It felt like the world stopped. Claude froze. I stared.

How many days had it been since I'd last seen Claude? Why did it feel like forever, but also no time at all? Why did my legs give in, making Felix grip my waist tighter, holding me up? Why did fear grip my chest?

This was Claude. I knew him. So why did my heart feel like I was looking at a stranger? His brown skin, his gold eyes, his slim fingers that held mine. I had studied them in detail many times before. Why did they now fill my chest with anxiety?

"Are you okay?" Felix whispered near my ear, holding me steady.

Claude defrosted. He went to move forward, but a hand landed on his shoulder as he did so, rooting him to his spot. I followed the hand, up the muscled arm, and realized it was Nadir who stopped in. He had an impassive expression on his face, glancing down at Claude. "Claude, remember your position."

A fraction of a second went by and Claude's face hardened. Then Claude shrugged Nadir's hand off him, not gracing him with a response. Nadir didn't try to stop Claude again as Claude shoved through the guards surrounding him, the hard look on his face not lessening. My heart leaped into my throat as he approached me. Felix's hand lifted slightly, moving in front of me as if he was going to protect me from Claude.

I didn't move, unable to breathe. I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what Claude would do. The last time I'd seen him he was arresting me. What would he do now? Now that I'd been freed from the cell they'd been keeping me in?

I wanted to believe he wouldn't do anything bad, but... how could I trust him now? How could I trust anyone? I thought everything would be okay as soon as I saw him, but that didn't happen. Doubt festered instead.

Claude came to a stop in front of me, his jaw clenching as his eyes swept over me— from the bottom of my tattered dress to Felix's oversized hoodie on me, to my messy hair still caked with blood. "Kaz." Claude's eyes never left mine as he spoke, anger lacing his voice. "What is this?"

Kaz? Hadn't he left? Had he followed us even after Sura told him to leave?

"He's kept Cleo locked up for days looking like this," Felix responded before Kaz could, keeping his arm between Claude and me.

"I told you to bring her to the estate and keep her comfortable there," Claude said in a low voice.

"Well, that's not what he did at all," Felix responded flatly.

"Claude—" Kaz began, proving he had indeed followed us, but cut himself off as Nadir spoke.

"She's a prisoner," Nadir said, and I glanced at him to see him frowning back at me.

Claude finally looked away from me, turning back to Nadir, his hands clenching at his side. "Cleo has lived like a prisoner for most of her life. She won't be living like that anymore. Our prisoner or not. Is that understood? She'll be treated like a member of the royal family. Or do you want to go against the king's orders?"

Nadir inclined his head. "Whatever you wish, Your Highness."

Claude turned back to me and when our eyes met this time, the hardness of his face finally bled away. He raised his glove hand to my cheek, hovering over it, but not touching my skin. "Cleo..."

I didn't say anything, watching him, feeling my heart start to race again. Part of me wanted to fall into his arms and be comforted in the same way I had with Felix, but another part of me wanted to back away, a cruel voice reminding me of the role he played in my father's death. Could I believe his words now? That he wouldn't treat me like a prisoner here? Why was I doubting him?

"Cancel the rest of the schedule for today," Claude said, eyebrows furrowing as he took in my expression. Then he reached for my hand, hesitating again before touching it. "I should be with you."

Sura stepped forward before I could respond. "Claude, go finish what you have to do. You can't disregard your duties. You're the king now."

Claude turned to his mother. "That's not what's important right now—"

"I'll take care of her until you return."

"I'll be there too," Felix said, sounding almost as if he was challenging Claude, inching closer to me again. "You should do as your told, Your Highness."

Claude narrowed his eyes at Felix. "You—"

"Claude, there are many eyes on you," Nadir spoke.

Claude jerked a little, his hand falling from mine. His lips flattened as he regarded Felix. "Please keep an eye on her and prevent her from being mistreated any more than she already has."

Felix's eyes widened a little as if surprised at Claude's acquiescence.

"Wait for me," Claude said to me, brushing his hand against mine.

"As if I have any other choice," I whispered before I realized what I was saying.

My words caught both Claude and I off guard. He froze for a moment, then clenched his jaw before walking by me. "Kaz," he snapped. "You better have a good explanation. Come with me. Now."

The rest of the guards followed Claude as well as Nadir, who bowed briefly to Sura as he passed by. Sura watched them with a frown, her hand going to my back. "Come on, Cleo."

Felix, Sura, and I walked inside, and if I had been in a better state of mind I knew I'd have been swept away by the high ceilings and ornate walls of the foyer, but I could barely focus on making one foot move in front of the other. Everything hurt. I was so tired. I leaned into Felix even more, wanting to just close my eyes and curl up on the polished tile floor.

"Cleo," Felix murmured. "Stay awake."

"I'm trying," I mumbled back.

"Let's get you cleaned up first before you rest," Sura said gently, leading me through the halls and up a grand staircase to an impressive bedroom that could only belong to a member of the royal family. I didn't care to take in my surroundings though and let her lead me to one of the grandest bathrooms I'd ever seen. I'd thought the one at the academy couldn't be beaten, but this one did. The tub was so large I thought I'd drown in it if left alone. I didn't think I could hold my head above the water.

I didn't want to bathe, I wanted to sleep, but knowing I might be sleeping in Sura's bed got me trying to struggle out of Felix's hoodie as Sura filled up the bath. My arms hurt so much that they shook and trembled even with such a light effort. Felix took note of my struggle and easily pulled it over my head. The dry blood on my dress made it to my skin as I tried to pull the straps down.

Felix reached over to help and Sura slapped his hands away. "I'll take it from here Flor— Felix."

Felix held his hands up defensively. "Alright. I'll step out then. Let me know if you need help."

I didn't want Felix to leave, but I didn't particularly want him seeing me naked. I didn't particularly want Sura to, either, but I didn't have much time to fret about it. As soon as Felix was out of the bathroom, she stripped me down and helped me into the tub. It stung. A lot.

"Cleo..." Sura started, her words tinged with concern. "We need to treat these injuries properly. You're going to scar... I fear it's too late for some."

"It's fine," I said, gritting my teeth as Sura ran a rag over my back, rubbing off the crusted blood.

"What in the world happened?" she asked quietly, but I think it was mainly to herself.

I remained silent, trying to relax. The sting was beginning to fade and the warm water felt welcoming. I even managed to find the strength to soap up my feet and legs, trying to get all the grime and blood off. I paused momentarily when I saw the wound made by Kaz's bullet and all of a sudden the anxiety came back full force and my chest seized up. Tears filled my eyes and I bit my tongue hard.

Sura noticed my tenseness and rubbed my back soothingly. "I'm going to clean your hair, Cleo."

It was a tangled mess and couldn't have been an easy job, but Sura expertly detangled and cleaned it with minimal pain. Her fingers carded through my hair, fingertips trailing over my scalp, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the soft touch.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to find you some clean clothing," Sura said and her hand retracted from my hair. "You need to eat something and get some rest."

She left and I started draining the bath water, turning on the tap again, and throwing clean water all over myself. Although the bath had cleaned me, I was still sitting in my dirty water. It felt good to have the hot water burn against my skin. I tried not to look at my battered body, but it was hard not to. Sura was right. I'd have scarring.

But at least you're alive.

I became paralyzed as the cruel voice in my mind spoke, my hands under the pouring hot water. At least you're alive. I slowly shook my head, trying to dispel it as my hands shook. I couldn't think about it. I couldn't think about how my father died. Tears stung my eyes again as I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself.

It wasn't my fault my father died... or was it? Was it my fault for going to the academy? For befriending Claude and the others? If I hadn't gone, would all this have happened? Would he still be alive? Would I be with everyone?

A lump formed in my throat and my chest heaved as I fought to hold back tears. Stop thinking, stop thinking.

The door opened again as a few tears slipped down my cheeks and I immediately scrubbed them away, pretending I was splashing water on my face.

"Here, Cleo," Sura said, holding a towel out for me. "I brought you some clothing."

I dried off quickly and reached for the clothing Sura had brought me. They weren't hers. I paused, taking in the black, long-sleeved shirt and soft grey sweatpants. "These..." I hesitated.

"I'm afraid my clothing wouldn't fit you," Sura explained, sounding regretful. "These are Claude's."

I glanced at her short, thin frame and knew she was right. But I still couldn't make myself put on the clothes. It was stupid and irrational to not want to dress in Claude's clothing. Why was I being like this? Wasn't it better than being naked or in torn clothing?

Annoyed with myself, I pulled the shirt on, ignoring how my arms burned, and then I slipped into the sweatpants, feeling a little naked without any underwear. Sura led me out of the bathroom and to the bed where Felix sat, flipping through a book titled The Royal Family and Their Brutal History. He immediately closed it and tossed it aside when he noticed us coming and got up from the bed, pulling back the sheets for me. "Here," he said. "Get in."

I did, gladly, and it felt so nice to have my weight off my feet. I was sure I could close my eyes and fall asleep. Now with Sura and Felix near, I didn't feel as awful as I did in that locked room, and thought I could finally fall asleep.

"Cleo, you should eat something before you sleep," Sura said. "I have the kitchen making some vegetable soup. I'll go get some for you. Then tomorrow we're going to bring you to the clinic. You have to have your wounds treated. I'm really worried..."

Were they that bad? Although Nadir was intimidating and rough, I thought he'd been taking rather good care of my wounds. Especially since I'd been unwilling to even help him take care of me. I watched as Sura left the room and then gently touched my stomach and winced as it burned. I placed my hands on the bed so I wouldn't do that again.

Weariness wore at me, but I decided I needed to eat, too, and forced my eyes to stay open. Felix took my hand in his, absentmindedly stroking the back of it. "Cleo, do you think you can tell me everything that happened? I mean, I know what happened, but not all the details."

"I..." I started, but trailed off, a ringing going off in the back of my head, warning me. "I don't think so. I... I need some time."

Felix hummed lightly. "Take your time."

"Where is Adora? And San?" I asked. "Are they okay?"

"They're at their homes for now. The academy sent all the students home for the year."

"What? Why?"

Felix hesitated. "While I tried my best to save them all that night... it wasn't possible. There were too many hunters and the students are just average students, no defensive training. They didn't know how to defend themselves."

My heart sunk. "...What?"

Felix chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm not sure the exact number or the names of who died, but there were fatalities. So, the academy decided it wasn't safe there and decided to send everyone home and end the year."

I stared at Felix with wide eyes. "It's my fault. That's all my fault. I killed them. I killed them." My free hand shot to my mouth as panic took over me. "It's my fault. They died because of me—"

Alarm crossed Felix's face before he tightened his grip on my hand. "Cleo," he started. "This is not your fault. Don't take the blame."

"It is, my father—"

"Your father's actions are not your own. You did not cause this. Don't think like that."

I shook my head. "But it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't at the academy—"

"Yes, it would have," Felix said forcefully. He released my hand and grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. "Whether you were at the academy or not, your father planned to kill Claude. And Claude would be at the academy even if you weren't. There is no way you could have stopped this from happening. Take a deep breath. You're panicking because you're already stressed out and exhausted."

I latched onto his words, trying to slow my breathing. What he said was true— my father wanted to eradicate the royal family line. Me being at the academy was just a ploy to get inside information and a test for me to see if I'd listen to his orders. But still. The students didn't deserve to... "What else happened? Did Kieran...?" I asked, shoving the thoughts of the students away. I couldn't handle it right now.

But I wasn't sure what I was going to ask about Kieran. Did she get caught? Did she get away? Did she kill one of the students herself?

"No one caught sight of her there," Felix told me.

"She saw our father die." The image of his body falling flashed in my mind. "She's never going to be on our side now."

Felix frowned. "We can figure that out later. You need to rest and heal up."

"And then what? Will I be locked up?"

"They could try, but it won't be likely when I'm around. Remember what I did to Kaz?" he asked with a wink.

"Are you going to knock out anyone who tries?" I joked, surprising myself. I didn't think I had enough energy or mental capability to joke. Yet, the idea of Felix just knocking out anyone who tried to lock me up had a smile forming on my face.

He shrugged. "I'm pretty confident in my strength."

"Thank you, Felix," I said suddenly, turning serious again. "For being here."

His eyes softened and he stroked the back of my head soothingly. "Of course. I'll be here until you don't need me anymore."

"That'll never happen."

A smile crossed his face. "I'll hold you to that."

Sura came back in the room then, a steaming bowl of soup on a tray, alongside an entire loaf of bread and some napkins. I had half expected a servant to bring it in, but Sura was alone as she came to the bed and placed the tray on my lap. "I hope you like this," Sura said, looking worried. "I shouldn't have assumed you would like vegetable soup."

"Don't most people have chicken noodle soup when they're sick?" Felix asked, eyebrows raised.

"That's right," Sura mused, "but I'm a vegetarian. It didn't occur to me."

Her words took me by surprise and I blinked. "Huh? But don't you drink human blood?"

Sura opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it again as if choosing her words. "It's not that I don't consider humans to be mammals too, but it's more like how humans need water to survive. I need blood. And we don't kill humans to feed off them, so..."

I didn't quite understand but didn't question it. Now that I could smell the wafting aroma of the soup in front of me, my stomach rumbled so hard I could feel it in my ribs. Carrots, peas, potatoes, celery, green beans... Suddenly I wanted to eat nothing but vegetables. I immediately picked up the spoon and brought some to my lips, tasting it. The broth warmed me as I swallowed it down, eating spoonful after spoonful.

Sura let out a soft breath. "Good. You still have an appetite."

I felt like I couldn't eat fast enough. After days of being stubborn, I realized just how much I needed sustenance. I pulled apart the bread and ate some of it, too, feeling better by the second.

"Slow down. Don't choke," Felix scolded.

"I'm not going to—" I started with a mouth full of food, then promptly choked, causing Felix to lurch toward me, handing me one of the napkins on the tray.

Felix tutted as he dabbed the napkin on my face. Blushing, I snatched it away from him, trying not to cough again and prove his point. And also, because coughing hurt. I knew I was in for a world of pain when I woke up the next day.

Sura watched the two of us fondly. "It's so nice to see how well you two get along."

Felix, as if remembering she was there, stepped away from me. "Eat slowly," he muttered.

Sura's expression fell a little as she glanced at Felix. I forced myself to slow down as I continued to eat, studying Sura and Felix's mannerisms. So much had happened since their last talk... had they even had a chance to talk again after that? After all the truth that had been revealed? How Felix's family had been murdered by Caelum, Felix's own father?

I paused, staring down at the soup, my chest squeezing. Now Felix and I were even more alike. We both lost our fathers. Our fathers who had done terrible things. And his family was murdered, and according to Kaz, mine would be, too.

Swallowing hard, I tried to eat more soup, but it was tasteless now. What would I do? How could I stop it? What would Kieran do? What about my mother? What was she doing now? How could I do anything when I was locked up here?

I put my spoon down and pushed the food away from me, suddenly nauseous. There were too many questions with no answers. I couldn't go crazy thinking about them right now. One step at a time.