You felt disoriented as voice registered in your ear. There were hush and urgent, spoken firmly. A demand yet a request from a familiar voice.
You shifted, a heavy weight on your chest. Urgh.
Your eyes fluttered open. Only to be startled when you gazed at the intense looking blue and light green eyes with golden specks.
A big overjoyed smile stretched in your face.
"Ether! You finally made it!" You grab him by his scruff and rub your cheek against his whiskers in affection as he purred. "I'm so glad! I'm missed your soft, fluffy fur."
You had left behind your cat from the abrupt depart from the Judith Manor. But you had a firm belief that your overprotective cat would find a way back to you. And he did. You couldn't be more happy.
"It's your cat?" A voice to the side divert your attention from your cutely purring cat to the maid standing beside your bed. Now you found your focus back, you realised you were in your room.
"Marie?" You questioned your assigned caretaker, still a bit sluggish. She was the same maid who had escort you to your room and was made your nanny by the headmaid.
"Oh, my. It's such a cute little thing." Marie gushed. "I wanna pet him!! But he won't let me pet him. I'm terrified to, since he's been glaring at anyone coming near you. He had been by your side since you were brought here. Though how he appeared here I'm not sure." Marie let out a confused sound.
Her words brought back your recent memories.
You had puked and fainted..
You felt embrassment creep up on you.
Before you could aske Marie who the person was who suffered the nasty to bring your sorry state here, she jumped.
"Oh goodness I forgot to inform his lord that your awake!" Marie panicked as she rushed out.
"Huh?"
Seconds later a relieved looking Felix walked in. A discreet look exchanged between him and Marie as she bowed as went away.
"I'm glad you're came around. We were so worried." He smiled at you relieved. Taking a seat beside you on the bed as you made room for him. "Are you okay now? Does anything hurts? Do you have headache?" He immediately fretted over you in concern manner that had your heart melt at his kindness.
"I'm alright!" You give him a thumps up. He smiles back feeling relieved and easing back.
"Were you the one who brought me here when I fainted?" You asked the most dreaded question.
Please say no. For the sake of my sanity please say no.
His facial expressions tightened as he chewed on his lips. "...Yes."
You felt your soul leave your body from the utter embrassment and shame.
Instantly your smile drops replaced with a panicked embrassment. Ashamed of yourself for putting Felix through something so disgusting, you rolled yourself in your white blanket like a burrito and curl up like caterpillar.
"I wanna die, I wanna die, I wanna die!!" You muttered as you rolled over your bed in embrassment. Feeling your face redden up like a ripe apple.
"(Y/n)?!" Felix gasped, befuddled.
No! Don't call me. Go away! Let me wallow in my embrassment and self-hatred!!
"You shouldn't move around so much! You just regained your conscious after a whole day."
That temporarily stopped your roll-to-death in embrassment.
You peel from your burrito blanket to give him a stunned look. "I was out cold for the whole day?"
"Yes. You should be more careful."
"What? Why did I even fainted in the first place?" You knew the answer, of course. But you wanted to confirm it. You weren't keen on trusting the Crazy lady who clearly murdered you, no matter what she said to justify that.
Felix worried face changed into a firm look. "That's why I'm here to find out. Who was the last person you were with when you fainted?"
That was unexpected. Felix didn't know. You went with honest answer. "Oh. Claude's brother."
He looked shocked and bewildered. "You were with the Crown Prince!"
"Say what?!"
He pulled a face at your shocked expression. "You didn't know? I thought it was pretty basic knowledge amongst the nobles that jewelled eyes belonged to the Royals."
God, you should have paid more attention to Rosalia's political lecture. If you had, you could've avoided the while near-death situation.
You naviety would have gotten you killed. You were so eager to stay out of the range of deceptive royals that you end up befriending one.
Felix let out a distressed sigh. "This complicates the situation. The mix of Crown Prince doesn't sound good. Especially since black magic is involved. I had my doubts but to hear it being confirmed doesn't ease me at all..."
It seem like Felix completely forgotten your presence.
You remembered being knocked out after your meeting with him- the freaking Crown Prince.
Now that you think about it, you started getting headache when you mentioned Claude, dodging his questions. Does his disdain towards Claude led him to harm you?
But how?
Black magic. The truth was glaring you in your face. Shit just what had you gotten yourself into?
This means Crazy lady was right. Black magic was involved. You could've died if it weren't for....
"Who saved me, Felix?" You asked curiously.
Felix hesitated, weighting his words. "...It was his Highness."
"His highness?" You repeated. "You mean Claude?"
You were going to throttled Claude once you see him. He kept him being a prince a secret from you. And look where it gotten you.
Felix looked surprised. "Yes. Actually he was the one who found you but he commanded us not to tell you."
Yep, you just wanted to dig a hole and crawl into a pit.
Claude saw you puking your guts out. Ahhh! God, killl me!
.....No, (Y/n) don't jinx it. You just had returned from the mouth of death. Let's pray that such incidents won't happen again. Ever.
"How did he find me?" You asked. You didn't think you could face Claude ever again.
"Well, he, uh came across you accidentally?" His answer came out in unsure questions.
You raised an eyebrow at him. He squirmed anxiously.
"He had noticed your weaken state. He quickly brought the situation under control.." Felix laughed softly. ".. Though he was grumbling all the while how he'd made a troublesome friend just yesterday and was already regretting it. He can be so insincere about his feelings."
You felt your heart race. "He did?"
"Yes. It's actually strange of him to do so. He gone out of his way to help you. He even used magic to stabilize the effects of bla-- uh your sick state."
You ignored his poor attempt to hide the true reason behind your sickness.
The same thing his brother had said. Was it really rare for Claude to help others..?
Felix continued. "But even so your Familiar did the rest of the work. He drove off... the parasites harming you."
Felix looked down at the snoring ball of white resting on your lap, sleeping peacefully. He smiled. "He's a feisty thing. Didn't let anyone near you, guarding you while you were out. Imagine my surprise when I found you had a familiar. It's a rare occurrence afterall."
You caressed his fur, smiling softly absentmindely. Claude helped you, huh? Even though he acts like he's doesn't care when actually he does. Such a tsundere~
Felix sat there in silence before letting out a sigh. "He considers you his friend. That's explains why he risked using mana on you."
You blinked as you looked at Felix who looked tired and exhausted yet content.
He smiled happily. "I'm glad he found a friend."
You laughed. Felix was such a sweetheart. "I'm glad too. Because of him I'm al-- alright now"
Felix smiled nodding.
"Actually I never got the chance to tell you that I had made a friend. Then this happened and it ruined my surprise. I wanted to be the one to tell you that!" You pouted. "It took lot, I mean lots of efforts including pestering to make him my friend!" You shook your head in exasperation.
"His Highness can be sometimes really stubborn and picky about lots of things especially trusting someone."
You looked at him, brow furrowed. "You talk like you know him well?"
"Well yes, I do. Since His highness were 3 year we've been playmates. And my mother is his nanny and thus that's makes him my bosom brother." Felix chuckled a happy look on his face. "You can say we are closer than brothers. I don't know about him but I feel that way."
You jaw dropped. You did suspect them to be friends but you never knew their bond extend to childhood and was intimate that of like a familial bond. They were practically diaper buddies!!
Heh! Just imagining Claude in diaper chasing after Felix was hilarious. You bit back a snort.
"So you know everything about him."
He nodded a bit bashfully.
Since you were stuck with him. You need to know about him and his family relationships so you wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. And also from the curiousity that roused from getting almost killed just by being acquainted with him. From what you gathered his relationship with his family wasn't good. He had a dysfunctional family with complicated situation. That's it. That's the extend you know about him. You didn't know how his parents treated him. How his brother regarded him. His status as second prince. The problem that came along with it. Nothing at all. Not a thing.
You felt empty at the realisation.
You wanted to stay away from spotlight but you end up unwittingly dancing right into it.
Such thing happened because you were stupid and ignorant.
You could have avoided the whole situation. Now you are involved with not only the second prince but also the Crown prince who wanted to kill you the moment he thought you were allied with Claude.
Which to extend was true. Claude's face flashed in your mind. Change of plans. You were going to stick around especially after you learnt a bit about Claude's dysfunctional family and psycho brother. You could still avoid the spotlight. Claude was more important than you being afraid of garnering attention.
You were kinda jealous of Felix who knew Claude more than you. But than again they were bosom brothers since diaperhood. "Must be nice. That guy so guarded that I'm sure he wouldn't even tell me trivial things about him. Like his favourite colour!!" You exclaimed thinking back all the interactions of you and him.
"I'm sure His highness will open up to you. It'll take time and effort" He added. "..and patience. So don't give up on him."
Those words felt like a plea. Felix really had the best interests in his heart. You smiled earnestly. "I don't plan to! That guy might be a tortoise but I'm stubborn too!" You fisted your hand in determination. "One day I'll make him open up to me. Make him trust me. Then we can be bestest of friends, together."
He needed a break from this shitty situation. Especially from his dysfunctional family. You would make sure his childhood memories has something pleasant. Not just survival and darkness.
Felix gaze softened, a small smile tugged his lips. "You genuinely care about him."
"Yeah! There's no freaking way you can't care for that cute cinnamon roll!"
"C-cinnamon roll..?" Felix looked absolutely puzzled. But he shook his head, smiling down at you. "I'm putting my faith in you, (Y/n)."
"You can count on me I promise you that. I won't break my promise to you since you're my friend too!"
Felix flushed, bashfully smiling while you internally squealed.
Such a cute, cute tomato!
Ahh, Cuteness overload. Best therapy ever! Especially after the emotional showdown with the crazy lady.
"You should rest for today. Since your body hasn't recuperate fully you shouldn't put strain on it." Felix adviced as he got up.
"More sleep? Hell yeah!!" Who can say no to lazing around! Not you of course.
"I'll take my leave. Rest well!" He chuckled, leaving the room with a wave.
You crushed back on the bed making sure not to wake up your cat.
What a crazy day...!