Princess of the Damned (10 page)

“
Prince Sayan…” Nora hurriedly ran for the door. “I can’t let him see me here, or he will think that I came to bully you. I will see you another time, farewell.”

Nala poured another cup of tea and before she could put the pot down, he was already by the door. She placed the teacup on the table in front of the chair in which she knew that he would sit.

“
Nora brought me some tea, but she just dashed off. She thought that you would assume she came to bully me. That girl is very concerned about what you think of her.”

“
Who could bully you, Nala?”

She smiled. “I didn’t have the time to tell her that. Here, have some tea.”

“
I came to talk to you about something else.” He snatched her hand and led her out of the door. “I have arranged a carriage to take you out of the city.”

“
Why all of a sudden?” She asked curiously. “I remember we had a fight about it, and you were keen on keeping me here.”

“
The situation has changed. The King had personally requested that you dance for him during the feast celebrating his accession to the throne.”

She pulled back her hand and they both paused in the middle of the courtyard. “What’s wrong with that?”

“
You’re a fool if you can’t see where this is going.” He snatched her hand again, but she refused.

“
Explain to me where this is going.”

He closed in the gap between them and lifted up her chin. “What man wouldn’t lust after you?”

“
What is so strange about that? I am a dancer. Men are supposed to lust after me.”

“
Why did we have to become fugitives eight years ago?”

She lowered her eyes. “Where are you sending me?”

“
My prince!” General Malin ran toward them. “His majesty has ordered his men to surround your palace. No one is to leave the premises until the day you depart to the border.”

“
Something isn’t right…” Sayan spent a minute to think. “How does the King even know that Nala is here in the first place? Someone is pulling the strings, but what is the purpose of it all?” He stared into Nala’s pale green eyes. “Someone is trying to make the King and I turn against each other. I can’t think of anyone else who have this kind of motive, except the Western Prince.”

The General turned his body to the side to avoid looking at her. “If we refuse the King’s request, we will all be executed for treason.”

Nala tugged on Sayan’s sleeve. “The Western Prince is here?”

“
He is probably the one who staged this. He wants revenge for me stealing his bride-to-be.”

“
I can’t blame him for wanting revenge. You did steal me while he was away.”

“
You can’t possibly want to marry him.”

“
I’m getting old and if I have no one I want to marry, I might as well marry a Prince!”

“
You! I never thought you were this kind of person!”

“
Is it wrong of me to want what every other woman wants? Is it criminal of me to want a husband and children of my own?”

“
So, to you, any man would do as long as he has a crown on his head? Fine, then marry that coward of a King! He would salivate over the ground you walk on!”

“
Don’t shout at me, brat!”

He gritted his teeth. “Brat? Do you know how old I am? I am a grown man or should I dispute it with you in your bed?”

The burning sensation returned to her face again. She was not angry with what he had said, but she didn’t know why she had slapped him across the face. By the time she realized what she had done, she had already left her handprint on his face.

She had never hit him before.

She couldn’t bring herself to apologize either. She just wanted to run back to her room for the privacy she desperately needed.

Sayan stood
in front of Nala’s room.

He had been standing there for a while now, but hadn’t decided if he should go in. When he remembered what happened earlier today, he muttered to himself a curse. Amidst the argument, he had forgotten that his general was still standing next to him. He shouldn’t have said the things he did, especially in front of a third person. Even though Malin is someone he trusts, it should not have been an exception. People will judge her character by the things he said.

He knew that Nala knew that he had been standing in front of her room. Her senses had always been sharper than an average person, yet she remained silent and didn’t invite him in.

He went in anyway.

“
Get out,” she said quietly. She sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around her knees. It was the first time he’d seen her that way.

“
I shouldn’t have blurted those things out in front of Malin. I will only apologize for that. I will take responsibility for everything I’ve said.”

“
Just get out, please.”

“
You could slap me a few more time if it will appease to your anger.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to hit you, just get out.”

“
This is my palace, I will go come and go as I choose!”

“
Fine, then I will go!”

He stopped her and pinned her down on the bed. She turned her head to the side so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

“
Can we talk nicely, please? We have done nothing but argue since we reunited. We never argued like this before.”

“
That’s because you have changed too much.”

“
Of course I’ve changed! I’ve been through too many obstacles to stay the way I was! The past eight years were nothing more than a pit of quicksand. I had to struggle and fight and force myself to get stronger to just keep my head above the sand. I’ve made countless enemies. Even people who aren’t my enemies want nothing more than to watch me drown, because I am a threat.” He let go of her and sat up. He removed his armor and pulled his tunic over his head. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his abdomen.

“
No!” She protested the touch.

“
Feel them. These are the scars I’ve earned over the years.”

Her hand shyly traced the lines of raised flesh. Why didn’t she notice them before? He slowly turned around and pulled his long black hair to the front of his shoulder to show her his back. There were many raised lines, but these were different than the ones in front. They were lash marks.

“
They look…painful…” She ran her hands over them. “How did you get these?”

“
I will not tell you the details, Nala.” He sighed. “How did we get here again? I know I didn’t come to show you my scars.”

“
You wanted us…to talk nicely.”

“
Ah yes,” Sayan reached for his tunic and put it on again. “It seems that your performance is unavoidable. I’ve thought about switching another in your place, but the Western Prince will surely expose my plan. Since the King had intentions of marrying the Eastern Princess, you will probably end up as a concubine. If you still want to become the wife of the Western Prince, it may save you from the life of a concubine. The king will not risk war with another kingdom for a dancer, especially when his position is still on shaky ground. He will, however, use this opportunity to cut off my head.”

“
There is another way…” she cut off her sentence. “Sayan, have I ever asked for a favor from you?”

“
I wished you had.”

“
Promise me that you would do whatever I ask first.”

He searched her eyes for an explanation on her sudden strange behavior. “Tell me what you intend to do.”

“
There is a way to save both of us, but you must…”

“
I must what?”

She leaned over and whispered into his ear.

“
No!” He protested. “No! Even a dog will not bite the hand that feeds him!”

“
Have you forgotten?” She pulled out the dagger at his side and ran it though her palm. Crimson blood dripped onto the linen. The wound instantly healed. “I am immortal.”

“
I still can’t do it…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If you really die, then what would I do?”

“
It is the only thing I will ever ask of you. Please save me. I don’t want a man who only wants me solely for my appearance. I don’t want to be a property. I’d rather hurt once than be tormented a lifetime.”

“
It is an order?”

“
It is.”

She may have lied
a little about not wanting a man who wants her solely for her appearance, because she never truly cared about whom she would marry. Men were all the same to her. Poor, wealthy, handsome, or ugly, there is no difference between them. They were people. They were human.

She had always thought that she had some sort of disease that made her indifferent to the opposite sex, but it turned out that the only disease she carried was her immortality. She could be attracted to men after all. That meant there was still hope for her finding love. It was the only thing the other dancing girls ever talked about, besides clothing and jewelry.

Her emotions spiked a little too much recently. It had always been contained and kept at a minimum. Ever since that strange man fished her out of the river, she felt things differently. It was like waking up from a dream to the real world. Or maybe leaving the real world and entering a dream. She didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t know which reality to believe anymore.

Droplets of his platinum hair dripped on her cheeks. His clear blue eyes were worlds of their own.

A severe pain in her chest made her flop onto the pillows. The pain was throbbing as if her heart was being bound by thorns and bleeding inside her chest. She had never been ill before. She had never even had a cold. After the pain subsided, all she felt was fear. She didn’t know what she was afraid of. It was like sitting in the dark and fearing darkness itself.

She heard her name being called repeatedly, as if it was a prayer. When she opened her eyes again, Sayan’s dark brown eyes were staring at her with concern. He shook her gently until he was sure she could hear his voice.

“
What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

She rarely ever slept, and if she ever did, it was not out of necessity. Most of the times she just wanted time to fly by faster. She could sleep for days or even months if she chose to. Why did she not realize that she was not normal until now?

Immortality was definitely abnormal.

She was more afraid of her past than curious of it. For all she knew, she may not even be human.

“
Nala, listen to me! Can you hear me?”

Her eyes looked directly into his.

“
Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “No…” She replied. Not anymore.

He sat up right again. “When did I…fall asleep?”

“
I was telling you about the second year, after I had left the Black City. My story probably bored you to sleep.”

“
I wasn’t bored. I think I was just very tired. Tell me again?”

“
Maybe another time…I don’t feel very well today.”

“
Should I summon the physician?”

“
No, I just need some rest.”

Sayan nodded and headed toward the door. “She will not be disturbed by anyone.” He said to the servants guarding the door. They bowed at the instruction.

Thinking too much into it may not be the best idea right now. She should sleep a little to ease the rapid beating of her heart.

The servants bowed
to her as she walked by. She could have sworn she heard them giggling to one another. She turned around and noticed that they were still stealing glances at her. There was a strange atmosphere in the air.

“
Nora,” Nala turned back again to see if the servants were still looking at her. “Why are they acting so strange? Is there something on my face?” She tries to wipe her cheeks with her hands.

“
Uh…” Nora awkwardly smiled. “Servants gossip, that is all.”

“
Gossip about?”

Nora blushed. Her face was bright red. “They talk about your relationship with Prince Sayan.”

Nala stared at the girl in perplexity. “What relationship?”

“
The servants changed your sheets after Prince Sayan stayed the night and…they found the blood stain.”

“
Why are they talking about-” Then she remembered. Virgin girls bleed on their first night. It did look suspicious, even to her. If she told them the truth, they wouldn’t believe her. If she should lie, she didn’t even know where to begin. Would she really have to live with this misunderstanding?

“
I envy you, Nala.” Nora forced a smile. “You came to Prince Sayan a pure woman. I-” She paused when she saw the Prince and the General approaching. She bowed to the both of them.

Nala stood an arm’s length away from Sayan and glared at him. By the pout on her face, he could have already guessed why she was upset.

He placed a hand over his mouth to mask the grin on his face. He tried to hold back a laugh when her pout became heavier, and failed.