Elysia woke up the next morning feeling worse than yesterday, not just because of the conversation she had with the King last night, but her entire body felt like she was hit and stepped on by a racing carriage. She felt even worse when she rose from her bed, a banging headache that made her see stars for a moment.
She managed to take a bath and put on a light blue dress that made her look like a flower, pulling her hair in a neat bun. Even though she felt sick, she did not look it, even her skin appeared better now.
"You seem to be lost in thought Elysia, is there a problem?" Helena asked, smoothening Elysia's dress.
"Not at all, I was thinking of my lessons today." Elysia replied with a smile.
"Alright, you know you can tell me if there is a problem." Helena said.
"I know, Helena. Thank you very much for your kindness. I think I should be heading to the dining room for breakfast." Elysia offered her a genuine smile, she was truly grateful for Helena's kindness and companionship.
"You are welcome My Lady, anyways, I need to attend to something important in the kitchen." Helena announced as she offered a slight bow, walking out of the room.
Being left alone, Elysia let out a breath she did not know she was holding, her bones were aching and she was tempted to lay down and rest her head but she couldn't do that, she needed to move about to avoid being weighed down by her sudden sickness.
As she walked towards the door, her throat began to itch her causing her to cough, Elysia placed her hand over her mouth and coughed twice. When she felt better, she moved her hand away from her mouth and almost fell to her knees as her eyes widened when she noticed thick black blood covering her hand, her fingers began to shake as she stared in shock at the blood on her hand.
"Lady Elysia, the King awaits you at the dining room." Someone said from the other side of the door breaking Elysia from her shock.
"I will be there soon, thank you." Elysia responded in a shaky voice. She pulled out a handkerchief from her drawer, wiping away the blood from her hand. She looked at the mirror and noticed a few drops on her lips, Elysia brought the cloth to her lips and wiped it clean before tossing the cloth into an empty drawer. She took in a deep breath as she told herself that the blood was probably nothing serious.
Elysia stepped out of her room and headed to the dining room, where she saw the King and Princess already seated waiting patiently for her. "Good morning, Your Majesty, Your Highness." She greeted with a slight bow as she turned to the King and the Princess.
"Come sit, we have been waiting for a while." The King said, pointing to the chair beside him.
Elysia offered a small smile as she sat beside the King, her eyes on the table as she tried to ignore the burning gaze on her from the Princess. Even though the food looked so good, Elysia had no appetite for food this morning.
"Princess Renata, this is Elysia, and Elysia, this is Princess Renata of Arcadia." Azreal introduced the ladies with his eyes moving between them.
Elysia could feel the Princess boring holes into her face, "Who is she, King Azreal?" Princess Renata asked, as she placed her hand on Azrael's left hand.
"A guest of mine." He replied curtly as he pulled his hand away from her hold. "The food is going to be cold soon, we should begin eating."
Elysia managed to place some food on her plate before her hand began to shake, she immediately placed her hand on her lap, hiding it from their view. "I want.... " Elysia could not hear anything anymore as her heart was pounding so hard, it was the only thing she heard in her ears. Her hands were shaking and sweat began to break out from her skin, making her want to rip off her dress.
"Are you okay Elysia? You haven't touched your food." She heard the King ask, his eyes fixed on her, while the Princess looked as if she was going to burst in anger.
"I will eat, I just have low appetite this morning." She replied with a small smile. The King narrowed his eyes at her for a few seconds before looking back at the Princess who looked like she was about to claw out Elysia's face.
"I would really like to visit the bread vendor from the market again, his bread was so good that I can still reminisce the taste," Renata said, a gentle smile gracing her face.
"Sevastian would ride with you to the market whenever you are ready." The King said, his eyes on his food.
"I was hoping we would go together, Your Majesty, we did indeed have a wonderful time at the market yesterday." She blushed lightly.
"I told you I would be busy today. I have no time for idle roaming Princess." Azreal said, his eyes moving to Elysia who was just staring emptily at her plate.
"Is there a problem, Elysia?" Azreal asked again, his eyes strained on her trembling figure. He was beginning to get irritated with her just being quiet and distant, he had been looking forward to hearing her voice this morning instead of Renata's annoying voice.
"I.." The words couldn't escape her mouth, it was as if it was stuck in her throat. By now, sweat had covered her skin and she was as white as a paper.
"Forgive me Your Majesty, i--" Elysia raised from the chair and was immediately hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. She couldn't focus on anything as everything began spinning. She felt something wet drip from her nose and then her ear, Elysia raised her hand to touch it, and to her surprise, it was thick black blood that she had seen earlier in the room.
She heard voices around her but couldn't understand what they were saying, she tried to take a step but her stomach felt like it was stabbed repeatedly with a knife. Elysia groaned in pain as she clutched her stomach, she slowly dropped to her knees. She felt hands touching her but she could care less. Elysia felt the sudden urge to vomit and even before she could control it, thick black blood poured from her mouth, staining the white tiles and her dress.