Several hours passed. Night has fallen.

Chad stood beside his king in front of Danika's bedroom. King Lucien has been staring at Danika in that unreadable expression of his, and they've been standing there for a very long time. More than an hour.

His face might be unreadable, but Chad could have sworn that there is banked-up rage in his eyes. 

The king had been coming back from his walk with the princess when he'd walked to him and told him everything that happened in the marketplace.

King Lucien showed no visible reaction but Chad had seen his muscle tense. He'd looked like he wanted to punch someone. 

The violence and rage in his eyes when he heard what happened to Danika were unmistakable, and it had surprised Chad.

"Chad." King Lucien's deep voice pulled him away from the recent past.

"My king." He looked at the formidable man standing beside him. His eyes were still at the fragile woman who laid on the bed, bandaged in