Page 49 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
She broke down in tears, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. It still felt unreal, and yet, she’d never been so grateful.
The tiny string of hope she’d been holding on to all this time was now a thick rope she could use to climb back up. The confirmation that Lumie was alive was all she’d needed, and now, she had it.
She kept crying, unleashing all the emotions she’d managed to restrain so far, feeling a distraught Kassein’s hands on her arms.
Of course he was confused. He had to be. She moved her hands down to only cover her nose and mouth and smiled at him, her smile carrying to her eyes. She wanted to let him know she was fine.
At least now, she was. She put her hands down, grabbing either side of the bed next to her, and smiling between her tears.
“Lumie’s alive.” She smiled. “She’s alive, Kassein. My Lumie.”
She needed to share her joy and relief, although he probably understood nothing of it. He simply stared at her, still completely confused. Aware she probably looked a bit crazy, Alezya wiped her tears and forced herself to calm down.
Despite the joy, she also couldn’t completely ignore everything that was still waiting ahead. Her child was far from safe yet, and the fact that it was almost certain she had survivedwas a big relief, but it didn’t mean they were done and out of harm’s way. But if her father had kept her alive, that meant there was a way. He wouldn’t have waited for Alezya nor let her know he had her child if things were as simple as wanting to kill Lumie during the council gathering as he’d planned to.
Just that thought was enough to give her all the hope she’d been needing to carry on. She was going to go back and find a way to keep her baby safe, no matter what. No matter what her father wanted in exchange, she would do it. Absolutely nothing could be worth more than her baby’s safety. Nothing.
Just as she felt that wave of relief wash over her, Alezya stared into Kassein’s green eyes. It was like her heart had suddenly warmed up with the perspective of seeing her little girl again.
Suddenly, she felt grateful, incredibly grateful to him. If he hadn’t saved her, she wouldn’t have had a chance to see her baby again. She wouldn’t have survived long enough to get another chance to see her daughter. Both she and Lumie would have been condemned.
She had felt nothing but guilt for all he’d done for her before, but now, she was truly overwhelmed with gratitude. He’d taken in a complete stranger, a woman meant to be his enemy and he had healed her, fed her, and made sure she was safe all along. Kassein was the one man who’d made it all possible. He’d been kind, and much more.
Without thinking, she leaned forward to put her arms around his neck and hugged him.
She felt him freeze, probably even more confused now. Alezya was well aware she ought to look crazy, suddenly hugging a complete stranger after crying and smiling so much out of the blue. Still, she felt the need to hug him, just this once, to let him know how grateful she was. How much she’d come to trust him and his kindness.
It lasted a few seconds before she released him. He was still completely stiff, and after a little while longer, she began to worry she’d stepped over some invisible line she shouldn’t have crossed.
“Kassein?”
She called his name, but he didn’t answer.
Instead, he suddenly stood up, stepped away from her, and walked out, leaving her there, utterly confused. Alezya waited, for a bit, but there was no sign of him coming back.
That’s when she started to really get anxious. Had she done something wrong? Perhaps she’d unknowingly broken some custom of theirs?
Now she regretted her impulsive move. She’d been so overtaken by her emotions, she hadn’t thought straight and just jumped at his neck...
She was feeling foolish. She sighed and took off her coat, leaving it to dry at the end of the bed. She hoped Kassein would come back so she could apologize.
However, he didn’t come back for a long time after that. Alezya waited until late, but only that man, Tievin, came much later to bring her some food for dinner.
As he stepped inside, she tried to ask him.
“Kassein?”
He glanced at her, and instead of answering, just shrugged and walked out.
Now she was upset. Did he not know, did he not care, or did he just not want to tell her?
She was tempted to go out and look for him, but it was now dark outside, and she was wary she’d face the dragon again. Although she had survived three out of three encounters with it, she didn’t want to push her luck and relive the experience again.
Thus, she ate in silence, feeling strangely lonely… She was listening for any sounds, any signs of Kassein coming back, but even long after she’d finished eating, nobody came to take the empty bowl away.
She sat on the bed, straightened her clothes, laid the coats on the bed, and combed her long hair with her fingers, thinking.
She had barely parted with her necklace since she’d gotten it back, and now that she was staring at this precious thing she’d set down on her lap, the darkness and loneliness were letting some dark thoughts creep in. What if she was wrong? What if her father didn’t have Lumie, what if he’d only found the necklace?
