“Oh, sure,” Amira said before grabbing the jar of cream. She carefully took out a dollop of product and slowly applied it to Rhay’s injured hand. The flesh had already started to heal and the wound was clean and not as gruesome as Amira had expected.
“I regret,” Rhay resumed. Amira focused her attention on his hand, too scared of the words that might come out of his mouth. “I regret ripping my favourite pair of trousers. They’re beyond repair.”
Amira let out a relieved laugh. “I’ll buy you new ones.”
A large grin took over Rhay’s lips. “Princess, you can only get them through the black market.”
“Right, you’re probably better off buying them yourself.”
They stayed in silence while Amira finished applying the cream. It’s only when she raised her head from the wound that she noticed Rhay’s pained expression.
“Did it hurt?” she softly asked.
“A bit.”
Amira could hear in his voice that he was reluctant to acknowledge his own pain.
“I’m really glad you’re okay now. And thank you for fighting for me.”
“Anytime, princess,” he said with a wink.
“I might give you a few days to rest before getting myself into trouble again,” she teased.
But Rhay’s deep blue eyes were incredibly serious when he replied, “You do know that you did nothing wrong, right? That guy was an asshole and he deserved to be punished.”
Rhay’s words made her think of Karwyn. The fire on her throat and on her cheek came back. Instinctively, she rubbed her hand on her cheekbone to appease the pain. Rhay didn’t seem to notice; his eyes were fighting to stay open.
She wondered if she should tell Rhay about Karwyn’s violence towards her. The words left her throat before she had time to talk herself out of it. “Karwyn strangled me today. That’s why I had the panic attack.” Tears flooded her eyes. “I’m scared, Rhay.” There it was, the cold, hard truth. She had avoided looking at Rhay, but the absence of any reply hurt more than facing him. “You’re not going to say anything?” she angrily said as she turned her head.
Rhay’s eyes were closed and his even breathing indicated that his mind had left for the land of dreams.
“Great timing,” she mumbled. Rhay’s hand was still on her lap. She carefully put it back on the bed and left the jar of cream on the nightstand next to him.
Going back to her room, she kept replaying the night’s events. The disastrous party, her short-lived escapade with Rhay, and all that violence. Leaning against a wall, she closed her eyes for a second, trying to fight back the knot that was tying her throat. But it refused to go away.
When she opened the door to her room, Nalani was waiting for her. “My lady, I was worried. I heard you were attacked. Are you all right?”
Amira sat on the bed. Tired, she was so tired. “I’m all right, Nalani. I wasn’t the one who got hurt.” At least not officially, she thought to herself. Everyone around her always got hurt because of her.
The maid sat next to her and gently brushed away a strand of Amira’s hair that was covering her face. “It’s over now, my child, you can rest. They’re going to be punished. The judgement is in the afternoon. They’ll never hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
Amira pulled away from Nalani. “Are they going to be thrown in prison? For life?”
“Don’t worry,” Nalani said, taking her hand. “Knowing His Majesty, they’ll be executed.”
Chapter45
Lora
Every step was one step closer to the possible end. Could Lora really tell Eyden the truth now? The lie was a safety net holding them together. It’s what had brought them together in the first place. Would Eyden have ever helped her if he had known the truth right away?
Lora hadn’t paid much attention to her surroundings as they walked. When she looked up, they had broken into a clearing. The sweet smell of flowers rose in the air. Her eyes drifted to the ground, taking in the blooming plant. Lora had never seen flowers like this. The peach colour was dusted with flecks of sparkling red. Utterly unique. If Lora and Eyden’s relationship could be described in one word, unique would be a good one.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Eyden asked, watching her kneel next to the beautiful flowers.
“Yes. At least they survived the war,” Lora answered. As she regarded the flower, she reached for the phone in her pocket. Unlocking it, she took a quick picture of the foreign plant. She was about to add more to her research notes about Turosian, but her eyes drifted up to Eyden instead. He looked at her in confusion.
“I was taking a picture. For memory,” she said. Before he could ask, she added, “I haven’t photographed anything else. I’ve taken some notes about Turosian, but your secrets will stay with me.”
