Marked by the Ruthless Princess

It took no great imagination to understand what was happening. Lina Riley, terrified, shouted, "Dr. Byrd!"

Lucille Everard was no longer attacking, but Lina's hands were still pinned by her. If this went on much longer, that terrible event from the previous night might repeat itself. Once had been enough. A second time, and Lina truly had no idea how she'd survive with her life intact.

Fortunately, Beatrice Byrd was here. Odd though she might be, at least she was a physician.

Beatrice's face was drawn. She herself had no special powers, no inner strength, and didn't dare approach recklessly. But this situation was far easier to handle than when Lucille had lost her mind previously. In an instant, Beatrice saw the solution.

She shouted, "Get her back inside the room! I've placed some medicine in there!"

Lina was in no position to comply. She yelled back, "Can't you bring it out here?"

Beatrice retorted, "Are you joking? You two are blocking the way. If I get too close, I might be affected as well, and then it's all over!"

Lina was at her wits' end. The scent of winter roses grew stronger, threatening to erode her reason as well. If her will were any weaker, she'd have lost control by now.

Glancing down, she saw Lucille's disheveled hair spread across the floor, those once-menacing eyes now quietly gazing up at her. All traces of threat had vanished, leaving her looking strangely docile.

With faint hope, Lina tried reasoning, "Your Highness, please let me go, all right?"

Lucille blinked slowly, as if weighing Lina's plea. After a moment's hesitation, she released Lina's hands.

Lina's relief was short-lived. Her hand was immediately seized again, though this time she at least had one arm free. She struggled to stand but Lucille, though calmer, still restrained her movement.

Gently, Lina coaxed her, "Your Highness, shall we go inside?"

Lucille followed Lina's gaze toward the doorway and gave a slight nod.

She rose unsteadily, her legs threatening to buckle. Lina quickly supported her. The fragrance did not fade, and Lina had no idea how long she could hold on. Biting down hard on her own thigh, Lina used the pain to sharpen her focus.

Lucille seemed weak. After just a few steps, she stumbled. Fearful that time was running out, Lina steeled herself. "Your Highness, forgive me," she murmured, then hoisted Lucille onto her shoulder. There might have been a gentler way, but with only one free hand, this was all Lina could manage.

She carried Lucille into the room and carefully laid her on the bed. Then Lina shouted at Beatrice, "Where's the medicine?"

Standing at the doorway, Beatrice's face suddenly showed guilt. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

With that, she slammed the door shut, and Lina heard the telltale sound of a lock sliding into place.

Only now did Lina realize she'd been tricked. There might be no medicine at all.

It was one thing for Beatrice to meddle in her affairs of the heart—this was another entirely. Lina fumed, but she couldn't break free. Lucille's grip was stronger than before, and attempts to lift her again were met with resistance.

"Beatrice Byrd, you coward!" Lina shouted in fury.

Outside, Beatrice winced at hearing her full name. Lina was truly angry, but Beatrice had no choice. Lucille's condition was special, and Beatrice had to do what she must. She covered her ears, imagining how to make amends later.

Standing guard out there felt awkward, though. Beatrice finally decided to usher away the nearby maids, leaving silence and no more sweeping sounds outside.

Inside, Lina's energy was draining. She tried speaking reason once more, "Your Highness, wake up. We can't do this."

Her words seemed only to provoke Lucille. Anger flared in the Crown Princess's eyes, and the scent of winter roses intensified to a cloying sweetness. Lina's mind wavered. Too close, too trapped—waves of desire and confusion threatened to swamp her self-control.

Desperate, Lina employed her old trick: she bit down hard on the back of her own hand. Pain sparked clarity, driving away her fear. She tried to pull free, but Lucille only tightened her hold.

"Your Highness! Snap out of it!" Lina pleaded.

Lucille didn't respond to Lina's voice. Instead, she pinned Lina's other hand as well. With a sudden effort, Lucille flipped their positions, pressing Lina down onto the bed.

Lina's head spun. She found herself lying atop soft bedding. How utterly humiliating. If her old comrades, those stoic soldiers who once admired her, could see her now, pinned down and helpless, they'd laugh for days. The once-dignified young officer, now powerless.

Her eyes burned with shame and frustration. She closed them, tears threatening at the corners. Anger, humiliation, and the strain of holding herself together had pushed her to her limit.

"Unwilling?"

The Crown Princess's voice was weak but still cool. Lina's heart lifted—maybe Lucille had regained some measure of sense. Lina nodded eagerly.

The weight lifted from her body. Opening her eyes, she saw Lucille move away, walking to a cabinet at the side of the room. She pulled open a drawer and retrieved something.

Lucille moved with a confidence that belied her earlier state, but as she turned, Lina realized she held a dagger. Its hilt gleamed with embedded gemstones, catching the early light. Drawing the blade, Lucille fixed Lina with a gaze colder than steel.

Lina's heart jolted. She thought Lucille meant to harm her. But to Lina's horror, Lucille raised the blade as if to slice her own arm. Panicking, Lina stumbled forward, managing to knock the dagger from Lucille's hand. It clattered to the floor, leaving only the sound of Lina's ragged breathing.

Lucille tilted her head, puzzled. "You won't allow this either?"

Stunned, Lina realized Lucille had intended to hurt herself—perhaps to remain calm through pain, as Lina herself had done. Compared to that, Lina's efforts seemed trivial and self-centered. The lingering floral scent proved that Lucille still endured her ordeal.

Lina's throat went dry. She glanced again at Lucille, who stood quietly, her body swaying slightly. The Crown Princess brushed hair from her face, exposing pale skin etched with faint scars. Tiny marks, each a testimony to past struggles.

"What…what is this?" Lina asked, voice hoarse.

Lucille shrugged as if it were nothing. "My body is different. What you saw the other night happens from time to time, in varying degrees of severity. These scars are simply the cost of endurance."

Simply? Lina felt admiration and a pang of heartbreak.

"No cure?" Lina ventured.

Lucille returned to the bed and sat, smiling faintly at Lina. "Until recently, none. But now there is a way."

Relieved, Lina brightened. Although Lucille's moods were mercurial and she often teased Lina, she'd been kind in her own way. Lina valued kindness deeply and hoped Lucille could finally be freed from this suffering.

She leaned forward, eager. "What's the method? Can I help?"

Lucille's answer was a silent, lingering gaze. Lina felt uneasy under that penetrating stare, and a realization gradually dawned: Beatrice's maneuver, the so-called cure—could it be Lina herself?

Impossible.

Still, her trembling finger rose to point at her own nose. "M-me?"

Lina hoped Lucille would deny it, but Lucille only nodded with a light smile, "That's right. You're quite clever."

Lina would have preferred to be less clever at this moment.

Lucille had anticipated Lina's hesitation. Yet, as reality confronted her, Lucille felt strangely disheartened. She shouldn't care what Lina thought. They'd known each other only a few days. And yet…

Lucille forced herself calm. This episode was milder than before, allowing her to suppress the urge somewhat. But doing so too often risked driving her into permanent madness.

She'd long accepted her fate, far more peacefully than Beatrice ever could. Still, Ravenwell needed her strength. If Lina could truly help, Lucille would attempt a bargain.

"I'll make a deal," Lucille said, voice fatigued. "Heal me, and you can ask for anything you wish."

The scent in the room had lessened. For the first time, Lina saw the Crown Princess look genuinely exhausted.

In her past life, Lina had never found Lucille's weakness. Now it lay bare before her. She should be relieved. Instead, she felt compassion.

Lina was silent, wrestling with herself. Finally, she sighed and looked up, resolve steady in her eyes. "I agree."

Lucille had expected to coax her further, not this swift compliance. Unable to resist, she teased, "Aren't you worried I might have ulterior motives?"

Lina stared at her. "What could you possibly need that you don't already have? Why bother with tricks to get something from a nobody like me?"

With a self-deprecating laugh, Lina added, "I have nothing of value. Why would Your Highness lower yourself to deceive me?"

Lucille fell quiet a moment. "Come here."

Easy to say, but when Lina rose and approached the bed, she hesitated awkwardly. Eventually, she sat down, face flushed and eyes downcast.

Seeing this, Lucille couldn't help smiling. "Having second thoughts?"

Lina shook her head. "No."

She lowered her head even further, voice barely above a whisper, "I just…I don't know how."

Cool fingers lifted Lina's face. Lucille's hand was cold, making Lina shiver. The floral scent intensified, but this time Lina didn't resist.

Lucille pulled Lina into an embrace, resting her chin on Lina's shoulder. Her soft laugh held a hint of indulgence: "Silly girl."

Warm breath grazed Lina's neck, leaving her embarrassed and faintly ticklish. Uneasy, Lina murmured, "Your Highness…"

"It's all right," Lucille reassured her softly. "I'll teach you."