Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess

Chapter 106 - In Sickness and In Health (III)

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Catherine opened her eyes slowly.

The room was barely lit, but still too bright. Her whole body ached, but her mind was the least hazy it had been in days. How long had it been since she fell ill? She couldn't remember at all. In fact, she couldn't recall anything much, after the initial hustle. Priests and physicians running back and forth, Father and Uncle's anxious faces, Mary patiently attending to her... and Lady Valentina's visit, more recently. Catherine smiled at the idea, the joy of having a friend surpassing even her immense weariness. Her eyes closed again, still tired.

However, she did not slip back into familiar unconsciousness, for gradually, she became aware that she was not alone in the room. She peeked around the room, and her eyes opened fully when her gaze landed on Prince Oscar. She sat up too quickly, wincing at the effort. A shock ran through her, sending her into a fit of coughing. When she'd somewhat recovered, the prince was looking at her vacantly.

"Y-your highness..."

Catherine's voice came out barely a croak, and on hearing it, her hand flew to her mouth, horrified by the hideous sounds she just produced. The movement, however, not only tired her, but also made her see the ugly scars covering every inch of her skin. She might've fainted, except the cold fear produced by the prince's presence prevented her from even that.

"Do not mind me."

That was not easy! Catherine slowly laid back down and squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart pounded in her already fragile frame, threatening to leap out at any moment. She tried to speak again, this time much more gently, though her throat still burned.

"You s-shouldn't be here..."

"I must be sure of the safety of my people. Unless you are aware of any other reason for me to be here?"

Catherine turned her head away from his piercing gaze, the golden eyes searing through her. He must be referring to the supposed influence she had over him, but it was true that she had no idea of the cause behind that, and in her current state, it could hardly be her fault! She could not bring herself to reply, from both the physical and mental turmoil. Thus, the uncomfortable silence continued for some time, until Prince Oscar broke it, his voice low and husky.

"I can no longer differentiate between the physical yearning towards you and the desire formed with my own will, and I detest it. It is impossible for anyone to have caused this, and yet you have no redeeming qualities to warrant such interest. If I had not recently gone under numerous physical and mental examinations, I would swear that I have gone insane."

Catherine couldn't tell whether to be delighted, offended, or perhaps scared. She remained silent, confident that anything she could say would not improve the situation, and not wanting to risk upsetting him further. To her surprise, he continued.

"Valentina is more than what you could ever hope to be, though through no fault of your own. She is the perfect fiancee, the purest saint, and the noblest of aristocrats. I know the defects of her character, perhaps better than anyone, but as the crown prince, I was willing to accept them all, for they are wholly outweighed by her merits. Alas...!"

His voice trembled a little and fell completely flat, and while Catherine couldn't read a single trace of emotion on his face, she felt immensely sorry for the prince, and guilty, in case that she was the cause of such pain. His tone was so devoid of sentiments that Catherine shuddered to know that a person could speak in such a way.

"It can not be right. I have always known that she cares only for my crown, so it is unreasonable for the fact to be the cause of this current irrationality."