Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 276: Declaration Of War

Chapter 276: Declaration Of War

"Where is he?" Andre stormed into Valerie’s quarters although he was careful to keep his voice down, afraid to wake and alert the others on what was going on, to be precise, Fae Queen, Maeve. If the Fae were to know what happened, Valerie would be a goner.

"He’s in the bath, there was just so much blood and anyone could walk into the room," Derek explained, hastily following after him.

Andre could see what Derek meant because the coverlet had been removed, leaving the bed bare and the material was packed at a corner. However, try as hard as they could to get rid of the evidence, there were still bloodied footprints on the floor which was quite a huge contrast against the polished wooden flooring.

Andre pushed the door leading into the restroom and met Valerie soaking in a tub, the water turned crimson from the blood. Valerie looked dead with his head lulled back causing Andre’s heart to skip a beat as he rushed to him.

"Valerie!" He panicked, shaking him till he roused to consciousness.

"Brother..." Valerie rasped, grabbing his brother’s arm with glazed eyes.

The summer prince was shirtless and Andre could not see the injury because the crimson water covered up to his chest. However, Valerie was usually pale, a complexion that best suited their brother Aldric. He has lost so much blood.

"Why isn’t he healing?" Andre questioned Derek. The water was much darker now, evidence of the fact he was still bleeding.

"Iron," Derek said and Andre cursed under his breath.

"Why isn’t a healer here then?!" Andre snapped at him, "Are you waiting for his death?! You do know iron makes it impossible for us to heal."

"I was about to call for a healer, but –"

"No... no healer," Valerie said all of a sudden with labored breathing, gripping the tub edges tight till his fist turned white, "My mother..." He trailed off, obviously weakened.

Derek looked at him helplessly, "He believes Queen Maeve has spies planted amongst the healers as well and doesn’t want her to find out about this incident. That is why he sent for you, Prince Andre. You should know what to do."

"Fuck," Andre ran his hand through his head, yanking on his root. This was driving him crazy. This was why he hated keeping dangerous secrets, it might take dangerous measures to cover it up till it explodes in your face.

"Call Theodore," The idea hit him.

Perhaps because of their attunement to nature but healers are usually found amongst the spring court Fae. However, their healing ability could not be compared to their brethren, the elves, who were experts. But those arrogant fellows would never work in the palace of a Fae.

Derek left at once to find the spring court prince while Andre crouched down and leaned against the tub, asking, "How did this happen? Theodore told me a witch attacked you. But how?"

Andre knew Valerie, he was strong and the witch would have defeated him unless she caught him off guard. According to Derek, he caught both of them in bed which was weird.

Valerie sucked in a long breath, turning to face his brother as he looked him in the eye, saying, "She came with Islinda’s face, seducing me until I was incapacitated."

There was a bit of anger in his tone and Andre could empathize with him. His pride was bruised. If the Faerie of Astaria were to hear that the highly beloved crown prince was defeated by a mere witch, he would suffer a huge blow to his reputation and his position threatened. A future King’s powers were supposed to be unmatched. Unfortunately, Valerie became weak because of Islinda. This would ruin him.

"No one can know about this, I trust our brother Theodore can keep his mouth shut, although he would likely ask questions about this incident. Don’t say a thing to him, rather throw him off. Just because Theodore is on your side doesn’t mean he wouldn’t turn on you if the opening is ripe. He’s the firstborn son and vying for the throne. The soul swap incident is a big scandal he can manipulate to his favor. " Andre severely warned him.

"What about you?" Valerie smiled wryly, his voice tired, "Why can’t you take the throne?"

He sighed, "I told you, being a king is not my calling. Even the thought of leading the Autumn court one day weighs heavily on my mind. I wish my mother had another sibling that could take my weight. But I guess my mother having another son for our father is bound to set off a chain of disaster and wreck the dynamic between our mothers." Andre laughed at the thought of it.

Aldric was already viewed as a threat to the throne because he was strong and unpredictable. If Queen Victoria were to produce another heir, he’d be seen as a problem until he grew up to display his ability. Not to mention, Fae Queen Maeve and Queen Nirvana’s jealous streak was well known. It was as good as declaring war in the harem if Queen Victoria were to give birth to another son.

Valerie tried to laugh as well but it came out as a hacking cough and Andre communicated with his gaze to calm down.

"It would put me in a tight spot if you were to die right now. How would I explain to your mother that her beloved son died under my watch and she doesn’t accuse me of doing something to you?" Andre playfully chided him, however, his eyes crossed to the door with tension and wondering what was taking Derek so long.

Valerie saw the fear in his eyes and tried to move but Andre gave him a stern look, "What are you doing?"

Valerie pushed up from his reclining position and took Andre’s hand in his, pleading with him, "If I die, tell Islinda -"

"You are not going to die," Andre harshly cut him off.

"Andre, I–"

"I would rather take you to the palace infirmary myself, consequences be damned, than let you die."

"Brother, listen to me –"

"No one’s dying," Theodore burst into the restroom charismatically, "Not under my watch."