Chapter 319: An Unwanted Debt
"Damien is... what?" Evelyn asked, panic surging as her vision blurred with tears.
"Damien is here, Princess," a woman’s voice answered from behind Cece.
They turned toward the sound to find Dr. Zora, the academy healer. She was the same Lumen who had treated Evelyn’s injuries in the past. Dr. Zora stepped forward and pulled back the curtain that separated the adjacent bed from Evelyn’s.
What Evelyn saw made her heart drop to her stomach.
Damien lay on the bed, unmoving. But it wasn’t his stillness that shocked her; it was the fact that his entire body was encased in a jagged, red crystal, as if he had been preserved in stone.
Evelyn’s breath hitched. She sat up slowly this time, her eyes glued to the crystal. Her mouth opened and closed several times, her words failing as her vision clouded again.
"What....what happened? Why is he like that?" she finally managed to choke out.
Cece wiped at the tears streaming down her face at the sight of her formidable brother reduced to such a state. "Evelyn, we had to keep him like this. If we hadn’t, the corruption would have eaten him whole," Cece replied, her voice quivering.
Evelyn tore her gaze away from Damien. "Corruption? Then let me get rid of it now!" she cried, scrambling to get off the bed.
"No! You can’t, Evelyn! Not right now!" Cece and Dr. Zora both moved to block her.
Baffled, her eyes screaming with unanswered questions, she asked impatiently, "Why? Why would you stop me now?"
Dr. Zora stared at Evelyn before pursing her lips. "Princess Evelyn, we all know that you are incredibly powerful, but the battle from a few hours ago has taken a massive toll on your body. Your nose was bleeding, and you have been unconscious for five hours. If we were to let you attempt to cure Lord Damien now, I am afraid the damage to your own system would be catastrophic."
"I don’t care. Damien is-"
"Lord Damien is suspended under my magic for the time being, Princess Evelyn," a masculine voice interrupted from the infirmary entrance. It was Prince Rowan.
He stepped into the room, his grey eyes focused squarely on her for the first time since he had arrived at the academy. "And I assure you, he will remain in that state until you have fully recovered enough to heal him."
Evelyn’s brows furrowed as she studied the new prince. No matter how benevolent his actions appeared, she could not bring herself to trust anyone when it came to the safety of her loved ones.
She questioned him directly. "And why would you do this, Prince Rowan? What kind of Lumen magic is this? I have never heard of anyone capable of such a thing."
Cece and Edward also turned to Rowan, waiting for an answer, but his face remained an unreadable mask as he met Evelyn’s gaze.
"I did this because I wanted to save Lord Damien," Rowan answered slowly.
He took another step forward, clasping his hands behind his back. "As for the magic you speak of... this is one of the secret arts known only to the royals of Varkhalis. I happened to master it, and I used it before it was too late."
When Evelyn remained silent, maintaining her sharp gaze, he continued. "I know you have no reason to believe me, someone who has only just joined the academy, but this technique will keep his body suspended for as long as I maintain the spell.
You can rest assured and take the time to recover your strength. Because, Princess... once I release him from my power, the corruption will begin to spread again. Should you fail to heal him then, the consequence would be something none of us would like."
Evelyn’s grip on the blanket was so tight that she felt as if the bones in her knuckles might break from the strain.
She hated everything about this.
The fact that Damien was in this position in the first place, and the knowledge that he had been placed under a strange spell while she was unconscious. Now, she was forced to depend on a mysterious prince if she wanted to save him.
Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and tried to centre herself with a deep breath. As she did, she realised just how fragile she truly felt.
’What is this?’ she wondered.
Physical weakness was one thing, but this inner void was different. The magic humming in her chest felt scorched and subdued.
Was this simply the consequence of overexerting her powers, or had that woman in the darkness done something to her?
Her heart rate picked up at the thought. Cece’s attention snapped back to her immediately upon hearing the frantic beat of her heart.
"Evelyn, are you feeling okay? I think you should lie down and rest as much as you can for now."
’Tell no one....or else...’ The words of that woman echoed in Evelyn’s mind as her gaze drifted to the unconscious Damien next to her. She felt a surge of anger at finding herself so trapped and vulnerable.
Releasing another frustrated sigh, she replied, "Yes, I’ll lie down for a bit."
She began to move, but as she settled back, she felt something against her skin. She looked down to find a locket with a purple stone dangling around her neck.
She froze at the sight of it, then looked up at Cece. "What is this?"
Dr. Zora stepped forward and explained almost immediately, "This is a healing locket, Princess Evelyn. It will help you recover faster."
Evelyn stared at the locket for a few seconds in silence, then looked back at the doctor.
"This won’t be needed." Evelyn curled her fingers around the locket and pulled it over her head at once. She held it out to Dr. Zora and stated firmly, "You can take it back. Thank you for the gesture, but I am already feeling much better."
Dr. Zora met Evelyn’s eyes and saw a resolve that wouldn’t budge, no matter how much she tried to convince her. She could only nod and take the locket back.
"It is good to know that it helped. Please rest some more while I ask the dining hall to send meals for all of you," Dr. Zora said.
"Thank you, Doctor," Edward responded, while Cece helped Evelyn settle back under the blankets.
Rowan went to take a seat next to Damien.
Evelyn’s eyes followed him again, and her gaze was thick with questions and doubt.
Cece followed her line of sight and leaned closer to whisper, "He says he needs to be in close proximity to Damien in order to maintain the spell."
Evelyn’s eyes widened at the information. Whatever protest she had died in her throat as she weighed the thought of Damien’s safety against her own current condition.
Staring at the ceiling in frustration, she bit her lip before asking, "Ivan... has anyone sent word to him about what happened here?"
Cece nodded. "Yes, one of the Ignis Blade squad members left to inform him right after you passed out. I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he hears what happened."
Evelyn looked toward the window and noticed it was still quite dark outside. When her gaze shifted to the clock, she saw it was already eleven. Curfew had long begun, yet Cece and Edward remained by her side.
"It’s already eleven o’clock," Evelyn noted.
"We received special permission from the Headmaster to stay for the night, Evelyn. We couldn’t possibly leave you alone in this state," Edward replied quietly.
"Thank you....both of you. But I know you must be exhausted. Why don’t you try to rest for a while?" Evelyn suggested.
Before they could respond, Dr. Zora returned with two academy staff members carrying trays of covered dishes.
"Well, you all need to eat before I can leave you to rest for the night," Dr. Zora announced. She gestured for the staff to place the trays before them and uncover the meals.
Cece, Edward, and Evelyn had little appetite, but they accepted their plates without complaint, knowing they needed to keep up their strength for the trials ahead.
Meanwhile, Rowan began eating immediately, as if he had been starved for days.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him, noticing that the tray brought for the prince held an excessive amount of food. They wondered if the dishes were meant for one person or ten.
The way he ate was unsettling....it was as if he had been starving for centuries before finally finding a meal.
Evelyn’s brows furrowed. The more she stared at the elusive prince, the more unusual his behaviour seemed. She wasn’t the only one watching....Cece and Edward sat beside her with their gazes fixed on him in silent confusion.
Dr. Zora cleared her throat to bring their attention back to her. "Alright, make sure you eat well. Someone will come to collect the plates later, and after that, I will give you the medicine to help you heal, Princess Evelyn."
With that, she turned and left.
For the remainder of the meal, they ate in silence, each person’s mind occupied with troubling thoughts.
