Chapter 14 - Mana

"You did this to her, Your Highness."

"You could have killed her,"

I woke up because of the sound of someone nagging. It's like how I wake up every morning back at the manor where Martha would always wake me up with her morning lectures and nagging about my lazy habit of waking up late.

"You must have checked if she was a sorcerer,"

"Your mana is too powerful to be released in front of normal people, Your Highness."

"The Lady has grown pale, her body was already shaking. If I hadn't noticed, he would have been choked to death."

He was talking about me and the moments that happened the last time I was awake.

Shaking, suffocating, losing all my strengths, I've never felt so weak.

"Shh, she's awake, Anton." he dared to say so loudly.

I opened my eyes only to realize I was not sitting on a seat and instead felt and realized I was lying with my head on someone's lap. The Prince's unconcerned face greeted me as soon as I opened my eyes.

"Oh my, My Lady. How are you feeling?"

My gaze shifted to Anton who was sitting across where I was lying. I never would have slept in this position had I known it was going to be him I was sleeping on to. I tried to get out of my back on the seat but they stopped me.

"Do not move yet," Anton's voice was full of concern. The Prince's eyes were fixed outside the carriage but his hand pushed my right shoulder to stop me from standing. I glanced at his hands pressed on my bare shoulder and started moving my hands.

He must've noticed I was trying to say something and he shifted his eyes on me.

'I want to get up,'

"My lady, you need to rest. You just passed out." I hear Anton say,

The Prince didn't even dare to say anything when it was his fault that this happened. His reaction toward the news was so strong it kept all the air inside the room out of my reach.

I would have died!

"Stay down," was all he said. And he said it without even looking at me.

I feel mad and frustrated about his indifference when he was the main cause of what had happened.

'Let me up,'

"Go back to sleep," he answered dryly.

'I don't want to be close to you like this,'

"Should I have made Anton do this?"

My anger boiled even hotter. All that I wanted to do at this moment was to kick his face.

'Let me get up,'

"Do you want me to get you back to sleep?" it almost sounded like a warning. A warning saying that he can do it again.

'Are you threatening me?!'

"Is it what it takes to make you stop?"

I couldn't explain out of the anger boiling inside of me. I am in disbelief that he still has the guts to do something like this after what happened.

"I think, I might have to take sign language lessons to understand what the both of you are fighting about," I heard Anton say in the background. The Prince only looked at me and I stared back to let him know I don't give a shit about his beautiful eyes staring down at me.

The staring contest was disturbed by a sudden bump on the road that made me feel like I was going to fall off the seat. But his hand on my shoulder immediately slid on my waist to stop that from happening.

The mixture of different kinds of feeling pierced through my body. I have never been touched by a man on my waist my entire life. The warmness of his hand not leaving the crease on my body didn't sit normal to me.

"Go back to sleep," he said as he looked back outside the carriage window.

Is this his way of compensating me for what happened? Trying to get me some more rest after almost killing me?

Does he even feel guilty about what happened?

When does he plan to take his hand away? Why is he still holding my waist?

I couldn't help but become angrier at the thought that he didn't care one bit about what just happened and what could have happened if Anton didn't talk about leaving at that time. But I've fought so hard in life I wouldn't accept dying in his intense energy.

Our village has never disclosed any information about the abilities of other creatures. We only know about those who were seen by our families and ancestors. Like Ogers being lost in the forest. Also beasts and a couple more creatures.

But we were never able to grasp a thing about sorcerers and magicians other than their ability to use magic. Despite having our own, the creatures in this kingdom had different uses and abilities of magic based on their race.

I had never heard of the thing called mana when I lived long years in the manor. I lived with humans and was only allowed to go out twice each year. And there were not a lot of things to see in that poor market that would add more to the knowledge that sorcerers can move things without using their hands and many other basic abilities.

Is the mana he was talking about the energy radiating out of the Prince the moment he heard about the announcement of the coronation? How was such energy able to affect Elvian that badly I had come close enough to losing myself.

I never saw it coming to me.

I would love to know.

I glanced towards Anton who was also busy with his magical floating notepad he brings out whenever he needs to write down something.

If only he was able to understand sign language, he could have easily answered all of her questions.

But it is sad to say that out of all those 48 years of living outside the forest, only a few have been able to communicate with me. And one of those was the Prince who glanced down at me when he noticed I was staring at Anton a bit too long for his liking.

"Go back to sleep," he murmured and then looked away.

Bastard

Bastard

Bastard

I tried to pull his hand away but another bump happened and I fell asleep with him holding me by the waist.

It was already night when we were able to come back to the Prince's palace. As much as I don't want to admit it, I slept long and comfortably with my head on a pillow that must have been taken from the King's palace, onto his lap.

When I woke up, his hand was in the right place.

I don't know how many times the Prince could have held me from falling but I was thankful I was too asleep to become aware.

"My Lady, why won't you stay the night?" Anton asked as soon as I stood up from lying on the seat.

I admit I feel a little pain in my back after sleeping curled on that seat for so long. And the ride home is still a long way. But instead of answering, my eyes went to the Prince.

He stood out of the carriage I was confused as to why he wasn't leaving.

"There could be bandits on the way back to the edge of the kingdom. I suggest you stay in the Palace for the night," said Anton. "Isn't that a great idea, your Highness?"

The Prince didn't move an inch as he answered, "Do what you want,"

"Great, I shall send a pigeon to tell your home you cannot come home yet," Anton even smiled at her. "Let us get out and I shall bring you to your room, my Lady."

Anton went out first. When it was my turn to get out of the carriage, the Prince who had been standing outside the carriage extended his hand. I knew he was trying to make amends for what happened earlier.

I've had a brief thought of not accepting his offer but I am not sure if I am now able to stand my ground. I was already on my way out so I had no choice but to rely on him for strength.

And I made the right choice. My legs were wobbling as soon as I stepped on the flat surface. It's the painful shoes again.

"Follow me, My Lady," Anton spoke and started walking. "You could be in need of rest, I shall tell the maids to send you something to wear."

I immediately let go of the Prince's hand and walked up front without looking back. I feel his red eyes staring at me as I walk and follow Anton to the room he was talking about.

I may have been good earlier, but I shall take my time to give him the amends he was trying to have after almost killing me with his mysterious mana.