Blood was flowing from my body, and I had already realized that I was going to die.
"Where is Sam?" Phils shouted at the boy.
The boy replied, "I don't know. I just got here."
Phils said in panic, "He was supposed to disappear right now!"
Prince Phils picked me up and took me to the healer. He dressed my wounds and applied some medicine. The medicine burned against my skin.
"This girl is injured much more from the inside than from the outside. She has lost a lot of blood," the doctor said. "Only Prince Sam can truly heal her wounds. I've just bandaged her."
"Doctor, do whatever you can. I'll find Sam and bring him right now!" Prince Phils said. Then he turned to Jack, his voice sharp with anger.
"And Jack—you'll take care of Wellness. Did you hear me?" Phils barked at him.
Jack was angry but stayed silent, nodding his head in agreement.
"I'm sorry," Jack whispered.
"I'll deal with you later," Phils snapped at him and left.
Jack came and sat beside me, his eyes brimming with tears. They fell without stopping, like a child crying. I could see everything, though they probably didn't realize I was conscious.
I looked at him and said, "Why are you crying like a child?"
He stood up and came closer. "Listen… if you tell anyone about this, you'll regret it."
I wasn't scared of his warning. "Yes, I won't tell anyone. Don't worry," I said with a smile.
He seemed satisfied and sat back, but little did he didn't know I wasn't such an innocent person either.
A few moments later, Prince Phils returned with Prince Sam.
"Oh, look who's here. After a month, you finally remembered us," Prince Sam said with a smirk.
Prince Phils hit him lightly on the head. "Heal her, stupid!" he said angrily.
Prince Sam placed his hand on my stomach and began to sense how badly I was hurt with his magic. But as soon as I saw him, fear gripped me. Everyone fears a doctor when they're in pain—especially one who once burned your back. That pain was unforgettable.
And I still remembered the slap from Prince Phils too—the one that had left my cheek burning painfully red.
"Prince Sam…" I hesitated.
"Yes, say it," Prince Sam replied.
"I… I was just saying, this wound is small. It will heal on its own."
I glanced at Prince Phils' eyes—anger was burning in them.
"No… it's fine. Since you're here now, you can heal me," I stammered.
Prince Sam reached his hand toward my stomach.
"Prince Sam, can you… make it hurt less?" I asked, trembling. "I'm really scared." My eyes filled with tears.
Prince Sam laughed softly. "It will hurt, but you'll be fine. I'll take your pain away. Just lie still and don't scream."
He began his healing. But I didn't know what would happen to me. All I could do was cry like a child, tears dripping uncontrollably.
Prince Sam removed his hand from my stomach. "Yes, if you rest until tomorrow, you'll be completely fine," he said.
Crying, I muttered, "It would've been better to just let it heal on its own. Then at least I wouldn't have to bear so much pain."
Prince Sam hugged me. "Why did it take you so long? You could have come earlier. For a whole month you were worrying—thinking, should I come or not, thinking about us, weren't you?" he asked.
I could feel that emotion… that love. His words only made me cry more.
Prince Sam took out his handkerchief, wiped my nose, then handed it to me. "Ugh! Such a dirty handkerchief. I can't keep it with me now," he joked.
Then he became serious. "By the way, who attacked you?"
I pointed at Jack. "This one. He tried to kill me—or almost did. And anyway, who is this ba*tard? Oh, and one more thing—after hurting me he cried and told me not to tell anyone. Don't tell anyone! Stupid!"
As soon as I finished speaking, the room fell silent.
I looked at Prince Sam—his face had gone blank.
Then a fist hit me.
I looked up—Prince Phils was furious. He grabbed me and hit me again. He kept beating me until Prince Sam and Jack stopped him. By then, I was already broken inside. I had no intention of being beaten like this.
But I understood one thing: next time if I ever spoke wrong words to anyone, my condition would be even worse.
Half-dead, I crawled to Jack and knelt at his feet, begging for forgiveness.
"Hey, don't apologize anymore. Even after taking so much beating, you still think you should apologize?" he said.