Empress of Self-Ruin

Chapter 31: Soothing Darkness

"Your Majesty."

In the most cliché of romance scenes, I found myself staring into deep, blue eyes.

Under the moonlight, his blond hair—a thousand shades of gold that made new mosaics every time it swayed, looked even more dazzling.

I realized who it was and clutched the hem of his shirt for dear life, but even knowing he was not a threat, my body still began to tremble.

Leon's eyes roamed around wildly, taking in my disarrayed appearance. He must have guessed the situation by the look of it. Not that it was a hard thing to do, considering the state I was in. Anger filled his eyes as he looked back and forth between my blood-soaked clothes and the direction I came from. A growl left his throat.

"Where did the assailants go?"

Leon put a hand on his sword to unsheathe it, but I grabbed onto him desperately, almost scratching at him.

"Sir! Sir, I—" I gasped and panted, trying not to succumb to my dizziness. "Sir, I can't breathe! I can't—"

Panic filled up my body, driving me crazy. I felt my muscles becoming heavier—my wounds beginning to burn, and my blood pulsing in my right ankle.

Only then did I realize I was limping—probably twisted my ankle when I fell before. The adrenaline must have covered the pain.

Leon eyed me with shock and concern. "Alright... It's alright, Your Majesty." He tightened his grip and pulled me closer to him, wrapping himself around me and filling me with a little comfort and warmth. "Shh..."

Slowly things started making sense around me and I felt like I could breathe again. I was just about to step away when a flash of pain shot up from my right leg and into my body. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from sobbing and balled my hands into fists.

"Excuse me for a moment, Your Majesty."

Leon suddenly took off his cloak and wrapped it around my body securely before gently picking me up. "You're safe now."

No thanks to you.

It was amazing how sarcastic I still was, even in a situation like this.

"Your wounds need to be tended to as soon as possible." His eyes lingered on my burnt hand and the obvious bruises around my neck. "I heard Priestess Maria is currently staying in the capital. Maybe you've heard of her—she's a pretty famous priestess from the Helios Empire, known for her enormous healing power. Is it alright with you if I take you there? Or do you want me to bring you to the royal physician instead?"

"No. I can't go back like this. Just... just take me to the healing priest."

He nodded and held me tighter to his chest.

Just when I thought everything would be okay, a sudden headache erupted from my forehead, cracking my skull. My eyes screwed shut. The noises around me turned into a buzz. A cold sweat trickled down my temple. My body felt hot, but I was freezing.

"Your Majesty?" Leon's voice broke through the buzz.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but it felt heavy.

"Please hold on for a while. We will arrive shortly," he said, his voice laced with concern.

I wanted to open my eyes and see, but they refused to obey me. "It's okay. I just need to—"

I clutched my chest as my breathing suddenly labored, but I managed to open my eyes, just a bit—just enough to see.

"Please hold on, Your Majesty," he repeated.