My eyes almost bulged out of my sockets as it focused on the naked chest again, and my heart flew into my throat as I slowly lifted my head up, my eyes trailing from the waist, over chiseled abs, the bare chest which I fell against after the door abruptly got wrenched open, past muscular, broad shoulders, to focus on a face that was as pale as the clouds.
The first thing that jarred me was the golden eyes that were pinned on me, making me flinch as I hastily averted my gaze just as jarring memories washed over me. Memories of what I believed were my last moments, of that beast with golden eyes watching me in the dark.
"Who are you?" The voice asked and I stiffened, mouth opening and closing as my head whipped up to stare at him again. This time, I was able to take in more of his face. He had a sharp jaw, a slim nose, and curly, white hair that framed his face and was also in a bun atop his head. His face was unreadable, and it felt like I just got punched in the stomach from just staring at his—- ridiculously flawless face. There was nothing out of sight, he was perfection down to his lips.
And this was the famous cursed, crowned prince.
I thought Belle said he was a half monster?
He didn't look like a monster to me. He looked like he was crafted by god himself.
"Has the sense of speech deserted you?" His voice floated through the air and this time, I could pick out the way his words seemed to echo. His voice was deep, husky and smooth. It didn't give anything away, so I couldn't tell if he was angry at me right now or if this was him on a normal day.
I was so nervous it felt like I might pass out any moment from now, especially as he began to approach me, his long legs cladded in black pants eating up the space between us in two strides, then he was staring down at me— like I was a dirt on the ground. Slowly, his face darkened as he crouched, and I gulped while starting to tremble.
Oh god.
"Did my grandfather send you here for me to play with you?" He asked and my eyes widened and I hastily shook my head, unsure of what he meant but not wanting him to get the wrong impression.
"I- I'm only h- here to clean…" I trailed off to suck in a deep breath and gasp when he grabbed my throat, his grip hard as it cut off my breathing.
I wanted to scream, to pull at his hand in desperation as my lungs burned for air, but I was too paralyzed with fear to do any of that. He leaned forward, golden eyes dragging over every inch of my face, while my head spinned due to the lack of breath.
"P- please…" I managed to whisper just as my lashes fluttered close.
I didn't know why, but he let go of my throat the next moment and I rolled over to cough hard as I caught my breath, water leaking from my eyes while my throat felt like it got crushed under a large metal stick.
When I blinked the water from my eyes and turned back to stare at the prince, he was no longer beside me. It was like he just—- disappointed.
I exhaled shakily, feeling creeped out and beyond scared. My limbs were still shaking and I felt dizzy and extremely frightened.
They said he was a psychopath.
That didn't seem to be a lie. From my first encounter with him, he almost strangled me to death.
Oh gods. How do I survive a single day like this?
The door to his dark bedroom was still open, and I believed that meant I could come in, and at least that's what I thought.
But wouldn't he turn the lights on at least?
I got to my feet on shaky limbs and had to calm myself down in order to be able to breathe properly. It was harder than it sounded. My hands wouldn't stop shaking and I kept dropping most of the cleaning supplies, and I kept glancing at the door to make sure it was still open and that he wasn't there watching me without me realizing it.
Once I was able to gather all the supplies, I got in front of the opened door and remained frozen outside it, too frightened to make my way into the dark room, because it felt like I'd be signing my life away should I do that.
"Come in already." That deep, unsettling voice that had echoed in it drawled out from somewhere I couldn't see in the darkness and I flinched, almost dropping the cleaning supplies again.
This time after taking one deep inhale, I stepped through the doorway, and instantly, the door slammed close after me.
Next, the same voice spoke from my left, and I jumped away with a yelp, my eyes widening as I instantly noticed the glowing, golden eyes in the dark.
"What's your name?"
I fiddled with my shirt nervously, biting my lips and inching backwards and leaning against the wall my back met with, like it would save me should he decide to attack right now.
"Lilac." I whispered, my stomach lurching with fear and a scream instantly getting stuck in my stomach, because in the very next second, those golden eyes were right before me, then a hand was coming to rest on the wall behind me.
Oh gods.
I was breathing hard, my eyes struggling to make out something in the dark, but all I could see- were his golden eyes and nothing more. However, I could feel his body heat a few inches away from mine. He wasn't touching me, but he had me trapped right now— and he could snap my throat right now if he wanted. That made panic welled in my chest even more as I swallowed emptily and tried to keep my legs from giving out underneath me.
However, I almost fainted at his next words.
"Lilac… you smell like prey right now. Tell me, do you want me to eat you?"
"Huh?" I blurted out because that was the only thing that popped into my head, while his last word kept reechoing through my insides.
A low, grating laugh filled the air around me and I lost the ability to breathe again when the very next moment, this psychopath Prince was leaning down till his golden eyes were eye level with mine, our noses slightly touching. If I could melt through the wall right now, I'd happily do that, because I felt so unnerved right now, like he was staring right into my soul.
"For a human, you smell really good." He suddenly said and I gulped emptily, stomach tightening even more. That hadn't sounded like a compliment, instead, it sounded like it was something I should instantly run from— but I couldn't do that when I was currently trapped against a wall, in a pitch black room that I couldn't see a thing in.
My heart hammered away in my chest, and a panicked sound slipped past my throat when the hand resting behind my head suddenly brushed against my ear. I stiffened, mouth falling open and breath getting stuck in my throat.
"See what I said? You look like prey, you smell scared…" he trailed off and I squeezed my eyes tightly, another scared sound leaving my mouth as the fingers lightly grazing my ear slid down to settle on my shoulder. His fingers felt long, and almost scorching as the heat burned through my cloth to make contact with my bare skin, making me suck in a panicked sharp breath.
"You haven't answered my question, human." His voice suddenly hardened before the hand on my shoulder clamped down hard, and I whimpered as pain shot through the joints there, while I felt like my shoulder might snap into two. My heartbeat pounded away while I tried to remember what his question was.
"I- I don't want you to e- eat me." I whispered as the question resurfaced in my mind, feeling beyond scared as I trembled beneath his gaze and touch.
Oh heavens please save me today.
"Why?" His voice filled the air and I flinched again, while wondering what sane person asks a question like this to not being eaten.
"I- I don't… don't hurt me, please." I whispered, voice shaking this time, and I flinched when his hand on my shoulder tightened for a moment more.
In the next moment, the hand was leaving my shoulder, but I was still unable to breathe, not when I could see his golden eyes inches away from mine, on blinking my eyes open. After a few seconds, the eyes were suddenly not in front of me and I blinked a few times in confusion, wondering why he was no longer before me.
In the next moment, lights were flooding the room, bright lights that instantly made my head start pounding while my eyes instantly throb. I struggled to get my eyes used to the abrupt change, and my eyes widened, mouth falling open as I sighted the prince at the other side of the room, standing beside what I now knew was a light switch. How did he get to the other side of the room and in such a fast way?
He was still shirtless, and my eyes briefly ghosted over his bare chest before my cheeks grew hot as I horridly averted my gaze.
He was still watching me and I remained in the same position awkwardly, letting out a ragged breath and trying not to slide to the ground the more he kept staring at me.
He didn't say anything as he finally averted his gaze, and I was finally able to breathe. Before I could exhale, he began to leisurely walk towards his bed, and I sucked in a sharp, audible breath, choking on thin air as his back got revealed to me.
It instantly dawned on me why it was rumored that he wasn't a full human.
His back didn't look normal, it looked— unnatural. It looked hairy, and like an animal's skin. His skin on the rest of his body was pale, but over his back, the skin was unusually hairy, and brown, and over his shoulders, it was like some things were written over his skin with dark ink.
Once he got to his bed, he abruptly turned around and I sucked in a sharp breath, snapping my mouth close at once while my eyes skittered away as soon as his own narrowed. He had just caught me watching him, and he didn't seem pleased. A scowl was over his face and he sank down into the edge of his bed, making me avert my gaze even more to let out a shaky exhale.
"Had your fill yet?" He suddenly asked and I choked on air again as I quickly nod and shook my head.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I was relieved when he didn't say anything about that again, he just laid in his bed, eyes still pinned on me as he nodded at my cleaning supplies crumpled at my feet.
"Get to work then."
I didn't need to be told twice.
With shaking hands, I reached for the broom and began to sweep the room, knowing that I was doing an extremely ridiculous job since I've never done this in my entire life and also because I couldn't seem to stop shaking since his gaze was on me the entire time.
He was silent throughout, but that didn't make it better in any way. I kept dropping the broom over and over, and I almost couldn't breathe through the whole thing. Once I was finally done with the sweeping, I had to mop the room down.
I didn't need to be told I was doing really terribly, and I was beyond panicked because what if he chose to stalk towards me right now to snap my throat because he hates how incompetent I am right now? No one would even bat an eye!
My heart was lodged in my throat throughout, the nervousness within me worsening whenever I had to walk past him, and it kept getting harder to not sneak a glance his way, but I was determined to not do that because I didn't want to lock gaze with him again.
His golden eyes were beyond unnerving.
By the time I finished, the floor was too wet and I dried it as best as I could. After that, I knew his bed was left, I needed to change the sheets, but how do I ask him to stand up? The words won't even leave my mouth.
I stood awkwardly at the side of the room and when I finally summoned courage to glance in the direction of the room, he was staring at me like I suspected and my legs instantly wobbled just as I gulped emptily, swallowing multiple times as I prepared myself for my next words.
"I have to dress your bed, your highness."
I couldn't believe I said those words without stuttering, and what shocked me even more was how he smoothly rose to his feet.
Not daring to waste any time, I grabbed the fresh looking sheets from the couch in the large room and crossed the room on shaky limbs and hurriedly stripped the bed of the old sheets, while pointedly refusing to glance sideways where the prince was standing.
Before I could lay the new sheets down, my wrist was grabbed and I cried out, trembling and almost losing my footing just as my eyes met the prince's eyes. My mouth opened and closed without a word coming out, while my heart thumped away. Fear gripped me hard, and for a moment, I thought he'd throw me into the bed and take me by force. He was a deranged and psychotic prince after all, and no one would care if he killed me while at it.
"Rub the sheets over your face and throat." His deep voice pulled at something weird in my stomach as it washed over me as he spoke and I swallowed emptily, stomach clenching around nothing as I blinked in confusion as his words echoed through my head.
My eyes widened as I stared at him, wanting to ask what he meant, but also not daring to question him. Which was why I ended up swallowing emptily as I took the clean smelling shirt and dragged the soft fabric over my face and throat, feeling beyond ridiculous because I didn't know what this was supposed to mean.
I was sweaty from nerves and walking a far distance under the sun, which means I was basically soiling these clean sheets, and that made uneasiness claw at my mind. Was this a test? Was he then gonna blame me for ruining his sheets just so he could punish me?
So many thoughts ran through my mind as I finally pulled the sheets from my face and hesitantly glanced at him with my breath bated.
He wordlessly stretched out a hand and I awkwardly handed the sheets to him, making sure our fingers didn't touch. He didn't do anything with the sheets- he didn't check if they were dirty, or anything, he just nodded at the door then dropped the sheets into his striped bed.
"You may leave."
My eyes widened and my gaze darted to the balled up sheets which he just dropped on the bed. Why wasn't he letting me lay it first? Was he mad at me? But he was the one who ordered me to rub it over my throat! And now I could leave just like that? He won't be harming me? So now, is he gonna report me for being a bad slave?
So many thoughts flooded my mind as I hesitated before awkwardly nodding, then I went to retrieve the cleaning supplies, legs feeling like jelly as I headed for the door, feeling his eyes boring into me till I got the door open.
As I got the door open, he spoke.
"Don't be late next time, little human."