Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 510: He Wanted More Time With Islinda

Chapter 510: He Wanted More Time With Islinda

Valerie’s heart raced as he sprinted towards the station, his mind consumed by a fierce determination to find Islinda. Anger boiled within him, fueling each step he took. Spotting Derek at the entrance, Valerie’s fists clenched at his sides.

Derek began to speak, "Your Highness, I swear I had my eyes on her, but the next thing I know, Islinda took off running and I lost her and before I could get to her, she —" He couldn’t finish since Valerie’s fury drowned out his words. Without warning, Valerie’s fist collided with Derek’s stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs. Derek doubled over, wheezing in pain as Valerie’s blows rained down upon him.

The sound of each punch echoed through the air, drawing the attention of bystanders who watched in shock as Valerie unleashed his wrath upon his second in command, Derek. All he told him to do was keep an eye on one single human and yet he failed miserably at it. What was so hard about keeping Islinda safe?!

Fae could not lie, but that doesn’t mean Derek had been entirely truthful. His second in command had never liked Islinda in the first place. Derek believed that Valerie’s affection for the human was blinding as if he was under some spell. Moreover, he believed that a crown prince should be paired with someone of equal status within the Fae hierarchy. For all Valerie knows, Derek must have been nonchalant towards his duty of protecting her, which was no wonder he lost her.

What did he hear? That Islinda had started a fucking riot in the marketplace today? It turned out that after the officer had subdued Islinda with his power, the onlookers had not been happy with the outcome. Believing that Islinda was dead, they retaliated. It was not as if this was the first time a clash occurred in the human-infested part of the Fae city.

Most conflicts were usually between the humans and the Fae who thought of them as vermin and believed they deserved to be kicked out of the Fae realm. The others were usually between the half-breeds and their Fae counterparts who considered themselves to be the superior race and that the half-breed were an abomination. And last but not least were between the human and the half-breed who just couldn’t accept the product between their kind and the enemy, the Fae.

The three species just didn’t seem to get along and it was always one clash or the other in the community. But for once, that wasn’t the case. For the first time, the humans and half-breeds were in cahoots and retaliated against the Fae officers who they assumed killed Islinda.

It would be hard to hide this incident from the palace considering this was the biggest riot ever and a human lost his life. Thankfully it was a human that died and not a Fae else there would be grave consequences. While some of their kind had softened towards the humans and half-breeds, it didn’t mean they would accept a Fae was killed by the minority (the humans and the half-breeds) in Haven’s Reach.

This was why Valerie purposely omitted this part of the city on the map. It was too dangerous and yet Islinda still managed to locate it and what he feared eventually happened. He should have never let Islinda out in the first place. No, he should have been trailing after her instead of sending Derek. But he had duties, not to mention Aldric’s people came for her. He couldn’t release Islinda to them. Not now. He wanted more time with her.

Only when his rage was sated did Valerie cease his assault, leaving Derek battered and bruised on the ground. He realized he had gone a little overboard when he saw the horrified look on the faces of the onlookers. He had lost a bit of control, blinded by his rage. However, Valerie wore a cloak so it didn’t seem like any of them recognized him as the crown prince.

"Get up!" He ordered him.

Derek got up as he commanded. He was in pain but it wasn’t decapitating and it was only a matter of time till he healed. The crown prince hit him with all of his strength, intending to hurt him. He didn’t care knowing he wouldn’t mind doing it over again. He hoped this time the human was dead. Perhaps then, Prince Valerie would get his head in the game and realize he’s been used.

It was a good thing Valerie wasn’t privy to Derek’s thoughts else the Fae would be dead by now. He was already standing on thin ice around Valerie. So with a final glare of contempt, Valerie stormed past Derek and into the station, his mind focused solely on rescuing Islinda from the confines of the holding cell.

As Valerie stormed into the station, chaos greeted him like an old acquaintance. The air buzzed with frenetic energy, punctuated by the clamor of voices and the metallic clang of bars. Fae officers rushed about, their faces etched with a mixture of urgency and frustration as they attempted to restore order in the wake of the riot. The holding cells overflowed with a motley assortment of humans and half-breeds - there was no Fae, he noticed - their expressions ranged from fear to defiance as they awaited their fate.

The cramped confines of the station seemed to magnify the cacophony, making it difficult for Valerie to focus amidst the tumult. But amidst the chaos, his gaze honed in on a solitary figure lying in a cell, bathed in dim light. Islinda. The sight of her, confined and vulnerable, sent a pang of anguish coursing through Valerie’s chest, squeezing his heart in a vise-like grip.

Pushing through the throng of officers and detainees, Valerie reached Islinda’s cell, his steps heavy with determination. Ignoring the chaos swirling around him, he pressed his palm against the cold metal bars, his eyes locking onto Islinda’s unconscious form. A wave of relief washed over Valerie as he felt her steady heartbeat. She was alive, and that was all that mattered at that moment.