Chapter 46: Kael Got Banished For Me. I Feel Partially Responsible! 1
The beastmen around them were pretending not to watch.
Neve could tell because they kept glancing over and then looking away too quickly, the way people looked when they wanted to see what was happening but didn’t want to be caught seeing it. He had been trying to keep a low profile since arriving at the festival, and it had not been working. Isabella, standing in front of him, demanding for his soup was not improving the situation.
She stepped closer. "Where have you hidden it? Go on. Tell me."
Neve tilted his head.
"Hidden it?" he said. "That implies you went to the cave to look for it first."
Isabella’s mouth opened in shock.
Then she immediately slammed it closed, not to get exposed.
She took one step back. Her eyes moved sideways to the people around them before she could stop them, and that was all the confirmation Neve needed.
"I thought so," he said pleasantly.
She had gone to the cave. Of course, she had. While Neve was in the snow tending to the wounded girl and Cael was with his brothers, Isabella had sent someone, or gone herself, and found nothing because the cave was just a cave with a bedroom and a kitchen, with nothing left out in the open.
"Good thing I hid it in the snow," Neve said. He tapped his chin. "You’ll never find it. Princess Isabella."
"You red..."
She was already moving forward. Something in her face had dropped below the pleasant surface into something considerably less controlled, and she was reaching for him—
"Neve!"
The voice came from behind him, and Isabella stopped.
She looked past Neve’s shoulder.
Her expression changed completely. The reaching hand dropped. Her posture shifted — shoulders back, chin up, the specific reorganisation of someone who had just been reminded that they were in public and someone significant had arrived.
Neve turned.
Kael was walking toward him through the festival crowd with a wooden mug of wine in one hand and the easy confidence of someone who had been the most interesting person at events like this so many times it had stopped being interesting to him. Dark hair, gold jewellery, the necklace Neve remembered from the trade city.
"That is definitely Prince Kael of the werewolf tribe," she finished, making herself look presentable. "How can someone as noble as him know someone like you?"
"Yeah... How?" Neve asked, still not taking his eyes off Kael.
He was smiling brightly as he increased his pace. Neve knew that different tribes were coming to the festival. He knew he was going to see Kael, but he didn’t expect it to be this soon.
He just faked a smile and waved his hand.
"Oh... Hi! Kael!"
"Neve," he said again, and walked past the distance where most people stopped and kept going, and hugged him.
Neve patted his back twice and waited for it to be over. He was going to pretend that Kael didn’t notice the wave. He wanted him to wave back and not... hug him.
Kael pulled back and immediately looked down at Neve’s wrist. His thumb traced the bond mark there, and he made a sound that was somewhere between impressed and something else.
"You really are a man of your word. You did it," he said. "You bonded with the leopard."
"I said I would," Neve said, pulling his hand back.
"You said you’d bond with him once winter comes." Kael raised his mug. "Winter started yesterday, and you already fulfilled your promise."
"Just like you said, I’m a man of my word."
"Clearly." Kael leaned forward slightly with that look in his eyes. "So. When is my turn?"
"What?" said Isabella.
Kael turned his head in the direction of the voice. Neve had almost forgotten that she had been standing right there.
Isabella was standing there with the expression of someone who had come here prepared to seduce Kael and had just found a complication. She adjusted her clothing before Neve had time to look away, pulling the neckline lower in a way that was definitely not accidental, and letting her scent waft. Neve could tell from how several nearby beastmen turned their heads.
’Oh! She’s really trying hard!’
"I’m Princess Isabella," she said. Her voice had gone warm and practised. "Daughter of the late chief of the leopard tribe." She held Kael’s gaze with the confidence of someone who had been beautiful and well-born their entire life and knew exactly how that combination worked on people. "I didn’t expect to see a prince of the wolf tribe at the festival. It would be my deepest pleasure to personally anchor your experience tonight."
Kael looked at her.
The smile didn’t change. Neither did anything else in his expression, which was the problem. He was looking at Isabella the way he might look at a slightly interesting stone he had found on a path.
"I see," he replied and turned back to Neve with a real and warm smile. "You promised to bond with me after winter."
"No, I said I’ll think about it after winter," Neve corrected him.
Isabella stepped closer again and held his arm tight.
"He’s a man, and trust me when I say he can’t give you anything. I can..." She winked, exposing herself even more.
"Who are you?" he said.
Isabella’s smile developed a crack as she let go of what she was wearing.
"I just said... I mean, I just told you that I’m Princess Isabella—"
"Right." Kael looked at her hand on his arm. Then at the hand. Then at Isabella. "Take that off me. Your scent is making me gag, and I don’t like being touched."
The hand came off as she stepped back. Shock and confusion were written on her face. Whenever she did this to beastmen, they adored and worshipped her. They would do anything she wanted, but right now... It wasn’t working. She looked at Neve.
’I’m sure he’s the cause. Ever since he came here, all the plans I have to own a bunch of noble mates have kept failing. Seems like I’ll have to get rid of him completely.’