Surviving His Royal Highnass, Prince Ashton

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Third Time's a Charm

Ash was rather upset that I wasn't there when he woke up. Serves him right, he had a taste of his own medicine. Neither of us brought up what happened last night. I doubted that he even remembered, although he didn't seem to suffer much this morning from the after effects. When he enquired about my whereabouts, I had no idea how to tell him that a man he saw as a grandfather-figure is suspected to have attempted to kill him. Knowing that stretching it out would only cause problems later, I sat him down in front of me.

He gave me an inquisitive look with those deep blue eyes of his.

I took a deep breath, "I met with Sir William this morning," I saw his eyes squint with jealousy and quickly added, "Annabelle was also there."

He nodded, "That's an unusual gathering."

"Yes. Well it appears that the prime suspect of this case is—"

"Marcellus." He finished my sentence.

"E-excuse me?" I asked, my mouth agape, "How, how do you—"

He shrugged, "I'd figured as much, if Annabelle was there too. I publicly embarrassed him and he isn't the type to take humiliation lightly. I mean, I might seem unbearable, but I don't actually have many enemies, Evelyn."

"You don't feel anything?" I asked incredulously.

He let out a low chuckle, "What did you expect me to do? Throw a vase or something?"

It was as if he read my mind. He stretched and rested the back of his head against his hands. He looked undeniably good, especially with how the rays from the window behind him highlighted his chiseled features.

"I've changed, Ev." He looked at me and smiled.

I loved how the edges of his eyes crinkled when he did that. This man really has changed, and I couldn't help but feel that pang of satisfaction knowing that he owed it all to me.

He continued, "I don't even feel any hatred towards him, actually. Eventually, he'll have to pay for his sins. The only thing I can do at the moment is wait for that time to come. They're looking for him now, aren't they?"

I nodded, "Except, they're not sure whether he acted alone or whether this is all part of something bigger."

He mouth twisted in amusement, "Someone seems to like playing detective."

I rolled my eyes, "Well excuse me for being concerned for you safety."

He laughed again. This time, he leaned forward, prompting my heart to beat just a little faster.

"You know, I'd like it if you were more concerned about my physical and mental health..." His gaze shifted downwards.

So he did remember. I gave him a deadpan expression.

"What was that last night, Ash?"

"It would be a lie to blame it entirely on the wine. I mean, I was a little out of my senses... but I really do want you. A lot."

I smiled, "I know."

"I don't think you do," He pressed, "I've recovered so quickly that our second honeymoon is coming to a fast end too... even though we haven't done any honeymooning."

"Hm... well, we can always have a third honeymoon later. You know that they say, third time's a charm." I teased.

"Evelyn!" He drawled my name out.

"In all seriousness Ash, what if there are others out there?"

He looked at me in confusion, "Other what?"

I lowered my voice, "Hyenas. Like Marcellus."

He slumped back into his chair, "And we're back to the beginning. I told you to not pay any attention to the old hag! Her conspiracies aren't any more real than our honeymoons." He mockingly emphasized the last word.

I pouted, "Well I thought they were nice. Intimacy doesn't make something real, Ash."

He pursed his lips, "I didn't mean it that way. It's..." he groaned, running his fingers through his hair, "How can I explain a man's woes to you?"

I giggled, "It's not like humans go through heat."

He looked up at me with wide eyes and exclaimed, "That's exactly what it feels like!"

I scoffed. He really was being difficult about this.

"Ash it's not that I don't want to—" He interrupted me.

"I know, I know. Just forget that we ever had this conversation. I'll just deal with it by myself. The last thing I'd want is for you to feel forced or rushed." He cleared his throat, "Anyway, I'm very ready to be back on my feet again."

"I don't want you to take any more trips or give public counsel these next few weeks. I'll handle all the public activities. Please stay behind the scenes until all of this is figured out." I insisted.

To my surprise, he didn't protest. He was getting unbelievably easier to deal with. While I was catching him up on the affairs he had missed during his time off, Adele's excited knocks interrupted our conversation.

She peeked in with excited eyes, "You won't believe who just dropped in!"

Ash raised his eyebrows at her.

"Elena!" She gushed.

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of her name. Elena is a relative of Aunt Claire's late brother's wife, so distant that she doesn't share any direct ties to the Crown. Her family doesn't hold any titles either. She did, however, share great rapport with the former Queen. She visited occasionally during large events, but I don't remember spotting her at our wedding or Coronation. The last I had heard of her, she relocated with her family to some far-off location, testing the boundaries of the Kingdom. Her parents found a hobby in cartography. My distaste for her rooted back to our childhood. She was always rather competitive and yearned to constantly be in the spotlight. To be completely honest, her particular closeness to Ash rubbed me the wrong way, too.

Sky, however, adored her.

I couldn't help but wonder if the news reached him yet.