Chapter 40: Chapter 40

KAMORA

Back at the palace, the princess quietly yet gently stroked the skin of the unconscious young lord of the Maroke manor as he lay atop her bed.

“So handsome,” she whispered under her breath, smiling as she imagined him to be the son of her and Lord Maroke.

~He will come to one day accept me as his mother~, she thought, removing the tendril of hair that had fallen over his eyes.

She just needed to remove the bane of both their existence.

“Your Highness,” Gwen called out from behind her, on her knees.

“You are back early,” the princess replied, not bothering to face her.

“That didn’t take much time.”

“I made sure I ended it well, my lady,” she said.

“Even if he finds her, it will be too late. She is long gone from this world.”

A huge grin spread across the princess’s face.

“Oh dear Jarosh, to lose his mother at such a young age.”

She caressed his cheeks again, then whispered under her breath, “I will be the perfect, best mother you will ever have. I promise you that.”

***

Kamora arrived at the town capital, barely alive and suffering from dehydration.

On several occasions she had almost fallen off her horse, but she held steady, focusing on the single goal she had to achieve at any cost.

No matter what, she had to get back to her husband and child.

They must be worried about her.

Aside from the severe thirst gnawing at her, she also found it hard to differentiate between reality and her imagination.

Memories surged through her mind at a dizzying pace, each one sharper than the last.

The pounding in her head grew so unbearable that anyone in her place might have begged for death.

She was drawing strange looks as people slowly gathered around, trying to figure out if she was okay.

Some watched her with suspicion—and she couldn’t blame them.

She looked like someone who had just crawled out of hell.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind surged from above, whipping up dust and debris.

The crowd around her gasped in awe, frozen by the force of it.

She squinted against the swirling dust and slowly lifted her head. But before she could fully look up, strong arms swept her off the horse, lifting her gently into a bridal carry.

That scent—rich, dark wood and warmth—wrapped around her like a familiar embrace.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was him.

With a soft sigh, she melted into his hold and let her eyes flutter shut, content.

“My love, are you okay?” Lord Maroke’s voice rang out, frantic and edged with fear, though it sounded miles away.

~I’m okay~, she thought, her consciousness fading.

~I’m finally home.~

***

She didn’t know for how long she had slept, but she woke up to the smell of gauze and freshly baked bread.

She slowly opened her eyes and squinted at the harsh sun rays that poured over her face.

Slowly, she moved, trying to push herself up, but the effort was futile.

She had expended all her strength just to get back home.

“Kamora? Are you awake, my love?”

Lord Maroke was at her side in a heartbeat, his face etched with fear and worry.

His eyes roamed her features with desperate focus, as though trying to spot an injury she hadn’t yet noticed.

Kamora wanted to talk, but she was far overcome with emotions.

Her mouth couldn’t move, but her tears fell freely, causing Lord Maroke to worry even more.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Is there someplace that hurts? Let me quickly go get the maid.”

He dashed out before she could stop him, leaving Kamora all alone with her thoughts, and her regained memories.

Oh heavens, she had gone through a lot!

The people she had trusted, she had considered family, turned out to be worse than strangers.

Thinking about it made her boil with rage.

Lord Maroke ran back to her side, with Claudia next to him.

“I don’t know what is wrong with her,” he said frantically. “She just started crying.”

Claudia began studying her wounds, looking for any new opening.

Having found none, she turned back to look at Lord Maroke.

“She is physically okay. Perhaps, she suffers from remembering the trauma of what she has just survived. She would need some time to heal mentally,” Claudia said.

Lord Maroke nodded.

“Okay then. You can leave us.”

Claudia bowed slightly, and left, leaving the both of them together.

Lord Maroke gently took Kamora’s hand where it rested by the bedside and gave it a soft squeeze.

With his other hand, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes meeting hers with a quiet, encouraging gaze.

“You are safe now, I promise you. Everything is going to be okay,” he said.

He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“I am here now.”

She tried to lift her hand to ask for water, but even that small effort proved too much.

Defeated, she slowly turned her head, hoping to find a glass by the bedside.

As if reading her mind, Lord Maroke was already in motion.

He quickly reached for the cup on the side table, then carefully slid an arm behind her shoulders, lifting her gently until she was propped up enough to drink.

The cool water hit her tongue and she drank greedily, her parched throat finally soothed.

When she lowered the cup, her voice came out hoarse but urgent.

“Jarosh… Where is he?”

It struck her as strange—painfully so—that she had returned, and yet he hadn’t come to see her.

Was he angry? Did he think she had abandoned him?

No…he couldn’t. He had to know she would never leave him, not on purpose.

She had to see him, hold him, tell him that she now remembered everything.

She was his mother. Truly, wholly, without doubt.

Lord Maroke’s silence pulled her back to the moment.

He said nothing, only looked at her, and something about the stillness in his eyes unsettled her.

Her body remained leaned against him, but her heart had gone still.

“He’s resting,” Maroke said at last, his tone soft, careful—too careful.

Something in his voice made her stomach tighten.

He was lying. She didn’t know how she knew…but she did.

Why?

“Don’t worry,” he added quickly, brushing her hair back with a gentleness that only raised more questions.

“You need to rest. After you disappeared, he was extremely worried.”

He eased her back onto the bed, tucking the covers around her.

“When you wake,” he said, offering a faint smile, “he’ll be right here. I promise.”