Chapter 52
When I opened my eyes, the world greeted me in the most unpleasant way possible. My vision was completely blurred. My head was throbbing violently.
And, of course, I immediately realized that something had gone very, very wrong. This was rapidly becoming a recurring theme in my life. Honestly, I was not enjoying it.
It was pitch dark. Well, not completely.
The only source of light came from a weak, flickering lantern in the corner. I was in a small, enclosed room. Judging by the thick layer of dust on every single surface, this place hadn't been cleaned or used since the previous century.
My first instinct was to move. I tried to sit up. I tried to at least adjust my position.
That brilliant idea failed immediately. My arms flat-out refused to cooperate. My legs followed their example. It did not take a genius to figure out why.
I was tied up. To a wooden chair.
Both of my hands were secured tightly behind my back.
My legs were bound so securely that even shifting my weight was a struggle.
For a brief moment, I just sat there. I processed the situation with a strange, numb calm.
It's the kind of calm that only happens when your brain decides that panicking is simply too much physical effort.
...Great, I thought to myself. Clearly, I had made excellent life choices leading up to this exact moment.
I forced myself to stay completely still. I scanned the room as much as the pathetic, dim light allowed. No windows. A single, heavy wooden door.
Suddenly, the faint sound of muffled voices drifted in from outside. The footsteps got closer.
Oh. Wonderful. We had company.
I immediately let my head fall forward. I closed my eyes just enough to look totally passed out. If there was one thing my past life had taught me, it was this: being underestimated is highly useful. It's much better than looking fully alert when you're a hostage.
The heavy door creaked open.
"They haven't woken up yet," a guy's voice muttered.
They? Wait. There was more than one of us trapped in here? That was brand new information.
"How much did you dose them with, Richard?" the second guy snapped. "The plan was to sedate them, not murder them."
"Oh, come on," Richard replied, sounding far too relaxed for someone currently discussing the mechanics of drugging people. "I didn't use that much. For the lad, maybe, yeah. He actually put up a fight. But I knocked him out along with the others so nobody could follow him."
The others? What others? What exactly had happened while I was unconscious?
"And where did you leave them?" the first guy asked.
"In the middle of the forest," Richard said casually. "Left a beautiful false trail. They'll probably follow it for days."
"Hm," the first guy responded, actually sounding almost impressed. "Not as completely useless as I thought."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Honestly, the bar for basic competence seemed incredibly low with these two.
I felt one of them step closer to me. I could literally feel his breathing as he leaned over.
"You're absolutely sure this is her?" he whispered to Richard.
"Of course I'm sure," Richard said confidently. "Who else would come walking straight out of the princess royal chambers? I was planning to grab her later tonight, but she conveniently stepped out into the garden for a costume change. I just took the golden opportunity."
And right then - that was the exact moment everything clicked.
Oh. Wow.
They had meant to kidnap Princess Lysenne. And instead, through a marvelous twist of fate, they got me.
I would really like to take a moment to appreciate the sheer level of intelligence required here.
Imagine executing a high-stakes royal kidnapping without ever confirming the actual identity of the person you are kidnapping.
Clearly, basic verification was just an optional step in their highly professional operation.
Brilliant. Truly. If idiocy could be bottled and sold, these two would own the factory.
"Good," the first guy said, snapping his fingers. "We'll keep them locked in here till tomorrow night. Then we move. The buyer said all the arrangements will be ready by then."
Ah. There it was. A buyer. Of course there was someone paying behind this, because absolutely nothing in my life could ever be simple or straightforward.
"We're going to be paid a ridiculous amount of money for this," Richard added, sounding far too pleased with himself.
Yes,dude. You're getting paid for kidnapping the absolute wrong person. Exceptional work all around. Brain - cell beggars!!
"Alright, Richard," the first guy said finally. "I'll be back tomorrow evening. Keep a close eye on them. If they start moving, dose them again. We need them completely unconscious until the carriage is ready."
"Got it," Richard replied.
They walked out of the room, literally chuckling to themselves. I had to admit, listening to them was like supervising two toddlers with access to explosives. Bless my patience.
I waited. Very carefully.
I listened until the sound of their footsteps faded completely away. I waited until the dead silence settled over the room again. I had to be absolutely certain they were no longer within immediate range.
Then, I opened my eyes fully. I looked around.
Not that it helped much. The room was still exactly as dark and unhelpful as before.
Suddenly, someone groaned. It was soft, strained, and definitely not coming from my own throat.
I carefully turned my head toward the sound. Right. The mysterious "they."
"Hello...?" I whispered into the dark, keeping my voice incredibly low. "Hi... hey. If you're awake, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make any sudden loud noises. We are currently in a bit of a situation."
There was a long pause. Then, I heard a slow, disoriented movement.
"...Where... the hell am I...?" a male voice muttered, sounding incredibly groggy.
"Kidnapped," I replied calmly. "We have been officially kidnapped. The kidnappers are right outside the door. They currently believe we are still unconscious, so for everyone's physical safety, I highly suggest we maintain that sweet illusion."
"...What?" he said, his voice getting dangerously louder.
"Shhh!" I whispered urgently. "Please lower your volume! Unless, of course, you want them to come back in here and continue whatever sketchy things they have planned for us."
There was a brief, tense silence.
"...Okay," he said finally, much quieter now.
"Good," I said, letting out a breath. "They seem dangerous. And they also seem not particularly intelligent. It's a very unfortunate, very messy combination."
Another pause stretched between us.
"Who... who are you?" he asked into the darkness.
"Well," I sighed. This was not exactly how I had imagined introducing myself to new people. "Nobody important. You probably won't know me. You can just call me Cassiane."
"...Cassie?"
I completely froze.
That was not the reaction I expected. Not even close.
"...Cass?" he repeated, sounding a lot more awake now.
Wait. No way.
That voice. That specific tone. That very distinct, familiar way of saying my name.
"...Lucien?" I whispered, my heart doing a sudden, violent thud against my ribs.
There was a dead, agonizing pause in the dusty room.
Then-
"What the absolute hell?" his voice cracked.
"...Exactly," I replied. Because honestly, under the circumstances, there was no better response in the world.