Gene opens her eyes to a dark room, the silver moonlight is the only thing illuminating it. She leaves her bed and wears her robe. She has no idea how late it is so she doesn't want to ring for Veda. She walks out of her room and decides to head downstairs.
'It must be really late, it's very quiet.'
She walks down the dimly lit hallways when she suddenly hears giggling. Curious at the odd sound rarely heard in the palace, she follows it till the prince's room. An uneasy feeling takes hold of her as she gets closer to the sliver of light escaping from the ajar door.
Gene looks through the slight opening and freezes at the sight. A woman is sitting on the prince's lap. She can't tell who she is, but Brandt is smiling and whispering something in her ear.
'What the hell is going on?'
"You know, you never thanked me," the woman utters as she walks to one of the large windows, her back still to Gene. "Do you know how much trouble I went through to procure those shoes?" she adds.
Brandt pushes to his feet and strides to join the woman. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her from behind.
"Thank you." He kisses her neck.
Gene yanks the door open with such force that it hits the wall. The loud bang gets both their attention.
"What is the meaning of this?" she spits.
"Oh, you are awake? It took you long enough," the woman speaks first.
'Long enough?'
"You have been unconscious for almost a month," she answers her unspoken question.
"A month?"
"Well, I should be thankful." She squeezes her arms around Brandt's waist. "Because of that, the king granted us permission to marry."
"What?" Gene looks at the prince who is gazing at her with empty eyes. "Do you have anything to say?" she asks him.
"I do not," his words are a slap to her face. She feels warm tears race down her cheeks as her insides are torn.
"Lady Siv," a male voice comes from behind her. When she turns, she finds a young man, dressed in black, staring at her with wide honey eyes.
"Who are you?"
He takes a step closer and puts his cold hands on each side of her face.
"What are you—" Gene tries to take a step back, but his hands don't budge.
"Wake up," he whispers.
"What?"
"Open your eyes, Lady Siv."
"What are you saying? My eyes are open."
He pulls her face even closer to his and puts his forehead on hers. "Wake up." His voice echoes.
Gene slowly opens her eyes and sees the prince, sleeping on a chair next to her bed. The emotions from the nightmare haven't disappeared, though. She feels moisture in her eyes that she quickly wipes.
'Thank God, that was just a dream.'
She sits up and her shuffling wakes Brandt up.
"You're awake," he blurts, half asking and half relieved.
The morning light hitting the back of his head makes his expression even darker. He takes her hand and brings it to his forehead.
"What happened?" she asks.
"There was a spell put on those shoes," he answers without looking up.
'A spell? What in the world?'
"Why would a sorcerer want to hurt me?"
"Someone probably hired them."
Gene allows the information sink in. The first person that comes to mind is Princess Hella. Then, she remembers reading the duchess' lips as she spoke to her friend at the ball. She thought it was far-fetched at the time, but she did say she wished that Siv had died in that riding accident. The third possibility would be that the king never had any intentions of giving her a chance.
"I am sorry," the prince mumbles.
"Why are you sorry?" She caresses his hair.
"Because I couldn't protect you." he finally looks up. "You wouldn't wake up for the past three days. The thought of you never waking up again…" He stops as if the thought brought too much agony to even speak of. "I promise I will find who was behind it, I will personally tear them apart."
"Brandt." His name rolls off Gene's tongue. She takes his face between her palms. "I love you." His eyes widen in shock, then they soften.
Gene isn't sure whether the feelings are hers of Siv's, but she thought that she might as well get used to this life if there is no going back to her world.
"I love you more," Brandt utters before claiming her lips in the most passionate kiss. A kiss straight out of the climatic scene of a romantic movie. When they pull away from each other, they are left breathless and craving more.
'This is for the best.'
"Are you feeling well enough to leave your bed?" he asks.
"I think so."
"Then, why don't you freshen up and change so we can join the family for breakfast."
"Sure," she says reluctantly.
"I will come back in an hour to take you." He kisses her head and leaves.
Veda comes in running just a brief moment after that. "My lady, you are finally awake." She kneels by her bed. "I was so worried."
'I can't believe I was out for three days. That's some powerful magic.'
"Thank you Veda. I am feeling good now," she reassures her.
Gene takes a much needed bath before Veda helps her get ready. As promised, the prince is at her door exactly an hour later. He offers his arm and they make their way to the dining hall. When they arrive, Brandt's parents and siblings are already eating breakfast.
"It's so good to see you up and well, dear," Ylva comments with a warm smile after Gene greets everyone.
"I agree." The king also smiles. "Please, have a seat." She takes a step toward the table but Brandt holds her in place.
"I would like to clarify something first," the prince announces. All four heads turn their direction. "Father, Lady Siv is the only woman I want to marry."
'Where did this come from?' Gene feels her cheeks heat up at his words.
She looks at Brandt, his jaw is clenched and his eyes are serious and unwavering. Then her eyes travel to the king who is being challenged. His eyes bore into his son's face with a deep frown.
The tension is palpable. It's like the moment right before two lions get into a deadly fight. Then, the unexpected happens. The king busts out laughing, his voice echoing in every corner of the room.
"Well son, you have finally decided to fight for what you want."
'Huh?'
*********
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