I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Cesar’s lips parted slightly. “Uh…uhnn…” A pained groan escaped him.
I instinctively stumbled backward, my limping gait heavier than usual, making me twice as slow. His groans grew harsher, becoming so distorted it was hard to distinguish whether he was a human or animal. At times, he sounded like the wind whistling through a cavern.
A terrible premonition washed over me—the unshakeable feeling that something dreadful was about to happen. A chill crawled down my spine.
I had to hide. But where? I frantically scanned the vast room. Where could someone small like me possibly conceal myself?
Whipping my sluggish legs, I moved instinctively. I found myself inside a wardrobe. I quickly squeezed my body in and slammed the door shut. The cool fabric against my cheek and the musty scent of insect-repelling herbs filled my senses. Hugging my knees, I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle my ragged breaths. My heart hammered against my ribs, threatening to burst free.
Through a crack in the wardrobe door, I could faintly make out Cesar moving. He had been lying down moments ago, but while I was hiding, he must have risen. Now he stood hunched in the middle of the room, gasping for air.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering objects ripped through the air. I clenched my jaw, holding my breath to avoid crying out. Broken fragments littered the floor, the remnants of furniture reduced to mere rubble. What had provoked him so?
He growled like a beast, seemingly intent on destroying everything in sight.
“Uhn…” Grimacing as if in pain, Cesar pressed a hand to his forehead, stumbling. He then lashed out, striking a candlestick. The silver candlestick clattered to the floor, extinguishing the candle and plunging the already dim room into deeper darkness.
The wax dripped, rolling across the floor and coming to rest at his feet. He bent down, sniffing at it, then quickly lost interest and turned away.
Just then, flashes of silver light strobed through the window. The heavy rain that had been falling seemed ready to unleash a thunderstorm. “Ah, uhn…” Cesar suddenly collapsed to the floor, clutching his ears. A deafening clap of thunder echoed through the room, rattling the windowpanes.
“Aaagh!” He pressed himself against the carpet, clawing at it as if merely covering his ears wasn’t enough.
The thunder subsided, leaving a heavy silence broken only by the intensified drumming of the rain. He crawled towards the window, his movements so unnatural they seemed less human and more…bestial. The grotesque way he moved sent a shiver down my spine.
Crash! The sharp sound of shattering glass mingled with the ripping of fabric. Terror seized me. I clamped both hands over my mouth to muffle any sound. A fierce wind and rain gusted through the broken window, extinguishing the remaining lamps. With the last flicker of light gone, the room was plunged into absolute darkness.
In the deathly quiet, the sound of the rain was deafening. I struggled to keep my panting breaths silent. Then, I felt a cold, hard object against my thigh.
‘Something like you would be a mere mouthful.’
It was the dagger my half-sister, Giovanetta, had given me as a wedding gift.
‘If I were you, about to be ravaged by a monster, I’d use it to kill myself.’
The dagger, adorned with colorful jewels, could easily be mistaken for an ornament. But unsheathing it revealed a razor-sharp blade. The reason I could bring such a weapon into the royal bedchamber was simply that no one cared what I carried.
‘I’m going to die anyway…’
‘The bastard child discarded by the Flores family, isn’t she?’
‘This is the fifth one, isn’t it?’
The whispers of the guests, hiding their mouths behind fans throughout the wedding ceremony, echoed in my mind. I had heard them. Or rather, I already knew. Giovanetta had given me a choice: death by my own hand, or being torn apart by the monster before me. That was the only difference.
My trembling hand reached down, finding the cold metal. This was it. This chilling touch was my only lifeline.
My heart throbbed between my ribs, like a fish out of water, pounding so fiercely it felt as if it might leap from my mouth. The suffocating silence, the oppressive stillness, and his hot, ragged breaths filled my lungs.
