Chapter 30: Healing

"I know you're mad," She said as she could see him breathing so fast and even sweating.

"I told you not to come close," He said as he tried to calm down.

"I should've listened, but then if I don't calm you down, then you might have hurt yourself even more," She said as she took a step closer to him.

She didn't care if he hurt her, but he was bleeding. She saw him getting cut by the sharp blades he was polishing, and if it didn't get treated quickly, then he would lose a lot of blood.

When she took another step, the sword pierced through her shoulders, and blood was starting to flow. The crown prince was terrified, but he came back to his senses.

"I--I did not--" He was literally stuttering out of shock because of her braveness to walk towards him when she knew the consequences.

"I know you didn't mean it; you were driven by madness," She said as he slowly released his sword.

"I guess you already came back to your senses," She said as she walked towards him.

She took his right hand, and he only noticed that he was bleeding.

"We should wrap that up before you lose blood in your veins," She said as she pulled him to a chair and immediately looked for some ointments for his wound. She was reminded of the ointment that was put in front of her chambers and always carried it around with her.

"Why did you follow me," He said as he looked at her, placing a chair in front of him.

"If I haven't come, you will destroy all your beautiful crafts. You have such quite anger management issues," She said as she wiped his wound first.

"Why didn't you step back when I pointed you my sword?" He asked as he was looking intensely at her eyes.

"It's because I believe that you will never harm me; you're not that kind of person," Ayla said as he dipped her point finger in the ointment and looked at him.

"This is going to hurt," She said as she waited for his approval to apply it, and he nodded.

She put the ointment on his wound and immediately blew it to ease the pain a little bit.

"You're a bit clumsy. How come you didn't feel anything when you pushed your blades away, and it pierced your hand?" She said as she put a cloth on his hand.

"I was just so mad and lost myself," Alexander replied as he looked at her right shoulder.

Ayla stood up and was about to go, but Alexander stopped him from leaving, which confused Ayla.

"As a reward for treating me. I should treat your wounds, too," He said as he cleared his throat and pulled her back to the chair.

"I won't be touched, not just by anybody," Ayla said as she held herself.

"I am not just anybody. Did you forget that you always land in my arms or my back?" Alexander said, which made Ayla speechless.

"Okay then! That seems fair," She replied.

Ayla loosened her corset a bit to pull her smock and reveal her right shoulder to him.

"The ointment," Alexander said as he put his hand before him until she gave it to him.

"You should not waste that~ it was given by someone special," She said, and that made him smile from ear to ear because he was the one who put the ointment in front of her chambers.

He moved closer to her, and that made her feel a bit hot.

"Brace yourself," He said, and he wiped her shoulder first, then immediately applied the ointment. He blew it for her not to feel more pain. His breaths gave her some shivers in her spine, and she smelt a mint from his mouth. She also smelled his perfume, and it was heavenly for her.

"Even though you're in a maid's clothes, you still smell like royalty, like when we're in Kaastianan soil." He said that made Ayla catch off guard.

"First of all, I am not a royal. Secondly, are you done?" Ayla asked as she looked at him.

"Almost. Just keep still, will you?" He said as he straightened her shoulders again.

"Fine," She said as she looked forward.

He continued to do the same way until he tied the bandage around her shoulder.

"Now, your left foot," He said as he tapped his thighs for her to place her foot.

"I can do that myself," Ayla said as she immediately fixed her clothes and stood up.

"If you don't mind~ I will go back to your sister and serve her," She said and bowed before him.

"You'll be at the banquet tonight, right?" He asked as he covered the ointment.

"That depends; a commoner like me will not be invited to a group of nobles," She said as she returned to take her ointment.

"Then you can be my partner," Alexander said.

"Thank you for your offer, but I refuse to go," Ayla told him, and she bowed.

"Then meet me by the lake in the west at noon," He said, standing up.

"I will also refuse to ---" Ayla stopped talking because of him.

"It is not a request, but it's an order," The prince commanded, and it made Ayla speechless.

"Oh! That's how you use your power, I see, by forcing someone to do what she doesn't want to do," She said

"You can go to my sister now. She's a bit impatient, you see," He said, smiling from ear to ear.

Ayla faked her smile, which quickly faded as soon as she turned around. She went to find the princess and saw her walking alone by the yard. She then ran to her.

"Princess Clamentine" She greeted happily.

"Oh~ I wish to be alone, but you kept on following; I wonder why," She said with a glare.

"The Queen ordered me never to leave your side," Ayla told her, and Clamentine breathed in deeply.

"I bet she did," She replied, taking a deep breath.

"What's your name, by the way?" She turned around to look at Ayla.

"I'm Ayla De Froice~" Ayla replied

"You have a wonderful name, and you don't seem like a maid," Clamentine responded.

"What do I look like?" Ayla asked.

"You're more like a noble, seeing you with a very glossy smooth skin, your hair is very well cared for, your posture is very straight, and it was like you never served anyone before," Clamentine commented.

"My status is not very important because I am looking for my biological parents. My adoptive parents cared for me more than anything else in the world because they sacrificed a lot for me to live. Hearing them telling me that I am adopted makes my heart crush into little pieces, but I loved them truly; I'm just scared that my real parents are the total opposite of them," Ayla shared as the princess knew her pain.

"How I wish I was adopted because, on my side, I never felt parental love before. My mother and father have their favorites." Clamentine shared.

"Actually, Alexander always has their attention and care given that he never knew the feeling of being thrown out in another country and raised by strangers. Elijah got lucky because the queen summoned him when he was fifteen. After all, Alexander was getting close to my half-brother, and she didn't like the view of it. I pitted Louis and my other siblings because Louis is an eight-year-old boy, and I wonder where the queen would throw him away," she continued, sharing her thoughts.