Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 40: Something Was Following Her

Eli’s stay was now guaranteed, but something made her stomach flutter tonight. She was meeting Valerie later and the thought left her with much anticipation and nervousness at the same time. Islinda knew how risky this could be and had to be careful.

That was why she left for bed early knowing her stepmother and daughters would be bored with her absence. She was often their source of entertainment since Remy and Lillian do not often see eye to eye, bickering like children instead.

Remy was all brawls without brains while Lillian was the smart, and sly one.

Hence she often looked down on her older sister, thinking her foolish. But Remy has a lot of pride and could not stand her attitude. So they often end up in arguments.

This was why Islinda preferred Remy’s wrath over her younger sister. With Remy, her punishment was expected and it was usually physical. She would likely reach for whatever object closest to her and hurl it at her or beat her up. But Lillian was a good pretender and took her time planning her revenge, dealing both physical and psychological blows. It was wise to walk on eggshells around her.

So Islinda waited patiently until the whole family went to bed. As soon as the clock struck twelve, Islinda pulled the duvet aside and rose from the bed. However, she leaned over and waved a hand over Eli’s face to make sure that he was asleep. He did not react and a soft snore came from his lips instead. She then spread the duvet over him and put on her coat over her nightgown against the cold.

Before she left, Islinda picked up her lantern and boots and slowly made her escape. Her feet were soft and careful against the floor and when she came to the entrance, unlocked the door very slowly and made her escape.

The moon was a half crescent in the sky and Islinda lifted her lantern, peering out into the darkness in case she missed something. Her village was a peaceful one and did not need wardens, their services were quite costly. Instead, their young men offered to patrol the village once in a while.

It wasn’t until Islinda walked far away from home that she put on her boots, her feet beginning to freeze. The snow, a soft crunch beneath her boots as she continued her journey. While other ladies would have been scared to make such a journey late at night, the same could not be said for Islinda.

During summer, she sometimes left very early in the morning to check up on her traps. Moreover, she was not close to the divider and had nothing to fear. Perhaps, she was foolishly brave to move at midnight, but this was a sacrifice she had to make for Valerie.

It was a smooth journey, having met no one so far and Islinda was able to relax when she arrived at the meadow. She started on the cleared path when a twig suddenly cracked behind her and she whirled around so quickly she felt dizzy.

Since it was the dead of the night, her ears picked up the sound clearly and she lifted her lantern, peering into the darkness once more. The coast was clear. No one was in sight. Perhaps, it was a small rodent veering for warmth, it was winter after all, and this was a meadow.

Steadying her heart that was beating hard, Islinda continued towards the trail. But this time, she was cautious and watched the cluster of trees from the corner of her eyes as her imagination began to run wide.

Almost immediately, she felt another twinge break and she stiffened on the spot. An eerie feeling passed through her. Islinda could not explain it, but it was an unsettling sensation of being watched and she felt it crawl across her skin.

She slowly turned around once more, this time swallowing as her gaze searched the meadow. There was nothing but trees and the thick darkness made them look eerie.

There was no way a human was following her in the dark. He or she would have confronted and asked about her destination at this time of the night, not hid in the dark like this and scare her. But if it wasn’t an animal either. Then what is it? While Islinda had a suspicion, she did not dare to admit it. It was not possible.

So when she turned to her front, Islinda was sure of one thing, whatever was following her was not human and while it could capture her, it did not. It was having fun with her. A cold chill crept up her back and when Islinda resumed walking, she increased her pace.

She felt it increase its speed too.

By the gods, no!

The old mill was just a few paces away, all she had to do was reach the door and Valerie would be there. There was urgency in her thought and she panicked so much that it wasn’t until the last minute that Islinda realized that she had broken into a full sprint.

Her chest was heaving with the run and Islinda could swear that she heard a cackle in the air. It sounded so close to her, almost in her ear that the hairs on her body stood on edge. Fear so potent gripped her, almost choking her and she was now screaming as she ran, almost hysterical.

When she reached the door, she lifted her hand to bang on it, to cry for Valerie to save her before whatever it was that was tracking her took her away, when the door suddenly opened and she fell into Valerie’s arms.

"Islinda!" He called her name when she wouldn’t stop shivering in his arms.

"Something is out there! Something was following me! I-I swear it was trailing me! Teasing me! Almost taunting me!" Islinda was hysterical.

She has never been as fearful as she was tonight. The worst was that she had this feeling that whatever it was, could have hurt her, but it intentionally let her go.