His Mark On Her Skin

He covered my mouth with one hand and pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to keep quiet. His eyes flicked toward the main corridor, listening. When no footsteps approached, he slowly withdrew his hand.

Then he tugged the scarf lower.

“What are you—”

He turned my head to the side with careful but firm fingers, exposing the mark completely. His gaze sharpened as he examined it.

“Where did you get this mark?”

I forced myself to look at him. “It’s just a scratch, Your Highness.”

His frown deepened. “A scratch? The mark on your neck has a clear diamond shape, and you’re telling me it’s a scratch?” His voice dropped. “You’re lying to me.”

I shook my head quickly. “No. No, I assure you, Your Highness. It really is just a scratch.”

He leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

“That mark belongs to—”

“Prince Kael!” Naeja’s voice rang out from the main corridor, bright and searching.

“Damn it,” Kael muttered under his breath. He released me at once and stepped out of the alcove as if nothing had happened."Where were you?" I heard Naeja ask.

"Just went to the bathroom," Kael replied smoothly.

I stayed frozen in the shadows, not daring to move. Only when their footsteps faded completely down the hall did I finally step out.

My hands were unsteady as I adjusted the scarf, pulling it higher to hide the diamond-shaped mark once more. I headed back to my room and carefully pulled the scarf aside.

The mark on my neck looked fainter than before. The edges softening, the diamond shape less sharp. Relief washed over me so strongly that my shoulders sagged. Just then, the door burst open.

Naeja stepped in without knocking. I yanked the scarf back into place at once.

"What do you want, Naeja? Who walks into a room like that?"

"That's because you're a maid," she said coldly. She stepped closer, her eyes hard. "Listen carefully, Gwenriel. My engagement is tomorrow. I want you nowhere near Prince Kael. Keep your slutty attitude away from him."

She straightened, a wicked little smirk curling her lips. "Once we're engaged and Kael is crowned king, I'll be his queen. And you..." Her voice dropped, sweet and poisonous. "We'll sell you off."

She turned and walked out, leaving the door wide open behind her. I stood frozen for a second, the urge to slap her so strong my fingers curled into fists. Then I slumped onto the bed and clutched the sheets tightly.

I needed a way to leave this place. If they sold me off to some rugged stranger, there was no telling what I would face.

By afternoon, I had returned to my duties, but every part of my body ached and my head kept spinning. I felt too weak to move properly, yet there was no choice.

Naeja’s engagement was tomorrow. Everything had to be perfect.

I was assigned to tend to her while she tried on her dress. She stood in front of the tall mirror, turning from side to side, the expensive fabric catching the light as she flaunted herself.

“Does this dress look good on me, Gwenriel?”

I rolled my eyes and said nothing. She frowned at my reflection in the mirror. “I asked you a question.”

“Pardon me,” I said evenly. “Of course. It brings out your eyes.”

She scoffed and then gave a satisfied little smile.

The dizziness hit me again, harder this time. Nausea rolled through my stomach so strongly that I thought I might throw up right there on the floor.

“Gwenriel,” Naeja called, still admiring herself in the mirror. “I don’t like how loose this dress is at the waist. I need you to fix it.”

With shaky legs, I picked up the needle and thread and walked toward her. My hands trembled as I tried to pinch the fabric and stitch it tighter. I plunged the needle in, and didn’t realize until it was too late that it had pierced her skin.

“Ow!”

Naeja spun around and shoved me hard. I stumbled backward. The dizziness made it impossible to catch myself. My feet tangled, and I collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud.

“Are you crazy?” she snapped.

I was sure she was looking down at me with pure disdain, but I couldn’t tell anymore. My vision blurred at the edges, and the room tilted sideways. Then everything went dark as I collapsed completely.

I woke to the heavy splash of ice-cold water across my face. It ran into my nose and mouth, shocking me fully awake. I forced my eyes open and drew a long, desperate breath, coughing hard.

“Get up,” Naeja said.

I stared at her in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

“Trying to skip duties?” She grinned. “I’ll drag you up even if you’re on the verge of death. Now get up and clean this mess.”

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, grabbing the edge of a table to steady myself. My head pounded so hard it felt like it might split. I took the mop and cleaned the water spilled across the floor in silence.

The moment I finished, I rushed to my room and barely made it to the sink before I threw up. I gripped the edges, breathing hard, and stared down at the mess.

“What’s happening to me?” I whispered.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stared harder at the mirror. The girl looking back at me seemed thinner and paler, as if someone had drained the life from her overnight.

My fingers drifted to the wet scarf around my neck and pulled it down. The mark on my neck, which had started to fade, was suddenly burning hot.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. I pressed a hand to my stomach as another wave of nausea rolled through me. I gripped the sink until my knuckles turned white and threw up again.

Had I been infected by that stranger?