Page 76 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

My mouth opened to ask how long it had been since the last attack on the castle, but the words became lodged in my throat when I noticed what looked to be a full squad of soldiers in gleaming green armor that winked and shone as brightly as glass. They marched toward us with spears pointed at the clear blue sky.

“Umm…Your Highness…” Jasper’s thin voice wavered, and I thought I saw the wizard dart behind me while Binx squeaked as he moved to somewhere safer on Jasper’s body.

“Relax. It’ll be okay,” Nylian murmured as he took a step forward, moving in front of our group. He held his long, elegant hands up before his chest with his palms out.

The leader of the squad barked an order I didn’t quite catch, but it didn’t matter. The soldiers rushed forward and circled us, their spears now leveled at our chests, leaving no room for escape. My heart skyrocketed into my dry throat while my hand itched to reach for the sword on my back. Not that it would have been a good idea in the slightest. We were outnumbered by more than two to one, and my sword skills still needed a lot of help.

“Nylian—” I bit out between clenched teeth.

“By order of Duke Thallan Elrich, you are under arrest for illegally entering the Kingdom of Wolfrest and disobeying the king’s order that banished you from these lands,” the head of the guard announced in a loud, ringing voice.

The people who’d been shopping scurried off as the soldiers surrounded us. A gasp of horror rose from them now as they realized who was with us. Goody. I was now a pariah in Wolfrest.

“At ease, sergeant,” Nylian replied in a calm voice. “We have no intention of fighting you. We will go peacefully before the duke.” He reached out his hand and placed it on my shoulder, squeezing just tight enough to force muscles to untense. I frowned at him, inspecting his face for any signs of fear or anger, but there weren’t. Sadness filled his eyes, but he gave no indication that he was worried or afraid for our lives.

The sergeant barked another sharp order, and the spears were pointed upward again while the soldiers closed ranks. When they started toward the castle, we had no choice but to move with them or risk being trampled. None of us dared to speak as we walked. The black castle walls loomed ahead of us, the scars and gouges in the stout walls growing more prominent with every step. A wide drawbridge crossed a moat in which I could only catch glimpses of murky water. I wondered if the danger was drowning in the moat under the weight of your armor or if there was something that called those dark waters home that was an even bigger threat.

Inside the walls, I found the fortress far more austere than the town with its colorful market. The stones had kept most of their gray color, but the height of the walls cast long shadows across the courtyard, creating a dreary atmosphere. We were escorted past soldiers going through training drills while others worked on armor and weapons maintenance or cared for the horses in the stables. There was a fair mix of men and women, but everyone was wearing armor or some kind of uniform. It didn’t appear as if there was anyone working outside who was a servant.

As we entered the castle, most of our escorts peeled off and a fresh set of guards took over without missing a beat. The interior of the castle was more appealing, with thick rugs to guard against the coldness of the stones and colorful tapestries depicting happy forest scenes of hunts and picnics by shimmering lakes. There were curtains and elegant silver candelabras holding fat yellow candles. Not quite the richness that might be expected of a castle belonging to a member of the royal family, but still warmer than a place dedicated solely to war and ruthless battles.

Even though we were taking the scenic tour through the castle, I prepared myself to be taken to yet another dungeon with cold damp walls and flickering torches casting dancing shadows.

However, that wasn’t the case this time. We climbed to the next floor and walked down a short hall to a set of double doors that opened as we approached. It was here that I spotted a couple of people who were in plain dark-blue uniforms that looked more like servants than soldiers or soldiers in training. Apparently there were servants working in the castle, but they were few and focused their attention on the needs of the duke and his family, if he had any living here with him.

“Fine. Fine. Leave us,” a rough, deep voice that sounded like little more than broken gravel after a long lifetime of bellowing orders at soldiers on chilly, mist-filled fields growled.

I jerked my attention from the elegant decorations mixed with ancient weapons to the stout, broad-shouldered elf with long white hair standing in the center of the room next to a much younger elf with pale-brown hair.

The second the last soldier exited the room, and the doors closed behind him, the white-haired elf’s cold exterior cracked into an expression of intense relief, and his shoulders slumped. “Nephew,” he exhaled, and that single word carried what felt like a lifetime of worry and pain in it.

Nylian took three swift steps across the room and wrapped his uncle up in a tight embrace. “Uncle,” he choked out, hugging him and patting him on the back. “I’m safe. Have no fear. I’m safe and I would never?—”

“No, no. None of that. I didn’t believe for a fucking moment you had anything to do with what happened to Orian. Utter nonsense,” the duke cut him off. He squeezed Nylian tightly once and then took him by the shoulders. With a step back, he looked over Nylian as if needing to see with his own eyes that his nephew was, in fact, safe and well.

The soldier beside the duke loudly cleared his throat and pointedly stared at me before taking a step forward and bowing. “It is an unexpected honor to have Prince Victor Montcroix visiting our town.”

Oh, shit. Yes, I’m the prince. I keep forgetting. Especially since Nylian never referred to the fact that I was in Victor’s body or that the rest of the world might see me as the prince.

My lips twitched into a smile, and I returned his bow with a small dip of my head. “Thank you. It’s an honor for me to be here.”

Yeah, that sounded as bad as it felt. This didn’t feel like the place to be Victor’s typical asshole self, but I also didn’t know how a prince was supposed to act outside of being spoiled and entitled. Right now, all I wanted to do was grab Nylian and pull him to me, where I could more easily protect him from the unknown.

“It’s okay, Uncle, Captain.” Nylian left his uncle’s side and gave a brief nod to the man who’d spoken as he came to stand by me. It was like he could sense my growing anxiety. “Prince Victor is with me.”

“What does that even mean, Xeran?” the duke demanded, tossing his hands up in the air. “From all we know from spies, Prince Montcroix left Gushan intending to kidnap you. Now he’s traveling with you? What is going on?”

“When I say that Prince Victor is with me, I mean he is with me. He is mine,” he stated, crushing those critical words between his teeth. My brain skipped at the use of Nylian’s real name, but it was forgotten as a flush burned the tips of my ears and flowed to my cheeks and neck.

I leaned toward Nylian and tipped my face up so that my lips were near his ear. “Not one to mince words, are you? Couldn’t even go easy on your uncle after everything that’s happened?”

For the first time since we’d entered Blackscar, he flashed me a real, brilliant smile. “It’s necessary to air the most important bits, so Uncle understands no one is to harm a hair on your head.”

“Is this you flirting with me in front of your family?”

“No, this is me staking my claim in front of my family.”

“Gods, just put me in your dungeon now,” Adeline moaned. She poked her head around Nylian to look at the duke while Jasper gasped and attempted to hide farther behind me. “They have been like this nonstop for weeks of traveling on the road. If I have to hear one more ‘You’re mine’ or cooing over a scraped hand or a splinter, I’m going to lose my mind.”

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