Chapter 8 : He's Jealous

In an anxiously timid voice, I apologized, "Prince Leonardo, I'm so so so sorry for–" My words were interrupted.

"Save the apology. You could never hurt me," he spoke in a deep, indifferent tone.

Dylan rushed up to us in haste. "Your Highness, are you alright? How's your head? Did you blackout? You need to see Reina! There could be internal bleeding. Let me take you upstairs right now!" His words spewed out frantically, and he was more worried than I was.

"I'm totally fine, I can go up by myself," I assured, but Dylan had already extended his hand.

Prince Leonardo's eyes narrowed at the sight. A slight growl released as he shifted his glance back at his Beta who didn't seem to get the hint.

I caught the action.

"What are you waiting for, Your Highness?" Dylan directed at me, but I could feel the prince's scowl. Before he didn't want anything to do with me, so why did he care if his Beta walked me upstairs?

Then, the prince stepped forward, brushing right past Dylan's extended arm, and grabbed my wrist. His fingers were hot to the touch like fiery embers, and his eyes were glowing like the midday sun.

All he uttered was, "Let's go," and left Dylan standing in the hall. I looked back to Dylan, who did the thing where he pursed his lips together in a smile but appeared disappointed. The prince tugged at my arm like I was on a leash and so I followed.

The flight of stairs, maybe a mere twenty steps, felt like a never-ending ladder of anxiety.

I scanned the prince's brutish arms, well-defined, and stiff. My mind drifted thinking of how many people he'd clawed to death with these arms alone. Although his grasp was locked around my thin wrists, I still felt oddly protected.

Finally, we arrived at Reina's door. Her look was startled, yet welcoming. She bowed before continuing, "Alpha, what's the matter?"

Prince Leonardo explained, "She fell and hit her head."

Um, was he just going to leave out that he knocked me over!

"Oh, let's not delay then. Your Highness, please take a seat on the bed. It's best that you lay down while I do an examination," Reina calmly instructed. The prince watched over me, his eyes scanning me as if he could do the x-ray himself.

"I'll let you know if there's anything serious we need to call a doctor for," Reina told her Alpha.

He nodded but kept a close eye on my body. After an unsettling minute where nobody talked, the prince opened the door and left, a rush of evergreen and sandalwood flooding the room in his absence as if he was still there.

After half an hour of different tests, Reina concluded, "Your head looks okay, but your vitals are a bit low. Have you been eating?"

I shook my head. "I haven't had much of an appetite recently."

She graced her hand on my forehead and swathed me, "I know it has been a stressful week for you, but we need to get your vitamin levels up. Your doctor isn't aware of your condition?"

Doctor? Oh, the princess would be much better-taken care of than I was–her substitute. Sometimes the smallest details glazed over my mind.

"He did prescribe some pills, but they didn't work. I prefer more natural remedies," I confessed, hoping Reina wouldn't pry further.

Reina hmmed and hummed along, trying to think of her next words. "So, in that case, I have a few herbs that we can mix into a tea that you can drink every evening before bed. Would that be okay, your Highness?"

"That would be great," I replied, smiling because I was happy with how motherly and attentive she was, however inside I felt terrible for having to lie to so many innocent people.

"I'll have the tea sent to your room for you. You think you can walk back on your own?" Reina asked, her expression a bit uncertain to let me go.

"Yes, I'm fine," I assured her, but then I slipped in a question for her this time. "Um, this maybe is a bit of a weird question, but between girl and girl, what can I do to make a man, you know, soften towards me?"

"Ah, yes, I see." Reina walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, her hands holding mine. "This man, he must be pretty hard to break, is that right for me to assume?"

Without saying the prince's name it was clear we both knew who we were talking about.

"That's putting it lightly," I sighed. Reina's eyes were the color of today's sky, clear, clairvoyant, and soft as she looked back at me.

"Usually I'm not the one people come to for help with love," she laughed lightly, adding, "But, I'd be happy to try my best."

I sat up from the pillow, shifted my body towards her, and nodded, "Yes, please, I'm sure you know a lot more than me."

"I'm older, but I'm not THAT old!" Reina laughed, and before I could apologize thinking that I offended her, she continued, "I'm totally kidding, your Highness."

Then she paused and her expression tightened, her eyes looking a bit sorrowful. The light-blue shade that looked like the sky now turned into a deeper blue, indigo like the ocean's floor.

"I was married once. And it was the best ten years of my life." Reina nodded her head and bit her lip as if she was holding back tears. "Calvert was the man of my dreams, but also my mate."

The word 'was' made my throat stiffen.

"He showered me with praise, love, and warmth." A tear trickled down Reina's cream-colored cheek.

Reina continued, sniffling between her words, "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, you asked for advice, not storytime."

"No, no, I'd love to hear you speak." I wanted to give her the warmest embrace, but was my body any source of comfort when I was a hollow shell myself?

"Calvert was killed in battle in a skirmish with Sablestone forces. I…was pregnant at the time."

Tears cascaded down her cheeks like waterfalls, her skin turning white and frosted.

After restraining more tears, Reina pardoned herself, "I'm sorry, being in Sablestone brings back a lot of harsh memories. I know I shouldn't be saying this to the Princess of Sablestone herself."

Before I could get a word in to apologize for what had happened, she continued, "So, ideas to break a cold man's heart? Try a picnic. I'm not sure any man would resist a peaceful date with a beautiful woman like yourself. Add some northern food, that surely would help." Reina giggled lightly as she turned back towards me.

"Ah yes, food seems to be the way to a man's heart," I joked, and the tension in the room lightened.

"Well, your Highness, I don't want to keep you. Just contact me if you have any further complications."

Reina put her nurse's cap back on as if her tears were a figment of our imaginations. The woman was professional as ever as she tidied up her medical instruments on the dresser.

"Thank you, Reina, I really appreciate how much of a help you've been." She smiled and bowed as I left the room.

I knew that Reina's advice to set up a picnic was a decent idea for any normal human, but I dismissed it as a bit naive when talking about the prince. Could he really enjoy something so frivolous as eating on a blanket? Would he even show up?

I held up my long white khaki pants as I raced down the stairs so as to not trip and end up back in Reina's room, but at the bottom of the stairs, Dylan was waiting for me.

"So, how are you, Your Highness? You had us worried," Dylan confessed.

"Really, 'us,' as in you and the prince?" I asked, suspiciously questioning if the prince really worried about anyone other than himself.

"Alpha wouldn't have chauffeured you upstairs to Reina if he wasn't worried," Dylan tried to reassure me.

Well, it didn't help because it seemed like Prince Leonardo's Beta always had to do damage control and I was getting annoyed that the prince and I couldn't just sit down and have a real conversation ourselves.

"Dylan, I have a favor to ask." I guess my frustration was making me a bit bold, but I had no choice with time quickly running out.

"Sure thing, what can I do?" he replied with a smile.

"So, it's going to be a beautiful day out this afternoon and I was planning a picnic and wanted invite–"

"I'd love to go!" Dylan exclaimed excitedly.

"Actually, I'm so sorry but I was hoping it could be just me and the prince today. I have some things I hope to talk to him about," I clarified, noticing that Dylan's eyes dampened at the news.

"For sure, I-I was just joking, you know?" Dylan let out an unsettled laugh before adding, "I can definitely talk to my Alpha but I can't make any guarantees he'll go."

"I'd appreciate that. I have a gift for him and I wanted to apologize for the other day, creeping on him at the training ground."

I didn't have a great feeling that the prince would comply with my request. He wasn't some genie out there making dreams come true, but Dylan seemed to have some impact on the prince and maybe could work his persuasive magic.

"Don't be hurt if he says no, though." Dylan cautioned me for the inevitable, but I was fully expecting to be disappointed when it came to the prince's behavior.

"I'll have everything set up for this evening out by the creekside." I pointed out the hallway windows and mapped the location where I would be tonight. "Tell him I'll be there at sunset and there will be some roasted duck and red curry…his favorite."

"Well, that's quite an enticing offer now that you mention there will be food!" Dylan laughed.

"I'm sure there will be leftovers and if you're successful in coaxing him to come, I'll make sure you get them."

"So, is that blackmail?" Dylan laughed, his eyes a bit mischievous.

"Actually, it's called good negotiating," I explained plainly, but we both let out small laughs at my nuanced approach.

"I'll do my best…uh, your Highness," Dylan assured me before I released a smile and hurried down the hall realizing I only had a few hours to get everything ready in the impossible case that the prince really did show up.