Susan's mother looked at her daughter in confusion as she tried to make sense of this. Didn't Williams say she fancied Harvey? Harvey was the son of the Minister of War. Not only that, he was the youngest nobleman in the assembly. He was also a great warrior and seemed to fancy Susan a great deal. So why?
"How... how can you fancy him?" She asked in confusion as she crouched down in front of the crying Susan.
"What is so great about him aside from his looks? Aren't you scared of him?" Her mother asked in confusion. He was uncomfortable to be around. And he's like twice Susan's size!
"You deserve the best. Not a guard. And certainly not Prince Harold's guard. I don't want you getting yourself involved in whatever goes on in this palace. This is for your own good."
Susan continued to sob. "M-Mother..."
"Stop crying over a guard!" her mother snapped at her, already exhausted from everything. It was a miracle that she was still functioning properly at this point.
"That is all I have to say. You have gotten into too much trouble already. Your father is going to handle it. I'm going back to the chamber to stay with your father and brother. Stay hidden and do not come out until it's time for us to leave. And your father must not learn of this," she warned before rising.
She didn't leave immediately and just stared down at Susan for a short while before she sighed and began to head for the door.
"Make sure to lock the door," she said without turning to look at Susan before walking out of the chamber.
*******
While Harold was out there searching for the missing Paulina, she was currently moving about like a thief with a cane in hand to serve as a weapon as she tried to find Williams.
Susan had said he was resting, but they were not sure when he was going to wake up. She only wanted to take a peek. It had happened impulsively. She didn't even know when she left the others until she was far away from them before it occurred to her what kind of risk she was taking, especially after finding out the kind of people in this place.
When she got outside their family chamber, her confusion intensified, as she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. As soon as she heard footsteps approaching the door, she ran to the opposite side and hid there.
The door opened, and Lance stepped out of the room with Williams' father.
"You don't have to see me off. I can join you to look for Lady Susan and her mother." Lance said to the older man.
"I will search for them after seeing you off. It's dangerous to walk alone at this time. You need to return to your family in one piece," the man said, while still looking at Lance suspiciously since he wasn't sure what the young lad wanted from their family that he was being so helpful.
"It would be faster if I joined you in the search," Lance pointed out.
"You don't have to." The older man said as they continued walking.
Paulina almost had a heart attack when Williams' father suddenly stopped walking and briefly looked in her direction. She held her breath and raised a hand to cover her mouth so she wouldn't accidentally let out any sound. She remained in that position until he resumed walking, and both men disappeared from her sight.
Paulina considered what they had said and concluded that no one else was inside the room.
She resumed tiptoeing and slowly opened the door before peeking inside. It was empty and quiet, and there was a faint glow from a lantern inside.
She stepped in, her heart beating so fast, and walked quietly to the bed where Williams lay still.
Seeing him like that, she began to sob quietly, but as soon as she saw his eyes opening, she jumped back in fear and wielded the cane in her hand at him.
Williams was too lazy to open his eyes and just kept them shut as he managed to speak in a very weak and faint voice.
"If... you are so scared. Why did you come?" Although his eyes were still shut, he sounded sad.
"You... are you... o-kay?" Paulina asked from a distance.
"Water. I... need water," Williams whispered with a groan, and Paulina fearfully moved closer to hear him, but she still kept a safe distance between them and continued to wield the stick.
"Water," he repeated faintly.
Thankfully, she was able to hear him this time and looked around the chamber. Once she found a gourd of water, she began to approach him but stopped midway, too scared to move closer.
Seeing him in discomfort made tears roll down her cheeks. She wanted to approach, but she was too scared. She didn't know the kind of person they truly were or if they were in good relation with the other part of them or if that part existed on its own. Because why else would Prince Ivan have hurt his wife?
In fear, she began to speak with her hands shaking so much that she felt the gourd and cane were going to fall. "Y-You... are still... the same, r-right?"
Williams used all his strength to squint at her as his lips curled slightly. "Do I... look like I can hurt you?" He asked before groaning in pain.
Paulina quickly dropped the cane on the floor and approached his bed. Her feet grew heavier as she got closer, but she tried to swallow her fear and approach him with the gourd of water.
She hesitated again when she was about to feed him the water, but she tried her best to just see him for who he was at the moment. With that in mind, she began to help him elevate his head so he could drink.
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