Alessandro headed to the door and said, “She is my wife, Cas. What I do with her is none of your business.”
After Alessandro left, Cassian said, “I hope you don’t regret one day what you are doing, brother.”
Alessandro went straight to his room. He approached the bed where Abril was sleeping peacefully, her reddish hair framing her face in contrast to her white skin. He brushed the hair away from her face, admiring her beauty. She was so beautiful, everything about her was like a work of art.
He couldn’t deny that he felt an attraction to her, but it wasn’t love. He would protect her, but he would also use her if necessary.
Abril woke up at the gentle touch of Alessandro’s fingers. Upon opening her eyes, she said, “You’re back.”
“It got late. I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise.”
“It’s okay, I know you’re busy.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I am.”
Alessandro caressed her cheeks and said, “Go back to sleep, it’s late.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’ll take a bath before going to bed, so go back to sleep.”
“Alright.”
Abril rested her head on the pillow again. Alessandro went to the bathroom, and when he returned, the princess was asleep once more. He laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her.
The next day, he had to leave very early in the morning. When Abril woke up, she found herself alone. That day, she spent time walking through the beautiful garden with Cassian. When night came, Abril thought Alessandro would arrive for dinner, but he didn’t. This situation repeated for an entire week. Since that night when he had woken her in the middle of the night, she hadn’t seen him, and she began to feel anxious, wondering when she would see him again.
Cassian noticed Abril’s feelings. While they walked through the garden, she seemed downcast and sad. He said, “My brother must be very busy lately; I haven’t seen him for a week.”
“I know.”
“If you want, we can go to the port to greet him.”
“Can we really go?”
“Of course.”
Abril felt excited but immediately remembered that Alessandro had told her she couldn’t leave the mansion.
“But His Majesty forbade me from leaving; he said it could be dangerous.”
“You don’t have to worry, you’ll go with me. I’ll protect you.”
“But I don’t want His Majesty to be angry for disobeying him. He might punish me if I do.”
“My brother won’t do that. I’ll make sure of it.”
Abril hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to lose the king’s favor by disobeying his command. She was about to refuse when Cassian said, “I’ll tell my brother that I insisted you come with me, so if he gets angry, I’ll take the blame.”
“But His Majesty might punish you. I don’t want that to happen.”
“That won’t happen. My brother has never punished me despite my rebelliousness, so I don’t think he’ll do it now.”
Cassian took Abril’s hand and said, “Come on, I’ll arrange for a carriage. The port is amazing; I’m sure you’ll love it.”
In the end, Abril agreed to Cassian’s insistence and wished everything would go well, hoping His Majesty wouldn’t be angry with them for disobeying his orders.
As they rode in the carriage, Abril seemed very anxious. Cassian told her:
“Stop worrying, Lessan won’t be mad at you.”
“Lessan?”
“It’s a nickname. I call him Lessan affectionately, my mother used to call him that.”
“No one has ever given me a nickname before. Well, there hasn’t been anyone who cared for me either.”
“I care about you.”
Cassian replied, looking at her intently.
“You care about me?”
“Yes, you are my friend. I care about you as a friend, only as a friend.”
“Then you’ll give me a nickname just like your brother.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… let me think of a good nickname for you.”
Cassian thought for a moment and then said, “Aby, how about that?”
Abril smiled broadly and replied, “I love it.”
“Then I’ll call you that, Aby.”
As they passed through the city, Cassian drew the curtains and said to Abril, “Aby, look out the window.”
Abril felt something strange in her heart when Cassian called her by her nickname. She leaned out the window and saw a crowd of people walking back and forth visiting the shops. She watched everything in amazement until they reached the port. Cassian got out first and helped Abril down from the carriage.
In front of them were several ships. From a distance, Abril had thought they were small, but up close, she realized that wasn’t the case. Those ships were enormous. Cassian was glad he had brought her to the port, seeing her so happy and especially because they had grown
Alessandro was heading out to search for the pirates after organizing the soldiers when he saw a woman with a large white hat and red hair. Without thinking, he approached, wanting to make sure that woman wasn’t his wife.
“It’s impossible, I forbade her from going out.”
As he got close enough, Alessandro saw that indeed, the woman was his wife, and the man with her was his brother. Furious, Alessandro shouted:
“What are you doing here?”
Abril was frightened by the severe tone in Alessandro’s voice. Cassian stepped between them and said to his brother:
“Calm down, brother. I asked her to accompany me. She didn’t want to come; I persuaded her to join me. Don’t be mad at her.”
“It’s dangerous for you to be here. Take her back.”
Abril lowered her gaze, knowing she shouldn’t have agreed to accompany Cassian. Alessandro looked furious, perhaps he didn’t even want to see her.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have disobeyed Your Majesty.”
Alessandro saw that Abril was about to cry. It seemed he had been too harsh with her. He tried to get closer, but Cassian wouldn’t let him.
“Step aside, Cassian.”
“We’re leaving now.”
Cassian took Abril’s hand and said, “Let’s go, Aby. It’s better if we return.”
Alessandro grabbed Abril’s hand and said, “Wait a moment.”
“We’re leaving, brother.”
“It’s hot. Let’s go inside for a moment so you can cool down before you leave. I don’t want you to faint on the way.”
“I’m fine,” Abril replied, trying to cover her face with her hat. Alessandro took it off and said, “Your face is red. You don’t seem fine. Let’s go inside.”
Cassian let go of Abril’s hand, facing his brother’s stern look that seemed to ask when he would let go. He stayed a few steps behind as they headed into a house near the port.
Upon entering the house, Alessandro asked a servant who was arranging some flowers to bring fresh drinks for their guests. The servant looked at the king’s hand holding that of a beautiful redhead. He knew that red hair was rare and that only direct descendants of the Venobich family had it. He immediately deduced who the woman was: the king’s wife. He bowed his head, and for a moment, a faint smile appeared on his lips. Alessandro walked past, but Abril saw something sinister and terrifying in his smile.
She felt a chill run down her spine, as if she knew what was in his heart, and it was nothing good.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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