The morning air felt refreshing in the summertime. I wanted to sleep a little longer, but a loud knock on the door interrupted my peace.
I struggled to sit up and rubbed my eyes. "Come in," I yawned.
"Good morning, my lady..." the maid greeted, and I tensed up. It wasn't Lisa, but her voice sounded familiar.
I turned to face her, but she avoided eye contact, and I was astonished. I found a sudden burst of energy and leaped out of bed, running towards her.
"Ciara...!" I exclaimed happily as I tightly embraced her.
She looked shocked, her eyes widened with surprise. "My... Lady...?"
"What happened to you? How did you end up here?" I asked after releasing the hug. She looked frail, with rough skin as if she had been deprived of food in the jungle for days.
She smiled sweetly and glanced at me. "Oh, my dear, I'm fine now that I know you're safe and not in trouble. As for how I got here, a masked man brought me here to work for his wife, who I presume is you, his wife."
"How did he manage that?" I inquired. Palace maids weren't supposed to leave the palace since they could reveal secrets about the castle.
"My lady, it's a long story, but all you need to know is that I escaped from the palace, and your husband helped me. He's truly a kind person and seems to care about you as well," she smiled.
"What about Sadia? Is she alright?"
"Yes, my lady. She's doing well."
I nodded happily and took her hand, guiding her to sit on a chair. "I have so much to tell you, Ciara."
"Wait, let's help you bathe while you share your story." She stood up and led me into the bathroom.
I relaxed in the bathtub as Ciara washed my hair. I told her everything that had happened in my life since I arrived here, but I didn't mention the part where he threatened to feed my body to the dogs because I still didn't understand his intentions.
She listened attentively and cleared her throat to speak. "Don't tell me you're still innocent, my lady. Well, for him to have waited for you to be ready, he must care deeply about you. Otherwise, most men would take a woman whether she wanted it or not," she concluded, and my expression turned sour in an instant.
"This isn't fair, Ciara! You're taking his side without even thinking much."
"I don't need to think much, my lady. Your husband is truly one of a kind, and you have to admit he's very attractive. I see how every woman here can't stop swooning over him. Even the married ones still have a thing for him. He must have many mistresses," she said, realizing her mistake when she noticed the sadness on my face.
"I'm sorry, my lady... I didn't mean to make you upset," she apologized.
"It's okay, I'm not upset. It's not like I didn't know."
We continued talking throughout the day, and it turned out to be one of the best moments since I arrived here. I truly needed to thank Regan for bringing my maid back, but where was he?
I hadn't seen him all day, and he never came for dinner. Was he avoiding me?
I stood up and decided to look for him.
"Where is His Highness?" I asked a maid who was wandering in the hallway.
"His Highness is in the stable," she replied, and I found my way there.
****
The door swung open, and the sound of approaching footsteps echoed. Regan didn't bother to look since he already knew who it was.
"Brother," Ivan's spiteful voice rang out as he walked towards Regan. "I heard you came back, so I thought I'd come and give you a warm welcome," he continued with the same tone.
Regan remained silent. He ignored Ivan and focused on feeding his horses.
"Oh... how about you and your wife join us for breakfast tomorrow? We'd love to get a closer look at her," Ivan suggested, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Thank you, brother, but I must not accept that offer," Regan replied politely, the kind that didn't match with the fierce look on his face.
Ivan chuckled and took a few steps closer, standing face to face with Regan. "Oh, brother... Lately, I've been pondering why you seem so different," he paused, his brow raised in disdain. "You're really different, aren't you?" he sneered, the wickedness on his face growing deeper as he awaited a response.
Regan locked eyes with him, and after a moment of silence, he turned and walked away.
Ivan scoffed and nervously licked his lips. "This isn't the end, brother."
The door opened, and I jumped in fear. Regan looked down at me, his gaze piercing, making me nervously bite my lip.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, approaching me.
"I... I was looking for you," I stammered, meeting his gaze.
He sighed and took my hand. "Let's go."
Once we reached our room, he released my hand, and I sat down on the bed, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
I wished I could unhear what Ivan said. I thought they were brothers, but why would someone say something like that to their own brother? Regan was strange. But even though he could be intimidating at times, I never really thought he was different.
"What's on your mind, Nora?" he asked, sitting on a chair, facing me.
I was taken aback for a moment, not knowing what to say, and the fact that he knew what I was thinking was frustrating.
"Why do you call me Nora? I mean, it's Alanora," I questioned, ignoring his inquiry.
He looked at me, and a faint smile formed at the corner of his lips. "I don't know... I just think it suits you better," he said, but I wasn't entirely satisfied. He couldn't simply call me that just because he thought it suited me more. But either way, I kind of liked it.
Silence filled the room again. I had so much to say, but I was scared of his response. The silence was engulfing and uncomfortable.
"Um..." I cleared my throat to see if it was safe to speak. When his expression remained unchanged, I continued. "About what you said last night..."
"I'm sorry if I scared you," he interjected before I could finish.
"No... You didn't scare me. It's just that... If you really want to do those things to me, then why do you keep pushing me away and then making me want you, and..." I trailed off, looking away.
Goodness, I had never felt like this before—so many emotions in just a few hours.
"You know I meant everything I said. I'm not pushing you away, Nora. You're scared of me. I promise I will never hurt you, but sometimes I'm not myself..."
"What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath and stood up. "It's nothing. Let's just go to bed."