Page 38 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
He hadn’t pronounced that word nor felt so ashamed in a long time, but the image of Alezya standing naked was carved into his mind, and wouldn’t go away. He tried to focus on something else, like the fire in the tent, but his feet were solidly anchored there, and he didn’t turn away.
“I just came to check if you were alright,” he finally uttered, feeling like a moron.
He hadn’t felt this awkward in ages. Not just because he’d caught a woman bathing, or seen her naked, but because for the first time, the sight stirred something deep inside.
He had never found himself like this, so shy, so uncertain, and so… tempted. Something about Alezya’s beautiful appearance humbled him inexplicably. Still, he tried to regain his composure quickly and chase that strange state of mind away.
He heard the water move around and glanced to see that she had sat back in the tub, her body submerged all the way up to her neck. She was still glaring at him though. He sighed and stepped out of the tent, mentally kicking himself out of there; she was alright, that was all he’d come to check.
When he stepped out, Tievin appeared in his field of vision, the Grand Intendant’s eyes on the orange dragon climbing the mountain and making a full-on natural disaster out of it. He was carrying two of his coats, as instructed, and approached Kassein with his eyes still glued on the dragon.
“Dare I ask what’s going on with that dragon of yours?” he sighed.
“No.”
Kassein took the coats from him. He may have been reluctant about it, but Tievin had still picked two small coats that were soft and thick enough for Alezya. Right behind him, thesoldiers from before were also carrying some clothes, just as he’d asked them.
Kassein put the coats back in Tievin’s arms to check what they’d brought. The pants would still be too large for Alezya, but the tunic was long and should be fine.
“Her previous clothes?” he asked Tievin.
“I had them thrown away, of course. Didn’t you see what state they were in?”
Kassein was a bit annoyed, but he couldn’t say Alezya’s previous clothes were salvageable. From what he’d seen, they were ripped, soaked, and stained with blood beyond salvation. Still, they could have kept them to take her measurements. He let that idea go.
Clothes were still clothes, they’d find a solution eventually. The men had brought a pair of shoes that could fit, but he wasn’t sure her feet were in any state to wear those yet. Kassein took the clothes and sent them away. That was when he heard her call him.
Already? Did she finish in a hurry because she was worried he’d intrude again?
Kassein stepped in, Tievin following behind him. Alezya was out of the bath, seated on the bed, and wrapped in a large towel, busy drying her hair with another one. From the color of the water, that bath had been long overdue... Tievin frowned upon seeing that too.
Kassein walked up to her and put the clothes next to her on the bed while Tievin left the coats on the side.
“I’ll get someone to take this out...”
“No,” Kassein stopped him. “I’ll do it.”
Tievin froze, surprised, but Kassein didn’t want other men walking into his tent; he hated anyone coming in, and he didn’t want more men to see Alezya and risk scaring her.
Ignoring the Grand Intendant’s stunned gaze, Kassein moved to grab new bandages for her wounds and that medicinal paste he’d made.
“Do you need me for anything else, Commander?” Tievin eventually sighed.
“...See that she gets new underwear,” Kassein said, glancing at the old one Alezya had left on the bed.
It was dirty, of course, but that was the only thing they couldn’t replace right away. Noticing the two men’s eyes were on it, she blushed and took it away, but Tievin nodded. He’d had enough time to see it and guess the size.
“Understood... I’ll get her some from the village.”
Tievin already hated the idea of a trip just to get a woman new underwear, and probably some proper clothes while he was at it, but that would be better than having the clothing unit fabricate female underwear or clothes. Otherwise, he could already hear the kinds of rumors that would circulate within the camp. Those soldiers could be worse than old widows when it came to gossiping at times, especially anything that involved their Commander in Chief...
Moreover, it would be nice to go south for a bit, and he did like to go shopping and spend his hard-won money. With that said, Tievin left, planning to go right that day. The camp could do without him for a few hours, and he was more than happy to leave while that dragon was going on another rampage. Who knew what would be left of that poor mountain when he’d come back…?
With Tievin gone, Kassein and Alezya were left alone in the tent, and he noticed she did relax a bit once Tievin was gone. He brought over the bowl of medicinal paste he’d made and showed it to her so as not to alarm her.
“I need to put this on your wounds,” he calmly said, putting a knee down in front of the bed.
Like before, Alezya reacted shocked, and nervous to see him seated underneath her, but he didn’t leave her room to protest. He gently took her ankle and began spreading the ointment.
