Chapter 10

Annalise saw as the young women adjusted their hair and some pulled down their dresses to show more cleavage as they all watched the doors open. The uniformed knights came in first and behind them were the most beautiful faces Annalise had ever seen. She noticed the blonde man first and with how he carried himself, she could just tell that he was the first Prince. She had never seen a man with such good looks before, and she dared say that he was more better looking than she was.

Then there was the young woman who had a smile on her face. Annalise could guess that she was the princess. Her black hair was styled beautifully on her head and she had a really sharp look. Befitting of a princess, Annalise thought. She heard the light gasps of awe that escaped the people's lips as the royals passed in front of them.

'The people of this town are just superficial', Annalise thought.

She then turned to look at the last person and her heart skipped a beat. It was Roderick! At first, Annalise was confused as to why he was with the royals but then it all made sense. Seeing how much resemblance he bore with the princess, she could just tell that he was the second Prince!

Annalise almost slapped her own forehead. How could she not have guessed? She was unaware of what her face looked like at the moment, but that was the least of her worries. She remembered that she had told him how she blamed the royal family for her father's death.

'He must have been laughing inwardly', she thought.

Or maybe not. She remembered the somber expression that had been on his face that day as she told him. He couldn't have been faking it. But she still felt terrible. She was not happy that he hadn't told her. She felt deceived.

Annalise didn't know if it was right to feel all of this. He was the prince and he was only protecting himself by hiding his identity. She understood all that, but she couldn't bring herself to calm down.

Suddenly, she stopped breathing. She held her own breath as she finally locked eyes with him. Roderick had finally seen her and he didn't look sorry. Annalise let out the breath she was holding, suddenly getting angrier. She didn't care if he was the prince. She just didn't want to be in the same room with him anymore.

As everyone bowed to acknowledge the royals, Annalise pushed into the crowd and hid herself. She watched as women crowded the front, seeking to gain the attention of the young princes. This was her chance to get out. She easily slipped through, went around and got out of the hall.

Meanwhile, Roderick was searching for her with his eyes. She was just standing there and now she was gone. He kept turning his neck, looking in every direction with hopes of catching a glimpse of her but she had just disappeared. He guessed that she had somehow managed to slip out of the hall so he turned around, ready to go after her.

Just then, his sister caught his arm and looked at him in surprise.

"Where are you going Roderick?" Freya asked in a whisper.

"I'll be right back" he answered. Having said that, he pulled his arm away and ran out the door, leaving his siblings surprised. Even Phillip wondered what could be so important.

*******

Outside, Annalise was walking with hasty steps. She didn't know why her feet were dragging her to a secluded place but she just wanted to get away from everyone else. She could feel a burning sensation crawling under her skin and it felt like she was going to explode.

"What is happening to me?" She asked herself with horror filled eyes as she stared down at her hands. She was fine just now so what was going on?

The tips of her fingers were itching and it was painful. She was panting and she felt like she was out of breath. She was already out of the palace but she could hear the voices of those in the hall and it was so loud. She was hearing so many things at the same time and all her senses were heightened.

This feeling was not strange. She had always felt it in her nightmares. Annalise dreaded whatever was happening to her. She just wanted to get home and lock herself up in her room. She was having that feeling again. That feeling that something just wanted to burst out of her. Only that this time, it was stronger.

The fear enveloped her like never before. If this was another nightmare, Annalise just wanted to wake up. This felt all too real and she was afraid that this was the reality. She looked up and stared at the moon. It seemed closer and she just wanted to jump and reach it. She was going to take that leap when she heard her name.

"Annalise!"

Her feet came to a halt as she heard her name. Had she been running? She didn't know but that voice felt familiar and it seemed to be calling her back. She slowly turned around and came face to face with Roderick. He was going to say something until he looked into her eyes.

Roderick was glad that he managed to catch up with her. He was surprised that she had gotten this far even though she had left the palace just moments ago. As she turned around, he opened his mouth to apologize but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw her face.

Her skin were paler than normal and he could see green veins running all over her body. What even shocked him most were her eyes. Those beautiful green orbs were no longer there. What he was now staring at were the darkest eyes and they were hollow, looking like they had no life. His shock turned to horror as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Annalise suddenly turned away from him. She was no longer in control of herself so she failed to register the look on Roderick's face. She began to run away and he went after her.

"Annalise wait!" He called out to her but she didn't stop. Instead, she ran even faster and he couldn't catch up with her.

Just like that, she disappeared into night, leaving the young prince horrified and wondering what he had just seen.