The Crown Meets The Heirs

Chapter 002: Homeland

(Clara's POV)

I could hear people talking.

At first their voices were muffled and distant, like I was listening from underwater, but as I concentrated harder, the words gradually grew clearer.

“Doctor Maxwell, is my granddaughter going to be fine?” a hoarse, powerful voice asked.

“Don’t worry, Chairman Shaw. The young lady is perfectly fine. She simply suffered a shock from extreme stress. She could wake up any moment.”

Footsteps moved away, followed by a door opening and closing. That was when it finally dawned on me: I’d been saved. And judging by how long everything felt, I must have been unconscious for quite a while.

Slowly, I tried to open my eyes. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, like weights had been strapped to them, and it took several tries before I finally pried them open. I’d expected white hospital walls and the sharp bite of disinfectant. Instead, I found myself staring at a room painted entirely in shades of pink, sparkling with delicate decorations, the fresh scent of lavender, my favorite…hanging in the air.

I blinked hard. For one dizzy second I thought I’d somehow woken up at home. And the thought of home brought my parents rushing back to mind. Tears gathered in my eyes, and I sniffled softly enough to catch the attention of whoever else was in the room.

“My princess!”

A face appeared in my field of vision before I could even turn my head. A woman in her fifties, silver hair elegantly permed, a few wrinkles doing nothing to hide the warmth in her eyes. She smiled at me gently, stroking my hair.

I recognized her instantly, even though we’d never met. My paternal grandmother. Dad used to show me her pictures all the time.

“Where am I?” My throat felt dry and scratchy as I forced myself upright.

Instead of answering, she turned and glared at the elderly man sitting nearby. “Charlie! Don’t you know how to bring your granddaughter a glass of water? If anything happens to her, I’ll skin you alive.”

“Hmph.” The old man snorted arrogantly before hauling himself up and shuffling to the water dispenser. He came back a moment later and dropped the glass onto the bedside table hard enough to make it rattle, shooting me a sideways look like I owed him money. Honestly, watching a grown man sulk like a child would’ve been funny any other day. But I was too worried about my parents to laugh.

Grandma shot him another glare and took the glass herself, helping me hold it steady. Not wanting to spill it, I wrapped both hands around the glass and drank greedily, the cool water sliding down my throat.

“Ahh…” I smacked my lips. It tasted strangely sweet — much sweeter than ordinary water. I took another sip just to be sure. Yep, definitely sweet. Curious, but it could wait; I had bigger things on my mind.

“Where am I?” I asked again.

“You’re in your father’s homeland, my dear,” Grandma said gently. “This is where he grew up.”

I grabbed her hands. “What about Dad? And Mom? Have they contacted you? Are they okay?” The hope in my eyes must have been obvious, because her expression instantly clouded.

“Your father…” She sighed heavily. “We don’t know. There’s been no news about either of them, and it’s already been three days.”

My heart sank. “Three days?”

She nodded. “Your mother’s country is under complete lockdown. No information in or out, even our people haven’t been able to get through.”

The hope drained out of me. My hands slipped from hers, and I sank back weakly against the headboard. The room suddenly felt colder.

A sharp smack made me jump — the old man had slammed his palm on the table. “Hmph! I told him not to marry your mother back then. He fought us tooth and nail over it. Now look at the mess he’s brought on himself. What a waste!” He shoved up out of his chair and stormed out without waiting for a response, slamming the door behind him.

The silence afterward felt heavy. Grandma just shook her head.

“Don’t mind the old man. He’s never known how to say what he actually feels.” She smiled, a little helpless. “He cares more than anyone, he’s just still angry at your father.” She glanced around the room. “He was the one who had this room set up for you, you know. Even though he wasn’t entirely sure what you liked.”

I nodded weakly. Honestly, the grumpy old man wasn’t what I cared about right now. My thoughts were entirely on my parents.

Maybe sensing that, Grandma spoke again. “You don’t have to worry too much yet.” I looked up at her. “There’s still hope. The fact that the country’s still under lockdown means they haven’t gotten what they wanted.” She paused. “Which means your parents are most likely still alive.”

Something in my chest loosened, just slightly.

“But the frightening part,” she went on quietly, “is when they lift the lockdown. That’s when we’ll find out what really happened.”

The room went quiet.

“Can’t you send help?” I asked suddenly. “Dad said your family has powerful connections…that you deal with governments too.”

Her expression turned serious. “That would be dangerous, sweetheart.”

“Why?”

“The moment those men realize outside forces are getting involved, your parents’ situation gets far more dangerous.”

I clenched my fists. “So we just do nothing?”

“No.” She squeezed my hand. “We move carefully. Leave this to the adults, we’ll handle it.” She rose from her chair. “For now, focus on getting better. Dinner will be sent up shortly.”

She’d nearly reached the door when she paused. “Oh, before I forget.” She turned back. “Richard is still unconscious.”

My eyes went wide.

“He was hurt badly — several vital areas. He’s out of danger now, but the doctors think he may stay in a coma for a while yet.”

Guilt hit me like a wave. I’d completely forgotten about Richard. The image flashed back. Him throwing himself over me right before we hit the water, the bullet, the blood, the impact — all of it rushing in at once.

“I’ll visit him later,” I murmured.

Grandma smiled softly. “Get some rest first, my dear.” Then she slipped out, closing the door quietly behind her.

The moment she was gone, the guilt crashed over me fully.

“Ahh… I almost forgot about Richard. How could I do that? I’m alive because of him.”