Furina didn't even dare to move an inch or breathe too hard.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but by the time she realized it, the screams and smashing sounds outside had already faded.

Maybe...everything had returned to normal? Could she leave this dark and cramped place yet?

Trembling, she carefully pushed the closet door open and stepped outside.

Everything was still the same, the room was still embraced in darkness, there wasn't much furniture except for a mattress and a few ragged clothes, and her mother... no, her mother's corpse was still in the same place.

After making sure that everything was normal, Furina could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But that peace of mind and relief didn't last long when her father suddenly opened the door and stepped inside.

"...Dad!? What's wrong?" Furina curled up, ready to be beaten.

But strangely, after a few seconds, she was still fine, without a single wound on her body. Meanwhile, her father was still standing in the same place, smiling kindly at her.

'What is this? What is happening?' Furina's eyes widened in surprise, not understanding why the person who always beat her was smiling so kindly.

And that was not the end of her surprise because right after that, the man didn't say anything but just carried Furina outside.

His lift was very gentle, as if he was afraid that if he grabbed her too tightly, Furina would break into pieces.

And then, he placed her down near the familiar dining table, slowly serving up many different fragrant dishes, making Furina's stomach growl with hunger.

"…What is this?" She asked carefully, still attentively observing her father's expression.

But in response to Furina's doubtful gaze, her father still smiled very kindly, completely unlike usual.

"It's nothing. I just want to warm up our father-daughter relationship. Can't I even do that?" He said, even his voice was softer.

Anyone in this situation would have noticed something was wrong…but Furina was different.

She always wanted to receive attention and love from someone, so when she heard her father say that, Furina didn't hesitate and immediately believed him.

Her nose was a little sore, her eyes were redder than usual, as if she was about to cry.

"Oh my, are you about to cry? Did I do something? Stop crying, my dear daughter, eat, don't be sad." With that, he took a piece of meat and put it in Furina's bowl.

Furina nodded, unable to stop the tears that were continuously flowing from her eyes.

After months of abuse, being treated like nothing more than a dog, even a little bit of love, no matter who it was, was enough to make her weak.

She gently ate the food prepared by her father, not being the least bit cautious.

And just as Furina was about to finish her last plate of food, her father finally couldn't keep up that fake face anymore.

"Damn it! Acting really isn't my strong point!" He spat, his tone and expression returning to their usual self.

Causing Furina, who was chewing on the last piece of meat, to stop involuntarily.

"...What's wrong, father?" She asked carefully, feeling that something was not quite right.

"Tsk, don't open your mouth, you bitch. Just hearing your voice is enough to make me feel nauseous." He then took out a rope from under his butt.

"...What is that?" Furina asked, this time, slowly standing up.

The man looked at her with cold eyes, mixed with a bit of utmost contempt.

And then, he let out a smile that was both creepy and disgusting, and it was the scariest thing Furina had ever seen in her life.

"Isn't it obvious, Furina? I'm going to sell you. That woman took all my money, so I have to do this." He said, not feeling the slightest bit apologetic.

Why…why would a father sell his daughter for money?

She unconsciously took a step back, not knowing how to react.

"You should feel satisfied that I gave you a full meal one last time." He slowly approached Furina, holding the rope tightly in his hand.

Sensing the danger, she immediately kicked over the dining table, causing the dishes to fall to the floor, shattering into pieces.

And taking advantage of the opportunity when her father was letting down his guard because of what had just happened, she immediately ran out of the house, escaping from him.

This could be considered the first time she left that house, the first time she had the chance to see everything outside, so it was understandable that she felt anxious because she didn't know where to go.

But if she had to choose between stopping and returning to that house or continuing to run aimlessly, Furina would rather choose the latter.

So, she continued running, and behind her, her father had also started chasing, this time, he especially brought a kitchen knife.

Ready to hurt his own daughter, his own bloodline if necessary.