Chapter 235: Fifteen Minutes Away
Only Septimus was permitted inside, as Ivan sensed no malice from him, and his healing magic was vital to Evelyn’s recovery. After his assessment, Septimus informed Ivan that Eve had collapsed due to overexertion. Her body was still that of a mortal, while her powers were those of a celestial being, and forcing such power through an untrained, weakened body had left her completely drained.
He assured Ivan that she would eventually wake up once her body had healed enough, though he didn’t know when would that be.
However, he also offered a word of caution that Eve would need to strengthen her body if she wished to wield her immense powers without them taking such a heavy toll on her.
Cece, Damien, and Edward remained in the room as well. None of them had managed even a wink of sleep out of worry for Evelyn. Still, they were extended every courtesy from King Alaric, such as to be tended to by the royal healers, they were provided with fresh clothes, rooms to clean themselves, and proper meals. They accepted only so they could remain in good condition to look after both Ivan and Evelyn.
As night fell, Damien grew increasingly concerned for his brother, who refused to leave Eve’s side. Ivan had neither slept nor eaten, nor had he taken the time to bathe or change into fresh clothes.
When Damien finally had enough, he pushed himself up from the sofa with an exaggerated click of his tongue. "Ah! For the love of every god that ever existed, Ivan, go take a bath and put on clean clothes."
Ivan only gave him a blank stare before turning his gaze back to Eve. Damien pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "Honestly....you really don’t know the first thing about women, do you?"
Ivan’s molten red eyes snapped back to him. Damien took that as his cue and continued, "Listen carefully. Women have this very strange weakness called a sense of smell. Untidy men who look like they’ve been dragged through a battlefield? Massive turn-off." He gestured dramatically at Ivan. "Evelyn is sweet, yes, but do you really want her to wake up and think, ’Ah, wonderful, my saviour smells like three sleepless nights and bad decisions’?"
And that did it.
The thought hit Ivan like a nail driven straight into his chest. The mere idea of Evelyn being even mildly repulsed by him made his stomach twist. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her side. He dragged a hand through his hair and spoke, "I can’t leave her alone, Damien."
"And here we go again....honestly, do you think we’re all dead, or that we’d just leave Evelyn unguarded in this state?" Damien scoffed. When Ivan remained silent, he continued, "Do you know who protected her when she was in trouble, and you were....well, you know."
Ivan stared at him wordlessly, and Damien smirked, clearly pleased with himself. "Me, of course!"
Edward, standing by the window, cleared his throat quietly, drawing Damien’s attention.
"Oh, right," Damien added quickly, waving a hand. "Lord Edward was with me too, obviously."
Cece, who had been silent until then, smiled faintly at Damien’s theatrics and chimed in, "And don’t forget who dealt with her grotesque bodyguard on her own."
"Exactly!" Damien snapped his fingers. "So that makes me, Edward, and Cece, all fully capable of protecting dear Evelyn for the grand fifteen minutes it’ll take you to wash up and change into something that doesn’t look like it’s been through a war."
Damien’s dark red eyes then shifted to Septimus, "And let’s not forget, we also have a High Priest from Luminear who can put up some rather impressive barriers. I saw it with my own eyes; he practically toasted half those soldiers alive."
He folded his arms with satisfaction. "So go. Bathe. Change. She’ll still be alive when you come back. I promise."
Septimus’s lips curved slightly as he turned his silver gaze towards Ivan. "He’s right, Prince Ivan. If you wish to take care of Princess Evelyn, you must also take care of yourself. I’m certain that if she were awake and saw you in this state, she would not be pleased."
Ivan looked at Septimus, then let his gaze drift to the others, who watched him expectantly, waiting for him to listen. He glanced down at himself and finally acknowledged the truth: if not for his own sake, then for hers, he needed to keep himself presentable.
Releasing a soft sigh, he relented. "Fine." Rising from the bed, he added, "I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Until then, none of you are to leave."
He did not wait for a response, "Alex."
The door opened at once, and Alex stepped inside. "Your Highness." He bowed and waited.
"You are not to allow anyone to enter this wing, let alone these chambers, until I return. Inform the others to increase the security," Ivan ordered.
"Understood, Your Highness." Alex bowed again and departed to carry out his orders.
Damien and Cece rolled their eyes at Ivan’s extreme protectiveness, yet deep down, they were relieved. They would take any amount of his intensity over seeing him revert to the emotionless shell he once was.....the version of him they had known under Viva’s dark magic.
With that, Ivan left the room.
That night, an unexpected visitor was about to arrive, someone who was by no means insignificant in any sense. Septimus had already retired to his room after one final check on Eve, so only Ivan, Damien, Cece, and Edward remained in the chamber.
They had settled comfortably against the sofa, half-declaring the room their second home, discussing how Dante and Seira were planning to return to the academy now that the trip had turned out far more dangerous than expected.
Ivan, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, looked as striking as ever. Unlike the others, however, he remained seated beside Eve on the bed, her hand clasped firmly in his, when Damien finally asked, "So... what are you planning to do next, brother?"
Ivan’s molten red eyes, which had been fixed on the window in deep thought, shifted to Damien as he asked, "About what?"
"Well, a little birdie told me that news about those crazy two and about you and Evelyn being the reincarnations of celestial beings is spreading like wildfire. Something tells me things won’t be as peaceful as they look right now." Damien replied. His gaze then drifted to Eve, who remained wrapped in a peaceful slumber, and his tone softened, though worry seeped through. "Especially when there’s no telling when she’ll wake up."
"I agree. On one side, there are the dark forces, and on the other, that persistent King of Luminear," Cece said, anger sharp in her voice, before turning to Edward. "No offence, Edward, but his words and actions make it seem as though he doesn’t care about his daughter at all."
"None taken. I completely agree," Edward replied quietly, but his expression grew grim. "It’s a known fact in our kingdom that King Solan abandoned Evelyn when she was only a child. I’ve heard my mother say that he....blames her for Queen Selene’s death."
At the revelation, Damien’s and Cece’s brows shot up, while Ivan’s drew together sharply. His fingers curled into a fist as he hissed, "Bastard!"
"How dare he treat her like that?" Ivan growled through clenched teeth.
Edward let out a helpless sigh. "It wasn’t just that....Queen Elara is no better. If you think about it, Evelyn never truly experienced love from her parents, except during the brief time the late queen was alive."
"How cruel," Cece whispered softly as she looked at Eve’s defenceless form, realising that this might be why Eve always reacted so strongly whenever questions about her father arose.
"That only proves my point," Damien said firmly. "Evelyn cannot be taken back to the academy, nor can she remain here while King Solan still lurks nearby. I’m certain the only reason he hasn’t forced his way in is..." He shot Ivan a meaningful look, "...because of you."
"How about you take her back to Dracoria Palace?" Edward suggested.
"I thought about that," Ivan replied, "but with the news about us and what happened here spreading so rapidly, I’m sure court officials would flood the palace or attempt to plant a spy. Not to mention, I don’t know how many more people might be involved with the Darkrots."
The three of them exchanged looks before Damien asked, "Then where else?"
Ivan met their gazes, and a faint, almost ghostly smile curved his lips. They all noticed it, and before any of them could question him, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
Ivan’s brows drew together slightly. "What is it, Alex?"
Alex stepped inside, looking uneasy, and spoke quickly. "Your Highness, King Iskara is here."
At his words, a flicker of surprise crossed Ivan’s eyes at the news that his father had travelled all the way to another kingdom, so he replied calmly, "You may let him in."
"Uh....Your Highness, the thing is..." Alex hesitated, clearly struggling to find the right words.
