Fake Princess
CHAPTER 139
I quickly approached, and saw Paula lying on the other side of the rolled-up table.
Paula looks pale, so pale that the droplets of blood dripping from her nose and mouth look striking like a spider's nest. Paula lay sideways, one arm bent under her body, as if someone had pushed her away and left her. I could see the dark bruises the hands left around his neck.
“ No,” I whispered as I knelt beside him. I reached out to grip Paula's shoulder, removing her arm from behind her back. I couldn't even check his breath, like I did with Echoes.
“ I should have told you.” I stood in this room before leaving and almost, almost told Paula where I was going. But I was blinded by my own conviction that I had not had enough proof. I convinced myself that I would endanger Paula if I told her. But that's not the real reason. As Devan said, I secretly want, in the depths of my heart, to find Bella alone. So I left without saying anything. Instead of protecting Paula, I left her vulnerable from what I feared. Paula got no warning, not knowing someone might come to hurt her.
Tears flooded my eyes, and my shoulders began to tremble. “ All this is my fault,” my murmur. “ I should have told you.”
I reached out to remove the hair from Paula's forehead, and the moment I touched her face, Paula coughed.
“ Paula,” my sigh. Then, say you're back on your shoulders, “ Devan, Bella! In here! I turned to Paula again, and clasped her hand. “ Paula, can you hear me?”
Paula's eyelids shook, then opened to form a small gap. “ Amelia?” he said with hoarse.
“ It's me,” I confirmed the question. “ Do you—“ it feels weird if I ask if she's okay. “ What happened?”
“ Male,” Paula says weak. “ Two people. They use.magic fortress. My spell just bounced off.” Paula closed her eyes as a wave of pain seemed to grip her. “ Echo?” paula said with clenched teeth. “ I heard it...in the corridor.”.
“ Still alive,” I said. “ Injured—not as bad as you—but still alive. Where are the others?”
“ I know,” I answer. “ I'm sorry. I should have..” I heard Devan and Bella behind me. “ We need a healer,” I tell them.
“ I will find someone to call here,” Devan said before quickly getting out of the room.
“ I don't have much time,” I told Paula. “ I can't explain now, but we have to go to the palace before the coronation.”
Paula's eyes, which were blurry from shock and pain, had been alternating between looking at me and Bella. “ Spell. I feel it between the two of you. Robust. Something that connects...”.
I'm nodding. “ She's the princess, Paula. The real princess. And soon they're gonna get the wrong girl. We have to stop them, but we have to come here first, then.. “ I'm confused again,
I'm not sure what we'll do after we get there.
Paula leaned her head on the floor. “ Exactly as I thought,” murmured. “ The core of the sari, is still inside you. I can almost see it. That.. relationship.”
“ You are right,” I said. The door creaked as Devan walked in.
Seriate