Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 44: Extended Vision...

Chapter 44: Extended Vision...

The dim light of the moon filtered through the curtains, casting a soft silver glow across the room.

Evelina stirred, her body heavy with exhaustion but strangely satisfied.

As her senses returned, she became very aware of her surroundings—the rumpled sheets beneath her, the warmth of Damian’s body beside her, and the quiet hum of the evening outside.

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting darkness, and she blinked, trying to process the time.

Had they slept through the afternoon?

Judging by the coolness of the room and the faint noises of the night guards outside, she guessed it was now well into the evening.

Next to her, Damian groaned softly, his muscles shifting under the sheet as he woke. His silver eyes opened, meeting hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

"You’re awake," Damian finally said. His gaze lingered on her, as if he were searching for something.

Evelina sat up quickly, pulling the sheets up to cover herself, her cheeks burning. "It’s night," she accused, though her embarrassment was clearly directed inward. "We slept through the entire afternoon."

Damian rubbed his face with one hand, his hair disheveled. "I noticed," he muttered. His voice softened as he continued, "We should talk about this."

"There’s nothing to talk about," Evelina cut in sharply. "It wasn’t us. It was the aphrodisiac."

Damian frowned. "Still, we—"

"Just forget it, Damian," she repeated, standing abruptly and yanking the sheet with her. The sudden motion left Damian exposed—naked, his bare chest and lower half now fully visible.

Evelina froze, her eyes widening before she turned away, clutching the sheet tighter. "Cover yourself!"

Damian leaned back, smirking despite himself. "You’re the one who took the sheets," he said dryly in amusement. "What were you expecting?"

Relia’s laughter echoed in her mind. "Quite the view, isn’t it?"

"Ugh! Go away!" Evelina groaned inwardly, her mortification growing as she grabbed her dress from the floor.

"Not bad for a night’s entertainment, hmm? Our mate is... impressive."

"Relia, stop!" Evelina hissed inwardly, storming her way to the bathroom.

"Just saying," Relia teased. "Maybe next time, we—"

"There won’t be a next time!" Evelina snapped.

********************

Dressed and still flustered, Evelina ignored Damian still on the bed as she made her way back to her chambers, eager to put as much distance as possible between herself and the prince.

The cool night air brushing against her skin helped calm her, but her mind refused to stop racing.

As she turned a corner, she nearly collided with Zade.

"Evelina!" Zade greeted warmly, his emerald eyes lighting up. "I’ve been looking everywhere for you since you disappeared this morning."

"Uhmmm?" Evelina blinked, unsure of what to say to him. "What time is it?"

"It’s well past dinner," Zade replied. "Are you alright? Did you lose track of time?"

Evelina cursed under her breath as memories of her intimate session flashed in her head, earning a satisfied sigh from Relia. "I... I must have. It’s been a long day."

Zade studied her with concern. "Are you sure you’re fine? You look... distracted."

"I’m fine," Evelina said quickly, though her flushed cheeks betrayed her. "I just need some time alone."

As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly, betraying her once more. he winced, and Zade raised an eyebrow.

"You haven’t eaten, have you?" he asked.

"I—no, I haven’t," she admitted reluctantly.

"Then come with me," Zade said, motioning toward the dining hall.

"I need to bathe first," Evelina replied, trying to sidestep him.

"Alright," Zade relented with a charming smile. "But promise me you’ll have dinner with me after."

"Fine," Evelina sighed. "Thirty minutes."

"I’ll hold you to it," Zade said, his gaze lingering on her before he turned and walked away.

***********

Evelina exhaled as she shut the door behind her, grateful for the solitude. She slipped out of her gown and into the bath, the warm water soothing her sore muscles.

But her thoughts were far from calm. Damian’s touch, his voice, the fire between them, the soreness in between her legs—it all replayed in her mind, making her heart race.

She shook her head, dunking her head underwater in a vain attempt to silence her thoughts.

Who added the aphrodisiac to their wine, and why?

Evelina pulled her head out of the water, gasping for air. She leaned back, resting her head against the edge of the tub and closing her eyes.

The question lingered in her mind.

Damian was the obvious choice. He had sent Jasper to get the meal, but could he really be behind the aphrodisiac that affected them both, or was it someone else?

Evelina considered the possibilities, her brows furrowed in thought.

Relia, however, was unconcerned.

Her wolf yawned, stretching out lazily in Evelina’s mind. "I suppose it doesn’t matter. You certainly enjoyed it."

Evelina rolled her eyes. "It’s not about whether or not we enjoyed it. Someone put a love potion in our wine, and I want to know why."

"It’s obvious. Whoever did it wants the prince."

Selene.

Evelina sighed, knowing Relia was right. "It had to be her."

"Well, I guess things didn’t go as she planned," Relia said with a smirk. "It worked a little too well for us though."

"Shut up," Evelina said, though she couldn’t deny the truth of her wolf’s words.

Her cheeks flushed, and she sank further into the water. "This is embarrassing."

Relia scoffed. "Don’t be such a prude. We had fun."

"You think everything’s funny," Evelina retorted, rinsing her hair.

"Well, at least now you know the prince is more than just a pretty face and teasing mouth," Relia replied, licking her lips.

"You’re unbelievable," Evelina groaned, ignoring the wolf’s laughter.

By the time she was clean and dry, Evelina emerged from the bath and dressed quickly in a simple gown.

But her attention was caught by the dragon pearl sitting on her dresser.

She paused, running her fingers over the smooth surface.

Relia’s voice broke the silence. "Quite the romantic gift. Zade certainly knows how to impress."

Evelina rolled her eyes. "I don’t need your commentary."

"But you know," Relia added slyly, "our mate would never have to use shiny trinkets to win us over."

Evelina shook her head, a small smile on her lips despite herself. She held on to the pearl and made her way to the door, ready to meet Zade.

As she reached for the doorknob, Evelina froze. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and the room blurred around her as a vision overtook her senses, pulling her into a scene she’d seen before.

It was the same vision she had when she first came to the room the other day, as Evelina.

Same hand, opening the door. But this vision was extended.

The figure slipped inside, moving silently. Evelina watched, her heart pounding as the figure reached into their pocket and pulled out a small vial.

Her breath hitched. The poison.

The figure moved to the corner of her room, planting the vial as though setting a trap.

Then, as they turned to leave, they paused before the mirror. Evelina’s breath caught in her throat as the figure’s face was revealed.

Her heart stopped. The reflection staring back at her was someone she never expected.