ILL-FATED JOURNEY™

Chapter 12

After what happened earlier, I decided to take no chances, but I couldn't ask Mila to stay up and watch over me all night, so I did it myself and had her watch over my sleeping form as I took naps in the afternoon. This worked well, for about a month.

Keeping awake during the night was the easy part, I just used to the time to study my college courses. Staying awake during the day, however, was a whole other ball game. I had tutors that came during the day so sometimes I missed my naps, or I had to cut it shorter. This resulted in my zombie-like drifts through the castle. Falling asleep anywhere my body rested. I drifted off during lessons, against the statues and walls and even while I was in the shower.

The final straw happened one day at lunch, when I collapsed into my soup. The screams of the servants brought the entire staff running and of course the prince as well.

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"What the hell is going on?" Vlad asked as he slid into the dining room. The crowd parted, and he saw Leia holding Azura in her arms.

"She just collapsed in the soup, My Prince." Leia replied as Mila handed her a vial. She waved it under Azura's nose and Azura woke up spluttering.

What happened?" I asked

"That what I would like to know. Gregory!" Vlad called.

"Yes, my Prince!" Gregory responded standing like a soldier awaiting orders.

"Have the soup checked for poison!"

"Already being done My Prince!" Gregory assured.

"I don't think its poison." I murmured sleepily as I tried to stand.

He walked up to me and lifted my chin "Did you take something?" he asked looking into my eyes. "Azura look at me."

I tried, I really did but all I wanted was sleep, so my body began shutting itself down.

"Azura!" Vlad shouted as she fainted in his arms. He picked her up as he ordered: "Get the doctor here NOW!"

"On his way, Your Highness." Someone assured him, He took her to the sofa in his office as he waited for the doctor to arrive.

Dread slid down his spine as he remembered the incident with the knife. Was she trying to kill herself to escape him? He didn't recall giving her access to anything stronger than a painkiller so what did she take? Household chemicals could do the trick just fine if someone left them lying carelessly around. Where the hell was the doctor?

The doctor must have flown in because he arrived fifteen minutes later and asked as he rushed in "Where is the Princess?"

Vlad pointed, and he stilled, staring at Azura. He heard rumours she wasn't white but seeing the rage build on the prince's face made him remember his oath really quick and he set to work examining her.

After a minute or two, he stood with a frown saying. "She's sleeping."

'What do you mean? She's sleeping."

"I mean, all her vitals are normal as they should be, she seems to just be sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Vlad asked incredulously. "She collapsed in her soup!"

The doctor hedged as he answered. "Maybe Your Highness needs to let the Princess get a full night sleep now and again..."

"You..." Vlad was about to curse the doctor when he got the gist of what he was saying. The man thought he was keeping her up all night. He wasn't so who was? "We've only been married over a month, maybe I was a little greedy," Vlad smirked clapping the doctor on his back. "Sorry for calling you out for such a trivial thing, how about some lunch?" Knowing he wouldn't refuse he led him back into the hall, "Leave the bag, Klaus. I'll have the servant bring it to you when you're ready to leave."