“Absolute Goblinspit!” A collective gasp sounded from the crowd at his bold retort. “You are a shameless harlot. That boy would’ve lived whether you slathered yourself onto him or not. Say, if I were the prince I would—”
“That’s enough, Lord Webster.” Lukas’s voice rang out like thunder, silencing the furious oaf. Still masked, he rose from where he was resting on the soft grass. “You will not speak to my fiancée in that way.” He then stepped forward, his tone rivalling the dueller’s. “And unless you wish to spend a night in the dungeons, see to it that you never use such abhorrent words in reference to any of the good ladies of my court. Do I make myself clear?”
Lord Webster shook with rage, his face turning a ghastly shade of beetroot. The swirling anger within him simmered, and for a moment, it seemed like he might comply with Lukas’s demands. But then my stomach flipped as he lunged forward, swinging a wild punch aimed right at the prince’s jaw. It landed with a painful crack, sending Lukas stumbling backwards.
Gasps and shouts erupted from the crowd, and suddenly there was a flurry of motion. Lord Webster’s face twisted with rage, but before he could strike again, several men leapt up from the grass to force his lumbering body down. Curses and threats spewed from his lips as he was pinned to the stone floor.
With my heart in my throat, I couldn’t stand by and watch for a second longer. Rushing forward, I shoved through the panicking crowd and found Lukas. Both anger and surprise clouded his stormy eyes as he held his cheek, breathing heavily.
“Are you alright?” I blurted out. A trickle of blood wasdripping down the hand that covered the side of his jaw. “Please, let me see.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said through gritted teeth, barely even acknowledging me. Twisting his body to face Lord Webster, he snarled, “You, sir, will regret this!”
Above us, thick clouds that I could’ve sworn weren’t there before began to drizzle us in a light rain, while thunder rumbled in the distance. Nobody else seemed to notice it, though, as Lord Webster still writhed with fury against the men who restrained him.
“At least if I am exiled, I won’t be ruled by a weak boy king and his harlot bride!” he spat.
Lukas charged towards him, roaring with anger, just as lightning struck nearby, forcing more panic into the already flustered crowd around us.
“Stop!” I cried, lunging forward to throw myself between them. “Stop this, please!”
“Naria, step aside,” Lukas growled. “I don’t want to hurt you.” His burning glare was fixed on the writhing man.
Reaching for his shoulders, I squeezed gently. “Please.” I stared up at him, waiting until his thunderous gaze met mine. “Please do not waste another second on this imbecile. He’s not worth it.” My tone was soothing, or at least as soothing as it could be with the roaring man behind us. My words seemed to help, though. The hurricane of anger that was raging across Lukas’s face calmed slightly. Even the rain, which had for a moment turned torrential, slowed too. The Latesummer heat certainly seemed to be wreaking havoc on the weather here.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I addressed the tall man who had his boot planted down onto Lord Webster’s arm. “Do you know where to take him?”
He nodded. “Straight to the dungeons, Your Highness.”
“Good.” I swallowed, steading my voice. “Take him there now,and if he misbehaves,” I cast a heavy look at the pitiful excuse for a man on the floor, “don’t be afraid to beat him.”
CHAPTER 26
“Hold still.” My fingers were gentle as I carefully rubbed a foul-smelling poultice onto Lukas’s bruised jawbone.
“You know you don’t need to do this,” he complained, wrinkling his nose at the smell. “There are plenty of perfectly competent healers in the infirmary.”
“Perfectly competent healers that would insist on leeches sucking your blood and rubbing snail guts on your face?”
He shrugged. “At least snail guts would smell more pleasant.”
A shy smile tugged at my lips as I continued to rub in the thick paste. It hadn’t been easy to convince him to come to my bedchamber, especially after insisting we stop at the kitchens first so I could gather the ingredients I needed for the poultice. He claimed he didn’t need any ‘Corlixin magic potions’ to help him heal. Thankfully, he changed his mind after I reminded him of the bloodsucking alternatives he would find in his own kingdom’s infirmary.
“This poultice will help heal you faster and reduce the risk of infection. It’s a mixture of crushed garlic and honey, both natural antiseptics.” I explained, scooping more of the paste onto my fingers.
“Anti-what?”
“Don’t worry.” I sniffed with laughter. “Just trust me when I say this will help. Now stop moving.”
After a few more grumbles, he finally settled into a more cooperative position as my fingers worked quickly to apply the paste. It was strange being so close to him. Even with the scarlet bruise that was slowly forming at the base of his jaw, I couldn’t deny that he was still devastatingly handsome. It would take a thousand bruises to even begin to mar a face like his. But of course, if I were his queen, I’d never let anyone else touch him again.
“All done.” I cleared my throat, suddenly desperate to put some distance between us. Just as I started to pull away, his hand reached for mine, and of course, my traitorous heart fluttered at the touch. Bringing my sticky fingers closer, he grabbed a nearby cloth and casually began to wipe the paste off, as if this were a perfectly normal way for a prince to thank a healer.
“I’ve never known a person of nobility to have any skills other than engaging in court gossip and spending copious amounts of coin.” He delicately wiped each of my fingers like a servant would polish a prized cutlery set. “And yet here you are, able to bring people back to life and mix up healing potions in your bedchamber.”
“I’m nothing special,” I assured him, pulling my hand away to finish cleaning up myself. “You should meet some of the others from my village. They put my medical knowledge to shame.”
“You’re humble too, I see.” He then shot me a glance, leaning back slightly. “And very brave.”
