Chapter 32

I was wrong about the howling having wakened me. Or it being the "only" sound.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the room was the crunching beneath my feet and then a sharp, dull pain stabbing through my thin leather shoes.

Dozens of shards of glass were scattered across the floor. A mess of so many colours that it became evident that she had broken any and every object she could find.

Even the window was full of cracks. Not broken but definitely on the verge of it. A single push and-

I was startled out of my sleep-deprived distraction when another howl broke out. My eyes searched the room for her and found her in her bed.

Her dress was in tatters, her face smeared in strange creams, and her hair resembled a birds nest. But what made me stare at her wasn't her appearance; it was the blood pouring down her arms and legs.

I didn't need to think about what caused it since I was beginning to bleed through my toes.

If she doesn't stop now, she might bleed to death!

I ignored the pain and made my way towards her figure that lay limply on the bed, half on- half off. Her mouth gape to let out her wails and her tear-stained face staring straight at the ceiling.

In her defence as to what commenced next, I should have realised she wasn't in an excellent state of mind. But I didn't care, and my only thought was stopping bleeding.

"Lady Lemone! Let me treat you!"-

My throat caught my words when her head swivelled towards me. I heard her neck snap as she trained her beautiful blue eyes on me.

She was glaring at me.

"L-Lady Lemons... You're bleeding. It would be best if you were treated" I reached for her arms gently, trying not to agitate her, but that same arm slapped me so hard across the face the sound almost burst my eardrum.

"You whore! You are the reason this is all happening!!" she started screaming at me suddenly. She grabbed my hair and started thrashing my head around, to my surprise.

I could quickly stop her. It would just be a little push, and she'd be on the ground worrying about herself. After all, she was a noble lady. And they get tired of walking to the dining area, but I wasn't a fool. Suppose I stopped it by pushing her. It would be the end of me.

I'd be publically executed for hurting the precious princess of the empire.

So I waited it out.

Or at least I planned to.

I hadn't realised the door had opened after she slapped me.

All I saw was a shard of glass about to embellish my face before I shut my eyes and braced myself for the pain. But... It didn't arrive.

Instead, another, more pained screech rang out from Sarah. I opened my eyes, expecting to see blood, to have no vision, thinking maybe I had been hurt so badly I couldn't feel anything, but that wasn't the case at all.

What met my eyes sent me spirally into a panic.

Cain leaned on the top of Sarah with a tight grip around her neck.

His eyes were wide as his whole body shook with such rage I was momentarily frozen out of terror. Sarah scratched at him, her voice no longer mourning but now frightened. She was so loud I expected people to come running out of their rooms to stop what I couldn't believe I was seeing.

I just watched the scene play out, almost convinced it was a dream—a nightmare.

It was only when she became limp, her mouth dropping with an empty hollow, that my body lunged for Cain—trying to pry him off her. He moved away quickly, there was no resistance, but I didn't dwell.

I checked her breathing.

Nothing.

Her pulse.

Nothing.

I felt a shudder run through me, but I couldn't give up. I knew next to nothing about what a doctor might do, but I just did what I had seen others do.

I collected my hands and began pushing in multiple pulses on her chest.

Nothing. Nothing at all...

I felt tears of futility raise in my eyes.

I can't let her die...

Then I thought of something strange.

What if I shared my breath with her. What if she breathed through me?

I didn't stop to think and just grabbed her face, breathing in deeply and then pressed our lips together and breathed into her mouth. I did it again. And Again. And again.

So many times as tears fell down my cheek as my hands shook.

I didn't want to see another person die.

I didn't want to see their bodies swell. Their face slowly becomes unrecognisable. I couldn't do that.

I recalled my mother's beautiful face morphing hideously. For the longest time, I thought that maybe she was alive and an unfortunate faced woman had replaced her and died in her stead. I couldn't accept that "she" was my mother.

I gasped. Wiping off my tears as I focused on the job at hand. I had almost given up.

But then, like a miracle, there was a croak.

Her eyes looked around in confusion, and I felt my legs collapse entirely.

"She's alive", I breathed out in relief and turned to where Cain should've lain, but he wasn't there. It was just her and me.

I turned around in confusion and caught him walking into the room carrying a long strange pipe. At first, it looked like a sword, but then I noticed where there should've been a blade. There was a pipe. I ignored it and turned to him, a smile forming on my lips.

"She's alive! I managed to"-

Boom!

A loud sound escaped the strange pipe, aimed right at me. In my petrified state, I caught sight of smoke exiting the opening.

In terrified confusion, I looked at Cain's face, noticing a splatter of blood was suddenly on his clothes and my clothes. The carpets were soaked with redness.

I wasn't sure why it took me so long to realise whose blood I was covered because I was convinced it was mine. But I felt no pain.

I looked at Sarah.

And the image that I saw would plague me forever. I would later wake up from nightmares about this moment. Held in the very arms that caused my trauma.

I had just slumped. My body is giving up. My mind became numb.

And then, everything went black.