Isolde's Pov
The moment I got back into the halls of the castle, everything felt like a blur.
I don't know how I walked into the servants' quarters. I don't know how I entered my room, but there was something I definitely felt.
The burning stares of everyone on me.
Everyone besides Silas.
Silas is giving the look that he has known it all all along, that the king and I have something, or we'll have something. He is talking like a fortune teller or something.
But the other eyes I feel on me are filled with judgment, looking at me as though I have sinned.
Which, on the contrary, I have.
But that was the most delicious thing I have ever sinned.
Ever.
And I don't regret it.
And I would go over and over again to repeat what the king and I shared last night.
I have not seen Cassian.
I know that news might have gotten to him. I know that he might not take it well, but he's the least of my worries right now.
I am thinking and hoping and praying that Darian returns safe to me.
I need him to come back safely.
Right now, I'm seated on my bed. My mind and thoughts are trailing all over the place. One minute I'm happy, the next minute I am worrying about him. Next minute I am still joyous and recounting every touch of his lips, every feel of his hands, everything that happened.
And I just keep looking, looking at myself, scanning myself, wondering if it is a dream, if I'm about to be woken up, if every single thing that I've experienced in this castle turns out to be just a good, sweet dream.
And I don't want anyone to wake me up and just declare to me that it is all a dream.
'You did not actually become a vampire. You're just a human. Maybe you hit your head somewhere. You survived the fall, but you were just unconscious.'
I pray this is not a dream, and I pray that if it is one, I should never wake up.
That is a choice.
That is my choice.
I get to make my own choices now.
I sigh.
I look at the unlit candle on my drawer and smile at it, wondering how did my life change so quickly.
One minute I'm at death's alley, asking God or the gods to save me so that I could experience what I have failed to experience all my life.
And the next minute I'm being saved by vampires and turned into one of them.
And everything about my life has changed completely.
And I am moving from being sad to being happy, from being happy to being angry, from being angry to being trained by royalty.
Significantly, I have grown.
In a month, I have grown more than I have as a human in years.
And I have everyone in this castle, well, not everyone, but I have the king, Cassian, and Silas to thank for this growth.
Still lost in thoughts, I hear the bang on my door.
Well, the bang is not something that I am not accustomed to, because the only one that hits my door as though he owns the door is, well, Silas.
I open the door and tell him, "What do you want now?"
He eyes me and tells me, "You are very much aware that your status has elevated in the matter of three seconds."
"It's not exactly three seconds."
"If you do not want me to calculate—just let me calculate. I'm the scientist, you're the apprentice."
"Sorry." I say and proceed to ask
"So, what do you want me to do? My status has not elevated one bit. I just—"
"You just what?" She asks with a scowl
Then continues to say
"You just run down from the king's chambers. You run down through the halls where the guards and the servants saw you in your… how do I put it in a way that doesn't make me sound like a narcissist?"
I sigh.
He scrunches his nose and says
"I will never look at you like a whore. I know you will never look at me like a narcissist and I will never look at you like one too. Because you're not my type. But then the words I want to use would make it look like I see you in that way when I actually don't."
I chuckle.
"Anyway, you run down the halls dressed in his dress shirt and you run to him when he's about to mount his horse and you hug him and kiss him before almost half the castle, if not everyone in the castle. Even people in the chapel might have seen it. So yes, you have openly elevated your status because he did not reject you, he kissed you back. So yeah, your status has been elevated."
"So you should not stay in the servants' quarters. And you know why"
I sigh because I definitely know the why.
That reason has been eating me up even though I have been happy.
"I don't want everyone to call me a whore, but I can't help it because they are already doing so. They would assume I slept my way to this status. They would assume that I don't deserve it because I just came and they have been here for years and they have never captured the attention of the king and I just came and—"
"Hey!"
Silas stops me in my train of thoughts.
"You deserve every good thing that is happening to you, okay? You deserve every good thing because you have been through a lot. No one understands you, but I will. Because, well, even if I did not want to save you at first, and I definitely would have loved if Cass had just killed you at once, but on the contrary, I realized that you are a brave, strong-headed, stubborn person. And that person is my kind of person. You are my only apprentice and you are always willing to learn, even if it's for the sake of revenge I know you have learnt a good amount of knowledge. You don't let people walk all over you. Instead, you'll be the one to walk all over them. I am proud of you. Your growth, your resilience, every single thing that you have done in one month, and every single thing you have experienced in one month, every good thing you deserve. So don't let other people's thoughts or talks influence how you think about yourself because they are not great, you are great."
I look at him and smile.
"That is the nicest thing you've ever told me, like, ever."
"Do not tell Cassian. Don't even tell the king I told you that, okay? I prefer my head on my neck. That is for the king. And I prefer my reputation to remain as it is. And that's for Cassian. Let no one assume that I am a softie or something."
"Hey, you're not softie. You're just sweet."
"Hey! Do not call me sweet. Do not ever, ever call me sweet. The name sweet and Silas don't go together"
"But both of them start with the S." I say intentionally
"No, na-ah, no. Sweet and Silas don't go together."
"So, back to what I was saying. You have elevated reputation status and you need to leave the servants' quarters unless you want a barricade of servants to bulldoze your door and attack you all at once."
"What? That cannot be possible."
"If you don't know how servants could go far, because they assume that you might have, you know, people might assume that you have casted a spell on the king. So, as he's not around to protect you, they will say the best way to eliminate the threat is to eliminate the threat when the protector is not around."
I go quiet.
"So I advise you leave the servants' quarters and go and reside in his bedroom where you came from- he takes a dramatic pause
-And may I remind you that you're still in his dress shirt."
I look down and squeeze my thighs, covering them instinctively.
"Why didn't you tell me first?"
"I did not realize it until now either. Though it's covering… things, but yes, I prefer talking to you in a more decent outfit."
"But you've been talking to me with this outfit for how many minutes straight?"
"Okay, you know what…"
He turns around.
"I will talk to the door, but you're listening to me. Good?"
"Good."
"Fine. And like I was saying, you should move into his bedchambers."
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"I cannot go to his bedchambers because if I sleep in his room, it confirms what they're saying."
"Confirm what saying?"
"They think I'm a whore that used her body to climb her way to the top."
"Well, you're not a whore, and you definitely did not use your body to climb your way through the top. Rather, the king wanted you. He has always wanted you from the moment you stepped into this castle."
"The only problem was that he was bounded by duty and also bounded by his mind because he had you not… maybe it's just a phase or something. Turns out it's not one because he has seen it and he got it."
"Hey, stop saying things about me as though I'm not the one you're talking to."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"Okay, if you don't want to stay in his room, where would you stay? Because I prefer you safe. I prefer my apprentice safe and sound because going back to not having an apprentice is going to be a tough job for me, even if I have been used to being lonely and alone in my lab. But at this point, having you around has grown on me."
"Really?"
"It has. Do not let anyone hear you. Even if you tell anyone this is what I said, I will cut your tongue."
"Do you really think you can—"
"I know the king is going to amputate me, but I will cast a spell or whatever. Don't just tell people I said this, okay? Anything I say right now, you keep it to yourself. It's between both of us. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Good. So, if you don't want to stay in his room, you will stay the room opposite his room."
"You know, in the other wing of the castle where his room is, which you're very much aware."
"Yeah… lots of rooms there, just in case some extended family members come in and decide they want to stay the night. So that room is reserved for only them."
"But due to the fact that you are now considered his family, you could stay in the room opposite his. You know, the one across his room."
"Oh… yes."
"You don't need to clean it up, though. It's already clean. The servants always keep it clean, just in case. You know… impromptu visits."
"Yes, I understand."
"So—take your things and follow me to the room."
"You mean right now?"
"Like, I don't have time to pack."
"You do not need to pack anything, actually. You just need to pack whatever you think is very dear to you and follow me."
"Unless you want to go on your own and still risk the chance of being attacked."
"But if I get there, what are the odds that someone is going to attack me?"
"You are in the king's wing. The king's wing of the castle is guarded. Anyone there is not to be touched. If you attack them, it's like attacking the king directly."
"So once you get there… you are safe."
"But I'm still going to walk you there. If anyone sees you with me, no one will touch you."
"Do you understand?"
"Why are you talking to me like I'm dumb?"
"Because you're acting dumb."
"Now get your shit and follow me."
"Okay, okay," I say.
When we get into the room, I scan it.
It is not too different from Darian's chamber, but it is still smaller compared to his. The colours are plain, almost dull—nothing extravagant. The cobblestones are still there. The stone walls, cold and unmoving, still there. The bed is neatly arranged, untouched, as though no one has ever truly lived in it. The torches burn steadily against the walls, their flames flickering in a way that should feel warm… but it doesn't.
I have nothing to say about the room.
It just feels… not me.
Odd.
Empty.
I look at it, and I feel nothing.
And Silas notices. Of course he does. He is already giving me that look.
"What?" I ask with an exasperated sigh.
"You do not like it?"
"I don't. Yes—I don't."
"Well, you have no choice. You will stay here if you wish to remain safe."
"Why do I have to be safe in a castle I have lived in for one month?"
"Well," he says dryly, "you might have thought of that before you ran through the halls, claiming the king before everyone. You do not know what to expect, do you? You brought this upon yourself."
"Have I ever told you that I hate you?"
"How the tables turn," he mutters. "Moments ago, in your servants' chamber, you were telling me how sweet I sound. And now you hate me. Is that how easily people in love change their moods?"
"I never said anything about being in love."
"And yet," he raises a brow, "you have said nothing about it being mere lust either. But here we are."
I scoff.
"You have lain with him," he continues, "and he has gone to war, leaving you in my care."
"Did he say that?"
"No," he admits. "I took it upon myself. You are my apprentice. It is my responsibility to keep you safe. I do not know where Cassian is, and if he is not here to do it, then I will."
His voice softens—just a little.
"I want you safe."
I look away.
"And look at it this way," he adds, trying to lighten it, "there are… privileges."
"What if I need food?"
"I will bring it."
"What if I need to relieve myself?"
"That is why you have a chamber pot. You lack for nothing here."
I glare at him.
"You will stay here," he continues, "stay alive, and wait for him to return. Once he claims you before all, you will be safe. Then you may walk freely again."
"What sort of—ugh!" I groan. "So I am a prisoner?"
"It is not a prison," he says calmly. "It is… a comfortable confinement."
"It is a prison," I argue. "I am not free to move as I wish because of all of you—"
I stop myself and sigh.
"It looks bad," he says. "I know. But it could be worse. Trust me. Knowing Darian, he has already laid traps to draw the witches in. He will likely end this war before we even have time to worry."
I hold onto that.
"So just stay alive," he finishes. "Let him return. Let him claim you before all of Greyhaven. Then no one will dare touch you."
I nod slowly.
"Where is Cassian?" I ask.
He shrugs.
"I do not know. He has either disappeared… or chosen not to be seen. But we will hear from him before nightfall."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. He cannot stay away for long."
I nod again.
"Then rest," he says.
"But vampires do not rest."
He pauses.
"That is not entirely true," he replies. "There are times when we fall into a state of stillness… after great exertion. Everything goes quiet. That is the closest thing to sleep."
I frown. And my mind goes back to Darian and I, so our intimacy caused us to rest?
"Can it be forced?"
"It can," he says, "but it is unwise—unless guided by a physician."
He straightens slightly.
"And I happen to be one."
I blink.
"You are not a physician, Silas."
"I am a scientist. It is close enough."
I shake my head.
"So, do you wish to rest?" he asks.
"If it helps."
"Good. I will bring you something."
When he leaves, I begin pacing the room.
I still hate it.
Everything about it feels foreign. Cold. Empty.
How did I end up here?
My emotions refuse to settle—shifting from joy to fear, from longing to uncertainty.
By the time he returns, the chamber is darker but illuminated with lit torches.
"What took you so long?" I ask.
"I had to prepare the draught," he replies. "It was not ready."
"How many of these do you make?"
"Only when needed."
"But you said forcing rest is dangerous."
He shrugs. "Some of us need it."
I narrow my eyes at him.
"Why are you acting like an old woman?" He asks and continues stating the obvious
"I am older than you," he snaps.
"You are still insufferable."
"And you are still childish."
I give him a look.
"Do not give me that stare," he mutters. "I have not seen that look in years."
"Oh… sorry."
"Do not apologise."
He hands me the potion and the books.
"Drink it after you read," he says. "And rest."
"And if I do not?"
"Then I will return and make you."
I glare at him.
He smirks slightly.
"I am leaving."
"Silas."
He pauses at the door.
"…Thank you."
"You are not welcome," he replies, and leaves. And I smile at his retort.
Now I am alone.
With books.
And a draught that promises rest.
I sit and begin to read.
The first tale is of a lost princess—cast away during a voyage, believed dead, yet living among strangers. Her kin search for her, offering reward, while in another land she becomes something else entirely—a thief, a leader of rogues, with a price upon her head.
Two lives.
Two identities.
Two rewards.
And one man chasing both, not knowing they are the same woman.
It is… interesting.
But my mind drifts.
Too many words.
Too many turns.
Too much thinking.
I shut the book.
"Some people truly write too much," I mutter.
And perhaps it is not the book.
Perhaps it is me.
Because the man I—
The man I might be falling for—
Is out there.
At war.
I let out a breath.
I reach for the potion.
"Well… as long as it lets me rest."
I drink it.
It tastes strange.
But I trust him.
Moments pass.
Then—
A slow wave of dizziness.
My limbs grow heavy.
My vision fades.
And everything goes black.
Later….
A scream tears me awake.
I jolt upright.
The chamber is silent.
Too silent.
Then—
Another scream.
Closer.
My heart begins to pound.
I rise quickly, searching the room for anything I can use as a weapon.
Another sound.
At the door.
The handle moves.
Someone is trying to get in.
And in that moment—
I know.
The castle is under attack.
And whatever is outside that door…
is coming for me.