The Prince Of Curses h.s.

Fifteen

I lay in bed for what seemed like hours— tossing and turning.

My room was dark with hints of moonlight bouncing through the glass of the window. My stomach growled and a feeling of emptiness washed over me.

I don't know if using magic burned energy or if it was the constant drain of being here, but I felt ungodly hungry.

I tried to ignore it, closing my eyes and thinking about another place, a place away from here. I thought about Elmer and how he had invited me to see him before I came here. I wondered if my sister told him what happened to me and if he would think of me differently if he heard what I was.

I thought about our nights together, laying under the stars, when I still felt like me. I remember how he kissed me so gently, his hands trailing their way down my dress but never dared to go beneath. 

I groaned, rolling over to the edge of the bed. My fingers tugged on the chain cord of my lamp, turning it on. I suppose a midnight snack wouldn't hurt.

I truly missed my home. I remember how my sister and I would sneak downstairs and steal snacks from the display case of the bakery at night. We started doing that when we were younger and Ayla and I would try to hold in our giggles in the morning as Father would wander around the bakery pondering whether raccoons had found their way in and stole through the night. I smiled lightly to myself at the memory.

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

I padded to my door, my silk nightgown bouncing off my knees. I slowly opened my door, peeking outside to see an empty dark hallway. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked down it, trying to remember my way to the kitchen.

A chill ran up my spine as I kept walking, this castle seemed darker at night— creepy. It felt like the walls were watching me and the floors were listening to every breath exhaling from my lips.

I swallowed, pushing down that unsettling feeling. It's embarrassing to admit because I'm literally grown, but I was scared of the dark, especially in big places.

I scaled the long hallway, my fingers gently trailing along the wall, trying to find the stairs. There was an occasional candle sconce lit on the wall to dimly illuminate the pathway. 

It wasn't too long before I spotted an opening to the spiral staircase that would lead me to the ground floor. My hand grabbed the railing, preparing myself to descend the stairs when I heard a faint giggle.

I paused, my ears zoning to focus on the sound.

Another giggle, a female giggle.

I looked down the dark stairs, and then to the hallway. A feeling of mischief washed over me— exciting me.

Before I could formally decide, my feet lightly carried me towards the sound. I stopped at a fork in the hallway, leaning against a wall as I peer over its corner. I know being nosy is wrong, but it was the only form of entertainment I could get out of being in this castle.

I observed as orange light leaked from a slightly cracked door, two shadows dancing with each other against the wall.

"Stop it!" The woman teased, another giggle escaping her lips and echoing down the hallway. It was then I realized who it was— Fallon.

"Come here," A man's voice groaned. Harry's voice.

I rolled my eyes, stepping back from the wall. Not the excitement I was expecting to get from this. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to them have sex. I turned, about to walk in the opposite direction when Fallon's voice made me pause.