I coughed twice as I sat up in bed. It's almost been three months in this place. The day to leave will be here soon and hopefully I'll be healthy enough to travel. For the past five days I have had a cold, and they invited the doctor to the manor to treat me, but it still hasn't gotten any better.
If it wasn't for this illness, my body would barely know rest, since that man is an absolute beast. He'd keep me caged from dusk to dawn and when I woke up, I'd barely get to eat lunch before he attacks me once again.
Sometimes during dinner, sometimes dinner is forgone and the rest of the times, I'm too tired to eat and he's feed me some soup before going at it again.
The door was kicked out as I coughed again. He sat at the table in the middle of the room, with no expression on his face. "You hid your identity quite deep, Princess." I tensed. "What was your purpose or was it just to pretend to be a whore to get information from me?" I didn't reply to him.
"Answer me, Princess!" He shouted as he slammed his hand on the table. I jumped and my hand slid underneath my pillow. "Steal information for what?" I asked as my fingers curled around the hilt of the dagger.
"Don't play dumb. You knew who I was the moment you were sent here, didn't you?" I shook my head. "I have no idea. All I know is that you are a guest to the merchant and the merchant never has guests. I know nothing more." He scoffed. "Don't expect me to believe this shit you're spewing." I nod. "So, what now?"
"Now? I send you back to that sty you call a home with your pig of a father." He stood up and slowly walked towards me. "First he attempted to rape my mother and now you come to seduce me." He glared at me.
"I never seduced you. I never even wanted to be near you." I countered. He grabbed my throat. "You want me to believe that?" Despite his words and obvious anger, his grip on my throat was loose. "If you didn't believe it then you wouldn't be here showing off your anger. You would've sent me back or killed me." I push his hand away.
I cough again; it made my throat feel dry and itchy. "Killing you gives me no satisfaction." He walked back to the stool he was sitting on before. "Bring them in!" Sen, Din and Rei walked in with the merchant behind them. "Did you know she is Princess Lyria Grazie?" He asked them.
They didn't look my way nor answer. I turned my body until my feet were off the bed and another cough raked through my body. "Of course they didn't know. Money makes life easier for everyone." I say after catching my breath.
Looks like my time is up. Three months was worth it. I pulled the dagger from under the pillow. "Princess!" Din shouted as she saw me unsheathe it. "Ruby!" My eyes go to the prince, and I place the dagger to my neck.
His eyes were focused on my hand holding the dagger with alarm. "I intended to kill myself that night, but someone told me that I had another possible way out. I tried it and it worked out. The best three months of my life." I smile at him as tears streamed down my face.
"Ruby. Don't be impulsive, I shouldn't have threatened to send you back. I won't send you back. In fact, we'll be leaving in two days. What do you say?" The prince said as he took a step forward.
I dug the dagger into my skin. "Step back." I could feel the sting of my flesh being cut. He stepped back. "Okay. Don't do anything rash. Tomorrow. We'll leave just before dawn." He said in a voice that sounded almost pleading.
"Weren't you going to send me back? I'd rather death than going back." I replied. "Thank you." I glance at Sen and the others. "Despite your harsh words and actions, you gave me hope." My eyes locked with the princes as my hands shook slightly.
Closing my eyes, I pressed down and slit my throat, hoping that with the meager strength I had left made a deep enough cut. My throat was grabbed tightly, the dagger pulled from my hands and my eyes shot open. "Call the doctor!" The prince shouted as he looked down at me.
"Who told you to kill yourself?!" His grip tightened as I grabbed his hand. "Did you ask my permission before doing such a thing?! Huh?!" My worse thought came to mind. I didn't have enough strength to kill myself properly.
"He's here!" I hear the merchant yell. He looked away from me, "What are you waiting on?! An invitation?!" He yelled at the doctor. I hear footsteps before a familiar face comes into view.
He checked my pulse and checked around the prince's hand. "The wound isn't deep, but she's lost some blood." The prince nodded. "Then hurry up and stop the bleeding." He stated.
"Yes, I will." The prince removed his hand, and the doctor examined the wound before cleaning it up. He stitched the wound and bandaged it. "She won't be able to speak for a while." The doctor explained as he smirked at me.
He picked up the dagger from the side and moved to stab the prince. I push myself up and felt my skin tearing and the cold metal entering my stomach. "Be careful!" I hear someone scream as I grabbed the doctor's hand and vomit blood.
"Princess! You-!" The doctor looked at me in surprise. I was right. He's one of my father's people. Rarely saw him in the palace but I remember faces. The merchant restrained the doctor and using his strength of pulling the doctor away, I grabbed the doctor's hand, and the dagger was pulled out.
If it was still in there might be hope but not anymore. The prince caught me as I nearly felt and immediately pressed my stomach. "Drag him out! Torture him, do what you have to do! I want to know everything!" The prince shouted after the merchant.
"You were just killing yourself to get away from me. Why did you save me?" He cupped my face as his eyes filled with tears. My body was starting to feel cold, maybe I lost a lot of blood. "Ruby. Ruby!" He gently tapped my face. "Stay awake until the doctor arrives."
I reached up and touched his cheek. "I was just angry; I wasn't going to actually send you back. I know you didn't come here on your own accord. I'm sorry." His tears felt warm on my face. I lost strength in my hand, and just as it slipped from his face, he caught it and put it back.
"Lyria." I muster a smile and my eyes closed.