Page 180 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“...There aretwoeggs,” Lorey said, pointing a finger at the eggs.
“I guess my brother wasthatefficient,” Kiera scoffed.
“Weren’t Darsan’s triplets’ dragons all born from the same egg?” Lorey insisted. “His wife mentioned their egg was huge, and that’s how they figured early on that she was expecting more than one...”
“Oh yeah,” Kiera laughed. “Serves him right! That big dumb Dran probably had a great time popping that giant egg out of his–”
“We aren’t actually sure how dragons lay eggs, mylady,” Tievin interrupted her, rubbing his eyelids, “so I would hardlysuggest we make assumptions about the... state of them after said eggs appear. What we do know is that they always have them in the place they consider safe, consider home, and away from human eyes. And Lady Lorey is right. There have hardly been any records of dragons having... multiple eggs at one time. Arguably, there haven’t been any multiple births in a long time either. Lord Darsan’s triplets are quite a unique record in the Empire’s history.”
“...It doesn’t matter,” Kassein finally said after a few seconds. “Alezya is with child,mychild. She needs to come back here.”
He turned his eyes back to Lumie, who had her cheek against his torso, her mouth in a cute little “o” while her pale eyes were riveted on the dragon eggs, full of curiosity. Even if it wasn’t for her, Kassein would have been dead set on bringing Alezya back, but thanks to Lumie and the pregnancy, there was no doubt in his mind that this was where she needed to be.
Everything was finally making sense. Alezya had done it all to save her baby, this baby girl, and he loved her all the more for it. Perhaps he should have been hurt that she chose her child over him or that she’d left him again, but there wasn’t any place for negative feelings in his heart.
Instead, looking at the precious little girl in his arms made him feel even more for her mother. He was going to be a father too, and he understood. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. Alezya was a strong woman and a dedicated mother, and he adored her for it. Whatever was important to her would be important to him too, and he already knew Lumie now resided at the top of his priority list.
He loved that child. He didn’t need time to get to know her or to come to terms with feelings. It was just a plain truth that had appeared as bright as day, and he didn’t need to question it.He’d felt love for Alezya the second he’d met her, and Lumie had just barreled into his life the very same way.
Not only because she was Alezya’s, he realized, but because she had made her mother the strong and beautifully resilient woman that she was today. The Alezya he knew had already given birth to Lumie and had been made braver and stronger by her identity as Lumie’s mother.
And now, her mother was gone, and while she was under his protection, her future sibling wasn’t. Kassein let out a heavy sigh and lifted the child higher against him, pressing his lips against her white curls of hair.
“I’ll bring her back,” he whispered his promise. “I’ll bring her back.”
There were a few seconds of silence, during which his sister rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. Tievin stepped closer to the pair of eggs, took out a notepad from somewhere under his layer of coats, and started frantically taking notes.
Lorey walked up next to Kassein and smiled at the glimpse of the toddler bundled in his arms.
“...How will you get her back?” she asked. “Kein would have brought her back already if it was possible, which means she’s somewhere a dragon can’t reach... I doubt she would have gone through all this hurt to be apart from her daughter again if she could avoid it. Wherever she is away from you two, she is there against her will. I don’t know what she promised her people in exchange for sending Lumie to you, but it cannot be good, Kassein. Not when she is carrying your child or children.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “I’ll find her and bring her home.”
And the Onyx Castle would be their home, he realized.
There was a reason Kein had chosen to lay its eggs here, and it meant this was the place that Kassein considered home.
In retrospect, that was the last physical place Kassein had actually truly felt happy in. He was in the North Camp out of necessity, and he had loathed every second back in the Capital. In contrast, the Onyx Castle retained many happy childhood memories, and he had liked seeing Alezya stand here too.
He made up his mind right there and then: he and Alezya would move here the second his war with the Northern tribes was over.
It wouldn’t take long for this place to be ready for a family to live in, and it would make sense that as the ruler of the north, he would be more efficient at revitalizing the area from its stronghold.
Gently, he put Lumie back into Lorey’s arms.
“Stay here with her,” he said. “Watch the eggs.”
Those eggs were all the hope Kassein needed. If Kein had eggs, that meant Alezya was pregnant, and most importantly, alive.
“I will,” Lorey agreed immediately. “This place has everything needed for a child, and I can keep Kiki here to come to you if anything happens.”
“What about us?” Kiera asked her brother, fists on her hips. “You never replied to my question earlier. Did Kassian give his blessing or whatever?”
“He did.”
His sister raised an eyebrow, but after a beat, she nodded.
Although it was surprising that Kassein had gotten their older brother to concede the north to him, she knew he wouldn’t be lying about such a matter. Therefore, she had to believe him, no matter how surprising.
