3 Rise and shine

Still groggy, Alyssa rose and sat on her bed. She was blinking slowly as she stared at the distance.

There were dozens of people in her room.

Female attendants were rummaging through her cabinets and drawers. They were checking every nooks and corners for any suspicious object. They were wearing gloves for protection. Some were wearing knitted gloves, some leather gloves, and some kitchen gloves. Queen Kathy ordered the task to the group on the last minute. The female attendants did what they had to do to protect them from poison given the lack of time.

Oblivious to her surroundings, Alyssa noticed that she was wearing one of her pink silk pajamas. She did not remember going to bed. The last thing she remembered was talking to her best friend.

The sliding of the drawers made Alyssa's head thump. She felt like she had a hungover, but the only thing she remembered drinking was milk.

Her hair was disheveled, her mouth dry. "What time is it?"

"It's twelve noon, princess." One graciously replied.

She must have slept for an hour or two. Her body felt stiff, the kind you feel whenever you've been stuck in a certain position for long.

"I've got another one. "An attendant reported. She was holding Alyssa's favorite hair pin.

It was a phoenix with six feather tails that has emerald stones on every tip to represent the houses of the kingdom. It was the kingdom's emblem. She likes it because it made her eyes pop out, it brings out the greens in her eyes.

They passed it around on both hands as if it were sacred. And as it reached the head attendant, she sprayed a clear liquid all over its pointy tip. She inspected it carefully for any change of coloration. And satisfied with the result, she wiped the liquid and placed it in a wooden box with all the other inspected objects.

They also found Alyssa's sewing kit and repeated the process on the needles, they put it on the wooden box too.

Satisfied with their work, they left her alone.

They took the wooden box with them. They left her room as if untouched. Everything seemed back into place if one would not look over the details.

Objects that could make her bleed were missing like her scissors, her nail clipper, and her cutter.

Alyssa was not fully aware of what just happened. She felt lightheaded and she decided to take a shower to wake herself up.

She had no appetite to go to the mess hall and eat, and she also had no need to be reminded of what happened earlier.

So she decided to visit Barn, just as she had planned earlier this morning. It was a perfect time to go to the wards as there was no one pestering around her.

She finished taking a shower and was roaming around her room with a towel wrapped around her. She sat in front of her vanity table and opened the bottom most drawer. She grabbed her makeup palettes and placed in on the table. The drawer was empty, she then gently pushed the upper right corner to open a secret compartment. It revealed a hair dryer, a hair straightener, and a hair curler. The female attendants did not notice the secret compartment earlier because if they had, it would have been confiscated too.

She was blow drying her hair at her vanity table. It was one of the things that she snuck in the palace. Alyssa thinks her mother knows about this, but the Queen just let her do whatever she wants. Queen Kathy is not fond of technologies, she prefers to use as few of them as possible. Aware of the Queen's preference, the whole palace tried to fit to her taste. Maybe that's what happens when you have the whole time in the world, there was no need to rush as there was no time to burn. The royal's time simply stopped.

But Alyssa's time was still running, at least for now.

Finished with her hair, she returned everything into place. She wore a floral Sunday dress and reached for her jewelry box and found that all of her earrings were gone. This was the moment she remembered the raid earlier.

"This is overboard." She knew what they did, they removed everything that probably had poison on it.

So she settled for no accessories and went outside her room.

There were more guards rounding the hallway than normal.

They acknowledged her as they passed by. She walked like a turtle for her feet are a little numb. She took one step at a time as she descended the stairs, the wards are one floor below her chambers. She rounded the corner towards the ward section.

There was a guard standing right in front of the door.

She was about to go in when the guard stood in front of her like a wall.

"Step aside." She ordered.

There guard's face was firm. "I'm sorry but you cannot enter, princess."

"I have no time for this." She glared at him. "Move, away."

"But I was ordered by the young duke of Arquall…" The guard stood his ground. "…not to let the princess in."

"You," She glared at him. "Who am I?"

"Princess Alyssa." He offered.

"Then why are the words from some young duke matters more than mine?" Alyssa crossed her hands. "I don't matter, is that it?"

"Oh, you matter princess." The guard looked down directly into her eyes. "A royal that bleeds needs to be protected." He smirked.

Alyssa slapped him on the face. It was a reaction on impulse, she clearly did not intend to do it.

Th guard had hit a nerve. Strange how she was able to pretend for seventeen years that the murmurs in the palace did not affect her, but she was not able to control herself when there is one month left for her ceremony.

Alyssa took a deep breath. "Step aside and I will forgive you for insulting me."

The guard was about to say something when he saw the young duke behind her. The guard was looking back and forth from the princess and to the young duke.

Ziloh gave a nod.

"As you wish, princess." The guard opened the door for her.

And as she entered the wards, she saw Ziloh perched at the railings. Even at the end, it was not her words but his silence that was heard.

But what was more important to her at the moment is old Barn.

She smiled to herself trying to leave behind what just happened beyond the doors.

What was in front of her was rows of empty beds. There were dusts on the chairs and bedside tables. It seemed like none of the attendants and helpers caught a viral infection lately.

It was Alyssa's first time in here. It was not because she never got sick, she would never go to the wards even on the brink of death. The wards are only for the perishables--- the ones that bleeds.

Dr. Natalie was rushing towards her. Well, at least that's what Alyssa assumed, because the doctor was limping her way to Alyssa with those three-inch heels.

"Princess! Are you here for check-up?" Dr. Natalie scanned Alyssa. "Yesterday was a disaster."

"Yesterday?" Alyssa was confused.

Was it not supposed to be earlier today?

"Yes," Dr. Natalie patted Alyssa's head and arms for inspection.

"The prank this time went way too overboard, they must have forgotten that you could have died." Dr. Natalie laughed.

"Right."

"Whoever they are, just forgive them you know," Dr. Natalie led Alyssa to her consultation room. "they must have forgotten that you are not yet… cured."

"Of course."

"So, there's no need to lock yourself up in your room and sulk over something that's obviously meant to be taken as a joke." Dr. Natalie patted Alyssa's back reassuringly.

"Yes, it was pretty obvious that no harm was intended."

She slept for the whole day. And she missed dinner and brunch. People looks like they had a new topic to discuss. Now, she understood the guard's behavior. The attendants and guards hate her for killing one of them for fun. And the royals laugh behind her back for being too sensitive.

Great.

"I'm actually here to visit Barn." Alyssa stated her intention.

"Oh, right." Dr. Natalie said disappointingly. "Just go straight right there, he's in the first room."

"Thank you."

She walked and saw him before he saw her. He was in one of the glass-walled room. He was busy tearing a raw brain through his mouth.

"Barn!" Alyssa tried to push the door a few times. "Barn!" It was locked.

Barn continued to eat his meal.

"BARNY!" Alyssa knocked on the glass door.

Barn finally lifted his head and recognized Alyssa. "Princess Ali." He beamed.

There were chunks of meat all over his mouth and hands.

"I'll just go get the key."

Alyssa was about to go to Dr. Natalie when Barn stopped her.

"Wait! No, no." He wiped his hands on his brown pants. "We can talk through the glass."

"What are you taking about?" Alyssa walked so they faced opposite with each other. "This is ridiculous."

"I…" Barn swallowed. "I don't trust myself to be near you."

"Oh, Barny, Look into my eyes." Alyssa sat on the floor so they could see eye to eye. "You are incapable of hurting me. You will never hurt me. I know that. You know that. We know that."

"No, princess, please this is better." Barny covered his face. "I'm more comfortable if we talk though this." He gestured at the glass wall.

"Alright, okay." Alyssa sighted. "But I just want to let you know that rebirth is messy. I know that…that the first time you opened your eyes, the only thing that mattered was food. The only thing you could think about was your hunger. That I kind of looked like a tasty pig in your eyes." Alyssa tried to lighten the mood. "And I just want you to know that I don't blame you for that."

"Princess Ali…"

"You've always been like a father to me Barny." Alyssa pressed her palms on the glass.

"You're the daughter I wish I had." Barn pressed his hands to hers.

"I am your daughter." Alyssa smiled.

"Then my daughter's not a pig, not even close." Barn smiled back.

"Of course, I know that, my stash of food are alarmingly low now that you're not there to refill it."

"How did you survive without me?" Barn's smile was gone.

"Well, barely." Alyssa sighted.

"What do you mean." Barn frowned.

"Well…" Alyssa turned around to lean on the glass. She told him what happened at the mess hall yesterday up until the conversation she had with Dr. Natalie.

"They should stop doing those pranks, it escalates every year."

"It's fun for them to see me bleed."

"When I'm already settled…from the hunger. I will stick by your side just like always."

"What do you mean? You are not my personal attendant anymore Barny, you're cured now. You're free from that kind of job."

"But who will take care of you?"

"They will hire someone outside the palace for sure."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, someone much younger than you." She teased.

"But no one could do the job better than me."

"No one will ever replace you Barny, ever."

There was a stamp of heels getting closer to them. The owner of the heels appeared after a few seconds.

"Visiting hours are over, Princess Alyssa." Dr. Natalie informed.

"Okay…just one more minute."

Dr. Natalie nodded and walked into her consultation room.

Alyssa sighted. She does not want to go out of here. Which was ironic because she hated the wards. And also, she needed to face that guard again.

"Can we just fast forward time for a month?"

"If only today is your eighteenth birthday, then you could do the rebirth ceremony."

"I would have done the ceremony yesterday. The only thing that's stopping me is that stupid rule."

"But the Queen made that rule."

"Yeah," Alyssa rolled her eyes. "but it's still stupid."

"You have to be an adult to do the ceremony. I'm sorry but I kind of agree with the Queen, the ceremony is morbid for a minor."

"You mean drinking the water of the gods is kind of like alcohol, you need to be eighteen? Is that why the rule was made?"

"No, stabbing yourself in front of thousands of people is kind of obvious to be rated eighteen and above only."

Alyssa suddenly turned around and pressed both of her hands on the glass wall. "I knew talking to you was the answer." Her eyes were wide with excitement. "Thank you, Barny."

Alyssa virtually kissed his cheeks and walked out of the wards.

"What did I say?" Barn wondered to himself.

Barn continued on eating his fifth meal.