Now there was an awful ache in her chest.
"W...what did you just say?" She enquired softly. After he had blurted that earlier, she had brought them somewhere in the palace where there was no one but just the two of them. She couldn’t keep staying there because she was afraid the walls truly had unseen ears, and someone might be listening to their conversation so she had them come here.
A part of the palace she had found which had no presence. The only thing growling there was an old creepy-looking tree with no leaves.
"I checked, and today is your birthday." He repeated while seated beside her, making sure to keep a considerable amount of distance between them.
"My... birthday, huh?" Raziah didn’t look too happy about it. Time had gone so fast, and everything was now spinning.
"Before we talk about that though..." Malcolm was saying, his voice turning stern but Raziah’s mind was long gone. She couldn’t even hear anything around her with this blank expression on her face as she wondered where she would be soon. She was twenty-three now, and...Dear lord...!
"...if you want to survive here, you need to learn how to keep to yourself." Those were the only words she later heard from him when she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Did...Maria tell you what happened?" Raziah forced herself to ask. She was gonna tell him anyway, but the topic was really disturbing and she never liked hearing anyone say something about it.
"She did, but I couldn’t believe her." Malcolm paused and took a deep breath. He needed to be mentally ready to accept her answer because she was the only person he could believe since it was all about her, "Princess, you..."
She nodded to stop him from talking any further.
"Wow. So it’s true." He said.
"I don’t want to believe it. It never happened."
"You survived against Vampires. How can you still not believe it?" The news had also gotten to him. Maybe she doesn’t know it, but almost every vampire and witch in the palace now has her in mind. It’s oddly fascinating to know why a mere human was able to keep up with supernatural movements.
"It’s best if I don’t," She replied.
He nodded back at her because he couldn’t agree more.
This was not something she could simply embrace and move on with her life.
"How are they all doing back at Naria?" She asked after some minutes of silence.
"They’re sending their regards. The King invited me here himself to see you and attend the event. They said you weren’t feeling too well and after we arrived and met the doctor, she gave us the full gist of everything." He explained to her.
"You... know her surname right?" Raziah whispered this time and Malcolm nodded.
"I couldn’t believe she was her daughter. No wonder she’s with you." He shook his head in wonder, "And what about the little guy with her?"
"Her nephew. He’s not such a bad kid,"
Malcolm smiled, "This is the first time you’re giving out a sincere compliment in so many years." And then, he laughed heartily but she was nowhere near happy for herself or anyone at the moment.
She stared into the night sky that had no stars, and the moon wasn’t visible in this part of the castle too. It wasn’t entirely dark because of the candle and lantern lights that were pouring out there, but the area around the shady tree was nothing but black.
"Caius is... Strange too." She added softly.
"Strange...how?" His brows creased.
"I don’t know how to explain it, but one always has to keep a good eye on him, mostly when he falls asleep," Raziah told Malcolm everything that had gone down with the kid. How some Vampires had been after him particularly that night, how he had suddenly shown up during what felt like an earthquake, and how he had seen the last quake coming. He had predicted it right before it hit them.
All that happening in one night couldn’t have been a coincidence right?
"That’s very strange indeed. What if he’s a witch?"
"Witch?"
"Perhaps. His powers might just awaken anytime he Falls asleep,"
"This started very recently. Fabia said he does sleepwalk, but not this way. He doesn’t suddenly vanish or anything. I think it started the night I first met him...I can’t get my head around it, and I don’t think witches can predict the future as accurately as he did."
"Neither can Vampires,"
"That’s why he’s strange. I don’t know who to ask about him.. we’ll just have to keep our eyes on him," She sighed, and moved her gaze back to the dark sky.
"I don’t think I’m supposed to do this again since you’re married, but take your birthday gift." He extended his arm to her, and she looked between his wide stretched palm and his face. She didn’t see the crime in doing this even though she was married. Malcolm was part of her most beloved family, he was like the brother she never had. Nodding, she placed her palm over his.
"If there’s one person I can trust in this world, then it’s you," Those words of his were so strong. He meant it with everything he had, and you could feel the sincerity, honesty, and gratitude pouring out from every letter. Taking her head, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles before touching his head with those same hands of hers as he does every night of her birthday since she was young.
It was just a silly something they started when they were five, but as the years kept coming by and the bond grew stronger, it bloomed into friendship, trust, and loyalty.
"And if there’s someone I can trust with my life and everything I have, it’s you, Malcolm. You and Maria," She said wholeheartedly as he brought her knuckles back to his lips again, before dropping them back on her legs.
"You were ten just yesterday," He grinned from ear to ear, "And now you’re twenty-four."
"You mean twenty-three." She eyed him.
"No, your highness. You’re twenty-four, I’m sure of..." The happiness in his eyes suddenly got dim, and he instantly turned away from her. She noticed the sudden stiffness that came with it, and it had her swallowing hard. What had come over him?
"Malcolm?" She called out carefully, holding her breath, "What do you mean by I’m twenty-four? I’m twenty-three, I was twenty-two when I got married, remember?"
Gathering the courage to look at her again, she just knew his next words would strike her hard from the tight face he had on this time, "Years ago when you finally woke up from that long slumber. I told you that you were asleep for about a month, right?"
Dear Lord, he can’t be serious. Her toes curled so hard till they hurt.
"I didn’t know what else to tell you, your highness. It was actually...a year that went by, not a month,
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