Her room is filled with exotic animal furs and colorful beauty products. A glass sword sits atop the vanity like a warning. Night falls while she muses.

“Axel is the heroine from what I remember.”

Rex muses aloud.

“I’ve never played the game but I know that much. She was always on the cover art in perilous situations, but what was her role exactly? I don’t recall her being queen this early in the game.”

Absentminded, she plucks a fallen petal from the vanity. Automatically she knows it’s a type of lipstick different from the ones she’s used to. It’s almost disturbing when she sweeps it across her lips without any conscious input.

However, searing pain erupts on her bottom lip.

“Ah!”

Inky words suddenly appear on the mirror while her reflection bleeds.

“Mortal, traps and poisons are sometimes laced in everyday products like food or clothing. Be wary of your heart filter.”

“You could’ve told me before!”

More words replace the previous.

“Your beauty has increased by one. Your detection has increased by one. Poison status effect will wear off in two days. Negative two health.”

Three hearts accompany the words and one in particular is half full. So she’s managed to reduce half her lifespan in less than a day. Fantastic.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

When she turns, an adjoining bathroom reveals itself with a chime. Candles ignite, illuminating a bath filled with water and petals.

A sickeningly sweet aroma wafts around; tempting her to enter. However, she remains rooted to the floor like a plant nested in soil. It is too gorgeous and the walls seem to beckon her.

The scent of roses and lilies enter her nostril. The water has turned pink and steam rises from the surface. She wants to sink and never emerge.

Rex doesn’t trust anything in this castle. Somehow, perhaps through sheer force of will, she clambers into bed and covers her head like a child.

The chimes seem to grow louder with every heartbeat. Terror laces through her rib cage until she’s trying to stile her gasps.

Cautious, she peeks through a sliver of the sheet to find a man with his back turned.

Text appears above him but glitches out. Something is terribly wrong.

The moment he turns her eyes shut. She hears him walking towards her in the darkness and it takes everything in her not to open them. She knows what she’ll see.

Instead she tries to think of her child, the baby that used to be hers. What was their name? What did they look like?

The sheet lifts.

Did they resemble her?

Something sighs.

What were their favorite foods? Places?

Didn’t their name start with a V?

“Vi-Viatric.”

She mutters without thought, and suddenly, the thing has left the room. The chimes can no longer be heard and the aroma has evaporated.

…

She wakes. The bathroom has vanished but the petals have transferred to her bed, soaking the sheets. She’s survived the first night. It’s not an accomplishment.

Rex let’s herself be dressed by the servants in lavish clothing and says nothing the whole time. Honestly there’s nothing to say.

A princess isn’t supposed to have her life threatened, but then again she’s not one to begin with.

Exhaustion runs through Rex’s bones. If sleep isn’t an option then perhaps she’ll die quicker than expected.

“Thsmzl.”

She starts and whips around to the door. A new maid enters with silver blue hair and green eyes. Ink like claws extend from her nails and she can tell her beauty is unnatural, at least to humans.

She looks like the creatures she encountered yesterday.