Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 362: Losing Consciousness

Samantha paced back and forth as she waited for Ivan to return, still wisely staying within the marked vicinity. Viney had insisted on using the valuable time they had to build her powers, which she had been doing for hours already, hoping it would distract her thoughts from Marius completely, but as time stretched, she was starting to worry about Ivan and everyone who went with him.

Were they fine? Why haven’t they returned yet? It was almost noon and yet no sign of either of them returning to the tent. Or were they hurt? Has Marius done something to them? Samantha couldn’t stop the intrusive thoughts swimming in her mind persistently.

She stopped pacing when she felt something warm draped around her shoulder, and she almost called Ivan’s name, thinking it had to be him. She quickly turned her head to the side, only to see it was Lucy, and that hope in her heart crashed for the umpteenth time.

"You should sit down, rest a little. You’ve been standing here for hours, and it’s getting colder. Who do you think will suffer from this stubbornness of yours if his Majesty returns to see I made his wife catch a cold?"

"I’m fine, I can wait." Samantha brushed Lucy’s worry aside and continued to glance at the path where Ivan had taken.

"Lady Madeline, please try your luck with this woman, and tell her she needs to stop worrying so much before she suffers from hypertension. You seem to get through to her better than me these days." Lucy faced Madeline who had just stepped out of her tent to throw away the water on her blue bowl.

"What?"

"She’s not listening to a word I’ve been saying, and I want to get some sleep before everyone returns." Lucy sat on the vacant stool beside Madeline’s tent, and she yawned. "When his Majesty returns, I’ll tell him to treat me extra special for the services I do, cause it’s not always easy to handle his emotional wife when she’s in distress."

"She’s seen enough already, it’s normal for her to be anxious when it concerns Marius, and knowing her husband is out there too." Madeline pointed out softly, her gaze resting on Samantha who stood at the pathway, waiting for the rest to return safely.

She wondered how Samantha would react if she ever married a man like Cassian, and she was sure the young woman would have suffered at least from a mini-panic attack. There were lots of times when Cassian would sneak out of their home in the middle of the night, and you won’t see his brake light till morning, but thankfully, that habit of his had long been driven away after her presence in his life.

She understood Samantha’s position, but on the other hand, her husband knew better than to return to her dead.

"I think I have an idea." Madeline whispered and smiled at Lucy before going into her tent. She stepped out a minute later with Alain and Liliana, whispering a few words into their ears, and after getting the message, both children happily scurried to where Samantha stood.

Alain tugged gently at the hem of her gown, drawing her attention, and he lifted his little hand for her to take, his other hand folded behind his back. He was practically flaunting a gentleman’s posture, and he requested softly.

"Can I escort the Queen to her chambers?"

"I also want to escort the Queen to her chamber." Lily added, mimicking Alain’s posture, and the little boy slapped his palm in his face, sighing deeply at Lily’s stupid, but innocent behavior.

"What are you doing? You’re not a man." Alain shook his tiny index finger at her face, "you’re meant to curtsey like how a princess does it, aren’t you aware of the etiquettes?"

"What’s etiquette? And why do we have to greet differently anyway?" she pouted her lips in disagreement.

"I don’t know, Lily. I’m not the one who came up with it, why are you asking me all these questions?" he rolled his eyes and raised his palm inches away from her face, silencing her next retort. freewēbnoveℓ.com

"Watch and learn how a gentleman does it."

"But... you’re a boy, so gentleboy!"

"My father will beg to differ." Alain glared, and the whole drama stopped when Samantha’s unrestrained laughter caught their ears. The children had been arguing so much that they failed to notice how their actions had succeeded in giving Samantha the distraction she sought.

"Okay, future gentleman and woman, why don’t you both hold my hands and escort me to my tent then." She stretched her hands forward for them to hold, "I’m starting to feel a little tired now, so can you two lead me to my tent?"

"I will! I will!" Lily was already up on her toes, and she eagerly held Samantha’s hand. Alain folded his arm and looked the other way, wanting to act as the matured one, and he eventually held Samantha’s other hand.

"My father told me to treat every woman with respect, he won’t buy me biscuits if I don’t listen, so I have no choice." There was a hint of pride in his tone, but regardless of the facade he was wearing, Samantha could see he wanted to do this as much as Lily. Seeing him trying to act so unprovokingly mature was cute enough, and without a doubt, he was proving to be his father’s son.

Usually, it’s always the other way round.

"Why didn’t I think of this?" Lily snapped her fingers as the children walked Samantha to her tent, "of course, Sam loves children like they are her very own, she’d listen to their wishes as long as it makes them happy. Nice thinking Lady Madeline."

"Oh, I only told them to get her to tent, not to put out a theater show." Madeline shook her head at their silly fights.

Making it to her tent on time, Samantha suddenly felt a wave of dizziness – it was so unexpected that she halted, steadying herself as the world around her vision blurred, but she shook it aside.

"Why did you stop walking?" Lily’s sweet, concerned voice managed to help Samantha stabilize herself, and she smiled weakly at the two of them.

"I’m just... tired."

Samantha tried to push through the disorientation, but it intensified. She shut her eyes and clutched the hands of the children, desperately attempting to maintain balance, and when she opened her eyes again, it got worse.

"Sam, are you alright?" Lucy had reached her side after sensing that something wasn’t right. "Are you feeling dizzy again, can you make it inside? See? This is why you should listen to me more often."

"Lucy..." Samantha managed a whisper as she held onto Lucy, "I don’t feel so..." with a sudden, overwhelming rush, her vision dimmed, and the ground beneath her seemed to shift.

"I don’t..." unable to hold on any longer, Samantha crumpled to the ground, Lucy’s panicked voice fading into a distant murmur as her consciousness slipped away.

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