CHAPTER 123: THE UNHINGED

"Haah!" I gasped, jolting awake.

Huh?

What just happened?

"Ugh..." I tried to move, but I couldn’t.

Something restrained me—tight, unyielding. It felt like I was tied to something.

What the hell just happened?!

I remembered—getting the dragon’s core, escaping the cave, running. I had been searching for a way out, but... I had gone too deep. Too far. The way out had blurred into an endless maze.

I must have collapsed... The dragon’s poison.

But then—where am I now?

Am I dead... or still alive?

Gruuuu—

A deep, grating sound scraped against the floor. A door. Someone was coming.

Who?

"Who’s there?! Where am I?" My voice came out hoarse, laced with confusion.

Then, a mana bulb flickered to life, casting eerie shadows across the dim room.

I froze.

No.

Standing before me, illuminated by the mana glow, was the last person I wanted to see. The one person I dreaded the most at a time like this.

Maria.

I felt my stomach twist into knots. My throat went dry. "Maria," I whispered, my mind struggling to piece together what was happening.

How?

Why was she here?

Was this some kind of nightmare?

What the fuck is going on?!

A low, delighted chuckle escaped her lips, her eyes glinting with something unsettling.

"You don’t look too happy to see me, my dear El," she purred, tilting her head with a grin.

There was something different about her—something unhinged.

I had seen that look before.

In my dreams.

My memories.

Numerous times.

And now it was real.

Maria took a slow step forward, her fingers grazing her cheek as her grin widened. "It’s finally time... I’ve waited for so, so, so long!" she sang, her voice dripping with an eerie glee.

For the first time in my life—I was genuinely afraid of her.

A deep foreboding settled in my gut. My instincts screamed at me to escape, to fight, to do anything—but I was trapped. Bound. Helpless.

I thrashed against the restraints, my voice rising. "What are you trying to do?! Let me go!"

Maria only laughed, the sound echoing through the confined space.

"Oh, El," she cooed, stepping closer. "That’s impossible."

Her hand trailed along my shoulder, her touch sending a shiver down my spine. She leaned in, her breath warm against my skin.

"Do you know how long I’ve waited to set this plan in motion?" She whispered into my ear, her breath warm against my skin. "It started the day you rejected me..."

Her fingers traced the contours of my face, and I recognized that look in her eyes.

I had seen it before.

In my dreams.

Over and over again.

That deranged look.

The look of helpless, hopeless obsession.

"I have never been turned down in my life," she murmured, her lips curling into a smirk. "I always get what I want. And not just because I’m a princess, IT’S BECAUSE I TAKE WHATEVER I WANT."

Her hands cupped my face, forcing me to meet her gaze.

"You rejected me, El."

A sharp intake of breath left me as her nails pressed slightly into my skin.

"So, I made it my personal project to ensure you would become mine—whether you wanted to or not."

My blood ran cold.

I struggled harder, but the binds wouldn’t budge. "You’re insane," I spat, my voice laced with both anger and panic.

Maria only chuckled, her fingers now tracing my jaw.

"Oh, I know," she admitted, tilting her head with a playful smile. "But that doesn’t matter."

Her nails dragged down my neck, sending a wave of unease through me.

"The first part of the plan is already over, you hate me," she mused, her voice taking on a dreamy tone. "But now, that hatred will turn into something else."

Her lips hovered near my ear.

"Helpless love."

I clenched my jaw, my heart hammering in my chest. "You’re delusional if you think I’ll ever—"

Her laughter cut me off.

"Oh, El... you’ll see."

Her hand ghosted over my hair, her fingers curling as she giggled.

"You will break."

I swallowed hard, my body trembling.

She chuckled.

"And once that happens..." Her lips curled into a slow, wicked smile.

"You’ll belong to me. And only me."

And at that moment—I knew.

I was fucked.

So fucked.

She could no longer control herself.

I felt a déjà vu from her words.

Perhaps it was because of Maria from my dream.

Come to think of it, isn’t it ironic?

Fuck.

I can’t let this happen.

I have to get the hell out of here.

"It really hurt me, seeing how much you’ve come to hate me," she said. And before I could respond, she placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "But it doesn’t matter. I’ve already won." Her lips curled into a victorious smile as she settled onto my lap.

"Do you know what this is?" She held out a potion.

"Huh?"

A blue potion. It looked like any other, but for some reason, a deep foreboding gripped me. Something was very, very wrong.

"...It seems you don’t remember," she said, then shrugged. "Well, enough of this dilly-dallying." Her smile widened as she popped open the potion, bit her finger, and let a single drop of blood fall into the liquid.

"This was made from the dragon’s core you retrieved. But... you probably don’t even know the true purpose of that dragon, or why it’s so rare," she mused before grabbing the back of my head, trying to force me to drink the potion.

"Let me go!" I struggled, but yeah...

It was pointless.

Did I mention I was just a servant? A mere nobody, not even allowed to train?

"Stop struggling," she said, her voice laced with exasperation. Then, using some strange mana amplification skill, she forced the potion down my throat.

What the hell is all this?!

What happened in the cave?!

Why am I here?!

What the fuck is going on?!

I looked at her, that satisfied, twisted grin plastered across her face.

"Fuck you... bitch," I managed to spit out. But then—

Dizziness. My body burned.

What the hell?

"It’s working. I can see it," she murmured. "Don’t blame me for this, my dear Yuriel, but I can’t let Katharina have you. I’d rather die first."

And then...

Darkness.

I lost consciousness.