Chapter 3

John Chase led me back to the hall that had previously barred me from entering. In my heart, anger boiled, my blood burned. Just before the doors to the Great Hall opened, he pulled me by the waist possessively in front of everyone, his touch on me, even through the thick fabric of the dress, sending an electric current through my body. I felt my legs quiver under the dress, and my heart raced again as we walked through the room with eyes from everyone on us, I tried to free myself from him, but he pressed me closer to his body. Then suddenly, with a smile, he released me, leaving me disconcerted by his attitude.

With a curtsy he walked away, not before grinning at some inside joke.

But what a hateful man!

When he was gone I took a deep breath, still feeling his touch on my waist. This distraction didn’t allow me to see in time another man approaching me, when I noticed it was already too late.

The man was Dimitri Sidorov, the other wretch who was vying for my hand.

I smiled politely at him. Dimitri was tall, not as tall as John Chase, he was broad-shouldered and his hair was a shade of translucent blonde, his skin very pale, a characteristic of his native Mihan, where it was almost always winter, his eyes were icy blue.

He was an attractive man, his beauty was overshadowed by his actions, he was a noble of Mihan who learned of the tournament from the princess of the kingdom of Shivia, his actions in the battles were brutal, and I couldn’t even imagine if marrying him and leaving my country for the icy lands of Mihan.

He curtsied to me, his eyes lingering on my breasts for too long and embarrassingly.

— It is an honor to finally be able to introduce myself to the princess. My name is Dimitri Sidorov, her faithful servant.

His kind words didn’t match what I could see in his eyes, and what’s more, that perception of the people who had been with me since always was alerting me again, because even if I was blindfolded, that energy he exuded... like a fog, as if he was all wrapped in a fog trying to mask his real feelings, and I felt a hostility emanating from him.

It made me sick. And it was for this reason that for many years I preferred to stay in my quarters, every time I encountered soldiers who had some part in wars I was hit by their dark energies and I could never reveal this to anyone, princess or not, I could be accused of witchcraft. And in Shivia the witches burned at the stake.

— It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sidorov. - I said and before I could escape, he grabbed me pulling me to him suddenly.

I tried to protest, but before I could alert the guards he whispered words in my ear, and suddenly, I froze.

A wave of energy began to course through my entire body as soon as his fingers touched the back of my neck, I felt him jab me with the sharp tip of his nail, and then his command reverberated inside me:

“Be still and listen.” His voice... inside my head... “Walk to your quarters in a few minutes.” Say you’re feeling sick, in case anyone questions his departure. Arriving at your quarters, there will be two guards at the door, call them in, keeping your back to the door, after that follow me without a word and obey me.

While he was saying these things in my mind, he would lead me through a dance in a completely natural way. Dimitri danced with me twice and I had no control over my will, every time I thought about screaming and asking for help, a strong headache hit me making me want to squirm on the floor.

“Stop trying to resist my commands, it will make everything more painful for you.” He whispered in my ear.

He released me and walked away with a brief bow. I was completely paralyzed watching him walk away, I tried to scream, run or have any proper reaction to what had just happened, but to my horror, my body wouldn’t obey. It was as if there was another will inside me and it commanded my steps.

I walked around the room and greeted people, drank wine and after a while, said goodbye to everyone. I walked with my guards to my quarters, and once inside, I figured I’d be able to act normally, but I couldn’t, I was still under his invisible command.

I watched helplessly as I called my guards myself, drawing their attention to the room, pointing to a nonexistent rat under my bed. As they entered worriedly, with their backs to the door, I watched in horror as a figure surprised them from behind.

The man quickly erased them without any sound, then faced me.

“Write a letter now.” Then he ordered me every word of the letter.

In it I said in my own handwriting that I was in love with Sidorov, that I was eloping with him to marry me because I couldn’t bear the uncertainty of the tournament and the possibility of him dying.

“Let’s go now.”

My body obeyed him immediately, and I followed him out of the room, sneaking silently through the hallways. Until we stopped in front of a painting with the face of the ancient King Charles I, my father in his youth, Dimitri approached the painting and ran his fingers over it, then pushed it aside, revealing a small door. He slipped a key into the antique lock and turned it, with a swish, to reveal a staircase that descended into complete darkness.

He grabbed a torch from the wall and took me by the arm, so we plunged into the darkness inside.