I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

Several days had passed since Eris poisoned the crown prince. News spread from the palace that he had the bloody flux, but any other information was suppressed by the royal family. Eris stayed by Armand's side during that time, doing what work she had to do while tending to his body.

Then, one night, Eris was sleeping. Her body was laid over Armand's, and the girl had a heavy arquebus set on a table so that it was pointed at the door. Eris' sleep was light. She was ready to wake up at any moment in case someone attacked.

Armand's eyes flickered. They opened and closed over and over. His body stirred.

Eris jolted awake. A hint of joy flowed through her heart as Armand's eyes opened and didn't close. Soon, the Hapsburg girl had a wide smile on her face.

"Armand, you're awake!" Eris didn't even try to hide her excitement.

However, a sense of unease was about Eris. When she looked at Armand's eyes, the girl saw something feral. They were fully human. But there was something predatory about them.

"Er...is..." Armand spoke, barely able to get out the words.

"Yes, it's me, Armand," she said. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I...I..." the boy's voice was faint.

However, this was not any weakness on Armand's part. He was operating by instinct now. His eyes glanced at Eris' neck, a thirst growing in him. The boy hadn't drunk in a very long time, and he felt a thirst like a great flame burning away at his insides.

And yet, Armand could feel his injuries. He felt a great deal of pain where it was, and he felt malnutrition and tiredness eat away at him. The boy could also tell that his body was in terrible shape from not exercising for days. His instincts told him that he needed to be cautious.

"I'm..." his words were so faint that Eris could barely hear him.

She hesitated to lean in close. Alarm bells were ringing in Eris' head. Her rational mind told her that Armand was just weak from his injuries, but her danger sense said that something else was going on.

Then, Eris let out a deep sigh.

"Armand, please be honest with me. Tell me what you want," Eris said. "You're still injured. I'm here to help you."

Armand paused for a moment, neither moving nor speaking. Then, he opened his mouth.

"I'm thirsty. So very thirsty."

Eris got off the bed.

"Give me just a moment. I'll be right back with something to drink," she promised.

The girl left the room, moving as fast as she could. Soon, Eris was back with a cup of water. She came in close to Armand, keeping a hand close to her dagger, and placed the cup of water to his mouth.

With a sudden lunge, Armand jolted at her arm. He passed by the water and bit down. Eris felt hollow fangs pierce her flesh and drain her blood. Fear, pain, anger, and sudden realization flowed through the girl.

She drew her dagger and placed it at Armand's throat, ready to slice it as he drained the blood from her body. Then, Eris hesitated. The girl stopped. With a pained grunt, she drew the dagger back.

"To think, that all this time, you were a Moroi, Armand," Eris said.

He ignored her as he drank deeper. Eris ignored the pain in her arm.

"It must have been horrible, not being able to drink blood for days," she stated. "I almost got you killed, Armand. This is all my fault."

Eris started turning pale from blood loss as Armand drank more and more, the red liquid flowing through his hollow fangs and into his body. The girl leaned back. She looked up at the ceiling with increasingly vacant eyes.

"Drink all you want. I will accept this as my punishment, even if it means my death," Eris said.

"Please, Armand, don't kill me. I don't want to die, but...I don't want to kill you either," she thought.

The girl expected to feel herself getting weaker, but instead...nothing. She looked down to see that Armand was no longer biting on her arm. His face contained sheer horror and regret.

"What...what have I done?" he shivered. "Eris, I'm so sorry."

"How could I lose control like that? There's no excuse. I almost killed someone by drinking their blood. I almost killed Eris. She would deserve it, but...I don't want her to die," Armand thought, conflicting emotions pulsing through him.

Eris gave Armand a weak smile. She made sure the dagger was sheathed before wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. Tears leaked from the girl's eyes.

"Welcome back, Armand. I'm so sorry. This is my fault. Please forgive me," Eris said.

Armand felt strange.

"I knew Eris loved me, but I didn't think she'd like me enough to apologize. I don't even see why she blames herself for this. I was the one who tried to stop her plans. Then again..." he thought before speaking. "How long have I been out for?"

"Almost a week," Eris replied.

Panic flashed through Armand. But he forced it down, keeping his face as calm as he could make it.

"Eris had full access to the capital for a week, and I wasn't awake to stop her. What did she do in my absence?" the boy thought.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. He doubted Eris would be honest, but he decided to ask anyway.

"Eris, what have you done while I was asleep?" Armand questioned.

"I mostly stayed by your side. I left a few times when I had business that I had to attend to," Eris answered. "I also poisoned the crown prince. He'll be dead in a few days."

Armand's jaw dropped. He forced it back in place before Eris would notice. So many thoughts flowed through his head that Armand was barely able to process anything. At the end of it, only one question came to the boy's mind.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because he wanted me to kill you. So, he had to die," Eris said.

Skepticism flowed through Armand.

"Why would Eris kill him over something like that? She could string him along, try to trick him. But why else would Eris kill the crown prince? She's not stupid, and there's too much for her to gain if the crown prince is alive. Even if she's planning on betraying him, she could still get things from him by stringing him along," he thought.

Then, a shiver went down Armand's spine.

"And why would the crown prince want to kill me? Does he remember the world before I turned back time too? No, that wouldn't make sense. I never opposed him in my past life. I've only been plotting against him and the eldest princess now because I think I can keep Eris on my side. I'd stand no chance against Eris if the crown prince and eldest princess put all their resources behind her. Unless Eris told him, he wouldn't know. And if Eris told him, why would she kill him?" the boy pondered.

Armand looked Eris right in the eyes. He did not expect her words to be the truth, but perhaps she would give something away in her speech?

"Do you know why the prince wants me dead?" he asked, making sure to analyze every single expression she made with incredible detail.

"No," Eris answered. "The last time around, I never questioned why the crown prince or eldest princess wanted someone dead. I just ensured they died. I probably should have tried to get him to tell me this time, but old habits die hard. That and I was too mad to think clearly."

Armand held in a grimace. A hint of fear pulsed through him.

"It seems like Eris is telling the truth. Has she gotten so good at lying that even I can't detect deception from her anymore, or is she really telling the truth?" Armand thought.

"Then...what now?" the boy pondered.

Eris gently pushed Armand back onto the bed. She looked at the shelves of the room.

"Now, you should keep resting. We can talk about turning me into a moroi later. You're still injured, and you need to rest," Eris said. "It's late at night to so just let yourself fall asleep."

That was suspicious enough that Armand would remain awake for as long as he possibly could.