" Wow! Just wow.....you can't do this to me."

I stared at absurd message in the prompt window. My mouth parted and my breath caught somewhere between disbelief and rising anger.

"You've got to be kidding me—"

But the words barely left my lips. Because just then, the heavy doors to my chambers swung open with a sharp click. The air shifted with urgency, footsteps against marble were heard, and a voice cut through the stillness:

"Oh my goodness! P-Princess—! Thank the gods, you're finally awake!"

I recognized Talia's voice instantly, perhaps trembling at the edges, like she was holding back a sob.

I hurriedly shoved the plushie beneath the nearest pillow and turned around. A flurry of movement followed, maids streamed into the room in a coordinated rush, their arms full of fresh linens, steaming towels, bowls of water laced with herbs, and delicate vials that clinked softly as they moved. The scent of lavender and crushed mint filled the air, chasing away the sterile stillness from moments before.

And behind them, the Queen Mother stood framed in the doorway like judgment incarnate. Her eyes were sharp, lips pursed. Relief and restrained fury knotted together can be seen behind the delicate tilt of her crown. Then suddenly, I saw it. A flicker of raw, unmistakable anger, narrowing her eyes just slightly.

"I think now it's showtime."

The Queen Mother swept in behind the maids, her silken skirts whispering across the marble floor, the scent of lavender and steel trailing in her wake. Her gaze locked on to mine the moment she entered. Sharp, assessing, as if I were something fragile.

"Elinessa—!" Her voice rang out, tight with disbelief and tightly reined panic.

"Why are you standing? You should be resting—"

She was by my side in seconds. Her usually composed hands trembled ever so slightly as she guided me gently back toward the bed.

"Elinessa, sit down. Now. You are not to be on your feet."

I obeyed, still too stunned to protest. She sat beside me and her fingers, swept through my tangled hair. They ghosted over my temples, checking for bruises, then cupped my cheeks as if to assure herself I was real and not some fevered apparition.

"Thank the stars you're awake," she breathed at last, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. Almost broken. "You gave us all quite the fright."

I blinked at her through the haze of pain and disorientation. The Queen stern, unshakable looked like she might cry.

"Mo-ther…" I murmured, as my voice cracked.

Sensing the crack in my voice, Mother raised a hand instinctively and as if anticipating the moment, Talia stepped forward placing a glass of water in her palm. Mother took it and helped me drink, tipping the rim gently against my lips, her other hand bracing the back of my head like I was a child again.

"You were unconscious for two days," she murmured, her fingers still combing through my hair as if afraid I might vanish if she stopped.

"The healers did all they could. Callisto never left your door that first night."

"Two days?"

The words rasped out of me, half in disbelief, half in awe. My stomach gave a sudden, traitorous twist. I pressed a hand against it and groaned faintly.

"That's why I'm so hungry…"

A couple of the maids froze mid-task, startled, as if they weren't prepared themselves for that response. Talia, however, gave a choked laugh through her tears, wiping quickly at her face.

I shifted upright slowly, the plushie beneath the pillow was now a silent weight pressing against my back.

My throat ached as I rasped out, "What happened?" I paused, breathing shallow. "The attack. Who were they?"

The Queen stilled. But I felt it. The faint tension in her fingers.

"Bandits," she said lightly, too quickly. "Cowards crawling through the forests. We've strengthened the borders since. You needn't worry."

But I frowned internally, the word sinking in with unconvincing weight.

Bandits?

"But they had formation, gear, discipline—"

Before I could finish, she pressed a finger to my lips, gently.

"Hush," she murmured, her voice soft but carrying the finality of a command. "No more questions."

She cupped my cheek again, smoothing a thumb beneath my eye.

"You were brave, Elinessa. You protected your people. You survived. That's all that matters now." Her words were kind.

But the words… they landed strangely. Like a line in a script she didn't want me reading behind. And suddenly, I wasn't sure what unsettled me more, the glitch in story or the attack itself… or the way the NPC's seemed so determined to close the curtain on it.

My trail of thought was broken by an incoming wave of doctors. They swept in like a tide, armed with trays of instruments, parchment scrolls covered in scrawled notes, and the sharp scent of tinctures and oils that filled the air. The Queen Mother rose, giving them room, and suddenly I was surrounded my pulse was being checked, pupils examined.

Questions came in a flurry of how was my vision, did I feel lightheaded, could I lift my arms, move my legs, recall the moments before the attack? I answered dully, half present, while my body endured the ordeal of checkups. Warm tonics were pressed into my hands, bitter brews forced past my lips, and gentle but firm instructions issued for rest, hydration, and compliance.

Piece by piece, the focus shifted from secrets and shadows to the simple work of dragging my body back toward health. And for the moment, I let it.