Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 452: Groundbreaking Moment

Chapter 452: Groundbreaking Moment

The stench of vomit was overpowering on Islinda’s breath and her body odor was unpleasant, but Andre did not shy away from her. He squatted down, observing her struggle to regain control as her world fell apart.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and without realizing it, Andre reached out and wiped it away, causing her eyes to flutter open. Their gaze met and held, but neither of them made a move. His heart squeezed painfully at the sight of her pain.

"I’m sorry," he murmured, his voice gravelly. "I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. Besides, you shouldn’t take it to heart. For all I know, you could be anything but Fae. Maybe you’re a witch. They are kind of our neighbors." Andre awkwardly laughed, attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere.

His words did not convince Islinda in the slightest as she stared at Andre intensely, causing others to be uncomfortable if they were in his position. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract her from the painful truth. But Islinda was done hiding from the truth, even if it was excruciatingly painful.

"Tell me," she croaked, looking him straight in the eyes. "Tell me about your theory. If you think I’m half Fae, then why do I have rounded ears?"

Andre winced and scratched the back of his neck. "Perhaps I was mistaken?"

"Andre," Islinda said firmly, locking eyes with him. He could see the seriousness in her gaze and realized she was dead serious. She wanted the truth.

Andre sighed. "I believe that aside from wiping your memory, she may have cast a powerful glamor spell on you."

"A glamor spell?" Islinda whispered, her voice hoarse. She looked exhausted, yet remained eager for the truth.

"Yes. She might have used it to hide your Fae appearance so that you could have a better life in the human realm."

Islinda touched her ears, searching for the pointed edge, but found nothing. Disappointment crossed her face, prompting Andre to speak up.

"I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way, especially with powerful glamors. Although every glamor has an expiration date."

"An expiration date?" Islinda said, a mix of dread and anticipation in her voice. Waking up one morning with pointed ears would be a strange experience, but she didn’t want to deny that part of her heritage if she was indeed half Fae.

"Do you know that half-breeds come into their powers at the age of twenty-two? There’s a possibility that if the glamor she used on you isn’t renewed, it might break when you turn twenty-two. Which brings me to ask, how old are you, Islinda?"

Islinda gasped. "I’ll be twenty-two in three months, at least in the human realm." She looked at him. "I don’t know how time runs in the Fae."

"Time is dynamic in the Fae realm. It moves faster. Everything in this world requires balance, and the fact that we can manipulate nature means our time is unpredictable. Although it’s only been weeks since you arrived here, it may already be two months in the human realm. In other words, your birthday might be closer than you think," Andre explained, studying her reaction.

Islinda shivered. "Is that a good thing?"

Andre shrugged. "I don’t know. Just because you’re no longer human doesn’t mean all your problems are over. If anything, you might have more problems now. Half-breeds don’t have it easy."

"Besides waiting for my birthday, is there no other way to prove that I’m Fae or something else? You suggested that I might be a witch, but witches don’t heal without the help of their spells or charms. I didn’t have any charms when I woke up."

Islinda had gathered some knowledge about witches from Andre’s library. The dark Fae prince had a vast collection that covered a variety of creatures in the human realm. Yet the humans had the most conflicts with the Fae. It was ironic that the shimmering walls of the barrier were meant to keep humans out of their realm, yet they failed to prevent Faes from crossing theirs.

"Give me your hand," Andre ordered.

Islinda hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his, curious about his intentions.

He informed her, "This might sting a little."

Before Islinda could ask what he planned to do, Andre swiftly extended his claws, causing her heart to leap to her throat. One would think that now that she couldn’t die in the usual way, the fear of being hurt would have vanished. But no, she was still terrified deep inside.

Andre sensed her fear and reassured her, "It’s only going to sting."

"Okay," Islinda nodded.

Suddenly, he said, "You do know that you can retrieve your stolen memories."

"What?" Islinda began, but her words trailed off as she felt a sharp pain. She winced, looking down to see that Andre had sliced her palm open with lightning speed. It had been a diversion to distract her from the pain.

The pain was not as severe as she expected, even though blood trickled from the wound. They both watched her palm, waiting for that groundbreaking moment, but after more than a minute, disappointment and relief set in.

Arching her brow, Islinda exclaimed, "See?" She raised her hand. "This is the evidence. I’m human." She laughed, a mixture of anger, relief, and disappointment, wiping her streaming tears, "To think I’ve been worried for nothing all this time. I’m just human after all."

Andre’s expression was full of confusion. He had been so sure. He was sure. What happened? Was her resurrection a one time thing until she came into her powers on her birthday.

Islinda sighed, looking down at her bleeding palm. "I think I need to bandage this. I can’t risk any of the palace healers seeing me and reporting it to their Queens."

Andre grabbed her hand, saying, "Just give it some time."

"I might lose a lot of blood if I continue..." Islinda trailed off, her eyes widening as the wound on her palm slowly knitted itself together until not a trace of the wound remained except for the dried blood.

By the gods, Islinda turned to Andre, her expression horrified, while he smirked in triumph.

She. Was. Not. Human.