Page 51 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
It was strange, a bit unsettling, and yet it made her feel safe and grateful. But Alezya tried not to think about it too deeply and blew her feelings away. She couldn’t get over how stiffly he’d reacted to her hugging him, and it made her embarrassed. She’d been foolish. Perhaps she’d misread the way he looked at her all along... It would be too late to know now. She had to leave, so those questions would perhaps never be answered. Alezya drifted back to sleep, with a bit of a heartache.
The next morning, she woke up first.
She felt refreshed, but her heart was still heavy. Now that she was faced with the prospect of going back, she felt nervousto face her father again. She wanted to see her daughter so bad though and confirm that she was fine that she couldn’t hesitate.
While Kassein slept, she quickly got dressed. She must have made a bit of noise though, for Kassein slowly woke up just as she was almost done and making the bed. Their gazes met, and she found herself blushing before she could control it.
“Kassein...”
It was frustrating that she couldn’t have him understand her with words, but even if she did, she didn’t know what she would have said.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem upset at all. He nodded and slowly got up, quietly stretching his impressive figure; rarely had she seen such an imposing man.
Since he was half-naked again, she could see there were far fewer orange scales than the previous day and more human skin. So those scales were really healing him...
She was still completely shocked at the phenomenon, but that only made her even more curious about the scars he did have. Some were atrocious and made her wonder if her people had done that. She wouldn’t dare ask, however.
She simply waited as he got dressed, including his hard plating and his sword, wondering how to tell him she was leaving.
“Alezya.”
To her surprise, as soon as he was done, he walked up to her first and handed her something. She opened her hands to receive the small object, curious as to what it was.
It was a long and thin piece of fabric, one she’d never seen before. It was incredibly smooth, but surprisingly cool to the touch, and without any imperfection like one would expect in something made with leather or wool. From a closer look, it seemed to have been woven somehow, but at such a tiny scale that the naked eye only saw a smooth surface. The color wasvibrant too, a rare purple color that could never be so dashing in the wild, except for gemstones.
She was shocked to be handed something that seemed so rare and precious, and a long string of it too! She glanced up at him, confused.
Was this a gift for her? What was she to do with it? Did women of his kind wear it on their clothes, or as an accessory? It was undeniably pretty, but she was clueless as to what to do with his gift, and she feared offending him again.
To her relief, Kassein smiled and took it from her. Then, he gestured for her to turn around, and she did, feeling a bit nervous, wondering if he was to put it around her neck.
Alezya almost jumped when she felt him touch her hair.
She’d never had a man touch her hair before! A woman’s hair was sacred, and only women could touch it, except for one’s husband!
Still, she battled with her instincts to stay still, well aware Kassein couldn’t possibly know about that.
Now she was curious as to what he was doing. Married women could tie up their hair, but since her own marriage had been annulled by her kind, she couldn’t be seen with her hair up, or she’d risk another beating.
She wondered what the elders would think of her letting a Dragon Clan man do her hair... but she kind of enjoyed it. Despite his large hands, Kassein’s fingers were very gentle, not pulling at any point, just combing through and moving the strands in a mysterious way. It made her nape feel a bit hot, and blood rushed to her cheeks again. Alezya tried to ignore those feelings again and stay still.
Moreover, it felt like Kassein knew exactly what he was doing, and she could feel him quickly move through her strands, combing it here and there with his fingers, and tying the longstrand of that strange fabric in it. When his fingers finally left her hair, she couldn’t help but let out a faint sigh of relief.
Then, he stepped back, and she was free to touch and feel what he’d done. Just from what she could visualize, it ought to be pretty.
He’d braided the sides while leaving the rest to hang loose, with a pretty, butterfly-like knot binding some of her hair together at her nape. Her hair wasn’t too tightly done like a married woman’s hairstyle, but it wasn’t as free and loose as her people would expect from a rejected woman either. It was in some strange area in between, out of the norms.
She liked it. The idea that such a vibrant, unique thing was adorning her hair made her feel ten times prettier. She felt guilty for feeling so when so many things were going on, but it made for a wonderful parting gift from him. She wished she had something to give to him, but the only thing she owned was her mother’s necklace, which she wanted to give to no one but Lumie.
Alezya turned back around and smiled at him, hoping to convey how grateful she was. Kassein nodded, but he quickly avoided her gaze again, making her feel dejected. Instead, he went to the fire and began cooking something in a pan.
Eggs! The biggest eggs she’d ever seen too. What kind of animal did those come from...?
She’d been lucky enough to find eggs twice before, but those were about three times the size of the ones she’d found! They were much bigger than most birds she knew, except for rare vulture eggs. Although she’d hoped to leave as soon as possible, her stomach immediately begged for a taste of those before she went. She’d need the strength after all.
Even worse, Kassein brought out something she assumed to be bread, but a different bread from the type she knew. Everything was done cooking in a matter of minutes, and soon,a plate full of eggs, bread, and fruits was pushed into her hands. Alezya sighed, but she resolved herself to eat nonetheless, knowing she’d need the strength, and guilt wouldn’t do her any good.
Moreover, she didn’t know when she’d have her next decent meal, as she wasn’t foolish enough to expect a warm welcome once she got back. It would even be a miracle if her life wasn’t harder than before, after what she’d pulled... although she was going there blind about her father’s intentions. She only hoped Lumie had been properly fed all this time. Her father couldn’t be bothered with taking care of a child he didn’t acknowledge, so she silently prayed the clan’s nannies or her cousin had at least fed her decently.
