Chapter 24
Seraphina
It took a while for my body temperature to return to normal. Luckily for me, Rhydian didn't notice. Just before he touched me, I had quickly pulled away. If I'd been even a second slower, he would've felt how hot my skin was. Dorian had warned me it was a side effect of the poison.
"Has His Majesty returned?" I asked Irene once I finished bathing. The air was cooler now, and the sky outside had darkened past twilight, but there was still no sign of him. I frowned, wondering where he could have gone.
"No, Your Highness," Irene replied, bowing. "He left with Edmund earlier. He didn't say where they were going."
Her answer was short and polite, but something about it made me pause. I shook the thought away. It was right then that I recalled what the other maids had told me during the time she had taken a day off.
"How is your mother's health?" I asked, softening my voice. Irene froze, looking at me like I'd just said something impossible.
"Your Highness... you're asking about my mother?" she said, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes," I replied, frowning slightly. "The other maids told me she was unwell. Is she better?"
Irene's eyes dropped to the floor, and her shoulders slumped. "She... she doesn't have much time left," she confessed, her voice breaking. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and I realized this was the first time I'd ever seen her like this.
"I might be able to help,I can't heal every illness, but I can try." I said, trying so hard to sound as comforting and soft as possible, I wasn't used to acting so kind and soft, but it actually felt....nice.
Her head snapped up, and her wide, teary eyes sparkled with disbelief. "Your Highness..." Her voice shook, and the tears that had been welling up spilled over. Why did her crying get worse? Shouldn't she be happy there was hope
"Wait—did I say something wrong?" I asked, caught off guard by her reaction.
She quickly shook her head. "No, Your Highness. I'm just... I don't know how to thank you. You've given me hope when I thought there was none."
I shifted uncomfortably, unused to this kind of gratitude. "If you're facing any difficulties, don't hesitate to ask me for help," I said, trying to sound as casual as I could. I knew what it felt like to be helpless, not being able to do anything even if you so badly want to. After all, I watched my parents getting killed right before my eyes and was unable to do anything to save them.
My fist clenched at the memory, my hatred bubbling over. For a moment, Irene just stared at me before she nodded quickly. "I will, Your Highness. Thank you."
"Where is your hometown?" I asked.
"It's close to the Dragon Kingdom," she replied, her voice steadier now.
"Then we'll leave tomorrow," I said, standing up. "I'll inform Rhydian when he returns."
Irene's eyes widened in shock. "Your Highness, you don't have to—"
"It's decided," I cut her off. "We'll go."
She opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it and bowed instead. "Thank you, Your Highness."
I nodded but didn't say more. My thoughts wandered back to Rhydian. Where had he gone? Why did it feel like something wasn't right?
"Your highness, his majesty is back, I hear him coming." Irene said, interrupting my thoughts. I turned to her abruptly, she could hear from that far? As a human?
"How did you you know?" I asked, my brows furrowed.
"I have really good hearing," she replied, giving me an innocent smile.
Before I could say another word, my door flew open, slamming against the wall. Rhydian walked in, his expression colder than usual. The air around him seemed heavier, like he was carrying something he wasn't going to share willingly.
Before I could react, he closed the distance between us and grabbed my wrist. His hold was firm, not painful, but there was no room for argument.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice sharp, but I didn't resist his hold.
He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled me toward the door, his steps quick and purposeful.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, trying to keep up. My heartbeat picked up—it wasn't fear exactly, but there was something about the way he moved, the silence, the tension, that unsettled me.
"Your sister told me you're the only one who can help me," he said flatly, his tone casual as if he didn't just say the most bizarre thing.
Did he just say my sister? He met Freya? I yanked my hand out of his grip, forcing him to stop. His head turned slowly, his piercing gaze locking onto mine.
"My sister!" I said, narrowing my eyes. "You met my sister?"
His lips curved into a smirk, and I hated how handsome he looked with that smirk on his face, why did I have to always notice such little details about him. "She told me an interesting story," he said, taking a step closer.
"What story?" I asked, my voice lowering as I tried to read his expression.
He didn't answer directly. "We made a deal. In exchange for your help retrieving my mother from the Dragon Kingdom, I'll spare your life."
His words froze me in place for a moment. "Spare my life?" I repeated, my brows furrowing deeply.
His smirk widened, and he leaned down slightly, his face too close, and freaking hell...my heart was racing again. "Yes. Don't look so surprised. You came here to kill me, didn't you?"
My eyes narrowed, Jerk. So he knew. He'd known all along. Or had my sister told him? That didn't make sense—why would she? My thoughts tangled as I stared back at him, refusing to flinch.
"If you knew, why didn't you kill me already?" I shot back, my tone defiant.
He tilted his head, his smirk turning almost playful, though his eyes remained cold. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, I wanted to see what you'd do. Watching you try to act innocent has been... entertaining."
My jaw tightened. I hated the way he was looking at me, like he was already three steps ahead, like I was just a piece on a board he was casually toying with.
"Jerk," I said, reaching to punch him...but he caught my fist instead.
"I'll take that as a compliment ," he replied smoothly, clearly enjoying my frustration. "Now, are you done arguing? Or do I need to drag you along again?"
I had a lot more questions, why the hell would Freya make such a deal with our enemy. I was perfectly capable of protecting myself, I didn't need my life to be spared by someone like him. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about."
"Fine," he said, stepping even closer until I could feel the heat radiating from him. "I want to test your strength. If you're going to help me, I need to know you can handle it. Or is that too much for you, Seraphina?"
He was baiting me. I could see it in his eyes. And yet, my pride refused to let me back down.
"Lead the way, Your Majesty," I said calmly, meeting his gaze, my lips curved into a smirk. If he was going to test me, then I was going to show him how much he underestimated me
His smirk deepened, as if he'd gotten exactly what he wanted. "Good. Try to keep up."
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving me no choice but to follow. My blood boiled at his arrogance, but deep down, I hated that his closeness had left my thoughts so scrambled. I hated that I even noticed the warmth of his hand when he'd grabbed me.
I shook off the feeling and steeled myself. I wasn't doing this for him. I was doing this to prove that I wasn't as predictable as he thought.