Chapter 78 - Three in a Bed?

Her eyes widened in the dark,

"Magnus, you have a way of showing up in the most unexpected places, at the most unexpected times!" she grunted sharply.

"In this, we are no different, Alexa!" the First Prince replied. And the worst: he started to get on the bed!

"W-what are you doing? It makes no sense! You can not…!" she watched with a racing heart as the Prince sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Don't be vainer than you should be because of the duel. I'm not here because of you," this was Magnus's cold reply.

"I am not vain because of the duel. I'm furious to that man. And wondering if you don't see that you have fallen into a trap," she said, annoyed. "But if you came to see Alexander ... Couldn't you do that during the day… Your Highness?"

She saw that Magnus put his ear to his brother's chest, and also checked the Second Prince's breathing.

"Don't tell me you have knowledge of medicine and use it secretly!" it was the only thing Alexa could think of at the moment. "And how can you do this in the dark?"

"Fetch a candle, if it bothers you so much."

"Hn," she obeyed, just out of curiosity. Upon returning with the candle, the Princess wanted to know,

"This room is well guarded. The guards know that you are here."

"Don't worry, Alexander's nightguard will never spit I was here," he guided Alexa's hand, with the candle, so he could see his brother's face.

"But what have you been doing here?! Have you been… kissing him?" the older brother arranged Alexander's head better on the pillow. What a mess is this?!" he straightened the sleeping prince's slightly pulled clothes, "You really have been seduced by him since you saw him, haven't you?"

"UH?! What are you talking about!!!" Alexa roared in outrage, "I didn't kiss him! I. Didn't. Kiss. Him! You are crazy! He's sleeping! I just ..."

"Just what?" Magnus sternly looked up at the Princess, after fixing his brother's hair, "You better be very careful with him. He's not your toy."

"T-toy?!" she stood stunned, but now also confused, "After all, did you come here in the middle of my first night with my husband, to find out what I was doing?"

This was so outrageous and grotesque that the maiden did not even know how to express her shock and indignation.

"That's one reason, of course," and as always, the First Prince was the most shameless type in the world. He admitted the most absurd things as if they were perfectly natural. Magnus certainly thought being a Prince gave him divine rights, Alexa concluded.

"How could I be doing anything? I mean, THAT?!" the Princess stressed so he understood exactly what she meant. He would understand, right?

"In that sense, what can I say? You have that power. I would not doubt that you would awaken THINGS even in a dead man. And Alexander is not even dead," Magnus reclined, this time, staying in a comfortable position on the bed, next to his brother. Supporting his head on one arm, the First Prince looked at Alexa.

"I don't want to talk about that. I dragged Alexander a little, because I wanted to look under him. And I'm not… by God! trying to consummate my marriage or anything. Just don't think about such things!"

"Promise?"

"What?"

"That you'll wait for him to be awake for...?"

"Your Highness! Are you drunk by chance?!"

"If succubus and incubus are capable of such things..." he shrugged. Alexa took a deep breath, a bit tired of such nonsense talk,

"I am not a succubus."

"Sometimes I'm not sure," he commented, casually. "My dreams have been ...odd lately. The men in the castle complain of tiredness ... There's a succubus here in the castle, it's the rumor ..." shirt the tone was provocative, and the maiden narrowed her eyes,

"I don't even know if I want it to be not just a mockery. But you cannot stay here for the night..."

"I can, and I will," he smiled defiantly, throwing his head back on the fluffy pillow. Magnus rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, with his arm up. Alexa was just watching, perplexed, unable to imagine what he could be doing.

So The First Prince pulled that strange blade that the maiden had seen in his room from his belt. The damsel remembered leaving it unknowingly in the valet's room when the door was locked. With a precise movement, Magnus made a longitudinal cut in himself on his right forearm.

Alexa's eyes did not blink when the thick red blood started to run from the wound. Magnus then expertly harvested his blood with his blade, and leaned to his brother.

"What...?!" she had no words. As the Princess feared, her husband's older brother brought the blade to Alexander's lips. While feeding him the scarlet liquid carefully, Magnus gave a cynical laugh,

"This is our secret, Alexa. If you betray me, you will also betray Alexander. And then nothing will save you from a horrible death, be sure."

Magnus' words might have scared her, if what he was doing was not beyond shocking. Now the utility of that blade was revealed!

"If you expect me to keep your secret, at least reveal it completely. Don't expect me to settle for what I'm seeing," the Princess replied acidly.

"Yes, this is the third reason I am here. You need to know that this is why Alexander's body remains strong. He needs to know that without my blood, the sand of Alexander's time will run back to him as it does to all the sick people. And that I will have little time to return with Master Petrus. You need to tell me where this alchemist is, Alexa. That's why can't I take too long seeking for this man, if I really want to save my brother."

Magnus' tone was serious and sincere. The Prince was just focused on making his sleeping brother drink the 'elixir'. Alexa really had always wondered how Alexander remained so beautiful. Even with the best care, feeding him and taking care of his body's needs was no easy task. The Sleeping Prince must have looked gaunt after so many days. But the Second Prince always looked radiant and healthy, just plunged into a peaceful sleep. Her ignorance of all the effects of the poison made the Princess ignore the obvious. There was another cause for this.

"But ... Your blood ... What are you? so that your blood has this power?" Alexa questioned.