Unexpected Visits
At the Same Time ... The Prince's Office
Prince Eugene was signing documents when the door suddenly flew open.
A bright, musical voice rang out:
"Surprise!"
A beautiful young woman bounced into the room, grinning from ear to ear.
Eugene looked up, visibly startled.
"Vanessa? What are you doing here?!"
She laughed as if the question was ridiculous.
"I came to see my big brother, can't I?"
"You didn't inform me. And do Mother and Father know you're in Texas?"
"Hm… not exactly," she said in a childish tone, rocking on her heels.
"I just missed you. So I bought a ticket and came!"
Eugene pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, now that you've seen me, you can go back."
"What?! I just arrived!" she exclaimed, hurt.
"Are you not happy to see me?"
"I am happy," he said quickly, "but I'm extremely busy. I don't have time to entertain you."
"That's fine. I don't need babysitting."
She shrugged cheerfully.
"I'll go home on my own."
"…Home?" Eugene repeated slowly.
Suspicion crept into his tone.
"Your home, of course! I miss that castle of yours. I'll head there now."
"No."
The word shot from his mouth too quickly.
Vanessa blinked.
"Why not? Why are you acting so strange since I got here?"
Eugene coughed, struggling to mask his anxiety.
"I… uh… I'm not acting strange."
But he was.
Desperately so.
"Actually… it's nothing," Eugene said, forcing a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"The castle is undergoing reconstruction.
Yes, reconstruction. So no one is staying there at the moment. I've been sleeping at my other house, the condominium near the company. You… might not like the place, so I was thinking…" he cleared his throat, "...why don't I call a hotel and prepare a suite for you?"
Vanessa shook her head firmly.
"I didn't come to stay in a hotel. I came to see my brother. Wherever you are staying… is where I'll stay."
Eugene's jaw clenched.
"…Alright then. The condominium it is."
Before Vanessa could question that stiff expression on his face, the landline rang.
He picked it up.
At the same moment, his phone vibrated with a new message, and Vanessa happened to glance at it.
YOUR WIFE TRIED ESCAPING AGAIN, SIR.
Vanessa froze.
Wife?
His wife?
Since when?!
Before she could fully process the shock, Eugene ended his call and picked up his cell phone.
The moment he read the message… his entire face hardened.
A frigid, intimidating aura replaced the mild annoyance from moments ago.
His eyes darkened, his posture sharpened.
He pressed a button.
A knock sounded almost instantly.
Nicolas entered the office.
Vanessa's heart raced.
Something was very, very wrong, and she was now certain that message was not a mistake.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Eugene spoke.
"Vanessa," he said without looking at her, "you can go now. I'm busy."
His tone was cold.
Dismissive.
Commanding.
Vanessa forced a smile.
"Okay… no problem. I'll get going now. Take care… bye."
She walked out calmly.
The moment the door closed… she pressed her ear to it.
Nothing.
Not a sound.
Not a whisper.
The office was soundproof.
Her curiosity, however, wasn't.
She stepped away, crossed her arms, and muttered:
"Fine. If big brother won't tell me what he's hiding… I'll find out myself."
And with that… she headed straight for the castle.
IVANNA'S ROOM
Ivanna lay curled on the couch, her entire body trembling.
Her vision spun, her skin burned, and her breath came in shallow gasps.
The punishment Lady Margaret gave her today had pushed her too far.
Her fever was back, harsher, hotter, almost blinding.
When the door opened, she didn't lift her head.
She barely cared.
Probably Lady Margaret again… here to torment me some more, she thought bitterly.
But then…
She caught a scent.
A rare, expensive perfume.
Soft, floral, unmistakably luxurious.
Louis XIV.
A limited edition she had seen only once, on a fashion runway.
Lady Margaret would never wear something like that.
Ivanna weakly pushed herself up and turned her head.
And froze.
A young woman stood in the doorway.
She looked to be Ivanna's age, or perhaps a little younger, but she was dressed like royalty… elegant, radiant, breathtakingly polished.
Her lake-blue designer gown flowed like silk water.
A ruby necklace glowed at her throat.
Her fair skin glimmered.
She moved with the grace of someone raised in wealth and privilege.
Her beauty was dazzling.
Her presence overwhelming.
Ivanna felt smaller than ever.
Vanessa blinked, equally shocked to see an exhausted, feverish, stunningly beautiful girl curled on the couch.
Everything about her screamed:
wealth… privilege… power.
But what shocked Ivanna the most was the expression on the girl's face…
not disdain, arrogance,but genuine surprise.
Almost… confusion.
Vanessa blinked, taking in the sight of the frail girl curled on the couch, sweat-drenched and trembling.
She had come expecting secrets, perhaps even scandal.
She never expected this.
A beautiful girl with a fever.
A girl who looked trapped.
A girl who looked like she hadn't eaten properly in days.
A girl who, despite her condition, still managed to possess a breathtaking, delicate kind of beauty.
Vanessa entered the room slowly, her heels clicking softly against the marble.
Ivanna's heart pounded with a sudden, unfamiliar fear.
This girl… whoever she was… didn't belong to the nightmare she had been living.
Her gown alone must've cost more than people's entire closet.
And she was staring at Ivanna with wide, startled eyes.
For a brief second, Ivanna wondered if she was hallucinating.
Earlier...
Vanessa had come to the castle in defiance of her brother's warning, her instincts gnawing at her all morning. Eugene's strange behavior, his clipped tone, the hurried dismissal… Everything felt wrong.
And when she arrived at the mansion, her suspicions only deepened.
There were no signs of reconstruction. No workers. No tools. No noise.
Nothing… except an unnerving quietness and the eerie absence of most maids.
Something was off.
Trusting her instincts, she began searching room by room. Ten rooms later… after nearly giving up… she opened the next door and froze.
There, curled up on a couch, was a girl.
A breathtakingly beautiful girl, though currently pale, drenched in sweat, and clearly feverish.
Vanessa stepped inside slowly, eyes widening in disbelief.
Even through the disheveled hair and trembling shoulders, the girl's beauty was undeniable.
A soft, delicate kind that struck instantly… raw and untouched.
The kind of beauty that didn't need a single drop of makeup.
For a second, Vanessa simply stared, momentarily mesmerized.
Then the girl lifted her head weakly, and their gazes met.
Vanessa recovered first, offering a warm smile.
"Hi… my name is Vanessa. You must be my brother's wife, right?"
Her voice was warm, bright, almost musical…
the complete opposite of Margaret's cold commands.
Ivanna blinked.
Brother's… wife?
The resemblance between this girl and Eugene was unmistakable, the eyes, the jawline, even the subtle lift of their brows… minus the cold aura that made Ivanna tremble.
She wasn't imagining things.
This girl was truly his sister.
A real family member.
So he wasn't a ghost…
Not a scammer.
Not a phantom.
He truly existed, and this was truly his sister.
Proof that her marriage…
her nightmare…
her captivity…
…was tied to someone who actually existed.
A strange mix of relief and heartbreak punched through her chest.
All the pain she had bottled up for days, the humiliation, the hunger, the punishments, the fear, the loneliness, burst out of her in a sudden, uncontrollable wave.
Ivanna covered her face as hot tears poured down her cheeks.
Suddenly, uncontrollably, tears filled her eyes.
Vanessa's eyes widened.
"Oh! Hey—hey—wait, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?"
But Ivanna was already sobbing, covering her face as her shoulders shook violently.
She couldn't stop.
She couldn't breathe.
She felt Vanessa kneel beside her.
Gently.
Cautiously.
Like someone comforting a wounded animal.
Vanessa touched her arm lightly.
"W–Wait! I didn't mean to scare you! Did I say something wrong? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?"
But Ivanna couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Did you see what your brother did to me?" she choked out between sobs.
Vanessa blinked. "What… what did he do?"
"He is wicked!" Ivanna cried harder. "Eugene is so wicked… so cruel… so… so heartless!"
Vanessa's eyes snapped wider.
"…Eugene?" she repeated. "He told you his real name?"
Ivanna sniffed, confused. "What do you mean? Isn't Eugene his name?"
"Well… yes," Vanessa admitted. "But he never uses it. Everyone calls him the prince. He hates using his birth name. So if he told you… he must really consider you special."
"Special?" Ivanna scoffed bitterly. "He hates me. He kidnapped me. And now he's trying to kill me through that wicked woman!"
Vanessa's expression snapped from shock to horror.
"Wicked woman? Who—?"
"Lady Margaret!" Ivanna cried. "She's been punishing me every day! She doesn't care if I die!"
"Lady Margaret is HERE?!" Vanessa all but shouted.
The shock was genuine… borderline panicked.
"Yes!" Ivanna continued desperately. "She never stops punishing me. I'm always cleaning, kneeling, cooking… she doesn't let me rest! I feel like I'm dying!"
Vanessa ran a shaky hand through her hair.
"I know how terrifying she can be," she admitted, voice softening. "She trained me when I was younger. Military-style training. I thought I wasn't going to survive half the time."
Ivanna's tears slowed, replaced by exhaustion.
"Why would he bring her here? What did I do wrong? I know I'm not perfect… but is that enough to treat me like this?"
Vanessa sighed, helpless.
"I don't know why he's doing this. Eugene is strict but… he's also warm. Caring. If he married you, there must be a reason. Maybe he's trying to help you improve? I don't know…"
"I don't want to 'improve' anymore," Ivanna whispered, voice cracking. "I want to go home. I want my parents. Please help me… call them. I don't want to be married anymore."
She grabbed Vanessa's hands with trembling fingers.
"Please help me. Please."
Vanessa swallowed hard, torn.
"I—I don't know. Maybe I can talk to him fir—"
"No!" Ivanna cried. "Don't tell him! That giant woman will punish me again!"
Before Vanessa could respond, the door swung open.
Both girls jerked their heads toward the entrance.