Page 62 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“Get to your point.”
Tievin let out a faint sigh. Of course, the Prince wouldn’t want his older brother, the Emperor, to be aware of what was happening here.
In fact, he wanted nothing to do with him so much that Tievin had mentioned “the Imperial Palace” rather than saying his name out loud.
However, they couldn’t act too carelessly, or it would be detrimental in the future. Tievin was worried that if some things were learned too late, Prince Kassein would alienate his own family even more.
“Have you considered... asking for help–”
“No.”
Tievin hadn’t even finished his sentence, but Kassein had answered firmly with a tone that wouldn’t allow another similar suggestion. He suppressed the words in his mouth. Perhaps it was too soon, or he’d find another way. There was always another way. Although his relationship with his older brother was the most complex, the Prince still had six other siblings, loving parents, and uncles and aunts who would no doubt come to his aid if he ever asked for it. The hardest part would be, of course, for him to ever actually ask for anyone’s help.
For now, he was unwilling to confide in anyone or to allow anyone near Alezya. Something was definitely shifting, and for once, Tievin couldn’t predict where that would lead them. He just hoped this woman wasn’t going to increase the wedge between the two brothers even more.
He remained silent for a few more seconds, then announced he was going back to his tent, the soldier from the medical unit quietly following him, leaving the two of them alone.
The tent fell completely silent after they’d left.
It was late, but Kassein didn’t feel sleepy at all; he felt angry. He hadn’t felt so infuriated in a long time. If he weren’t so worried about Alezya’s state, he would have immediately gone after whoever had done this. Truthfully, he was ready to burn the whole mountain down. But she had a fever, and with her injuries so visible, making her suffer so much, he felt bound to her side. He couldn’t entrust anyone else to watch her, and he couldn’t leave her alone in his tent. He knew Kein had gone on a rampage in the mountains about an hour ago, and he didn’t care. For once, he felt grateful for his dragon’s madness. He only wished he’d been up there too, going after whoever had done this to her.
Her injuries were hard to look at, not because of their appearance, but because he could imagine the pain she’d gone through. From the bruises on her arms, she’d tried to protect herself, and yet her head was covered in bruises still. His blood boiled even more, thinking how quickly this must have happened.
There hadn’t been much time from when they parted ways to when Kein brought her back. Did her people attack her as soon as she had gotten back? Why? Did she know this would happen? If so, why had she chosen to go back anyway?
Kassein stared at the tears that had dried on her cheeks. He hated not knowing. He hated that they’d made her cry and hurther, and he hated that there was nothing he could understand about all this. He wished she could explain why she’d gone back, why she’d risked all this.
However, right now, what he wanted most was for her to be at peace and safe. He’d protect her. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
He sighed and readjusted his position against the bed. He didn’t want to sleep; he wanted Alezya to know she was safe now. Whatever had happened to her, he wouldn’t let it happen again. Perhaps Tievin hadn’t realized, but Kassein didn’t just want to keep Alezya in the camp; he never wanted to let her go back.
Still, his Intendant’s words stayed in his mind. He hated asking for help and he certainly didn’t want any from Kassian. He’d be the last person he’d ask help from, ever. And anyway, what could his older brother help with? He’d be the first one to send Alezya back to whatever hell she came from.
Even if it wasn’t his older brother, Kassein didn’t want to ask for help from his family. If one of them knew, they would all know, and it would only be a matter of time before the Emperor was aware. He didn’t want that, he didn’t even want his parents to know what was happening here. He liked being left alone, he liked that the North Army was his refuge, the one place he didn’t feel watched. He’d been sent here as a punishment, but now, it had become his best excuse to ignore them. He hated his family’s suffocating concern and the more distance he put between himself and them, the better. And this was the farthest place from them he’d managed to get to.
Still, there might be another option. Someone else he hadn’t considered before... He turned his eyes to the fire, thinking. That might not be the worst idea. Out of all the people he knew, only they could help Alezya, and they wouldn’t snitch either, as they wanted their family’s attention even less than he did.
The hardest part would be finding them; he hadn’t seen them in months, had no idea where they were, and they most likely didn’t want to be found. If it was for him though, he knew they’d come. He turned his eyes back to Alezya. He was still reluctant to bring anyone to the camp, but Tievin’s words did hold some truth. If she were to stay, Alezya would need help.
By the next morning, at sunrise, Kassein had made up his mind. He’d barely slept, but his mind was clear, and he was now determined.
He waited until one of the medical unit soldiers showed up at dawn, visibly surprised to find him still seated by the bed and awake.
“C-Commander, did you not sleep at all...?” the man whispered.
Kassein didn’t answer and instead, stood up.
He glanced at Alezya as if to be sure she was still there. Her tears had dried, and at last, she seemed to be getting some proper rest.
She’d only woken up a couple of times during the night to drink medicinal herbal tea and gone right back to sleep. He could tell something was weighing heavily on her heart, but for now, he was happy to let her rest. He was annoyed that he couldn’t do more, but she had already drank the only bottle of lake water he had, and he wouldn’t get another one without going back to the Imperial Palace, which was a hard no.
He stepped out of the tent, stretching his sore limbs. The only issue with scales appearing to heal him was that they were stiff and often reduced his mobility since they were not as stretchy as his actual skin. He hated the sensation of dryness they gave him, but he had to ignore it, for he knew it was only temporary. The weather outside was beautiful again, with a clear sky and the first streaks of sunlight over a fresh, white coat ofsnow. Kassein wasn’t moved by that beauty; he only walked up to his dragon.
Kein was lying beside the tent, and the dragon was awake. It glared at its owner as soon as it saw him, although it was too lazy to lift its head. Only a few swift flickers of its tail, throwing waves of snow left and right showed its annoyance. Kassein planted his feet before his dragon, glaring right back down at it.
“Find them.”
Kein answered with an annoyed growl and moved its head in another direction, very obviously ignoring his order. Kassein took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He’d expected this much; it was only fair his dragon would be as reluctant to leave Alezya as he was.
