"She's the alcohol that keeps him drunk at night but leaves him with a thundering headache and an empty heart in the morning. And even though I try to be the water that sobers him up, he just keeps running back to the same bottle of vodka every night."

________________________________________

The dining hall,

Crystalline Castle.

**

Everyone froze.

The maid, who was in the process of pouring down some red liquid in Damien's glass, looked up and stared at me. Her reaction caused the liquid to start spilling out of the glass when it was all full. Katrina was standing next to Damien while he sat in the seat meant for the King at the very end of the long table. She noticed the liquid that slowly started to make its way towards Damien's sleeve, and let out a yell. She made Damien stand up, while ordering the maid to clean up the mess she created as quickly as possible.

A servant, who was frozen on the spot with a tray filled with food, was snapped back to reality by Katrina's loud voice. He hurriedly placed the tray on the table, and joined the other maid to clean up the spilled liquid.

"Don't let them get to you." Emma whispered, next to me.

She grabbed my hand, walking towards the other end of the table where Eric and a person I didn't recognize sat. She pulled out a chair for me, I smiled at her, thankfully. She took a seat right next to me just as I noticed who was about to sit across from me.

Katrina pulled out the chair directly in front of me as she said, "Damien, why don't you sit here for now?"

It seemed like he has been listening to her every word as he just nodded and sat down. Katrina occupied the chair right next him, shifting it closer to his.

I was having difficulties choosing between whether I should just leave, or face him. But then I realized why should I give him the satisfaction of having some sort of control over me. His actions didn't affect me, and I won't let them start affecting me now.

I will not be a coward, running away from him just because I felt tears swell up in my eyes by just looking at him.

Emma brought me out of my thoughts as she pushed a bowl of pasta towards me. I remembered Maria sometimes seeking in the food when she came to visit. It was actually the only time of the week I looked forward to, when she would bring some pasta.

Just as I picked up the fork, I couldn't help but look up in his direction.

Our gaze was fixed on eachother for mere seconds, but it had a far greater impact on him. Suddenly, his spoon dropped out of his hand, hitting the plate with a loud shattering noise.

His eyes averted from mine as they started looking around, almost confused.

"How did I get here?" He suddenly demanded.

The question wasn't directed towards anyone but everyone at the table, including me turned to look at each other in confusion.

Katrina broke the silence as she laughed, casually, "Damien, you've been sitting here for the past few minutes."

He shook his head, as if he couldn't even make out what she was saying," I was in my room. Then you--"

He pointed a figure at Katrina, but before he could say anything else, the servant who was walking by the table, suddenly tripped.

Or maybe it was planed.

The way Katrina sneakily pushed back her chair a little, didn't go unnoticed by me. The sudden movement caused the servant to hit his feet on the leg of the chair, hence falling over. The stack of plates he was carrying came crashing down with him.

She stood up, "What's wrong with all you people today?! First the maid is spilling blood all over the table and now this? Get your head out of the clouds!"

The young servant muttered a sorry as he started to pick up the plates, with shaking hands. I could tell he feared these people, so he might be a human.

"I've lost my appetite," Damien stated as he stood up and simply walked out of the dining room without a glance in my direction.

I debated on whether I should go after him and demand him to finish his sentence or help the poor servant who looked scared for his life as he stacked the plates. Then as I looked down at my bowl of pasta, I thought why not just focus on this for now, everything else can wait.

**

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**

**

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**

"Have you seen Damien?" I asked the maid passing by me.

She simply shook her head, the same response I've been getting from multiple people.

I've checked everywhere I could, his room, his study, but there was no sight of him.

"The king left earlier to sort out some problems at the border," a staff who must have heard me going crazily from place to place, answered. I watched as she returned to cleaning the dust off the huge painting that hung proudly on the wall of the hallway.

"Do you know when he will be back?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "I don't know. When the problem concerns the border, he usually takes his time to sort it all out before returning."

"Thank you," I smiled at her even though my mood suddenly dropped.

So there was a chance that he might not be back until tomorrow. With that thought in my mind, I walked back to the guest bedroom I was occupying.

During my stay here, it seemed like my mind has unconsciously memorized the confusing paths of this castle. The brightest part of the castle was the top floor, the floor where the King's bedroom was. The guest bedroom was located in the same hallway, so it was easier to find my way. As I grew closer to his bedroom, more candles were lit up to brighten the halls. And as I stopped right next to his room, those candle lights turned into the light provided by electricity.

Something I realized was how selfish the king was to only modernize his hallway, his room. Everywhere else I walked, it made me think I had gone back in time.

I kept walking until the guest bedroom came in my view. Feeling pretty tired from the night before, I closed the door to get some sleep.

As I lay down, I wondered what would it feel like to live a life outside this castle, outside this world. Back at the human world.

Would it just bring more nightmares? Or will it heal me completely? Give birth to a new me?

If Damien himself told me he doesn't believe I would be a cause of any destruction as the prophecy states, why can't he just let me go?

Maybe this the conversation we need to have the next time I see him.

**

**

**

My sleep was rudely interrupted in the middle of the night.

At first when I heard the music, I thought I was dreaming. But then I realized I couldn't be dreaming with my eyes open.

It wasn't the kind of music that made your heart race faster or made you want to nod your head to the beat. Not the kind of music that made you want to throw your hands up and moves your hips with the rhythm.

It was the kind of music that made you want to understand the lyrics. The music that made you lose yourself as it wraps around you, completely pulling you in. This was even more magical than a dream.

It was a slow tune, but as it eventually picked up the pace, I was curious to find out who was playing such melodic music.

I automatically pushed the covers off me. My movements were relaxed, maybe the music was getting to me. It seemed like I was in a stance.

Everything looked peaceful. Everything felt peaceful.

When my feet touched the ground, it made me feel like I was as light as the air. I grabbed the shawl that was draped over the couch, wrapping it around myself. The thin, long night gown did nothing to protect me from the cold night air that was sneaking inside the castle through the open balcony doors and windows. As I stepped into the hallway, I tried to ignore the way the fabric of my gown touched the floor behind me, acting like a broom.

I didn't know how, but I just knew which way the sound was coming from. It was strange since I've never had this good of hearing before.

I followed the sound as if I could almost smell it too.

I stopped in my tracks and finally looked up to see where my instincts have brought me.

The locked room.

It was still locked. A big metal lock was hanging from it, with an equally big key hole. Then how did that person who was playing the instrument get in?

I recalled Emma telling me there was a balcony attached to the room, but who in there right mind would climb these castle walls just to get inside that room?

I heard footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway. And just when I was about to make a run for it, his face came into my view.

Damien.

He said nothing, just stood there. Watching me.

Again.

"Who's inside the room?" I asked him, pointing a thumb at the closed set of enormous doors.

"You think I would know?" He stepped closer, "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I heard the music..." I still wasn't sure what instrument it was.

"A flute," he stated, "someone is playing a flute in there."

"Who?"

"Ghosts."

He suddenly laughed at my scared expression while I just glared at him.

"I'm surprised you can hear it too," he said, looking rather surprised.

What?

"Nobody else has ever been able to hear that music. I hear it all the time, but whenever I ask my men about it, they say they don't hear anything. And I didn't want to seem like a crazy person so I don't push it."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Open the door and find out who's a threat to your reputation." I crossed my arms.

I hadn't forgotten about what I had been wanting to talk to him about. But at the moment, there was this sudden desperation in me to find out what was behind those locked doors. I can ask for my freedom after this.

"Are you crazy? We don't even know what danger what lies inside that room. The last time somebody went in there, they didn't come back out alive."

"But that was because they committed --" I stopped, realizing what I just said. If he found out I knew about the story of this room, he would surely doubt me. I was desperate to find out what lies inside that room, but not desperate enough to put my freedom at stake.

I turned my head towards the door as the music stopped, but then it started playing again right where it left off a few seconds later. The beautiful melody was really not helping me to stay away.

"Oh, so Emma told you." It wasn't a question.

"Don't tell me you're not curious to find out who's playing that flute, too." I saw him hesitate, that's when I knew I almost had him.

"Or are you just scared, "I said," you know, of the ghosts,"

"Fredrick!" He called, turning his head a little to the right.

A man in his early twenties appeared right next to him, his green eyes alarmed.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"Open the door." Damien ordered, even though his eyes were looking straight at me.

"M-my King?" the guard looked like he just got the biggest shock of his life.

"Open. The. Door."

That was all it took for the guard to nod his head as he disappeared, probably to bring the key.

I pulled the shawl closer to me, feeling rather nervous now. Maybe it was because of the way Damien's eyes were watching me. That made me angry for some reason, as I recalled the same expression on his face the day before while I was crying in pain.

"Will you stop looking at me like that?!" my voice raised with every word.

"Like what?" he just shoved his hands in his pockets, as if he was hiding something.

"Like you did last night while I was withering in pain right in front of you. But instead of helping me, all you did was watch. Do you have even a small amount of that angelic side left in you? Or is the bloodthirsty monstrous side taking over? Because I sure as hell don't see any symptoms of you being half angel!"

He looked as confused as he did at the dining table, "You were in pain? When?"

I rolled my eyes, "Exactly what I would have expected from you. Just pretend you don't know what I'm talking about instead of answering my question. How mature of you."

He shook his head, " Yesterday, after leaving your room, I spent the whole day at the office. Then I went back to my room to get ready by 6 because I promised you we would go out, but Katrina brought me a sandwich that she made and wanted me to try it. I was only gonna take a bite but then I couldn't stop eating it because it was good. I don't remember anything that happened after that. I don't know what's happening to me, okay?! Today, I didn't know how I got to the dining table. The moment I came back to consciousness, I was staring into your eyes."

What he said made perfect sense because that's exactly what happened. I remembered how he snapped back to reality as I looked at him. But I didn't want to make the same mistake of forgiving him over and over again, just for him to find new ways to hurt me.

Before I could make up my mind, the guard appeared next to us, again.

I let the music that surrounded us take away some of my anger.

Damien took the big key from his hand, ordering him to go.

"You sure about this?" He turned to me.

I glared at him, as if to say hurry up already.

"What? I just don't want you clinging to me when you see any ghosts."

"I would rather let one of them tear me to pieces than be anywhere close to you. "

Even I knew how big of a lie that was. But he didn't need the extra bricks to enlarge the size of his ego.

He just shrugged as he took a hold of the lock with his left hand, inserting the key in it using his right.

A thunder striked, loud and booming noise outside. The wind picked up, I could tell by the way the curtains moved violently against the opened windows. The music suddenly stopped.

But that didn't stop Damien to unlock the door and give it a gently push to reveal what secrets lived in this mysterious place.

Maybe it's about time I'll find that out.

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