Alyssane found herself in someone's arms, surrounded by the brush of a familiar soothing scent that reminded her of the wilderness and rain. With each breath, it dulled away the pain and the confusion, leaving her yearning for more and more.
'Kazmun?'
She thought as the exhaustion grew worse.
Her fingers weakly curled, but before the regret could wash upon her, her wavering grasp on her consciousness slipped away, plunging her back into a feverish slumber.
This time, there was no emptiness.
But a lush garden blooming with fireflies and night flowers that shimmered in the darkness. She was eight again, laying under a giant willow, bathing under the moonlight, while her mother's hands threaded through her hair.
In her soft voice, low and so easily enchanting, she told Alyssane the stories of the faeries and magic. Nothing bad happened.
When Alyssane woke up, the morning was a shade of deep blue―alive with the chirpings of birds, and the brush of gentle breeze seeping through closed curtains.
'It's been so long…' she whispered, the calm of her dream faded as she blankly stared at the ceiling, 'Why did I dream of that all of a sudden?'
She had forgotten all soft memories with her mother, what remained was buried in some dark frozen place, and she always tried too hard to keep things that way.
And now as the shadow of her mother's presence lingered, everything suddenly felt too much. Alyssane had spent years isolating herself from the world, she grew used to it, and it kept her safe.
It was the only right thing.
But suddenly, the fleeting bliss of the dream left her feeling more alone than ever. Her heart burned with a bitter ache.
'There is no one left,' her mother's voice whispered.
'No one to live for.'
Alyssane closed her eyes, and a lone tear escaped as she tried to shut those thoughts out. She tried to think of something else, but nothing was less painful than the emptiness.
The loneliness.
She kept her eyes closed as the sun started to rise, and some tiring hours passed by. The sounds of the chirping birds were enough, she focused on them and she became numb to the memories.
The fever had been too sudden.
Whenever she had fainted in the past, no one in Pearl Manor had ever cared to do anything. Sometimes the guards would leave her in the shed or her chambers, whichever was close. Alyssane was not bothered.
She would faint and wake up feeling fine. What was there to worry?
But now as she remembered the way Kazmun held her before she could fall, how her dress gently swayed as he carried her to her room, the emptiness seemed to dim.
'Why would you?'
And her mind was more confused and conflicted than ever.
With a frustrated sigh, Alyssane got up from the bed and tied up the more frustrating messy expanse of her hair. The door abruptly opened when Alyssane was in the middle of wearing her outer gown.
She froze and looked at Taryn with wide eyes.
"Ah, you're awake," he walked in with a carefree smile, "How come you fall sick so often, Alyssane? Has someone cursed you too?"
"Maybe you did," she murmured, frowning when she realized that it was unusually noisy outside the windows.
Taryn only chuckled.
Alyssane had a fragile health since a young age. It became worse after her mother passed, and soon the people around her didn't allow her to ever heal. But she was not dead somehow and that kept her from worrying too much about her health.
The noises were harder to ignore.
Even though the city had been louder lately, the early mornings were still supposed to be quiet. Alyssane ignored Taryn and pushed aside the curtains.
A slight crease appeared between her brows at the sight.
"There are rumors," Taryn said, joining her on the window, "That the curse has completely vanished."
Alyssane gripped the windowsill tightly, the people were not only freely walking down the streets, but they were decorating it with colorful flags and strings of lights.
'Are they seriously celebrating now?'
She remembered all the horrid details she had read in those two texts, and the bitterness started to grow worse. 'Are they really sure the curse had vanished?'
"But there is no cure…" Alyssane said after a while. No one was supposed to survive. What changed this time?
"Fascinating how easily they have lost their fears," Taryn's lightly chuckled, "One moment of peace and they think they are invincible."
Alyssane said nothing to that.
She wanted to ask more about what was happening in the city, but their last meeting was still fresh in her mind. He was another person she wanted to keep her distance from.
"Want to know what I think?" Taryn lowered his voice, watching her with unreadable eyes.
Alyssane softly sighed and left the window, focusing her thoughts on more relevant things. Perhaps she should let Kazmun know about the two things she found out.
She also wondered about the diary.
'I saw a ghost―a demon in white robes.'
Her steps slow down, 'That must be his imagination…'
The diary seemed to belong to a boy, one who lived in the Imperial Palace to witness it most haunting night. The whole capital was bathed in blood, but the palace suffered the worst―half the people died, including some from the royal family.
Taryn waited for her response as his smile faded into a frown. Without warning, he seized her hand in a swift, nearly silent move.
"Tsk," he chided, his voice a feigned concern, "No wonder the Lord finds you intriguing, you are as cold and indifferent as him."
Alyssane tensed up, and his hold around her softened in a second.
Taryn mused, "And you've been reading those boring books tirelessly… Do you truly believe he'll set you free so easily?"
Alyssane freed herself from his grasp, not feeling like saying or staying in that room any longer. She was not so hopeful to ever place her faith in anyone so easily, and she was not interested in knowing Taryn or the strangeness that always lingered in his words.
But she was not sure if she wanted to go back to the study either. She was sure of nothing.
"You act quite lifeless, Alyssane." Taryn sighed, his voice barely audible, bored.
He started to walk away with those words but he paused near the door, and gave her a last glance, "Have you been to the bathing chamber of the third story?"
She blinked, puzzled.
"The steam bath there might be great for your health," he added and left with a disappointed and disinterested look.
'Am I even allowed there?'
Alyssane decided to go to the upper stories and find out. Surprisingly, none of the knights stopped her. It left her feeling strange, and apprehensive.
'Why no one told me the restrictions were reduced?'
On the topmost floor, there were no knights or anyone else. The staircase opened to a large corridor. Every part of the tavern had been luxurious, but this floor seemed to be carved out from a dreamy castle.
There was a large hallway, it's one side saw only three doors far apart, while on the other side, there was a long balcony garden.
'Perhaps this whole floor is dedicated to bathing chambers….' She wondered, recalling how the rich were known to have elaborate halls and palaces just for the bath of one person.
Alyssane cautiously walked through the first door.
There was a cozy resting room that she didn't wish to see any longer, it was attached to a changing area that was lined with ornate mirrors, wardrobes, and furniture.
'Such waste of space…' Alyssane thought with mixed feelings.
She removed her clothes, took a towel from there, and then quickly stepped into the main bathing chamber. There was a steamy haze filling the air.
In the center of the intricately designed chamber, there was a circular pool.
Alyssane cautiously dipped her toe into the water. It was pleasantly warm. Swallowing nervously, Alyssane descended into the pool. Each step deeper into the water melted away the sore ache of her body.
And then she heard footsteps.