Hollowed by Hatred

Five years after my household was sentenced to death, in my fifth year as a slave at the military camp, someone suddenly brought me away and said I had to marry the princess. Before I could understand what was happening, I ended up outside my family's mansion. It was supposed to be destroyed. I looked at my father and older sister, who were supposed to be long dead. My sister helped me down from the carriage as though nothing was wrong. “It’s been five years, Michael. Have you repented for your mistakes? “It’s all because you insisted on marrying the princess and made Ethan attempt suicide. If you hadn’t been so stubborn, we wouldn’t have punished you like that. “Now the princess is pregnant with Ethan’s child, and she’s graciously allowed you to marry her. What do you say?” It was only then that I realized the death sentence was a lie. They faked their deaths and threw me into a military camp for five years of torture, all to punish me for “mistreating” my younger brother. I was so shaken that I coughed up blood. My father waved me off with a frown. “We just sent you to the army to teach you a lesson. There’s no need to put on such an act. “The princess still misses you, but she’s bearing Ethan’s child. You have to respect Ethan’s decisions and put him first, you hear? “Come on, let’s get ready for your wedding.” Looking at his waving hand, I suddenly remembered my “masters” from the military camp. My knees buckled, and I slapped myself instinctively. “I’m sorry, Master, it’s all my fault! “Please give me three days! I’ll die after three days!” Chapter 1 My father’s hand froze in mid-air at that. “Master? What master? And why would you die?” His voice was confused and a little impatient. “Stop messing around. Your wedding with the princess is in three days. She promised to make it grand, even though you have a history as an army slave. “From then on, you and Ethan will serve the princess together. Good times await!” Good times? But the lady doctor at the army camp told me I was terminally ill. She said I was going to die in three days. I was even grateful for a moment, thinking I could finally be free after five years of torture and reunite with my father and sister. As it turned out, they had not died at all. I looked up at my father. His benevolent face looked even scarier than the masters at the camp. Just looking at him made my body tremble uncontrollably. I hurriedly lowered my head. “I’m not lying… I wouldn’t dare to lie…” Before I could finish my sentence, my father frowned. “After five years of punishment, are you still insisting on fighting Ethan for the princess’s love? She would never have summoned you back so soon if he hadn’t asked!” My sister took a deep breath and yanked me up from the ground painfully. “Michael Keyes! And here I felt sorry for you! Looks like you haven’t changed at all! “Do you think Father and I would feel bad for you just because you slapped yourself a few times? If you still hate Ethan so much, I’ll send you right back to that camp!” Go back there? My entire body started shaking at the thought. My limbs went cold, and I could barely breathe. When my family was supposedly sentenced to death, the king spared me because I had been the princess’s fiancé. Instead, I was sent to the military camp as a slave. On the very first day, the soldiers tortured me until I called them “Master”. Whenever I resisted, they would hang me naked in the water, allowing snakes to crawl all over my body. When I begged for mercy, they would drag me into their tent and take turns… I still remembered their words. “As expected of the princess’s former fiancé! Such smooth and supple skin, such a thin and frail body!” “Stop fighting back! You’re just our slave, so you’ll do whatever we tell you to do!” “Ha, so much for being a nobleman! Your noble clan is gone, and no one’s gonna save you!” Ironically, back then I used to think, ‘If my father and sister were here, they wouldn’t let me be tortured like this.’ As it turned out, that was exactly what they did. Not long after I became a slave, I wanted to die. However, someone saved me every time I was on the brink of dying. They would not let me die, but they came up with new ways to torture me. How could I go back to a place like that? I refused to go back, even if… I only had three days left to live. My body trembling like a leaf, I kneeled and begged on the floor. “I don’t wanna go back! I’ll do anything, just don’t send me back! “I’ll be a good boy! I’ve learned my lesson! Please, I’m begging you, don’t send me back…” My forehead quickly started bleeding, but I did not dare to stop begging or wipe the blood away. Back in the camp, the first thing I learned was obedience. If I was obedient, they would not hit me. My father seemed surprised at first, but soon his frown relaxed. “That’s enough. Get up, and let’s head back inside. As long as you obey, you’ll still be my son.” I hurriedly nodded and said carefully, “I promise I’ll be good!” My sister smiled in satisfaction. “Ethan’s plan worked like a charm. Sending Michael to an army camp for five years of hard labor taught him well.” She then commanded a nearby maid, “What are you waiting for? Take Master Michael to get dressed…!” “No, no need!” I instinctively jumped up and shook my head in a frenzy. “I can dress myself… “I promise I won’t… get dirty… So please don’t beat me…” My father raised a brow. “Beat you? Why would we…?” Just then, I heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice behind me. “Brother! You’re back?” Chapter 2 I turned my head stiffly. Ethan stood not far away with a bright smile. While it had been five years since I last saw him, I could tell that my father and sister had sheltered him well. As he approached me, his expression was full of concern. “I heard you were back, Michael, so I prepared your favorite wine. Unfortunately, I can't drink with you since I'm meeting the princess tonight.” Wine… I instinctively held my neck, my stomach roiling. I could not help but throw up. In the five years at the camp, I had sustained hundreds of injuries and contracted a dozen diseases. Someone at the camp somehow heard tell that strong liquor could cure those diseases, so whenever the rashes showed up on my body, they would pour the liquor all over my body. “We risk our lives on the front line, and you say you want to take a break and recover?!” “Don't act so pathetic! Even if you're injured, you're still our slave. As long as you still breathe, you have to serve us with your body!” “Exactly! I've seen these rashes plenty of times! They won't kill you!” They were only satisfied after lighting my wounds on fire, kicking over the empty liquor bottles and leaving my tent. Now, whenever I smelled liquor, my old wounds would start bleeding uncontrollably. Ethan sighed, turning to my father. “See, Father? It seems Michael is still mad at me. I get it! If I hadn't jumped off a cliff that day, he wouldn't have…” Jumped off a cliff, he said. I looked at him and suddenly remembered the mess from five years ago. That day, the princess had to choose a fiancé. The queen picked me, the son of the Minister. That night, Ethan came home crying that I had stolen his fiancée. He said that he could not bear to live without the princess, so he ran to a cliff. I was terrified and reached out to stop him. However, he suddenly pushed me to the edge of the cliff and nearly sent us both plummeting to our deaths. My father and sister made it in time to save us, but instead of scolding Ethan, they blamed me for nearly getting my younger brother killed. No matter how I tried to explain, no one would believe me. A few days later, our family was suddenly sentenced to death. That was when I was sent to the military camp. “No way.” My sister’s voice brought me back to the present. She rubbed Ethan's head fondly. “Michael isn't mad at you. How could he be, when you care so much about him even after he tried to kill you five years ago?” My father frowned and ordered a maid to bring me the wine. “Since Ethan prepared it for you, drink it.” I stared at the bottle of wine, my hands shaking uncontrollably. My sister rolled her eyes and stuffed the bottle into my hands. “Are you in withdrawal because you didn't get to drink for five years in the camp? Relax, you'll have as much wine as you want back home!” Before she could continue, I suddenly puked all over the floor. Immediately after that, I panicked and knelt, wiping away the stains with my clothes. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… Don't beat me… I promise I'll clean it well…” My father and sister were both stunned. “Why do you keep saying we'll beat you? Just get up, the servants will clean it…” Just then, Ethan suddenly pointed at the wounds on my hands, his voice trembling in shock. “Michael, do you have… syphilis? Those dots look just like it! “I heard things were messy in the army. I didn't believe it at first, but now it looks like…” I hurriedly rolled up my sleeves. What? Did my symptoms start showing again? But the doctor said I was fine when she last checked me! Just thinking I was infected again made my temples throb. I grabbed the bottle of liquor and stuffed it into my throat. “I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I'll drink it all! My masters said that if I drink it and then splash it over my body, the disease will go away!” The air froze. My father's and sister's pupils dilated, and they stared at me as though I were filthy. I did not care. I downed the liquor violently. This was fine. Anything was fine as long as I did not have to go back. Ethan suddenly gave me a sly look and smiled at someone behind me. “There you are, Princess.” Someone kicked the bottle out of my hand abruptly. I looked up and met Princess Charlotte’s contemptuous gaze. “You contracted a sexual disease? I sent you to the army for five years, and you couldn't keep it in your pants?!” Chapter 3 Ethan immediately approached and comforted her. “Don't be mad, Princess. It's not good for you.” He then looked at me, his expression concerned but his eyes smug. “Michael, everyone in the capital knows you were deeply in love with the Princess. Did you sully yourself to get back at her?!” I loved her? How would I dare? Because I used to love her, I rejected my father's suggestion to give her hand in marriage to Ethan instead. As a result, she punished me by sending me to that camp for five whole years. I did not dare to love her anymore. Now, I was merely afraid. Afraid that they would send me back. The thought filled my head with nothing but terror. I hastily bowed at Charlotte’s feet. “Don't worry, I won't catch that disease anymore! The doctor said it's treatable!” I desperately crawled across the floor to pick up the bottle of liquor, pouring it over my open wounds. “I did this plenty of times before. It got better every time… “I'll take care of it… I'll clean myself up… So please don't send me back there!” My father's expression turned livid. “Plenty of times?! So you really… You really did mess around in there! You useless son!” My body instinctively cowered when he raised his voice, and I shielded my head with my arms. Every time someone yelled at me like that in the camp, it was also followed by a vicious beating. My sister stormed up to me and grabbed my wrist. My body trembled like a leaf. “Don't beat me, don't beat me… I'm sorry… I won't do it again…” My sister stopped and then sighed. “Michael, what are you saying? This isn't syphilis at all. It's just an allergic reaction to the pollen here.” It was not syphilis? I paused. Good, then I did not have to douse my body in fire and wine anymore. Charlotte's expression brightened up as well. “So three days from now…” Before she could finish her sentence, Ethan bent down to help me up. “Michael, if you don't want to marry the princess, you can say so. But why did you lie…?” At the same time, he secretly stepped on my hand. I gasped in pain and tried to pull it back, but he smirked and fell backward. He held his chest in pain and exclaimed. “Michael, why did you shove me over? Are you still mad at me because the princess is expecting my child? Even so, you shouldn't try to hurt me like this!” Charlotte's expression darkened. She helped him up, then turned around and slapped me across the cheek. “You ingrate! Ethan asked me to bring you back, but you tried to hurt him?! Since you don't want to marry me, I'll marry Ethan instead! And you can be his servant for the rest of your life!” If I became his servant… Did that mean I did not have to go back to the camp and serve those masters anymore? I quickly nodded. “Okay! I'll do that!” Charlotte's frown deepened. She barked at her guards, “Lock him up in the storeroom! He'll accompany Ethan to the wedding three days from now!” With that, a few burly servants dragged me away. My father looked at me in disappointment. “The Princess was gracious to take you in as Ethan's servant. Don't anger her anymore once you move into her palace, you hear?” I did not care about anything so far in the future. I just did not want to be beaten for the next three days. Before long, I was alone in the quiet storeroom. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my chest, and I coughed up bright red blood. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I panicked, curling up in a fetal position. Even so, my whole body felt numb, and I could not breathe. The lady doctor told me I was dying. But she said I had three more days… Did even the heavens think I did not deserve a few days of peace? Before I could delve deeper into that thought, my soul quietly left my body. Huh… so that was what happened to people after they died. Three days later, the entire household was celebrating the wedding. I floated in mid-air, watching the party unfold. Charlotte was supposed to wait in her palace, but somehow she stood in front of my family's mansion, looking furious. Everyone said it was because she loved Ethan so much and could not wait to marry him. The next second, though, she asked coldly, “Where's Michael?” Ethan's smile froze on his face, but he soon regained his gentle composure. “He can join us after the wedding rites.” However, Charlotte pushed him aside and strode toward the storeroom. “Even if he isn't my husband, I won't let him ignore me like this! “Since he's your servant, he must be part of your wedding retinue!” Ethan wanted to stop her, but she soon found her way to the storeroom. She glared at the wooden door and gritted her teeth. “Michael Keyes! I'll give you one last chance! “If you come out and apologize, I might still allow you to become my husband!” Her husband? How amusing. Didn't she love to see me fight Ethan over her? So what was she doing now? No matter how she yelled, though, the storeroom remained silent. Ethan panicked and tried to pull her back. “Michael is just giving us the cold shoulder to embarrass me. Princess, since you're already expecting my child, why don't we just…” “Shut up!” Charlotte cut him off and kicked the door open. “Michael! If you don't come out now, I'll sentence your family to death again!” The next second, she froze. “Michael… What's going on?!”