a Lout and a Prince

Part 19

Alberu put down the quill.

His currently blue eyes stared in incomprehension at the papers before him and he tried in vain to force himself to focus on the work at hand.

It wasn't the first time that day he'd done this. Tasha had lost count of the number of times her nephew stopped functioning. Her normally diligent nephew who worked with tireless efficiency, to an extent that it quite worried her, hadn't been able to make it through even one parchment and it was already midday.

She was aware, to some degree, about the situation that was weighing on Alberu's thoughts. How could she not? It was obvious he'd been sneaking out on a regular basis and through the bits that he'd confided in her, she knew that he'd been engaged in a rather heated romance.

She didn't ask for details and he didn't provide them. She always let him come to her when a situation troubled him rather than prying the details from him. Her nephew was an awkward boy and he had the tendency to clam up when pursued for answers too forcefully.

Still, his current behavior was concerning and she feared that he might not seek out counsel despite needing it. He'd been unusually guarded about the whole affair. He was normally quite a sincere child, at least with his aunt, and while she absolutely respected his privacy on the matter she couldn't quell the concern that had built up steadily inside of her.

Gently, she picked up the quill and moved it away from his hand, attracting his attention as she smiled down at him. "It's time for a break, dear nephew."

She very rarely asserted any sort of control over him. He was free to act however he liked and she would loyally support him. However, there were times when she needed to let him know that she was his aunt and she wouldn't allow him to work himself into an early grave.

Alberu frowned but nodded, following her to the seating area and sending a servant away to make fresh tea and snacks for them.

"Is this about Cale Henituse again?" She asked neatly when the tea arrived, causing Alberu to choke on his tea and look up at her with large guilty eyes.

Oh dear. This problem was going to be a tangled one.

Alberu collected himself, still looking shaken but calmer now. "Why do you say that?"

"Dear nephew, I love and respect your privacy. I only hope that you can respect my intelligence in return."

Alberu's shoulders sagged sadly. He knew he hadn't done a terribly good job covering things up but it was still quite embarrassing to be caught by his aunt.

Especially when the mere thought of Cale filled him with shame and regret.

"I understand that you would like to deal with matters on your own." Tasha said gently and he knew that she would love him regardless of how despicable he'd been but he still hated to confess anything to her. "But I think you might need some help this time."

Alberu stared down into his tea.

"I'm going to end it."

That was the right thing to do after all. He couldn't keep lying to Cale and he couldn't keep dragging this out.

"Why? Did Cale Henituse do something wrong?"

"No!" Alberu said quickly, startled by the assertion. "He's–"

Everything I could want.

A person dear to my heart.

Amazing, breath-taking, unbelievable, stunning.