~RUNE
I remained in the bath basin, my hands slowly hugging my chest.
At that moment, I became aware of how naked I was right now and the fact that he was standing in the room with me.
He slowly walked to me, every step causing my heart to race faster than before.
He finally came to a stop just before the bath basin and looked down at me with glowing crimson eyes.
Another shiver violently took over my body.
“Tonight, there’s an important dinner,” he whispered in a voice so cold it could have cut through my skin.
“Be ready.”
I released a shaky breath and I nodded continuously, too scared that if I made a mistake, it would give him all the reason he needed to end me.
Then he turned his back to me and began to leave the room.
When he reached the door, he stopped and tilted his head to the side without looking at me.
“I will not tolerate any mistakes.”
Then he left.
The moment he did, I released the breath I had been holding.
But the cold fear he had brought with him continued to linger in the room.
He had been right when he told me yesterday that keeping me alive was a greater torture.
This was beyond terrifying.
If I didn’t end up dying at Uriel’s hands soon, then a violent heart attack caused by constant fear was going to end me.
I splashed water on my face hard.
“I made it this far. It must mean something,” I muttered to myself.
“Sayla would want me to stay alive.”
I just needed to stick with the old plan.
Find a way to escape and go far away from both the Orin and my family.
That was when the door came open once again.
“Queen Sayla?”
It was Anna’s voice.
She peered inside first and when she saw I was alone, she walked back in.
Belle followed her too and they hurried to come kneel by my side.
“Are you okay, your majesty?” Anna asked.
“Did he hurt you again?” Belle asked as they scanned me with their eyes.
The concern was so genuine it made my heart ache.
But I still felt that I didn’t deserve it.
“I— I am fine,” I answered quietly.
“He just came to deliver a message.”
Belle looked at Anna before they both looked at me.
“What message?” Belle asked.
“He said there’s an important dinner tonight. He wants me there,” I replied.
“That’s relieving. For a moment, I feared he had come in to inform you about another intimate night,” Belle said.
Anna instantly swatted her hard, clearly her way of scolding Belle.
“Do you know who will be at the dinner?” I asked.
“All the important people of the Orin court,” Anna revealed.
I inhaled sharply at that.
What if they tried to make me heal someone again?
I could not forget the way that Lord Morrigan looked at me yesterday.
What if he planted another public healing trap for me?
“You don’t need to be worried. King Uriel might have this cruel side but he would never let anyone disrespect what is his. He’ll never let those people come at you,” Belle assured me. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
Sadly, he already knew I was not his Moon.
There was no way he would protect me tonight.
A knock sounded on the door at that point.
“I am back!” Sofia called from the door.
“I’ll go get her,” Belle said as she rose from my side.
“Let’s continue your bath, your majesty,” Anna proposed.
I only nodded and allowed her to do her work as I watched Sofia and Belle push in a cart of food.
I wanted to believe all of that wasn’t for me.
They all came together, washed my hair and applied some balm on my bruises.
I liked how each of them didn’t question why I hadn’t healed them yet.
The last thing I wanted was to make up stories and add to my jar of lies.
The women helped me out of the bath basin, gave me a loose dress to wear and walked me back to my bed.
“Now, you need to eat,” Sofia announced.
“I asked the kitchen to make you the best food. I tasted everything myself so you don’t need to worry about any poison.”
Sofia and Belle wheeled the cart to me before uncovering its content.
I knew I said my mouth had been dry and I didn’t want to eat a thing but the sight and smell of the food instantly got my mouth watering.
Back home, I never got this kind of luxury.
If I even got to eat at all, then it had all been thanks to Sayla.
“Are you guys hungry? You should eat with me,” I offered.
Anna instantly shook her head.
“You are the Queen. We wouldn’t dare.”
I frowned before an idea popped in my head.
“I think I’ve lost my appetite. If only someone could eat with me.”
I sighed and looked away.
This had the women exchanging glances again.
“Oh! I’ll eat with you!” Sofia exclaimed and instantly took a piece of roasted beef.
I smiled in satisfaction and finally began to eat.
I might have lost the only family I ever had and I knew I could never get over that, but somehow, I had been given a new family in these women.
I planned to cherish their company for as long as I lived.
They were the only ones who truly made me feel safe now.
“Queen Sayla, would you like to take a walk in the palace garden?” Belle suddenly suggested.
“I promise, you will love it! It’s beautiful. It’s the only place that feels alive and vibrant with colors unlike the rest of these lifeless halls,” Sofia said.
Once again, Anna swatted Sofia hard on the shoulder.
“Watch what you say. Do not disrespect your Queen’s home.”
“I’m sorry,” Sofia muttered.
I only laughed at the exchange as I thought of the offer.
I didn’t have anything better to do so perhaps visiting the garden wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“Okay, let’s go after we are done,” I answered, still smiling.
Looking at them now, I could almost forget all of my earlier grief and fear.
“Great!” Belle exclaimed.
An hour later, they finished dressing me up.
They chose a simple blue dress that flowed freely down my body.
I was awed by how much I was getting good at wearing Sayla’s identity like it had become my second skin. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Would Sayla ever forgive me for this?
“You look ethereal, just like a goddess,” Sofia said.
“She is specially blessed by the moon goddess after all,” Anna answered as she admired her work on my hair.
They had dressed it up into a nice updo so that it stayed out of my face.
I released a shaky breath before turning away from the mirror.
Away from Sayla’s haunting face before facing them.
“Shall we go now?”
“Sure!” Sofia said and she began to lead the way.
Anna only sighed as she smacked herself in the face.
I turned to face the road and allowed Sofia to lead us down the many long truly lifeless hallways of the Orin palace.
There was nothing to look at in the corridor.
Both the guards and the space remained devoid of any color.
I shivered and tried to focus back on getting to the garden.
Eventually, we arrived at the exit which led directly to the garden.
It brought instant warmth to my heart to see the greenery, the chirping tiny birds, the many flowers and the sun shining warming upon us.
Back home— because of the growing famine, plants began to wither.
And it became hard to stumble upon a beautiful garden like this.
Only rich people could afford to keep them.
My parents made sure I stared very far away from ours.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Anna asked as she followed my gaze.
I nodded as I began to walk toward it, inhaling all the flowery scents that the garden emitted.
“There’s even a pond with colorful fishes at the center of the garden. You’ll have to go through the maze though,” Anna explained.
“I want to see them,” I said.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s take our Queen through the maze,” Sofia announced.
I laughed and allowed them to take me to the entrance.
There were several paths leading in.
“Do they all lead to the center?” I asked.
“Of course!” Sofia answered.
“I have a crazy idea. What if we all go in through the different paths and see who gets to the center first?” Belle suggested, a light blazing in her eyes.
“Not everything is a game, Belle,” Anna complained.
“It’s not a bad idea. I would like to experience the maze alone,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Anna asked, concern in her eyes.
I nodded and in defeat, we all began to walk into the maze separately.
I happily ran my fingers over the walls of plants and allowed the earthy scents calm my nerves.
It felt so good.
I believed at that moment that I had just found my favorite place in the palace.
I was just rounding a corner when I came face to face into a warm wall.
I looked down and saw shoes.
Men boots.
Startled, I jumped away immediately and looked up only to be met with the last person I expected to see.
Lord Sylve Darke.
“What a beautiful coincidence seeing you here…”
The devil always appears with a pretty face…