My body was loaded with rocks. And when I tried to get up, piercing pain stabbed at my arms rippling throughout my leaden frame like a wave of acid. I thought I had too much sleep and cramps were eating on me because it felt exactly just like another morning.
Except that,
"Princess!"
"Princess! Call the doctors!!"
Someone shouted into my ears. When I managed to lift the eyelids, I saw Shaph rush out and Jes smirk at me, saying. "Fate really favors you, doesn't it?"
Shaph was back with three doctors and Sharon. The head maid propped me up with extreme caution stuffing cushions after cushions behind my back. My right side was wrapped in bandages. The pain seemed to initiate from there.
"There's a slight fever," the royal doctor said. "blood pressure..."
He was interrupted by the arrival of Princes. Being the smallest, Elise pushed in first as always. Their voices asking how I was overlapped one another irritating my eardrums. Even Jes had to draw back to the window pressing both sides of his head tight with his palms.
"Princes!" Shaph spoke at the top of his lung. "And Princess Elise! Please lower your voices!"
That did it and I felt much better. Doctors took more notes and said that the fever was probably because of the wound. They prescribed more medicines and left to prepare them. Still feeling somewhat groggy, my eyes drew into a slit at the row of Princes and a Princess. The whole lot of them was here, except Leon.
Fayn came to the bed. Other Princes saw and did likewise. "How are you feeling?" The King asked dolefully. "I was horrified seeing you laying in blood."
Shaph dug his way in too. He was in tears. "Princess, I was so scared! I thought I'd lose you!"
That made Elise cried too and Eldrin, Jared, and Prince Valentine looked gloomy, or was that just faking? Only Philip was smiling and said. "Fortunately Shaph and Fayn found you, otherwise—" oh, his expression suddenly tuned in with others.
I looked at my steward who was sniffing and Fayn. "I heard your voice." Shaph said twitching his long rabbit ears. "King Fayn too. So we came out to see what happen and oh!" he plunged into a big cry again. It was so unlike Shaph I had been with all along.
"I have to thank the Beastskin's special ability this time." Jared said, his brows knitting tight.
I wanted to reach out to Shaph to calm him down but both my arms hurt like hell, and I felt too tired to put up a good facade. So I attempted a mere smile. "Thank you so much everyone."
Shaph cried harder. Sharon asked the Princes to let me rest. Fayn looked like he did not want to leave, if it was not for Ben coming for him for an urgent work again, he wouldn't reluctantly get up. Philip too, but a contact from his Kingdom peeled him away from the room. Sharon was able to convince Elise, Eldrin, and Prince Valentine to go. In the end, there was only Jared left staring at me with his monstrous white eyes.
"If this guy can stay here, I will too!" said Jared pointing at Jes.
"But—Master Jes's helping Shaph—" Sharon was at her wit's end.
"I don't care." Jared said. "I'm going to look after Kara!"
Something tickled my throat and I went into a harsh roll of cough. A twinge went up my nerve each time and I felt like my body was going to disintegrate. I did not know how I look but Jared announced that he would leave me to rest after that. Maybe bad. Sharon seemed relieve and she helped me drank some water.
"Princess—" Shaph was still crying.
"Stop crying Shaph." Jes said unfeelingly. "She's not even a princess."
"Could you please not say that Master Jes!" Shaph riposted.
I ignored Jes and asked, "Where's Prince Leonhard anyway?" It had been worrying me. He attacked me but he did not seem to be himself. I suspected he was under some kind of spell.
Jes quickly responded to my question. "Oh, now you're asking for another guy? Aren't those Princes enough for you? Anyway, he's gone."
"Gone?" I tried to raise my voice.
"He almost killed you." Jes said. "It's only normal that he would run back home."
"But—" I was totally in shock. "he wouldn't..."
"Aren't those bandages enough evidence?" Jes had a smug smile on.
"But why?" I said thinking of the time when Leon and I were talking cheerfully on a peaceful morning with the animals untroubling from any headaches of the world. He said that we should be friends.
"You are an ignorant, aren't you?" Jes said dragging a chair and sat down beside my bed. Sharon was trying to calm Shaph down from sadness and anger. "You're a 'Princess' but you know nothing of the Aeca bloodline."
"I'll know if you tell me." I said, did not add that he had just said I was not a 'Princess' earlier. This kind of guy needed an adult attitude to deal with. That was what I learnt from trying to manage a company.
Jes shrugged. "I'll tell you," he said, "because you're so unknowledgeable." Shaph was clenching fists at the corner of my eyes. "What happen when Magic settles down?" He began with a question.
I don't know. "World peace?"
"That's a brainless answer." Jes said trying to offend me as much as possible. But I would not let him do that. Being a salesman had given me toughness, I was almost resistant to every emotion, especially those bad ones people try to dump on me. "I mean what happen to Magic after it's settled down? I guess you don't know. Well, it merges with natures."
"With air, creating Magic dust in Mithril. By merging with rocksand soils, Earth in Witrin turned into jewels and Magic crystals. In Edurne, it suffuses into waterhardened the liquid into ice." I listened to him attentively because he spoke really fast and there was an unfamiliar name. "In Azmera, it goes into plants. Their Ancient Forest is like the forest of giants, if you have a chance you should go visit. But, you wouldn't because you have to go back as soon as I find the real Princess." Oh, he's so sarcastic! But I don't mind since he's the type to rebuke before talk, "What about Cimon and Keon?" I quickly interjected with a question.
"Those are lands with a bunch of talented people," said Jes, "nothing relating to any of these, stupid." Alright, stupid, but got information, I'm happy with that.
Jes counted his fingers. "Next is Bila, Magic merges with sunlightthere. You at least must know about the Light of Bila, right? And last in Aeca, Magic decides to go with living things."
"Animals and humans." Jes became serious, voice dark, brows tying a knot. "It's so against the nature. In the end, it created those Beastskin. Even though they can't use magic, they're freakish strong." Now, he was offending Shaph.
"I think they're kind of cool." I said smiling at Shaph and he smiled back.
Jes disregarded me. "Have you notice that despite being a Beastskin, that Prince of Aeca has no animal traces?"
I had a feeling that Jes was about to reveal what Fayn and Master Derek had not told me. I strained my ears hoping I could have learnt it before this happened.
"It's because their human and animal portions are imbalance. The whole family goes mad on full moon. Only the power of the people of the Dry World—which you do not possess—could suppress the Magic in them." Jes tried to mock me every possible way he could. "You're from there but you're so useless."
"Master Jes," Shaph said through his grinding teeth. "Even if you're Master Derek's grandson, I wouldn't hold back if you say one more thing to upset Princess Kara."
"Does she brainwash you?" Jes said arrogantly. "You keep calling her Princess."
"She is," said Shaph facing Jes without fear. "For now. And she's a good person."
"I don't like it too. You shouldn't say bad things to Princess when she's helping us." Sharon sided with the steward.
"Help?" He snorted, rolling his eyes in a full circle. "She's doing nothing but pretending to be thePrincess. Using this grand bed room, putting on Princess's beautiful dresses, eating good foods, lazing about the palace."
Sharon stepped closer to Jes. "She gives us hope. All of us. In this world."
The air among those three tensed up. Jes's face muscle went stiff. "A maid shouldn't speak—"
"Master Jed," I threw myself in the quibble thinking what we needed now was teamwork not this. Jes widened his eyes very slightly at the way I pronounced his name. "rather than talking to us here, wouldn't you go and find Princess Carla? I'll get to go back, get out of your way sooner too."
Jes made a grunt and left. I sighed and embraced the peace that returned to my room. Sharon and Shaph both gave me an expression of admiration. "Master Jes is all talk." Shaph retorted, "Even though he's a Sorcerer. He can't open the gate!"
"Why not!?" I was surprised to hear this news.
"Magic has somewhat become slightly loose Princess. But do not worry, we are working on it very very hard." Shaph said.
"Princess you should rest." Sharon helped me lying down. "I'll bring you some porridge."
"Thank you."