By the time I came to my senses and fully realized what had just started, he was already beside the bed. He leaned in close, his nose inches away from the drapes.

“May I ask why you have come at such a late hour?” I gave him a look sharper than the features on his face that were hardened by the candlelight.

“Looks like you didn’t take the vitamins the doctor gave you, pity,” he sighed, brushing off my words and sweeping his eyes over to Ryia, who slept soundly next to me. The hint of irritation in his voice told me that I had made the right choice by spitting out that disgusting pill. Instead of moving closer to me, he took a sharp turn around the corner of the bed, dragging his fingers across the bed frame. Once on the other side, he stopped in front of Ryia and reached his hand out to raise the drapes.

“What are you doing?” I snapped at him with a shaky voice. His eyes shot towards me with a piercing glare, as if challenging me to continue speaking.

“I am simply going to take Lady Ryia to her own room so that you can both rest comfortably,” he sneered. I barely knew this girl, but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was planning, but I didn’t trust him enough to let him lay a finger on her.

“While I appreciate the thought, and I’m sure she would too, both of us would much prefer if we stayed in the same room. So, no need to move her. If you have any other plans…”

“Are you trying to accuse me of something?”

“Are you planning on doing something that deserves accusations?”

“Do you forget who you are speaking to? Accusing a member of the royal family without due cause is considered treason. Your words have a weight that you don’t seem to understand.”

I gritted my teeth. He was right, as much as I wanted to snap back again, I would have to bite my tongue for now. Sure, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do here, but I could never figure it out if a sad excuse for a male lead took me out right off the bat.

“Sorry, you are right your majesty, I was indeed speaking out of turn,” I bowed my head, but my eyes still tracked him, “my thoughts are still racing from the events of today, please excuse my rude behavior.”

Sawyer came back to my side of the bed. His arm reached out He pull the drapes away completely, leaving nothing but stiff air between us.

His burning eyes stared me down, “last time I checked, you were the daughter of a drowning count, chosen to be the lady in waiting for Ryia because you were a spineless, mild-mannered girl who would never speak a word unless spoken to. A pretty little marionette doll that only came down off the shelf to tie dresses and pour tea.”

He lifted his hand towards my face but stopped, letting his fingers hover an inch from my chin. As his scowl turned into a smirk, he continued speaking. “I don’t recall you ever getting in my way before, but here you are, trying to challenge me. I admire your confidence and the fact that you’ll defend her, but there are times when you should back down. Maybe that little accident knocked you around to the point where you forgot your place, but I suggest that you find it rather quickly.”

I kept quiet, only giving a quick nod.

“I’ll take that little nod as an ‘understood’.” He stepped back and let the drape fall back into place. He turned and strode back across the room with heavy steps that made the floor creak. I watched his back as he left, waiting for the moment when the light from the hallway disappeared again, and I could finally breathe easily.

“For the record, I was just going to move her, but seeing your feisty attitude has made me change my mind,” he turned his head over his shoulder, “consider yourself lucky, both you and that little brat who works for the Alterio family. You two need to step back into your corners before my patience dwindles away.”

The door finally slammed behind him, and I let out a sigh. My hands trembled as the confidence I had seconds before disappeared. Before falling back onto my pillow, I flipped him off, shaking my hands at the door he’d just left through.

“Jesus,” my head bounced off the pillow, and I turned my head to face Ryia, who was still sound asleep, “why do you have to fall in love with him of all people?” After a few seconds of silence, I threw my hands up in frustration, “and what does he mean by mild-mannered marionette doll?! To be fair, I guess June was kind of like a bland graham cracker that showed up twice. I couldn’t even act like her if I tried.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

I resumed my night-long activity of staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought, “so, I’m the daughter of a failing Count, and what Alterio brat? Who is that?”

Alterio, Alterio, Alterio…

“Lawrence Alterio! So that ‘brat’ Sawyer was referring to must have been Oliver,” I chuckled to myself as the curses Oliver kept mumbling a few hours earlier came to mind, “I can’t believe that prick is royalty either. I should probably thank him officially for saving me, plus it would be fun to see what he’d have to say about Sawyer, seems like he hates him almost as much as I do.”

Ryia stirred a bit, causing my train of thought to be cut off immediately. I stared at her, holding my breath in fear that she had heard me thinking aloud. Nothing I said was that bad, but still… Her eyelashes fluttered a bit, but other than that, she was still sound asleep. It was honestly surprising that she had stayed asleep throughout the whole interaction that had just taken place, and a part of me wished that she would’ve seen it and could begin to understand just how vile Sawyer was. I did end up falling asleep for a few hours, but only after unintentionally memorizing the exact number of gold swirls on each of the ceiling decorations.

Sawyer stomped through the castle halls, only stopping to pound on the door of the doctor’s office. After a few seconds with no response, he opened the door himself and barged in uninvited.

“I thought I told you to knock them both out for the night!” he yelled at the man who was asleep with his head in his desk.

Half-awake, the man doctor groggily responded, “I did, I assure you I used the right drug.”

“That girl was wide awake, so obviously not!”

“Impossible, I watched her swallow the first pill, and with what was put in their food, it should’ve been more than enough. Even if she didn’t take a second pill before going to sleep, she should’ve been fast asleep.”

“How about you prove to me that used the right drug,” he glared at the doctor, a small smile creeping across his lips.

“How can I do that? Here is the bottle I used, is that enough?”

“Take twice, not three times what you gave them.”

“But your highness, a dose that high is-“

“Are you really going to fight against the crown prince’s order?”

❧

“Ryia, do you think that we could spend some time at the royal library today?”

Ryia looked up from the cup of tea she was drinking and responded, “of course, but I most likely won’t be able to join you. His highness has invited me to tea in one of the gardens at noon, and my father would lock me up if I refused, no matter the reason.”

“Huh, really, why?”

“You already know that I’m being considered for the role of crown princess. If I want to win the spot, I’ll have to put in a lot of time and effort.”

“Oh, that’s right, I remember now,” I mumbled. For a moment, it sounded like her voice held hesitation.

“Anyways, once we get ready, we can head towards the library, and I can ask to stop to drop you off there,” she placed her teacup down with a small clink and stepped out of her chair. She walked to the closet and began sifting through the multitude of dresses that were hung up.

“Here, if we want, we can wear matching hair ribbons,” a cheery smile crossed her cheeks, causing any momentary doubt to clear from my mind. Once the table was cleared and we were dressed for the day, we headed out of the room and into the hallway. After our first turn, Sawyer could be seen walking toward us from the opposite direction.

“Good morning, ladies,” instead of waiting to get close enough for a real conversation, he practically yelled his greeting at us.

“Good morning, your highness,” Ryia and I responded in unison. I mimicked her as she gave a small curtsey, trying not to slip on my dress in the process.

“I’ve already told you that there is no need to be so formal with me, Ryia. I’d much prefer if we spoke casually to one another,” he smiled at her.

“Ah, yes, you have said so before. My apologies, I am not accustomed to calling you in such a way. I will try to get adjusted to it as quickly as possible,” despite her warm smile, her words were cold and stiff. She was obviously anxious, and I didn’t blame her. Seeing him again in the sunlight was somehow scarier than seeing him in the dark. Even though his features were much softer in the daylight that was pouring through the windows, they still looked menacing. He couldn’t be much taller than me, only a few inches, but his presence was far greater than mine. I could feel a murky aura twisting around him. I stared at him as he and Ryia exchanged small talk.

“Ryia told me that you would like to stop at the library, is that correct?” he turned his attention to me, and I nodded quickly, caught off guard.

“Yes, please, that would be nice.”

“Of course. Well then, let's get on our way.”

After a few minutes of silent walking, we stopped in front of heavy, dark oak doors.

“Here we are. I’ll leave you on your own now. If you need anything, you can call on the librarian or attendant and they will help you right away,” Sawyer was all too eager to send me away. I was stunned by how little courtesy he showed to a guest, especially in front of Ryia.

“June, please call for me if you start to feel any sort of unwell,” Ryia grabbed my hands in hers, holding them tight for a moment before letting me go.

“Of course,” I smiled, waving to their backs as they walked away. I turned to face the door and rolled my eyes before pushing it open.