Chapter 156 - 0156
Lorelei POV
I stood anxiously in the corner of the medical ward, practically holding my breath as I watched Nala examine Skye’s barely conscious body. I forced myself to stay perfectly still, resisting every urge to rush over or interrupt her. The last thing I wanted was to distract her while she was trying to save Skye’s life.
Nala slowly hovered both hands over Skye’s chest before closing her eyes. Soft, rhythmic chants flowed from her lips as a faint golden glow began to gather around her fingertips.
As the seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity, her brows gradually drew closer together.
My heart clenched painfully inside my chest.
The deeper her frown became, the harder it was to breathe.
Then, with a quiet, sharp inhale, Nala’s golden eyes fluttered open.
"You spoke true," she said gravely, lifting her gaze to meet mine. "This poison carries great strength. Whoever placed it in your food did not wish only to harm you. They intended for death to take you within minutes."
My breathing immediately became ragged again.
"So..." I whispered, the word scraping painfully against my throat. "What you’re saying is... you can’t help her?"
Fresh tears instantly filled my eyes, threatening to spill over, but Nala gently raised a hand to stop me.
"To speak truth, I cannot," she admitted softly. "Not with my strength alone. Pulling a poison this powerful from her blood would take too much from my core. For one of royal blood, weakening myself to such a degree carries consequences I cannot afford to welcome."
My heart sank.
"But..." she continued before I could completely lose hope, "there is still my twin. After all, I am only a pampered princess, and he..." Her lips twitched faintly. "He is the male."
At that, the tiny spark of hope inside my chest flared back to life.
A few minutes later, the doors to the medical ward swung open.
Kalu strode inside with his usual effortless confidence, but the moment his eyes landed on Skye’s pale, bloodstained body lying motionless on the bed, his expression immediately darkened with irritation.
He looked at Nala before folding his arms across his chest.
"Ekan, your heart truly carries no mercy," he drawled dramatically. "You dragged me away while pleasure still had me in its hands... for this?"
His gaze drifted toward Skye before returning to Nala.
"A servant?" he scoffed. "I am your own twin. Tell me, how does your blood betray mine so easily?"
But Nala remained completely unbothered by his complaint.
"I understand why displeasure sits upon you, Ekan," she replied calmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "But you must also understand why I called for you."
She glanced briefly in my direction.
"I am only returning what was once given to me."
Her words made my brows knit together in confusion.
I couldn’t remember ever doing anything that would make me deserving of one from the witch princess. Well... except going clubbing with her, but that had simply been part of our deal. Even then, I certainly wasn’t about to question it when Skye’s life was hanging by a thread.
Kalu, however, looked thoroughly unimpressed as he let out another loud, dramatic scoff.
"And how has this become a burden upon my shoulders?" he snapped. "It is not my doing that you continue offering your hands without payment because guilt still refuses to release you. I, however, will not empty my magic and receive nothing in return. If you expect me to bleed my core for a servant, then the reward must carry equal weight."
Seeing him still refuse, Nala released a long, defeated sigh.
"Then let it remain as you have chosen," she said quietly, turning her back to him as if she had already accepted his refusal.
"I only believed the twin I cherish most might stand beside me this once. But since refusal is what you have placed before me, I will do it alone... even if my core must suffer for it."
She paused before adding in a deliberately casual tone, "You may return to the women warming your bed and continue drowning yourself in pleasure."
As she spoke, she reached toward a small bowl filled with a dark crimson liquid that one of her attendants respectfully held out before her.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the surface, Kalu suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"They are not my lovers," he grumbled, his scowl deepening. "You, of all people, should know this truth."
But Nala merely looked at him without saying a word, which made him click his tongue in annoyance.
"And besides," he muttered, "if I stand here and watch you drain your core, what do you believe Mother will do when the truth reaches her ears? I would be fortunate if her anger ended at fifty lashes. I will not suffer because you have suddenly decided to become a giver of mercy to others but to me."
For the first time since he had arrived, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Nala’s lips.
She knew she had won.
Without another word, she gracefully stepped aside, allowing Kalu to move into her place.
Still muttering under his breath, he dipped his fingers into the bowl of crimson liquid, his expression making it very clear that he was only doing this because he had no other choice.
When everything was ready, the two female attendants stepped forward and carefully removed most of Skye’s clothing until she was left in only her undergarments, exposing her pale skin.
Kalu slowly closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before beginning to chant in a low, ancient language. Each word carried a strange weight, making the already tense air inside the medical ward feel even heavier.
He dipped his fingertips into the red liquid once more before gently placing them against Skye’s ankles.
Then he began to move, letting his hands slowly glide upward along her bare skin.
A startled gasp escaped my lips when I saw visible black ripples suddenly appear beneath Skye’s skin, twisting through her body like streams of liquid darkness.
They flowed beneath the surface, following the exact path of Kalu’s fingertips as though his magic was dragging them forward by force.
Slowly, he guided the dark currents up her legs, and when his hands reached her lower abdomen, they stopped.
The black ripples churned violently beneath her skin, refusing to move any farther, as though the poison had rooted itself deep inside her body.
It was then that Kalu’s breathing immediately became heavier.
His jaw tightened, and the muscles in his arms tensed as he forced more of his magic into the spell, trying to overpower whatever was resisting him.
Then, without warning, thick blood began to trickle from his nose.