Chapter 3 Daydream whisper

Mira’s POV.

Our eyes locked on each other, never flinching for a fleeting moment.

My hands clutched the blanket on the other side of the bed, and my toes went cold.

His eyes, the way they pierce mine, the cruelty in them… the way his lips twitched at the edge, so mean.

I wouldn’t let him catch me, not now. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my blood?

They flared so hot and cold, fear, desperation, whatever it was that I couldn’t name, bit through my veins.

Lena stood frozen at the edge, shoved to a wall by some guard, eyes wide.

I could feel the terror in her eyes. 

She wasn’t allowed to move, not even an inch. 

The men beside her weren’t smiling either, they were ready to devour at a command.

The air in the room was hotter than it should have been, even though the air outside was a bit cold.

Hot sweat dripped from my forehead, the blanket felt so hot, the man wasn’t making a move either.

One wrong move would get us killed.

Thoughts stormed my mind as I tried to figure out the situation.

Then, without thinking, another weak cough left my throat.

I couldn’t control it, but I had to use it. I let my breath shallow, gently trying to cover my mouth with my hand.

The man stepped backward, avoiding the warm saliva that slipped from my mouth.

“Sir,” I said, words barely forming on my lips. “My throat hurts so much…”

I deliberately lowered my voice, reaching my hands for his shirt.

He brushed them off, taking another step back.

“Mira… are you okay?” Lena said, her voice cracking at the edge.

She managed to pull away from their grips, pushed past the man, and held my hands.

She pulled me close, and I jolted, letting out another cough.

“You’ll be okay,” Lena rubbed the back of my chest, her eyes stinging with tears. I grabbed her dress tightly.

The officer looked at us for a moment before turning toward the door.

My heartbeat followed every step he made toward the door. I guess Lena’s heart followed the rhythm too.

Each step was deliberate and calculated, the weight of his back was huge, and my head could easily smash into it.

“Make sure this doesn’t repeat itself.” He said, his voice heavy. “Let’s go.”

They walked into the hallway in three strides, without turning around this time.

Lena didn’t even wait to catch her breath, she reached for the door and jammed them together.

I lay flat on the bed, head faced to the ceiling, hands still clutched to the blanket as if my life depended on it.

“Tell me this isn’t real, Mira…” Lena muttered.

“I don’t believe it either.” My mouth opened, gasping for air. “I already said my last prayers.”

The temperature in the room turned cold again. My body still ached with pain. My nostrils settled a little bit. 

Tonight wasn’t just about how I survived. 

It was about who I really am. Because I know deep down, something was brewing in me. Something far from a storm. Something I didn’t dare to name. 

Somehow, I feel my peaceful days were being numbered somewhere in these creepy walls. 

Casein’s POV. 

“Strawberries taste good whenever they come from father’s quarters. How I wish his love for my mother and me were this affectionate.”

I don’t know why I'm interested in these love-and-hate stories these days…

Every breath I take in makes my body crawl. 

Like the walls were creeping in.

Sleep had been a mystery for me since I turned twenty-two. 

Every time I close my eyes, everything goes blank. And then, I’d find myself in a forest and in the midst of whispers I don’t remember the words.

A woman in a white dress without a face, carrying a baby in her arms, speaking in ancient tongues.

“You’ll fall in love with your destruction. You’ll let her ruin you. You’ll be the reason your father’s empire crumbles. She’ll be the dangerous kind you’ll never see coming.”

Every time I wake up, I'm sweating and burning all over. 

To me, they were just dreams, nothing more. I’ve survived more than this… it didn’t matter.

If being traumatized by my father couldn’t get me killed, then nothing else would.

The more I read… Urrgh damn it, why is it so noisy?

“Daemon?” I called for my guard, my voice rasped.

“Your highness,” he answered. Closing the door behind him.

“What’s the fuss about?” I asked, flipping over the pages of my book. 

“Room search, your highness.”

My brows knitted together. “By this hour of the night? Suddenly?”

Daemon didn’t rush to answer, he stayed silent for a moment before clearing his throat.

“A guard was found dead…” he said, his voice steady. 

“People die inside these walls every day. It’s not a new thing.” My eyes were glued to the book as I flipped through the pages, trying to concentrate.

“He wasn’t just killed like every other one. His death was far more creepy than you can imagine.”

“Oh?” I hummed, raising my head to his gaze. “How incredible. I hope it’s not what I’m thinking.”

“Looks like something you’d find interesting. A guard didn’t just die, his heart was ripped out, his body… it shrank into a statue .” He said, voice cracking at the edge.

Without a second thought, I dropped the book I was holding, and my attention was focused on him now. 

“What do you mean he shrank into a statue?”

“Strange, isn’t it? This is my first time hearing of such.”

My chest rose and fell unevenly, as if something inside me was about to explode. 

These palace walls weren’t a place for witches to trespass that easily, not after the Great War that happened over five hundred years ago.

“And the killer?” I asked, curiosity written all over my face.

“I heard it was a girl… in her mid-teens. But they didn’t get to see her face clearly.”

My lungs stiffened. A cold chill snaked through my bones.

Then, I burst into laughter. “This must be a joke, right?” My gaze was fixed on his lips and then on the window where the distant noise roared. 

“You’re telling me that group of hefty men was outrun by a girl? How useless.”

Daemon didn’t say anything. I dipped my hand into the tray of the blue berries sitting beside me, crossing my legs across from each other.

This was the first time in ages something like this has ever happened.

My chest rose and fell slowly, as I drifted in my own thoughts. 

What if a witch had infiltrated the palace? 

If what Daemon said was actually true, then the peaceful days in these walls were coming to an end.

“Why do I find this interesting, Daemon?” I murmured under my breath.

“What do you find interesting, sir? You mean tonight's incident?” He asked, twitching his eyes.

I gently stood from my seat, stretching my body.

The moonlight glowed through the windows so brightly, bathing the walls in silver.

“How long have we survived in these walls?”

“It's been almost three hundred years, your highness.” Daemon answered.

My legs moved, in slow motion, heading toward the corridor.

“How  many years have you served as my personal guard?” 

There was silence, only the chirping of insects were heard from across the woods below my quarters.

“I pledged as your personal guard since birth, your highness.” 

I finally reached the corridor and placed my palms flat on the pavement.

“When I say I find this whole situation interesting, what do you think I mean?”

He followed behind, crossing toward where I stood in a few strides.

“The girl..?” He blurted.

I gave a nod. 

“I find her interesting. Nothing has caught my attention like this in years…”

Daemon pushed forward, face tight. “What if she's dangerou…”

A sharp knock came from the door.

Then it creaked open in one click.

“Your highness,” Steve, my father's steward called, voice firm.

I didn’t turn to his direction, I didn’t need to. My ears were enough for whatever he had to say.

“What do I owe your visit, Steward Steve?,” I asked, voice icy.

“Your father requests your presence at breakfast tomorrow morning,” he said.

I stiffened, my chest heaved, hands gripped tight on the pavement, my knuckles almost turned white.

What does he want this time…? 

My father never wanted me close, not without a reason.

We were like strangers to each other, sometimes I doubted if I really was his son… 

Nobody really knew how difficult it was… living in a world you don't approve of.

My body jolted for a bit, only Daemon seemed to notice, like he always does.

The only man I never took for granted, not even in death.

Daemon didn’t allow him to say another word. “We'll be there.” 

“How dare you talk in place of your master. Don't you have no manners…”

His words send sharp sting inside my ears, anger tightened in my chest.

My legs moved before my body did. 

I got where he stood in a flash and grabbed his neck, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

He jerked, hands pressed against mine, gasping for air.

My mouth opened, I lunged my fangs forward, almost digging deep into his throat.

“Your highness… I'm your father’s trusted steward… you dare to lay your hands on me…” he stuttered, legs dancing in the air.

“I dare to kill you and my father would do nothing about it.” I growled, my hand firm against his neck, squeezing tightly.

But then, a hand slipped through mine, I paused.

Daemon held me back. 

He flipped his head sideways. “Your highness…” His voice was calm.

My breath steadied. I threw him against the door, the sound echoed throughout the silence of the night.

“Get lost!” I barked, backing him.

He opened the door in one pull and flew toward the hallway.

“Your highness…” Daemon's hands reached for my arms as I almost lost my balance.

I let go of his hold, staggering into a seat.

“That was dangerous. You shouldn't have defended me like that…”

“Not when I'm alive… nobody ever crosses my bottom line or my people.”

I just sat there, lips pressed together, jaws clenched.

Then slowly, my eyes started closing, everything went blurry, every sound faded.