What the fuck?
There’s no need for any ‘What’s going on?’
Just what the fuck?
I felt like years passed before I woke up again, throat already parched from my shock, but I was still at the end of the hall with Daniel and Louise. I blinked rapidly before jumping out of Louise’s hold to check myself, to see if I was still me.
“My prince?!” My head snapped back from where I was looking at my clothes and hands to Louise, face struck pale as if he had been shocked half to death. His voice had reached a high pitch as he came closer, “What happened? Are you alright?”
I looked back down and placed my palm flat on the ground to give me stability for my dizzy conscious. “I-I’m, Da- Eliot- Eli Dru Sinnette…?” I rasped.
Louise furrowed his brows and nodded hesitantly, “Yes, My prince. Third Prince of the Sinnette Kingdom.”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, “I am Eli… I am Eli.”
I can’t make sense of what just happened. I had reached to ruffle Daniels' head and then suddenly there’s a third set of memories incoming into my unprepared mind. Daniel Garter’s memories. I looked at the said boy and saw him nursing his own throbbing head as he stood back up using the wall as a support. “Wha-” He tried to speak but then grimaced as it made the pain worse.
“I’ll go bring the physician quickly,” Louise says and rushes around the corner of the adjacent hall. He must be more worried than I thought to just leave me here.
I small groan left my lips as my headache thumped harder before subsiding to a slight annoyance. “Daniel, are you alright?”
“What just happened?” He retorted.
I sighed, “I don’t know… Daniel?”
Daniel groaned as well before replying, “What?”
“You loved him?”
Daniel looked at me, his face straightening out from pain to confusion, “Love who?”
“Felix?”
Daniel’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open speechless, “Wh- No! I- He’s my friend but I- What are you talking about?!” He groaned again and clutched his head.
“It’s okay,” I make sure my tone was even and unjudging, “Felix... I could understand why you would love him.”
“I said I don't-”
“Master!” Louise called as he came back into view, behind him a woman I had only seen that time during my first coming of age. Tania Lanard, the royal physician, a woman of intimidating aura and surprisingly charming features of violet eyes, and brown hair cut into a bob cut. Her dress fit her slim body perfectly, yet she moved in a way that let you know she was someone not to be messed with.
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“Prince Eli, it’s unfortunate to see you again.” She says.
I try to chuckle but my head wouldn’t stop hurting, “Unfortunate to see you as well. I’ve got a headache. So does Sir Daniel.”
“Thank you for saying so.” She kneels down by my side and stretches her palm out to place on top my head and immediately the headache fades as quickly as it had happened. She nods to herself after I let out a relieved sigh before moving onto Daniel. She steps back once she was finished and shakes her head and says, “I can’t find any problems other than stress on the brain.”
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I raise my brows and straighten myself out to look proper. “How can you tell? Is it your power?”
“After all these years, you don’t know anything about your royal physician Prince Eli?” She teases with a chuckle and continues to speak before I can open my mouth to apologize, “But yes, it is my power and what has made me qualified to be Royal Physician. I can only use it on living beings, where, wherever I touch, I know how that specific part of the body is functioning and in turn reverse the neurons which mostly causes damage. This kind of power has only been recorded to exist rarely in the past and now I’m the first in a century. I call it ‘Relief’.”
“That’s… That’s amazing.” I couldn’t help but praise with wide eyes.
“It is,” Tania smiles smugly before turning to Louise, “I want you to put them both to rest for an hour or two and give them something warm to drink, will you? I’ll inform his majesty of this and have him question his son later.”
“Wai-” I try to disagree but Tania glares at me.
“Your mother will be with you as well, I promise you. Her Majesty loves her children more than anything else in the world so you have nothing less to expect when his majesty comes to question you.” She left before anyone can say anything else.
I watch where she had left and shake my head, clutching my hair as I try to form some kind of explanation. The third set of memories. Daniel’s memories…. Don’t tell me…
“My Prince, Sir Daniel, please let me guide you to rest,” Louise says. I nod and look to Daniel to find him watching me with a suspicious gaze. It was obvious he was sure I was the cause of this incident this time and I couldn’t deny it. I was almost sure of what this was… but it made no sense.
I clenched my fist and suppressed the anger starting to boil within me. My existence right now, this world, my memories, this incident and the ones before, nothing makes sense. It feels as if I stuck myself in a world full of lies and make-believe.
**************************
“I honestly don’t know what happened father, but I’m sure Daniel Garter has nothing to do with my collapse. He collapsed as well.” My voice remained steady in the face of Father’s expressionless gaze.
It was two hours after the recent incident. Once all the guests were sent off properly, including Duke Garter and Daniel, I was left to face Father’s questioning as said by Tania.
Mother sat beside me on the couch of my room, Louise standing a respectable distance by the door of the room. “ I know you must be nervous, but you need to be clear Eli. You must understand that this time, this incident cannot be easily grazed off of you now.”
“What do you mean Mother?”
Mother raises an eyebrow to Father. “Dear?” She presses.
Father lets out a deep sigh and sags more into the recliner before ex[laining, “Daniel Garter was the other person with you.” He begins, “Duke Garter is already under the suspicion by the other aristocrats, and if words get out that you collapsed in the presence of the Duke’s son than the suspicion towards them will only grow stronger.” I look down and keeps my gaze from reaching anyone else.
I understand what father was saying, I know first hand about this suspicion after all. Daniel’s memory explained his situation and all I could feel is deep anger and resentment, things Daniel feels more strongly.
“There were two assassination attacks in the span of less than a decade. Attempted food poisoning of the second Prince, Avery Dru Sinnette, by a boy named Felix Carter. He came from Duke Garter’s province, being the son of the head maid of his household in fact. And then you have the man who tried to harm you as well during Isabella’s coming of age, do you remember?” Father continues when I nod, “He came from Duke Garters province as well. I suppose you can tell why there’s suspicion by now.”
“But I wouldn’t think anyone would be so obvious about their deviances like this,” I say indignantly.
“I know that. Duke Garter is a clever man, he runs the trading system after all. But it could also be a bluff. Making it seem like he is being framed when he is the actual perpetrator of everything.”
I clench my fists tightly and gnaw on my lips in frustration. Duke Garter is not to blame for these assassination attempts. From Daniel’s memory, I can tell Duke Garter had been put under so much stress that he’s close to breaking, and Daniel’s getting the entirety of it. The death of Daniel’s mother had already made his father a sensitive man and this suspicion is making it a hundred times worse. From sudden anger bursts aimed at him from meager mistakes, such as a misstep in his sword training, or being late to sit for dinner. There were even times Duke Garter got physical, leaving a scar on Daniels forearm caused when the Duke hit him with a horsewhip. This has been happening since the time of the first assassination attempt. None of the servants can help him in fear of angering Duke Garter themselves.
The happiest I can remember him to be was when he had been with Felix. Two children, one a servant under the other, yet it was no denying they were close friends. It was young love. I could just tell from the memories. He had been heartbroken when Felix disappeared from his life, crying silently under his sheets. How would he react when he finds out it had to do with Felix that led his father to get physically abusive.
He’s so alone. So very alone. I can’t stand to be here right now, to be faced with the worry of my own parents when Daniel may as well be facing the anger of his Father right now.
I take a deep before speaking, “I… I think it was because of my aura... It may have already formed.”