Make Them Regret It Chapter 13
On the day of the family tribunal, the courtyard below the stone steps was packed.
Every core member of the family was present. Several allied families had also sent representatives to observe.
Isabella was dragged onto the steps.
The same steps where I had taken thirty lashes just over twenty days before.
She was still crying.
“It was all my sister’s fault! She stole twenty years of my life…”
The legal adviser read out the charges: intercepting essential supplies, hiring men to harm family members, falsifying information, and causing the deaths of five women of the Romano family, plus one unborn child.
The sentence was thirty lashes, the stripping of her abilities, and transfer to the family council for final judgment.
My father stood at the front of the crowd, his face ashen.
The moment the adviser picked up the belt, he stepped forward.
“Sir, Isabella is frail. Thirty lashes will kill her.”
“Father.” I cut him off.
My shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages. My face was as white as paper, and I could barely stand.
“A little over twenty days ago, I took thirty lashes on these same steps.”