The Prince and His Pauper

Chapter 23: The Prince Crosses Swords

It's been five days. Five days since the Halloween party. Why hasn't he woke up yet?! I thought impatiently as I watch Cassiel's serene face, eyes closed while his chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm.

The doctor said that patients tend to sleep more than required when put into a concussion and that I didn't have to worry much about it. That didn't calm my nerves at all. How am I supposed to sit here and watch Cassiel sleep in this hospital bed, knowing that I was the one who led him here. Still, watching Cassiel sleep this peacefully does alleviate some of my worries. Hopefully, Cassiel will allow me to explain everything before he decides to cast me away from him.

"When will you wake up?" I whisper mostly to myself as I push a lock of hair away from Cassiel's face. "I'll make it up to you once you wake up..... Please wake up soon so that I may apologize for all the misery I caused." My mind wanders back to the discussion I had with my father after I returned home from the hospital. I had Sebastian pick me up and the first thing he told me was Father wanting to speak with me the instant I came home.

~Flashback~

"You wanted to see me, Father?" I ask as I walk into his study, silently shutting the door behind me.

"Yes, I do. Would you please explain to me why there was an ambulance outside of my house in the middle of your mother's party?" Father demands in a low tone as if he was restraining himself to not yell at me.

"The Fairbairn's son got hurt and he wasn't waking up so I called for an ambulance. I'm terribly sorry for bringing them." I apologize but it didn't subside his fury.

"Do you not realize what you have done?! There are pictures of you carrying that boy like a girl on the news! It's only a matter of time before they begin fabricating a story out of it!" Father shouts.

I take a deep breath to calm myself, not wanting to start a fight but I'm finding it difficult to restrain the anger slowly quelling. "There's no story. I'll arrange a press conference explaining that Cassiel hit his head and how the doctors said he's under a concussion but will have a speedy recovery. Everything will be fine." I assure.

"How do you know his name so well? And don't bother saying he told you at the party because I heard you calling his name before you left!" Father points out. "Have you already met him?" He did noticed! My best course of action would be tell him the partial truth.

"Yes, he's in two of my classes in school and I have befriended him along with Leo." I answer. "Father, were you the one who told his parents that he fell?"

"Yes, since no one informed me what exactly happened to him, I told her the most thing that came to mind." Father admits.

"Then we have nothing left to discuss, do we?" I question, wanting to head to my room and change out of my costume so that I could go back to the hospital.

"Not quite." Father replies. "After you arrange the conference and explain everything, I want you to keep your distance from him. I don't want any of those reporters to think there could be something between you two." Did he just said he wanted to me stay away from Cassiel?!

"No." I blurt out before I could even think about saying it to him.

"Excuse me? Did you say no to me?!" Father flares. If there's one thing Father hated more than me not keeping the family bloodline intact, it's me disobeying him.

"Yes, I won't do that. I left him before and this it where it got me, him in the hospital because that moron of a acquaintance of mine was trying to protect me!" I retaliate, unable to hold back my anger.