Chapter 3：Princess in the modern world

The sound of the heart rate monitor woke her up. She weakly opened her eyes. She blinked slowly until she regained her vision.

'I didn't die…?' was her first thought upon seeing the pearl white ceiling.

Disappointment flickered across her hazel eyes. She remembered jumping from the window; feeling her heart racing from falling from a height.

Yet she embraced her death with a smile. Who would have thought she wouldn't die?

She bit her dry lower lip, tasting a tang of iron from the crack of her lip. What a cruel life. She couldn't attain anything — even death.

'Why? I should've died.' She wondered internally, on the verge of breaking down knowing her cruel misfortune ahead.

As she lamented internally, she felt a light squeeze in her right hand. Instinctively, she moved her head in its direction.

Upon doing so, her brows furrowed. A man she had never set her eyes before was looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, but she didn't answer.

Instead, her eyes scrutinized his delicate yet suave features. Her gaze slowly traveled down to his royal blue tux, which appeared odd in her eyes.

After studying him, she unconsciously moved her eyes behind him. Transparent floor to ceiling window, showing towering buildings dawned with gradient colors of gold and tangerine of the sunset.

'What are those odd castles?'

"You've fainted and was unconscious until now." The man said, leaning closer as he pressed a button from the headboard.

Afterwards, he sat back on the gray felicity arm chair near her bedside. Squeezing her hand lightly brought her back from her daze.

"The doctors said it was fatigue. You also had a mild concussion. So, you should rest more." He said.

She retracted her eyes from behind him and set them to him. Her brows still furrowed, darting her eyes from their hands to his.

When she snapped, she withdrew her hand as if getting scalded.

"Presumptuous…" she whispered under her breath.

Yet, karma was fast. Her throat parched, scathing her throat upon her soft whisper.

The man knitted his brows. His eyes studying her hostile mien as she held her hand closer to her chest.

"I'm sorry. I thought you needed someone to hold you since you've sweat a lot last night."

"Held you?" She scoffed in disbelief. "Why would I hold the man who came to behead me?"

She inquired bravely, throwing the unfamiliar man in the pool of confusion.

"What? What are you saying?"

"Stop the act. Behead me or stone me to death; burn me or violate me… I won't yield and acknowledge…" She trailed as her eyes caught the furniture around.

Unconsciously, she moved her eyes around the room. Fresh flowers from the vase that gave off the pleasant scent in the cozy room.

A settee which appeared to her eyes had an odd shape and aesthetic. Unlike the castle, the room was finished with cream hue and…

She looked up, seeing a recessed ceiling light. Her eyes marveled with curiosity; it was not like the crystal chandelier candelabra she knew back home.

'Was it lighting from the inside?' She wondered, blinking her curious eyes at this unknown object.

"Are you okay?" He asked, snapping her back to the current lapse.

"What is that…?" Without moving her eyes away from the light, she muttered.

"A ceiling light?" Puzzled, the man still answered as he studied her side profile.

"Are you really okay?"

He asked. She had been saying nonsense and the way she talked somehow differed from before. Thus, it worried him a little.

After all, she had hit her head. The doctor said it was a mystery that she only inflicted a minor concussion, despite bleeding too much.

"How is it radiating with such a bright color?" Yet, instead of answering his query, she queried back.

"Uh…" The man scratched his temple. "With electricity?"

"Electricity…" she whispered. "What is that?"

Upon dropping her question, the sudden knock on the door caught their attention. The next second, a group of doctors and nurses came in.

'The members of the church?' She wondered, bringing back the hostility she had before.

The doctors' white coats and the nurses' white uniform made her assume they were from the church. Although it appeared a little different, the white attires said it all.

She watched as they beckoned a neck bow towards them before trudging in her direction.

"It seemed Miss Lin is fine, Mister Qin. But, we will still check if she…"

Before the head physician could finish, the princess, who was still aware of her situation, yelled.

"I always knew the members of the church were filled with disloyal, self-proclaimed, hypocrites servants of God! Yet, how could you yield at those barbaric murderers who usurped the throne with violence?"

She scorned, despite her scathing throat. Her hazel eyes glinting with abhorrence.

The room fell into nothing but silence.

The doctors and nurses furrowed their brows. They cast each other puzzled gazes before setting their eyes back to the patient.

"Doctor Shen, are you sure she only had a mild concussion? Not a lose screw in the head?" The man, Lewis Qin, inquired as he massaged his temples.

"Or, maybe a head trauma?"

He added. Lewis leaned back as he let out a faint sigh. His eyes glanced at her side, crossing his arms under his chest.

"We will run a few more tests to make sure, Sir." Doctor Shen reassured before shifting his attention back to Devon.

"Miss Lin, we are not members of any church. We're doctors and medical personnel that looks after your condition." Doctor Shen explained patiently.

"You fainted in your room and Mister Qin rushed you here last night. Hence, we're here to make sure you'll be given the best treatment."

Doctor Shen smiled. However, Devon narrowed her eyes, as his words didn't add up to her memory.

"I didn't faint. I jumped from the window. How dare you revive me back when all I want is death?" She hissed and then glared at Lewis.

This time, Doctor Shen cast Lewis a look, asking for help. He had dealt with different patients.

However, this particular patient was brought in by none other than Lewis Qin. Therefore, they must be thorough and extra patient dealing with her.

"Mister Qin," Doctor Shen muttered helplessly.

Lewis pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Doctor Shen, will you give us a moment?"

When Lewis opened his eyes, Doctor Shen felt a cold shiver ran down his spine.

"Yes, Sir. We will be outside."

With that being said, Doctor Shen, along with his colleagues, bowed. And then they left the room without a word.

Devon's eyes sharpened as she watched them leave. She let out a scornful scoff when the door closed.

At the same time, Lewis stood from his seat. He trudged carefully towards her.

And before she knew it, Lewis pushed her shoulders and pinned her down. Surprised, her eyes went wide as those menacing black orbs hovering over her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll smother you." He replied with disinterest. Yet, her pale, dry lower lip trembled upon his reply.

"See? You don't want to die. Don't take life and death so lightly."

Pleased at her yielding reaction, Lewis nodded. But he didn't draw away as he looked at her dead in the eye.

"No one will behead, stone, burn, or violate you, alright? No one here is from whatever church and no one usurped a throne. Nightmares are just nightmares. They're not real. So, calm down. They will help you — I will help you."

Lewis reassured with sincerity. Although he had been sharing the same bed with her for the past months, this was the first they had such conversation.

Still, she was an important individual to him. Thus, he wanted to help her since she had been helping him for months.

"If no one wants to behead, stone, burn, or violate me… then someone wants to smother me."

Yet she was giving no room for false hope.

"I'm not serious. That's illegal." He muttered along with his weary sigh.

"As if I would…" Before she could argue, Devon trailed as she stared at her reflection in his dark, glinting eyes.

But the next second, her hand suddenly sandwiched his cheek. She stilled him as she drew closer, staring at the stranger in his eyes.

"Who is she…?"