Claimed By The Tyrant King
Chapter 216: Awakening To Blood
Rebecca slowly woke up, her head aching slightly as her lashes fluttered open to the dim light filtering into the room.
The scent of herbs and medicine lingered heavily in the air, while a dull ache throbbed through her thigh.
The last thing she remembered was escaping from that monster with her son before an arrow struck her, and after that everything had faded into darkness.
So where was she?
Her mind questioned as she gradually regained consciousness.
However, what shocked her the very next moment was the figure standing over her with a knife clutched tightly in his hand.
Rebecca gasped, and just as he drove the knife downward with the clear intention of plunging it into her heart, she caught the blade with both hands.
She could barely hold him back. She had only just awakened, her body was still struggling to respond, and she didn’t even understand what was happening or why someone wanted her dead.
Even so, she somehow found the strength to resist him as he forced the knife downward. The sharp blade sliced into her palm, drawing blood that quickly trickled down her arm and stained the bed beneath her.
She whimpered in agony as she silently begged for mercy, but the intruder merely grunted and pressed harder, determined to finish what he had come to do.
Rebecca refused to let go. She couldn’t. She had to survive this, if not for herself, then for Julian. She had no idea where her son was or whether he was safe, and that alone gave her enough strength to keep fighting against the assassin despite the pain tearing through her body.
Fortunately, only moments later, the door opened and two figures came inside. Her eyes darted toward the entrance, and the instant she saw Julian standing there beside another man, relief washed over her.
"Mother!" he cried, his eyes wide with terror and panic.
The assassin turned as well, and fear immediately flashed across his face when he realized he had been discovered.
He yanked the knife free and spun around to flee, but Cedric reacted instantly. Before the assassin could even try to escape, Cedric caught him from behind and wrestled him to the ground.
Now that the assassin had been captured, he had only one option left.
However, Cedric had anticipated exactly that. Before the man could swallow anything, Cedric struck him sharply, knocking him unconscious, and the assassin collapsed onto the floor.
Julian had already rushed to his mother’s side. "Mother... blood," he whispered fearfully as Rebecca struggled to sit upright, only to breathe heavily from the pain that shot through her body.
"Julian," she coughed softly, forcing a faint smile onto her lips as she looked at him with relief.
Seeing that he was unharmed eased the fear gripping her heart. She still had no idea where they were or how they had ended up there, but none of that mattered as much as knowing her son was safe.
Cedric glanced toward the guards, who still stood frozen by the doorway after witnessing the sudden attack. They had only just managed to draw their weapons before Cedric subdued the assassin. Turning to one of them, he ordered, "You. Fetch the physician."
The guard immediately bowed and hurried away.
Cedric then looked at the second guard. "Inform His Majesty that there’s an urgent matter here and he needs to come immediately."
The other guard bowed as well before rushing out of the room.
Cedric crouched beside the unconscious assassin and pressed two fingers against the man’s neck to check for a pulse. Good. He was still alive.
With Julian’s help, Rebecca managed to sit upright, although she winced as pain spread through every part of her body. Blood continued to drip steadily from her injured palm.
"We have to stop the bleeding," Julian whispered anxiously as he hurriedly looked around the room for something that could be used to wrap her hand.
Rebecca couldn’t help smiling at her thoughtful son, although the smile was weak. Her entire hand was covered in blood and throbbed painfully, yet what caught her attention most was the unfamiliar man standing nearby. Her gaze settled on Cedric.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly.
Cedric briefly lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Cedric, my lady," he answered politely before returning his attention to the unconscious assassin, searching him carefully as though hoping to find something useful.
"Where are we?" Rebecca asked as she looked around the room, taking in the elegant furnishings that were far beyond anything she had ever imagined for herself.
"The palace," Cedric replied calmly.
"The palace?" Rebecca echoed in disbelief, her eyes widening as she stared at him.
He nodded, and this time he fully met the bewildered look on her face. "I did tell you that His Majesty ordered you to be brought here," he reminded her gently.
She continued staring at him in confusion and surprise until another wave of pain spread through her head. Cedric noticed it immediately.
"The physician will be here any moment," he informed her.
Just as Julian finally found a clean cloth to wrap around her wounded hand, the physician hurried into the room.
He bowed respectfully to Cedric before turning to Rebecca, his face lighting up with obvious relief.
"Thank goodness you’re awake," he said warmly, but the moment he noticed the blood covering her hands, his expression changed. His eyes swept across the room before settling on the unconscious assassin lying on the floor.
"What happened here?" he asked in alarm.
"Just get to work and stop asking questions," Cedric said immediately.
"Of course," the physician replied, slightly flustered as he hurried over.
He noticed the cloth Julian had managed to find and gave the boy an approving smile. "Very clever, Julian," he praised before getting to work. He carefully cleaned the deep cut on Rebecca’s palm, applied ointment to the wound, and wrapped it securely with fresh bandages.
Julian remained close to his mother the entire time, gently stroking her arm whenever she winced in pain. The physician glanced up at him with a warm smile. "You have a wonderful son," he said sincerely.
"He’s been worried about you ever since you arrived here. He hardly left your side and kept asking when you would wake up. I’m sure he’s relieved to finally see you awake."
Rebecca looked down at Julian, and despite the pain she managed to say. "I’m alright now, Julian. You don’t have to worry so much anymore,"
The boy struggled to keep his tears from falling as he leaned against her, and Rebecca wrapped her uninjured arm around him, holding him close despite the soreness spreading through her body.
Cedric silently watched the exchange between mother and son, and for a brief moment something flickered across his face before his usual composure returned.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside, and moments later both the king and queen entered the room.
"We were told an assassin got in," Rosalind said immediately.
The news had frightened her the moment the servant delivered it, and she had hurried over with Rowan without wasting another second.
"Your Majesty," everyone in the room greeted at once, bowing respectfully.
Rebecca remained where she was, still overwhelmed by the realization that she had somehow ended up inside the very palace she had spent years avoiding.
"There was," Cedric answered with a respectful bow. "But the situation is under control now."
Rowan’s eyes immediately settled on the unconscious assassin lying on the floor, and his brows drew together. "He’s still alive," he observed.
"I knocked him unconscious before he had the chance to take his own life," Cedric explained quietly.