The Crown Prince's Love
Chapter 65

"A life for a life?" I gasped, my eyes widening in shock.

Phantom had lied to me, telling me that if I changed Desmond's destiny, I wouldn't have to worry about anything else except suffering. But it was all a lie. He had lied to me while aiming for my life. "That is..." I tried to deny its possibility, but Desmond only laughed. "There is no way I can..." Before I could finish, I coughed again, struggling to breathe as I held my chest.

My vision turned hazy, barely making out Desmond's calculated steps toward me on the marble floor.

Crouching before me, Desmond stretched his hand toward my face. "You think you're all that, believing the words of someone from the dark hole! You think you can escape me, right?" he taunted. When my vision cleared, Desmond's face had a menacing glare. "You must be so stupid to think that was Phantom!" he laughed.

"The person I saw in the between was not Phantom?" I asked, sounding shocked.

Desmond laughed hysterically, his finger tracing down from my forehead to my chin. "You must be so dumb not to realize that it wasn't him. I made sure he was under my spell and then got him to appear in your dream." My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as I realized who I was talking to.

The feminine voice, sarcastic remarks, and laughter, it was all her. "Hecate," I murmured her name. "But I thought the resetting worked?" I questioned. "How are you here?"

She laughed. "Do you think you are powerful enough to fight the balance of the dark hole? You must be crazy to think you could run away from the power of the dark hole. Do you have any idea why they call me the goddess of the dark hole?" She yelled, grabbing my chin and then laughing again. "I am the goddess of the dark hole because I can control everything. You, little boy, have fallen into my trap, and now, you will regret it," she pushed my head backward.

I screamed as my lecturer suddenly turned into a hideous beast, having six horns, standing tall at seven feet, and covered with red all over his body.

He growled, approaching me, grabbing my legs, while the royal guard grabbed my hand.

He didn't transition and still looked the same.

"This shouldn't be happening! I have spent a long time here thinking that I had stopped Desmond from dying, but why is this still happening!" I screamed. "Why didn't it work?" I cried.

Hecate laughed. "You can't do anything to stop things from happening in the dark hole, no matter how powerful you are. This is not real. I created this fantasy world for you to live so I can trap you. This is all in your head!" she told me and laughed again. "Do you think that you could reset anyone's fate?"

"No!" I screamed as I was grabbed again by the beast, as he raised me and placed me on his shoulders. "Let me go!" I shouted. "You can't do this to me!"

"Of course, I can," Hecate replied, striding out of the room with the beast and the fake royal guard following in tow.

As we traversed the hallways, I noticed the room transform into a darker, dimly lit hall.

How could I have been so naive? I questioned myself.

How did I foolishly believe I'd done something right in my life?

I thought Desmond wouldn't have to face death again, but it was all an illusion.

Hecate had meticulously observed our behaviors, crafting a fantasy world where Desmond despised me, and I blindly believed love could conquer it. How could I have fallen for something so unreal?

Tears streamed down my face as I contemplated my situation in the real world.

Why was I here, unable to save Desmond?

Why me?

Why did Hecate manipulate Phantom against me? There had to be a reason behind all of this.

"Why?" I finally shouted, my voice reverberating down the hallway. "Why did you bring me here? Just why?!" I screamed in frustration.

She laughed abruptly, halting her steps.

"Because your parents did something that left me trapped in darkness for years. I used Desmond against you, lying that he would die when he was never meant to."

"What...?" Another scream escaped me as I grappled with this revelation. "How...?"

"Because it was the only way to retaliate against your parents for what they did to me!" she retorted fiercely. "I'll ensnare you for eternity while they believe you're in a coma! You'll be my captive here," she chuckled darkly. "When they grow weary of your comatose state, they'll let go, and you'll perish. Then, I'll visit them to reveal they've killed their child!" She resumed walking, leaving her words to linger in the echoing hall.

"No!" I yelled.

"You can't do this to me!" My screams for help echoed through the space. "Let me go, please!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, scratching the beast's back in a desperate attempt to break free from its tight grip. I can't afford to be trapped here.

My family would think that I was going to die and would let go eventually.

I had to escape, but how?

There seemed to be no way out.

No matter how vigorously I struggled against the beast, it held the advantage, and I was helpless.

I was in a situation where I couldn't do anything.

Hecate had shaped this world, and no matter what I attempted, there was nothing I could do, and it seemed I would be forever trapped in Hecate's created reality.

"Randy," a whisper of my name sent shivers down my spine.

The voice sounded as if it was right by my ear, though no one spoke.

"Randy, please," the voice repeated, resembling Desmond's. "I need you to come back to me. Please, don't leave me!" he cried out.

I couldn't believe I could still hear him.