Page 57 of Fated

“You don’t have a thing to be sorry for, precious girl,” Madam Pearl said. “Areya, you’ve shown incredible bravery and strength. Sebastian ripped everything away from you, and yet, despite it all, you have found it within yourself to offer him only kindness. That, my dear, takes an exceptional kind of person. Someone far stronger than most.”

Lilly nodded in agreement, her eyes warm with understanding.

Madam Pearl took both of my hands in hers. “Areya, I claim you as one of my own. You will always have a home here in Cresinthia. This land has long been a sanctuary for the innocent victims of the evil plaguing Gardonia. From this day forward, you are under my protection here.” She squeezed my hands andthen continued, “I was selfish today when I asked you to save Sebastian. I did so out of my own love for him, and for that, I apologize. You owe nothing to me, Sebastian, or to Gardonia. The choice to heal is yours alone. Do you understand?”

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.

Madam Pearl cupped my face with both hands.

“It will get better, Areya. I know it’s hard to believe right now, but I promise you, it will. There is a light in you that will grow so bright that no one—neither man, nor monster—will be able to extinguish it. I saw it the moment I looked into your eyes.”

As I lifted my gaze to hers, she smiled.

“You have your grandfather’s eyes, you know,” she added in a hushed voice. “King Edwin—he was known as the gentle king, a man who fiercely loved his kingdom and his family.”

Her words soothed me in ways I hadn’t thought possible.

The chest tremors began to subside, and for what felt like the first time since everything had happened, I was able to take a deep, steady breath.

“Thank you.” My voice was hoarse from crying. “You remind me of my mom.”

Madam Pearl’s smile widened, and she bowed her head slightly. “Then I’m honored.” She turned to Lilly, pausing briefly, but Lilly already knew what to do.

“I will see Areya to her room.” Lilly gave a small nod. “And I’ll have cook send up a warm mug of chamomile tea.”

Madam Pearl smiled, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before wishing me goodnight. Lilly walked me to my room, her presence calm and reassuring.

“I’ll be back with your tea,” she said kindly before heading off.

Once alone in my room, I started going through the motionsof getting ready for bed. I brushed my teeth and changed out of my clothes, pulling on a wonderfully soft turquoise nightgown from a pile of clothes left for me. A soft knock sounded at the door, and when I opened it, Lilly stood there with a warm mug of tea. I thanked her quietly before shutting the door, taking the cup over to the small table beside the bed.

I crawled over the blankets, the softness of the bed enveloping me like a cocoon.

The scent of chamomile tea filled the room, calming my nerves as I took a few slow sips of the warm liquid. My eyes began to feel heavy, the weight of the day finally catching up with me, so I put the tea down and lay back in the bed.

Madam Pearl’s words replayed in my mind, and I held onto them, wrapping myself tightly in the blankets. After my encounter with Madam Pearl, I didn’t feel entirely alone anymore—and that was something. The thought comforted me as I drifted into sleep.

***

A shiver ran through my body. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around myself. I was freezing. My fingers brushed against something wet on my nightgown and my stomach dropped.

No, please, no. Not again.

Jumping out of bed, I rushed to turn on the light, my breath catching in my throat.

Blood. It was everywhere, soaking my nightgown, my hands, the bed. Stepping in front of the door, I twisted the doorknob with slick, blood-covered fingers, struggling to grip it.

Frantically using the fabric of my nightgown to twist the door open, I flung it wide into the dark hallway. From somewhere came a woman’s terrified scream.

Fear gripping me, I ran down the hall, down the stairs, my legs carrying me as fast as they could.

I stopped in front of Madam Pearl’s sitting room, freezing at the sight of blood seeping out from beneath the door—thick, dark, and ominous.Please, no!

My heart couldn’t handle losing someone else.Please, please be ok.

With jittery hands, I pushed the door open slowly, only to be met with the sight of Madam Pearl slumped in her seashell chair, her body brutally mangled, her eyes wide with terror.

My body instinctively stumbled back, my breath leaving me in panicked gasps.

---