The Mischievous Maiden & The Sleeping Prince - Chapter 264

Magnus in a sudden movement grabbed the alchemist by the collar of his tunic.

“No!!! Let him go!” Alexa ran there at the same time that her brothers jumped up to defend the Languedoc man.

Iacintho pulled the Master while Narses pushed Magnus away. Alexa saw her husband propel like a spring back to Narses, but she had already interposed between them.

She stared at Magnus’s chest, watching him gasp with contained fury, his fist still raised. Behind her, she realized her brother was still on guard.

“Is it true, Master Petrus? Is it true that Magnus is losing his humanity?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I just saw that he can still control himself. Is it because he has motivations for that? If so, my dear Prince, surround yourself with these priorities in your life. I know it is difficult for a man in his position… But if you give in to your darkest instincts, taking advantage of your strength and power, the cursed heart will completely own you… Freeing Orcaius and clasping your soul…”

Alexa looked up at Magnus and whispered.

“See? All you have to do is to keep doing what you were doing before. Stop thinking it cannot be avoided. You worked hard to control it, I know you can do it again.”

“Anyway,” Petrus said, heading for the door with Iacintho, “Everything conspires against you, Magnus. Even imprisoned in a tower or anywhere else, the advantage is his. There is very little left for him to have everything he wants, including freedom, without having to move another finger. He has used all kinds of people -from ambitious to well-intentioned – to achieve a rebirth, a host to his cursed heart, more life, and even the light to escape from hell. And that’s why we used to say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Alexa had never thought that way, and dropped her hand along her body.

“So…”

“My dear, the only weakness he has at the moment is that for some reason, he hesitates in favor of his brother, and you. But see, he was never willing to die and be reborn, get rid of the known and start over. If that doesn’t tell you anything about his ambitions, I am not Petrus, the Alchemist,” the Master shrugged, and after looking at the couple for a moment, bowed his head at the minimum of obeisances and left with Iacintho.

Narses, after staring at them too, did the same.

“Magnus… Did you really arrest Alexander? In the tower? With all those keys?!” One more thing she knew about Holstein.

He took a deep breath and asked,

“Now I want to know. Would you go there just to check on his welfare? Haven’t you heard your beloved Master Petrus reveal what we’re dealing with? Its innocent and radiant appearance is perfect for seducing and deceiving, for raising pity and even using some guilt or protective instinct! It is Lucifer himself!”

“I …” If that was true… If Alexander-Orcaius… He really was so cunning, and he meticulously used so many people to get to the top of his plan… “It’s hard to believe, having known him.” she finally spoke. Although she couldn’t really accept it, deep in her heart. She knew that she could open that door anytime she wanted. It was part of the prophecy.

“You really are the type of person who does what he needs. And I see that, like Gisela, you would continue to do it, and do it again, even if he says you are condemned for having committed crimes to benefit him…” he went to the table and reached for a glass, pouring wine for himself.

Alexa sighed. Understanding things that way also made her see Gisela differently.

“He said that if I forgave her, he would let her go. Perhaps he would do the same for Letitia…” she looked at him hopefully. Magnus stared at her for a moment, and Alexa was lost in the sharp lines of his face, staring at her, lost in thought. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, saying,

“It might be easier for you to forgive someone who stole something from you when you weren’t even born. But this is not my case. I can’t be as magnanimous as you are…”

“You mean, silly. Fool. Gullible.” she dried her tears. Was it the pregnancy, or had she really become a tears fountain?

“Stop. Don’t cry because of him,” he said, and even though he sounded more annoyed than concerned, Alexa ignored this and went to him.

“It’s not because of him,” she confessed, sulking. She took Magnus’s hand and placed it over his head. Alexa expected him to console her, but he patted the top of her head with an open palm.

“You’re not thinking of seducing me with your crying again, are you? I won’t accept that you go to him. I’m warning you.”

His tired voice said that he even wanted to sound threatening, but he didn’t have the strength to do so. He most probably had slept less than two hours since they arrived. After all, Alexa still held his wrist over his head, and again he patted it. “Turn those watery, purple eyes of yours over there. The keys aren’t even with me.”

“Where are they?”

“ALEXA!”

“I was talking about you.”

“Don’t change the subject. It will be treason, and I will treat anyone who comes there accordingly. God… That’s why they wrote laws in stone in this house. Because of people like you.”

“I was talking about you,” she repeated softly. The hours of travel and the weight of events could have made Magnus forget what happened the day before in the citadel. The harsh conversation they had. But she had not forgotten the things she had witnessed, or what they had talked about.

“Then that’s it? Now is everything I do a reason for you to cry?” Magnus finally did a shy caress on Alexa’s hair before moving his hand away and sitting on a chair in front of her.

“Sniff …” The question made her nervous. Was that how he felt?

“BWAAHAHAH BWAH!” she burst into crying.

“Alexa…!” Magnus murmured softly, agonized and worried, running a hand through his long, unruly hair before reaching Alexa and sitting on his lap.

“Stop. Don’t use your tricks again. Please. I don’t want to see you cry …! But there’s no good way to do that! STOP or I’ll go crazy!” His voice wavered in mood and volume.

“They are not tricks! I’m dying here, don’t you see?! I don’t know what to do! I don’t want to lose you, Magnus! I don’t want things to be like this! I don’t want to live as we are living! I don’t want to be tough anymore!”

“Then let me take care of you!”

“NO!!! You don’t let me do anything!”

“There is nothing for you to do, Alexa!!!” he exclaimed. “It’s over! You are no longer running away, you are my wife!”

“You know it’s not what everyone thinks!”

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I wish you were beside me, entering the rooms and sitting in the place of honor beside me, but that would only do you more harm than good. And it will create unnecessary conflicts.”

Alexa looked at him, shocked. And he looked at her.

“My son with you will be the future Sovereign of this land, Alexa. Is that what you want to hear?”

“No Mags. This is far from what I want to hear.”

“Trust me when I say I will take care of you. I promise. I won’t officially marry anyone else, but you. If it’s not possible, then I won’t marry. I am yours. I already said it. And you are mine. So, trust me. Don’t hide things from me as you do. Stop doing it.”

“Then promise.”

“I already said I promise.”

“No… Promise, that pride or violence will not dominate you. Promise that your hand will not spill blood. Promise that you will not lose your sanity to the monster.” Alexa held his face with both hands, looking at him intensely, trying to read in his eyes.

Magnus blinked, astonished.

“Yes. Promise it, Magnus. That you will do this for us. For our daughter. For us.”

“It’s a girl?” he gaped.

“Yes. Don’t get angry, please. Master Petrus said earlier that it’s a girl.” There was not a man who did not want male children as firstborn, and he had said just a few moments about his heir. She didn’t know what to expect.

“Oh!” a smirk showed on his pensive face. “I hope she goes after you … in appearance, I mean. Not in other aspects.”

This time it was Alexa who gaped, but Magnus didn’t withdraw what he said.

“Yes, Alexa. I can promise that. I will do this for us. But I also need you to promise something.

“…” Why did Alexa know she wouldn’t like to hear what he’d say next?

“Don’t make plans behind my back, and I won’t make plans behind your back. Don’t fool me, and I won’t fool you. I need to trust you, in addition to loving you. Don’t try to manipulate me, cheat. For nothing in this world. Are you listening to me?”

Alexa pondered. Were things as bad as he made them out to be?

“I need to trust you. So that no trickery can reach us and set us apart. You know what we’re going to be dealing with from now on. And especially, Alexa. Do not go there. Don’t open that door in any way. Do not speak to him.”

Alexa lowered her eyes, embarrassed. He was right.

“I promise Magnus. We will try to live in peace. I will trust you, so that you trust me. We will do it all together.” She lifted her chin, her eyes sparkling with emotion, and spoke from the bottom of her chest with a renewed conviction.

“I promise, Alexa. Let’s do all of this together…” he said solemnly, and they smiled shyly to each other.

Magnus played Alexa’s hand a little, lost in thought, for a few moments.

He leaned down to kiss her, but she placed two fingers on his lips, pushing him away.

“Shave!”

“Uhn?” he frowned, surprised by her demand.

Alexa would make sure he stayed clean, clean-shaven, as that was step number one to maintain sanity. Step two was getting constant personal guidance of someone both moral and pragmatic: Blue Eyes.

Should she speak the truth, or tell him that the beard reminded her of John Blackrose, to stoke the competition he had against the English knight and move him to shave, without hurting his pride?

Oops, she did that again…

“Let me take care of you? I always wanted to shave… I mean…”