The Courtesan

Chapter 54

ELAYNE

“Ellie!”

“Your highness! I am so glad you’re awake!”

There was immense relief in my heart seeing he was awake and well. It felt like all the burdens on my shoulders were thrown away. I hugged him as best as I could without aggravating his injuries.

“Thank you Dr. Rivers.”

“I think you’ve earned the right to call me by my name. I’ll also call you by yours.”

“Okay. Thank you, Amaya.”

For a moment, Amaya looked charmed. She blushed down to her neck and whipped her head away.

“You’re welcome,” she mumbled. I was a little confused but soon my attention was diverted back with the incessant tug on my sleeve.

“What is it?”

“I’m hungwy.”

“That’s true. It’s been so long since you’ve eaten something. Um… Amaya.”

“Yes?”

“Is there a way I can get him food now?”

“You cannot feed him the normal way, at least for now. He needs to be slowly introduced to a normal diet so he heals properly.”

“And that means?”

“You get to feed him those!”

I knew there was definitely something wrong when she smirked deviously and pointed to a bowl containing a green concoction. From the smell, I already knew he was not going to like it. I looked back at him and he had such a hopeful expression on his face. I was going to betray that.

“I’m so sorry your highness.”

I was already experienced in feeding him foods he didn’t like so it was easier in his weakened state to grab him and slowly feed the concoction to him. He cried a lot, struggling and vomiting. It was so chaotic that it drew the attention of everyone in the mansion.

“What’s going on?!” the door burst open and Kalvin ran in, followed calmly by Lady Miriam. He reeled in shock when he saw us in that struggled, the concoction spilled all over me.

{His highness is awake. Thank the gods.}

“Yes but now, I have to nurse him back to health with this concoction but he’s being too stubborn.”

{Do you require help?}

“Perhaps a little bit…”

Lady Miriam walked up to Amaya and smacked her at the back of her head.

“M-My lady!”

{Help her highness, right now.}

“Yes, my lady.”

With Amaya’s intervention, we finally fed it all to him. The maids brought in milk and we used it to wash down the taste. He had stopped crying but didn’t stop clinging to me. I finally noticed Kalvin and he did not look pleased. There was a storm brewing in his eyes.

“Are you finally done?” he asked, coldly.

“Yes”

“Then can we go?”

“I am not going with you.”

“This again?”

I was standing my ground. In the house of my greatest supporter, there was nothing to fear. It wasn’t like he could drag me out. It would cause him a lot of problems I was hoping he would want to avoid.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Can we talk? I’m not going to force you, I just want to tell you something.”

“Fine.”

“Drop the child, please.”

I wanted to refuse but seeing the look in his eyes, I dropped Prince Miyon with Amaya and went outside with him.

“So, what do you want to say this time?”

“Do you know what Iorite is?”

“Iorite? What’s that?”

“It’s a mineral that once sharpened, has a round smooth shape and glows golden like it has trapped the power of the sun. For the longest time, it was known as the eye of the gods. It is known as the most powerful mineral in the world because with one stone of Iorite, one can create miracles.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll show you what I’m talking about later. This mineral is so powerful that leaders covet it for themselves and use it as a building block for their military powers. The good thing about it is that Iorite is rare and every kingdom has one or two mines. But, that has now become a problem because it has become known that Uramuth has almost a hundred of these mines and have been trading them for a long time. It will only take a short time before they take over the continent.”

“Does King Mival know of this?”

“He does and that is why he has chosen to attack first. In truth, it was only a rumor that Uramuth has these mines but if King Mival attacks and proves the existence of these mines, the other kingdoms will rally behind him and solidify his existence as king. If by chance you do get to kill him, you’ll be inheriting that responsibility and the other kings will not find you worthy.”

“So, you’re telling me it’s hopeless.”

“My dearest, when have I said anything like that?”

“Eh?”

“In truth, before he died, your father met with my father and discussed the issue of Uramuth’s growing influence. He did this in secret so the other kings got the idea that he was not concerned about the issue. King Dallas wanted to maintain good relations with all the kingdoms around him so challenging Uramuth head on was not the way to go for him. He was already placing countermeasures before we suddenly heard of his death.”

“Kalvin.”

“Yes my love?”

“Please, don’t give me false hope.”

“False hope? I couldn’t do that to you, not when you’ve suffered so much. If you come with me, I can help you take back your throne and everything you’ve lost. All you have to do is trust me.”

He sounded so convincing but trusting him was too much of a stretch. I barely even had faith in myself. He sighed. He went down on one knee and held my hand in his, kissing it gently.

“My dearest, I worship the very ground you walk on. I would never do anything to harm you or force you into an unhappy life. Not now, not ever. If I should do it, you have the freedom to take my life or condemn me.”

“Kalvin, please stand.”

“I won’t until you accept my help. I will listen to all your demands and lend my advice so please, promise me you won’t do this alone.”

“Kalvin…”

“Please Ariana.”

In his eyes were raw emotions. I had no other choice but to nod and accept.