The moment the door clicked shut behind Kylian, the weight of the prince's words crashed down on Marius like a heavy stone, suffocating him. His heart pounded, each beat echoing in the eerie silence of the room. For a long moment, he didn't move, paralyzed by the overwhelming fear and disgust that coursed through him.
When his body finally allowed him to act, Marius shot up, his legs unsteady as he scrambled to his feet. His breathing was ragged, and his hands shook as he frantically looked around the room, his eyes landing on a chair by the small writing desk in the corner. Without thinking, he grabbed the chair and dragged it to the door, wedging it tightly beneath the handle. His heart pounded as he pressed his hand against the door, testing the makeshift barrier. It wasn't much, but it gave him a tiny sliver of control in a situation where he had none.
It was only then that he noticed his clothes. He had been changed. His ragged, bloody tunic and pants, the clothes he had been wearing when he was attacked, were discarded in a heap near the bed. In their place, he now wore a soft red tunic and new pants, both bearing the royal family emblem stitched into the fabric with immaculate precision.
A shudder ran through him as he stared down at himself. His mind raced with the implications—someone had undressed him, changed him while he was unconscious, vulnerable. His skin crawled at the thought, a sickening wave of nausea rising in his throat. He backed away from the door, collapsing onto the floor near the bed, his knees pulled to his chest as he sat there, trembling.
Marius tried to steady his breathing, but the panic wouldn't leave him. His mind replayed the prince's words over and over, each one dripping with a sense of ownership that made Marius' skin burn with humiliation. He felt trapped, caged by forces far larger than him, like a pawn in a game he hadn't agreed to play.
Tomorrow… What would tomorrow bring?
The thought made his chest tighten, and he buried his face in his hands, trying to push the images of Kylian's predatory gaze from his mind. The memory of the prince's touch still lingered, as if Kylian's fingers were ghosting over his skin even now. The room felt suffocating, the luxurious surroundings mocking the fear that consumed him.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, but Marius refused to sleep. He couldn't afford to be vulnerable again, not in a place like this. His eyes locked on the door, watching the slight flicker of the candlelight beneath it. Every creak, every distant footstep sent his heart racing, his body on edge, ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger.
His eyelids drooped, but he fought against the pull of sleep, his body protesting with every passing minute. His vision blurred as he continued to stare at the door, his mind growing foggy from exhaustion. The fear of what could happen if he fell asleep gnawed at him, but his body had reached its limit. No matter how hard he fought, his eyes eventually closed, plunging him into darkness.
***
A silky murmur slithered into Marius' ear, jolting him from the depths of slumber. "Hey, beautiful."
Marius' eyelids snapped open. The room spun around him, a kaleidoscope of unfamiliar sights. Gone was the hard, unforgiving floor beneath him. Instead, he found himself nestled in a plush bed, his body barely concealed by a gossamer-thin purple toga that covered his waist to his thighs. The fabric whispered against his skin as he shifted, cool silk sheets sliding beneath him. The air hung heavy and warm, pressing in from all sides like a thick blanket.
Heart pounding, Marius turned his head. His breath caught in his throat. There, mere inches away, lay Prince Kylian. The prince's lips curved upward in a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Those eyes... they glittered with an intensity that made Marius' skin prickle.
Marius' tongue darted out to wet his parched lips. He opened his mouth, but his voice emerged as little more than a trembling whisper. "What... what is going on?"
Kylian's smile stretched wider, revealing a flash of teeth. His gaze raked over Marius, leaving goosebumps in its wake. When he spoke, his voice dripped with honeyed venom. "Your fantasy."
Marius' fingers clutched at the sheets, his knuckles turning white. The room seemed to shrink around him, the air growing thicker with each rapid breath he took.
Marius shook his head, panic rising within him. "This isn't my fantasy," he said, his voice growing more desperate. "I don't want this."
Kylian leaned closer, his breath warm against Marius' skin. "Then why are you dreaming about it?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.
Marius' mind raced, his heart hammering in his chest. "This isn't my doing," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper, his body rigid with fear.
Kylian reached out, his fingers gently lifting Marius' chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "But it is happening, isn't it?" he murmured, his voice soft but insistent. "And you know it is."
Marius' breath hitched, his body trembling beneath the prince's gaze. His mind screamed for him to move, to push Kylian away, but his body felt frozen, trapped in this twisted, surreal moment.
Kylian's eyes darkened, his gaze hungry as he leaned closer, his lips hovering just above Marius'. "You'll want this eventually," he whispered, his voice a dark promise. "There will be competition, but I'll make sure you never forget me."
Marius' body screamed in protest, his pulse pounding in his ears. "I don't want this," he managed to choke out, his voice filled with desperation.
But Kylian didn't stop. His lips moved closer, brushing lightly against Marius', the touch sending a wave of revulsion through him. It was too much, too real.
"No!" Marius screamed, his voice tearing from his throat as he pushed Kylian away with all the strength he could muster.
***
He jolted awake, his body drenched in cold sweat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The room was dark, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the window. He was still dressed in the red tunic and pants, his skin damp with fear.
His eyes darted to the door, where the chair he had placed earlier has disappeared from, only for the chair to be right next to his bed. The door itself was cracked open, just enough to let a sliver of candlelight from the hallway seep through.
Panic gripped him, his heart racing as he scrambled out of bed. Was this still a dream? The lines between reality and nightmare blurred, and Marius couldn't tell what was real anymore. He moved toward the door, his hand shaking as he reached for it, afraid of what he might find on the other side.
But he couldn't bring himself to open it. Instead, he backed away, his body trembling as he returned to the bed. He couldn't trust his own senses anymore, not after everything that had happened.
Marius sat on the edge of the bed, his heart pounding, his eyes fixed on the door. He didn't know what was real or what was a dream, but one thing was certain—there was no escaping this constant nightmare.