Chapter 38: A Hero
Adeline knew that he must have swallowed some water unconsciously. Though she was exhausted from pulling him out of the lake, she mustered up all her strength and pushed him on his side hoping he wouldn’t choke on the swallowed water.
What happened next really surprised her, her hand that had been supporting his back was stained red with blood. Adeline was worried that he got hurt somehow in the lake and tried to examine the wound when she discovered the whip marks engraved on his skin. There were a few scars that showed that this wasn’t the first time it happened.
Unknowingly she reached out to touch the wounds. Cassian immediately flinched in response to the pain. She instantly drew back her hands.
It didn’t take long for Cassian to wake up after that, just a few seconds was enough for him to pull himself together and sit upright. He found his shirt unbuttoned, and right in front of him, in between his legs was the strawberry he saw that morning. Her lips were quivering and she had a complicated look on her face. The look of pity made him feel frustrated. He didn’t want to be looked at this way, this was not what he was used to. No one ever felt this way for him.
The image he wanted to show her was gone in an instant. To her, he might have looked weak or even pathetic. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was the Crown Prince; he had to look put together at all times. Within a few moments, he went through a myriad of emotions. He put his shirt on and got up.
Adeline thought he would help her up but he started walking away immediately.
Cassian felt like he had to leave before things got worse. His mother wouldn’t be happy with what happened now. Showing her his weak side... How stupid of him. None of this should have happened. Her blue eyes kept popping up in his mind as he tried to escape the situation. He was almost drowning in the thoughts that haunted him when he felt something hit him.
He turned around to see a wet slipper on the ground.
"Hey! I just saved you! Where is my thank you?!"
She risked her life to save this ungrateful brat! He just walked away? She would not stand for this! She wanted to throw a rock at him but seeing how he was already injured she took off her wet slippers and aimed in his direction. They were soft but durable, made for a child’s feet so she knew that it wouldn’t hurt him.
With the speed at which he was running away from her, anyone would think she was the one who pushed him into the lake.
Seeing the strawberry huffing and puffing while making her way to him was amusing. He stood still to make sure she could catch up. Her tiny legs could only cover so much distance.