Semua Bab The Tyrant’s Broken Princess: Bab 51 - Bab 60

MEANDRAI could feel my heart pounding in my ears as I hurried down the hallway with Belle's frail hand in mine. I knew she was too weak to run but I couldn't, wouldn't take the risk of leaving her behind at the mercy of Jasquire.Not when I could feel the sound of her hasty steps hurrying behind me. I wasn't going to let Shantai be blamed for something that she had no knowledge of. Not when she mattered so much to Belle.Not when she had come to matter so much to me. If anything, I felt something shift within me. Calling it determination was a bit of a stretch but I could tell that it was a very strong emotion. One that I couldn't let go of.“Come back here this instant,” Jasquire's loud voice pierced through the silence of the hallway. But her command held no weight and thank goodness, that I still remember what freewill felt like because I was never going to do what she needed me to do.“Alejandro,” his name slipped from Belle's lips again. Louder this time. We could still hear Jas

MEANDRAI couldn’t stop myself.It was as though the flickering awareness of my surroundings was blurred, and I was no longer in control of my body. Before I even knew what I was doing, my feet had begun to move. The space between us—once charged with uncertainty, and the silence of too many unsaid things—began to shrink with every step I took toward her.Shantai didn’t move. She stood still, unmoving and unflinching.My hands reached out before I could even think of why.They hovered at first, hesitant, trembling. Then they touched her. My arms slid across the curve of her back, one hand rising to cradle her shoulders while the other pressed gently against her spine. She was here.I pulled her body flush against mine. My cheek rested beside hers. I felt the rise and fall of her chest, the subtle tension in her muscles, the cautious way her breath caught between us. But still, she didn’t push me away. My lips curved. A smile bloomed across my face before I even realized it. I coul

MEANDRAMy eyes widened, and my heart thudded violently against my ribs, each beat louder than the last. The air in the room seemed to grow heavier, thick with unspoken tension.I tightened my grip on the doorknob and began to inch backwards with measured slowness. Every movement was deliberate, cautious — not just because I was afraid, but because I knew he was watching.I didn’t dare look away from him. My gaze remained locked on his. I didn’t want to seem suspicious. But I also knew — painfully, helplessly — that no matter what I did, it would be taken the wrong way. Misinterpreted. Twisted.His expression darkened, eyes narrowing into sharp, calculating slits. He took a step forward — then another — slow, measured steps that sent dread crawling up my spine.The room felt smaller with every inch he closed between us.I halted just a few inches away from the door, barely a breath away. I glanced at it for a slight second, taking in a breath and bracing myself for what was about to h

MEANDRAMalachi had stumbled out of my room, scared senseless until his face had turned white—like a ghost. I didn't blame him, the dark look in Alejandro's eyes, the sternness in his voice and the ticking of his jaw would have been enough to tame the wildest beasts. If I was at the other end of his anger, I'd also be searching for a means to escape.I swallowed hard. I had seen the look on Malachi's face, it was that of a man who's pride had been shattered and that made him only more dangerous to me. What would happen if Alejandro wasn't there to protect me?I almost cringed at the thought. He has only shown barely a moment of care, yet I'm already thinking of how doomed my life would be if he didn't protect me. His hand remains at the hem of my waist as he guides me towards the bed with the gentlest of nudges. I was close—too close I could hear his breathing. I could see his heartbeat, and it made me itch to lay my head on his chest. I was almost jealous, as a thought crossed my min

MEANDRAThroughout the day, I found myself more distracted than I cared to admit. I sat with Belle, pretending to listen, nodding at the right moments, responding with small smiles that didn’t quite reach my eyes.She was speaking—about the weather, about the birds she’d seen that morning, about how someone had braided her hair unevenly again—but my mind wasn’t present.Not fully.I kept drifting.Every time she paused to take a breath or turned to reach for something, I found myself slipping back into the memory. Back to that room. Back to him.The moment he handed me the handkerchief.It replayed in my mind with frustrating clarity. The weight of it in my palm. I kept wondering.Belle tugged at my sleeve, snapping me out of it. “You’re doing that thing again,” she said, frowning up at me.“Where your eyes go all floaty and you don’t blink.”I forced a soft laugh. “Sorry. Just tired.”She didn’t look convinced.Neither was I.Because this wasn’t just tiredness. It was restlessness.