Pain. Raw, searing pain shoots through every part of my body as consciousness returns. My eyes flutter open, but I still can't see anything. There's just pure darkness surrounding me. What's happening? Where am I?
My last memory floats hazily into focus. I was lounging on my bed, mindlessly scrolling through TikTok until my eyes started drooping. But this... this isn't my bed. The surface beneath me is too soft, the mattress unfamiliar. The sheets feel smoother, silkier against my skin, as if they're made of something far more luxurious than my usual cotton blend.
I try to move but instantly regret it. My muscles scream in protest, as if I've been beaten all over. Even breathing hurts.
Gritting my teeth, I attempt to push myself up anyway. My arm trembles with the effort, and in the process, I accidentally knock over something beside me. A loud crash follows, the sound sharp and jarring, making my already throbbing headache even worse. My breath catches. A nightstand? I can't be sure. I can barely see anything.
Footsteps rapidly approach from somewhere outside. The door bursts open, and a flickering light appears—a candle, its glow cutting through the darkness. I instinctively squeeze my eyes shut against the sudden brightness, then force them open again, squinting as my vision slowly adjusts. As my vision clears, I can make out the figure of a petite girl in a maid's uniform who can't be older than seventeen. The dim light illuminates her hazel eyes and heart-shaped face that's filled with worry as she peers into the room.
"Prince Lucas, are you okay?" she calls out tentatively, taking a few careful steps toward me as the candlelight in her hand flickers.
Prince Lucas? What is she talking about? I try to ask, but as I open my mouth, something feels off in my throat. No words come out.
The maid hesitates, her movements slow and deliberate as she inches closer. When she reaches the edge of the bed, she leans forward, her free hand extending toward me. "Your Highness? Can you hear me?"
I want to ask who she is, where I am, why she's calling me that—but the pain is overwhelming, and dark spots are already dancing at the edges of my vision.
"Prince Lucas?" She gently shakes my shoulder. "Please say something, Your Highness."
When I still don't respond, she leans closer, her voice growing more urgent. "Prince Lucas? Your Highness? Please, you're frightening me..."
Her fingers graze my forehead, only for her to jerk back in surprise with a gasp. "You're burning up..." Her voice rises in pitch, taking on an edge of panic. She spins toward the door, her candlelight flickering wildly. "Help! Please! Anyone! Something's wrong with the prince!"
Her scream rings down the hallway, the desperation in her voice undeniable. For a moment, there's only silence. Then hurried footsteps respond, growing louder by the second. The room floods with additional light as several people carrying lanterns rush in. My vision is growing blurry, but I can make out guards clad in medieval-style uniforms and an older woman in more formal servant's attire.
"His Highness isn't responding," the young maid explains frantically. "I heard a crash and came to check on him, but he won't speak or move!"
The older woman quickly takes charge, barking orders. "Send for the Royal Physician immediately! And bring more light. We need to see what's wrong!"
Someone presses a cool hand to my forehead. "He's burning up," a voice says urgently.
"Clear the room! Give him some space!"
The voices and movements around me start to blur together. I feel hands carefully checking my pulse, touching my face, trying to get a response from me. But the pain is too much now. Everything feels distant, like I'm slowly drifting away.
The last thing I can register is the young maid's frightened face hovering over me, her lips moving in words that I can no longer hear. Unconsciousness claims me again, pulling me into its merciful embrace…
When awareness returns, it comes in fragments. Hushed voices discuss symptoms I don't understand. Cool cloths are pressed against my burning skin. Someone carefully tilts my head, coaxing me to drink something bitter. But each time, the pain drags me back under before I can fully wake.
Time loses all meaning in this hazy state between consciousness and oblivion. I drift in and out, catching snippets of conversation:
"...is the antidote working?"
"...the poison is too strong..."
"...guard the door, no one enters without..."
Poison? The word tries to take root in my muddled brain, but I can't hold onto it for long. The pain makes it impossible to think clearly.
Sometimes, I can hear the young maid's soft voice, though I can't make out her words. Other times, there is only silence, broken occasionally by the rustle of movement nearby.
The pain ebbs and flows, sometimes receding just enough that I think I might finally wake fully, but only for it to crash over me again, more brutal than before. My body feels like it's being torn apart and rebuilt, over and over again, with every nerve ending on fire.
I try to make sense of it all. Why do they keep calling me Prince Lucas? Where am I? What happened to me? The questions slip away just as quickly as they form, lost in waves of terrible agony pulling me under.
Before I can process anything more, another surge of pain tears through me. My back arches off the bed, my limbs convulsing. Voices rise in alarm, hands press against my shoulders and legs, trying to keep me still.
"Hold him down!"
"He's seizing!"
Someone forces something between my teeth, probably to stop me from biting off my tongue. My jaw clenches instinctively around it, the rough texture pressing against my gums as a muffled groan escapes my throat. My every nerve screams, every muscle locks in place. The pain finally reaches an unbearable peak, filled with a raw, tearing agony that feels like it might never end.
But then, mercifully it does, and unconsciousness finally claims me.
Something tells me that when I wake next, nothing will ever be the same again.
Author's Note:
I'll be posting one chapter a day, up to chapter 5 on here!
But if you can't wait to see what happens next…
You can read the entire book for FREE until April 22, 2025 on here:
👉 www.amazon.com/dp/B0F59XQ7DC