Chapter 8 - Memory.

My back crashed against the mud wall.

“Creak” I heard the sound of my bones before I slumped to the ground and barely managed to prop myself up with my hands.

“To think that the prince had a training room to be made for this and it wasn't far from my room,” I started coughing.

“Anton, we told you to go easy on him!” Jugel yelled.

Anton scratched the back of his head with confusion posted on his face.

“Do you not know the force of that punch, why the fuck are you scratching your head?!” I held the words in my mouth as I continued coughing.

Anton broke his stance as the gauntlet looking thingy in his hands gradually retreated into his skin.

“Apologies Prince, I didn’t properly control my strength”

“It's alright,” I said with a smile before standing up.

“You should be happy that he didn't strike me with the spikes at the ends of his fists” A voice echoed to me.

Demna immediately came running towards me and touched my head. How refreshing it was when a blue light passed from her palm into my head and I saw the small bruise gradually vanish.

It still feels fake, like I am watching a movie.

“So does that mean that it doesn't work?” I turned to Jugel the moment the light vanished and damn Demna's face was still close though and attractive but I wanted to know the truth for now because that sound I heard is still fresh.

“Your highness, we might need to continue this tomorrow,”

I felt something in me snap, the moment I heard that.

“Why?”

“One try doesn't always work. It may take many trials before the bloodline finally manifests,”

“Then isn't there another sort of practice like light dodging or others?”

“I'm afraid not, the same way it is awakened is the same way it must be made to manifest,”

I have to be in danger. Curse this bloodline.

“For goodness sake Jugel, is there no verified bloodline user in the Kingdom?!” I shouted.

“I'm afraid not your majesty, bloodlines and not lesser bloodlines are usually limited to the royal family,” he said.

I slumped to the ground once again as the dress had been etched in my heart. Surely, I won't die from being slammed to the walls and hearing creak sounds.

Meanwhile at the room of Anthart, Melanie recounted the memories of what had happened.

Melanie and Demna slowly came up the second floor, before they were put to a stop by two guards standing on the hallway to Anthart's room.

“Lady Demna may go but the maid will have to stay behind,” said one of the guards who gave Melanie a haughty look.

She now looked clean and her tattered leather clothes had been changed into a leaf outfit that Anthart had them buy, making her look more of a commoner than her previous ragged appearance.

Even while being washed, the servants in charge of that did not talk about the slave marks on her arm or the different stripes, maybe because Demna was present to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Demna quickly turned to Melanie and tapped her shoulder “Wait here,” She said before stepping forward and the guards removed their spears from blocking the hallway.

Left alone, she felt more tense as the guards began to give side glances.

“Hey!” said the guard on the left side of the hallway as he approached her.

“Your stripes are red, you're not one of us.” he pointed out.

“Are you a slave under the lady?”

She remained silent.

“Hmm. The lady made sure to spoil you. Who dresses a slave in a decent leaf outfit?”

It was at that moment that another guard appeared from the hallway and put her situation into an abrupt end.

“I'm not sure lady Demna would be pleased to see this,”

The guard then scowled and left Melanie alone, allowing her to catch her breath.

“The one who obeyed the prince's orders to pay for me,” She thought.

“Come, his highness, would like to see you,” said Afril as he led her to the end of the hallway and into the prince's room.

“Your highness,” Afril bowed before leaving the chamber.

“She does look better now and her features are better.” Anthart thought before he decided to speak.

“From now on Demna will be the one in charge of you. Ensure that you obey her well,”

“Very well, my prince,”

“Also,” he added.

“If she shows any sign of magic please train her!”

“Signs of Magic,” Melanie muttered those words multiple times before sighing.

“I wonder if I ever will,”

The grass curtain immediately opened up and the prince as well as his delegates entered.

“Why is he sweating so profusely?” She wondered as Anthart came to his leaf bed and waved at them.

“Evening is coming so I would like to be left to my sleep please,”

After they had all left, I raised my head up and took the moment to enter the bathroom. I wanted to have a bath and cool off from that ‘training’.

As I came out of the bath, I washed my face with a towel made from fur. A good thing is that they have those in this world because I was not expecting to see another Antoid in my room.

‘What's she doing here?’

“Ilya!” I shouted.

Ilya, who was observing my room, immediately turned her head to my side. “Oh hello cousin, sorry that I came in at a time like this,” She said while smiling awkwardly.

“What are you doing in my room?” I frowned.

“Nothing much,” She answered “I just thought that I should stop by to greet you,”

“Yeah. You may leave now,” I said coldly.

Ilya's smile was still up while she replied “I wanted to discuss something with you,”

“Can you do that when I am done dressing?”

“Ok”

And after that she left.

The moment the grass curtain was down I immediately walked towards the wardrobe. To be honest it was more of a large box made of mud having fur covering its sides.

Carefully, I raised the fur that covered its opening and my eyes were welcomed to clothes made of either silk or large leaves.

I picked the one that I thought was suitable for sleeping. A silk cloth that went all the way to my feet.

“You may come in now!” I said making sure to put a disgruntled tone.

The curtain opened and Ilya walked in before sitting on a stand.

“What's the reason for your coming?” I put my weight on my bed.

Ilya looked at me straight in the eye

“I don't want to inherit the throne.”

“Uhn?”

“Why did you come to tell me this?”

“Because I wanted to tell you. I have no interest in pursuing my mother's ambition”

“I beg to differ with what I remember,”

Ilya once again let out an awkward smile which was doing a good job pissing me off.

“Oh those days when I would compete with you over everything. Well during those times what I wanted was excitement,”

“Including nearly pushing me over the stairs?”

“We weren't at the best of times back then,”

“Well are we now?”

Ilya's smile vanished the moment I gave that reply and I can breathe at last.

“I agree with you that we aren't at the best of times but what I've said here isn't a lie. I truly don't want the throne,”

“I cannot give you an answer currently because I don't know if your words are truly what you say they are nor do I believe them.”

“In that case, I'll prove it to you during the time of the hunting games.”

“I wonder how?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Very well, cousin. I'll get going now,” She then stood up and walked out.

“How does she prove a disinterest with an interest? Sheesh!”

I rambled on about the discussion for some time before laying down. As my eyes faced the setting sun, I couldn't help but think that it was truly weird.

My body shouldn't have adjusted to the sleep pattern of the world so easily and now that I think of it, Jugel said that it was a week since the bloodline had been awakened and it should have started manifesting.

I have no memories of what I had been doing except from a day ago when I woke up on a leaf and the time I woke up with injuries. Let's say that there are two more days left for this to form a week then was I asleep for two whole days?

Maybe because I always had an easy sleep pattern when I could fall asleep at any time if I was more than comfortable enough or maybe it was the plant they used to put me to sleep that did some alterations.

I was totally unaware of how long I had used in thinking when my eyes forcefully closed themselves.

As I opened them again, the curtains that covered my windows suddenly flew open and I was welcomed with the fierce winds blowing a cold over my body as I shivered.

Quickly, I ran to the window and brought the curtains down before pinning them to the wall by pressing them against the wooden shafts that were pointing out.

“To think that you're awake already,” said a deep voice.

“Whose that?” My neck turned to see a young insect human boy tied on a slab shivered in fright as a figure with a leaf cap covering the upper part of his face slowly approached him.

The surroundings had also changed from the prince's room to a dark place that had torches of fireflies around.

“Is that boy is the current prince and is this a suppressed memory,”

“Can you hear me!” I screamed.

When I received no reply I could only conclude that this was a memory being replayed and it was funny how I never saw it.

I could sense a hint of malevolence lurking around and watched as the unknown figure brought out a knife and stabbed it at the prince.

“No!”