CHAPTER 137: CAUGHT IN THE NIGHT

The night stars shone brightly as the soft wind blew. At another part of the palace, Pandora sat up from the bed in her small room. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep. She had even tried to sleep early, but she couldn’t.

And even though the room wasn’t as large as the usual castle rooms, it was comfortable. The bed was soft and cozy—not to mention the window, where you could stare at the night sky right from the bed, something that could easily make you drift off. She had already taken her bath, so that wasn’t the problem at this point.

Finally, she stood and walked to the bathroom.

She turned on the tap, and water gushed out as she washed her face—maybe that would help her sleep better.

"This will only make you not sleep," she muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was now down, and her blue-colored eyes sparkled, showing clearly that she wasn’t sleepy.

At night, her eyes always sparkled more than usual, and that was something she didn’t like. It brought attention...something she hated.

She still wondered why she couldn’t sleep, despite how comfortable the room was. It was far more comfortable than the mat she had back home—that mat had caused her so many back and body pains.

She moved away and walked out. Maybe she needed some fresh air outside, or maybe she needed to go to the library—that would be the only place that had what she needed. She went to the drawer, glad that she had finally been given her bag—or rather, found it when a few delivered luggages had been dropped at the front gate.

She opened the drawer where some papers were stacked, though not many. Quietly, she picked one. Its cover was a little worn but better than the others. She stared at it, a smile curving her lips, before hugging it to herself.

Slowly, she walked to the door, praying everyone was asleep. She knew that even though this part of the palace belonged to the servants and guards, there was a small library. She and Raven had passed it when he led her to this room. But the problem was—how was she going to get there without making noise? She needed to be calm. Everything would work out.

After all, the library was the last door in the hallway, but her door came first which was about twenty doors away

"Don’t worry, Dora, you can do this. You’ll be back in an hour and no one will notice," she whispered, trying to convince herself.

She peeked out the door, turning her head from side to side. The place was clear. She moved—but then,

Thup!

Her leg hit the wooden door hard. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as the stinging pain shot into her knee. She quickly used her hand to cover her mouth, stopping any more sound—she had already made enough. Holding the book tighter to her chest, she forced herself not to dwell on it. She slipped out and closed the door gently behind her.

Though the pain still lingered, she managed to hold it in, as that was not what was important right now. What mattered was that she ended up heading there without being seen.

The hallway wasn’t that big, and the lights were dim, almost running out—proof that nobody would be going out at this hour. It was midnight.

She walked slowly, tiptoeing gently, making sure her footwear didn’t make any noise.

"You can do this, Dora... you can do this..." she kept chanting in her head as she walked. But then, she heard the sound of a door.

Quickly she walked faster, she then pressed her body against a large pillar, her book clutched tightly to her chest. She was glad she hadn’t gone further—there was no other pillar ahead, and without this one, she was sure she would have been caught.

She noticed footsteps. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest as she tried to think of a way to return to her room as regret hit her.

"Oh, this was a stupid idea," she whispered to herself. "This will only make people more suspicious. I’m already seen as a threat, and now I’m making it worse. I should have just stayed in my room."

The men passed by the pillar, their voices reaching her..she silently prayed she doesn’t get caught.

"Another batch of soldiers is leaving. You’ll need to check them—we need one more person, which is you, to make things faster," one guard said.

"If this is happening, then I’ll need an extra hour of rest," the other replied.

"Whatever you say, man."

Pandora’s breath grew ragged as her heart drummed louder. She needed to go back. Once the footsteps faded, relief washed over her. This was her chance to return to her room—a sign she didn’t want to ignore. She stepped out carefully and took a step forward, but then her body jolted back in shock as she gasped loudly.

Her eyes widened.

She hadn’t expected Raven to be here

Oh no.

But how had he managed to come here without her noticing? She hadn’t heard any footsteps...or even a door opening.

Now she was in even bigger trouble. How was she going to explain that she had only been planning to go to the library?

She noticed the way his face darkened, displeasure flashing in his gaze. She needed to explain.

"R... Raven, I’m so sorry. I—I wanted to go to the library. I promise..I wasn’t going to do anything. And when I was going, I decided it was late and wanted to come back. Then we met and..." Her voice trailed off.

As always, when fear of being misunderstood gripped her, she mixed truth with scattered words. The more she spoke, the more confusing it became—even to herself.

She pressed her lips together, while Raven just stared at her.

"Are you aware that men stay here as well?" he asked.

She froze, not realizing what he meant. Even though her nightgown was long, it was thin. If the book hadn’t been pressed tightly to her chest, her breasts would have been visible. And she had no idea.

"Yes, I am aware. That’s why I was heading to the library. Don’t worry—I didn’t wake anyone up," she said quickly, her innocent eyes wide.

Raven’s eyes widened slightly. She truly didn’t understand what he meant. At that moment, he blamed himself for not taking her somewhere else entirely.

He turned, his voice firm.

"Come with me."

Pandora blinked, staring at him. Was he mad at her? She couldn’t tell.

"You’ll be sleeping with me.