"No... please... please don't..."
Her trembling voice echoed weakly through the darkness.
"No... no... NO!"
Sabrina suddenly jolted upright.
A horrifying scream tore from her throat as she clutched her chest desperately, gasping for air as if she had just been pulled out from deep water.
It hurts...
Her chest hurts...
Her heart hurts so much.
Her sapphire blue eyes shook violently as tears streamed endlessly down her pale face. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Alexander...
Her breathing became uneven.
Those eyes...
Those crimson eyes covered in blood—
"No..." she whispered brokenly before another scream escaped her lips. "NOOOO!"
"Princess?!"
The maid beside the bed nearly dropped the tray in her hands from shock.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?!"
Sabrina immediately shrank back against the headboard, her breathing frantic. Her silver hair clung messily against her damp skin as she looked around the room in panic.
The royal bedroom.
The white curtains.
The moonlight.
The chandeliers.
Not the dungeon.
Not the blood-covered prison cell.
Not Charles.
Not Jennifer.
Sabrina froze.
Slowly, her trembling hands touched her own body.
No chains.
No wounds.
No blood.
Then...
Was it all a dream?
But the pain in her chest felt too real.
Alexander's voice.
Charles's laughter.
Jennifer's betrayal.
The warmth of those bloodied crimson eyes in her trembling hands—
Her stomach twisted violently.
"Ugh—!"
Sabrina suddenly bent forward and vomited onto the floor.
"Princess!" the maid cried out in horror.
Tears blurred Sabrina's vision.
No...
It wasn't a dream.
It was real.
She died.
She really died.
And before dying, she saw Alexander's eyes ripped out because of her.
Her breathing became more unstable.
"No..." she whispered shakily. "No... no... please..."
The maid quickly approached her carefully. "Your Highness, please calm down—"
"Don't touch me!"
Sabrina violently pushed the maid away.
The girl stumbled backward in shock.
"Your Highness—"
"NO!" Sabrina screamed hysterically, covering her ears. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"
Everything came rushing back endlessly.
Her father dying.
Her mother's death.
Alexander chained in blood.
Charles wearing the royal crown.
The kingdom collapsing.
Sylveraine burning.
And Alexander...
Still begging for her safety even before his death.
A broken sob escaped from Sabrina's lips.
Why...
Why did I never trust him?
Why did I only realize everything after it was too late?
Her nails dug harshly into her arms as tears poured endlessly from her eyes.
The maid looked terrified.
"I-I'll call His Majesty and Her Majesty immediately!"
The moment the maid rushed out, Sabrina finally collapsed onto the floor.
Her body shook violently from uncontrollable sobs.
Alexander...
I'm sorry...
I'm so sorry...
CRASH!
A nearby glass vase shattered as Sabrina accidentally knocked it over.
Without realizing it, she grabbed the broken shards tightly in her trembling hands.
Blood slowly dripped onto the marble floor.
But she couldn't feel the pain.
Compared to the nightmare she remembered...
This pain was nothing.
---
Outside the royal chambers, hurried footsteps echoed through the palace halls.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
The King and Queen immediately stood upon seeing the terrified maid.
"What happened?" Queen Evelyne asked urgently.
"The Princess—!" The maid struggled to breathe properly. "Her Highness suddenly woke up screaming and crying! She's hurting herself!"
The King immediately paled.
Without another word, both rushed toward Sabrina's chambers.
The moment they entered the room, the Queen gasped.
"Sabri—!"
Sabrina lay unconscious on the floor surrounded by shattered glass. Blood stained her pale hands and white nightgown while tears still lingered on her cheeks even in unconsciousness.
The Queen immediately ran toward her daughter.
"My child...!"
"Call the imperial physician immediately!" the King ordered sharply.
The servants hurried away in panic.
The King's hands trembled slightly as he lifted Sabrina carefully into his arms.
For the first time in years...
Fear filled the ruler of Sylveraine's eyes.
---
"Your Majesties, the Princess's condition is stable for now."
The imperial physician stepped away from the bed with a troubled expression.
Queen Evelyne tightly held Sabrina's bandaged hands.
"What happened to her?" she whispered shakily.
The physician lowered his head respectfully.
"It appears Her Highness experienced severe emotional shock or trauma."
The King's expression darkened.
"Trauma?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Judging from her condition, the Princess seems to have suffered great fear."
The room fell silent.
The Queen gently brushed Sabrina's silver hair away from her face, tears filling her eyes once more.
"She kept screaming..." the Queen whispered painfully. "She sounded terrified..."
The physician hesitated before speaking again.
"There is another matter."
The King raised his eyes.
"Her Highness repeatedly mentioned refusing the engagement in her delirious state."
The King's brows furrowed instantly.
The engagement.
Duke Alexander Ravenshade.
The future husband Sabrina had always feared and avoided.
A heavy sigh escaped the King's lips.
"...Leave us."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Once the physician left, silence filled the royal chambers.
The curtains swayed softly beneath the moonlight.
Queen Evelyne looked down at her unconscious daughter helplessly.
"For three days..." she whispered quietly. "She's suffered for three days like this."
The King's jaw tightened.
"What happened to our daughter?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
After a long moment, the Queen finally spoke again.
"The engagement..." Her voice trembled slightly. "Perhaps we truly should cancel it."
The King closed his eyes briefly.
The engagement between Sabrina and Duke Alexander had existed for years. Breaking it would create conflict between the royal family and House Ravenshade.
But seeing Sabrina trembling even in her sleep...
None of it mattered anymore.
"If that is what Sabrina truly wants," the King said quietly, "then I will not force her."
The Queen nodded weakly before looking back at Sabrina.
The girl looked so fragile.
So broken.
As though something inside her had shattered completely.
The King stared silently at his daughter before finally speaking.
"...Summon the Duke."
The head servant bowed immediately.
"At once, Your Majesty."
But before the servant could leave, the King suddenly spoke again.
"Wait."
The servant paused.
The King's expression hardened slightly.
"Tell me honestly." His voice lowered. "What kind of man is Duke Alexander Ravenshade?"
The servant hesitated briefly before answering carefully.
"Your Majesty... the Duke is feared because of war. But fear and cruelty are not the same thing."
The King remained silent.
The servant continued softly.
"The Duke may be ruthless toward enemies... but never toward innocent people."
A long silence followed.
Finally, the King nodded.
"Bring him."
"As you command, Your Majesty."