CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DANIEL'S POV
Pain.
That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.
My body was heavy, my neck burning from the wound Prince Raymond had left behind. I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through me, forcing me to remain still.
For a moment, I thought I was dead.
But then I remembered…
Tanya.
She saved me.
Again.
I closed my eyes, letting out a slow breath.
Why?
That question had been haunting me ever since I regained consciousness.
Why would she protect me?
After everything I had done…
After everything I planned to do…
None of it made sense.
Days passed, but my mind found no peace.
I sat alone outside the servants' quarters, staring at the ground, lost in my thoughts.
Tanya's face kept appearing in my mind.
Her anger.
Her strength.
Her eyes.
And the way she looked at me that day…
Not with hatred.
But with something else.
Something I couldn't understand.
I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated.
"This is wrong," I muttered to myself.
I was here for a reason.
To protect my kingdom.
To destroy the witches if necessary.
To stop Tanya from carrying out her revenge.
That was my duty.
That was my purpose.
So why…
Why was my heart betraying me?
I remembered the moment I first saw her.
Not as the powerful witch she had become…
But as that small, broken girl in the palace.
The one who begged for justice.
The one no one listened to.
The one we failed.
My chest tightened.
"She was telling the truth…" I whispered.
Back then, I thought she was mad.
I thought she was lying.
But now I knew the truth.
And that truth made me feel something I had never expected.
Guilt.
"I should hate her," I said under my breath.
"She is dangerous… she is my enemy…"
But the words felt empty.
Because deep inside—
I knew the truth.
I didn't hate Tanya.
Not anymore.
Footsteps approached from behind, but I didn't bother turning.
"I can see you are still alive," a familiar voice said.
Jerry.
I glanced at him briefly before looking away again.
He sat beside me, silent for a moment.
"You look troubled, my prince," he said.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Don't call me that here."
He nodded slightly.
"Then I will call you what you have become… confused."
I didn't respond.
Because he was right.
"She saved you," Jerry continued. "Again."
"I know."
"And yet you still plan to use her?"
His words struck me.
I clenched my jaw.
"I have no choice."
"There is always a choice," he replied calmly.
I turned to look at him, irritation rising.
"And what do you suggest?" I asked. "That I forget my kingdom? That I ignore the danger she poses?"
Jerry didn't flinch.
"I suggest you stop lying to yourself."
Silence fell between us.
Then he spoke again.
"You are no longer looking at her as an enemy."
My heart tightened.
"That's not true."
"Then why didn't you escape when you had the chance?" he asked.
I froze.
Because I had no answer.
The truth was simple.
I could have escaped.
That night…
When I discovered everything…
I could have left.
But I didn't.
I stayed.
For her.
"I need to know her plans," I finally said.
Jerry shook his head slowly.
"No," he said. "You stayed because you wanted to."
His words echoed in my mind long after he left.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I walked alone through the covenant, my thoughts restless.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting shadows across the ground.
And somehow…
My feet led me to the place I had been trying to avoid.
The baobab tree.
She was there.
Tanya.
Standing alone beneath the ancient tree, her figure illuminated by the moonlight.
She looked… different.
Not like the fierce witch everyone feared.
But like someone lost.
For a moment, I just stood there, watching her.
My heart beating faster with every second.
I stepped forward.
"Tanya."
She turned immediately, her eyes sharp.
But when she saw me…
Something changed.
Just for a second.
Then it disappeared.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly.
Her tone should have pushed me away.
But it didn't.
"I came to speak with you," I said.
She crossed her arms.
"Speak."
I hesitated.
This was the moment.
The moment I should lie.
Manipulate her.
Get closer for my plan.
But instead…
I found myself saying the truth.
"You should be careful of Prince Raymond."
Her eyes darkened instantly.
"I don't need advice from a servant."
"I'm serious," I said. "He is not what he seems."
"And what are you?" she snapped. "A weak human who thinks he understands everything?"
Her words were harsh.
But I didn't back down.
"At least I'm not pretending," I replied.
Silence.
Tension filled the air between us.
For a moment, we just stared at each other.
Then she spoke, her voice lower this time.
"Why do you care?"
The question caught me off guard.
I opened my mouth to answer…
But no words came out.
Because the truth was dangerous.
"I don't," I finally said.
But even I didn't believe it.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Liar."
Before I could respond, she turned and walked away.
Leaving me standing there…
More confused than ever.
I watched her disappear into the darkness.
And for the first time…
I felt fear.
Not of her.
Not of the witches.
But of what was happening to me.
Because I was no longer sure of my mission.
I was no longer sure of my choices.
And worst of all—
I was no longer sure of my heart.
"Am I protecting my kingdom…"
I whispered into the night.
"Or am I protecting her?"
The wind carried my words away.
But deep inside…
I already knew the answer.
And that truth scared me more than anything else.
END OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN