Chapter 17
Luciana left the kitten here, asking the critter–keepers to look after it for a couple of days.
The kitten had fallen into the water and was getting chilled by the wind. She didn’t dare to move it around too much, so she decided to leave it here for treatment.
At this point, Camille returned. After struggling to find the right words, she finally said dryly, “Prince Hutton… is still alive.”
Beyond that, there wasn’t much else to say–it was definitely a rough situation.
“Good. My clothes are dirty, so let’s head out of the palace early.” Luciana reached out to pet the kitten and instructed, “Take good care of it. I’ll come check on it tomorrow. If it’s doing better, I’ll take it back with me.”
The kitten seemed to understand, nuzzling her hand affectionately.
Animals were the best–they could sense who was kind to them.
Caleb didn’t leave immediately. He took a detour to the Royal Menagerie to make sure the kitten was being treated before finally heading
out.
On his way back, he happened to run into Dorian, who was in a hurry to pick up Juliette. He’d begged the Queen for ages to summon Juliette into the palace so he could explain what happened the day before.
As they passed each other, Dorian suddenly noticed the cloak in Caleb’s arms.
“Stop right there!” Dorian barked, snatching the cloak away. “Where’d you get this?”
‘Who the hell’s tossing Luciana’s stuff around?‘ he wondered.
“Princess of Latymer just gave it to me. Give it back!” Caleb looked nervous but didn’t let go. “I’ll wash it and return it to her.”
Luciana’s cloak wasn’t cheap–he hadn’t even dared to drape it over himself.
“She gave it to you?” Dorian’s voice rose in disbelief, his brows furrowing.
He noticed Caleb’s soaked clothes, but in his mind, Luciana and Caleb barely knew each other.
They weren’t close–why would she just casually hand over her cloak?
While Dorian was still processing, Caleb yanked the cloak back and bolted out of sight.
“It’s just a piece of clothing. Why do I even care?” Dorian muttered to himself.
If he were the one soaked, Luciana would’ve done the same.
‘Wait–no, it should only be me, right? Did Luciana treat everyone this nicely?‘ Dorian stopped in his tracks again, an inexplicable sourness rising in his chest, like he’d lost something important–leaving him feeling hollow.
Even after picking up Juliette, he wasn’t as happy as he’d imagined.
The two went to see the Queen, but after just a few words, Dorian excused himself, claiming he still had unfinished studies to attend to, and
left.
“Go find out where Luciana went after leaving Mother’s place.” He was just curious, wondering how she and Caleb had met.
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Chapter 17
Turned out, they just met today.
“Princess of Latymer will be entering the palace again tomorrow,” the young servant reported honestly.
Dorian frowned. “What’s that got to do with me?”
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Even though he said that, the next day when Luciana went to the Royal Menagerie, he somehow ended up following her. He even made up an excuse for himself–saying he was there to see the parrots.
“Your Highness, why are you here?” The servant was surprised to see him and hurried over.
Dorian cleared his throat. “Nothing, just wanted to check out the parrots you guys keep.”
The servant was about to lead him there, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he lingered, asking a bunch of questions.
Meanwhile, Luciana completely ignored him, focused solely on stroking the tiny kitten curled up in her lap. With every gentle touch, the little furball let out a soft purr.
Its tail flicked lazily, eyes half–closed in contentment, occasionally nuzzling her fingers affectionately–enough to melt Luciana’s heart.
Dorian suddenly let out a quiet huff and turned to leave for the parrots.
Just as he stepped out, Caleb arrived. Seeing him, Dorian silently retreated, wondering what he was doing here.
The young servant beside him stayed silent, sensing something was off. Clearly, Dorian wasn’t here for the parrots.
Once inside, Caleb hesitated by the door, too shy to approach.
Luciana looked up with a smile. “Here to see it too? Come closer.”
Caleb tiptoed over but kept a respectful distance, craning his neck to peek. He wanted to reach out but didn’t dare..
Nervous and awkward, he looked just as pitiful as the kitten in Luciana’s arms.
“Here, you can hold it,” Luciana offered, gently passing the kitten to him.
The two chatted and laughed over the little furball, completely oblivious to Dorian standing nearby.
Luciana planned to take the kitten back to her estate. Hearing this, Caleb was reluctant to let go, but he knew keeping it wasn’t an option for
him.
“I washed this clean. Here, thank you,” Caleb said, handing back the cloak she’d lent him.
He was such a polite kid, way more well–mannered than that guy over there who’d lived two lifetimes.
“No problem,” Luciana replied, taking the cloak and preparing to leave with the kitten. Caleb offered to walk her out, wanting one last look at the little life he’d saved.
At the door, Caleb gave a slight bow–his way of acknowledging Dorian.
And just like that, they left. Luciana didn’t utter a single word to Dorian.
Being so ignored, Dorian was fuming with rage. He kicked the nearby table and stormed off under everyone’s shocked gazes.
He’d been standing there for so long–there was no way Luciana hadn’t seen him.
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Chapter 17
‘She was deliberately ignoring me, not even saying a word. What’s her problem?
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‘Fine, if she didn’t want to talk to me, whatever. But then she suddenly started chatting happily with Caleb. Was she planning to switch to a new little brother?‘ he said inwardly.
Watching Luciana, who used to revolve around him, now turning her attention to someone else, Dorian felt a strange, indescribable bitterness inside.
Whatever, he was better off without her.
Lost in thought, Dorian wandered aimlessly until he heard a commotion in the distance, mixed with screams.
“What’s going on up ahead?” he asked the servant beside him.
The servant replied, “That’s the Silverwing Lodge, where the hostage prince from Velmora Empire lives.”
“Jacob?” Dorian exclaimed. “Let’s go check it out.”
That prince was supposed to go back to his country someday–he couldn’t die here in Duskwyn before then.
The Silverwing Lodge had a large courtyard, but the rooms were dark and cramped, barely letting in any sunlight. The air was thick with the stench of rot and mildew.
Was this really how a hostage prince lived?
And then there was Jacob–pale, thin, and dressed in rags.
Wait, this wasn’t right. In his previous life, when Dorian first met Jacob, the guy hadn’t been this miserable.
Sure, he’d been scolded by servants and maids, but his living conditions shouldn’t have been this bad.
‘Had Luciana not helped him yet? Or was it just not the right time?‘ Dorian knew Luciana had aided Jacob before, but he didn’t know the
exact timeline.
‘What now? Since I am already here, I couldn’t just turn a blind eye,’ he thought to himself.
The group that had been beating Jacob scattered as soon as they saw Dorian approaching.
“Go tell the servant in charge here to clean up the Silverwing Lodge and get Prince Jacob some new clothes,” Dorian ordered before turning
to leave.
He figured he’d leave the rest to Luciana–he didn’t want to meddle too much.
“Prince Dorian!” Jacob called out from behind him, “Please, help me!”
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