THE NEXT FEW hours seemed to drag on, slower than a snail. Imperial guards flooded through Ravenna's bedroom, inspecting every inch of it with their magic-detecting stones in hand.

Ravenna remained seated atop her bed, her fingers lightly drumming against the brand new mattress beneath her. She watched the guards that roamed her room with a careful eye. She was just waiting for the stones to start glowing. She wasn't sure what exactly she would do if they did.

On either side of her stood Alyss and Miera, with their arms crossed over their chests. They flanked her as if they were her own personal bodyguards. At the end of her bed, two stern-faced guards lingered. Both eyed Ravenna. "Are you certain that is all you remember?" one asked her.

"Yes," Ravenna insisted. Her gaze met the guards. She touched her bandaged stomach. "I genuinely do not remember anything else."

"She would tell you if she did," Alyss insisted.

The Imperial guards shared a look that was hard to decipher. Ravenna did her best to maintain her calm appearance. Another guard stepped up beside them. He dipped his head and announced, "No trace of magic here, sir."

Ravenna did not react. She watched as the guards shared another glance. They thanked the other guard and returned their attention to her with an understanding smile. "We understand," one told her. "We know this must be very traumatizing."

The other smiled wider at her and added, "We hope that you are able to rest and heal soon. Thank you for your cooperation and for allowing us to search your bedroom."

She pulled her lips back into a forced smile. "Of course," she told them. They hadn't exactly given her much of a choice.

Both guards crossed one arm over their chest and dipped into a polite bow at the waist. "Please, let us know if there is anything we can do to serve you, my lady," both chimed in unison.

It was kind of creepy to Ravenna. Her smile faltered slightly. "I appreciate your service," she said.

"We will be patrolling the castle more heavily," one said as they straightened back upward. "We will also assign one of our Blood Knights to stand post outside your door throughout the night. Rest assured, you are safe and protected here."

Ravenna thanked them and they left her bedroom. Slowly but surely the rest of the guards followed suit, trailing out the door like a herd of sheep. The tension that had filled the room began to ease with their departure.

Miera and Alyss made their way around the room, cleaning and chatting amicably. They did not leave until a knock sounded at the door and Eoin stepped into the bedroom.

When the door shut behind them, Ravenna flinched. She shifted back in her bed, allowing herself to rest on the mound of pillows situated behind her. Her arms crossed over her chest.

"Can I help you?" she asked him.

Eoin grimaced. He approached the foot of her bed and just stood there for a moment. His head dipped downward, his gaze downcast. His shoulders sank. Ravenna found herself somewhat shocked by his expression —it was filled with pain and remorse. "How do you feel?" he asked her. "Are you hurting?"

Her fingers brushed against the cloth that covered her stomach. The wound did not really hurt her. It would not be long before it had healed, either. She held no concern for it.

"I feel fine," she assured him.

He seemed to sink a little lower. She watched him, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. He took a seat on the corner of her mattress. His gaze lifted to meet hers. "I want to apologize," he said.

"Oh," Ravenna remarked. Her voice sounded distant.

Another grimace plagued Eoin's expression. "I have not treated you well since the wedding was announced," he admitted. "I have been taking my stress and anger out on you."

"I am glad that you seem to have come to terms with that," she said. A cold sense of iciness dripped from her tone. "Not many do."

Eoin ducked his head. "I did not realize how I was treating you until last night. Until I almost..." he trailed off.

"Punched me in the face?" Ravenna finished for him.

Sharp, agonized pain swam within his bright eyes. She arched a single eyebrow at him. His shoulders sank again, this time as his chest heaved with a sigh.

"I apologize. I went too far," he said. Then his voice got soft. He started to struggle to form full sentences. "And when I heard what happened last night...when I realized what our last interaction would have been...what my last memory of you could have been..."

"I'm sure that must have been hard for you," Ravenna responded. She did her best to sound nonchalant.

Genuine tears swelled in the corners of Eoin's eyes. A sliver of regret knotted at Ravenna's stomach. Her lips wrinkled into a firm line. As much as she despised men who took their emotions out on women and threatened to abuse them, she still needed Eoin to willingly marry her. She needed him in order to be crowned queen.

"I promise. It will not happen again."

"Good," she relented. She offered him a small smile and sat upward. She reached out and gently patted his hand.

His lips twitched around a smile. He took her hand in his and brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a small kiss against her knuckles. "I am very lucky to be marrying such a beautiful and forgiving person," he remarked lightheartedly.

"Indeed you are," she told him —even though she hadn't actually forgiven him.

Eoin spent the rest of the day with her. It reminded her of their days in Zeporia; before all the stress of running a kingdom and planning a wedding turned him into a monstrous human being.

Daylight morphed into twilight and Alyss returned to the bedroom. She seemed to swap places with Eoin —who left to prepare for yet another celebratory feast that was scheduled to take place later that night. The feast made Ravenna nervous. It would be the first time that she'd get to see the King since creating the blood-doll. And if the spell had worked, then the poisoning would have already started.

Alyss took great care in dressing her, making sure that Ravenna was fully comfortable in her dress. She carefully walked her around the room to ensure that the dress didn't disturb Ravenna's bandaged stomach. The notion made Ravenna's heart clench tight within her chest. It was sweet that Alyss cared so much.

Once she was dressed, Eoin reappeared at her door. Ravenna took his arm and allowed him to guide her toward the banquet hall. She was not all that surprised that she had an escort to dinner. With the way that he'd lingered in her bedroom all day, she assumed that he planned to keep her under constant supervision. At least until whoever killed the guard and injured her was caught.

As they entered the room, Ravenna instantly noticed a shift in the atmosphere. Curious gazes zeroed in on her. It made sense to her. A future princess attacked, less than a week before the royal wedding. She could only imagine what sort of gossip had started circulating.

Eoin guided her to her seat. She made a real effort to carefully sit down, to showcase her wounded stomach. Another round of incoherent whispers caressed her ears. It made her snicker.

The King did not stand for his usual toast. Instead, he remained seated, hoisting his drink high above his head. His arm trembled. The skin that stretched taut across his cheeks was pale as well —almost as pale as the white walls and floors around him.

He smiled warmly at everyone and greeted them with a small speech. His speech concluded with a simple, "I hope that you enjoy the fantastic feast that has been prepared tonight."

Ravenna watched as he lowered his goblet to the table. Unlike previous nights, the ale within his goblet did not immediately vanish. He coughed. His harem of scantily clad women tended to him.

A smile kissed Ravenna's lips as she took a bite of the food in front of her. The spell had definitely worked.

~

hey there friends!

I hope that everyone is doing alright. I am sorry that I've been a little absent recently. Things have been a little crazy and honestly not so good on my end. My mom's cousin was diagnosed with cancer in his spine, brain, and liver. My mom got to visit with him and say her goodbyes, which was great. But between that and a heavier workload, my brain is just kind of all over the place right now. I'm doing my best to get caught up with everything and updates should resume as normal after this. 

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read what has been posted so far. I really appreciate you all so much ❤❤❤