Chapter 1: Awakening as Princess Evelisse
"Is she dead?"
Muffled words broke the stillness, weaving through the velvet curtains and echoing against the high, arched ceilings.
"Shhh! How can you say that about a royal?" a second voice whispered harshly, her tone sharp yet laced with anxiety.
A rustle of fabric followed as the maids leaned in closer, their faces partially obscured by the flickering candlelight.
"I’m just being realistic," the first maid shot back, her voice tinged with frustration. "It’s been over seven months. Do you really think she’ll wake up? The poor thing hasn’t moved a muscle in all this time."
"What the hell?! What if someone hears us? You know how the head maid can be. She’d have our heads if she caught us speaking like this," another whispered, her tone a mix of caution and genuine concern. "Besides, the king and queen haven’t given up hope. We shouldn’t either."
The first maid sighed, her eyes drifting to the large, four-poster bed at the center of the room.
"Maybe you’re right," the first maid murmured, clutching the edge of her apron. "I just hope, for her sake, that if she does wake up, she remembers us."
Their footsteps faded into the distance as they exited the room, their whispers gradually blending into the hum of the castle’s endless halls.
Then there was... Silence!
Then, without warning, the girl’s fingers twitched. Her lashes fluttered, a small, barely noticeable movement, like the first stirrings of life after a long, harsh winter.