a Lout and a Prince

Part 5

Cale could just scream.

He was pretty tempted to do just that. Right now. Loudly and with enough deranged dysregulation to really make some people concerned.

Instead he screamed on the inside.

His face frozen in place and his heart slamming against his chest as he found out the hard way that two years hadn't actually caused his crush to fade.

Oh no.

It'd gotten so much worse.

He only had himself to blame. When you romanized the idea of a person often enough, you were sure to have some sort of reaction to seeing them again. Add to that how effortlessly charming Alberu Crossman was and it was a recipe for disaster.

Cale had been gently and kindly escorted to a carriage.

That was enough. It was embarrassing enough for the Henituse territory for him to be forced to leave, to have the crown prince himself be the one to send him off would surely be enough to ensure his complete disentanglement from political affairs.

...Alberu's eyes hadn't left his own as he'd helped Cale up the carriage steps, refusing to let up until he was 'sure' of Cale's safety. Impossibly blue eyes that looked at him with discrete curiosity that made a shiver run up his spine and his cheeks to flush.

And then it was over. He was being sent back to the villa where he'd surely get an earful from the deputy butler and Cale would have achieved all of his goals.

His heart was slamming so hard against his ribcage that he could barely even hear his own internal screaming above the sound.

Was the ride from the plaza to the villa always this long?

Cale couldn't tell. His hammering heart, distant regrets, and the lingering feeling of Alberu's touch all left him a bit punchdrunk.

This was the best possible scenario. Not only had he managed to be an embarrassment of a lout but he'd even been able to avoid Eric's nagging by being escorted away by the prince.

He couldn't ask for any better scenario.

Numbly, Cale pinched his cheek.

No, not dreaming.

So why did he sort of feel like the prince might have some regard for him as well? He fell sideways, half laying down on the seat as the scene went over in his mind over and over again.

Alberu seemed to remember him.

That alone was both mortifying and gratifying.

Was Alberu that tactile with everyone? How many people had he accidentally given hopes with that gentle touch?

It was the way Alberu had looked at him as he left him in the carriage.

Cale knew that he was being utterly delusional. Yet, he couldn't help how much he wanted Alberu to look at him like that longer.

"Mm?"

Cale sat up in the carriage, noting that it really had been too long a carriage ride.

No matter how spaced out he was, it shouldn't take this long to get back to the villa.

Who had been driving the carriage? A spike of unease stabbed at Cale's heart as he realized he hadn't even looked. He'd been too engrossed in Alberu.

It wasn't like he normally checked or anything but the extended journey in conjunction with having no idea who was driving created quite a unique anxiety that swallowed up all of Cale's hopeful fantasies about gazing deeply into Alberu's eyes or other equally embarrassing ideas.

"Ron?" He called out, dread building up as there was no reply. "...Hans?" He tried again, less hopefully this time.

Silence.

"...fuck."

It wasn't unheard of for a young nobleman to be kidnapped. Most wouldn't dream of it, especially amidst a celebration where so many knights and guards were all scattered about to keep the peace.

But now that Cale was putting his brain to work, he could admit that he would make a tempting target for anyone brazen enough to try it.

The infamous lout who was known for getting so drunk that he didn't know up from down. Always rescued by his fathers wallet when he caused too much trouble. A presence that no one would miss or look for until it was too late because most would assume that he went out to get drunk.

Cale slid a hand through his hair and let out a long sigh, his eyes narrowing at the small closed window between himself and the driver.

He'd need to confirm his kidnapping before they caught wind that he'd figured it out. Luckily, he had a trick up his sleeve that was great for assuaging suspicions in a pinch. "'Ey! More wine!" He banged on the ceiling of the carriage, making the whole thing shake, his voice slurring convincingly. "C'mon–I'm thirsty! This tastes like trash!"

His rukus had allowed him just enough leeway to open the sliding window just enough to see out of it. He didn't go towards it immediately, weary of sharp things that might stab inside. When nothing was forthcoming and he heard unfamiliar chuckles coming from the driver, he stealthily peeked out.

Yep.

That definitely wasn't a servant of the Henituse household.

Cale didn't have to have the servants memorized to know, although he did have a good memory for faces of those around him, it was the shabby uniform that confirmed it for Cale.

A casual observer would have just seen the same boring clothes that most carriage drivers wore as they carried their charges.

Cale saw cheap fabric, cheap workmanship, and tasteless clothes. He could scoff, like the Henituse household would ever dress their servants in anything but the absolute best that money could buy. Please, it was just insulting for anyone to mistake this bastard for a servant associated with the Henituse name.

"I'd return to your seat, young master."

A chill ran down Cale's spine at the voice coming from behind him.

Ah, he hadn't checked to see if there was more than one servant on the carriage. It was a stupid oversight.

There was a certain iciness to the tone that assured Cale that those sharp objects he'd been so concerned about were likely pointed at his back.

Cale held up his hands placatingly, obediently returning to his seat without making an effort to look at the person threatening him.

"Very good. You're smarter than you look."

Cale showed no outward reaction to the insult and allowed the wind from the open window behind him to tickle his neck.

If he made one wrong move, he'd say goodbye to his neck.

How vexing.

"Just stay like that and you might live, understood?"

It was a tempting offer.

The bastard on the other side of it just didn't realize a simple and honest truth that made that offer someone less persuasive.

He'd kidnapped Cale Henituse.

He really had no idea what he was in for.