Dino's grip on her arm was unrelenting as he dragged Olessia down the long hallway.
Echoing with the faint sound of his boots and her hurried steps. Her heart pounded in her chest as they passed the corridor, leading to the filthy dungeon of cow dump where she'd been thrown before. She frowned, and thought in confusion. Why weren't they turning there?
Kaive had told Dino to send her back to the prison. Unless this was another cell, one far worse than the first.
"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, her voice trembling despite her best effort to sound brave. Dino said nothing, he didn't even glance at her.
They stopped in front of a door made of dark steel, carved with strange symbols she couldn't read. Without warning, he yanked it open and shoved her inside. Olessia stumbled, barely catching herself before hitting the ground. The door slammed shut behind her, the metallic click of the lock echoing in the silence.
"Hey! Wait!" she yelled, rushing to the door, pounding on it, but there was no answer. Then she turned around, and froze. This wasn't a prison. It was… beautiful.
The room was massive, with golden drapes, soft candlelight, and a bed that looked massive.
This wasn't just a room... it was a bedroom fit for a princess. The walls gleamed with pale gold, soft curtains fluttered at the windows, it was beautiful. For a second, Olessia wondered if Dino had brought her to the wrong place, maybe the real prisoner's cell was somewhere else, and this was some royal chamber.
Then her eyes caught sight of the tray sitting on a polished table across the room piled high with food. Meat, fruits, bread, even a jug of something that looked like wine. Her stomach growled before she could think twice.
Without wasting a second, she dashed toward it, grabbing handfuls like someone who hadn't eaten in days. The first bite nearly made her moan... it was warm, seasoned, perfect. She ate until her stomach ached, half the tray gone before she even realized it.
When she was finally done, she wiped her hands on the edge of her dress and looked around properly. The bed alone looked like heaven, its sheets softer than anything she'd ever touched. She sat, then stood again, pacing and touching things she didn't dare to dream of owning.
Olessia walked slowly toward the window, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. Outside, the moonlight danced over rippling water... it wasn't just a view, it was freedom staring back at her. The waves shimmered like they were waving her closer, calling her name. She pressed her palms against the glass, with her heart racing.
"I can swim," she whispered to herself. "So what's stopping me from escaping?"
Her eyes darted to the door, no footsteps, and no voices. Dino wasn't coming back, at least not yet. The temptation burned in her chest to escape here, and now. Without a second thought, she climbed onto the ledge, her breath trembling in her throat.
"This is insane," she muttered, but jumped anyway.
The cold water slapped her skin, but it also felt like life itself. She kicked hard, swimming fast, her soaked hair clinging to her neck as she reached the opposite bank. For the first time since she woke up in this strange place, she thought she might actually escape.
But when she dragged herself out, gasping for air, she froze. Because standing just a few feet away, with his arms crossed and his eyes darker was Kaive, watching her like a predator waiting for his prey.
"How..." she tried to speak, but the word broke halfway as Kaive's hand clamped tightly around her wrist. The world blurred, her vision twisted, and wind howled past her ears, and in the blink of an eye, she was no longer by the riverbank. Her feet hit the palace floor hard.
Her breath came in gasps. She was drenched, trembling, her hair plastered to her cheeks, dripping water onto the floor. The air inside the palace was colder than the river, or maybe it was just Kaive's glare slicing through her like shards of ice.
"You just tried to escape," he said, his voice laced with anger.
She wrapped her arms around herself, and her teeth chattering uncontrollably. "I-I wasn't trying to..." she started, but her voice faltered when she saw his expression darken.
He took a slow step toward her, his boots clicking against the floor. "You think I'm a fool, don't you?"
"I–I'm cold…" Olessia's teeth chattered as she spoke, her lips pale and trembling. Kaive's jaw tightened, anger still burned in his eyes, but something softer flickered there too, something he tried hard to bury. Without a word, he guided her to the bed.
He yanked the thick blanket off the bed, and wrapped it around her shoulders, tucking it close before stepping back. "Don't mistake this for kindness," he muttered, his voice bitter.
Then, as quickly as he'd helped her, he turned and stormed out, the door slamming so hard behind him that the walls seemed to quake.
Olessia sat there, trembling, the blanket clutched tightly around her. The chill in her bones felt unnatural, like the water had seeped inside her, freezing her from within. She knew then that it wasn't an ordinary river.
Her body finally gave in, and she drifted into uneasy sleep.
*******
When she opened her eyes again, she gasped. Kaive stood before her, his cold, piercing gaze fixed on her.
"You tried to escape," he said, his tone colder. "That only proves one thing... you're a spy."
Olessia shot to her feet, her patience snapping, and she couldn't take it anymore. "Look here, whoever you think you are," she spat, her voice trembling with angered. "I am not a spy, and I refuse to be held captive by you any longer!"
The words had barely left her mouth before Kaive moved... so fast her eyes barely caught the motion. In a heartbeat, his hand was wrapped tightly around her neck, pressing her back against the cold stone wall. Her breath hitched, fear flashing through her eyes as his face hovered inches from hers.
"I hate it when I'm disobeyed," he hissed. His grip tightened just enough to remind her who held the power here. The heat of his anger was palpable, rolling off him in waves that made her skin prickle.
Her pulse pounded against his hand, but she refused to look away. His eyes darkened, something fierce and untamed flickering in them.
"And when I'm disobeyed," Kaive said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I punish." His breath ghosted against her
ear. "The kind of punishment you'll never forget… or escape from."