monomanie. ∿ d. agriche & e. vasilios.

V

A mouthful of stew goes in then minutes later comes out once more in a wretched puddle. This has been going on for days on end.

No one is sure of what had happened but it is clear that Name was sick. Even the slight smell of meat brought the putrid smell of puke onto the marble floors.

The prince has been by her side since these things have started. No explanation was brought up. None yet at least. But Eros vowed to make sense of it all if he could and they all knew he would.

"Name, darling you have to drink this." Eros now gives her a spoon of unappetizing looking liquid. It made her stomach churn ever so slightly at the sight of it but she knew it was some kind of healing concoction.

It made her feel better. For a brief period, a day so to speak, the sickness stopped coming. But returned the next.

Then it was decided that she'd drink it at least twice a day, much to her tongue's suffering she had to do it. Fingers pry open the bottle containing the liquid now, tipping the bottle ever so slightly to see the liquid slide onto the spoon in a slow motion. The thick and slimy liquid now on the spoon it was handed to the female who sat there and reluctantly drinks it.

"Well?" Eros asks the physician who stood there, clearly terrified.

"The lady is slowly showing signs of recovery, Your Highness." He stammered making Eros nod in approval to his news. "Good." The prince said before performing a shooing motion. "Off with you now."

The physician ran off, unable to tell the prince the truth for it could mean his life. The lady was pregnant with the child of the now dead duke. No one knew but him and he refused to tell the prince because he has seen that the rumors are true.

His Highness is in love with the lady.

Where there is a great silence, Name lays. Her e/c eyes stare often towards nothingness as boredom overcomes the dimly lit room. Her lips are in a firm line as she simply stares into oblivion.

There is movement outside the window, a rustling of leaves. In steps in a male that so kindly stares at her with interest and warning.

"You..." It was the same person. The one that had encountered her after climbing into her room from the balcony and the one whom she had seen in the festival. The person who rushed off after she did so much as speak the same simple word she spoke now.

"Is that the only word you know, darling?" His voice is filled with amusement as he leans his weight against the desk conveniently there for his liking.

"What are you doing here?" A simple question and a good one at that. What was he doing there? Should he not be anywhere but here now that everyone was frantically in the search of him?

No response was given to her, his crimson eyes rest on the necklace she wore on her neck. Delight sparkling in them at the realization.

"Pretty necklace you got there. Did His Highness give it to you?" He asks, trying not to rouse suspicion that he was the one who gave the necklace to her.

"I actually don't know..." Her voice falters. It must seem weird that she was wearing a necklace from someone she had no idea who, but it was beautiful and they had gone through the hardship of sending it to her in such pretty packaging she couldn't not wear it.

"So you wore a necklace from an unknown admirer?" He asks, raising an eyebrow from under his hood. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew he was doing that particular action. His tone implied it.

"I...well..." She wanted to bite her tongue. Why couldn't she speak?

"Anyway, I came here since I heard the lady was feeling ill." The male said with newfound interest. "How are you feeling? If it's not too much to ask of course."

"I...I'm feeling alright. Not better but the vomit stopped coming so..."

His eyebrows raise with surprise. "You're vomiting?" He asks. "Any other symptoms than that?"

"Headaches but it's mostly vomiting... why?" She looks at him, confused.

He strides forward and takes her hands, each one now clasped in his gloved ones. "Have you ever had sexual intercourse with someone, my lady?"

"Yes, with my husband wh—" Her face holds surprise but then turned to realization. "Wait...you don't think..." "You're pregnant." Dion replied. There was no other explanation. If she was dealing with symptoms of headaches, vomiting and feeling sick at the scent of strong smells it was not farfetched.

But this also meant that her baby could be in danger if she continues residing in this empire. Especially when there's a man who wanted nothing more than her to be his and his alone.

As he jerks back to make a remark, the hood falls from his face revealing the face the female had not since once.

She looks at him curiously. The man before her was the definition of perfection and she would not deny that. He had black hair and gorgeous red eyes. The same red eyes that she had been scared of now finding her dumbfounded in how beautiful he actually was under that piece of cloth.

The moment slips past their reach once more when there is a sound of movement from outside the room. Her eyes look towards the door, a glow seeping through the bottom of the door.

The glow of candlelight was clearly unmistakable. Not now, not ever.

Her fingers pry away from the male's as he too noticed the light coming from the other side.

He rushed to the balcony, only for Name to be quick and grab his wrist. "If you must leave me I must ask a simple question. What is your name?"

The male gave an unmistakable smirk and leaned by the balcony ledge. The sight made her shiver as he drew back, still smirking as he replied. "Dion." And then he was gone.