Chapter 28 - Recovering

The first rays of sunshine fell into my room, and I saw a silhouette standing in front of the window. After what happened the day before, I shrank near the head of the bed, under the blankets. My blind eyes took a long time to show the image of the King, lying on the window. When he realized that I was awake, he said:

- What happened yesterday? - His voice came out almost as a whisper as he walked towards the bed.
- I stumbled down the stairs. I think it was a stupid accident. I spoke, trying to justify my absence at dinner.
- My daughter, we'll have to come back to go ahead with your wedding preparations. The princess is better now. You didn't do it on purpose, did you?
"Your Majesty knows that I would never hurt myself to avoid... or just postpone the wedding, which is already in your plans to take place, regardless of my will.
- I think you're right. - He spoke as he got up and walked towards the door. Oliver releases you to travel, and we'll leave.
After the king left, my servant came in with a breakfast tray. She told me that the prince sent the message that he'd be back in the afternoon, and he would come to see me with the doctor. Again, I ate very little. The pain in the ribs still prevented me from moving completely. With Ane's help, I took a long bath. The hot water looked like a painkiller on the hematomas and cuts.
Soon after, I changed the dress I slept into a softer nightgown. Again, with the help of Ane, who also restored the curatives and cleaned the cuts, I was frightened.
"How did Your Highness get so many wounded falling from the stairs?" she spoke, slowly unburdening my hair and passing ointment on the cuts on the head.
- Ane, because of a little distraction, I got unbalanced, and these stairs are huge. I tried to hold on, but I couldn't.
I went back to bed and went to bed. I needed to sleep. During the night, it was impossible to sleep due to the pain and the terrible scenes of violence. I finally fell asleep, but asked my servant to stay in the room with me. She sat in a chair next to the window and took a book to read, which helped me sleep. Although Ane could not protect me from Claus's anger, she would at least bring me the assurance that she would yell for help.
When I woke up, I realized that it was night, I got up from the bed in a leap to realize that Ane had come out of the room. I was alone. Standing up so fast, forgetting my broken ribs, made me breathe. I held onto a chair to avoid falling. I heard a knock on the door.
Phillip came in, accompanied by Dr. Oliver, making a joke when I realized I was standing.
- Your Highness is standing? - I could hear the ironic tone in your question.
The doctor, in turn, pointed to the bed while asking:
- Can I examine you, Your Highness?
I sauntered and went back to bed. I lay down slowly, still feeling a lot of pain. As he put his hand on the bed, one of the cuts in his arm bled again. I was able to observe Phillip's closed fists and his nasals dilating, almost as if he could smell the blood at a distance. He spent some time with Dr. Oliver examining every injury and hematoma. He then said that I needed to keep the rest, turned to the door, asked for permission, and went out.
The prince seems tense about something.
He approached the bed, took my wounded arm with his hands, and said:
- Maybe because that damn guy wanted to take something from me that belongs to me.
- What are you doing? - I said, trying to get my arm back, unsuccessfully, because vampires had to be so strong!
- I'm gonna change these bandages.
- Isn't the blood making you crazy?
Your blood always makes me crazy, more than any other human. You're mine. - He cleaned the cut and wrapped it in clean bandages, but licked the fingertips that were dirty with blood, and when he did, he closed his eyes, as if licking his dirty fingers of sweets.
- That's scary. - I said it when he let go of my arm, and I hid it under the blankets.
- By the taste of your blood, I know you're still mortal. I would hunt Claus like an animal if he had turned you into one of us.
- Is there anything else you can find out from my blood?
- Yeah, I know how much pain you're feeling and a little of your fear. Don't get up. Try to rest as much as you can. He spoke low, in an orderly tone. I know that you felt a severe shortness of breath minutes before we entered here. Your ribs are broken. You need rest. 

I'll clean myself up and come back with your dinner.

- You don't have to, just send Ane.
- No, my princess. - he spoke, loosening the sleeves of his shirt and the button on his necklace. - Today I will spend the night watching you, like yesterday.
I lay down on my pillow. And I waited. He returned as promised with dinner, which I couldn't eat much of. And then he sat in the chair next to the window, and I fell asleep with his soothing presence there.