The breakfast was as awkward as anyone could expect. If it wasn’t for the presence of the Wrry Cat, Islinda was sure she wouldn’t have the appetite to stomach a thing. Valerie prepared more chicken, except the one Prince Wayne had taken was the biggest. Hence, Islinda was more entertained watching the cat eat than starting small talks with Valerie. However, there was sothing strange about Prince Wayne.
Islinda noticed the marked difference in his deanor compared to earlier. While before Prince Wayne had been gnawing on the oversized chicken leg with a possessive air, now he seed more reserved, almost dignified in his actions. She couldn’t help but steal a glance at Prince Valerie who ate in the sa manner.
Gone was the ferocity with which the Wrry Cat had clutched the chicken earlier, replaced instead by a calm and composed deanor as he delicately nibbled on the at. There was a gracefulness to his movents, a sense of restraint that was unexpected from the typically rambunctious creature.
Islinda couldn’t help but be stunned by the transformation. It was as if the Wrry Cat had suddenly adopted a more refined attitude, choosing to eat with a sense of decorum rather than indulging in his earlier display of possessiveness. It was strange; Islinda could have almost believed he was trying to impress her.
Thinking of it now, Islinda realized that she had never seen Prince Wayne behave wildly around food as he had done earlier. Except the few tis she had tried sitting him on her lap for a al and he clawed her as a warning and lesson, and that earned him his own seat, Prince Wayne had always behaved maturely. That was more reason why she loved the cat.
Even back in the human realm, she had heard people complain about their boisterous and grumpy pets, but she had never experienced such a thing with Wayne. He was a well-behaved pet. Even more behaved than the Fae princes who were making her life hell.
It was as if the cat understood and knew her well enough that he was always there for her. Unlike Aldric’s unreasonable dislike for the cat, buying Prince Wayne was the best thing Islinda had ever done. If only Prince Wayne was a person, Islinda could swear, she would marry him already. Unfortunately, wishes like that never co true.
"You are not eating your food?" Valerie gestured at the untouched al in front of her.
Islinda made a small noise at the back of her throat and reluctantly dug in. The food tasted nice, and she ate to her full satisfaction, but that didn’t an Islinda was comfortable. Thanks to the constant worrying, she did not exactly enjoy the food to her heart’s content.
A sudden clattering sound against ceramic drew her attention, and she looked towards Valerie, only to realize that he had just put down his cutlery.
"What is it?" She asked, clearly surprised.
"You wouldn’t relax until I answered your questions. I can see it written all over your face," Valerie said, looking straight at her.
"Oh." Islinda flushed red. She then set her spoon down as well, having lost all appetite for the food. She needed quick answers to her questions.
Valerie gestured, "You can ask your questions now."
Islinda didn’t jump in imdiately, leaning back into her seat to study Valerie. Aldric had taught her his kind was tricky, and she had to observe everything ranging from his body language to subtle expressions.
"Am I trapped here? Did you capture to keep against my will just like Aldric?"
"Of course not!" Valerie blanched. "I would never do that to you. I am not a monster like my brother," he defended himself strongly.
Islinda let out the breath she had no idea she had been holding in. Thank the gods. In one word, her freedom was not restricted, and she could leave here anyti she wanted.
However, her eyes still narrowed with suspicion as she asked, "Then why am I here? Also, did you drug because I can’t rember anything from last night?"
"I would not do such a thing either!" Valerie was quick to defend himself as well. But the look from Islinda suggested she did not believe him unless he presented evidence. Which was why he cald down, a sigh escaping her lips.
Lifting his head to look Islinda in the eyes, he explained. "The truth is that I intended to fight Aldric yesterday and have him release you."
"What?" Islinda was dumbfounded.
"I haven’t been able to sleep a wink since you left the palace with him, Islinda. At least in the palace, I could keep an eye on him, but at his place, I would have no idea what he did to you."
"Listen, Valerie, Aldric would never harm..." Islinda was about to defend the dark Fae prince, only to recall he kind of murdered her yesterday. Fuck. The irony.
"What?" Valerie was waiting for her to finish up.
"Nothing." Islinda shut her mouth quickly. Perhaps, the prince had a good reason for worrying over her. His brother was a psychopath. And why in the world does she even keep defending Aldric instead of ratting out his wrongdoings to the entire realm and paint him the villain that he was? Islinda couldn’t understand why she was loyal to the bastard who hurt her.
"Go on with your tale," Islinda told Valerie, eager to distract him from asking more questions.
"I was prepared to sneak into the place and get you out of there when I saw you instead. At first, I thought I was hallucinating and the gods were playing a huge joke on . But you were real, and you looked so scared I knew at that mont that only Aldric would be responsible for it. You didn’t even look in the way you were going late at night and bumped into . So I grabbed you and the cat and traveled through the portal as quickly as I can in case Aldric was after you. However, you must have been so exhausted by everything that you lost consciousness by the ti we arrived on the other side. So I took you here, and the rest is history. However, tell , Islinda, what did Aldric do to you that left you so scared, and you ran for your life?"
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