A Promise Of Death

'I know who you are.'

A rush of sudden coldness flooded her heart, terror clawed her insides and brought her on her knees. Everything seemed to be distant and seemed to freeze.

She was short of breath.

Nesrin did not knew what was happening, but it was as if her body was reacting on its own, reacting to a primordial instinct.

'You shall bleed for my cause.'

The voice said before fading to the echo of a wicked laughter. Gradually, the darkness subsided.

Jeremiah worriedly knelt in front of her to help. He knew something was very wrong but couldn't quite understand the situation.

Izekiel, on the other hand, had a dark look.

The sudden aura that had surrounded Nesrin was too immensely powerful. It was strangely otherworldly, and carried hints of a forgotten familiarity. Jeremiah looked at the expressions on the two with a puzzled look.

They have not even properly grasped the situation when a swish sound cleaved the air, Izekiel stepped back easily but the aim was not him, it was Nesrin. Jeremiah quickly pulled her away, the arrow grazed her neck.

A tear trailed down from her eye, but she was too terrified to even cry at the pain that flared across her.

"Nine o' clock, it's a woman of short height." Izekiel informed Jeremiah and knelt in front of Nesrin.

Jeremiah nodded and rushed to chase the offender.

The wound was bleeding gradually, and had stained her dress. He ripped a small piece from her gown and tightly pressed it against her wound. Her eyes were a little lost and distant.

"Princess Johanna?" he asked, "Nesrin!"

Nesrin winced at that and looked at him with teary eyes but she stayed silent. Her silence made Izekiel oddly uneasy.

"Keep pressing the wound tightly," he instructed,

She did as she was told.

Izekiel lifted her in his arms, and Nesrin stiffened at the touch. Despite that, she softly gripped his shirt with her shaky hand.

The words of that voice were still loud and clear in her mind, the shadow of fear that drowned her was still fresh. Nesrin knew nothing, she couldn't understand it no matter what...

No such person was mentioned in the novel.

The only thing Nesrin was sure about was that something dreadful was awaiting in the days to come.

Izekiel entered inside the chamber, and gently laid Nesrin down on the sofa before he walked away and came back with a medical box. He had tended his own injuries when he served in the military and so he knew all the basic knowledge about such matters.

Nesrin snapped out of her thoughts when his fingers brushed her skin, she looked up at Izekiel with alarmed eyes. He paused and blinked in confusion. When Nesrin said nothing and simply averted her gaze, Izekiel continued.

The wound was small but deep, bleeding had reduced, however, there was something unusual that caught Izekiel;s attention.He dipped cotton in warm water and began to clean the wound.

Once the blood have been cleaned, faint violet hue hue that surrounded the wound appeared.

Izekiel brushed his thumb around it to examine it properly, Nesrin flinched back. He glanced at her, waited until she seemed a bit calm and then averted his eyes to the wound.

"It's poisonous..." he murmured with narrowed eyes, "Why would they target you?"

Princess Johanna had been well loved by almost everyone. She had no enemies besides the empress, and even the empress becomes the enemy in future.

Nesrin slowly shook her head,

"His majesty must be their aim."

"They realized five years ago that poison doesn't work on me and have stopped this tactic ever since."

Nesrin only half heard his words, her mind was becoming dizzy and it was getting harder to breathe with each passing second.

Izekiel placed his finger on her wrist to feel the pulse and his brows creased. He looked up at the princess, when their eyes met, he had a worried look in his eyes.

"The poison needs to be quickly sucked out."

A faint blush crept over Nesrin's cheeks, and then her face turned even redder when she realized how inappropriate her reaction was for the situation at hand.

"I will tell them to send leeches," Izekiel added, "Bloodletting is best for you."

Nesrin pinched herself hard and stiffly nodded with a forced smile.

Izekiel paused when he was about to leave.

His thumb gently brushed her cheeks, Nesrin's heart slowed down and she looked at him with a puzzled gaze.

"You are cold," he whispered, his eyes were dark as they looked at her, "Delay will not be good."

There was something in his gaze that made Nesrin unable to move, the villain of the novel was described has a devilish tempting beauty, and with each moment they spent together, Nesrin was getting more and more aware of that.

"We shall not delay then," she replied, looking away.

Izekiel didn't need to be told twice, Nesrin found his lips on her neck, soft and scorching, tender, and so gentle that it was almost like morning breeze-she flinched at the sudden pain that coursed from her neck.

He firmly gripped her arm to keep her from moving.

"The poison is spreading too fast," he said, "Try to stay calm or it might get worse."

The wound was agonizing.

Nesrin bit her lips to not let any cry escape her, she was weak she knew, but she hated to show it. Her hand fisted so tightly that her knuckles turned white and there was a small tremor in her body that couldn't be helped.

But how can she remain calm when he was this close to her in such an intimidating manner?

It hurt, but there was a strange sort of sweetness in the bitter feelings that he had aroused.

Nesrin's heart had never raced like this before. She was aware of reality, she knew how much trouble she can invite if she lets her heart fall for the wrong person...

Izekiel's teeth grazed against her and an almost inaudible moan escaped her. Nesrin opened her eyes in alarm, desperately hoping he had not noticed but he had heard her.

He had heard her clearly.

She felt him smile with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Gradually, that pain subsided and only these conflicting sweet emotions remained but he didn't leave her and she didn't complain as his lips traced the soft places of her neck, as his hand rested on her waist and his soft hairs tickled against her skin.

This rush of emotions inside her was a foreign feeling, she could not understand what to do but she knew that she wanted him to stay with her for a little longer.

As he felt the venom leave and the swollen skin of hers around the wound soften, he began to notice the other things.

The way she shifted beneath him with suppressed impatience, the slight tremor and hesitance within her, paired with her want, and the way she held onto him as if it meant everything.

He knew she had no feelings for him, no one would be that stupid and he knew this was just a momentary infatuation but still some strings inside his heart were tugged by her.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers, the blush that crept on her cheeks added to her innocent beauty. She looked back at him with the same intensity his gaze held...and when she looked at him like that...

What choice did he have?