Chapter 342: She’s Awake
The bedroom was steeped in silence, save for the soft rustle of curtains and the distant murmur of the castle waking with the morning sun.
The grand chamber, draped in silken sheets and adorned with gold accents, felt heavier than it should — as though the air itself mourned for the princess lying motionless in the bed.
By her side, Jean sat, her shoulders trembling, her tear-streaked face buried in the back of Salviana’s delicate hand. The lady-in-waiting’s sobs were broken, scattered like glass shards against the hush of the room.
"Oh, Salviana, sweetheart..." Jean’s voice cracked, and a fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks. "I’m so sorry... so sorry I wasn’t there with you. I should have been. I should have never let you out of my sight." She squeezed the princess’s hand, her thumb stroking it softly as if to will her awake. "If I had been there, maybe—maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe that wretched man wouldn’t have—" Her voice broke again, and she covered her mouth, trying to stifle the sound.
Her heart ached with guilt, raw and relentless.
"He deserves to be punished," Jean whispered fiercely, a spark of anger flickering behind her tears. "Whoever did this to you — they deserve to suffer. I won’t rest until they do. I swear it." Her voice wavered, but the promise was steel.
She kept talking — about vengeance, about how much Salviana meant to her, about the sleepless nights she’d spent waiting by the door for news — until a soft, ragged breath broke the rhythm of her words.
Jean froze.
Her heart leapt to her throat.
Then—
"Did you send the man to abduct me?"