Chapter 8

I struggle to get air as I gasp and scratch at the wall next to me. I have a smothering feeling.

I saw swimming black specks. On wobbly knees, I bolt across the hallway and make for the stairs. I have to locate the hospital. I have to find it before my heart completely fails and I faint.

Dunk, dunk, dunk, tha, dunk, dunk, tha.

My heart keeps spasming despite my best efforts to stop it by clawing at my chest. The world turns around me, and I can only see through a little tunnel while I struggle to figure out where I am and hold back the vomit that is rising in my throat.

I glance at the doors as I blunder into the palace, tripping over ornate decorations and accent tables. kitchen. Room for storage. Do laundry.

No, no, no, no...

I locate it at last. I have no idea how I discover it, but a part of me thinks that as I scramble to find the door and push it open, some god must be grinning down on me. I am blinded by the intense light from the torches, but I ignore this and rush for the wall-to-wall cabinets without even looking to see whether anyone else is there.

I rummage through the cabinets, toppling bandages and glass vials in the process. I finally locate the object I'm searching for—a wooden bowl filled with moonstone splinters—and use all of my remaining strength to slam one into my chest.

My vision is nearly completely gone, turning dark. I take a breath. Arrive. Depart. Arrive. Depart. The black pulls back to the boundaries, and my heart finally returns to normal after what seems like an eternity of a minute.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

I let out a sigh and lean against the wall. Just as I open my eyes in relief, a deep, slithering voice appears from behind me.

"Well, that was quite the performance."

My whole body gets icy. The voice is like the sound of freezing streams against smooth rock in the wintertime woodlands of our estate. It gives me the chills, and when I turn to see who owns it, I fear that my heart may stop working altogether.

Prince Kohl leans against the infirmary's doorway, his golden eyes penetrating both my body and my spirit.

We stand silent for a short while. I just keep staring at him till I think I must appear ridiculous. I only realize who he is and that he is speaking to me when he cocks a well cropped black eyebrow.

I hastily do a curtsey. "Apologies, your highness."

Kohl shrugs off my decorum. Rather, he advances a step while fixing his gaze on me. I resist the strong impulse to back off. "Your loud noises bothered me. If your scurrying awakened the entire freaking palace, I wouldn't be shocked."

My cheeks are burning. Once more, I bend my head. "S-sorry, your highness."

I apologize again, but he looks at the moonstone splinter protruding from my chest and ignores me. "Unless my eyes deceive me, am I correct in assuming you just suffered from a heart attack?"

I flinch. "Yes, your highness; ventricular fibrillation."

I look into his eyes. They examine me as though I'm a specimen—like a bug under a microscope. "A palace maid with a heart condition... how interesting indeed." His gaze flickers back to the moonstone splinter, the single thing that likely kept me alive this evening. He starts to walk in a circle, watching me with predatory eyes. I stay still. "How does it feel to lead a life so fragile, knowing it could be taken at any moment?"

I feel as though he just gave me a slap. "I... I'm not sure, your highness—"

"How does it feel to lead a life so pointless, one with a milk's expiry?" He gestures toward the crack. It's like to witnessing a mayfly haggle for an extra few hours of life. You go to very admirable lengths to protect yourself, but for what purpose? You would die in a matter of minutes if I tried to remove that splinter right now."

Though his last words keep me from crying, his insult still hurts. I think back to what Macy told me about the merciless curse of Gahndor. I wouldn't rule out Prince Kohl killing me right now if I were to look into his soulless, golden eyes. So instead I say nothing.

A few uncomfortable seconds pass. At last, he flicks his chin in my direction. "Tell me, girl, what is your name?" "Naomi... Naomi Agnarys, your highness." 

I cringe as I speak, and as I watch the realization settle on his face, a part of me wishes I were dead.

"You are a noblewoman's daughter. Why aren't you competing in the Queenstrials alongside your sisters, as you should be?"

I gulp. Although there is a part of me that wants to lie, I know better than to tell a falsehood to my own crown prince.

I bite the bullet and lower my head as a result. "I didn't feel like I should. My heart issue would be too harmful for a king or queen in the future. And my parents believed that I couldn't even have a child in order to live in a smaller home, so they—"

When I realize what I just admitted, I close my mouth. My confession seems to make Prince Kohl—damn him—light up like a kid who finds the last piece in a puzzle.

You are therefore infertile. All of it renders you... Invalid?"

That blasted word again, there it is. Except my future king is using it this time. I dangle my head. Even though it's not truly my room, I would love nothing more than to return to the comforts of my room now that I have nothing more to say.

Prince Kohl eventually moves away and makes his way to the door; whether this is out of mercy or boredom, I don't know. When he gets there, he stops and fixes me with his eyes. "Do not wake me again," he whispers, his eyes lifeless once more sending shivers down my spine.

I wince. I stay in the infirmary for a few more minutes after he goes, fearing Prince Kohl would be ready to ambush me the moment I step outside.

However, he never does. I quietly return to my room, where, happily, I find Macy soundly asleep when I get to my bed. One of us is happy, at least.

I undress and lie under the covers, no longer wearing my maid attire. The covers on this bed are so thin that they make me shiver. It is nothing like my old bed. Or perhaps Kohl's recent, bald threat is the reason I'm shivering. It feels considerably too cold in any case.

That night, I don't sleep at all.