His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 27

“They’re dead,” Kassian said.

“All of them?” Yulien exclaimed in disbelief. How?”

“We only caught one of them alive, but by the time l got there to interrogate him, somebody had slipped poison into his food. Or maybe he carried the poison with him and killed himself when the guards weren’t watching,” Kassian explained, trying to contain his anger.

They had run out of leads about who was instigating these incidents or what the purpose was of causing such unrest. Nobody stood to gain anything from a rebellion in that region – the nobles were being treated well even after the assimilation of Caen into the Empire and most of them took leadership roles and important positions. A violent upheaval would only destabilize the region and make them lose money and their labor force. They didn’t even have any military power, so even if the rebellion was successful, they were going to be devastated the moment the Empire sent its soldiers. It made no sense.

“It can’t be helped” Yulien sighed. “It’s obvious that someone was behind it. I don’t think those people just woke up and decided their life was bad and they needed to rebel.”

“Agreed. But…” Kassian started when he noticed Blaine craning his neck to look at something, then turning toward him with a surprised expression. “What?” Kassian frowned.

Looking in the direction his aide had been staring.

His eyes caught a movement, and for a second, something golden grabbed his attention before it disappeared around the corner.

I am almost sure that was your wife walking over there with her personal maid,” Blaine said.

Kassian stopped abruptly, turning to look again in the direction Blaine was pointing. Yulien paused, giving a sign to his guards to wait.

“What would she be doing here?” Kassian frowned, taking a few steps back.

“Blaine, why don’t you go and bring her if it really her?” Yulien suggested, and the aide hesitated for a moment before sprinting away.

Kassian sensed his brother’s eyes on him, but ignored them, trying to bring back his reserved expression. The sounds of steps returned to the corridor before Blaine came into view, followed by two women.

One of them was dark-haired and wearing a maid’s uniform – Kassian quickly recognized the tanned girl with sharp brown eyes and neat dark hair pulled into a braid as Raena’s maid. The second woman had to be his wife, but her appearance didn’t quite match what he remembered of Raena. He had always seen her with messy hair falling freely around her pretty face, with no jewelry and dresses which were both indistinctive and simple. This time, her hair was carefully arranged and the dress she wore clearly outlined her curves and delicate lines. Even her jewelry matched her outfit and the ornaments in her hair.

Kassian glanced at Blaine, who shrugged lightly. The maid bowed down while Raena curtsied, a huge grin appearing on her face the moment she rose.

“Ladies, what a pleasure to see you here!” Yulien spoke first, patting Kassian on the back with unnecessary force. It helped Kassian get rid of his surprise and he frowned instead, staring at Raena – she looked a bit paler than usual, but her smile was just as bright as ever. “I don’t believe we were ever properly introduced. I’m Yulien, Kassian’s older brother.”

“Oh!” Raena said, her eyes widening.

“Oh?” Yulien chuckled, staring at her. “What Raena leaned forward, still looking at his brother, and lowered her voice.

“I’m sorry for kicking you between the legs, Your Highness,” she said. “My mother said that I should always protect my innocence at all costs, no matter who stands in front of me.”

Kassian closed his eyes, fighting the urge to cover his face while trying to decide if he should frown or laugh. To his surprise, his brother burst out laughing. Kassian looked at him, wondering how long it had been since he heard Yulien laugh so wholeheartedly. His older brother was always smiling politely and giving out the vibe of unwavering positivity, but Kassian knew what he had to deal with every day while living in the Imperial Palace.

“Oh, no, dear sister-in-law, that was completely deserved,” he said, patting Raena’s shoulder. She stared hesitantly at him before grinning. The sudden urge to pull his brother’s hand away from her hit him so hard, he took a step forward before he even realized it. Yulien let his hand drop by his side. “So please accept my apology instead, Lady Raena. I showed you something unsightly.”

“It’s alright!” Raena laughed. “So we can be friends now?”

Yulien shot Kassian a look before giving her an indulging smile.

“Of course. We’ll all be good friends now.”

“What are you doing here?” Kassian asked, finally bringing Raena’s attention to him.

“I was just meeting with the Empress.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. Kassian felt his body tense and shot his brother a glance. Yulien’s smile turned less cheerful, even though he managed to look nonchalant about it. “She was nice!”

“Why wasn’t I informed you were meeting with her?” Kassian asked coldly. His wife’s smile faltered and she took a hesitant step back, almost bumping into her maid. Kassian cursed himself. He didn’t mean to scare her, but she probably didn’t realize how dangerous meeting with that woman was not just for him, but for her own safety as well.

“The invitation was sent to me alone,” she replied, crossing her arms and glancing toward her maid. Her maid nodded, even though she didn’t look up. “l didn’t know I had to tell you!”

“Mistress, manners!” her maid hissed, but this time the girl blatantly ignored her, pursing her lips stubbornly. Kassian sighed, his frustration growing.

“Blaine,” he said and his aide straightened up. Make sure Kara gets home safely.’

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied, trying to hide his confusion. “What will you…?”

“I’m taking my wife back,” he announced, grabbing Raena’s hand. “Yulien, I’ll see you tomorrow at the council meeting.”

“Y-yes?” Yulien replied, his voice sounding tartled. Kassian ignored their strange looks, pulling Raena after him. To his surprise, she dug her heels into the floor, trying to wiggle her hand of his grip, but failing miserably against his strength.

“Kara!” she shouted, turning toward her maid with a pleading look in her eyes. Kassian stared with shock, just now realizing what he was doing.

His wife glanced at him with fear in her eyes.

“I’ll see you at home, Mistress,” the maid replied hesitantly. “Please, behave yourself.”

Raena gave her a betrayed look, but then stopped struggling, her shoulders slouching.

Kassian loosened his grip, catching her fingers as gently as he could. They were so small and thin that it felt like they would break no matter how lightly he squeezed them. When he glanced back at her, she was pouting, dragging her feet.

“If l let go of your hand, will you walk properly?” he sighed. She nodded and Kassian let go, pretending not to see how she rubbed her wrist as she hurried to catch up with him.

They walked in silence until they reached the carriage that was already waiting for them. The coachman opened the door to help Raena inside, but when he met Kassian’s gaze, he quickly rushed to the driver’s seat. Kassian offered her his hand and gritted his teeth as she hesitated before taking it. By the time he climbed in after her and closed the door, she had seated herself in one of the corners, arms crossed.

He hadn’t seen or thought of her for the last ten days. Work kept him busy, and when he was too tired to work, Lara’s company wouldn’t leave him time for useless thoughts and dreams. Yet, looking at her now, he realized his heart was beating much faster than usual again.

Kassian closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

“Are you mad?” he sighed, looking back at her, only to find her staring.

“Yes!” she said, still pouting.

“Is it because I pulled your hand?”

“Yes!” she murmured again. “I don’t see why need to go back with you and not Kara.”

“Do you not like to ride in the carriage with me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. She would usually look much happier when she saw him, so something must have happened to put her in a bad mood. Considering how curt and unhelpful her answers were, he doubted he’d get any proper information out of her, even if he asked about the Empress.

Raena shook her head, looking out the window.

“Why?” he asked, tensing in his seat.

“Because His Highness is boring!”

Whatever Kassian expected, it wasn’t that. Her honest words, in combination with that displeased expression, made him laugh before he knew what he was doing. She peeked back at him, looking surprised.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he murmured, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry for hurting your hand and for leaving without Kara. Just wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“What kind of questions?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“What did the Empress want from you?” he asked, keeping his smile on so that he wouldn’t scare her again. She seemed to relax a little, her eyes studying him for a long time.

“She wanted to congratulate me on becoming part of the family,” Raena replied. “She asked if you treat me well and if l see you often. I told her I don’t see you at all and she then said that I am really pretty. She was really beautiful, so I am sure she only said it to make me feel better, but she was really nice. Then she told me l could go back.”

“Is that all you talked about?” Kassian asked.

“Hm, yes. She just.” his wife started, but let out a surprised yelp as the carriage stopped abruptly, sending her flying forward. She landed on her knees between his legs, groaning quietly as her hands gripped his thighs to keep her from falling all the way over him. He stared at her with a startled expression while she struggled to get up.

The carriage started moving again, only to stop abruptly a few moments later. She had managed to get up by then, but the sudden jolt sent her flying right into his arms. Kassian barely felt it as her body hit his chest, but before he knew it, his hands were on her tiny waist, holding her in place to make sure she wouldn’t fall again.

She smelled of flowers and chocolate and something even sweeter. Her chest was rising and falling quickly against him, and her breath was tickling his neck, sending go0sebumps all the way to his fingertips. She was warm, too. He could feel the heat radiating from her body even through her dress, and it was driving him crazy.

Kassian took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as her scent engulfed him, her hair tickling his face while her delegate fingers dug into his shoulders to keep her steady.

She was so close. Too close.

What was with that woman that unsettled him so much? And what was it with this stupid situation?

“Um, Your Highness, can you put me down? You’re squeezing me too hard.”

Kassian blinked in surprise, his eyes stopping on his hands that were gripping her waist. He set her down in her seat, getting to his feet. He pushed the door open and stepped outside, glaring at the coachman, who was just shouting at someone in front of them.

“What is the meaning of this? Can’t you drive properly?” Kassian growled and the man jumped in surprise, bowing from his seat.

“My deepest apologies, Your Highness! The wheel of the carriage in front of us just broke and I had to avoid hitting them or you might have got hurt. I will go around them now and make sure to drive more carefully. Is Her Highness alright?”

“She is…” Kassian muttered, glancing back inside the carriage only to find Raena in her seat with her skirts raised almost to her waist. “Dear gods, have mercy on me…” He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Just get us back to my residence as fast as you can.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The coachman nodded eagerly. preparing to get them moving. Kassian stepped back into the carriage, slamming the door and dropping in his seat. His eyes instinctively went back to her. Her hair was obscuring most of it, but he could still see her running her fingers over one of her legs.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked with annoyance, locking his eyes on the window.

“How can you just lift your skirt like that?”

“Kara will scold me if l get b***d on my dress again!” Raena mumbled, and Kassian’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes immediately went back to her. She seemed to have grazed one of her knees and a bit of b***d was seeping through the broken skin. Pressing her handkerchief against it, she kept wincing.

Kassian sighed, untying his cravat. The damn thing was making it too hard to breathe, but he had to dress up since he was visiting the Imperial Palace. He leaned down and caught the hand with the handkerchief, prying the cloth out of her fingers before pressing it gently against her knee. She hissed, but didn’t stop him as he slid the cravat under her knee and tied it around it. When he was done with the knot, Kassian pulled back silently, looking out the window again.

“Put your skirts down,” he whispered without looking at her. “And stop lifting them so casually. I can’t believe even you are this unaware.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied and for a second it sounded like she was smiling, but when he glanced at her she was staring thoughtfully outside as if nothing had happened.

Kassian sank deeper into his seat, closing his eyes and sighing again. It had all been fine when he was away and didn’t see her. He had no problem controlling his body, his mind, his feelings. Yet now that she was sitting so close and doing all those ridiculous things, he could barely think straight without something stupid coming to his mind.

Since replacing the object of his interest didn’t seem to do the trick, he had to do the next best thing – ignore it until it disappeared into oblivion.