Page 93 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

“That’s the way it looks.” Saida turned her head to Nylian and frowned. “When Uncle Thallan sent me word you were on your way, I really thought you’d be returning with the Western Dragon Army on your heels.”

“Impossible. All our enemies have heard of what has happened, and they are plotting ways to take advantage of it. Uncle and the Western Dragon Army are the only thing standing between both Lockeheim and Galinaes and Wolfrest’s complete demise. He can’t make a move on West Vale.”

And I had a feeling that Nylian’s siblings were well aware of that. Particularly Jandar, since he was already making a play with the Eastern Dragon Army.

“The sooner we can get the antidote to Prince Orian, the better. It’ll be the fastest way to settle all of this mess,” I stated.

“You have it?” Saida squealed. “You actually got it?”

“Sort of,” Jasper murmured, sagging in his chair. “Lady Covington refused to give us the antidote, but we got all the supplies from her as well as her poison recipe book. We made it ourselves, but I’m not a hundred percent sure it will work.”

“It will,” Nylian said in a hard, firm voice. “If we have time, we can have the royal healers look over it before we give it to him, but I’m confident it will work.” He turned his attention to his sister. “You will remain here tonight. Tomorrow, Prince Montcroix and I will make our way to the castle to see Orian. I have the antidote. I want you to stay with Jasper and Adeline. They will remain behind. They have several of the Lockeheim Poison Maker’s books, and they need to be protected at all costs.”

“I promise to keep them safe,” she replied with a broad smile. “And the books!” she tacked on with a little laugh. “Did you find out who bought the poison?”

Nylian shook his head. “There were complications, and we didn’t get that information. However, I have a plan for that too. Tomorrow, this will all be settled one way or another. Peace will return to Wolfrest.”

Even if it meant Nylian had to wash these streets in royal blood to get that peace.

My stomach twisted as I stared at my beautiful elf prince. His goal might be to save Orian and catch a killer, but mine was to make sure he got out of this battle alive. Keeping Nylian alive was the only thing that mattered to me.

Chapter 29

A Complicated Truth

We separated a short time later, and everyone stumbled to their bedrooms.

Well, I almost made it to my bedroom, but a hand grabbed mine at the last second and Nylian “dragged” me into his bedroom. We shared a quiet, simple meal together, and we brainstormed a few ideas about how best to handle tomorrow’s inevitable shit storm. While we’d sneaked into the city, it was only a matter of time before word leaked to the rest of his siblings and the consorts in the palace. Right now, I was hoping we could get in a few hours of sleep prior to the guards and assassins showing up on his doorstep.

But sleep was scarce. My chances of sleep weren’t made any better when I opened my eyes to find I was in the bed alone. My heart jolted as I leaped out of bed and pulled on clothes as quickly as I could manage. If that stubborn idiot had dared to go to the palace without me, I was going to wring his neck.

A light breeze ruffled a set of floor-length curtains, halting my mental march to the castle. I peeked outside to find the elf strolling through a small garden, lost in thought. I wasn’t the only one struggling with sleep.

Still barefoot, I slipped outside and came up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “You scared me to death,” I murmured against his shoulder blade.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to wake you with my restlessness,” he replied, turning in my arms to hug me.

“Whose house is this?” I inquired. There was nothing to be gained by talking about the worries that were clogging both of our minds. It was better to talk about something completely different, to shed some of the stress for a while.

Nylian grinned so very wide at me. “Mine.”

“Really?”

“Mn. My private residence.” He stepped out of my embrace and threaded our fingers together, leading me in a slow walk through the flower garden. “I live mostly in the palace with the rest of the royal family, but this is my secret place.…Though I’m sure my father and most people of the court know about it.”

“A place for secret assignations?” I whispered in a playful tone.

“Used to be. Mostly, it was a place I used when I wanted to get away from my life and the royal court. Orian has one in another part of town. So does Lorsan. Saida spends most of her time with her healing master. I don’t think she lives in the palace much anymore.”

“When life returns to normal, are you going to move me into this house? Lock me away as your kept man?” I said, trying to keep up the playful teasing.

“Absolutely not.” Nylian stopped and moved to stand in front of me. With his free hand, he brushed some hair away from my eyes. “You are not some shameful secret to be hidden. You will not be another consort. I plan to marry only once, and it will be to you. There will be no harem of consorts. Just you.”

He completely stole all my words away. My brain locked up and I could only blink at him. “But…but…what if your father picks you to be his heir? You’ll be expected to have a harem and sire children to carry on your family line.”

“I plan to renounce all claim to the throne. My hope is that Orian is healed and he will be named heir. I’m happy to support him, but regardless of who my father chooses, I won’t ever sit on that throne.” He paused and cocked his head to the side. “I hope you’re not too disappointed that I won’t ever be king.”

An angry noise exploded from my lips, and I shoved him away from me. “Fuck off. You know I don’t care about that. You’re the one who pointed out that if I wanted that life, I could so easily return to Gushan and continue Prince Victor’s old life, and yet here I am with you, about to go into battle with God only knows how many power-hungry people.”

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