Leena's lashes fluttered as she stirred, the warmth of silk sheets wrapped around her like a foreign dream.
Dozens of eyes stared at her—maids, guards, the elder physician—and at the edge of the bed… the Seventh Prince himself, wet hair clinging to his forehead.
Her heart lurched. Memories flooded back—cold water, a shove, and his arms saving her from the pond.
Leena bolted upright, clutching the sheets.
"…I… I have to pee."
The silence was deafening.
Even Maya, crouched nearby, blinked in confusion.
The prince's brow arched. "…What?"
"I said I have to pee!" she blurted, scrambling off the bed, slipping on the polished floor before bolting toward the corridor.
"Leena!" Maya squeaked, scrambling after her.
The palace servants gasped, whispering furiously.
The prince didn't move—he simply watched, eyes narrowing as if he could read every thought she was trying to escape from.
They didn't stop running until they reached the small room they had been given. Leena slammed the door shut, chest heaving, hair still damp from the pond.
Maya grabbed her arm.
"Madame, what's happening?! Why did you run?"
Leena's hands shook.
"I… I almost died, Maya. Someone tried to kill me. This place… it's a trap!"
Maya's face paled.
"Was it the old man…? The one who glares at you all the time?"
Leena hesitated, remembering the cold eyes watching her fall.
"…Yes. And if we stay here, next time… we won't survive."
She gripped Maya's hands tightly, whispering as if the walls themselves could listen:
"We have to leave the palace. Before he kills me… or before the prince decides he doesn't need me anymore."
Leena and Maya sat pressed against the locked door, whispering in the dark.
The palace felt alive—every creak, every gust of wind making their hearts race.
Then—
THUMP!
Both women screamed.
A bird had slammed into the narrow window, wings flapping wildly.
Leena rushed to open the lattice, and the bird hopped inside, ruffling its wet feathers.
A thin string was tied to its leg.
Maya fumbled with the knot and pulled free a scrap of parchment.
The ink was jagged, hurried:
"I know who you are.
Meet me tomorrow in the Royal Library,
Earthly Sciences section, at noon."
The two women stared at each other, wide-eyed.