Page 120 of The Princess In A 'Prince' Disguise

"Yes, my Lord!" How did he know that?

Grand Lord Vladya stepped away from the door entirely. "Yaz, follow me," he commanded his head soldier behind him. He then turned to Aekeira. "Come and show me where you saw them."

A wave of relief washed over her, and Aekeira hastily moved to keep up with Grand Lord Vladya's determined pace. She had expected more resistance...thank the gods!

She led him along the same route she had taken, back to the fourth wing, and then through the corner where she had spotted the mistress. Walking so closely to him, a prickle of awareness feathered through her skin. What was it about this hard, formidable male that made her go weak in the knees?

Fortunately, her deep worry for her little sister killed any potential arousal.

"Here, my Lord. I saw them around here." Aekeira came to a stop at the spot where she had witnessed Emeriel being dragged away.

"I will go ahead and search for them. They shouldn't be far," Yaz offered.

"No, that would take too much time, time we don't have," Lord Vladya countered. He turned to Aekeira. "Do you have anything that Emeriel has touched in the past twenty hours?"

Aekeira quickly reached into her garment and retrieved the book that Emeriel had read yesterday, but Aekeira had forgotten to return to the library. "Here." she handed it to him.

Lord Vladya accepted it, brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. "His scent is there, but it's faint. it will take more time to track him since his scent is barely detectable."

"What about my hand?" Aekeira asked, desperate. "Em loves touching my hand. He does it all the time. That means his scent would be much stronger, right?"

Lord Vladya stared at her outstretched hand. He didn't make a move to take it. "I don't need to scent you right now, Aekeira."

Goosebumps spread through her body as her name rolled off his tongue. She would never admit it, but her name had never sounded better.

That mistress might already be torturing Em.The thought jolted her, bringing her wandering mind back.

"Please, just do it. I beg of you," she implored.

Finally, he stepped forward and enveloped her small hand in his larger ones, raising it to his nose and taking a deep breath.

Aekeira was taken aback as a low growl rumbled from his chest. For a moment, his eyes flickered with a yellow hue. He inhaled once more before releasing her hand.

"Let's go," he ordered, and strode forward.

Aekeira trailed behind him, praying all the while that Em was unharmed.

Grand Lord Vladya descended the stairs, leading Aekeira through the labyrinthine underground chambers. The multitude of rooms and winding corridors would have surely left her disoriented if she had ventured alone. However, Vladya strode confidently, navigating the intricate path without hesitation.

As they drew nearer, Aekeira heard a voice—a woman's voice.

"I shall subject you to thirty lashes from the spiked whip. Whether you count or not matters not to me," the mistress declared, growing louder as they approached.

Grand Lord Vladya swept into the chamber, his black robes swirling, his presence commanding. "You shall do no such thing, Sinai," he proclaimed, his voice echoing with cold authority.

The mistress's head jerked around and went as still as a statue. She released the whip as though it burned her hand, and it clattered to the ground.

"M-my Lord, what brings you here?" she stammered, breathlessly.

"I could ask you the same thing, Sinai," Vladya’s tone was deceptively calm. His gaze swept across the room, taking in the array of torture tools and the figure of Emeriel, who was suspended like a sacrificial offering. Then, his eyes returned to the mistress.

The mistress averted her gaze.

He took a step forward, and she quickly retreated a step. "I told you to leave the boy alone. How dare you disobey my command?"

Leave the boy alone? Aekeira was confused. She observed as the imposing Urekai guard he’d called Yaz went to Emeriel and began untying the restraints that bound him.

Aekeira hastened forward to assist. "Em, are you hurt?" Her lips trembled with concern.

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