Recap: (Y/n) is attacked by the guard from the trip to the castle. He tries to take advantage of her, but is stopped by Tristan. Tristan discovers that the girl he saved is (Y/n) and he gives her the letter from Liam. The letter says that Liam wants to sneak (Y/n) out of the castle (Y/n) tells Tristan to tell Liam that she is fine, and she will tell him if/when she wants to leave.
As (Y/n) expected, when she entered the maid quarters all attention was on her--or rather on the bruises forming around her neck. It wasn't uncommon for a castle worker to come back with an injury or two; accidents did happen after all. However, the marks on (Y/n)'s skin were clearly more than a mere accident. She looked like death, and she felt like it too.
"Oh my god (Y/n) are you okay?" Samantha asked rushing over to the girl. (Y/n) nodded her head and sighed. She didn't speak. She was too afraid of what her voice might sound like. Samantha led the (h/C) haired girl past the group of whispering maids to her bed.
"Hey just get some sleep," Samantha said. "You look like shit." (Y/n) would have laughed in any other circumstance, but she settled on a small smile instead. (Y/n) curled up her aching body and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
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(Y/n) sat up with a groan. There were a few women left in the room. The others, no doubt had already gone to the kitchen to eat. (Y/n) frowned when she noticed that both Samantha and Myrrine were already gone. She got out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. She went over to the sink first, picking up a washcloth. With a gentle wiping motion, she cleaned her face and neck. The person she saw in the mirror almost didn't look like her. (Y/n) noticed that she had gained a little bit of weight. But the thing that really caught her attention were the new marks along her body. (Y/n)'s hands reached up to her neck and traced the blue and purple bruises.
The events of the previous night came rushing in her head. The sensation brought a wave of nausea over the her. She paused a moment before leaving the maid quarters. Breakfast was the last thing on (Y/n) needed, so she dragged her feet to the library. She could use a distraction, and what better than her brown haired friend.
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As soon as (Y/n) entered the library she was met with a friendly wave from Leo. The brown haired prince stood up from his seat and made his way towards the girl.
"(Y/n)!" he yelled out with a bright smile. However his expression soured when he caught a glimpse of the marks around her neck. His eyes were suddenly wide and angry. He grabbed her shoulders, the pressure causing the (h/c) haired girl to flinch.
"What happened? Who did this!?" he yelled. (Y/n) was startled by his loud outburst. It was a sharp contrast to his usual calm and quiet attitude.
"Oh umm I just had a run in with some guy at the ball. It's really not that big of a deal," (Y/n) replied. She didn't want to tell her friend that she had been assaulted. Besides, her excuse wasn't a complete lie.
Leo's eyes scanned the female's face looking for any sign of dishonesty. He nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with her explanation. His hands, however stayed glued to her shoulders. (Y/n) noticed this.
"Could you let go. It kind of hurts."
Leo loosened his grip on her but didn't let go completely. (Y/n) was going to say something, but she was pulled into a tight hug. Leo's arms moved to wrap around the girl's frame.
"You scared me (Y/n). I...I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I won't ever let anything bad happen to you again," he whispered in her ear. (Y/n) shivered. There was something off about his tone, something that made her uneasy. She shrugged the feeling away. It was just because she was still in shock. Leo was kind. She shouldn't have any reason to be scared of him...right?
Leo pulled away with a slight blush. He grabbed her hand and led her over to a sofa in the corner.
"Sit," he said gently pushing her onto the cushion.
"But I need to work."
The male plopped beside the girl.
"Shh," he said putting his arm around her. "Just relax." (Y/n) protested, but she could feel herself give in. A quick rest sounded nice. And god knows her body needed it. (Y/n) relaxed into the cushion, leaning her head on the male's shoulder. She hoped he didn't mind.
Leo's heart sped up. He couldn't deny his attraction towards the girl. She was just so perfect. He watched her eyes close, and his gaze drifted down. He tightened is fists. Someone had hurt (Y/n). He would make sure that nobody ever touched her. Well--except himself of course.
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(Y/n) stirred in her sleep. Her eyes moved rapidly in her dream state. The female jolted awake. There it was again: that familiar sense of dread. (Y/n) turned her head towards the male beside her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but her body just acted on her own. A cool breeze blew through the window. The room was cold and dark. (Y/n) got up from the sofa and reached for the blanket draped across the back. Leo was still sound asleep. (Y/n) debated whether or not she should wake him up.
No, I'll let him sleep. He looks so peaceful, (Y/n) decided. She wrapped the blanket around his body and left. There was no point in trying to clean the room. It was already too late.
When she stepped out of the library, it became apparent to the (h/c) haired girl just how late it actually was. There was no sound in the halls. Everything was eerily quiet. (Y/n) turned the corner letting out a silent scream when she bumped into someone.
"Gosh, you scared me," (Y/n) exclaimed. Ellis looked up at the girl. His eyes lingered on her neck.
"My bad," he said in his signature monotone voice. (Y/n) wondered if he was going to ask about her injury, but to her surprise he said nothing. Ellis didn't need to ask. He already knew.
(Y/n)'s stomach let out a loud grumble. The girl looked down in embarrassment. It occurred to her that she hadn't eaten all day. To make it worse, it was too late to grab anything from the kitchen.
Ellis gave her an odd look. "Eat with me," he said suddenly catching the girl off guard.
"What?" (Y/n) asked thinking she had misheard him.
"Eat with me," he said in a clipped tone. "Clearly you're hungry. Besides, I could use a late night snack." (Y/n) nodded in agreement. Some food did sound nice.
Ellis turned on his heel and began walking away. (Y/n) had trouble keeping up with his long strides, but he made no move to slow down for her. Before she knew it, they were in front a vaguely familiar door.
Where have I seen this before? (Y/n) asked herself. She tried to remember, but she just couldn't.
Nevertheless, she walked in to the room. By the looks of it, it was an office. There was a large desk in the middle of the room, and a small sofa leaning against the wall. (Y/n) took a seat on the sofa.
While the room was fully furnished, there was a distinct lack of character. There were no photos, no painting, no nothing. The lack of personality made the room seem unwelcoming.
Ellis watched the female as she took in his office. He hadn't planned on inviting her to eat with him. The words had just spilled out of his mouth. He found it odd. He never said things without thinking, so why did he with her?
Although his actions confused himself, Ellis couldn't help but feel slightly excited. He could use this opportunity to learn more about the girl. He had failed to get much information from her friends; the strange female was a mystery to more than just himself. But now he would finally learn about her, which meant he could finally get her out of his head.
"I'll be back," Ellis said, opening the door. "Don't touch anything." With that, the dark haired male left the room leaving (Y/n) by herself.
It's not like there is anything interesting in here anyway, (Y/n) thought to herself. She heeded the prince's words and sunk into the sofa. She shut her eyes humming a tune to pass the time.
(Y/n) stopped her humming when she heard the doorknob twist. She sat up straighter as the prince reentered the room with two plates in his hands. He set them both on his desk and gestured for (Y/n) to come closer.
"You can grab that chair over there," he said pointing to a small chair in the corner of the room. (Y/n) dragged the chair to his desk, so that it was opposite of his own. Ellis took a seat and pushed a plate towards the girl.
"What is it?" (Y/n) asked picking up her fork. On the plate, there was a large slice of yellow cake. She didn't know what flavor it was, but it looked really good. She noticed that he had a different flavor in front of him--most likely chocolate.
"It's lemon creme," he replied.
(Y/n) paused. She set the fork down, earning a stare from the male. "I'm sorry, I'm allergic to lemons," (Y/n) admitted. She didn't want to make him feel bad. If he was even capable of feeling, that was.
His eyes caught her own. Silence. After a moment he looked away. With one hand he switched the plates so that the slice of lemon cake was in front of him. The truth was Ellis hated lemon cake. It was just so weird, and bitter. However, he couldn't be bothered to walk back down to the kitchen to get another slice, and he had no intention of making the girl eat something she was allergic to. He wasn't that cruel, at least not usually.
"Thanks," (Y/n) said with a slight smile. The male froze up at the sight. It was rare that he made someone smile. It was odd, and somehow comforting to know that her happiness was caused by him.
Ellis narrowed his eyes. I definitely need to get her out of my head.
He watched as she shoved the chocolate cake into her mouth. Her eyes lit up with delight. The flavor was amazing. It was the most delicious thing (Y/n) had ever eaten.
She noticed Ellis' untouched piece of cake. "You should try the cake. It's really delicious!" she exclaimed.
"Hmm maybe," he replied. However, he made no move to pick up his fork.
"You know what," (Y/n) said with a sudden rush of enticement. "I've always wanted to try cooking deserts." A large smile appeared on her face at the thought. The male's lips curved slightly. Her smile was contagious.
"I'll make sure to bake you something sometime," she said. Her attention went back to the slice of cake in front of her.
Ellis, however, was entirely focused on the female. His heart warmed at her kind gesture. Nobody had ever given him anything because they wanted to. Yet, she had.
She certainly is strange, he thought, a new feeling bubbling in his chest.
"Tell me more about yourself," he said with a newfound excitement.
(Y/n) was caught off guard. "Wha--you want to hear about me?" Ellis nodded. "Oh okay. Well my full name is (Y/n) (L/n). I'm from Lissun. And I--"
"I already know that. I want to hear more about who you really are," Ellis interrupted. (Y/n) processed his words with a frown on her lips.
"What do you mean you already know that?" (Y/n) asked accusingly. Ellis realized his mistake.
"I'm not sure what you mean--"
"Yeah you do! You just said that you already knew stuff about me!" (Y/n) yelled standing up from her chair. She was angry at the prince.
Ellis sighed. "I just got some information about you. What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with that? You don't just get personal info on people without them knowing!"
Ellis was growing tired of (Y/n)'s outburst. "Sit down," he commanded. (Y/n) hesitated, but eventually gave in and sat down.
Silence
(Y/n) shoved the remaining crumbs of cake into her mouth. She no longer wanted to talk to the male. She set her fork down. Ellis leaned over his desk towards the girl. (Y/n) could feel his breath on her face.
"Wh-what are you doing?" (Y/n) stuttered. Ellis reached out his hand. His thumb firmly wiped her lips. He leaned back retracting his arm. (Y/n) caught a glimpse of the chocolate frosting on his finger. Her mouth hung open at his actions. Ellis held eye contact with the girl as he brought his hand to his mouth. His tongue glided over his thumb, licking away the frosting.
"You're right," he said after a moment. "It is delicious."
2151 words.
Okay so I wasn't going to have an update out until Saturday or Sunday, but I saw that this story had 1K reads!! What!!! I never imagined that this would get so many reads in such a short amount of time, so thank you everyone who has been reading. Anyway, I wanted to give you guys an early update because you're so awesome. (Yes, the next chapter will still be published this Saturday or Sunday!)