Chapter 3.3: An Uncanny Feeling

𝟑.𝟑: An uncanny feeling

𝐄lysia roused the next day, feeling like she'd been trampled by a hundred stampeding horses.

Her whole body ached—hot, heavy, and fevered. Her lashes fluttered weakly as she peeled her eyes open, vision swimming through a haze of light and shadow.

She lay there, tangled in damp sheets and drenched in sweat, as the ache settled deep into her bones. Slowly—painfully—her consciousness returned.

And with it, her memory.

Her eyes shot wide open, only for a stab of pain to lash through her skull. She winced, clenching her teeth as her body screamed in protest.

'The missions…' her thoughts stumbled. 'I don't have much time left. If I don't get up now… I'll fail…'

She tried to push herself upright, but a searing jolt shot through her abdomen, pinning her back down.

A broken moan escaped her lips as the pain rippled downward, anchoring itself in her thighs like jagged claws.

The pain was unbearable.

She was still attempting to figure out why all of this was happening to her when the door to her chambers swung open.

Three familiar figures stepped in—the ladies-in-waiting.

Their faces were pale and haggard, moving as though weighed down by exhaustion and worry. There was no sparkle in their eyes, only fatigue and grief.

Since the morning of the incident, they had remained by Elysia's side, working tirelessly. They had wiped down her burning body with cool towels, spooned water between her lips to keep her hydrated, adjusted the windows and drapes to keep the air fresh and the room calm.

Even now, they entered with fresh linens, towels, and salves in hand, ready to resume their silent vigil.

But what they saw halted them.

Their mistress—once still as death—was now writhing weakly on the bed, her face contorted in pain.

She was awake.

Everything they were holding fell to the floor.

"Your Highness!" Liliette cried, her voice cracking with relief as she dropped to her knees beside the bed, clasping Elysia's trembling hand in both of hers.

She flinched at the searing heat of her mistress's skin. It was worse than before.

She turned toward the other two, eyes wide with panic. "Her fever… it's worse again. We must inform His Majesty right away that she's—"

"But he only just left," Seraphine said quickly, her tone taut and clipped. "He was here all morning. You know someone of his stature cannot linger. Calling him back now would only inconvenience him."

Even in her half-lucid state, Elysia's ears latched onto that.

'What…?'

Did she hear right?

King Zachary had been here? With her?

No. That couldn't be right. Why would he—of all people—stay by her side while she was unconscious? It made no sense.

But before she could actually make any sense of it, Liliette's voice cracked like a whip.

"Inconvenience?" she echoed, her face contorting like she'd just tasted something vile.

"You've gone too far, Lady Seraphine! How dare you use such a word in the same sentence as Her Highness?"

Seraphine's nostrils flared. Her expression darkened as she snapped, "Don't twist my words, you fool. I never said Her Highness was the inconvenience. I said summoning His Majesty during his duties would be. A concept you clearly don't understand."

Before the argument could escalate, a hoarse whisper cut through the tension.

"I need… painkillers," Elysia croaked, barely audible. "Please."

It was as if time had paused and snapped back into motion.

The three women turned to her in unison, their squabble forgotten.

Liliette hovered closer, her concern deepening. "W-Where does it hurt, Your Highness? Do you need me to massage—"

"No."

Her voice was weak but firm, eyes glazed yet steady on the ceiling above. Her jaw clenched.

"Just… bring the medicine. I'll be fine after that."

The ladies-in-waiting exchanged glances and reluctantly obeyed, each slipping out of the room to gather what she'd asked for.

But Liliette—despite her agreement—veered off the path. With trembling hands and a pounding heart, she made her way through the halls to find the king.

King Zachary was in the Grand Council Hall, reviewing matters of State with the Lords and scholars—specifically, a trade agreement proposal concerning the upcoming winter shipments through the North Ravine.

He was mid-sentence when the guard at the door approached him quietly. A whisper in the ear. A pale look.

Then a short inhale.

Zachary stood.

Without a word of excuse beyond a sharp glance at the steward, he left the hall. His long strides were swift, his expression unreadable.

Liliette met him outside the chamber doors, panting from her own rush.

"She's awake, Your Majesty," she informed him, bowing low. "But she's in great pain. She asked for painkillers."

Zachary's brows furrowed. "Has the physician seen her yet?"

"Not yet, Sire. He hasn't arrived."

He gave a single nod. "Have them prepare the medicine. And bring some fruits. Apples and oranges. Washed, and bring a knife."

Within moments, everything was handed to him on a silver tray. He took it himself, dismissing the servants with a look, and quickly made his way to Elysia's chambers.

—

When the door creaked open again, Elysia's condition had improved to a tolerable extent.

She turned her head slowly, her eyes widening at her find.

She questioned the authenticity of her vision when Zachary stepped in, carrying the tray.

His coat was slightly disheveled, the buttons halfway undone like he'd hurriedly dressed himself. His chest rose and fell at a quickened pace, still trying to even his breath.

She noticed.

And more than that—she noticed the look in his eyes.

Relief.

Genuine, unguarded relief. Like he'd been holding it in since the moment he'd heard that she fell unconscious.

The king and the princes had only just returned from their outings later that day when they'd received news that the princess had collapsed.

King Zachary and Lucas had immediately rushed over to check her condition, to every witness' surprise.

Luke hadn't.

Even till this moment.

Not that any of that mattered to the person who was unconscious the whole time.

If anything, what shocked her more was this.

'Holy shit. He's really here… Who would have thought…'

But she saw a flicker of confliction in his eyes when their gazes met. The chair beside her bed scraped gently as he pulled it out—the same one he'd sat on earlier.

He said nothing as he sat.

Instead, he picked up the knife and peeled an apple with deliberate focus. Then an orange. The citrus fragrance filled the room, warm and strangely comforting.

When he was done, he offered her a small platter, the lone act unheard of from someone of his caliber.

She was literally being served by him.

The infamous king of indifference.

"You should eat something before you take the painkillers," he said, his voice low but steady.

Elysia masked her stupor and accepted it with a muted nod, mumbling a polite, "I'm… very grateful, Your Majesty."

She began to nibble on the fruits, careful with each bite, conscious of his eyes following her every movement. The silence between them felt too full—heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Then he finally spoke again.

"I sent word for the physician. He'll be here any moment from now."

His voice softened even further, the timbre unexpectedly tender.

"Don't be afraid. Just focus on recuperating. Everything else will be taken care of."

Elysia only nodded.

A silence settled between them.

Whenever his gaze shifted elsewhere, she would watch him out of the corner of her eye, trying to decipher the man before her.

She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the King Zachary—the same man who had treated her like air her whole life—was now sitting there, showing her care and affection. Looking at her like she mattered.

An uncanny realization crept in.

'It's not just him. Even Lucas. Why are they both warming up to me so easily? I know things are panning out perfectly. I should be grateful but... It almost feels like I'm playing a game that someone set to easy mode. Am I simply being a worrywart? I don't know... It's just that... it all feels too good to be true. Something feels… off.'

Had something somehow shifted in this world the moment she became Elysia?

Having a system wasn't enough to overturn the narrative... Or was it?

Still lost in thought, her eyes drifted upward—nearly popping out of their sockets when they froze on his affection meter.

—

King Zachary: 72

(Affection glows green)

—

She blinked.

'Wait…'

She blinked again.

'Wasn't it 50 the last time we saw?!'

Her jaw nearly dropped like a broken marionette.

There was no mistaking it—his affection score had spiked.

And yet… she'd been unconscious the entire time.

Her mind spiraled as she turned away from him, biting into her apple like it had personally offended her.

'This is so uncanny valley coded. I can literally feel goosebumps crawling up my spine. What exactly is going on?'

And yet another thought struck her, sudden and unnerving.

'Speaking of uncanny… there's my latest discovery from the palace archives.

Maybe I could use this chance to ask him about it…'

But she shook her head almost immediately—unaware that Zachary had been watching her curious expressions the entire time, brow raised in quiet observation.

'If I suddenly bring up magic,' she thought grimly, 'I'd be tossing myself straight into the dungeon. I don't think anybody suspects that yesterday's library heist was me. I'd be wise to keep my shut until the whole thing blows over.'

Just then—

[ Ding! Host, your third mission has arrived: Find out King Zachary's true feelings towards Elysia. ]

[ Difficulty: ★★ ]

[ Allotted Time: 3:00:00:00 ]

[ Reward Class: A ]

[ Ding! Mission added to Ongoing Missions Tab. Countdown initiated. ]

And there she was, naively believing that things couldn't get any more bizarre.

Feelings this.

Feelings that.

At this point, it was starting to feel like some unseen force (whose name rhymed with Rylos) had a personal agenda to fix her tangled mess of a new life. Like it actually wanted her to patch things up with her newfound royal family. For real.

'Yeah, as if the second and third missions didn't already scream enough 'power of friendship is magic.' Things basically went full D☆sney female protagonist mode after Benjamin.'

Still, her thoughts snagged on one specific detail.

'But seriously… Reward Class A? That's the highest tier I've seen since I got here. Then again, it's only my third main mission…'

A flicker of anticipation stirred in her chest.

Truthfully, she was curious.

Curious about the reward.

Curious about what this new mission might dredge up.

Curious about what Zachary's "true feelings" even meant in this twisted, rewritten version of the story.

Winfred's words echoed faintly in her head.

'Zachary's true feelings...'

And just like that, something shifted.

The air felt heavier now, as though her world was bracing itself for a revelation she hadn't prepared for.

Details in the novel were beginning to unravel. Facts no longer aligned. Scenes she once knew by heart were slipping into unpredictability.

Elysia could feel the narrative veering off course.

And she couldn't tell whether that was a good thing… or a sign that the worst was yet to come.