It took everything in Emilio to not just throw something at that smug face, more so when Balsea’s soothing hands stopped on his back.

He wanted to groan and tell the fae to continue, but he had a feeling the display would only make the Prince more infuriating. He straightened and adjusted his robes which had gotten slightly out of place when Balsea had started massaging him.

Emilio greeted the boy with a shallow bow. “Your Highness.”

“How many times must I tell you?” The Prince said as he pushed off the doorframe and walked to the bed, making Emilio tense up. “It is Louise. I am not a Prince in the Academy.”

“Prince Louise,” he corrected, a stubborn tint to his voice.

The Prince out a long-suffering sigh, as if he was dealing with a child throwing a tantrum. Emilio resisted the urge to growl. This man had a talent for making him irrationally angry.

“I heard what happened,” he said as he pulled a chair near the bed and sat down. “There were rumors floating about. Of course, I got the details from Umrao. It was positively fascinating, the things that she said you could do.”

And the young Prince’s eyes were positively glinting. Emilio was pretty sure that was greed he saw in those blue eyes. He coveted him… more specifically, this strange power that he had. He heard a soft growl from behind him, the shuffling indicating that Balsea had moved closer. At the same time, he felt Sal slither onto his lap and raise his head to stare at the Prince. To his credit, Prince Louise did little more than raise his shoulders ever so slightly, seemingly unfazed.

Emilio exhaled softly. “Was that all, Your Highness?”

“Of course not, Emilio.” The young man tilted his head and brows furrowed into a slightly indignant frown. “I wished to see how you were doing. You cannot possibly think me so callus as to not inquire about your wellbeing when you went through such a harrowing ordeal.”

Yes, yes, he did. The Prince was putting up a show, he was sure of it. It was a charming, convincing show. He would have believed him too, if not for his deep-seated instincts and the Prince’s own intrusive actions.

He gently pressed on Balsea’s hand to prevent him from doing anything stupid and managed a smile. “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. As you can see, I am alright. I just need some rest.”

So, please, get out of this room and let me be

The Prince’s lips quirked up in amusement. It seemed he heard what was unsaid.

“Of course, of course.” He nodded sagely. “Rest is important, especially when you don’t have the mana to recover from fatigue.” Oh wow, he had to go there, huh? Such an asshole. He could tell that Sal agreed from the discontent hiss he let out.

His displeasure must have shown on his face as the Prince raised his hand in surrender. “Apologies. It is just that… you have been granted such an incredible power. I can understand it can sometimes be hard for your body to handle.”

Yes, of course, that was what you meant.

It took everything Emilio had to not roll his eyes at the Prince. Emilio knew he was being particularly uncharitable to the Prince, more so than to anyone he had ever been to, even those people who would insult him for being a Laik where he could hear and then insult his brother for being a bastard in the next breath and then shaking their heads in pity because “Poor Baron Florian had no decent heir.”

He could not help it, however. He had always been wary of the politics of the Capital, especially the Royal family. And he had been wary of the Prince from the beginning because all the things he had heard from his father about him. He had not honestly thought the Prince’s attention would be turned on him but thinking back he should have expected it. His father had told him that the Prince would one day become a ruthless yet competent Emperor, not just because he had outstanding abilities but he had the cunning and charm to pull talented people to his side and keep them there. He coveted talent, he coveted power, and he wanted to have all the incredible individuals he could find under his thumb.

His father had not outright said it, but Emilio was smart enough to glean the fact from his ramblings about the newest feud in the Imperial Family. Coming here, seeing it himself and talking to Duke Sullivan had only confirmed what he had suspected. Though he had not known the extent to which the Prince would go to get his way. And he had a feeling that he still didn’t know, what he was seeing was just a glimpse.

“Thank you,” he said again, pushing those thoughts out of his head. “But you truly need not worry. The endocorpus fluid is doing its job quite well.” He lifted his hand and showed the box tied to his wrist. “I only need to rest for today. Now, if that is all, Your Highness?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Please let this be all.

“No.”

Of course, it wasn’t. He cursed his luck.

Only his hand on Balsea’s kept him going all jittery from nervousness as the Prince leaned forward. “I hope this ordeal has not made you forget the promise you made me.”

Emilio blinked at the Prince for a moment. Promise? It took a moment of racking his brains but he quickly remembered, his eyes widening as he did so.

“Ah, it seemed you had forgotten it for a moment.” The Prince’s lips curled up in a smirk that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on their ends. “It happens. After all, you just went through something horrific. But I hope you will not forget from this moment on.”

He was gritting his teeth hard. He felt Balsea move beside him, a growl in their throat. Emilio tightened his hand on the fae’s. He could not have them push the Prince into insanity.

“When?” He asked, trying and failing not to sound strained.

“This weekend.” He smiled. “A bazaar sits in the town every Saturday. Be ready after breakfast.”

Emilio knew an order when he heard it.

“Listen here, you dam-”

“I understand, Your Highness,” he said, his voice and expression cold. Just this one day and he could get the man off his back. He was not willing to lose Sal over this.

“Very well.” He stood up, looking down at Emilio. For a moment, Emilio thought he saw that gaze soften. “I am glad you are alright.”

And with that, he turned and left.

It must have been his imagination.

“Emilio, why did you-”

“I already agreed, remember?” He turned to Balsea. “It’s just one day. It’s not a big deal.”

“But-”

“It’s fine. I am not about to go back on my word. Besides, I will get to see the town for the first time. I will find some way to enjoy myself. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

He squeezed Balsea’s hand. The fae sighed.

“If you say so.”

He gave a small nod. “Now, I really do need to rest.”

Balsea’s quickly shook their head. “No, wait, wait, you need to eat something first. If you lie down now, you will definitely go back to sleep. Just wait a few minutes, I will be back with food.”

They immediately dissipated on spot.

Emilio shook his head. He would never get used to that.

“I’ll wait, then.”

He settled in.

----------------------------------------

It was that call again.

That pull.

That pull on his entire being.

He couldn't help but follow it. He needed to find it. Where was it coming from? Why was it calling him? He felt like he would find something of himself there. He needed to get to it, grasp it and hold it to himself. It was his, his, his.

The world spun as he was suddenly pulled off his feet.

He gasped in air as his eyes snapped open. The air burned his throat as it went down and he realised he had not been breathing.

He tried to move, but then he realized… he wasn’t on his bed… or even on his two feet. He was being carried by someone, bridal style. His eyes widened and he began to squirm, panic beginning to set in.

“Relax,” a low voice whispered near his ear. A familiar voice. “It will be okay. I am taking you back to the Hub.”

“Your Grace?”

It was only now that the man carrying him looked down and he faced those deep ruby eyes of Duke Sullivan glinting slightly even in the dark.

“It’s Professor here,” the man corrected.

Emilio gulped. “Professor.” He then looked around. “Where are we?”

“A bit south of the dorms,” the man replied. “You were sleepwalking.”

He frowned. “Where was I going?”

“Somewhere you shouldn’t.”

It was that place, wasn’t it? That stretch of empty wall. What was there? Why shouldn’t he go there? And more importantly, why did he keep going there?

He exhaled softly, his eyes getting heavier by the second.

“It’s okay, you can go back to sleep,” the man said. “I will take you back to the Hub.”

Emilio wanted to resist. But his body felt heavy. He pressed his head against the man’s shoulder and passed out to the steady throbbing of the man’s pulse.