Page 40 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

The fact that no woman was present puzzled Alezya. They only sent the women away when they were about to make important decisions. Despite feeling cornered, she came forward and stood in the middle of the circle they formed, ready to face them.

Getting Lumie back was all she wanted.

“...Daughter,” her father greeted her, with a sarcastic tone. “You’re back.”

His strange attitude made Alezya even more worried he was about to reveal something bad. Him calling her his daughter when he’d considered her like a thorn in his side all along was the strangest thing too.

She’d have preferred his usual fit of rage; at least she knew what to expect with those…

“Where’s my daughter?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“She is alive,” her father said.

“I want my daughter,” Alezya insisted. “Right away.”

“You’re in no position to make any demands,” one of the elders scolded her.

Alezya scoffed, putting on a scornful expression.

“Aren’t I?” she retorted, trying to put some confidence in her tone. “Since you kept her alive and summoned me back, it feels like you’re expecting something from me. If that’s the case, you won’t get anything until I have my child back.”

“You little–!”

But her father raised his hand, cutting the older man off. There truly was something odd afoot, Alezya thought. He would have been the first to slap her for her arrogance.

The vicious smile he showed didn’t help ease her worries.

“As I said, your child is alive and well. Your cousin and the nannies have been taking care of her. I can assure you.”

She had a hard time believing a word of his, but Alezya darted her eyes at her cousin’s husband, who nodded to confirm her father’s words.

She felt a bit relieved. They wouldn’t have dared to come up with such a lie, or at least she hoped so. Nevertheless, she had to be sure. She couldn’t act weak and compromise on Lumie’s safety.

“I want to see her,” she insisted. “With my own eyes.”

“You will,” her father nodded, “but first, we have questions for you. We know where you were all this time.”

Of course they knew.

Perhaps her father had meant to intimidate her with that accusatory tone, but Alezya truly couldn’t care much about what he thought.

Her child’s life had been threatened and she’d fled, why would she have felt apologetic on top of that?

She owed them nothing, and certainly no loyalty.

She wouldn’t even have been standing here if it wasn’t for Lumie; she hadn’t come back for any other reason.

She didn’t answer her father, waiting to hear what he wanted to know. She could guess most of it.

“No one has ever set foot on the enemy’s territory and come back alive,” he continued.

“And unharmed, at that,” one of the elders added.

Alezya darted a glare their way but quickly came back to her father. She still didn’t speak. If they wanted answers, they had to stop using their slithering ways to corner her and actually get to it.

Moreover, she wasn’t sure she could control the nervousness in her voice, so she would rather use it sparingly.

“My men have been watching you,” her father continued, his eyes narrowing. “Not only were you taken to their habitations, but you spent a long time with their leader. That man and you stood next to the dragon, and yet you were unharmed.”

Alezya could guess her father was dying to know how she’d achieved that. She stood still, waiting, making her father even more impatient.

“...Tell us,” he pressed her. “What happened down there? How did you manage to stand next to that man? What did you learn?”

She took a deep breath.

“It seems like you didn’t hear me the first two times, Father. I want to see my daughter.”

“You insolent bitch!”

There it was. His facade hadn’t held up long, and he was already back to the furious glaring and calling her names.

Alezya didn’t flinch; she’d expected as much.

Moreover, she knew she had the upper hand and she wouldn’t let them bully her into thinking otherwise.

He could beat her and insult her all he wanted, she wouldn’t give them a shred of information before she had Lumie.

As her mom, she couldn’t be weak now and hand them the bit of information she had like that.

She had to be stronger, she couldn’t afford to fail her again.

“If you dare show insolence again,” one of the elders hissed, “we’ll kill that thing you dared to give birth to!”

“Then I’ll kill myself too,” Alezya immediately retorted, “and none of us will get what we want.”

She’d said this in such a cold and composed voice, they immediately understood she was dead serious. Her father’s eyes were murderous, but he didn’t get mad anymore; he knew Alezya would not back down.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and glanced at her cousin’s husband.

“...Go get her,” he said, as if the words were burning his mouth.

Much to Alezya’s relief, her cousin’s husband left. As soon as he was gone, her father looked back at her.

“Now. Tell us–”

“I’m not telling you anything until I see my child,” Alezya cut him off, empowered by her win.

As if she’d trust his words so easily. It should only be a matter of minutes before her cousin’s husband came back anyway, and she wasn’t going to give them anything until she confirmed for herself that Lumie was fine. Her father wasn’t so happy about her strong refusal though.

He glared at her even more, but it was one of the elders who translated what most of them thought.

“You’re a disgrace to this clan,” the older man hissed. “You should be grateful we didn’t banish a depraved witch like you! It should be an honor to serve this clan, but you keep being nothing but an arrogant slut! The gods will punish you for being such a wretched creature!”

“The gods let me give birth to my child and have kept both me and her safe so far,” Alezya scoffed. “Not only that, but I faced a dragon three times and survived. What do your gods say about that?”

“You women have a way,” another one hissed. “A wretched, sullied woman will only get tainted more. It is obvious how you got the enemy’s favor. Shame on you for using your body, and for refusing to serve your father’s cause!”

Alezya wanted to laugh. Of course, in their mind, the only thing she could have done to earn anyone’s kindness was prostitute herself. They were already so convinced she’d slept around during her marriage, what else could they have had in mind?

Not only that, but they could all see the expensive-looking coat she wore and the shiny fabric in her hair.

In their eyes, the only way for a woman to ever earn those was to actively curry a man’s favor.

Though it was true she’d been gifted those by Kassein, she knew it said more about his character than it did hers.

Finally, her cousin’s husband came back, and much to her relief, he was carrying Lumie. She’d never been so grateful in her entire life. Her daughter was well and sleeping in his arms.

Alezya immediately teared up, overcome by incommensurable relief.

She looked fine, her little body gently moving along with her breathing, her mouth in a cute little “o” as it always did when she slept.

It had only been a few days, but Alezya felt like it had been forever since she’d seen her child.

Had she grown a bit? Was her white hair a little bit longer?

She cried silently, covering her mouth with a trembling hand.

She didn’t care if they all saw how shaken up she was, she was a mother first and foremost. She gasped, trying to control her breathing, and took a step forward, but her father suddenly extended his arm between her and her cousin’s husband, who was standing next to him.

Alezya’s expression fell.

“You’ve seen her now,” he said coldly.

“Let me hold her.”

“No.”

“Let me hold her!”

Her father suddenly took out a knife.

Alezya’s blood went cold, while he smiled viciously.

“We may not kill her, but your daughter might get hurt if you don’t start behaving, Alezya. I know you’re a tough woman, but I’m not sure your bastard is as strong.”

She felt absolute fury. How could he use her child to threaten her?! Her eyes went to Lumie, devastated. They wouldn’t even let her hold her child for an instant! She was finally seeing her after so long, and yet they had to stay several feet apart.

“If you hurt her...” she hissed.

“I certainly will if you don’t learn to behave,” her father retorted. “Your daughter has been fine until now. What kind of mother would you be if you caused her harm with your stubbornness?”

Alezya had never wanted to kill a man so badly, but there she was, seriously considering throwing herself at her father’s throat. Perhaps she would have if she hadn’t been so unsure her movement would get both her and Lumie killed.

Thus, she was only able to stand there, trembling with rage, her eyes full of tears and her head full of murderous thoughts.

She swore that she’d kill that man someday.

No one ever deserved to be treated like that by their kin.

Regardless of any blood bond, that man couldn’t ever be called her father again.

Alezya mentally severed the last ties she had felt to him.

She had tried, hard, to keep an ounce of respect, to try and understand where he came from, but that was all gone.

A man threatening to harm a child to have their mother do his bidding was nothing but evil.

She moved her eyes back to Lumie, and she’d never felt so heartbroken.

The short happiness of seeing her alive and well had been completely shattered.

She couldn’t even hold her. She couldn’t touch her, smell her, feel her body warmth against hers.

She wanted Lumie to feel her presence so badly, to know her mom had come back for her.

She wanted to tell her she’d never meant to abandon her.

That no matter what, they’d find a way to escape, together.