The Reincarnation

Chapter 24

The sound of movement awakens me in the middle of the night or is it early morning?

My head hurts but I forget about it when I see a figure clad in a dark outfit standing near Leon's bed. Is Leon awake already?

No. Leon has his pyjamas on.

I realise the situation and see the sword glinting in the dark.

"Stop!" I shout and run towards the person who has a sword aimed at the crown prince.

Leon's eyes open and I see the panic settle in.

I grab his sword which is near his bed and point it at the assassin.

"Who sent you here?" I ask fiercely.

The person doesn't answer but instead, turns their sword on me. I can't believe I am having a standoff with an assassin whilst having a hangover.

I defend myself as they jab the sword towards me. I can tell from the physique that it's a man. Using all the skills I learnt from my past life and from the training here, I fight back, pushing him away from Leon's bed.

"Watch out!" Leon shouts, distracting me.

My eyes widen as the man stabs me. As I crumple to the ground, I see him jump out of the open window. My side feels like it is on fire as pain engulfs me.

I moan as I lie there on the ground, not able to move.

Hearing footsteps, my heart beats faster. Has he returned?

"Carter, are you alright?" Leon asks, sounding closer to me.

I nod. I can't have him worry about me. "I-I'm fine. Just a scratch." I lie through gritted teeth.

"Let me see." He bends down onto his knees in front of me. "It's not small! He stabbed you!"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." I say.

"I'll call the doctor." He says.

"N-no, I just said I'll be fine!" I say stubbornly. If he calls a doctor, my real identity will be discovered. It's too risky. I'll have to take care of the wound myself.

"Don't be stubborn. I don't want you dying on me. Have you forgotten that I am the crown prince? I have the best doctors at hand so don't worry."

"I'm not worried about that." I mutter. "Have you checked on Raph?" I change the subject.

Leon's eyes widen. "Oh no. Let me check on him."

Whilst he walks away, I telepathically summon Glean to wait outside. This is the only way I can stop him from finding out my gender and avoiding the death sentence for treason.

I focus on making my way to the open window. Once there, I jump out with my eyes closed. My heart beats loudly as I fall through the air.

"I'm here Master." Glean catches me on her back and I shuffle myself a little so I am sat comfortably before we fly away.

My side is still hurting. It's a good thing the assassin missed my heart or I would definitely have died on the spot.

"How did you hurt yourself Master?" Glean asks curiously.

I explain about the assassin as we head away from the palace.

With Glean's magical speed, I make it back to the palace just before sunrise. Fortunately, Glean managed to heal me with magic. The wound wasn't as deep as I thought but it just bled a lot.

"Will you be alright Master?"

I nod. "Don't worry. I'm fine now."

Today is the day of Crown Prince Leon's 27th birthday. I have to ensure that everything goes well for him. He will also be in for a surprise Crown Princess selection where a bride will be chosen for him from all the eligible noblewomen of age in the country.

He is still asleep. He must have had a scare last night but how did he fall asleep so easily? I didn't even have time to sleep.

"Raph, let's get you ready darling." I say as I bring out the breakfast I made for him when I returned. He nods happily as I sit with him at the table.

I glance at Leon. Should I wake him up? Or let him sleep in? He needs to wake up for his big birthday banquet but he also needs to catch up on the sleep he lost last night.

Is it worth me getting punished? I shake my head.

"Leon!"

"Crown Prince!"

"Prince Leon!"

My calls fall on deaf ears as he moans and turns around. I sigh and bend over. I wince as my side hurts when I stretch.

"You should wake up–" I yell in surprise as he suddenly yanks on my arm and I fall on top of him.

My heart is racing as I feel his body under me. He is toned but when does he exercise? I have never seen him workout.

"Let go of me." I say quietly.

"No."

My eyes widen. Isn't he asleep?!

He grins and I realise he has been teasing me.

"You should have just got up if you were awake." I say in annoyance.

He is still holding onto me, his blue eyes staring at me. "It wouldn't be fun otherwise. I wouldn't have seen you get angry like this." He laughs.

I scowl at him. "Let go. My wound is hurting."

Leon suddenly looks serious and let's me go. "How is it? I'll call the doctor to check. I can't believe an assassin tried to attack me but you got hurt instead."

"Don't worry, this servant is more tough than he looks." I grin at him. "I managed to fix it. I will live for many more years."

He holds my shoulders and turns me to look at him. "Wouldn't it have made sense for you to escape when you saw the assassin? A servant like you isn't required to protect me."

His sky blue eyes draw me in and my heart is shaking as I stare back at him. "If you are killed, I would be punished Your Highness."

"Is that the reason?" He asks sounding disappointed.

I frown at him. What did he want me to say? Isn't it a fact that as the only person who is with him 24/7, I would be the first suspect? The assassin won't stay here to get caught.

"Anyway, let's get you ready for the long day ahead." I say, standing up.

"Mama, Papa, when are you eating?" Raph asks, his eyes watching us.

I smile and pat his head. He has learnt to talk more lately.