Chapter 4

William's eyes widened looking at his tattered state. It wouldn't be a guess to say he had recognized this beautiful man in front of him. His black hairs shone in the moonlight, as he looked down at the prince with concern.

"Your highness!?" William gasped but didn't waste a second more to his surprise. He crouched down and began helping Eugene out of his chains. "What were your guards doing?" he mumbled under his breath, because he couldn't use polite words in a situation like this.

The prince just stared at him. this man, who looked so meek and had absolutely no presence when standing behind his father, count Bentinck, was like a totally different person when pulled out from the shadows. This man he had only observed from a distance in the palace, looked at him with eyes that held neither pity nor ridicule for his status as the king's bastard. For count Bentinck, who considered pedigree to be the most important judge of the character, to have an heir like him who acted on impulse than reason…

Eugene chuckled in his mind, looking at him mumbling curses under his breath, for the dead bandits. They had tied him so tightly that William's fingernails failed to undo the knots. Although his body was still strained, he felt peaceful for no reason.

William called upon a knight nearby, asking him to cut the ropes with their weapons, because he couldn't use one himself. When the knight was done, he bent down and pulled Eugene back on his feet as he stood up.

But the prince was so spent that he could take his own weight and collapsed on top of William, who promptly supported his large body with his arms, preventing their fall. Eugene hadn't forgotten the person who was still waiting for him in the hut and raised his hand to point towards the light glimmering at the distance.

"Take me there…please…please hurry…please." his voice was weak and his body was trembling.

William squinted his eyes to see what Eugene was pointing at. He didn't waste any more time and responded to his pleads.

Two knights accompanied them, and three of the horses soon galloped their way uphill, Eugene sharing one of them with William.

He jumped off the horse as soon as they reached the dimly lit hut and landed on his stomach. He crawled his way inside, not even worrying about his wounded self. William followed him without a word. He was curious to see what the prince of Lativia was so concerned about as to come into a forest at night and even going as far as pleading someone from the enemy kingdom.