Anisha held her breath. She had never expected to hear such a thing.
She looked troubled.
"Why? What happened? Did you notice anything?"
Madlyn nodded, staring into the distance, seemingly disturbed.
"On the day that servant, Prince Nhel's mistress, made a scene, I noticed something," she said, which only left Anisha drowning in more suspense.
"What was it?"
Madlyn glanced back at the door, as though expecting it to open at any moment.
"I saw Prince Nhel's eyes change," she finally said.
"Change?"
"Your Highness, I'm sure of what I saw. They turned red for a split second. It was hair-raising."
"What? His eyes changed to red? How?"
"Your Highness, I have no idea. But I saw it clearly, and that's for certain."
"When the color changed, he immediately closed his eyes, and they went back to normal."
Still trying to process what she had heard, Anisha asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Suddenly, Madlyn grabbed her hands in a frantic manner.
"My Lady, I dare say Prince Nhel is not human. I wouldn't want you to see what I saw."
Tears poured freely down her cheeks as she continued pleading.
"My Lady, we have to get out of here. Very soon he'll begin to show his true colors, who he really is."
Anisha's heart began pounding. Madlyn had no reason to frighten her.
Come to think of it, that day Madlyn had indeed looked shocked, but Anisha had assumed it was because Nhel had put her wrists in his mouth. It turned out she had seen something else entirely.
"Where could I possibly go?"
"My Lady, that's not a problem. We can set up some businesses with the money you've saved all these years."
"I'll see to it that you are provided with servants. You won't experience any form of lack, My Lady," she continued urgently.
"I'll help you settle far away from this kingdom."
*****
Nhel stared at his father lying on the bed.
The king was covered with blankets, his lips chapped and his face pale.
Suddenly, the king opened his eyes. Nhel stood by his bedside, looming over him.
The king coughed weakly.
"The medicine I've always given you is no longer working."
His father responded in a faint, almost inaudible voice.
"Why… is it no longer working?" he coughed.
"It has kept me alive… all these years."
Nhel remained silent.
"What did you use to prepare the medicine that made it so effective?" the king asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"If the problem is the ingredients, I'll send men to search for them. What's the name?"
"You wouldn't want to know," Nhel answered.
The king stared at his son, the one who had always carried a mysterious air about him.
When the king had fallen sick years ago, the physicians had been unable to save him. Yet Nhel had brought him medicine every week, and it worked like magic. Even though he remained bedridden, the medicine extended his life.
"Edmond is gathering officials to his side," Nhel said quietly. "There must be something behind his confidence." Nhel gave his father a knowing look.
"I didn't choose Edmond as my heir," the king responded.
"Who then?"
Nhel had a feeling that trouble was brewing. The cleansing ceremony was definitely not what it seemed.
*****
Anisha stayed in her room all morning, thinking about what Madlyn had told her.
She didn't want to believe it, but Madlyn had looked so certain, so terrified.
Eventually, she decided to step out in an attempt to rid herself of the fear slowly creeping into her heart.
Anisha walked without any particular destination and soon stumbled into someone.
"Oh, my apologies," Anisha said.
She looked up and saw a lady she had never encountered before in the palace.
The woman's hostile gaze fixed on Anisha without the slightest attempt to hide it.
Anisha frowned. Why was someone she had never met looking at her like that?
"You must be Prince Nhel's wife. Nice to meet you," the woman suddenly said, her lips curling into a smile.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were one of those ill-mannered servants," she added.
Anisha smiled politely in return, though she didn't understand how she could be mistaken for a maid. She was wearing an embroidered gown, a sharp contrast to a servant's attire.
"I am," Anisha said with a curtsey. "My name is Anisha. And yours?"
"Lady Jasmine," she replied.
Anisha couldn't help but wonder who she was. From what Edmond had told her, she couldn't possibly be a wife to any of the princes.
"Lady Jasmine," Anisha said politely, "I haven't seen you in the palace before."
"Yes, I don't live here. I'm only visiting," Jasmine replied, her eyes scanning Anisha's face carefully.
"Oh, I see," Anisha said.
The woman's friendliness felt forced, leaving Anisha trying to recall if they had ever met before.
"Well then, I'll see you later," Anisha said, walking past her, not wanting to spend another moment there.
As she walked away, Anisha instinctively raised her wrist to check the cut from the other day.
She froze.
The cut was gone.
Not even a scar remained.
Anisha frowned. It had only been two days. The wound couldn't have healed so quickly, let alone disappear completely.
"Was it this hand… or the other?" she muttered to herself.
The cut had been fairly deep, though she had chosen not to bandage it.
Completely bewildered, Anisha examined both wrists carefully.
There wasn't even the slightest scratch.
******
Nhel returned when it was nearly dinner.
He found Anisha standing in the garden, the night breeze swaying the fabric of her gown. One arm was wrapped around the other as she stared into the distance.
He found the sight surreal.
Only a few months ago, his days had felt meaningless.
He didn't know how much longer he could have survived such a lonely life.
He remained where he was, quietly watching her.
Memories surfaced, of his mother gifting his brothers priceless accessories while leaving him out. No matter how hard he tried to please her, it never worked.
He remembered the nights as a child when he would lock himself in his room and cry until he learned a painful truth,
No one cared.
Eventually, he grew stronger.
Anisha turned, finally noticing him.
"You're back," she said softly.
Nhel paused. He hadn't missed the sudden increase in her heartbeat.
He approached slowly, his gaze briefly scanning the garden to see if there was something.
Anisha tried to steady her pulse, but as he closed the distance between them, her heart began racing again.
Silence settled between them as night fully descended.
Nhel studied her closely and noticed she was staring into his eyes as if searching for something.
"Anisha," he called solemnly, noticing how stiff she had become.
"Hmm?" she responded.
"What happened while I was gone?" Nhel asked.
Anisha realized he had sensed her unease and forced her shoulders to relax.
"I met a lady while walking. She said her name was Jasmine. Do you know her?"
Nhel simply nodded.
The next moment, his hand wrapped around Anisha's chin in a swift motion.
A gasp escaped her lips, and her breath caught.
Anisha instinctively leaned back as he leaned closer, her heartbeat pounding in her chest.
Nhel's eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness of the night.
She couldn't look away.
"You forgot what I told you so soon."