Chapter 94: The Last Moment

It was painful. Lina woke up in the darkness, with the candle lights blown out and the window tightly shut. A lone tear slipped down from her eye. There were far more ready to follow, waiting on the brim of her eyelids, but she sniffed and held them back.  Atlan had said it would feel good, but it barely did. It was painful.

In the beginning, there was excruciating pain and he had pushed himself harder into her. 

"Liar." 

Lina felt no pleasure whatsoever. However, Atlan had been kind. 

Atlan had stroked her face and kissed her upon the mouth—something else she'd never experienced before. 

Lina shakily sat up in the bed, not realizing she had fallen asleep. 

Where were her servants? She flipped the blankets over, her face going pale at the sight. There were small droplets of blood on the white bedsheets. 

"But it's not my time of the month…" Lina trailed off, staring at the blotches in confusion. 

Lina had bled two weeks ago. Miah had told her women bled every four weeks, but sometimes, it could be as early as three or as late as five. Lina rapidly blinked.

Suddenly, there was a quiet knock on the door. Startled, Lina's head snapped up, but she realized the curtains around her bed were still tightly shut. She also noticed her clothes were neatly folded at the edge of the bed.

"Princess? Are you awake yet?" A worried voice called out.

Lina opened her mouth to respond, but the curtains around her bed swiftly parted. Her eyes widened at the sight of Atlan, who looked disheveled. His hair was messy, his clothes hastily put on and his eyes were bright.

"Shh…" Atlan pressed a finger against her lips. They were still bruised from his kisses.

"Step out of bed, Princess," Atlan cooed, offering her a helping hand.

"Atlan, I feel sticky," Lina mumbled, but took his hand anyway.

Atlan pulled her out of the bed, but she let out a small shriek. The cold hit her skin and goosebumps formed. Lina folded her entire body, covering her intimate areas.

"Here, let me," Atlan said.

Atlan draped one of her dresses over her arms. Then, he attempted to help her fasten the clothing. His hands moved clumsily, for he had never learned how to dress a woman. 

The Princess was his first.

"I-I've got it," Lina stammered, turning her back to him and tying everything in place herself.

Lina heard ruffling behind her, but was too focused on tidying herself so that she appeared decent, to look. By the time she had tied the inner layer and the decorative piece, there was silence in the room.

"My bed sheets," Lina began. "There's blood."

"I'll get rid of it," Atlan told her.

Lina peered behind her and saw her royal bed sheets had been stripped from the mattress. They were neatly folded into a square.

On top of the sheet, Lina's name had been beautifully embroidered by her own fair hand. All of the royal bed sheets had embroideries of the owner's name on them, so it would not confuse the laundry maids.

"I'll take this, it has been dirtied," Atlan told Lina. "If Miah or anyone asks, tell them you don't know where it went."

"But why would I tell them that—"

"Because your time of the month has started too early," Atlan warned Lina. "It'd make everyone worry, especially your mother, as early signs of the month mean infertility."

Lina's breath was caught in her throat. She was terrified at the idea of not being able to bear children. Thus, she rapidly nodded her head.

Atlan shot her a soft smile, grabbed her discarded clothes, and placed them on top of the pile of bed sheets.

"Until next time, Princess," Atlan whispered.

Lina slowly nodded her head. She watched as he stalked towards the window and jumped down. 

"Wait Atlan—" Lina's cries were left unheard.

Her eyes went wide and she dashed to the window, in fear of his life. Sure enough, Atlan was gone and into the morning. She let out an irritable groan. So much for her plan of using him to escape.

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door.

"Princess, are you awake?"

Lina turned to the doors. She heard whispering on the other side.

"Miss Miah!" One of the maidservants gasped.

Lina's eyes grew even larger. Quickly, she dashed to the door, completely forgetting about her maidservants. Lina didn't think she'd sleep until the next morning. How come no one came in to check on her last night?

"Did he leave yesterday?!" Miah sharply asked the maidservants, who glanced at each other with confusion painted on their faces.

"You mean Sir Atlan? Yes, he left in the late afternoon," The maidservants responded.

"Was there any violence?" Miah demanded.

"No, it was as quiet as a mouse. Sir Atlan would never hurt the Princess," the same maidservant replied.

"So he left, for sure?" Miah asked.

"Yes."

Miah's face turned dark. That damn rat! 

Yesterday, right after Miah had been sent out by Atlan, she was forced to wait in the hallway. But then, a passing soldier told Miah that she was summoned to the other end of the palace. There, Miah was informed that the Second Concubine was awaiting her. 

Miah went to the Second Concubine's side, but discovered she was asleep. Miah had to wait all afternoon, night, and morning for the Concubine to wake up, only to discover she was never summoned in the first place.

"Miah," Lina suddenly said, blinking in surprise.

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Lina was confused as to why Miah seemed so angry this morning. 

"Princess!" The maidservants greeted, quickly lowering themselves into a deep curtsy. "Good morning, Princess."

"Thank you, good morning to you too," Lina stated.

Lina tore her eyes from the maidservants. She saw Miah's aggrieved expression, like the entire world had wronged her.

"Miah, what's the matter?" Lina asked, coming forward.

"Princess…" Miah trailed off, only to freeze.

Why was the Princess in a completely different outfit? 

Miah's eyes narrowed as she took in the clothing. The Princess never changed her attire by herself. Someone else always offered to do it.

"Let's speak inside," Lina stated, her attention drifting to the other maidservants. 

"Alone," Lina emphasized.

Lina had never seen Miah this stressed before. She was worried for her beloved handmaiden.

"Right away, Princess," Miah agreed.

Miah followed the Princess into the bedroom. She instantly surveyed the entire room, from the bamboo screens to the other doors that led to a private closet. There wasn't a single soul in sight. 

Miah knew better, especially when she saw the same tea pot as last night.

"Those stupid maidservants!" Miah hissed under her breath.

Miah glowered at the tea pot like it had committed treason against the royal family.

"Hm?" Lina hummed. "I didn't hear."

"N-nothing, Princess," Miah looked exasperated.

Lina took a seat at the same table, realizing none of the maidservants had come in last night. It wasn't a surprise. 

No one would dare to enter this room without Lina's permission. Though, Lina was surprised that nobody had knocked to ensure she was well. Then again, Lina and Atlan had been extremely quiet. 

"Princess, I never dare to step out of line, but please tell me if Sir Atlan left shortly after I did?" Miah begged.

"I didn't know you left yesterday. I thought you were waiting outside. Where did you go?" Lina asked.

Miah's face paled. 

A dreadful thought crossed her mind. No! 

Her head whipped round to the bamboo screens, where a set of doors laid behind them. Those very doors led to the Princess' private bed chamber. 

Miah desperately hoped that her gut feeling was incorrect this time.

"Did Sir Atlan touch you, Princess?" Miah whispered, dropping to her knees in disbelief.

"Don't kneel, please stand," Lina instructed, reaching her hands to pull Miah onto her feet. 

"P-please, did Sir Atlan touch you, Princess?" Miah asked again, raising her head. 

Miah didn't dare to question the Princess, but this was a matter of life and death. Should the Prince of Ritan discover the bride was sullied… 

Lina stared at Miah for a split second. She realized Miah wouldn't stand up unless the question was answered. 

"He always touches me," Lina naively responded. "Like when he helps me adjust my position in swordfighting."

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that, Princess…" Miah trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate questions to ask. 

Before Miah could even continue, there were frantic footsteps in the hallway. Both of their heads snapped in that direction. Suddenly, the doors slammed open, revealing the eunuchs.

"Fourth Princess, you've been summoned to the throne room by our Benevolent Emperor!" The head eunuch loudly announced.

Lina shot out of her seat, her eyes wide. Her father had returned home! Did that mean he had already conversed with envoys from Ritan? Was the war going to come to a halt?

"Your attendance is expected after the Emperor visits the Imperial Second Concubine, please prepare yourself, Fourth Princess," the eunuch formally said.

Without another word, the eunuchs bowed their heads and scurried off. 

"Did you hear that?" Lina softly gasped, eager to see her Father. 

Finally! 

"Miah, please help me get ready to see my father," Lina said, quickly assisting her friend to her feet. "And why did you kneel? Do your legs hurt?"

Miah pressed her lips together. She wanted to tell the Princess something, but the maidservants were already at the doorway. 

The maidservants had heard the summon and were getting ready to make the Princess presentable.

With no opportunity to speak about this matter now, Miah lowered her head.

"I am alright, Princess. Let's get you ready to see the Imperial Emperor," Miah finally relented. 

Miah hoped the Princess would have another moment to spare in the future for this conversation. This was a pressing matter, but couldn't be asked in public. 

With no other option, Miah could only bite her tongue and help the Princess to freshen up and dress for her attendance in the throne room. 

Miah prayed that her speculations hadn't come true. She begged the high heavens and all of their gods that they had kept the Princess safe. And completely unbeknownst to Miah, this would be the last moment she'd have alone with Lina.

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