Chapter 64 The Baby Prince And Cow Milk
Amir followed her from behind, his head slightly bowed as Maeve hurried into the building that was the palace with an urgency that made it clear she was a woman with a mission.
This mission… she was not certain if it was hindered or pulled into another direction… was completely usurped by the servants in question as they hurried to her, muttering words of welcome and grace and love.
Then led her to Cassian’s room.
And abandoned her right at the door.
Maeve didn’t let Amir follow, saying the last thing she needed was Cassian getting upset and punishing him for still returning back with her so sent him to walk around the palace grounds and get as much information as he could about how things had been recently since they were gone.
Using his beautiful skill, of course.
He nodded and went away without question.
Maeve had still not seen Adrian.
She knew if he were around, he would have probably smacked her as hard as possible across the head… but he was not. Which meant he was not here.
Thank God. She did not want to see his face.
Those were the thoughts swimming through her head so it was probably why she didn’t notice the skid marks of shoes running fast on the carpets underneath her feet and entered into Cassian’s room.
Maeve ducked before the flying vase hit the wall behind her, a shocked gasp leaving her lips before she stood upright m, her eyes falling on the man who was now in a corner of his room as she hissed, “Are you insane?! You could have hurt somebody!”
Cassian stood, the golden glow on his face gone as she realized he looked as pale as a corpse.
She stared at him, unsure if was seeing him correctly before she walked up to him and placed her hand on his forehead.
He winced as if he worried she would hurt him but did not make a move of moving away.
He was cold to touch. Not burning hot in the characteristic way someone would be ill.
She turned back to the door. “I know you guys are there! Prepare me a hot bath and return here with everything needed for one! I also need to write you a list of what he needs to eat—”
“I am not hungry—”
“No one asked.” That shut him up. When she turned to look at him again, her eyes were sharp and cold. “Take off your clothes. Now. Thank you.”
The Prince of Aeltherra looked at the door, fear flashing in his eyes.
Maeve could still spot the hope in his eyes that someone would come and save him but when he realized that would not happen, turned back to face her as well.
He noticed she had a look that made an image flash through his head— her angry that he was wasting time, her elbow flying into his face and causing him to black out completely while a ringing noise echoed through his head.
So he did as he was told.
Now, Cassian sat in a large porcelain tub, his body covered mostly by the milky water he was in, his legs scrunched up to his knees like he was trying to fold himself into the smallest shape possible as she moved a loofah over his arm.
She had her sleeves rolled up, her hair tied in a bun on her head and her eyes focused on cleaning him.
His own voice sounded unbelievably soft as he said, “Do you do this for the elf as well?”
“Why? You wanna watch?”
Cassian thought about it— he realized that he might like it. He nodded.
Maeve pinched his cheek. “Focus,”
It hurt… but he didn’t mind it. Her skin felt nice on his skin… calmed down the madness that had tormented him these last few… days. He wanted to bury his face in her belly.
“I did not expect you to come either,”
“Small talk? Really? In this economy? Do better,”
Cassian watched as she went behind him, scrubbing his back.
He tilted his head backwards so he could look at her. His eyes were shifting back to their original color. That familiar turquoise shade… but the red had no plans on leaving. “I do not mind the position we are in. I have never… experienced it before,”
Maeve stopped so she could look at him. “Experience what? A bath?”
“Having someone help me wash,” He did not blink, Maeve noticed. And he looked worse close up. Sicker, strangely enough. “When I was… younger, the maids left me to myself. They did not know if I was supposed to be treated nicely after what happened with my Mother’s brother… which every person in this state knows, of course,”
“Who fed you?”
“A nice friendly cow I found in the stables. She let me take milk for a very long while though I never knew why,”
Maeve could guess.
“What about when you’re sick?” She slid her hand down his chest from the back, scrubbing gently. “Like now? Do they try to come in at least? To take care of you
“When they realized she had no plans of ending my life, they also realized it was mostly because she saw me as weak and not a threat to her rule… not because she cared.” He let out a short laugh there. “So they do their job, when they must. And people respect me, when they must,”
“Ah,”
Cassian kept staring at her. “Do you not have more questions?”
Maeve turned around so she could kneel by the side of the tub, her hand holding its rim as he stared back at her. He looked like the perfect definition of a cherub… innocent. Needy. Wanting.
So clearly breakable. “You keep trying to get my attention but you have never used your royal power to do so. What happened?”
“You came back from the Elves for quite a while. I heard. So I thought… after I heard you were seen physically again, I had to see you but I was not sure if you would like me to come to your place myself and I knew asking you politely would not work so I… used the power bestowed upon me,”
He bore a smile that made her think she had been the one to free him with this idea. “In other words?”
“I missed you,”
“Ah,”
He watched her slowly rise to the floor and walk in front of him, her hand rubbing her chin. “The Queen has not called me to ask for a report which means she is not here, correct?”
He shook his head.
“Alright. You are clearly unwell. I’m not exactly sure what it is but I have questions. You will be kind enough to answer it. In return, I’ll be here and stay with you… maybe try to figure out what it is that’s bothering you,”
Cassian stared at her. She had changed. Her smell was… different. It made some… part of him that he had fought so hard to fight down poke it’s head out.
He wondered what she tasted like. If her scent was… different. “You cannot stand me. Why would you… try to help me? And I know what ails me, I know how to fix it—”
“You know how to stop it in the time being. Not cure it.”
Cassian had no plans on caving in. “Still. Do you… wish to ask my Mother for a favour in my name? I just said she does not care for me. The one thing she desired for me was marrying me off to someone else and keeping me out of her sight. If you truly wish for a favour of hers—”
“You are right,” Maeve cut in, her eyes still bearing that same seriousness. “Cassian Wyatt, how do you feel about potentially becoming my Vessel?”