Chương 9: Chapter 9: White Floor

My eyes felt so heavy, I could only open them slightly. I heard a beep. When I looked up at the ceiling it was white, either someone had repainted my ceiling or I was no longer in my room. Everything was white, there were tubes attached to my hands. A transparent liquid was flowing down my arm. Was I in the hospital? I was no longer in my room. The white wall moved and a man in a white coat entered. "Good, you're finally awake." I couldn't speak because I had a tube in my mouth. "You've been very lucky, Miss Woodstock." He took a look at my file, which was probably made when I registered here: "Wait, I'll be right back." Where should I go? The wall turned white again. I hated Leopold so much for what he had done to me. Trying to lift my jaw, I failed miserably, everything burning inside me. The wall opened again and Nicolas stepped in. I didn't want to see him and closed my eyes. "You must fall in love with him," the text of Leo's note came to my mind. "It's been three days since you've been lying here unconscious. I told the girls that you were sick and that's why you never came. Don't worry, if you're thinking you're nothing again, I've turned everything around so you don't come across as helpless. I know I've said this to you enough times over the past few days, but I'm sorry for what happened to you, Belle. If you hadn't walked away mad, you wouldn't have fallen down the stairs." Okay. First of all, he's crazy, it wasn't his fault, well in a broad sense it kind of was, after all, I'm only here in the castle because of him because I had a mission. Secondly, what had Leopold done to me, had he thrown me down the stairs to make it look like an accident, he was cunning. Thirdly, how did I get out of this act! I had the lives of seven people in my hands and one of them was going to die, the only question was which one. How could I simultaneously maintain the life of Nicolas and that of my family? An impossibility, it seemed to me. Nicolas, please go," I whispered weakly, my voice groaning, it hurt so much. "You're awake," he said, pleased, "I'm so sorry about what happened." He reached for my hand, I tried to take it from him, I couldn't. "Belle, please don't be mad about it anymore, I was an idiot, you were right I don't know anything about the world." I swallowed hard, my eyes were steadily closed. "Nicolas, please go," I could hardly say the words. I had to protect him, I could only do that if I kept him at a distance and Leo said it would take time. He didn't deserve to die, even if he was an idiot. In the meantime, I had to come up with a plan without seeing my family, or even my head, roll. "Belle?" he asked, horrified, "I beg you." "Please," I begged tonelessly. "Just as you wish," he let go of my hand. I heard him turn his back on my bed and say. What have I done?" I said to myself.