Drake brought me water, gently propping me up and tipping the cup to my lips. I couldn't tell if it was my body that was trembling, or his arms.
I gulped it down like a lost soul stumbling through the desert, letting the cool liquid soothe the dryness in my throat.
"Kh-khh…"
I choked from drinking too fast. Drake calmly patted my back. It didn't help much, but… oddly, it felt comforting.
As my head began to clear, I cast a glance at the man lying sprawled across the floor, blood-soaked and unconscious. I started piecing together the things he'd said while high.
He said Davina hadn't called for him in a while; meaning he was one of her consorts. And his father had told him I'd been focusing too much on state affairs lately, so he needed to "pull me out of it." With weed.
Burning that much of it in one go, obviously meant to mess with Davina's head. How long had this been going on?
I clenched the blanket around me, tamping down the anger boiling beneath my skin. Just how far had they ruined her with their filthy tricks?
The ending she got in the game suddenly flashed in my mind. Her kingdom overthrown by her ex-fiancé, killed by the man she loved. Pitiful. And pathetic.
As a player, I hadn't thought much of it, just another character in a fantasy story. But now, living as her, I saw it all. The despair. The helplessness.
If even breathing isn't safe, what's the point of being alive?
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Drake noticed how pale I looked, assumed I was still under the influence, and asked in a low, careful voice.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Could I even trust Drake? He was a male lead too, part of this game, this system.
The system? How could it not give me a warning about something like this? Was its only job to toss out death-trap quests?
Son of a bitch.
I let out a bitter laugh and rubbed my forehead, unsure whether to scream in rage or laugh at myself. How the hell did I end up trapped in this godforsaken game?
"I'm fine." My voice was cold as I pushed myself away from his support. Still a bit weak, but I didn't want to lean on him. "How did he get in here?"
It wasn't like I summoned any consort tonight. Not even Xavier.
Drake paused for a beat, eyes flickering guiltily. "He said… Your Highness called for him."
And you just believed him? Without even confiming with me?
I stared at Drake, half-laughing in disbelief, half-sinking into fury. Of course. In his eyes, Davina was that kind of woman. So what if she was drugged, assaulted? Why would he care?
She was the villainess, after all.
I turned away, not wanting to look at him anymore. My voice was icy.
"Take that bastard to the dungeons. Get a confession. I want every name connected to this."
My back was to him, so I didn't see his expression. Only that he stood in silence for a beat, then answered, cool and steady.
"As you command, Your Highness."
Drake lifted the bloodied man from the floor, slinging him over his shoulder, just like he'd carried me the first time we met. Right. So I was no different from a corpse to him.
These quests that demand I earn the affection of the male leads… do they even mean anything?
Drake paused at the door. Without turning back, he said quietly:
"If you need anything… I'll be right outside."
I couldn't help but smirk, waving him off.
"No need. Send Leila to me."
"…As you wish."
The door shut behind him, leaving me alone in this massive room. The silence sank its claws into me like poison, eating away at what was left of my soul.
…I want to go home.
*
"Y-Your Highness…"
Leila froze when she saw me, my nightgown in tatters, hair a tangled mess, one cheek swollen and bruised, blood still seeping through the bandage on my arm from the earlier struggle.
"You look better already." I forced a smile.
She'd been given a proper maid's uniform. It was a bit too big for her scrawny frame, but at least it was clean and well-kept. Her brown hair was braided neatly, revealing a quick-witted, bright face. Her honey-colored eyes had lost some of that skittish fear from before. She was adapting well.
"Now's when you worry about me?" Leila walked in with a washbasin and set it on the vanity, dipping a silk cloth into the water to clean me up.
Sassy little thing.
"Just a minor incident." I replied vaguely.
She didn't say anything more, but I could guess, word had already spread.
Just another stain in Davina's already tarnished reputation. Nothing new there.
Leila gently dabbed at the bruise on my face. Her eyes flickered with a shadow of sympathy. Of course. The marks on her face from this morning hadn't even faded yet.
We weren't so different, were we? Both homeless. Both lost.
"Your Highness!"
Oh, crap.
I flinched and looked toward the door just as Xavier burst in, pale with worry.
"Your Highness…"
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the bruises and wounds. His lips trembled. Eyes welled up.
Don't…
"Your Highness…"
He collapsed onto his knees in front of me, reaching out with shaking hands to touch my shoulder, then my cheek, his warm tears scalding against the frozen part of me.
"I'm fine, Xavier." I took his hand, soothing him gently. Our roles… felt oddly reversed.
"If I'd just disobeyed your order tonight…" His voice broke with guilt. "If I'd stayed by your side…"
"Hey now, this isn't your fault."
I wanted to lean down and kiss away his tears, but Leila's voice behind me cut in.
"Your Highness, I'm still brushing your hair."
"Ah, sorry." I sat back up, coughing awkwardly.
Xavier frowned, eyes narrowing as he spotted Leila behind me. There was a flash of heat in his gaze.
"Your Highness… is this a new maid?"
"This is Leila," I gestured to her, then turned to him. "Leila, this is Xavier. He's…"
I froze. I didn't know what to call him. A bed slave? That would sting his pride.
Sensing my hesitation, Xavier took my hand and pressed it to his lips.
"I'm the princess's consort." He said it with such pride I was stunned.
I blinked, cheeks burning from his boldness, but I didn't pull away.
"It's a pleasure, Lord Xavier." Leila bowed with practiced grace.
Quick learner, this one.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat, breaking the tension. "If you're already here, you may as well stay the night."
Xavier instantly brightened. Like a puppy wagging its tail.
"Really, Your Highness?" He looked thrilled.
I gave a small nod. Truthfully… I was getting used to his warmth. Without it, something felt missing.
Leila helped me change and cleaned up the bloodstained floor before quietly excusing herself, leaving just Xavier and me.
"How did you get this wound, Your Highness?"
We were curled up together on the bed, and he gently touched my shoulder.
"Oh, just an accident." I lied. I didn't want him knowing I'd gone into the slums to bring Leila back.
"And this one?" His hand moved to my cheek. "Also an accident?"
He clearly knew. He just wanted me to say it out loud.
Knowing I couldn't lie anymore, I sighed and told him everything.
His eyes welled up again, but his hands gripped the blanket tightly, he was angry. At the situation. At himself.
He pulled me into his arms. Not too tight, not too loose. Just enough to let me feel he was there. With me. For me.
"If only I had power…" he whispered into the curve of my neck. "I could've protected you."
I sighed, fingers combing through his golden hair. A slave like him, trapped in this place with me… Where could he even find that kind of power?
But still… just having him with me gave me strength.
The loneliness that had nearly swallowed me whole had vanished, dissolved in the heat of his presence. If not for the chains of this system, maybe I really would run away with him.
I let out a dry laugh at my own weakness. Then bent down, pressed a kiss to his hair, and whispered what was truly in my heart.
"Just don't ever betray me. That's all I ask."
I didn't dare ask for more. He was the last person I could lean on in this hell. If even he turned away, I'd fall apart.
***