All I Need ✔️

Chapter 34

Third Person POV

"If there is some misunderstanding though, by all means, let's go wake the King and clarify what he meant. Otherwise, I will see you at the council meeting this morning and we can settle whatever this is there," Cassius finished telling Melli. He spoke calmly, but it was clear that he meant it as a threat.

"Of course, your highness. You must forgive me, I am simply worried about my poor wife," Melli replied. "I will see you in an hour."

As Advisor Melli walked away, Cassius heard a knock from inside Safania's room. "Your highness?" she called out from inside. He hadn't wanted to wake her, but since she was already awake, he found himself beyond excited to see her. He fumbled with the keys in his pocket until he finally found the correct one and opened the door.

Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the early morning sun streaming in through her window, was Safania. She was as beautiful as ever, even in her simple nightgown.

The anger the prince felt mere moments ago dissipated at the sight of her. He had only been away for a few weeks, but they had felt like years. But now, he could finally see her again, talk to her again, hold her again.

"You're back," she said, with a smile. "I didn't realize you were going to arrive so late. Or I guess early?"

"We were going to set up camp, but figured that we were so close to home we could just travel through the night," Cassius explained while entering her room. "Alton especially was pushing to make it here to surprise Emalina for her birthday. Hopefully Emalina will be happy when she wakes up and finds that he's returned."

He walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "How have you been, Safania?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied. "How was the fort?" she asked, trying to evade the question.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing."

But Cassius knew her well enough to know when she was lying. Not like she was very good at it in the first place.

"Maybe I'm just a little tired," Safania suggested.

"Did we wake you up? Of course we did. I really can't believe him. Who does he think he is, coming into my wing like that while I'm not even here? Like any of us are really going to hide his wife."

"Cassius, we're hiding his wife," Safania blurted out.

Cassius was silent. "What?" he asked, not sure he heard her correctly.

"She's here. We need your help to get her out."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Cassius exclaimed. "I leave you for a few weeks and you casually commit an act of treason? It's good I returned before you started committing war crimes."

"Cassius please, we have to help her. What he is doing to her... it's not right."

"So what do we do? We rescue her, let her go, and then he finds another wife and does the same exact thing to her?"

"That makes it okay?"

"Of course it doesn't make it okay!" Cassius exclaimed, exasperated. "But you're saving one person just to put another in peril."

"Then he has to be stopped."

Cassius let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his tousled, white hair. "It's not that easy."

"Why is it not that easy?"

"Because he is the King's top advisor! He has more power than I do. What do you expect me to do? Go to my father and tell him he needs to get rid of him?"