The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Pardon me?" I stutter, confused.
I set my teacup down on the table.
"You should at least train to defend yourself." Cabel looks back at me kindly.
"Well yes, that will be smart, but I have no experience with training. Wouldn't they be burdened to train someone like me?"
"No. If they were those kinds of people, I would have executed them during the test."
I can't help but hide my shock as he calmly speaks such brutal words.
"I see... Well, I'll be sure to train hard then!" I exclaim, growing excited.
Cabel chuckles lightly as he watches me.
"How was seeing Hayden?" Cabel sips his tea, staring at me.
"It was fun! We talked for a while but apparently he's busy, so I'll have to wait until I can see him again-" I pause, staring back at Cabel's expression.
He furrows his brows ever so slightly, looking conflicted.
"A-Are you alright?" I ask.
He looks up at me and smiles.
"I'm fine, continue talking."

We talk for hours. Eventually Cabel goes to work at his desk, while I read a book Lance brought for me.
I glance up at Cabel as the sun begins setting. His complexion turning pale, with heavy bags under his eyes.
"Cabel?" I call out.
He glances up at me.
"Are you feeling okay?" I ask
"I'm a bit tired is all." Cabel rubs his forehead and sighs.
"I can return to my room, if you'd like to rest?"
"Yes, I think that might be for the best..." Cabel stands, taking a deep breath.
He walks over to me holding his hand out, assisting me up.
He begins walking in front of me to the door. His steps begin dragging as his breathing grows heavier, a look of discomfort grows on his face.
"Thank you for today, may glory of Helios rest upon you." I curtsy and smile, turning to him.
He smiles lightly and nods, his eyes beginning to glaze over.
Suddenly, his body begins swaying.
"Cabel?-" I call out, cut off from abruptly having to catch him.
His head rests on my shoulder as I hold onto his broad back.
He tries holding himself up, leaning his hands against the door behind me.
"C-Cabel! Are you alright?" I exclaim, worried.
"Can you stay with me?..." His voice gently whispers.
I hesitate, surprised by his weak voice.
I nod, holding him as I feel his body weight leaning against me more.

I cautiously help Lance lie Cabel down in his bed, staring at his complexion becoming more pale.
"I-Is he going to be okay?" I ask Lance, panicking.
"He'll be fine. Your highness, could you sit up and have some medicine?" Lance holds out five white pills.
Cabel sits up lethargically, taking the pills. He quickly swallows them, lying back down as his body breaks out in a cold sweat.
"He should be fine in a bit. You may return to your room for now, he just needs to rest." Lance smiles reassuringly.
"N-No... I don't want to leave him, he asked me to stay so I want to..."
"Understood. I'll go prepare clothes for him. If you'd like, you may sit here." Lance smiles, pulling up a chair.
I sit, waiting for Lance to bring a change of clothes.
Cabel's expression twisting in pain as his jaw clenches.
I hesitate for a moment until gently holding Cabel's hand. His pained expression soon relaxes as he begins to rest calmly.

The night passes. Lance enters the room occasionally, wiping the sweat off of Cabel's forehead.
I continue to hold his hand, growing tired as a yawn washes over me.
"My lady, please return to your room and rest." Lance worriedly looks at me.
"No, I want to stay... You can sleep, I'll take care of him tonight. Anyways, I'm more used to staying awake late than you are." I laugh lightly.
Lance smiles and nods.
"Okay, when he wakes up please help him drink some water, and wipe his sweat every now and then. Goodnight, my lady."
Lance leaves as I wave goodbye.
I sigh and sit back, staring at Cabel who sleeps soundly.
Carefully holding my other hand up, I gently brush his bangs back, admiring his features. His long eyelashes, his bone structure, and his relaxed expression as he sleeps causing my heart to pound.
I scoff at myself, surprised by my thoughts.
My thoughts flood with memories of his kindness, and his gentle touch when he would hug me or brush my hair away from my face.
I sit shocked, slightly gasping.
"Do I...?" I whisper, cutting myself off from saying my thought out loud.

A light tapping comes from the balcony.
I look over, confused.
Gently moving away from Cabel, I open the door to peek outside.

"Hiya."
Cethin flips upside down.
"Ah!-" I cover my mouth, looking back to see Cabel still sound asleep.
I breathe a sigh of relief, and turn back to Cethin who climbs down.
Taking a step outside, I close the door slightly to leave it a crack open.
"What are you doing here?" I whisper.
"Was bored, heard the emperor's dying." Cethin grins.
"What? No! He's just tired, not dying."
"Oh that's boring then. Ugh, this palace has nothing interesting going on." He shrugs, jumping onto the balcony railing.
He tiptoes along the railing as I walk alongside of him on the balcony.
"There's probably not much when you've lived a life of adrenaline-filled adventures, but I'm sure there's something here that can be exciting."
"Hm, maybe one." Cethin shrugs, sitting on the railing.
"What's that?"
"You."
He quickly moves to be face to face with me.
His hand holding my arm gently, pulling me closer to him.
"Hm yes, very interesting." He grins, looking back into my eyes.
His eyes glow a subtle blue shade, illuminated by the moonlight.
"W-What is?" I question.
"You, your life, your whole soul. You know, the whole sha-bang."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, girly, you're interesting. Most nobles would have been all, 'Kya, save me Mister Knight!' if I held a blade at their throat. It's fun scaring nobles but you, your heartbeat didn't even increase, your body didn't flinch, and you calmly stood there, even though I could have killed you."
"Well, you moved too fast, and it didn't give me time to realize the situation I suppose."
"You sure? You stared directly where the others were hiding too. How would a little noble girl, born with a silver spoon down her throat, sense that?"
I scoff, brushing his hand away as I take a step back.
"I don't know where you're getting these stereotypes but I can assure you, I haven't had a silver spoon in my mouth, maybe not till now." I look back at him as he grins.
"You're right... I should warn you though, you keep your heart very open to being manipulated."
"What do you mean?"
"Call it a skill. I see a strange, funny looking man in your life, who doesn't seem to blend in as a guard."
"What? Hayden?"
"Ah, so it is true. He seems to be lying."
"Lying? No, Hayden's kind, considerate, and my friend. There's nothing he could be lying about."
"Not too sure about that. It seems like a rather huge lie too. It's not my place to say anything though, just trying to stir things up." Cethin stands, beginning to tiptoe on the railing again.
He walks back to the balcony doors.
"You're a very dramatic person, you know." I roll my eyes, watching him.
"I do know, thank you." He snickers, shrugging, "Well, better go before I'm found out. See you later, Chicky." Cethin jumps up to the roof, disappearing.

"Luna?" Cabel calls out.
I look through the balcony doors to see Cabel slowly sitting up.
"Cabel! Are you feeling better?" I ask, rushing to help him up.
"I'm fine."
"Here, please drink some water." I hand him the glass.
He drinks the water, taking a deep breath after.
"Are you alright?" I take the glass, placing it on the nightstand.
"I just felt ill earlier. Sorry, you ended up staying here all night."
"Please don't apologize. I stayed because I was worried."
"You... You worried about me?" Cabel's hand moves up to gently touch my hair.
My heart begins to pound as I remember my thought from earlier.
I look away, embarrassed.
"I-I should return to my room..." I whisper, feeling my cheeks heat up.
He pulls his hand away and nods.
"You're right... I'll escort you there."
"No! You need to rest. It's not too far, so I'll be fine. Anyways goodnight... May glory of Helios rest upon you." I smile, jumping up to quickly exit the room.