When Prince Orion left, Princess Isolde tried to get up, but her body failed her, making her fall back onto the floor.
“I hate you!” she screamed, tears falling from her eyes.
When it was dinner time, Kael ordered a servant to inform Cassie to join them, but she turned him down.
Cassie was seated on the bed, reading a historical novel.
This time, it was about a powerful witch named Seraphina, who betrayed her lover a vampire king who killed her.
However, his name was missing, which confused her.
She continued reading until it felt like the story was her own, each word turning real to her.
She felt drawn to it, wanting to read more, but when she began flipping the pages, they were empty.
She kept flipping, but they remained blank, creating an eerie feeling.
She kept turning the pages frantically until she reached the end of the book.
When she looked at the back cover, she saw a shadowy inscription: Your story is the next.
Cassie’s heart raced rapidly.
She restarted the novel, and this time, she saw everything that had happened to her written within its pages her name and everything.
Fear struck her, making her drop the book onto the floor.
“This can’t be…” she whispered, reaching to pick it up.
Just then, Kael entered and saw her horrified expression.
“What is wrong?” he asked, walking toward her.
“Who is Seraphina?” she asked back, stunning him.
“Why that question? Who told you about her?” Kael shot back, making Cassie breathe out heavily.
“I don’t know… Something strange happened. I was reading this no—” Cassie began, reaching for the book, but it was gone.
She froze.
“It was right here,” she said, pointing to the floor where she had dropped it in fear.
Kael looked at the floor and sighed.
“Are you sure you weren’t daydreaming?” he asked.
“No, I am not! I know what I saw. I was reading a novel about a powerful witch named Seraphina, and sh-she betrayed a vampire king… Ah!” Cassie cried out, clutching her head.
Suddenly, her eyes glowed, and her face changed, becoming identical to Seraphina’s.
There was a slight difference Seraphina possessed a fierce beauty, while Cassie’s was soft and swan-like.
Kael immediately took a defensive stance.
“Hmm… Vampire king… I Will keep visiting often,” Seraphina’s cold voice rang out.
She got up from the bed and walked toward Kael.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t do that. If you move, i will hurt her,” Seraphina warned, her chilling voice making Kael freeze.
“Hmm… You seem to like her a lot, huh?” Seraphina teased, standing before him.
She placed her hands on Kael’s shirt, feeling his muscular build.
“Haven’t you missed me?” she whispered into his ear.
Kael remained silent.
“Oh… I see. She has been satisfying you so well that you’ve forgotten me?” Seraphina’s voice carried pain.
“Don’t compare yourself to Cassie. She’s better than you!” Kael finally spoke, his voice laced with hate.
Seraphina laughed inhumanly.
“The more you care about her, the more reason I have to destroy her,” she sneered.
She cupped Kael’s face and leaned in to kiss him, but he grabbed her neck and, with the speed of light, pinned her to the wall.
She gasped for breath.
“Y-You’ll kill her if you try to kill me… This is her body, not mine,” Seraphina choked out, struggling for air.
Moments later, she finally left Cassie’s body.
Kael caught Cassie before she could collapse.
“Cassie…” Kael murmured, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
He never wanted to hurt her, but he had no choice because of Seraphina.
***
Cassie didn’t wake up for an entire month.
When she finally did, she gasped awake, panting, sweat dripping from her face.
“Your Majesty…” Zarea, who had been watching over her, called out upon seeing her awaken.
“Where’s His Majesty?” was Cassie’s first question.
Zarea was silent for a moment, making Cassie suspicious.
She got up immediately, knocking over a nearby table, causing bottles to shatter on the floor, but she didn’t care.
She searched Kael’s room, but he wasn’t there.
When she asked the guards, they informed her that Kael was in a meeting with the princess.
Her frown deepened as memories of their last confrontation resurfaced.
Reaching the throne room, the doors were gently opened for her.
She stepped inside with fury, only to see Kael and Princess Isolde talking and laughing about her childhood.
Anger surged through her.
When Kael set his eyes on her, he stood up in surprise, happiness blooming in his chest.
But when he saw her fierce expression, confusion clouded his face.
“Cassie…” he said, moving toward her with supernatural speed.
He stood before her and smiled, but she didn’t smile back.
He hugged her despite her stiff posture, but when she didn’t react, he pulled away.
“I missed you,” he said sincerely.
She remained silent.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in confusion.
“Let’s go,” she said, grabbing his hand.
He hesitated.
“I’ll come when I’m done with the meeting,” he said, kissing her hair before withdrawing his hand.
Cassie frowned, her gaze sweeping over the room until she spotted Princess Isolde in the corner, her lips tugged into a sweet smile.
“Interesting…” Cassie muttered coldly before storming out of the throne room in rage.
Back in her room, she found Zarea cleaning up the broken glass.
“Sorry for that,” Cassie apologized.
“It’s nothing,” Zarea replied, swiftly finishing the cleanup.
When she turned back, she saw Cassie staring at her own body.
“Are you okay?” Zarea asked.
“I don’t know… I was trapped in a deep dream that felt endless. I was in an unknown land, surrounded by strange people with magical abilities…” Cassie said, making Zarea gasp.
“What?” Cassie asked.
“Your Majesty… I don’t know what you saw, but you were in a coma for an entire month. His Majesty did everything he could to keep you alive. He even requested a powerful spell to be cast on you,” Zarea explained.
Cassie’s eyes widened in shock.
“That’s too much to comprehend… One month?” she repeated, and Zarea nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty. His Majesty stayed up for days, ensuring you were okay. Then Princess Isolde started taking care of you too,” Zarea added.
Cassie’s expression darkened.
“No! Don’t ever let her near me. She’s evil!” she snapped.
“How dare she!”
“Do you know why I was in a coma?” Cassie asked.
Zarea nodded.
“You were possessed by an evil spirit. She almost made His Majesty kill you. Thankfully, you woke up.”
Cassie nodded slowly.
“She’s Seraphina. I met her in my dream. She told me she’d help me… but I don’t trust her.”
Zarea’s eyes widened in shock.
The king had strictly forbidden them from mentioning that name to Cassie, but since she already knew, there was no point in hiding it anymore.
“Do you know her?” Cassie asked.
“I don’t know her personally, but she’s connected to His Majesty’s past,” Zarea admitted.
Just then, Kael opened the door and entered.
His gaze locked with Cassie’s, and the air grew suffocating between them.