Islinda and Aldric sat on the edge of her bed in comfortable silence. Although she lowered her head in sha recalling the dark prince’s tunic wet with her tears and snorts. Who knows what Aldric must think of her now? It was embarrassing.
She felt a throb on her cheek and lifted a hand to her face, feeling the spot where Aldric hit her.
Islinda turned to him with a pout, "You shouldn’t have slapped ."
"Trust , it was done with good intentions." Aldric justified his actions.
But Islinda did not buy it and arched a brow at him, "Really? Why do I feel the opposite and think you intentionally hit to get back for all the tis I bothered you."
"Is that so?" Aldric faced her, having found the conversation interesting, "Tell then, if you were in my situation, what would you have done so differently? Let’s assu that I was the one feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and about to pass out from the panic. How would you rescue , Islinda?" He was intrigued, waiting expectantly for her answer.
"Well...." Islinda swallowed, realizing that she had put herself in a tight spot. She had not really thought of other thods of easing a panic attack and assud there was another way Aldric could have roused her instead of slapping sense into her.
"Your ti starts now."
"What?!" She shouted, realizing that the dark prince was honestly serious, "B–but –"
"Do I speak a different language?" He said firmly with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes.
The gods, he was really not taking no for an answer. How did it even get to this point? They were rely having a harmless conversation until now. And to make it worse, Aldric climbed further into the bed and sat cross-legged. The Fae was not playing around.
Realizing that she was not getting out of this one, she decided to apply another tactic.
Islinda faked a hard cough, beating her chest, "I think the panic attack is returning...." cough cough, "I’m still a bit sick, Aldric so I–I..." Cough, "can’t be stressed -"
"Answer my question and you will get a favor from ," Aldric announced so nonchalantly as if it wasn’t a big deal that Islinda almost did not hear him.
Her head snapped in his direction, "What?!" It felt like she did not hear him right.
"I told you, little human, I don’t say things twice." Aldric sighed, then added, "However, since you’re a puny mortal with a hearing problem, I would for caring sake, repeat myself one more ti."
Aldric took a deep breath dramatically with his eyes closed and opened them to say, "Answer the question and you will have the once-in-a-lifeti opportunity of getting a favor from the great dark prince."
Islinda gave him a blank stare, before shaking her head and making a tutting sound, "It’s a wonder that your head hasn’t swollen from so much ego in there."
Instead of getting offended by her words, or better yet, feeling ashad of himself, Aldric grinned shalessly, "Ego is not the only enormous thing I own."
At first, Islinda did not get his words and looked at him in confusion until his dirty joke dawned on her and she went red in the face.
"Y-you!" Islinda pointed at him, rendered speechless. Aldric was just too much. The bastard was so full of himself.
"Fine," Islinda agreed, realizing this was to her benefit anyway, "About the favor, I would like to be released -"
"Anything other than that," Aldric cut her off even before she was through, having guessed her intentions.
Islinda whined, "But you said anything!"
"Do you even know the aning of granting a favor? What’s the use of extending a favor to you when it would be to my detrint? I told you, Islinda, you are of great purpose to ." He smirked.
"I guess both of us have different anings of granting a favor then," Islinda grumbled, rolling her eyes towards heaven.
"No more dilly-dallying, darling. Answer my question now." Aldric demanded, the slight hardening in his gaze a sign he wouldn’t entertain more of her stalling.
"To answer your question..." Islinda scratched the back of her head, thinking hard, "To stop a panic attack, one of the most effective thods is using deep breaths, you could have guided through the process and reminded I wasn’t going to die."
"You kicked in the ribs, I do not fancy getting one in the face as well." He answered.
"About that, I’m sorry." Islinda apologized to him sincerely.
"Apology accepted. Now, is that all the thods you know? With the way you berated my skill, I almost assud you had a billion ideas on how to stop a panic attack?" He raised a challenging brow, a slight mocking in her tone.
Islinda groaned inwardly, what had she gotten herself? Yet she answered, "From what I have heard that worked for other people back in the human realm, I could hug you, help you find a focus object, or I could k....." She ca to an abrupt stop.
"Tell , what were you about to say to Islinda? I didn’t hear you properly," Aldric urged her to go on.
Islinda almost missed it, but it was the curl of his lips into a smile that told her that this was a trap from the very beginning and she fell right into it. What a great manipulator, she gritted her teeth inwardly.
"Why aren’t you saying sothing, Islinda?" Aldric asked her with amusent in his eyes. He finally got what he wanted.
He intended to tease her as usual, but Islinda realized his harmless yet sadistic plan. No, she could not let him have the best of her again, so she summoned the courage and managed to say through the blush on her face, " I could kiss you to stop the panic."
Aldric’s face split into a full grin now, "Really? Islinda? Is that what you wanted to do to you?" His eyes shone with mischief.
At this point, Islinda could only lift her eyes toward heaven and prayed that the lord took her now. She couldn’t endure Aldric’s endless teasing anymore.
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