Chapter 74: Apology

Drayce gently lay Seren on his bed, his gaze intent on the fragile young woman whose breathing was still shallow. 

Though Cian didn't like his sister lying on a man's bed, he could say nothing. For now, he preferred to only think about seeing his sister better as soon as possible as it pained him to see her in such a pitiful state. 

King Armen went towards the bed to see his daughter. Since Drayce brought her out of the tower, he couldn't even take a proper look at his daughter. Despite his reluctance, Drayce stepped aside to let King Armen go to his daughter.

Drayce had calmed down a bit, his rage no longer clouding his mind. Though he was worried for her and wanted to protect her, it was not like he wanted to keep her away from her family. 

Just then, Lord Eudes arrived. He bowed to his king and informed. "Your Majesty, the message has been passed. The Head Royal Physician will be here anytime soon."

King Armen nodded and sat at the edge of the bed while looking at his daughter; Cian approached the bed to see his sister as well.

To give them time alone with Seren, Drayce went towards the window where Dusk sat at the window sill. Not wanting to disturb the personal matters of Abetha's royal family, Arlan opted to follow his friend by the window.

The atmosphere inside the room was dead silent as everyone's minds were preoccupied with nothing but the worry for the Third Princess. Especially for King Armen, it had been so long since he was able to be so close to his daughter and see her properly. Most of the time, he kept her at arm's length, and he could not even remember the last time they were actually able to have a decent conversation.

With love and care filling his eyes, King Armen looked at her veil-covered face, the magical veil that never allowed him to see his daughter's face. How unfortunate it was for one father to still not know how his daughter looked. But even with half of her face covered, King Armen was sure he would know her identity no matter what happened in the future. He had burned in his mind the image of his daughter's pretty purple eyes, and it would be impossible for him to mistake her for another.

Cian, who stood beside his father, could see through what his father was feeling at the moment and put his hand on his father's shoulders to console him. He could only sympathize with what it was like for his father; how unfortunate his father was to be both a father and a ruler. Although he was hailed as a competent monarch, able to protect his kingdom against invaders, he was helpless whenever it came to his youngest daughter despite trying to protect her with all of his might.

Finally, King Armen did something that he had never done before. He reached out to touch his daughter's hand, and he found her small delicate hand to be ice cold. He could not help but hold it tighter as if wishing he could pass on his warmth to her. 

The last time he had been this close to Seren was when she had just arrived at the palace as a newborn baby. As her father, he held her in his hands for the first and the last time. 

This was the second time he had touched his daughter. 

He caressed his daughter's hand with care, both to make her feel his presence and to tell her that she was safe as her father would protect her. He wanted to say words of comfort and encouragement, but when he opened his mouth to talk, there was nothing but years of regret spilling out his mouth.

"Father apologizes for not being able to take care of you, my Seren."

The next moment, tears rolled down from the eyes of the man who received both fears from his enemies and awe from the people of his kingdom, the powerful exalted ruler of Abetha, Armen Ilven. 

Cian could only stand quietly by his father's side to be his strength. 

While the father and son were dealing with the pain, they felt seeing Seren hurt, Drayce and Arlan busied themselves with Dusk. 

Drayce caressed his pet's head. "You have done a good job."

Dusk had always liked it whenever his master caressed his head and would normally react by rubbing his head back against Drayce's palm; however, the eagle was awfully quiet today. All he did was stare quietly at Seren from the moment he landed in the windows.

"Even your pet has the same liking," Arlan commented as his eyes didn't fail to notice the behavior of the pet and its owner too.

Just then, the people from the royal pharmacy arrived, and Lord Eudes informed everyone in the room of their arrival. "Your Majesty, the Head Royal Physician is here."

King Armen collected himself and stood up from the bed to let the physicians do their job. The Head Royal Physician and his two female apprentices bowed to the King. 

The King accepted the greetings and moved aside, signaling them to do their job. 

"Please leave the Third Princess to us, Your Majesty!"

The physician then instructed his two apprentices something, and they pulled the netted curtains around the bed that hung to the wooden frame at the ceiling. They also set the wooden partition room dividing screen around the bed to block the Third Princess from other's sight.

"I think we should leave," Arlan suggested. 

This time, Drayce was obedient and nodded, agreeing to Arlan's suggestion. The two left, not finding it appropriate to stay there as they were still the outsiders, and a young lady was being treated there. 

Lord Eudes closed the door behind him as he stood outside of it. Beside him, two knights were also standing outside the room to keep guard.