Page 54 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Still, she couldn’t let her memories linger for too long. She walked in with a dreadful feeling. Lumie. She was going to see and hold Lumie again; that was all that mattered.
She’d only been gone for a handful of days, and yet everything seemed different. Despite walking through those familiar stone walls, Alezya felt like a complete stranger. The sounds of her clan’s people getting started with their day couldn’t have felt more foreign to her.
She already knew she didn’t belong to this world anymore; she was only visiting because of circumstances she couldn’t avoid. She’d only come back to get her daughter, that’s all she knew for certain. What would happen once she and Lumie were reunited, she couldn’t tell. She was scared to think of what her father had in store for her. Truth be told, she was terrified to face that man again. After what she’d done, she was expecting the worst punishment she’d ever faced. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t help but fear the pain. She only hoped he wouldn’t kill her, and the beating wouldn’t be so bad that she’d be too injured to care for Lumie or make the right decisions. Perhaps they’d have to flee again, which was very likely.
The first people she crossed paths with all seemed shocked to see her, so much so that they stopped whatever they were doing to stare. As she met more and more of them having the same reaction, Alezya gradually realized they’d thought her dead. For some reason, her father hadn’t let the rest of the clan know about what had happened, or about her survival. To them, it was like she’d come back from the dead. Did only his henchmen know? It was even more puzzling.
Alezya wasn’t surprised not to be greeted, but at least, none stopped her. She kept walking, the nervousness building up in her stomach. Never had those tunnels and caves felt so oppressing; she felt like she was walking in a snow leopard’s den.
After taking another corner toward the largest cave, one of the guards finally acknowledged her presence with a disdainful look.
“He’s waiting for you,” he simply said, making a head movement toward the next area.
Alezya didn’t answer and kept going, even more nervous. Of course her father knew she was coming back, he ought to have been informed. But the fact that he was waiting for her was nerve-wracking.
When she finally walked into the clan’s main cave, she was surprised to find it mostly empty. It should have been busier than that at this time of the day, but right now, there were only a few of her father’s men, the elders, her cousin’s husband, and, dominating them all by his position and seated on top of a rock while they were all on the fur-covered floor, her father. That was all.
The fact that no woman was present puzzled Alezya. They only sent the women away when they were about to make important decisions. Despite feeling cornered, she came forward and stood in the middle of the circle they formed, ready to face them.
Getting Lumie back was all she wanted.
“...Daughter,” her father greeted her, with a sarcastic tone. “You’re back.”
His strange attitude made Alezya even more worried he was about to reveal something bad. Him calling her his daughter when he’d considered her like a thorn in his side all along was the strangest thing too.
She’d have preferred his usual fit of rage; at least she knew what to expect with those…
“Where’s my daughter?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“She is alive,” her father said.
“I want my daughter,” Alezya insisted. “Right away.”
“You’re in no position to make any demands,” one of the elders scolded her.
Alezya scoffed, putting on a scornful expression.
“Aren’t I?” she retorted, trying to put some confidence in her tone. “Since you kept her alive and summoned me back, it feels like you’re expecting something from me. If that’s the case, you won’t get anything until I have my child back.”
“You little–!”
But her father raised his hand, cutting the older man off. There truly was something odd afoot, Alezya thought. He would have been the first to slap her for her arrogance.
The vicious smile he showed didn’t help ease her worries.
“As I said, your child is alive and well. Your cousin and the nannies have been taking care of her. I can assure you.”
She had a hard time believing a word of his, but Alezya darted her eyes at her cousin’s husband, who nodded to confirm her father’s words.
She felt a bit relieved. They wouldn’t have dared to come up with such a lie, or at least she hoped so. Nevertheless, she had to be sure. She couldn’t act weak and compromise on Lumie’s safety.
“I want to see her,” she insisted. “With my own eyes.”
“You will,” her father nodded, “but first, we have questions for you. We know where you were all this time.”
Of course they knew.
Perhaps her father had meant to intimidate her with that accusatory tone, but Alezya truly couldn’t care much about what he thought. Her child’s life had been threatened and she’d fled, why would she have felt apologetic on top of that? She owed them nothing, and certainly no loyalty. She wouldn’t even have been standing here if it wasn’t for Lumie; she hadn’t come back for any other reason.
