Chapter 8M
Vanessa was terrified, frantically kowtowing on the floor, begging for mercy.
“Your Highness, I was wrong! I was blind–I didn’t know she was your princess!“}
“Danna, I’m sorry, I truly am! Please save me one more time! I’ll be your servant, your slave–I’ll do anything!”
But I had already lost consciousness. There would be no second chance to save her.
The doctors began to move the stretcher. Ten minutes later, I was transferred to the most luxurious hospital suite in New York. French military doctors stayed by my side, while a second team of international experts was en route–expected to arrive by plane within the hour.
When I woke again, the first thing I saw were Charles’s red, tear–stained eyes, He had clearly been crying. And judging by his disheveled appearance, he hadn’t slept all night.
He gripped my hand tightly, his warm palm gently caressing my forehead. His voice was low and hoarse.
“Darling, you scared me to death.“N
“Do you
know how terrified I was? I thought you might leave me… It’s my fault–I didn’t protect you.“”
As he spoke, he lowered his head and buried it against my chest, like a wounded child seeking comfort.
This was Charles–the commanding, decisive Prince of France–and yet now, he looked fragile, hearth and vulnerable.
Only I knew the depth of fear and grief buried within him.
Years ago, he had stood at the altar, hand in hand with the woman he loved. The moment he slipped the ring onto her finger, gunfire erupted. She threw herself in front of him and took the bullet meant for him.
That single moment became Charles’s living nightmare.
The woman he loved. The wedding they dreamed of. In an instant were gone.}]
Though the king executed multiple groups in retaliation, it did nothing to bring joy back to Charles’s life. From that only coldness and steel in his expression.
Over thirty, and not a single woman had been able to get close to him since.
Until he met me.
We first met on a street torn by gunfire. That day, I yanked a trembling Charles into a basement for cover.
Despite his towering six–foot–three frame, he curled into my arms like a frightened child, muttering softly again and again,! “Don’t… Alice, please don’t leave me…”
I gently held him and patted his back, whispering soothing words:
“I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you… always.“N
That day, under my calm voice and gentle touch, Charles finally fell asleep–deeply, peacefully.
When he woke up, he looked at me with sharp, piercing eyes.
All he said was, “Thank you.“}
Two days later, he came to pick me up in person, saying he had prepared dinner to express his gratitude.
I was confused. A thank–you dinner? At home?
But the car stopped in front of a castle. That was when I realized–I had unknowingly saved Prince Charles of France.
forward, he wore
That night, Charles invited me to a formal dinner like a true gentleman. Afterward, he led me into a room filled with priceless treasures- rare jewels and artifacts glittering under soft light.
He rubbed his hands together awkwardly, and said, “Danna you can take any of these gems you like. But… I do have one selfish request. Will you agree to it?“}
I blinked at him in confusion. What could he possibly want from me?!
Charles hesitated for a long moment, then finally blushed and said, “Could you… hold me to sleep again like last time?“N
If I hadn’t known his true identity, I would’ve thought he was being shameless.
But soon, Charles, flustered and desperate, started to gesture and explain. Bit by bit, I came to understand the full story. Behind the powerful, decisive exterior of Prince Charles was a man haunted.
Every time he closed his eyes, he relived that moment–the gunfire, the blood, Alice in her wedding dress collapsing in front of him.” Since then, he had barely managed two hours of sleep a night. No doctor could help him. They called it post–traumatic stress, a psychological wound only he could heal.
That day, the street shooting had triggered all his fears. He got separated from his guards, and by sheer chance, I had found and protected him.
And that night–because of me–he slept peacefully for the first time in years.
Looking into his pleading eyes, I couldn’t say no.
So I held him as he drifted off to sleep again, but I never took a single jewel from that room.
