Is This Love?

**

~Katrina~

I was having a bad dream when a warm hand tapped me. My eyes flew open, and I saw Marissa standing next to my bed. She smiled when she realized I was awake.

"My lady, you are finally awake," she said excitedly, ready to leave the room. I noticed she was about to inform the others, but I stopped her.

"Do not tell anyone I'm awake," I managed to say, struggling to sit up. It was impossible without help.

Marissa rushed to my side, placed a pillow behind my back, and helped me lean against it.

"How did you get me out of the prison?" I asked, trying to understand what had happened while I was in there.

Marissa began to explain, telling me that the king had ordered my release. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she shared the news. But when her veil shifted, revealing her face, I froze.

Shock spread through me when I saw the injury on her face. That wasn't there before. How did she get hurt? Who did this to her? Suddenly, I no longer cared how I got out—I needed to know what happened to Marissa.

"The king was furious when he found out. He sent Lord Rowland to call you, but you weren't here. I was ordered to move your things. Lady Fortuna was ready to get rid of you, but she failed," Marissa said, pulling her veil forward to hide her wound.

"I know. Fortuna wanted me dead… she'll regret not finishing the job," I mumbled, wincing as memories of the prison flooded back.

Fortuna was a devil. Wicked and heartless. I would never forgive her until I got the justice we all deserved.

"What happened to your face?" I suddenly asked, changing the topic. Seeing Marissa like this made me sad.

"I fell down the stairs, Your Highness," Marissa lied. It was obvious—her confidence disappeared, and she stared at the floor.

"You're lying, Marissa," I said, adjusting my position on the bed. My back ached, and I wished I could lie face down. "What really happened? Did Fortuna do this to you?"

Marissa didn't want to upset me, but her eyes betrayed her. She couldn't even look at me. She nodded painfully.

"Fortuna tried to kill both of us like we were animals," I said. "She's been doing this for a long time without the king's knowledge. She is evil… more evil than her husband."

"The women in the quarters know that. That's why they can't stand against her," Marissa said. Her eyes told the truth—they were all afraid of Queen Fortuna. I had been, too. But not anymore. Now that the king was on my side, everything would change. I would be her worst nightmare.

"I will bring Fortuna to her knees," I declared. No… Fortuna started this war. I was just going along with it. "I will reduce her to nothing."

"How are you going to do that, Princess?" Marissa asked, surprised. She was eager to know, though I had no plan yet.

"You will know soon. Have you seen the nurse?" I asked, glancing at her injury. It was still fresh, and even when it healed, it would leave a scar.

"Yes, Your Highness. You don't have to worry," Marissa said with a small smile.

Just then, a knock came at the door. It was the queen mother. She must have assumed I was awake by now.

The old woman was glad to see me up again. It seemed like she loved me the most in the quarters.

The maids were asked to prepare my bath, and they did. Afterward, the queen mother made a warm soup to help me recover faster.

I drank a little after my bath and changed into my red nightgown. It was a see-through gown, so I lay in bed and wrapped myself in the blanket.

Shortly after the queen mother left, Queen Fortuna entered my room. I wasn't expecting her, but she walked in and stood next to me.

Her presence suffocated me. I wished she had never come. We all knew she didn't want me to recover.

The other women who had come to visit me were asked to leave. I was surprised by her audacity.

"You have no right to send my visitors away," I told her.

Fortuna cleared her throat and smiled. "I know, but I didn't want them to hear our conversation. Do you want them to?"

I was surprised by her tone. She was angry over what I had said.

"I have nothing to hide," I replied.

She laughed for a moment before saying, "Everyone in this palace has a dirty secret. You are no exception."

My heart skipped a beat. I knew she didn't know mine, but fear gripped me. I looked away, my gaze shifting to the wall. I reminded myself that I held the darkest secret in the palace. If it was ever exposed, the king would order my execution.

"Well, I came to ask for your forgiveness. We started off badly. You insulted and humiliated me in front of everyone, and instead of punishing you, the king rewarded you," Fortuna said, still bitter over the piece of advice I had given her on the first day.

I wished she had gotten over it already.

But no matter what she said, I would never forgive her for trying to kill us.

"I had no idea that you were the Katrina he told me about," Fortuna said.

I wasn't expecting that. I looked at her carefully, trying to see if she was making it up.

"Yes, he always tells me about the women he wants to bed. You are one of them… or the latest one. Usually, I arrange everything, and after a few nights, he loses interest. Then I have to get rid of them."

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I stared at the woman standing in front of me. Was I just a pawn in her game? Did she know about her husband's infidelity and help him satisfy his desires?

The more she spoke, the more I became afraid of the king.

"He told me about you, and we had no idea you were the new concubine," she continued.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So you know that the king is not on your side. I made a mistake by not accepting his infidelity this time, and now I'm going to—"

"You should be ashamed," I cut in. "You think I will forgive you after everything? I would rather jump—"

I stopped mid-sentence when I saw the king enter the room.

"I will forgive you, but on one condition," I said instead.

Fortuna looked surprised by the sudden change. "What is that?"

"You will apologize to Marissa for what you did to her face."

"No. I won't bring myself so low," Fortuna's expression darkened. She hated the idea of apologizing to a maid. "I won't do such a thing. She wronged me, and I—"

"You will say sorry, Queen Fortuna," the king interrupted.

He stepped further into the room, and Fortuna's lips parted, but no words came out. She realized I had tricked her.

"You are asking me to disrespect myself, Your Highness," she said painfully. I knew how highly she carried herself, and this would hurt her pride.

"You will apologize. I don't care," the king said firmly. It was clear he was still angry with her.

"Your wish is my command," she bowed and left.

It was surprising that she didn't argue with him. Did she fear him this much?

"I'm glad that you two are trying to forgive each other. It will bring peace to the quarters," the king told me.

I nodded and looked away. He quickly noticed the sadness in my eyes and moved closer. I felt the bed shift as he lay beside me.

"What is the problem?" he asked, gently turning my face toward him. Our eyes met. I couldn't hide the tears forming in mine.

"Did I say something wrong? Tell me."

"Do you know what your queen just told me?"

"Fortuna?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"Go ahead and tell me because I have no idea what you two discussed before I came."

"She told me that I was just a piece of entertainment and that you would toss me away as soon as you got satisfied and bored."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as he stared at me. My words left him speechless. He wiped my tears with his thumb and kissed my cheek. Instead of pushing him away, I found myself wishing for more.

"That's not true, my dear," he whispered in my ear. "Do you want to stay with me forever?"

"N-not really. I-I just felt bad for…" I stopped, regretting my words. Now he was going to think I was crazy about him.

"You're stammering," he said, kissing my forehead. "When I was told you were locked up in prison, I lost my mind. The only thing I wanted was to see your face."

"But you just came to see me," I said, even though Marissa had told me he carried me from the prison to my room.

"That's not true. For the first time in my life, I was scared to lose someone," he admitted.

I remembered when he once told me he had never experienced the pain of losing anyone. Why was it different with me? What had changed?

"Why?" I found myself asking. "Why were you scared of losing me?"

I was desperate to hear the reason. Was he in love with me?