11 Lerrin’s Secret

Mia twisted and turned while sleeping. Her dreams were filled with blood and gore as she watched more people dying and screaming in agony for help. More specifically, they were screaming for her help.

Mia was dressed in her black dress from the feast, but the fabric was torn and hanging off her shoulders. She also had no shoes and seemed to be out of breath. She saw someone call for her, but by the time she approached, the person would disappear. She tried saving the people calling her name, but she seemed to be too late causing her to become anxious.

Suddenly the girl heard her mother call for her. Mia immediately turned around seeing her mother stabbed in the stomach reaching out for her daughter, but no matter how fast Mia ran, she never was able to make it to her mother's side.

Her tears from the nightmare caused her to wake up just enough from the to feel herself on a soft cushion surrounded by warm arms. She was startled because she had no idea how she came to be in this position.

"You're safe my rose. Sleep." Came a soft command.

Mia realized that she was in the princes bed wrapped in his embrace.

Normally she would be embarrassed and try to remove herself from this situation, but the poor girl was mentally and physically exhausted. The eventful day had made her weak with anxious thoughts causing her to grow extremely tired.

Eventually Mia was able to close her eyes and steady her breathing. She only hoped she could wake up to this as a dream. She sent a silent prayer to the gods asking for this simple miracle.

…

Mia's eyes opened slowly as she realized she was spread across the entire mattress. Her hair was everywhere on the pillows and over her face. Drool was coming out of her mouth making her groan as she tried to wipe it off her cheek. She looked around seeing she was completely alone.

The sunlight peered through the window and was positioned in the sky determining that it was close to noontime.

Sitting up in the bed, Mia continued to scan her situation.

She was still in her black dress, but it seemed someone had taken the diamond pins out of her hair since she spotted them on the table nearby. She sighed with relief not feeling any pain on her woman parts meaning she was still pure!

Quickly though, the sigh of relief passed as memories of the poisoning came rushing back in her mind!

The girl jumped out of the bed quickly not realizing she stepped on a furry black tail.

Ryder whimpered as she stepped off looking at the creature with regretful eyes.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured getting on her knees petting the black beauty so he would understand she meant him no harm.

"So you're staying with me huh?" She chuckled as she continued to brush his soft fur in between her fingers.

Eventually, Mia stood up and walked toward the washroom. She needed to clean her face and maybe use a towel to wipe her body down since she seemed to have sweat in certain parts.

Walking to the mirror, she saw how red and puffy her eyes were due to her tears. She couldn't help but stare at the image for a while reflecting on the sadness of her life.

After a while, she was able to put her hair in a side braid and found a dress nearby. It was as firm fitting and the fabric seemed to be lighter making it easier for her to move. The sleeves only reached her wrists and the neckline was a bit lower causing her to feel self conscious. Mia was not the type of girl to show off her body.

A knock came from the chambers doors. It was so faint that it could have easily been missed if Mia hadn't walked out of the bathroom.

Walking toward the door, Mia decided it was best not to open unless she knew who was on the other side. The prince had been locking her inside the chamber, so she expected that the individual would have a key if they needed to enter.

"Who is it?"

There was no answer.

"I'm sorry, but I can not open the door. Who's there?"

This time a small voice broke through.

"I wanted to make sure you were in there mistress."

Isabellas voice was filled with concern. She had been told she could not attend to the concubines needs for the day. She thought the worst of the situation thinking the prince had already done away with her.

Mia had a soft smile appear on her lips.

"Do you know if I can leave the bedchamber yet?"

Isabella remained silent for a moment before answering.

"The Prince has instructed that no one enters or leaves his room. But I can't help but wonder if you are hungry? Maybe I could allow him to let me bring you food."

Knowing that was highly unlikely because of what happened last night, Mia decided to play it safe so Isabella wouldn't be subject to questions.

"It's quite alright Isabella. I'm not hungry today. I think I've lost my appetite.." It was no lie since she had to watch to people die in such a dramatic way. Mia didn't know if she could even touch food here at this palace because of her fear of poison.

Isabella eventually bid her farewell since she had other duties to preform leaving poor Mia to be by herself for the evening.

As luck would have it, there were some books in the princes chambers along with a notebook he must be using.

Curious, the girl opened the brown journal peering into the notes the prince wrote down.

'Mother loved her roses. I'd often watch her nurture the plants with care and love. She would often express how it took work so the flowers could bloom and show their true potential. She'd try to smile while I was around but wept alone when she thought no one could see. She felt hurt by the man hurting the most precious things to her. I can now understand the importance of her teaching. It's too sad her teachings often fell on deaf ears to the Emperor.'

It was an interesting sentence, but Amelia couldn't continue reading anymore. It was the princes private thoughts and what she did was not wise.

Grabbing a book and nearing the window, Mia decided she would take a moment to gaze into the palace garden. Even with all the evil inside the castle, she couldn't help but give credit to the beauty of the area.

But looking out the window, the girl notice the angry prince from the other night with a servant man. There was no one around the servant and Lerrin while they engaged in conversation.

The two were smiling which surprised Mia since Lerrin was not a happy person in the slightest. However, his face was lit up with amusement and happiness. The two continued to laugh together while no one was around.

After checking their surroundings, Lerrin leaned in to kiss the servant causing Mia to be in shock. Was Lerrin interested in his own gender?

Even though such matters did not concern the girl, this kind of thing would not please the emperor.

Lerrin lifted his eyes and immediately caught sight of the blonde watching with wide eyes at what he had just done. He looked at the servant ordering him to leave the area from a different direction right away!

He watched the girl who started to shrink behind the window out of fear. He was absolutely furious that she had caught his interaction with the other man. It was stupid for him to be near Titus' window, but he expected his brother to be out for the day due to last night.

And the woman was somehow still alive? He expected her to be dead by now!

This blonde haired girl was creating a problem for the prince and he needed to solve it quick before gossip reached anyone!