Jacquelyn's cheek felt the gentle caress of something wet, and she frowned, trying to turn onto her side, but her body wouldn't budge.
"Uh...Grisie, let me sleep some more...close the curtains, please..." she groaned, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the warm sunlight. With her free hand, she searched for the bed cover to snuggle deeper, but instead, her fingers brushed against nothing. "Grisie..." she muttered, but the only response was the melodic chirping of birds and the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.
As she slowly opened her eyes, the bright sunlight made her squint. But as her vision cleared, she realized she wasn't in her bed or even in a room. She was outside, suspended in mid-air, with no sign of her luxurious bedchamber. Her gaze widened in shock as she took in her surroundings she was
Hanging on a tree!
"Grisie!!!" the girl shouted; her eyes widened with utter shock. With her loud shriek the birds that were sitting on the branches flew away. "Help me!! Somebody please!!!"
Jacquelyn's scream filled the whole place, her mind wasn't able to work at the moment. All she wanted was for someone to bring her down from the tree.
"Please save me!!" Jacquelyn screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing off the castle walls. But as she heard the soft creak of the branch above her, she froze, holding her breath. The twig-like sound was a stark reminder that any further movement would send her plummeting to the ground. She remained still, her heart racing, as she slowly scanned her surroundings.
To her surprise, she found herself still within the castle walls, the same one she had arrived at just a day prior.
"What is going on? How did I get here? Last night, I was..." Jacquelyn's thoughts trailed off as she struggled to piece together the events of the previous evening. She remembered leaving Ballister in the kitchen, retiring to her room, and changing into her nightgown... but everything after that was a blur.
Jacquelyn touched her dress; she was still wearing the shirt she had changed into but her feet was now bare. Which means someone took her away just the way she was and hung her on the tree.
"But who?" Jacquelyna sked herself, "I should really stop sleeping too deep." the girl muttered, letting out a tired sigh.
As minutes passed, and no one was coming to help her and knowing that moving too much would only cause her to fall roughly. The girl became tired, with a frustrated sigh she closed her eyes resigning to her fate.
When Jaquelyn heard someone's footsteps, her eyes shot up quickly. There she saw Ballister making his way outside the castle.
"Ballister!" Jacquelyn screamed for help.
The boy who had come out to dig up a space for bodies his master brought the previous night after killing off the princess, was even more shocked to see the same girl who was supposed to be dead calling his name.
"Is that your ghost?" Ballister asked, "H-have you turned to a lost soul? a tree spirit...no.."
Jacquelyn's frown deepened, unsure if Ballister had a fascination with lost souls and ghosts as he always talked about it. She disregarded his question, stretching her hand out in desperation.
"Ballister, please bring me down..." she pleaded, her voice laced with fear. With her free hand, she attempted to modestly cover her legs with the shirt that was fluttering in the morning breeze like a flag.
Ballister's gaze fell upon the spade he was supposed to use for digging to bury the bodies his master brought the night before. Last night's light torture still lingered in his memory, and he knew his master's mercy was fleeting. If he chose to help the girl again, he risked facing his master's wrath. Yet, as he looked up at Jacquelyn's distressed face, he felt pity for the girl.
"Ballister, what are you waiting for-" Jacquelyn's voice trailed off as the branch creaked again, the snapping sound sending a shiver down her spine. She gulped nervously, her eyes fixed on the daunting height of the tree. "If I fall, I'm going to die..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
Fear took hold of her soul, what started as soft sobs turned into loud, despairing wails that would irritate anyone especially the pureblooded vampire king that was having his morning rest after a night of good hunt.
Ballister winced, knowing his master's detest for noise. "Don't cry... you need to stay quiet, if you want me to help you," he urged, trying to reason with her. But Jacquelyn was beyond consolation, her thoughts consumed by the prospect of death.
"Ballister... I don't want to die on the second day of being a wife," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "It will prove that I'm really cursed. I want to have children, watch them grow... experience a lifetime of love and happiness." Her voice cracked, her body shaking with each convulsive sob.
Ballister pressed his lips tightly, he didn't know why but he felt great pity for the princess and for someone so innocent she was also careless but that was just all. She wasn't an evil person unlike-
"Ballister,"
The voice of Kael sent cold shivers down Ballister's spine, and to think he was about to badmouth him made it even worse for the poor boy's heart.
"M-master," Ballister stuttered, swallowing with force.
Kael grinned, sucking his teeth. "A little bird told me that you were going to do something else other than cleaning,"
"No! Master!" Ballister shook his head, before he disappeared inside the house to continue his work leaving the princess at the mercy of his master.
Kael's eyes followed the young boy until he disappeared inside the house then he turned to the girl on the tree who was disturbing his peaceful morning. The previous night he had reconsidered letting her drop harshly so he decided to let her hang outside and to his surprise the girl slept peacefully throughout the night.
Jacquelyn stopped wailing the moment she saw Kael. "Please bring me down, husband."
Kael hummed, now takiing casual steps towards the girl, "Husband?"
"I know, I already heard about it... your love for another woman but I'm not going to give up on you!" Jacquelyn nodded firmly.
Kael's eyebrows arched, "You heard, did you?" his brow furrowing slightly as he drawled "I wonder from whom."
Jacquelyn's expression remained stern, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Does it matter who told me? The truth remains, you're sleeping with another woman while your wife is under the same roof. I'll forgive you this once, but don't think for a moment that this will become a habit." She harrumphed, her lips pursed in disapproval.
Kael rubbed his tongue subtly over his fangs, his gaze fixed intently on the girl as he tried to figure out her true intentions. She didn't try to kill him and now she spoke to him so casually. There were only two explanations, either the girl was feigning innocence, or she was simply naive.
"Do you know who put you there?"
Jacquelyn nodded, "Yes! It was you, because I found out about your other woman...no?" her voice softened when she saw the hard stare of Kael.
Kael hummed, still looking at the princess. She was really an odd one, her heartbeat was steady which only means she wasn't faking her ignorance. As he continued to look at her, Kael's eyes fell on her legs that was barely covered and how his shirt covered the girl's form.
Jacquelyn feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her, tried to use her hands to cover her legs but as she moved her body, the branch finally snapped.
"Waaaa" Jacquelyn screamed as she fell from the tree.
Kael observed with a relaxed, nonchalant expression the girl's tumble from the tree as if it were a normal thing. All that concerned him at the moment was why the girl wasn't afraid of him, but the only plausible explanation was that maybe she didn't know what he was.
Jacquelyn continued to scream, as she got closer to the ground. She realized that the man in front of her wasn't going to help her. She started crying again, bracing herself for the impact. But just before she hit the ground, someone caught her, wrapping their arms around her neck and breaking her fall. She gasped, her tears of fear mingling with relief.
Kael's humming ceased as he gazed at Jacquelyn, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Being stupid just saved you, little ferret," he said, his voice low and husky, before releasing his grip on her collar. Jacquelyn's feet touched the ground, and she stumbled, but quickly regained her balance.
Surprising everyone including herself, Jacquelyn flung her arms around Kael's waist, embracing him tightly. "Thank you, husband!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with relief and gratitude.