Sereena felt a mixture of relief and irritation at his comment. He can see right through me, she thought. But he's at least willing to give me a chance.
The man stepped towards her, his gaze never leaving her face. "You're in my duchy, under my protection," he said, his tone serious.
"I'm letting you stay for now, but only because I don't believe you're a threat. But if you try anything, I'll retaliate with full force. Understood?"
Sereena felt a shiver run down her spine as he spoke. There was no mistaking the seriousness in his tone. She nodded quickly, wanting to assure him that she understood. "I understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man studied her face for a moment, as if weighing the sincerity of her words. Finally, he seemed satisfied. "Good," he said, his tone slightly less harsh now. "Now, I have some questions for you."
Sereena swallowed hard, her heart feeling like it was stuck in her throat. "Okay," she whispered, bracing herself for his questions.
The man leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on the bare skin of her arms and the soft silk of her nightgown.
"First, let's start with your name," he said, his voice calm and measured.
Sereena had to fight the urge to shrink away from his gaze, feeling exposed under his intense scrutiny. "Sereena," she said again, her voice cracking slightly. "My name is Sereena Summers."
The man's eyebrow quirked upwards at her name, his expression betraying a hint of curiosity. "Sereena Summers," he repeated, rolling the name off his tongue. He paused for a moment, as if considering something. "I don't recognize that house name," he said, his eyes searching her face. "Are you from around here?"
Sereena shook her head, realizing that her lie was about to unravel. "No," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm not from around here. I'm from...I'm from a different town. Far away."
The man's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her, as if sensing that something was off with her answer. "What town?" he pressed, his voice taking on a sharper edge.
Sereena paused, feeling a cold sweat trickle down her back. Think, she told herself, come up with something believable.
"I...I'm from a small town called Willow Heights," she blurted out, the lie slipping off her tongue before she could think.
The man regarded her for a moment, his expression giving little away. She could sense the skepticism in his gaze, as if he wasn't quite convinced by her answer.
"Willow Heights," he repeated, his voice betraying a hint of disbelief. "And how far away is this Willow Heights?"
Sereena shifted nervously under his gaze, feeling like she was being cross-examined. "It's...it's quite far away," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "It's a few days' travel from here."
The man's eyebrow quirked again, his expression even more skeptical now. He's not buying it, she thought, feeling a pang of anxiety wash over her.
"A few days' travel, huh?" he said, his tone laced with sarcasm. "And you ended up in the forest by pure accident? I find that hard to believe."
"Okay fine I'm from a different world" she gave up. The man looked visibly stunned at her sudden confession, his expression shifting from skepticism to surprise.
"A...a different world?" he repeated, clearly taken aback by her revelation. "You're saying you're not from this world? How is that even possible?"
Sereena felt a pang of relief at having finally told the truth, but she also couldn't help but feel anxious about how the man would react.
"It's hard to explain," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "but I swear, it's true. I'm from a different world, a world that's very different from this one."
The man looked at her for a long moment, studying her face as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"How do I know you're not just making this up?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"You're Lucas Archeus, Duke of Archeus of the North. You're the only son of the late Duke Archeus. You haven't told your name right?"
The man's expression turned from skepticism to surprise as she spoke, his eyes widening in shock.
"How...how do you know that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "How do you know my name?"
Sereena felt a wave of triumph wash over her at his stunned expression. "I told you, I'm not from here," she said, her voice gaining confidence. "But I know things. Things about you."
The man regarded her for a moment, his eyes scanning her face. She could see the gears turning in his mind as he tried to understand how she could possibly know so much about him.
"This is unbelievable," he said, his voice betraying a hint of disbelief. "But...if what you're saying is true, how did you end up here? How did you end up in this world?"
Sereena took a deep breath, trying to find the words to explain her situation.
"I wish I knew," she said, her voice filled with frustration. "I was just living my normal life in my own world, and then one day, I found myself transported here, to this world. I have no idea how it happened, or why."
The man listened intently, his expression growing more serious as she spoke. He seemed to be taking in her words, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that she was from another world.
The man's expression softened slightly at her words, his skepticism giving way to a hint of sympathy.
"So you're telling me that you were suddenly flung into a different world against your will," he said, his tone slightly less confrontational now. "And you have no idea how or why."
Sereena nodded, feeling a pang of sadness as the situation sank in once again. "Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I have no idea why I'm here, or how I got here. It all just happened so suddenly, and I'm completely lost - then goes back to my world and transported back here"
The man's expression shifted again, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
The man looked at her with a mix of shock and disbelief, his eyes widening.
"You mean you have the ability to travel between worlds?" he asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. "You can come and go as you please?"
"I don't think so, I was trying to go to sleep awhile ago but just a blink the next thing i knew i was already here" Sereena explained
The man's expression softened slightly at her explanation, his skepticism giving way to a hint of sympathy.
"So you were just trying to sleep, and you woke up here?" he said, his tone less confrontational now. "You have no control over when or how you travel between worlds?"
The man took a deep breath, his expression contemplative. He seemed to be mulling over her words, trying to make sense of it all.
Sereena nodded.
"This is all very hard to believe," he said, his voice tinged with skepticism. "But...if what you're saying is true, then you're in a very dangerous situation."
Sereena felt a pang of anxiety at his words, fear creeping up as she realized the implications of her situation.
"Dangerous?" she repeated, her voice trembling slightly. "How am I in danger?"
The man's expression turned serious as he looked at her. "You're in a world that's completely foreign to you. You have no idea where you are, or what's going on. And on top of that, you have no idea how you got here or how to get back. That's a dangerous situation by any measure."
"Plus you've been sleeping for a week" Lucas added.
"A WEEK??"
Sereena's eyes widened in shock at his words. A week? she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. I've been asleep for a whole week?
The man nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, you've been sleeping for a week. When I found you in the forest, you were unconscious and unresponsive. I brought you back to my duchy and had my healers look you over, and they couldn't find anything wrong with you. You were simply in a deep, unresponsive sleep."
Sereena felt a wave of despair wash over her as she took in his words. "A week", she thought, her mind racing. I've been unconscious for a week. What has happened in that time? What have I missed?
Sereena pause for a moment, and she realized "I think a day in my world is equivalent to a week here your world"
The man raised an eyebrow at her assertion, looking skeptical. "You mean you think time passes differently between our worlds?" he said, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Sereena nodded. "The thing happened in the forest was a yesterday, I mean when I got back into my world."
The man looked at her with a mix of curiosity and incredulity. "So, you mean to say that a day in your world is equivalent to an entire week here?" he clarified.
Sereena nodded again, her expression solemn. "Yes," she said, her voice quiet. "I think that's what's going on. Time passes differently in our worlds. One day in my world is equivalent to one week here."
The man was silent for a moment, his expression contemplative as he mulled over her words. "If that's true, then it makes sense why you've been asleep for a week," he said, his tone serious. "In your world, you were only asleep for a day."
Sereena felt a pang of relief at his words, grateful that there was at least an explanation for her sleep. "Yes," she said, her voice still trembling slightly. "That must be it. Time works differently between our worlds."
A moment later Sereena was stunned as she feels like she's going to be passed out. The man noticed her sudden pallor and her swaying on her feet. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice sharp with concern.
Sereena felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and she staggered forward, her vision starting to blur. "I...I don't feel very well," she mumbled, her voice weak and faint.
The man was immediately by her side, his arms reaching out to steady her. He led her to a chair, helping her sit down gently.
"Hey, hold on," he said, his voice stern. "Stay with me. What's wrong? What's happening?"
"Sereena? Hey!" Lucas tries to stay her awake but darkness starts to consume Sereena.
She opens her eyes, hoping that she'll see Lucas but then she woke up in her room like nothing happened.
Sereena sat up in her bed, feeling disoriented and confused. She looked around her room, taking in the familiar surroundings.
Did it all just happen in a dream? she thought, her mind racing. Was none of it real?