《Alliance by Marriage》Chapter 21
Advertisement
"No." He tries to push the flask away, but I keep it pressed to his lips.
"Drink," I repeat.
He makes another attempt to avert his face, but I hold him firmly in place.
"Don't act like a baby. You need this."
He lets out one of those long, ragged breaths that have only recently replaced his sobs, and opens his lips a little, allowing me to pour some wine into his mouth. It doesn't go down well. He coughs and resumes his weak attempts to wriggle out of my arms.
I have no intentions to let him sink back into the unresponsive, hysterical state he's spent the last quarter of an hour in. We need to get out of here, ride to the palace, get someone to help Hugo and take care of so many other things. I need him in a semi-sane state to even begin any of these.
"Drink more," I say. "It'll do you good."
I wait patiently, trying to ignore the wetness sinking through the fabric of my trousers from the damp moss I'm sitting on. Apparently realizing that I'm not letting go, he sits a little straighter in my arms and grabs the flask. Without looking at me, he upends it over his mouth. I hold him with his back to my chest, allowing his head to rests on my shoulder as his body shudders with each swallow. It's good wine and it will help dull whatever pain he's feeling.
He flings the empty flask away.
"Happy now?" he says, his voice rusty.
I don't reply but loosen my grip a little. He remains seated, leaning on me, looking away. We spend another minute in silence interrupted only by the birds in the trees. My hands wrapped around him register his heartbeat slowing down and his breathing getting steadier.
Advertisement
I point at still unconscious Hugo. "We must get moving. The boy needs a healer."
"Such a kind ruler," Emilio mutters hoarsely. "So caring for his subjects."
Taking the return of his sarcasm for a good sign, I slowly unwrap my arms and detach from him, then get slowly up to my feet. He remains sitting instead of curling back on the ground, which is also a good sign, but makes no attempts to follow me. I move to stand in front of him, extending my hand.
"Get up."
He looks at me, his face smeared with tears and dirt. Slowly, he raises his hand and grabs mine. I pull him up and then steady him by the shoulders when he sways a little.
I survey his ragged appearance. It'll be no good if someone sees him like this, so I take off my cloak and drape it over his shoulders. It's short, only barely reaching my thighs when I wear it, but it covers him down to his knees. All the while he just stands there, tolerating my manipulations, staring searchingly at my face.
"Can you walk?" I say. "If not, I'll carry you to the horse."
"Don't do it," he says. "Don't pretend to be kind."
I pause, frowning. "What?"
"Don't act like you care," he says. "Because you don't. Why don't you just finish me off to save yourself the embarrassment?"
"What embarrassment?"
"Of everyone learning what's happened here." His lips twist bitterly. "You don't need me anymore, anyway. I'm just a whore to you now, am I not? Spoiled forever. With your aversion to whores, why would you tolerate one in your harem?" His eyes fill with tears once again, his face distorts with the effort to hold them back.
Advertisement
"You're not...that." I'm only beginning to comprehend the full implications of what has happened, but one thing I know for sure. "Whatever has happened here was not your fault."
"But it was!" he cries out, and new tears roll down his cheeks. "He wanted to meet with me, to talk about you, and I agreed. I thought it was safe, being with my servant and my guard, but the guard worked for Messenio, it turned out, and they just...killed... her..."
I tighten my grip on his shoulders and look into his pained, swollen eyes.
"Stop it," I say. "Don't think about it now. Where did the guard go?" I look around, suddenly apprehensive of another attack. Until now, I have assumed that Messenio has acted alone.
"I don't know," he says. "After they've tied me up, the guard demanded payment, and Messenio left with him. Then he came back, alone, and then..." He chokes on his words and I hold him to my chest, hoping to keep him from plunging back into hysterics.
I look around again, calmer now, for the chances that Messenio has paid the guard and simply let him walk away are too slim. He wouldn't have left an eyewitness. Most likely, the river is now carrying the guard's body to the sea.
"Calm down," I say. "It's over now. Messenio's dead."
"Yeah," he mutters against my chest. "You keep killing assassins before finding out who's sent them."
"There's no need to look any further." I sigh. "He's sent himself. Chances are, he's sent the poison as well." I shake my head, saddened by the thought. "He always had to get what he wanted. He attacked you because he wanted you, and he tried to poison me because he wanted my throne."
He shifts and looks up, frowning. "Your throne?"
"My father has had a few children with wives that weren't the Main One, namely my mother," I say. "Although they have no legitimate claim, I guess without me in the way, he thought he'd stand a chance." I look down into his questioning eyes. "Messenio was my half-brother, you see?"
* If you like the story, please vote or comment! Thank you! *
Advertisement
7 Killers
Dragon Fifth is a powerful lord with incredible martial arts, and yet is wasting away from a fatal disease. The only medicine which can cure his sickness lies in the clutches of his venomous ex-wife, Madam Lovesickness, and is guarded by seven dangerous killers, fugitives of the martial world. Into this treacherous love spat tumbles Liu Changjie, a skilled martial artist who loves drinking and women, but has a mysterious past. All is not what it seems in this wuxia heist story. Can you decipher the mystery before the final reveal? (There are only seven chapters in this novel, but they are very long chapters. In total, the story is of equal length to roughly 20-25 average web novel chapters)
8 269The Necromancer Raids Again
It's been two weeks since the teenage necromancer Scott Havenbrook saved Craven Falls from a daemonic invasion and ressurected Amber-although imperfectly. But rest is for the dead, as new trouble brews in the shadows. But stalking the streets is more than one new breed of monster. Kevin the comic geek is a newly minted member of the undead, adn he's lookign to take a bite out of crime. Can these horrifying heroes learn to work together, or will a sinister sorcery tear the fragile peace apart?
8 155Advice Master Megumi!
It's no secret - 14-year old Kanazawa Megumi is an extremely plain and average person.She has no interesting talents, no special traits - and no friends, either. Megumi had gotten used to being a loner....and only existing in the background. But here's the twist - secretly, she absolutely hates it! Living her life as a 8th Grader at Sakuragaoka Junior High, she has had enough of her life as a wallflower. In a fit of rage, she created her other persona - the cheerful and charismatic Madoka - and suddenly, Megumi's once boring, grey life began to bloom!But as Madoka's popularity rises, more people begin to seek out Madoka's real identity...can Megumi protect her secret?
8 152August Wind
On an August night in 1976, a single phone call pulls Maggie Peter's into a reality she never expected to face. The tragic death of her childhood friend, Daniel, leaves her caught between his two remaining brothers. One is her best friend and the other is her crush. Hard questions are asked, only a few are answered. How strong is love? How much does it cost?
8 134TantaMount
Premise:Leo Renaud is a twenty-nothing year old living out his best years in questionable fashion. An average student with a small group of tight knit friends, he is obsessed with a relatively outdated MMO called TantaMount, relegated to obscurity due to its high level of difficulty. One morning he gets knocked down by a head turning ninja chick riding a motorcycle, who he swears he has seen as an NPC in TantaMount, and for obvious reasons, can't get her out of his head. And lately, players in TantaMount have been leaving the game (major players) and never heard from again. His best friends are skeptically behind him, but three large virtual mountains and many more obstacles block their path to understand what is going on, and the implications it might have in their world and the virtual one. Game on.
8 139Avani Gregg Or Madi Monroe?
y/ndamelio goes to a new school she lives with Dixie her sister but what happens these two people love her?! WARNING THERE ☡WILL BE SMUT☡😂👉👈(COMPLETED)
8 205