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“You may leave in peace, Queen. I will take care of all of this.”

Maris was so consumed by the woman in front of her that she didn’t hear the door close. Valda was vulnerable and wounded, breathing deeply, clearly in pain. Was she awake? Probably. Maybe she listened to the entire conversation, but right at that moment, she didn’t care.

The black cat shifted its attention to her. Wondering if it was friendly, Maris extended her hand towards it. The cat stood and smelled her fingers. Its whiskers and cold nose tapped Maris’s fingertips. This was good. The cat’s curiosity was more welcomed than any form of aggression. After a second of exploration, the cat pressed the corner of its snout to Maris’s hand, rubbing its face against her.

Perfect. The cat liked her.

“Aren’t you a big ball of fur?” Maris whispered, cautiously scratching the top of the cat’s head, then playing with the adorable tufts of hairs on its pointy ears. “Are you going to bite me if I pet you too much?” The cat pulled away, shook its head, and let out a soft meow, all the while blinking slowly. “Good boy.” As she praised the cat, the princess stirred under the covers.

Maris turned her attention to the princess, whose hand clutched the white bedsheets. Her lips parted, panting softly while she mumbled something Maris couldn’t quite understand. She should talk to her. She didn’t want the princess to think she was alone. The cat jumped off the bed and moved to the living area while Maris moved closer to the princess.

“Your Highness.”

Valda gasped, jerking as she had just noticed someone was right next to her.

“Who are you?”

Maris took a step back. “I am not here to hurt you,” Maris said quickly. “I am here to help you.”

Valda tried to sit up, but her body, especially her arms, were too weak to support her. She couldn’t even hold herself up. The powerful warrior princess looked feeble and weak. Nothing compared to the woman she had seen days ago.

The princess sighed with exasperation, submitting to her immobility. Her skin pricked as the cold night air seeped through the open balcony doors.

The bumps went from her arms, up her neck and across the exposed skin of her chest. She knew she should look away, but there was something stopping her from doing so. Even in her state, the princess’s presence lured her in.

Maris verbalized her every movement. The least she wanted was to receive a punch to the face as Kayden did at the party.“Your highness, I am going to help you sit up, all right?”

Valda growled in response and Maris was taken aback.

“Is that a ‘no’?”

Instead of answering, Valda leaned back, hissing in pain. Maris could tell that this was not easy for her. If the rumors were true, and she was always the ever-strong warrior, depending on someone else must be hard on her.

“Hurry up,” Valda said, yielding.

Maris hooked her arms under Valda’s and pulled her up until she was leaning against the headboard. The sheets fell to her waist, exposing her chest and stomach. More goosebumps spread across sun kissed skin. She swallowed hard, her attention falling on Valda’s face. She was in pain, maybe she shouldn’t be doing this. Maybe she should rest until she was able to sit up without any discomfort.

“Are you comfortable—”

“Get out. I want to be alone.”

Maris’s mouth snapped shut. She wasn’t expecting that. Well, maybe she was, but not so early in their interaction. With her hands on her waist, she stared down at the panting princess before shaking her head. “I am sorry, Princess, but you are stuck with me. Your mother gave me clear orders—”

“Get the fuck out of my chamber before I suffocate you.”

Maris scoffed. “I am sorry. I think we are not communicating effectively. Your mother, Queen Rionach, told me to stay here, and look after you.”

Instead of fighting with her again, Valda leaned her head back on the headboard, her mouth parted as she took mouthfuls of air. She was sweating, and although Maris was sure the whole, half naked, sweating image would’ve been better appreciated in another context, she still couldn’t wash away the feeling that there was something worse going on with the princess.

“I am going to check for a fever,” Maris announced. She was indeed going to check for a fever, but at the same time, she wanted to touch Valda again.

Inhaling deeply and catching the faintest scent of the princess’s perfume, Maris pressed her hand against Valda’s sweaty face. She was burning up.

Shit.

“Why are my eyes covered up?”

Surprised by the question, Maris tilted her head and pressed her knuckle to Valda’s cheek, to her delight, the princess leaned slightly against her touch. Didn’t the princess remember what happened? How her eyes bled and how a bright light shone out of them? Maris bit her lower lip and thought about how to answer.