"Your Highness," Iris exclaimed in a silent whisper.

"Iris, what happened while I was gone? Why is my wife crying in her sleep?"

Iris swallowed. "Forgive me for my incompetency, your highness."

Aleric walked towards his favorite seat, his footstep as silent as a phantom. He sat with his legs crossed, exuding the temper of a powerful sovereign.

"Iris, kindly brief me on what happened while I was gone." But there is not an ounce of kindness in his voice.

Crown Prince Aleric is not the kind who verbally lashes out when angry. Nor is his anger visible on his face. That is why a lot of people who knew the crown prince wondered why he was called a barbaric prince when he has a very good temper.

However, only those who have served under him for a very long time know the terrible temper of the crown prince of Aradhya.

They may not be able to see it on his face, but they could feel it from the way the atmosphere would suddenly turn cold and gloomy. The Crown Prince also tends to become reckless when he's angry. Half of the cities and kingdoms they destroyed were because the crown prince was in a bad mood. But that isn't the reason why he got his barbarian title. It was because of something else that he did a long time ago.

Iris was about to speak when they heard movements. Their eyes shifted toward the bed, and they saw a slender figure slowly rising from her cradle.

The dim light failed to hide her ethereal countenance. Her audience, hiding in the dark corner of the room, was left in astonishment as they watched her eyes flutter open. It was as though they were watching the climax of a play—no one dared to move or make a sound in anticipation.

A pair of beautiful emerald eyes graced her dumb-stricken audience while she tried to get used to the darkness. But there seems to be something wrong with her pair of orbs. They look lifeless. Like a jewel that lost its shine.

Ingrid's eyes wandered in the dark room until they settled on a certain place.

“You’re back!" She exclaimed in a tone slightly louder than a whisper, her voice a bit livelier than it had been these past few days.

Iris didn't know which surprised her more: the fact that the mere presence of his highness easily livened Ingrid's face or how Ingrid managed to notice Crown Prince Aleric despite how dark it was. Furthermore, she was certain that the room had become darker than before as it reacted to Crown Prince Aleric's mood.

Like a child who met her father after a long time, Ingrid got off the bed, stumbling in the dark as she tried to find Aleric in the darkness. That's when Iris realized that Ingrid did not see the crown prince—she sensed his presence. But that doesn't make it any less surprising.

It wasn't long since Lady Ingrid met the Crown Prince. The times that they interacted could be counted with one finger. So how could she easily tell that the presence she felt was not Iris's or someone else's?

Aleric caught Ingrid by the waist before she fell on her face.

“You’re back…hic…you’re finally back…”

There was relief in her voice.

Iris finally understood. The reason she locked herself in her room, hiding in the darkness, was not because she wanted to hide from those who wanted to harm her. It was because she felt safe in the darkness the way she did around the crown prince.

All this time, could she be waiting for Crown Prince Aleric to arrive?

“I’m back,” Crown Prince Aleric whispered, wrapping her in a tight embrace. He lifted Ingrid off the ground and placed her on his lap as he sat in his favorite seat.

Ingrid nestled in his arms, her shoulders heaving as she continued to cry her eyes out. Aleric, who knew nothing about comforting a lady, intuitively began rubbing Ingrid's back to soothe her while giving her tiny kisses here and there.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Iris watched as all of this unfolded. She made herself invisible, not wanting to disturb them.

If she were to be honest, she was extremely worried. Those people who ambushed them aren’t ordinary. Although the guard knights with them that day were from the second team, it was still not that easy to deal with them. She would know. After all, she sparred with them before. To be able to avoid their detection and swiftly kill them without a fight...there are only a handful of people she thinks could achieve such a feat. But none of them fits the profile.

When she fought those men in white robes, she could tell how eager they were to kill Lady Ingrid. Since their first assassination attempt failed, they are most likely going to attack again. This time, they will be sending stronger assassins. That was why, these past few days, she had been on guard. Although the Dahlia Palace is probably the safest place in the empire, with a traitor in their midst, she wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

It is a good thing that his Highness, the crown prince, has returned. With him around, she could stand, relieved that Lady Ingrid would be safe.

“It seems that a lot of things happened while I was away."

Iris was pulled back to reality. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ingrid had once again fallen asleep on Crown Prince Aleric's lap.

Iris began to recount everything that occurred. She told Aleric everything, including her speculation about the young boy and the identities of the two adults that were possibly with him.

“They must have already stabilized their stronghold in the south. It seems that their next target is the east,” Crown Prince Aleric muttered to himself. “How lucky! I’ve been worried about where to insert a visit to the south to catch them in my schedule. Who would have thought that they would come out on their own? It seems that the heavens are helping me ha ha!”

Iris, used to the Crown Prince monologue, did not reply.

"Oh, and what about that little traitor?”

Iris’ eye cautiously glanced at Ingrid, who was sleeping like a child, as she answered, “Forgive me, your highness. She was more cunning than I expected. I believe she may be the one working with those unknown assassins. But she couldn’t have done such a giant and intricate operation on her own. As the grand duke might’ve already guessed, there might be more moles hiding in the dukedom.”

"No, there is only one mole,” he stated. “The rest are probably just unfortunate puppets who were manipulated to do her bidding. Some of them might not even know they were being used.”

“Then, what should we do?”

“What can we do?” Aleric stood from his seat, carrying Ingrid with him. “To catch a mouse, you need a trap. And to lure the mouse into the trap, you will need the perfect bait that she cannot resist."

Crown Prince Aleric gently laid Ingrid on the bed. Ingrid frowned when she felt the warm embrace leave her. He smiled, amused, and began smoothing the creases on her forehead.

“What about the pouch, your highness? Should we check its content?”

Aleric placed a finger on his lips. His missing warmth has caused Ingrid to wake up. He smiled helplessly at the situation.

“It’s rude to open a gift that isn’t yours," he said, patting Iris on the shoulder before attending to Ingrid.

“You're awake. How are you feeling?”He asked in a gentle voice foreign to Iris.

Ingrid froze for a moment. She strained her eyes to look at the man beside her with a hint of surprise.

“You…why are you here?”

Aleric was taken aback. It seems that she didn’t remember what happened earlier. Could she have been sleepwalking?

He teasingly smiled and said, “Of course, to get my bride.”

“But there’s still three days…” Realizing what she just said, Ingrid quickly closed her mouth.

“What three days?” He asked, making his voice sound sensuous on purpose as his face leaned closer to Ingrid.

Aleric chuckled when she looked away, flustered. It is really fun teasing her.

“It’s stuffy in here. Why don’t we open the windows?”

"Okay," she said, like an obedient child.

Iris was stunned. Who knows how many times she tried to convince Ingrid to open the windows in her room? But every time, she was met with silence. Yet she easily agreed with the crown prince. Iris felt like her heart had cracked a little.

Aleric signaled Iris to open the windows.

"Are you afraid?" He asked when he noticed Ingrid's hesitant eyes.

Ingrid shook her head. "It just seems so long ago since I last saw the sun. I wonder what it looks like..." She paused. Her eyes narrowed. Why does it feel like she heard someone say that before?

Aleric's amused chuckle disrupted his thought. "The sun is still the same sun."

Ingrid froze when, all of a sudden, Aleric kissed her forehead.

“It's good that you are not afraid. Though there isn't anything to be afraid of in the first place. Your father is the most powerful man on the continent, while your husband is the most powerful person in the world. Aren't you a bit too lucky?"

“I’m not your wife,” she muttered, and pushed him away.

Aleric smiled mischievously. He pulled her back in and whispered in her ear, “Yet.”

His breath tickled Ingrid’s senses, and her entire being burned.

Ingrid opened her mouth to retort, but she was disrupted by the light that suddenly penetrated her room. She sat there agape as the light swallowed the darkness that surrounded her chamber.

For some reason, an overwhelming emotion began weighing on her chest. Seeing the sun after so many days made her tear up a little. It was like seeing a close friend after a very long time.

'This must be how he felt when he saw the sun for the very first time after ten years.' Wait...he? Ingrid was stricken by her thoughts. There it is again. Who exactly is he?