His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 47

“..and it’s been a mess out there, with all those uprisings! It’s a good thing His Highness here resolves all of those problems so promptly. If it wasn’t for him, this could have affected more than just the trade of the Empire, but its overall stability as well! Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

“That’s right.” Kassian nodded, forcing a smile on his face. This was all they wanted to talk about the uprisings. With their easy, boring lives, where the most exciting thing was the latest gossip, none of them could understand the actual danger of those acts of rebellion. It wasn’t even the number of deaths that have been rising, not even the losses more and more merchants incurred. War was a distant notion for them, a problem someone else had to solve so they could keep their comfortable lifestyles.

“And isn’t it…” the same noble started when a distant scream rose above the music, only to be cut off abruptly. Kassian froze, his eyes darting to his companions, who looked around in confusion. Even the musicians stopped playing and were whispering among themselves.

Kassian looked around, his eyes landing on Sarea, who was frowning as she motioned for a servant to go to her. Prime Minister and his son stood beside her, but no matter how much he looked, he couldn’t spot Raena anywhere. He couldn’t seem to see his brother either.

Some of the quests had decided to check it out, so he followed, his stride accelerating with each next step. An unpleasant feeling formed in his stomach as he zigzagged between the excited nobles.

Another scream echoed through the garden, louder this time and not as panicked, but just as scared. He recognized it this time, he could recognize Lara’s scream anywhere. In a blink of an eye, he was running, pushing his way through the people crowding the path leading to one of the ponds. As he made his way to the front of the group that had gathered, his eyes kept searching for Lara and the source of her distress. He spotted her standing on the bridge along with Yulien, who was struggling to take off his overcoat and sash while she clung to his arm.

“Your Highness, you can’t just jump in! It’s not safe!” Lara begged, holding onto Yulien’s elbow as he finally stripped it and let it drop to the ground.

“What is going on here?” Kassian shouted, hurrying toward them. Both looked at him with surprise, which made him take a sharp breath.

“Kassian!” Yulien exclaimed, his dark eyes filled with worry. “Raena, she..” He didn’t finish, his eyes drifting to the pond over the bridge.

“She what?” Kassian frowned, folowing his gaze. He stared at the dark waters for a second and he was just about to look back at his brother when he noticed the form floating face down in the pond.

Understanding flickered in his mind and his heart skipped a beat. “Sh!t!”

Without thinking, he stepped on the parapet and dove into the water with Lara’s shout for him to be careful echoing through the garden. He swam back to the surface next to Raena’s body, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her toward the shore.

He shook his head to get rid of the water in his, noticing that Yulien had left the bridge and was making his way through the grass toward him.

A few more nobles had drawn near, but they kept their distance as if afraid to interfere. Lara was standing by the bridge, her hands covering her mouth while her eyes stared at them with horror.

As the water reached his waist, Kassian picked Raena in his arms, wading through the mud until he felt a hard ground underneath his feet. He gently set her down, trying to catch his breath as he checked if she was breathing. A cold chill ran through his body and it had nothing to do with the wind that pierced him through his wet clothes.

He glanced up at Yulien, who was biting his l*p and running a hand through his hair.

“What is going on here? What were those screams about?” someone asked and Kassian quickly recognized the Prime Minister’s baritone voice. He glanced back at his brother and without a word Yulien turned around, striding toward the older man that was making his way through the spectators.

Kassian returned his attention back to Raena, back to her pale face and unmoving chest. He pushed the panic away, turning her to the side and reaching for the ties on the back of her dress. He tried to loosen them up, but it was difficult and painfully slow. He let out a frustrated growl, wrapping his fingers around them and ripping them off along with the delicate cloth. Her dress finally loosened around her thin frame, but even as he let her lie on her back, she didn’t move. Her chest didn’t rise.

“Come on, don’t do this to me!” he murmured under his breath, checking her pulse again, but finding it eerily quiet. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then put his hands on her chest, giving her half a dozen compressions before leaning over. He pinched her nose and opened her mouth, breathing as much air into it as he could. He returned to the compressions, ignoring Ramor’s shouting that was soon cut off by Yulien’s sharp words.

Kassian lowered himself to press his mouth back to hers for the third time, his patience and calm quickly draining away when her body jerked and she started spitting water. The relief he felt almost made him fall down next to her, but he pulled himself together, turning her to the side so she could spit everything out. When she was done heaving, she continued to lie still, but this time her tiny, frail shoulders moved up and down as she took deep, wheezing breaths.

“Here. Wrap her in this.” Yulien’s voice pulled him out of his reverie and he looked up just as his brother was handing him his overcoat. Kassian took it instinctively, not sure why he would need that, then he realized Raena was shivering, and her dress hung so loose around her body, the cloth around her neck was the only thing keeping it on.

He wrapped her with the jacket, picking her up in his arms and stumbling to his feet. He glanced toward the crowd that had quieted – even the Prime Minister and his son – then back toward Yulien. His brother nodded, giving him an understanding smile. “Go. Sarea and I will take care of everything.”

“Thank you,” Kassian mumbled, adjusting Raena in his arms. Even with her dress soaked and her brother’s jacket on top of her, she was so light he was afraid she might fly with the wind if he didn’t hold tight enough. He strode past Lara and the other guests, keeping his eyes forward and trying to ignore the soft whispers that rose behind him.

As he left everyone behind, he looked down at the girl snuggled against his chest. Her light makeup had washed away and her long blonde hair was a complete mess, but at least the color was returning to her lips and every heaving breath she let out calmed him more and more.

“Why is it that every time there is trouble in my house, it’s always you?” he murmured.

Her lids fluttered open and she stared at him with those bright blue eyes. Kassian missed a step and almost fell down, but quickly regained his balance. By the time he looked back at her, her eyes were closed and her breaths had turned even slower. She was not shivering anymore, but he didn’t want her staying in those wet clothes any longer than she had to, so he quickened his pace, locking his eyes on the North Palace in the distance. He could have brought her to his place, but considering he never let any of his women there, let alone permit them to spend the night, he thought it might be better to bring her to her own home.

When the guards in front of the gates saw him, they tensed, one of them even reaching for his sword. As soon as they recognized him, they rushed to his side, showering him with questions and searching the shadows as if expecting an attack.

“Open the door and stay on your posts,” Kassian said coldly, and they rushed to fulfill his command, staring after him as he strode toward the mansion.

A shadow moved in front of the house, getting up from the chair he was sitting in. It wasn’t long before Kassian recognized the silver hair and eyes singularly focused on his wife. Before the silver-haired man could say or do anything, the front door opened, spilling light into the yard.

“Oh, my God!” Raena’s maid gasped as she stepped outside, covering her mouth. “Your Highness? What happened? Is she…? Come inside, hurry!”

The silver-haired guy moved to intercept him, reaching out to pick up Raena, but Kassian stopped, locking his eyes on him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kassian asked, and the other man finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “You dare block my way? Move!”

The servant hesitated, but then stepped aside. Kassian pushed past him, the shivers running up his spine intensifying even though he was already inside the warm foyer. A handful of servants appeared from the adjoining rooms, probably drawn by the noise, and all froze as they saw him dripping wet and glaring. Raena’s maid shouted a few orders as she climbed up the stairs and the maids rushed to fulfill them while Kassian followed her to the second floor. She led him into another room this time – bigger and a bit messier, with papers and books scattered on one of the tables.

She pushed the covers of the bed aside and stepped away so he could put Raena down. Three other maids walked into the room carrying towels, clothes, and extra blankets.

“Your Highness, please come with me,” Kara said, and he finally looked away from

“No,” he said without thinking.

“Your Highness, please!” she insisted, pointing at the door. “The maids will have to change her clothes and you need to get out of yours too. You are also drenched. We can’t have you getting sick.”

Kassian nodded with resignation, following her into the room opposite Raena’s, freshly furnished and decorated, but obviously unused by the looks of it. Two other maids were waiting by the bed, one holding a folded set of clothes while the other one fidgeted, carrying a handful of towels.

“Would you like us to draw you a hot bath?” Kara asked in a polite tone.

“There is no need,” he replied quickly. “You two, put those on the bed and leave. You stay.” He added when Raena’s maid turned to follow them.

Her shoulders stiffened, but she nodded, closing the door and striding back to him. “I don’t need your help.” He stopped her as he slipped his jacket and shirt off and let them fall into a wet pile on the ground. He reached out for the towel and wiped himself with it, enjoying its warmth and soft texture for a moment. “Have there been any more accidents here involving her?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Any new rumors?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Anything else I should know about?” he sighed, slipping the shirt they had prepared for him over his head. “This is not the first time she has been hurt, If there is anything I need to know about

“Are you sure this wasn’t just an accident?” she asked and Kassian froze, slowly turning to look at her. “Your Highness.” She added quickly. “It’s just that this is not the first time she almost drowned. Before your wedding, she almost drowned by falling in the pond in the Prime Minister’s mansion. My mistress can’t swim, you see.”

“So you think it was an accident?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He pulled the shirt down, adjusting it on his back and focusing on the buttons on the front. The maid remained with her eyes on the floor.

“I dare not say, Your Highness. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait and ask my Mistress once she wakes up.” She stood quietly in her spot as if waiting for more questions. When Kassian didn’t say anything during the time it took him to change, she shifted impatiently. “Shall prepare this room for you, Your Highness?”

Kassian froze with his fingers fumbling with the cufflinks on his sleeves, and hesitated. He wanted to make sure Raena was alright, but things were already unnecessarily complicated and he had to speak with Yulien before he went back. He might have seen what happened, considering how he was the first there. And Lara. She was there too.

“No need. I’m leaving” he said, heading for thedoor. She stepped away from his path. “I’ll send the doctor to examine her. Find out what happened tonight and report to my aide immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He stepped outside, his eyes traveling inside Raena’s room, whose door was still wide open.. He could hear the maids talking in hushed voices, confirming everything had been dried and changed and mentioning that her pulse was strong and her body was getting warmer. Kassian glanced back at Kara, who had just raised her head.

“Stay with her tonight. She might need your care.”