Page 68 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“Color me curious,” she said, tilting her head. “I do hope you didn’t make me cross half the continent during a blizzard for nothing!”
“We’re happy to see you well, Your Highness,” said the other woman, speaking on behalf of her partner.
Kassein glanced at her and finally gave her a faint nod of acknowledgment.
“Lorey.”
She smiled back politely, but Kiera wasn’t having it. She sighed.
“Come on, Kassein, what is it? If you called me of all people, it means you’re in some trouble that you can’t tell the others about, right?”
Kassein let out a faint sigh, annoyed at his older sister’s acumen, but he still turned around to guide them to his tent. Just like him, his sister had no need for winter coats, so the soldier who was still carrying one followed, unsure what to do until Lorey took it from him with a polite smile, causing him to blush. Then, with one look from Tievin, he quickly left the small group of four to go back to his tasks. While the siblings walked ahead, Lorey walked alongside Tievin, a few steps behind.
“How have you been, Tievin?”
“As well as one can be in this area of the Empire, my lady,” he said, wrapping his coat a bit more tightly around him.
“I feel you,” Lorey smiled. “I miss the heat of the south already. But I’m happy His Highness called Kiera for help... Is he really in a lot of trouble?”
“...I am not quite sure,” Tievin sighed. “You shall see for yourself in a minute.”
His words left Lorey curious, and she glanced ahead at the two siblings. Despite an eight-year age gap, the two of them were so similar that they looked like twins. She had always thought that the Prince looked older than his real age, and she found it even more true now that he had reached adulthood. He held a very stern, serious, cold demeanor, while his older sister was more youthful and carefree. Kiera was very tall for a woman, almost as tall as her brother, and quite toned too, with large shoulders and long limbs. They had the same very defined jaw, and amongst all their siblings, Kiera and Kassein were also the only ones to not have their father’s black eyes nor their mother’s pale green eyes, but a mix between the two, a mysterious darkgreen. Seeing the two of them walk together made Lorey smile; the pair hadn’t seen each other in a long while, but Kiera hadn’t hesitated a second before hopping on her brother’s dragon’s back to see what he needed her for.
Finally, they reached the Prince’s tent, and he seemed to tense up a little before the entrance. Kiera raised an eyebrow.
“Kassein, what kind of mess did you get into this time?”
“...You’ll see.”
Lorey and Kiera exchanged a glance, both curious, while Kassein led the way into his tent. When they walked in, they were surprised to find a woman there, in what ought to be the Prince’s bed, staring at them with a confused and nervous expression.
Immediately, Lorey knew that woman wasn’t from the Dragon Empire. Her skin color, her silky black hair, her eyes, and everything about her felt foreign. Kiera slapped her brother’s shoulder.
“You animal!”
“I haven’t touched her!” he protested.
“I can confirm, Your Highness,” said Tievin, clearing his throat while the siblings glared at each other. “The Commander in Chief has merely been caring for this tribeswoman for the past few days. He graciously left her his bed out of concern for her health.”
“What happened to her?” Lorey asked, who had immediately noticed the bruises and bandages.
“We don’t really know,” Kassein admitted, still rubbing his arm. “I found her in the mountains; some of the tribespeople were attacking her. They were about to kill her...”
“And you got involved?” Kiera guessed. “Gods, you’re so much like Dad... So you saved her? And then? She’s been here all along?”
“No. I did send her back to her tribe yesterday morning. At least, I tried. We parted ways in the mountains when she decided to, after sunrise, but just an hour later... Kein brought her back, and she... looked like this. Worse than when I left her.”
“Gods,” Lorey muttered, shocked. “Her own people did this to her?”
“Twice,” Kassein insisted, glaring at his sister.
“How awful...”
Alezya was staring at the four of them, legitimately confused about what was happening and who the two women were. Her eyes kept going between the four of them, frowning and nervously pulling the blanket to her. After a little while, Kassein went to sit next to her legs on the bed, not too close.
“...Her name is Alezya,” he said while looking at her.
Alezya stared at him once she heard her name, understanding that he might be explaining the situation to those women. Then, he turned back to his sister.
