Why do you haunt me so much

I slipped back into my castle, my cloak still wrapped tightly around me. My heart pounded with a mixture of anger and frustration. I took the less guarded route, scaling the ivy-covered wall to my window. The night air was cool, but it did little to soothe my seething emotions.

Reaching my window, I pushed it open and climbed inside. Once in my room, I tore off the cloak and threw it across the room. It landed in a heap on the floor as I threw myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows.

"How can Riley still think of Jade even if she is dead?" I muttered to myself, my voice muffled by the pillows. The thought of Riley's lingering affection for Jade made my blood boil. Jade was gone, and yet Riley's heart still clung to her memory. It was maddening.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling, my mind racing. "She should be thinking of me," I continued, my frustration spilling into the empty room. "I'm the one who's been watching over her, bringing her food, trying to keep her alive." My hands clenched into fists. "What did Jade ever do for her besides die?"

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I sat up, quickly composing myself. "Enter," I called out, my voice regaining its usual icy tone.

A servant stepped into the room, bowing respectfully. "Tomorrow, your mother wishes to speak with you," she said.

I nodded, my expression cold and unreadable. "Okay."

The servant turned to leave, but I stopped her with a sharp command. "Wait."

She paused, looking back at me with a hint of apprehension.

"Please beat to death the guards who are surveilling Riley's cell," I said, my tone as cold as the dungeons themselves. "They failed in their duty."

The servant's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. "Yes, my lady." She quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

I sighed deeply, sinking back onto my bed. My thoughts drifted back to my earlier meeting with Riley. Even in her dirty, tattered clothes, she looked stunning. Her pink hair framed her face perfectly, and her green eyes shone with a fierce, unbroken spirit. Despite everything, she still held onto her defiance, and it drove me wild.

"That woman is going to drive me crazy," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I couldn't deny the effect she had on me.

From the moment I first saw her, I had been captivated. Her strength, her beauty, her stubborn refusal to bend—even now, in the depths of the dungeon, she remained resilient.

I stood and paced the room, unable to shake the image of her from my mind. Her every expression, every word, every defiant glare—it was all etched into my memory. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget her.

My thoughts drifted back to the dungeon, to the way Riley had looked at me when I brought her food. There had been a flicker of recognition in her eyes, a moment of connection that sent a thrill through me. But then she had spoken of Jade, and the spell was broken.

"Why can't she see what's right in front of her?" I whispered to myself, my voice filled with a mixture of longing and frustration. "Why can't she see me?"

I stopped pacing and stood at the window, looking out over the darkened landscape. The night was still and quiet, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

Tomorrow, I would have to face my mother. She had been growing increasingly impatient with me getting married, and I knew she would demand answers. But for now, all I could think about was the girl in the dungeon, the girl who haunted my every thought.

I leaned against the window frame, my mind replaying the events of the night. The look in Riley's eyes, the sound of her voice, the way she had hesitated before accepting the food—it all played over and over in my mind, a never-ending loop of longing and frustration.

"Riley," I whispered into the night, the name a prayer and a curse. "Why do you haunt me so much?"

The moonlight cast a soft glow over the room, and I found myself drawn to my bed, where I had thrown my cloak. I picked it up, feeling the weight of the fabric in my hands. It had been a risky move, going to see her in person, but I couldn't stay away. Not when she was so close, yet so unreachable.

I sank onto the bed, holding the cloak to my chest as if it could somehow bridge the gap between us. "What am I going to do with you, Riley?" I asked the empty room. "How can I make you see that I'm the one who cares for you, who's been there for you?"

The silence offered no answers, only the echo of my own frustration. I knew I couldn't keep doing this, couldn't keep torturing myself with thoughts of her. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't let her go.

A knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. I glanced up, expecting another servant, but there was no one there. Just the lingering sense of my own desperation.

I lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as the hours ticked by. Sleep eluded me, my mind too full of Riley and the endless what-ifs. What if she could see me, really see me? What if she could forget Jade and turn her affections to me? The questions swirled in my mind, refusing to settle.