CHAPTER 4: A TASTE OF HOPE

Lyra's POV

The warmth was the first thing I noticed.

It wrapped around me like a soft blanket, so different from the old mattress that I had grown accustomed to sleeping on. For a brief moment, I wondered if I had died. Slowly, I forced my heavy eyelids open.

Instead of the dark, damp servant quarters, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling adorned with elegant carvings. Cream-colored curtains swayed gently beside a large window, allowing sunlight to spill into the room. The bed beneath me was softer than anything I had ever touched. My heart lurched and I immediately bolted upright, only for a sharp pain to shoot through my body.

"Ah..."A gasp escaped my lips as dizziness washed over me.

"Easy." The gentle voice startled me.

I turned my head to see an elderly man seated beside the bed. He wore the robes of a royal physician, while two maids stood quietly near the door. Panic gripped me, and the only thing that came to mind was to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry!" I blurted, scrambling off the bed despite the pain. "I didn't mean to sleep here. Please don't punish me!"

The moment my feet touched the floor, my knees gave out, but before I could collapse to the floor, the physician caught my arm.

"You shouldn't be standing," he said, concern evident in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry," I repeated, my voice trembling. Failing to pay heed to the concern in his voice, "Please... I'll leave."

The old man sighed. "No one is punishing you."

I froze. "...What?"

He studied my face for a while and sighed, "You are here under Prince Kael's orders."

Prince... Kael? I widened my eyes in shock as realization hit me.

The image of the silver-eyed prince flashed through my mind, the way he had stopped the branding... the way he had spoken to me... the way he had caught me before I hit the floor. It all felt like a dream.

"His Highness ordered us to treat your injuries and make sure you recovered," the physician continued.

I stared at him in disbelief because it didn't make sense. For one terrifying moment, I wondered if he wanted something from me... my body, perhaps. But I quickly dismissed the thought. A prince could have any woman he desired. Why would he want a broken slave like me?

"W-Why?" I whispered to myself before I could stop it.

I couldn't understand why he had helped me. I gave up on my thoughts and decided to ask the physician.

"What could be Prince Kael's reason for saving me?" I asked him.

The physician smiled faintly. "You'll have to ask His Highness that yourself."

My fingers tightened around the blanket. Nothing about this felt real. No one had ever shown me kindness without expecting something in return, not once since my family died. Before that, only my parents and my brother had ever shown me kindness.

The door opened quietly, and one of the maids stepped inside carrying a tray filled with warm porridge, fresh bread, and a steaming cup of herbal tea. The delicious aroma filled the room. Without warning, my stomach growled loudly and my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Please eat," the maid said, smiling kindly at me.

The smile on her face felt so strange to me. Nobody had ever smiled at me... not the maids, slaves like me or even the guards.

"I... I can't." I whispered and immediately lowered my head.

"Why?" She asked, the smile on her face fading.

"I haven't been given permission." I answered quietly.

The room instantly fell eerily silent. The physician exchanged a glance with the maids before looking back at me.

"You have Prince Kael's permission." He assured me.

Even then, I hesitated. I was still terrified of werewolves, especially the royals and council. Being in the same room with them filled me with a fear I couldn't shake. Years of abuse couldn't disappear overnight. My trembling hands refused to move, but the physician gently pushed the tray a little closer.

"No one will punish you." He assured me... yet again.

I swallowed hard, and slowly but cautiously reached out for the bread. I paused, waiting for the blow that never came. No whipping, no shouting or slapping across my face. With shaking fingers, I tore off a tiny piece and placed it into my mouth. The warm bread nearly brought tears to my eyes.

I hadn't realized how much I'd forgotten the taste of freshly baked bread. The memory of the single bite that had nearly cost me my life still haunted me, but this bread tasted different. It tasted like hope.

The physician watched quietly as I ate, making no attempt to rush me. When I finally finished, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Good," he said with an approving nod.

One of the maids stepped forward with a small bowl containing a strange green ointment. I immediately withdrew myself and curled up in a corner, burying my face in-between my legs. Then I heard her gentle, soothing voice.

"I need to apply ointment to the wounds on your back for faster healing," she said gently.

Instinctively, I flinched away, not because I wanted to, but because I was still very much afraid of everyone. Their kindness frightened me more than their cruelty ever had. I couldn't bring myself to trust it.

"I'm sorry!" I cried.

The maid blinked. "I wasn't going to hurt you."

"...Really?" I whispered.

She nodded, reassuring me that I was safe. A part of me wanted to believe her, but years of abuse wouldn't let me. She carefully applied the cool ointment over the whip marks. I bit my lip, trying to suppress the pain I was feeling.

It stung for only a moment before a soothing sensation spread across my back.

No pain or cruelty from them, just... care. It felt so unfamiliar that I didn't know how to react. The physician finished checking my pulse before standing from where he was seated.

"Your body is extremely weak." He paused.

"You must rest for several days."

"Several days?" I echoed, staring at him in disbelief. "Who... will do my work?"

The maids glanced at one another and smiled so sweetly at me. Their smiles only made me more suspicious. Kindness had always come with a price. I was still deeply buried into my thoughts when I heard a voice.

"You won't be working," one of them answered.

I shook my head frantically. "If I don't work... I'll be punished."

"Not anymore," the maid who applied ointment for me said.

I slowly looked up, "What?"

"Those were Prince Kael's orders," one of them said.

My breath caught. He had... protected me?

But why? I was nothing. Just another nameless human slave. Where had he been all these years? Why now? Why would a prince even remember someone like me?

Before I could ask another question, three firm knocks echoed through the room.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door opened and a royal guard stepped inside and bowed his head respectfully.

"The physician may leave," he said.

The old man nodded before gathering his things into his bags and quietly left the room.

The guard's eyes shifted toward me. "Lyra Avalon."

Hearing my own name from a royal guard sent a wave of panic through me. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, but the pain barely registered.

"His Highness, Prince Kael, requests your presence," the guard announced.

My blood ran cold. Why... did the prince want to see me?