Sleeping on clouds is supposedly the most comfortable.
The jaded young prince disagreed. Just because the large collection of water and vapor looked fluffy from a distance, that didn't mean it would be comfortable. Even if it were possible to rest on it, it would likely be closer to sleeping inside a refrigerator. And Reis happened to know a few things about that feeling.
Compared to the fuzzy, hollow gathering of ice crystals, his bed at the palace was much more comfortable. It could fit four of him and still have enough leg space for two more. The pillows were so soft, they collapsed like soft cotton.
Reis couldn't ask for anything more. Well, other than some peace. Also, for the butler to stop sobbing like a young mother. Sobbing was technically better than the initial breakdown that could've flooded his house, but it was still frustrating.
"Keith, even if I died, I'm sure his majesty wouldn't have fired you." Reis attempted to assure his butler. Even the queen had recovered from the grief of almost losing her child, but this employee was just too emotional. "Can't you assure him, father? He'll stop if you promise to give him an alternative job in such a case."
The identical set of eyes met for half a second before Reis looked away anxiously. Scary.
King Aldric's expression wasn't just scary. It was vicious. Reis would surely drown in cold sweat if he looked too long. He had showered only an hour ago; he didn't want to get all sweaty.
It wasn't just Reis, though. No one was meeting their king's gaze. The royal family wasn't even meeting each other's gaze.
The scene from the morning was still too vivid in their mind.
A bloodied body. Lying still inside the carriage. They had really thought their prince had returned lifeless.
The incident had traumatised the people living inside the palace more than the victim.
"Um…I'm fine now. Really." Reis's attempt at assuring the small crowd in his room earned him another scornful glare.
The bedridden prince didn't understand what he did to earn this contempt. It wasn't like he had kidnapped himself.
And he really was fine. He'd been fine since long before he started acting half dead. He gave it his all to make it work. But, in the end, it ended up working too well.
"Could you at least ask Lunive to stop tearing the curtains?"
Why was she even doing that? Those were great curtains as far as he was concerned. They were long enough to hide behind and thick enough so his morning nap wouldn't be harmed.
"Fine? Do you have any idea how much blood you lost?" The eldest princess asked. More like, accused.
A bag, maybe?
There was so much blood that one could throw up without an actual injury. Logically speaking, lacking that much wouldn't do anything to him.
"And that bruise on your neck, you're saying it doesn't hurt?" The queen added for better measurement.
Not really. At least not enough for him to be facing this cross-interrogation.
"They dare lay their hand on a prince." Reis ignored the mutterings guiltily.
The weak prince couldn't just go ahead and say that these weren't really the kidnappers' fault. One was the result of his own foolishness, the other…an unpredictable mishap. But if he said that, he'd need to explain why and how. It was easier to push the blame onto the supposed criminals.
Speaking of criminals, "Have they woken up?"
"Not yet." Was the injury that severe? Reis hadn't seen them after the guardian's fine work. He could only imagine their states.
"Counselor Spruce has already been stripped of his title and power. We have captured his kin. You don't need to worry about that anymore." Aldric assured. It was the end for that man, whether he woke up or not. But he wasn't going to let him die before returning the pain tenfold.
"What about the one who hired him?"
Counselor Spruce wasn't Reis's primary concern. And he was already captured and exposed. More than the defeated enemy, the unwilling prince was more concerned about someone who could even plan to make him work.
"Hired him?"
Reis looked across the room once before deciding to give his testimony and be done with it. "Yes. The one he was going to hand me over to, cause apparently that person had some use for me."
"The counselor was sure I would never find my way back, so he didn't hold back on information." Pause, "Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it back either. I guess I was lucky this time."
Fear of working actually brought him back to his workplace. If the prince's name wasn't so long, Reis would have taken irony as his middle name.
"Maw…" He looked at the kitten, who suddenly left the comfort of the pillow to rub against his shoulder, missing the horrified expression on Ceron and Aldric's faces. Maybe it was better if he didn't see it.
Did it really think he was its mother?
|Yes.|
"Keith, bring some milk."
The still sobbing butler looked at him, confused. The third prince hated drinking milk on its own. It was such a hassle when he was younger. Although Keith had only heard stories of it, he had the gist of it.
"For the cat," Reis added with an annoyed sigh.
"Oh! Right away!" The usually poised butler scrambled to get food for the cat instead of the master. What could he do? He didn't know what food to serve to the pale prince.
As soon as the door closed, Reis finally looked at Aldric, "Father, I would like to hire a personal guard."
"Having a personal guard may be a safety issue. We cannot risk it." Aldric answered as if he were expecting it.
"I know, Father. But having fifty guards surveilling me didn't really do anything for my safety." Reis added bitterly. "Did you really make me fix all the security gaps at the expense of my sleep, just so I could be abducted the next day?"
Reis knew there was no answer to this question; that's why he brought it up. "If having someone protecting me instead of guarding me like a criminal puts me in danger, so be it."
It was a danger. Danger to his mortal soul. But at least no one could harm him with that being protecting him. "And there are enough of us; me not being here wouldn't cause many disruptions."
"ANN!"
It sounded harsh, sure. Mean even. But it was the truth. "So, Your Majesty, please grant me permission."
Aldric remained quiet for a while. He knew he had failed. Despite everything he had done, this child ended up getting harmed.
He could tell who the candidate was. Among the two people the prince had brought along, one was but a child. So it had to be the other.
"How can you trust him?"
The system said he won't harm me intentionally.
|...|