Planning The Psychotic Prince's Demise

The sun rises. Birds chirp. Yada yada, all those pleasantries.

It's hard to believe that I've only spent a few days in this world. So much has occurred.

The sheets I'm lying on are unfamiliar. They're new for sure, scented as well. The nightgown I'm wearing is light, not as blatant as the bandages wrapped around my torso.

Regret punches me in the face the moment I decide to sit up. Moving isn't advisable—I find out the hard way. Groans leave my mouth involuntarily.

"I've come to your rescue yet again."

First thing in the morning. Seems like peace is a far away dream for wayward princesses.

"What do you want?" My voise is hoarse, on the verge of cracking. It's doing as well as the rest of me, really.

"Drink first before you start a fight." Valerius pushes a cup into my hands, agitatingly gentle as he guides it to my lips.

"No."

I glare at him from the cup's rim, swallowing the fresh water like ambrosia. My gulps are desperate, pitiful. I barely recognize myself.

How long have I been out?

Long enough to be starving and thirty, that's for sure. I'm capable of eating a horse right now. Might actually.

Valerius isn't wearing any of his princely clothes again, just a linen shirt that hugs his muscular frame. His sleeves are pulled back, exposing the veins that decorate his arms.

I resent the look. I resent the way it softens the crinkles of his eyes, highlights the fluff of his auburn hair. I hate the way one too many buttons are unbuttoned on his shirt, showing patches of skin that make my cheeks burn.

He looks so boyish like this. Humanized.

"I don't need your help." I rasp.

He laughs. "Don't think I've forgotten our deal."

I wouldn't call myself stupid for doing what had to be done. Perhaps things could've gone differently had Aurelia been elsewhere, but her safety wasn't something I was willing to risk.

She is my responsibility for as long as she is in my care.

It doesn't make being bound to Valerius any less unbearable, but it frees me from the burden of shame.

I was made to choose this. There were no other options. At least, none were apparent while a group of thugs were threatening to break through the door.

"Princess," Valerius sing songs. "You have no idea what you just signed up for."

Silver eyes and sharp fangs. He looks like a canine moments away from pouncing, a wolf in the woods looking to dig its claws into anything that resembles flesh.

He's smiling at me as if I've just agreed to a game of tag. But his stare promises torture only a true sadist can imagine. Childish, vicious, Valerius exists as an enigma.

I can't decide which side to trust.

Frustration rises from my throat. I want to punch him, badly, but my arm is barely functional. Instead, I lie back down and face the wall, putting my weight on the side that remains uninjured.

I hear shuffling from the opposite side and a click from the door.

Alone once again, I close my eyes.

"Wake up, princess."

My eyes jump open. A bundle of what feels like hair grazes the back of my throat. I'm about to scream when I see black fur through my peripheral.

"I know you're awake."

"Holy shit." I gasp. Do stab wounds damage the brain? Was that dagger infected?

"I don't believe it was. Although it's right not to trust how Valerius handles his belongings."

...I'm speaking to myself, clearly.

As if to protest, the cat jumps across my body, moving its face closer to mine. Purple eyes stare at me, ominous. "Hey now, it's rude to invalidate my conversation skills."

"This can't be happening."

The cat purs. "Stranger things have happened."

Ah. Right. I'm not in a place grounded by reality. Here, talking cats and evil princes are the norm. The fact that they're so close to my existence makes me want to bite into a pillow stuffed with red bricks.

This entire world is cursed.

Speaking of, "What do you want from me? Why did you stay here? We saved you. That's that. We aren't looking to keep you."

"Miss Aurelia has stated the opposite."

"Of course she has." I exhale. "You're clearly a danger to us if those thugs were going through all that trouble to get you."

"They were holding an unnecessary grudge." It explains, voice calm and composed. "I have done nothing wrong to warrant such violence."

It's hard to believe. The cat clearly knows more than it lets on, speaking about Valerius and thugs so casually.

"You're right. I'm no ordinary cat. Those rugged men trapped me in this form with a cursed artifact. I won't be a bother to you for long, I simply wish to ask for a favor."

"Doing a mysterious cat favors would bring me nothing but trouble." I rebutt.

The cat looks downwards, then lifts its head upwards, humming in thought. "Perhaps we can strike a deal."

A deal?

"Yes."

"Stop reading my thoughts like that."

"I can't help it."

I let out a sigh. "What can you do for me, cat?"

"That depends." It answers. I can hear a smile in its voice. "What is it that you seek?"

As of the moment, not much. I'm akin to a bullet shot at a dark room, an outsider thrown into an unpredictable pig pen. There's not much that I understand, not much that I can want.

Except, "Do you perhaps know any ways to kill someone?"

I can gurantee my own survival.

The cat's laughter fills my head, light and mischievous. "I suppose I know a few ways. I'm guessing you want this attempt to be subtle."

"Yes." I answer. More than anything, I want it to be successful.

"Great." The cat bobs its head. "When you retrieve the artifact that trapped me in this form, I'll lead you to someone I know."

"That's a big ask for a vague reward."

"If you want, we can put the details on a contract and seal it with magic."

"We can do that?"

The cat hums. "We can do a lot of things."

Strange way to say it.

"Alright. How do we make a contract?"

"The library."