My Room

I blinked awake to a massive room with a high white ceiling. The softness beneath me was far from the usual cold, hard floor. My whole body ached as I tried to sit up, my muscles screaming in protest. As I took in my surroundings, it hit me—I was on a ridiculously fancy bed. The comfiest one I’d ever seen. And I definitely didn’t belong here.

I tried getting up but failed miserably, wincing as I rubbed my bandaged knees. A glance at my hands showed they were wrapped up too. Just great.

Before I could dwell too much on my miserable state, I noticed movement beside me. Lifting the sheets, I found a little girl sleeping peacefully. Her long, silky hair spilt over the pillow, shifting between black and deep purple.

Who was she? Why was she here? Before I could even think about waking her, her eyes flew open. We locked gazes for a split second, and then—poof—she bolted out of the room like she’d seen a ghost.

"Hey, wait..." My voice came out rough, and a coughing fit cut me off. My throat burned. Just as the girl disappeared, the door slammed open with a bang, and in stormed Prince Adrian.

"Rileyyy!" he practically yelled before dramatically flopping onto the bed beside me. I just stared at him, speechless. What was he even doing? After his little performance, he sat up, looking more serious.

"So, do you remember who I am?" he asked, his tone carrying a weight I couldn’t ignore. My throat felt like sandpaper, but I managed to rasp out,

"Prince Adrian..." Only to start coughing again. The prince patted my back until I could breathe properly.

"You good?" he asked. Aside from the pain in my body and my throat feeling like fire, I was mostly fine, so I just nodded.

"That’s a relief." His smile told me he’d been genuinely worried, which made me wonder—just how bad had things been?

"Well, uh... It was kinda my fault you fell off the horse…" he admitted, and suddenly, the memory hit me. I shivered. And then, just like that, an image of Prince Zayden carrying me flashed in my mind. My face heated up instantly.

"You sure you’re okay?" Prince Adrian’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He was watching me closely. I cleared my throat (bad idea) and croaked out that it wasn’t his fault. He gave me a sad smile and stood up.

"You should rest. I’ll have the doctor check your throat," he said. Panic pricked at me. Was he leaving? This room was way too extravagant. I already felt out of place.

"Wait..." I mumbled, trying to sit up, only to nearly fall off the bed.

"Hey!" Prince Adrian rushed back, catching me just in time. "Why do you keep trying to throw yourself off things?" he muttered, helping me back onto the pillows.

Then he sighed. "I was only given five minutes with you."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Don’t ask me. His Highness’ orders," he said, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, he’s mad at me. Thinks I could’ve stopped you from falling. Or maybe he’s just jealous you rode the horse with me. If he wanted to ride with you, he should’ve said so!" He kept rambling, and oddly, his chatter actually made me feel better. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath.

"Sorry about that..." he chuckled. Before I could respond, he suddenly froze, then glanced at his hands like he just remembered something. Curiously, I leaned forward to look too—but before I could see anything, he bolted out of the room. Moments later, he was back, dragging someone behind him.

"Your Highness, please, what is happening?!" the poor guy protested, trying to escape.

"Oh, you wanna know what’s happening? LOOK AT HIM, HE’S BLEEDING!" Prince Adrian yelled, pointing at me.

I followed his gaze to my knees, where my bandages were soaked with blood. That explained why they had started hurting earlier.

The guy—who I assumed was the doctor—sighed, pulled up a chair, and got to work. He looked exhausted, with messy brown hair and dark circles under his green eyes, but his hands were steady as he carefully treated my wounds. Meanwhile, Prince Adrian fired off a million questions about my condition.

After patching me up, the doctor told me to stay in bed for at least two more days before heading out. Weirdly enough, he felt kind of familiar.

Prince Adrian plopped down beside me, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Well, that was chaotic," he said with a nervous laugh.

Honestly? He’d freaked out over a little blood. But something about his over-the-top reactions made me relax, and before I knew it, I smiled.

"So... are you gonna tell me why you almost launched yourself off the bed?" he asked.

I hesitated, embarrassed. "I, uh… I just wanted to know if I’m actually allowed to stay here."

"Huh? That’s what you were worried about?" He looked at me like I’d grown two heads. Then he chuckled. "Of course, you are. It’s your room."

"My… room?" I echoed, looking around again. It didn’t feel like mine.

Prince Adrian reassured me that the maids would clean it, but that wasn’t what unsettled me. It was the fact that none of this felt familiar.

"Hey… the person earlier…" I asked.

"You mean William? You don’t remember him either?" I shook my head. "He’s known us since we were kids. Even before he became a doctor."

My head throbbed. No memories came to mind.

"Okay, you seriously need rest. You look like your brain’s about to explode," Prince Adrian said, standing up. Then, to my confusion, he started walking backwards toward the door.

"...What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don’t try to dive off the bed again," he teased.

I actually laughed. He grinned, then turned to leave. Just as I settled back down, he popped back in.

"Oh, forgot to tell you—brother’s in a meeting right now, so he’ll probably come see you later." He smirked. "Just saying."

And with that, he was gone. My face burned. I fell back onto the bed, finally feeling the pain I had somehow ignored before. Exhausted, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

...

When I woke up, I heard voices. Probably maids cleaning. Curiosity kept me still, so I stayed quiet and listened.

"I can’t believe they actually found him."

"Yeah, when His Highness walked in carrying him, I was shocked."

"Me too! I thought they’d finally found the young prince."

"The whole palace has been in chaos. First, they find someone missing for years—now they’re hoping to find the prince too."

"But wasn’t this guy banned from the palace?"

"I heard that too. However, it happened way after he went missing. The princes were devastated. His Highness Zayden even joined the search party."

My heart pounded. A prince was missing. That explained all the security. But more importantly—I had been banned? I was friends with the princes?

"You done?" A voice made me freeze. The maids fell silent before scurrying out. A pause, and then someone sat beside me.

Fingers brushed against my hair, then my cheek. A soft touch traced my nose, making me fight back a sneeze. And then—

"I know you’re awake."

Busted. Slowly, I opened my eyes… and found Prince Zayden staring right at me.

His gaze was sharp, and unreadable, like he was searching for something in my face. He was sitting beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence. Neither of us spoke. The air between us felt heavy, filled with things unsaid.

Just as I started to fidget under the weight of it, a familiar voice cut through the moment.

"Your Highnesses, I was just—"

Prince Adrian’s voice came from the doorway, and when I turned my head, I found him standing there, grinning like he’d caught us in the middle of something.

"Oops," he said, his smirk widening. "Did I just interrupt something?"

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