Page 102 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“La. Kassein Aqayir.”
So it was a title only he held.
“Kassein ku judun Aqayir.”
He was a warriorAqayir? So that probably meant some sort of special warrior title... Alezya had learned their word for warrior,judun, just earlier. Or at least, it seemed to be the word for their warriors.Aqayirhad to mean some sort of leader, still. She already knew he had the highest position here, but it was interesting to learn the exact word they used for it. It made her think of something.
“I am Aqayir child,” she said, using the words she knew. “Me.”
“Alezya is Aqayir child?”
Alezya nodded at her surprised expression.
“Lorey Aqayir child too?”
“No. Kassein and Kiera Aqayir children.”
So it was as Alezya had expected... It was some sort of inherited title.
“Aqayir dragon man?” Alezya asked, glad she had learned the word for dragon early on.
“Yes. Kassein and Kiera father is man-dragon Aqayir.”
“Father... and mother?”
“No. Kassein and Kiera mother no dragon.”
So their mother was a normal person, without the dragon scales or a dragon? For some reason, that made Alezya a little happy.
So their clan chiefs weren’t just picking a partner amongst people with a dragon, it was just something that ran in their family. It had been a worry of hers that, in their world, all clan chiefs had dragons and they partnered each other up, like how the clan chiefs married their daughters to other clans’ heirs in the mountains...
“Alezya mother?” Lorey asked.
For a second, Alezya had been worried Lorey was asking if she was a mother, but retracing the conversation, she realized she wasn’t asking about Lumie, but about Alezya’s mother.
Alezya hesitated and then slowly shook her head. She wasn’t sure about her mother’s whereabouts.
She knew her mother’s clan lived far away from her father’s, but her mother had become a strange taboo in her family, and her father refused to talk about her. If he did, it was to say how she had “abandoned” her.
Her mother had been her father’s third wife and the last after she’d given birth to Alezya. Something had happened, something that had made him forbid Alezya from mentioning her mom ever again or asking for her. She was young when her mother left, not even ten years old, and she hadn’t been told why her mother had suddenly left. She didn’t know why she had been left behind or what had caused her mom to leave without a word... All she could hope was that her mom had returned to her clan safely and was happy now. But even as she tried to believe that, the questions had never fully left her. Why hadn’t she taken her? Had she wanted to?
Alezya forced her fingers to relax and shook her head again. There was no point in thinking about it now. Her mom had never seemed happy while with her father, and after learning the harsh realities of marriage herself, Alezya couldn’t blame her. It felt foolish for her to even trust a man again, after what she had gone through... and yet, every time she let her thoughts drift towardKassein, she couldn’t help but find her heart heating up and her stomach doing little flips. Was it so easy to fall for someone? To lose all reason to her emotions? She didn’t want to be emotional, not when she needed to stay clear-headed for Lumie’s sake. But Alezya could already tell she was too far gone. Kassein had penetrated her defenses and ignited a hope she shouldn’t have had.
Even if she did dare to believe... She had to be sure. She had to be certain he would not harm Lumie. He wasn’t like her ex-husband; he didn’t have to recognize the child as his own. All that mattered was that he treated her fairly. Even if she was made a prisoner to the Dragon Clan, it would make her better off than up in the mountain, where she was selected for some nonsense sacrifice... but Alezya had to lay the groundwork to ensure her daughter’s survival. The Dragon Clan clearly wasn’t safe; her bad experience this morning proved it.
It didn’t matter though, so long as she had Kassein and his dragon’s protection. If she could ensure, somehow, that Lumie would also be under their protection here, then all would be fine. It didn’t matter what sacrifice she had to make, what she had to do. So long as Lumie would be safe, that was all she could ask for...
Chapter 10
His sword was getting rusty.
Kassein inspected it; he didn’t mind making those men suffer after what they’d put Alezya through that morning, but he hated when his weapon wasn’t as sharp as it should have been. Upon closer inspection of the blade, he could spot a few dents where his excessive strength had probably broken the metal. The blacksmith wasn’t so bold as to voice it out, but it was clear they were upset about Kassein’s brute force damaging their carefully crafted weapons at an increased, unnatural rate. If anything, he would rather blame the crafters. He couldn’t remember his siblings’ weapons nor his father’s being damaged so easily. Did they craft lower-quality weapons here?
“I think we missed one.”
He glanced back at his sister, standing a few steps away from him with her fists on her hips and a frown on her face.
“What?”
