Chapter 7 Withering Flower

Chapter Seven: Withering Flower

Later, Valerius had Neria dragged to the stables, locking her in a windowless tack room where the smell of horses and dirt became her entire world. 

For three days, time ceased to exist. Hunger was just clawing in her stomach, but thirst was the true monster. 

Her throat felt like it had been scraped with glass, and her lips were cracked and bleeding.

Every time she drifted into a delirious sleep, Neria saw the black-and-white cruiser. She heard the screech of tires and then remembered dying.

‘I’m already dead,’ she thought as her head rested against a rough wooden post. ‘The girl named Neria died in the mud, and the girl from the convenience store died on the street. Who am I now?’

On the fourth morning, the heavy bolt slid back. The light was blinding. Valerius was there, looking pristine.

“The Prince is here to inspect the stables,” Valerius spoke, sounding like a snake sliding over stones. “I told him you were tending to your favorite mare to atone for your behavior. If you look anything less than repentant, I will bury you under these floorboards.”

He tossed a bucket of cold water over her to wash away the grime, handed her a clean but plain dress, and shoved her toward the stalls.

Neria leaned against a wooden pillar, her knees buckled for obvious reasons. 

Not even strangely, the poor girl’s mind was a hazy fog, but one name burned through the exhaustion: Alistair. In the book The Twisted Story, Alistair was the "hero" who killed Sebastian. 

But Neria knew the truth the book hadn't revealed yet…Alistair was the illegitimate son of the King, and he was planning a coup that would wipe out everyone.

Then, the sound of boots came on the cobblestones. Sebastian Blackmoor walked into the stable, his presence alone snuffed out the warmth of the morning sun. 

He stopped a few feet away, his icy eyes scanned Neria’s battered form.

Sebastian watched her carefully. 

‘This girl is a ghost,’ he thought to himself. ‘The real Neria Virethorn should’ve died. No human survives a Primal Dragon’s mana drain. And yet, this creature in front of me is breathing. She looks like a corpse, she smells of fear, but her eyes... those aren't the eyes of the girl I knew.’

“You look terrible, Lady Neria,” Sebastian scoffed. “Did the horse kick you, or was it something more... domestic?”

Neria licked her dry lips. “I am... clumsy, Your Highness. You know this.”

“I know many things,” Sebastian countered, stepping closer. He could see the faint violet veins pulsing at her wrists…’the mark of the bond. She’s lying to me. She’s terrified, starving, and yet she’s holding onto a secret that could burn this kingdom down.’

“Where is my property? My men searched your room. They found nothing but charred wood.”

Neria looked at her father, who was watching from the shadows with a hand on his dagger. She looked back at Sebastian. 

This was it…

“Property is a fleeting thing,” Neria gave a hush, her legs shaked so hard she had to grip the stable door. “But a crown is even more fragile. Especially when a ghost is coming to take it.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “Explain yourself before I lose my patience.”

“Alistair,” Neria called his name slowly. 

That name made Valerius gasp in the background, but Sebastian went perfectly still. “The captain of the northern guard. Your father’s ‘loyal’ soldier. Do you know whose blood really runs in his veins, Sebastian?”

The Prince walked forward until he was inches from her face. He could smell the iron of her blood and the salt of her sweat. 

‘She knows,’ he realised with a jolt of genuine shock. ‘How could Neria know a secret kept by the King himself?’

“You are playing a dangerous game, little thief,” Sebastian hissed. “Why should I believe a girl who can barely stand?”

“Because Alistair has the ledger,” Neria rasped, her vision swimmed like a wave. “The one with the royal seal. He’s going to reveal his lineage at the solstice ball. He’s going to execute you for treason, Sebastian. He has the support of the Western Lords. I can give you the names. I can give you the dates. But I need to stay alive to do it.”

There was a long pause. And Neria couldn’t understand whether the prince was doubting or considering this.

Her life depended on his decision.

“Lord Va,” the prince corrected himself and glanced back at Neria’s father. “Leave. Immediately.”

“Yes, your highness."

‘That was fast,’ Neria bit the lower lip as she watched her father leave. 

“You think your life is worth that much?” Sebastian asked. If she was telling the truth, his entire plan was compromised.

“My life is worth nothing,” Neria laughed, a dry, hacked sound. 

Sebastian reached out, his gloved hand gripped her chin. He forced her to look at him. 

‘She’s desperate. She’s dying of thirst, yet she’s bargaining like a devil.’

And what of your father?” Sebastian asked, glancing toward where Valerius was standing. “He seems quite eager to see you disciplined.”

Neria’s gaze shifted to the ground, her eyes got filled with a cold, dead light. “My father is a man who bets on the winning side. Right now, he thinks that’s you. I want to make sure he’s wrong about who holds the power in this family.”

Sebastian felt a strange pull, but not just the magic of the dragon, but a dark curiosity. 

This wasn't Neria who cried over broken nails. This was a survivor…

“I will take her to the palace for further questioning,” Sebastian announced, turning toward Valerius’s guards. “She is a witness to a state crime now.”

“But Your Highness!” Valerius heard that and immediately protested, stepping forward. “She is my daughter, she belongs in this house!”

Sebastian didn't even look back. “She belongs to the Crown now. Touch her again, and you will find your head in the same gutter you promised her.”

As the guards moved to grab her, Neria’s strength finally gave out. She collapsed, but she didn't hit the dirt. Sebastian caught her like she was a withering flower.

‘I did it,’ she thought as the world turned black. ‘I’m going to the palace. I have a chance.’

‘Oh, Neria…you’re mine to control…you foolish girl.’