The Mad Princess and the Dying Prince novel Chapter 1

Twilight fell over the alleys of the Royal Capital.

A young woman stumbled wildly through the shadows, relentlessly pursued by a pack of thuggish servants.

"Stop right there, you little wench!"

Her body was completely drained. With a nasty, swollen bruise throbbing on her forehead, her vision began to blur.

"Help! Someone, please!"

Hearing her screams, one of the thugs spat a vile curse, snatched a heavy stone from the ground, and hurled it at her.

The stone sliced through the air and struck the back of her head with sickening force.

Thud.

Blood splattered across the cobblestones.

An agonizing wave of pain crashed over her. The world went black as she pitched forward, but clinging to the last shred of consciousness, she dragged and rolled her battered body out of the alleyway.

Just at that moment, an elegant carriage happened to be passing by the street corner.

Tumbling out of the shadows, she rolled directly into its path.

"Whoa!"

The startled carriage horses reared in fright, letting out panicked whinnies.

The sudden commotion drew sharp gasps from the nearby commoners on the street.

The thugs sprinted out of the alley, oblivious to the grandeur of the carriage. Seeing their prey collapsed on the ground, they lunged forward to grab her.

They needed to drag her back before anyone caught a good look at her face.

Rough hands clamped down on her shoulder. Fueled by the sheer, desperate instinct of a dying animal, she wrenched herself free, scrambled up the carriage steps, and pitched headlong inside—crashing directly into a solid, muscular chest.

The coachman whipped the thug back, his eyes widening in horror. Damn it. How did that girl slip into the cabin?

Inside the dim cabin, a pair of long, elegant hands instantly locked around the girl's throat, shoving her away from his embrace.

Yet the girl’s eyes were tightly shut, and she was entirely devoid of breath.

It was his majestic Purple Aura that had dragged her soul back from the underworld, anchoring her into this battered young body to live once more.

Feeling her airway crushing under his grip, Lucia pointed weakly at his chest, struggling to force out a single sentence.

"I can save you."

Those elegant fingers paused. He dragged her closer, their faces mere inches apart. Lucia breathed in the crisp, intoxicating scent of pine and fresh snow clinging to him.

Their gazes locked in close quarters, crackling with an undeniable, electric tension.

"And how exactly do you plan to save me?" Prince Jareth asked.

Gasping for air, Lucia managed, "Keep me by your side for six months, and I'll show you."

She desperately needed time to heal, and she needed proximity to his life-giving aura.

"My Lord, are you unharmed?" Azure, his loyal guard, had already dismounted outside. He and the others formed a tight, protective perimeter around the carriage, their expressions fraught with tension.

The heavy velvet curtains concealed the interior, but an eerie silence had settled over the cabin.