Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 12 Part 2

"She'll be okay, she'll wake up later." Lei announced while getting out of the carriage. The four others were so busy yelling at each other they didn't even notice Nomi step into the carriage. She sat down across from me trembling slightly as tears stained her face. She sniffled, obviously upset that I suffered because of her.

"We should probably go, we can talk about this later." Lei trailed off, aware the arguing wasn't going to stop nor would it solve anything.

The host was now convinced I wasn't safe with the Crown Prince and insisted I be brought back inside to stay. The Crown Prince was trying to convince everyone that only he could protect me the best, while blaming Blake for not protecting his people. Pierce suggested that I should be sent to his house, where I could serve his sister. The only thing everyone agreed on was that Blake had taken things too far and owed a lot for it.

"Okay okay, why don't we leave first and let her decide when she wakes up. We can always send her back if that's her choice?" Lei suggested.

"Take my horse." The Crown Prince said to nobody in particular. He briskly walked towards the carriage, climbed up the step, and pulled the curtain aside to stare at me.

There wasn't much room in the center as our feet crowded together. The carriage was simple, made for servants. He carefully stepped forward, towards the small bench in the back. Nomi realized his intentions and moved her feet so he could fit through. Unable to figure out what was happening, she didn't know if she should leave or stay. Leaving the Crown Prince in a carriage with a passed out woman wouldn't look good but leaving the Crown Prince in a carriage with two female servants wouldn't look good either.

"Stay." He decided for her. As he sat down on the bench he was suddenly aware of the closeness. My head rested against the wall not even half an arm's length away. Nomi moved closer to the door, to avoid their feet from touching in the center. Confused, Pierce stuck his head inside to see what exactly was going on.

"Is this.. Appropriate?" Pierce asked, somewhat shocked by the arrangements. "They might think you're taking advantage.." He trailed off.

"We can head out." The Crown Prince said, avoiding the question. Nomi pulled out a small cloth to clean her face and tidy her appearance. As the carriage moved I relaxed, allowing my body to move naturally with the motions. Over time my body started slowly slumping further down the side of the carriage, my head moved closer to the Crown Prince. Nomi noticed the problem and quickly stood to lift my body to a different position.

Suddenly the wheel hit something in the road which jarred the carriage. Nomi's center of gravity was off as she was leaning forward and moving my weight. Her feet slipped and her body fell towards the Crown Prince, landing in his lap. Her arms flailed up, dropping my weight. I moaned in pain as my head hit the bench next to the Crown Prince's lap. Concerned about the passengers, the driver stopped the horses and peaked inside to see if everyone was okay. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him, leaving just as quickly as he arrived.

"Everything okay?" Blake called.

"Uh.. Y..yeah.. We can go." The driver called back.

Nomi jumped off his lap and returned to her spot, bright red with embarrassment. She didn't stand up again to help me, so I remained laying on the bench. Nomi pointedly looked towards the door, avoiding the next obvious problem, but unable to help less she embarrass herself more.

"Her head hit hard." The Crown Prince said in a worried voice. Nomi, still too embarrassed to move, remained silent. Realizing she wasn't going to check on me, he shifted his weight so he could look at me easier. He sat there off to the side with his arm hovering this way and that over my body trying to figure out where he should touch.