Back at the palace, Valerie was seen awake in his study, unable to sleep. Ever since that ball, he has not been able to relax, the memories of Islinda playing over and over in his mind without stopping. He had panicked and denied their relationship in front of his parents and the entire kingdom.
But what could he do? Everything had taken him by surprise. That bastard Aldric had intentionally put him in the spotlight and he couldn’t do anything. Even now that he thought about it, his fist clenched in anger only to relax when Islinda’s face came up in his mind.
He missed her. Valerie longed for her so much that he couldn’t breathe. He wondered how she was doing under Aldric’s care. His bastard brother must have hurt her already, Valerie closed his eyes and winced at the memory of Aldric watching her.
If he hit her.... If Aldric dared to touch a hair on her body, he promised to kill him with his bare hands. Valerie would have gone over to Aldric’s place by now, but he needed a plan. He couldn’t just go to the dark prince’s haven and drag Islinda away, especially if the both of them brokered a deal.
There was always a catch when dealing with a Fae, and knowing how evil Aldric was, he probably deceived her and now she was unfairly stuck with him. Either Islinda lived out the terms of their deal or he convinced Aldric to make another one with him.
Unfortunately, Valerie knew what Aldric wanted and it was his crown. It was never going to happen. Not to mention, his mother had her eyes on him and his movements were monitored. It seems that with his time away in the human realm, Derek had gotten close to the queen and he had no idea where the Fae’s loyalty lay for now.
However, Valerie was determined to remedy that. There was only so much the Queen Mother’s influence could reach and he would not let her control him. He failed to protect Islinda from his brother Aldric and brought her into this realm unprepared, the least he could do is keep her safe by his side. She protected him in the human realm, he had to return the favor.
The door to his room opened and in came Derek causing him to lower the parchment he hadn’t been able to concentrate on for a while now. As the next to the throne, King Oberon gives him a fair share of his workload and he provides a solution.
When it wasn’t about land disputes, unfulfilled deals, or attacks from their enemies, it was usually a Fae seducing another’s wife or husband, or worse stealing humans away from their homes. In one way, the Fae realm was not that different from the human realm considering the drama never ends.
"Your Highness," Derek called his attention, standing before him.
"What is it?" Valerie asked, shifting back an enclosed glass lamp that had lava fire floating inside of it, creating space where he lowered the parchment amongst the others.
"There is something you need to see," Derek told him.
And that was how Valerie found himself leaving his chambers to visit the spring prince’s residence. Unlike Aldric, each of the princes had their quarters in the palace and lived there. Valerie was a bit surprised about their abrupt visit to Theodore’s place considering his brothers were not around for the ball.
However, when he came into his brother’s chambers, he finally understood why Derek had brought him here. Theodore was present and he was injured. Not only him, but Andre was too as if they both planned to return at the exact moment.
But Valerie could not take his eyes off the commotion in the room. Theodore was sprawled out on the bed and about three healers were attending to him. There was blood everywhere, even on the sheet he lay on and he was bare-chested, revealing the deep wound below his shoulder blades.
Although the wound was healing, one other stood out and it was the long gash across his chest. It was oozing black blood and the wound felt familiar it made his brows furrow.
"What’s going on here?" He asked, finally drawing the attention of his brother Andre who had been staring out into space.
"Brother," Theodore gritted out, noticing his presence.
Andre stepped over to him, "You’re here."
"I wasn’t informed that both of you would make an epic return to the palace," Valerie said lightly even though the sight of the wound bothered him.
"It’s Aldric. He did this to me." Theodore informed him, wincing when the healer Fae pushed too much magic into the wound and he glared at her in warning.
"Aldric did this to you?" Valerie appeared shocked by the information, before his anger rose to the surface, evidenced by his pupils glowing golden with obsidian black rings.
"What are you talking about?" Valerie asked with his brows narrowed, waiting for more details.
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