Chapter 3:

Vincent's POV:

When I left Majori's hospital room, the air outside felt heavier than before. I walked straight back to my quarters without a word to anyone. The moment the door closed behind me, I sank into the sofa, every muscle in my body aching as though the exhaustion had reached my very soul.

My thoughts wouldn't stop spinning.

I never meant for her to suffer like this. Gods, I didn't. But what choice did I have? If I hadn't hardened my heart back then, I would've been the one destroyed. Maybe she was right all along: I am selfish. I am despicable.

A knock broke through the silence. I waved a hand weakly, signaling for the servant to let the visitor in.

Rin entered first and behind him came a man in fine attire. I immediately straightened, recognizing him. Dr. Ryder - the royal family's top physician. The best there was. I'd ordered Rin to bring him here quietly with strict instructions that this matter would not leave these walls.

Ryder, besides being my personal royal physician is also my close friend. And of course… he knows who Majori is. Ryder is a reasonable and composed man, I know that. He said nothing. Professionals like him knew better than to pry into my affairs. He's also the only one I trust enough to ask for help in saving Majori.

He handed me a medical file, his sigh heavy.

"That young lady… her condition is very serious."

My pulse faltered. I took the file and flipped through it, my brow tightening with every page. X-rays. Organ scans. Red marks everywhere, her liver, kidneys, stomach… all failing. I wasn't a doctor but I knew enough to understand just how bad this was.

Majori's body was falling apart. Nothing was left unscarred.

Dr. Ryder continued quietly, his tone carrying both pity and disbelief.

"I don't know what she's been through but she's endured tremendous pain. Her organs are damaged, her skin carries countless scars. Old wounds layered with new ones… it's as if she no longer cares about her own body. That kind of mental state is… very dangerous."

My hands trembled as I turned another page. When I reached the last image, I froze.

It was her back.

Scars deep, jagged, crawling across her delicate skin like centipedes. The back I once traced with my hands, kissed with reverence, now bore the marks of years of torment. I could barely breathe.

It wasn't just me who had changed. Time had carved its cruelty into her flesh, too.

After leaving me and going with Brian, what happened to her? The words on this medical report feel like a slap in the face to everything I've heard about her over the past five years. She was supposed to be with the man she loved, people said Brian adored her, that she was happy. So what is all this? What are you hiding from me, Majori?

The report said her condition wasn't just from malnutrition, her organs were failing. She had been living in constant pain, her body slowly collapsing under the weight of it.

I felt my chest tighten painfully. I leaned back and covered my face with my hand.

Even after I lost control and ordered my men to slaughter those bastards, I still had Caprian collect whatever evidence was left. Their scent, their emblems, everything pointed to one place, Blue Moon pack. Brian's pack.

But why? Did Brian really want to kill Majori? What kind of horrifying thing happened that drove him to hunt her down like that?

Those men hadn't come to capture her, they came to kill her. Tear her apart. No one sends an army like that after a single woman unless she carries something worth dying or killing for.

Was she a threat? Or a secret they couldn't allow to surface?

None of it made sense.

I called for the servant to fetch Captian. When he entered, I didn't hesitate.

"Investigate everything about Majori's life over the past few years," I ordered. "Every name, every place, every tie she might have to Blue Moon pack. I want every scrap of information brought to me immediately."

Captian bowed deeply before leaving, his expression grim. I could tell even he understood now, Majori was no ordinary woman.

I tightened my grip around the file, the papers crumpling beneath my fingers. For a long moment, I said nothing. Then I turned to Dr. Ryder, my voice low.

"Will her condition improve?"

He hesitated, eyes flicking to me before looking away. He didn't need to say it, I already knew the truth. But still, I waited, desperate for even a shred of hope.

"If she had been brought here a month earlier," Ryder began, "perhaps things might have been different. But… her vitality has been fading for too long. Her organs are failing. We can only slow the decline, not reverse it."

I closed my eyes tightly, the ache in my chest sharper than any wound I'd ever endured. His final words came like a death sentence:

"Your Majesty… she doesn't have much time left."

I drew a slow, unsteady breath. "…Do whatever you can to prolong her life."

That was all I could manage. All I could command.

When I returned to her hospital room later that afternoon, I stopped outside the door. Through the window, I saw her lying there, pale, fragile, her long hair spilling like ink across white sheets. She looked so peaceful it hurt. Her eyes were distant gazing at something beyond the window.

She didn't even look like the same woman anymore. The laughter, the spark, the fire that once lit her eyes, it was all gone.

What happened to you, Majori?

As I stood there, she turned her head slightly as if sensing me. Our bond might have weakened over the years but the pull between us was still there. Her brows furrowed and she turned away, hiding herself from my gaze.

I sighed, pressing a hand against the cold glass.

This time, I wouldn't let her walk away in silence.

No more unanswered questions. No more running.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

…

Majori's POV:

I sat there, waiting for him.

I looked at him and gave a faint smile.

"Your Majesty, have you reconsidered?"

The distant manner in which I addressed him made Vincent's brows furrow deeply. I was determined to keep a clear boundary between us, to cut off all ties.

So what if he was the king of an entire nation? What did that matter now? His power could not represent his true heart.

"Can't you… not treat me like a stranger?"

I chuckled softly. How naïve was he to say something so ridiculous? I tilted my head, gazing at him.

"We're both adults now. Observing basic etiquette is a must. Don't make things difficult for me."

Vincent could only drop the subject. He sat down across from me, his expression serious as he asked:

"Why did you leave back then? Who were those people chasing you? What have you been through all these years? Majori, trust me—I won't hurt you. I'll make everyone who's harmed you pay."

I looked away. I turned my head toward the window, staring at the swaying maple leaves outside. Vincent continued to wait patiently for my response, but all he received was:

"Your Majesty, please just let me go."