MEADOWS OF THORN

Compliment

"Oh! Forgive me then for using your sister’s clothes, sir knight," she said again, glancing down at the robe.

He gave a soft laugh. "Yes, and I thank you for wearing them. You smell... most pleasant."

Her face flushed at the compliment.

"Then I shall take my leave, sir knight."

" shall I escort you, should the darkness frighten you?"

"Frighten me? No way, sir knight. I am a woman of great courage."

"Oh? Art you u indeed, my lady?" he asked, his gaze glinting with gentle teasing.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, well. I am proud of you."

At his words, her face flushed once more. He reached forth and patted her head. She looked up, bewildered yet pleased, a small, shy gladness upon her countenance.

"Umm... no one ever done that . It felt... wondrous good."

"Did it now, my lady? Fret not. I am here."

"Mm, I thank you , sir knight."

She departed, and he stood in silence, watching her figure fade into the night.

He knew full well the decree: soldiers were permitted to pass their nights with concubines when their humours grew pent. The law had been wrought by the grandsire of the Crown Prince, the Emperor himself.

By reason of that selfsame decree, the Empress had sundered bonds with him and many allied realms. For no sovereign would suffer his daughter to be bartered or used as mere chattel. Yet, strange to tell, the Crown Prince stood in firm opposition to the law his grandfather had made.

That Night in the Prince’s Chamber

This night, the Crown Prince took no concubine to his bed. Instead, he summoned Zachary for counsel.

"Is His Highness within?" Zachary inquired of the guards at the door.

"Yes, I am. Come In," but the Crown Prince answerd.

"Sit. Let us partake of drink."

"Gladly, Your Highness. Why should I not?"

"The report."

"Yes, Your Highness. The woman dwells there still. She suffers from a split personality, She resides in Eastern Sabria with but three maids and her nanny."

"And the task I entrusted to you?" the Prince pressed.

Zachary answered duly: "It is done, Your Highness. They stand in want of a manager to oversee Her Highness’s business."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. And you, my lord, have been granted to live within the selfsame villa where she resides."

"Much work is thereby accomplished. And Linda shall be set free in three months’ time. Prepare a home for her ere then."

"My thanks, Your Highness."

Though crown prince pained linda,

Zachary couldn't do anything instead of relying on him.

It was unheard of for a concubine to be granted her freedom.

Yet Linda was no such thing. It was her younger half-sister who was the true daughter of the king and queen. Linda was merely a substitute, sent in her stead because of her sister’s tender age. Though Linda herself had turned nineteen, a parent’s heart is ever partial — and so the queen cast the “useless” girl into the tiger’s den.

That was the very reason Zachary had been petitioning since she turned twenty. When he discovered that the girl he loved was to become the same sort of concubine who had caused her mother’s death, his blood ran cold.

The Crown Prince had, in truth, spent the night with her — a matter of pride, nothing more.

The thought alone made Zachary’s blood boil, and his face flushed crimson.

But Atlas, at last, approved Zachary’s request to set her free, granting him time until all could be prepared.

“Haah.” Zachary sighed, loud enough that the Crown Prince took notice.

“Haha, come now, cease your brooding. She was so unyielding, I found no pleasure in her at all,” the Crown Prince scoffed.

“What!” Outrage seized Zachary. How outrageous. He glared at the prince.

“Careful, don't let your eyes fall from their sockets,” the Crown Prince said with a chuckle.

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I shall take my leave.”

He will never be capable of loving a woman, Zachary thought. And yet, the Crown Prince was a man of great caliber — shrewd, strategic, intelligent, and the most handsome in the realm.