She blinked once, slowly.
Then her body swayed.
Her fingers slackened.
And she collapsed sideways onto Rollins' shoulder—completely unconscious.
Silence.
No one spoke. No one moved.
They simply stared at the girl they'd all dismissed. The quiet one, kind one, soft one.
The human.
~
The drapes in the princess's chamber were drawn tight, dimming the late afternoon sun into a coppery haze.
Dust shimmered lazily in the light, untouched for days.
On the bedside table, three enchanted lilies had begun to wilt—petals browned at the edges, scent faded.
Even magic couldn't hold back time.
On the enormous bed of velvet and down, something stirred beneath the silk quilts.
Darcy's head shifted.
Her lashes twitched once– and again.
Then—two vivid green eyes blinked open.
"Ugh…" she groaned, lifting a trembling hand to her temple.
Her head pounded, as if something had been ripped loose and shoved violently back into place.
Her voice was hoarse.
Her throat, dry. "Where—?"
A rustle from the curtain.
Two maids turned in unison, startled.
They'd been quietly tidying, but now they dropped everything and rushed to her side.
"My lady!" one breathed. "You're awake!"
The other curtsied so quickly she nearly tripped. "Shall we call for the queen?"
Darcy opened her mouth, but the ache in her tongue silenced her.
She gave a groggy nod.
The doors opened before they could leave.
Queen Odette swept into the room in a sea of midnight silk, perfume trailing behind her like a storm cloud laced with roses.
Behind her followed the royal siblings—Roland, Raymond, Rollins, Richard, Bethany, and a pale, tight-lipped Dora.
Brittany, notably, was absent.
"My precious jewel," Queen Odette whispered, rushing to the bedside.
Darcy blinked up at her, groggy. "Mother–?"
The maids stepped aside as the queen took her hand.
"You're awake," she murmured again, her voice laced with emotion as she stroked her daughter's hair.
Darcy squinted at her family.
They looked… relieved.
But there was something else in their expressions. Tightness. Wariness. Like they'd been–
Queen Odette, as if sensing her suspicion, finds a way to distract her. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere, my dear?"
"M-Mother…" Her throat rasped as Queen Odette offered her a goblet of water.
Darcy drank deeply, then whispered, "Why does everyone look like someone died?"
Queen Odette's fingers paused in her hair.
"No one died, darling." Her tone was instantly light, maybe too light. "You've only been asleep for three days."
"Three—?" Darcy tried to sit up but winced. "Three days?"
"Mm." Odette tucked the blanket gently over her legs, avoiding her eyes. "But you're perfectly fine now. Just needed rest."
Rollins moved to the foot of the bed, arms crossed. "You got into a very intense fight with Brittany," he added, far too cheerfully.
"And got absolutely trounced."
Bethany coughed into her palm to cover a snort. Dora didn't bother to hide her scowl.
Darcy stared at them. "What…?" She frowned, confused. "I fought Brittany?"
"You don't remember?" Rollins cocked a brow. "She kicked your soul out of your spine. Twice."
Raymond's eyes narrowed– she doesn't remember?
A wave of queasiness rolled over her.
Fragments of memory flickered—blades clashing, that eerie smirk, the unbearable heat rising in her core, and—
Golden.
Her eyes had turned golden.
Her fingers curled into the sheets. "Her eyes… I saw…"
But Rollins cut in before she could finish. "After she knocked you into a tree, you passed out and were brought to mother. Later that night, you woke up and started babbling," he said, mimicking a high voice.
"'She's not normal!' 'Brittany's not a human!' 'I saw it!' Honestly, it was hilarious."
Queen Odette shot him a warning look.
"She doesn't remember that part," the queen said with a strained smile, smoothing Darcy's hair again. "Let's not confuse her more."
"I…" Darcy blinked rapidly. "I don't remember anything after I looked into her eyes."
Her chest tightened.
She had seen it.
A blaze beneath the soft-spoken girl they always mocked.
That power—raw, unnatural—had knocked her backward in more ways than one. And now?
Now she couldn't stop shaking.
She would have denied it if not for the strange tightness in the room.
For the way, Queen Odette hadn't called Brittany to visit.
For the way Dora's fist was clenched around the armrest of a chair.
"I'm not imagining this," Darcy muttered.
"No, of course not." Odette kissed her forehead. "You're just tired."
The silence that followed said otherwise.
"Anyway!" Bethany clapped once, the sound too sharp for the moment. "Since our darling Darcy's awake, how about we throw a little celebration?"
Dora's head snapped toward her. "Are you *nsane?"
Bethany blinked. "What?"
"She just woke up from being beaten into a coma, and you want to throw a party?"
Bethany's hands lifted. "It was just a suggestion!"
Darcy flinched at the raised voices. Her head throbbed.
And yet, Dora's fury wasn't even directed at her—it was… something else.
Rollins watched Dora with thinly veiled interest, as if waiting for her to combust.
She did not disappoint.
"She's sixteen," Dora spat. "Sixteen! I'm the first princess and… and she made me look like a beginner with a toothpick—"
"She beat you too...?" Darcy asked, stunned.
That shut Dora up. Her jaw twitched.
Bethany cleared her throat and turned away, pretending to admire a lamp.
Dora stood sharply, eyes blazing, and stormed out.
Richard sighed. "I'll go calm her before she tears down a wall."
He chased after her–vampire speed–already rolling his eyes.
—
The hallway echoed with the sound of heels and rage.
She ran–fast, too fast.
Dora didn't stop until the corridor outside the glass observatory.
Her fury crackled under her skin, demanding release. She wanted to punch something. No—someone.
That stupid girl's voice still rang in her ears.
"A useless vampire and a weaker human."
Dora's fingers dug into the marble rail.
Then— a force landed on her shoulder, a hand.
She was sure it was Richard, so she didn't bother to turn.
"Dora…?"
She froze.
Every breath she'd hoarded stalled as she turned and locked eyes with—
Not Brittany.
But someone just… unexpected.