Prince Fernando
Dario gripped the obsidian stones, attempting to explain his failure. A flash of green and gold caught my eye, and my tongue stilled.
Every person in that room froze in place as Stella worked her magic. The linguist’s bones clacked as she set them with nothing but wisps of light. It made me almost forget about the dome of light she’d conjured just moments before.
When she finished and sat back, I stepped forward to make sure she was alright. She whispered something in Bolin’s ear and kissed his forehead.
Heat ripped through my chest, and I stopped my hand from patting her shoulder. What was this? Why was I envious of affection shown to a married man uninterested in women?
Don’t be ridiculous. She cared for him as a friend. There was no reason for me to give two horse shits about her affection for him. He’d never return it, even if she wanted him.
She swayed, and I placed my palm on her shoulder. Stella glanced up at me, fatigue lining her lovely face. She blinked, like she was trying to stay awake. She didn’t … desire him … did she?
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
“No,” she answered weakly.
“Come with me,” I ordered in a gentle tone, then addressed the guards. “Get Mr. Guo to the physician.”
Rocco reached out to help Bolin stand. Stella stopped his proffered limb.
“Careful with his arm! It still needs to be inserted into the socket.”
“I’ve got him, Miss Stella. Don’t worry,” Rocco said.
“Go rest,” Bolin wheezed. “I’m alright thanks to you.”
Stella nodded and stood up, only to wobble. She flopped into my arms and caught herself by embracing me. Her proximity made my heart race, even though her skin felt cool against my neck.
She stood straight, staring wide eyed at the bloody form of Kade in the center of the room.
“That was … not my … husband,” she said in broken Astralini.
I waited until her gaze found mine. Leaning closer, I murmured, “I know.”
I led her into the hall after instructing two guards to follow. Hopefully, no other assassins had breached the estate today. I would take no chances.
Stella stumbled, and I wrapped an arm around her waist. She glanced at my support and didn’t pull away. We made it to the sleep hall before she sagged against me.
“You healed too much. Didn’t you?” I asked.
“Hm,” she murmured.
Instead of going farther to her room, I took her into the closest one.
Mine.
She didn’t notice and flopped onto my feather bed without a second thought. The guards took their places outside my door while I nudged a pillow beneath her head and smoothed her tangled hair out of her face.
Our conversation in the garden earlier ran through my mind. She’d called me beautiful, but I doubted she understood Astralini well enough to fully understand what she was saying.
“You are beautiful,” I whispered.
She answered in Celestia, but I couldn’t decipher it.
I removed her shoes and placed them in the corner, then covered her with a light blanket. Servant usually completed such tasks, but I wanted to.
Stella fell asleep. I stood, watching the rise and fall of her chest.
As she regained her strength, I pulled a parchment from my desk and refilled my
inkwell. In a few moments, the official arrangement to make the royal healer my concubine lay before me.
I looked over my shoulder at her unconscious form and then placed the document in the top drawer.
I was Prince Fernando, capable of having any woman I desired. Plenty threw themselves at me. Yet this one … she’d have no say in the matter, but I needed her to agree before I gave the demand to my father.
Wow. His concubine? Not his wife?! Bruh.