บท 2: Chapter Two: Meet Nick.
"Friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life"
-Thomas Jefferson.
"He should be dead by now," Silas murmured, a wicked smile playing on his lips as he paced around his room. Silas, the king's younger brother and Marcus' uncle, reveled in his sinister thoughts.
"Good morning, dad," Zack greeted as he entered Silas' room.
"Morning, son. How's it going?" Silas replied, masking his dark intentions behind a facade of normalcy.
"Fine, dad. I'm heading to the mountain plains on the west coast for some surveying," Zack shared, unaware of the danger lurking within the palace walls.
"I've told you, boy, enough with these constant adventures. Focus on your future as the future King of this kingdom," Silas urged, his voice tinged with a hidden agenda.
"You say that every time, dad. But you know I can't resist exploring and learning new things. Besides, Marcus is there as the heir to take care of things," Zack reasoned, unaware of the treacherous plans unfolding behind the scenes.
Silas couldn't help but smile to himself, relishing in his son's ignorance. Little did Zack know, the kingdom should be preparing for mourning, as their beloved prince would soon meet a tragic fate.
"Alright, son, your trip can wait. We're having a royal breakfast this morning. Go get ready for it."
"Alright, dad."
"On your way out, send in Patrick, please."
Zack walked out and did as he was told, summoning Patrick as instructed.
Patrick, Chief Silas' personal bodyguard, entered the room with a respectful bow. He was a strong and imposing figure, with scars on his face that added to his fierce appearance, despite his innocent-looking eyes.
"Good morning, Chief," Patrick greeted with deference.
"Morning, Patrick! You know what I want to hear," Silas said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"I just spoke with the head maid a few minutes ago. She assured me that the job was carried out correctly. She sent a maid to confirm, and he will soon be announced as deceased," Patrick reported.
"Superb! That's great news. I'm pleased that you executed your task flawlessly this time," Silas praised, patting Patrick's shoulder with a wide smile.
Silas let out an evil laugh and went to prepare for the royal breakfast, reveling in his wicked plans.
******
Marcus was enjoying a relaxing bath, lost in his thoughts. His mind wandered to his late mother, whose death anniversary was yesterday. It had been 20 years since she left her "little prince" behind, as she lovingly called him.
Suddenly, the bathwater started to bubble and splashed onto his face.
"Arrrgh!" Marcus cursed, wiping the water away.
"Nick... I know it's you!" he exclaimed, pretending to be angry. And just like always, Nick appeared out of nowhere.
"Long time, big boy," Nick greeted, using the nickname he always called the prince.
Nick was Marcus' late mother's guardian, assigned to her by her parents when she married Marcus' father, the king. Since her passing, Nick had been a father figure and a friend to Marcus, unbeknownst to everyone. He wasn't human, nor a werewolf. He was a sorcerer, gifted with the power of invisibility and the ability to appear wherever he pleased.
"Long time, Nick," Marcus replied, drying off his body with a towel.
"You know I won't come running here unless it's important," he added.
"And yes, yesterday was the madam's death anniversary... I know you can't forget."
"Yeah, that... So, what brings you here?" Marcus asked curiously.
"What's the important business you're talking about?"
"I see you're no longer a lone wolf..." Nick teased.
"What do you mean?" Marcus questioned, slightly confused.
"What do I mean by what I mean? Of course, you know what I mean, big boy," Nick replied playfully.
"No, I don't. Stop whining and get to the point, Nick," Marcus said, trying to cut to the chase.
"You've marked a mate, and a pretty one at that," Nick said, smiling from ear to ear.
Marcus smiled to himself. That was Nick for you, always a big-time Casanova. He had a knack for spotting the pretty ones. Nick could never change, Marcus thought.
"Oh, that... It was a silly mistake last night. I think I was drunk," Marcus explained.
Nick burst into laughter.
"So, you're saying you wrote her off?" he asked, still chuckling.
"Yeah," Marcus replied, slightly annoyed.
Nick laughed even harder, clearly getting on the prince's nerves.
"What's so funny?!" Marcus asked, giving Nick a stern look.
"Okay, okay... Let me be serious," Nick said, trying to compose himself amidst the laughter.
If there was one thing about Nick, he could be extremely annoying.
"Okay, here's the thing. You can't stay away from your mate," Nick explained.
"Yes, I can... And stop calling her my mate. She isn't. She's just a maid," Marcus insisted.
"But you marked her, didn't you?" Nick said, still smiling.
"Yes... by mistake?!" Marcus replied, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Unless the mate mark on her is completely healed and cleared, she's your mate, and you'll be continually drawn to her," Nick explained.
"That has nothing to do with me, Nick. I marked her by mistake, and eventually, the mark will heal off her," Marcus reasoned.
"Until then... Can you handle it?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Handle what exactly?" Marcus inquired.
"The sexual urges," Nick said, his smile widening.
"Of course I can... What do you think I am? A wild party animal like you?" Nick chuckled.
"Hey, I think someone's coming. You better go before you get caught," Marcus warned, but when he turned around, Nick had already vanished. Marcus couldn't help but chuckle. Nick always had a knack for disappearing in the blink of an eye.
*****
Blair kept knocking on the Prince's door, but there was no response. She wondered why the madam had sent her to his chambers again. "What should I do now?" she whispered to herself. "If he sees me again, he might think I'm following him or something."
Despite her worries, Blair decided to enter the room. To her relief, it was empty. "Perfect!" she thought. "Looks like he's not here."
She hurriedly replaced the dirty bed sheets. As for the stained ones, she had to find a discreet place to wash them. "Washing them in the Prince's bathroom while he's away wouldn't be a bad idea," she mumbled to herself.
She entered the bathroom and was taken aback to find the Prince there, wearing only a towel and dripping wet. She immediately lowered her head in shock. "I'm sorry, my Prince. I didn't know you were here," she apologized, bowing even lower. Her trembling was evident.
"I thought I made it clear that I never wanted to see you again?!" the Prince exclaimed, his frustration evident in his voice.
"What was she doing here this time? Did she come here to tempt me again?" Marcus muttered under his breath, his anger palpable.
"I came here to wash these," she explained, showing him the soiled bed sheets she held in her hand.
Her head remained bowed. It was clear she was terrified. And who could blame her?
He stepped closer to where she stood, gently lifting her chin to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked, and she couldn't help but be captivated by his intense stare.
"Did you come for those sheets, or did you miss me already?" he teased, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. It was clear he was flirting, but she wasn't interested in entertaining his advances.
As she looked into his warm brown eyes, she sensed a depth of innocence beneath the pain that seemed to shroud him. It was as if his emotions were buried beneath a hardened exterior, causing him to appear blunt and emotionless.
She quickly pulled her face away from his touch, remaining silent as she walked past him to wash the sheets, her original purpose for being there.
He couldn't help but smirk as she walked by. "She's been quite bold lately," he thought to himself.
"Nice neck scarf you've got there," he sarcastically remarked, before heading to his room to get dressed.
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