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The Devil's Good Girl-Chapter 272: What have you done to me?
Chapter 272: What have you done to me?
Quentin stared at Latrice as if he had seen a ghost.
Confused, he propped his elbow on the floor and looked around his chancery. When his eyes landed on her, Latrice was squatting in the same spot. She had this same innocent look on her face, but her eyes slowly looked cunning.
"What’s going on?" he muttered, touching his neck on instinct.
"You fainted, Your Highness," she said innocently.
Fainted?
Quentin furrowed his brows as doubt and confusion tangled in his heartbeat. Did he really faint? He looked at her incredulously, only to see her tilt her head to the side.
"I did?" he asked, and she nodded. "Then why am I still here?"
Latrice blinked slowly and said, "Because I do not want the word to get out."
Hearing that, Quentin immediately grasped her reason. Quentin hated it when people saw him in a weakened state. Hence, no matter what, he often kept his health discreet because chances were, his leadership might get questioned.
As the next in line for the throne, he couldn’t afford a moment of weakness to put him in a tricky situation.
"Should I call for one now?" she asked, and he shook his head. "Then, shall I help you up?"
"I feel fine and no, I can stand on my own." He waved dismissively and looked back at her. "What are you doing here, Latrice?"
Her lips stretched a little, making the corner of her eyes crease. "I came to say my greetings."
Greetings?
"It’s been a while since we had a meal together, Your Highness," she added. "I’m afraid people will start talking again if I don’t visit you."
"Ah." Quentin rocked his head.
Of course, her reason was that. She wouldn’t be here just because she simply wanted to see him.
"Since I’ve been tending to you while you were unconscious, I will head back to my palace now." Latrice slowly rose to her feet and curtsied to him. She turned her back on him and strode off.
Quentin watched her back, not expecting her to look back. Much to his surprise, Latrice suddenly slowed down and stopped. His brows rose in intrigue, watching her look back at him.
"I forgot to tell you, Your Highness." Her lips slowly curled up into a mocking smirk as her purple eyes glinted in amusement. "Do you believe this is real? Or an illusion where you’d be woken up again?"
When the last syllable rolled out of her tongue, a light chuckle followed. Latrice resumed her steps, leaving Quentin frozen in his spot.
[Was it real? Or an illusion?]
Again, those words echoed in his mind, followed by her new remarks.
"Do you believe this is real? Or an illusion where you’d be woken up again?"
For the next five minutes, Quentin found himself on the floor with his eyes in the direction where she left. His heart was thudding against his chest, his breathing had slowed down.
"What is going on?" he muttered to himself while feeling this headache intensified. "No, no, no."
Quentin shook his head and huffed.
This was ridiculous, he thought.
He just fainted and perhaps was a little dehydrated. With exhaustion and a lack of hydration combined, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was having these auditory hallucinations. And so, Quentin decided not to think about it and rest.
He didn’t call for the royal physician, knowing once he did, the watchful ears within the palace walls would get wind of it. If they heard that Quentin summoned the physician because he was having temporary hallucinations, it would be problematic for him.
The problems in the borders were already keeping him preoccupied. He didn’t want unnecessary problems, such as power strife, just when he stabilized his position.
And with this thought in mind, Quentin returned to his chambers to rest. But just as he lay down, he didn’t close his eyes immediately. He stared at the ceiling blankly, wondering what he was so afraid of.
He didn’t know why he was reluctant to close his eyes. So he kept them open until he was sure he was regaining his sanity back.
"Haha." A short laugh escaped him, shaking his head mildly. "How silly of me."
What happened just now before he woke up was simply a short dream, created by his over-exhausted mind. He already woke up from that and thus, there was nothing he should be afraid of.
Quentin nodded to himself, convinced he was simply being silly. So he closed his eyes and prepared himself to rest, subconsciously keeping his mind active just in case. But when there was just pure silence, his body started to relax.
Just as Quentin slowly drifted off to the dreamland, that was when it happened again.
"Your Highness, is this real? Or is it a mere illusion?"
Quentin popped his eyes open in horror, touching his ear as he felt the warm breath caress the shell of his ear. Moving his head to the side, there was no one again. Quentin quickly sat up and looked around the chambers, only to feel this sense of familiarity.
He was repeating what he had done the first time.
"Your Highness?" the voice rang in ears again, but this time, he didn’t bother looking. Instead, he stared right ahead with wide eyes. "Are you still not going to wake up?"
Quentin held his breath as he listened to the voice — Latrice’s voice. The more he listened, the paler he appeared. Sweats started to pour on him like rain, feeling his hands and feet turn cold.
What was happening to him?
Why was he hearing Latrice’s voice?
Was he repeating a cycle?
Or was he just losing his mind?
"Your Highness."
"Your High..."
"Your..."
"Quentin?"
*
*
*
GASP!
Quentin gasped for air as he snapped his eyes wide open. Again, a pair of purple orbs were hovering over him with curiosity.
"Your Highness?" Latrice called innocently. "Are you alright?"
Quentin quietly assessed her face, only to notice that the corner of her eyes was slightly squinting. "Latrice..." he muttered under his breath, his heart was now slowly being filled with horror. "... what... have you done to me?"