Chapter 12 - Behold He Who Returns

Their ride back to the Regaleria mansion was a silent one.

Lady Faye had already suspicions of what had occurred during Cain's time with the princess and it surely was unacceptable.

Though the two oil lamps had produced a low light, Lady Faye could see the worry in Lianne's eyes. She had been looking at the darkness of the road outside the small stained window since they left Soulisse, looking obviously distressed.

Her hands were clasped together resting on her lap, but Lady Faye could clearly see it trembling. She was greatly concerned on her.

She remembered the princess' hair neatly tied to the back before they left the Regaleria mansion. Now, it was a bit tousled to the sides, making her curls covering partially her neck - the neck that no doubt housed the kissmark Cain had created.

She waited for a few minutes hoping that Lianne would initiate a talk, but she got none.

Turning impatient and with the deafening silence between them, she decided to ask without a second thought.

"You had been quite silent since we left Soulisse, Your Highness. Is there something bothering you?"

Lianne's eyes flickered to the old woman's gray ones and said nothing.

Lady Faye's heart then felt like it had been hit by lightning upon seeing the princess calmly trying to battle her tears from falling. Her gut was right, there was something that really distressed her.

"You know you can tell me anything dear. It hurts me to see you like this," Lady Faye spoke, her gaze fixed on her. She stretched out her hand and touched Lianne's clenching fists. It was cold to the touch.

"Lady Faye, I-" the princess started but abruptly stopped as tears hurriedly streamed down her face. Without a second, she wiped it dry not wanting to cloud her vision and not wanting for Lady Faye to see.

In response, the latter remained silent. It was the princess' time to pour out her worries, so she gave her time to recollect herself.

"I don't understand myself," Lianne spoke again. "I'm so confused. Lord Cain had just confessed his feelings for me. He has always been there for me, I feel comfortable and safe with him, and I know, almost all women in this kingdom would do anything just to be inside my shoes, but my God, all I feel for him is like a brother and nothing more."

Lady Faye was amazed by Lianne's statement. She was so sure of herself that her and the general had a romantic relationship, but now this.

"You rejected him?" Lady Faye asked, her voice a little higher.

Lianne shut her eyes tightly and willed herself to remember the events with Cain. It wasn't exactly a confession she admitted, but more like an attempt to take advantage of her vulnerability. Though Cain was inebriated, Lianne couldn't deny the possibility that he acted on his own accord.

"He didn't give me a chance to answer," she replied, lowering her head in embarrassment.

If she would continue further, the old woman would know everything that happened between them, and that was what she was avoiding.

However, Lady Faye's calm demeanor suddenly broke and asked her straight to the point, "What did Lord Cain do to you?!"

The old woman's eyes widened in anxiety. 'He would never dare such a thing!' she thought, yet, on the other hand, he could have a will to do so if he didn't fear the King.

"He was drunk," Lianne was quick to reply. "I'm sure he was not in his proper mind to-"

At the thought of Cain's tongue around her nipple, Lianne's cheeks heated. She immediately lowered her head and looked at the outside of the carriage window.

Though she saw Lady Faye as her second mother, she couldn't in her heart divulge such a sensitive thing to her. The memory of what Cain did to her was still fresh in her mind: his hot kisses that burned her lips, the taste of the strong liquor on her tongue, and his rough caresses that gave her a shiver she couldn't prevent.

It ignited a deep longing inside her. Something that had been present since Prince Ruen kissed her. However, she was hesitant to affirm it. Both of their kisses were hard and needy, but Ruen held her tenderly amidst his stoic disposition as oppose to Cain who managed to bruise her wrists.

"Heavens! He has gone that far! That's an insult to you!" the Head Servant grumbled, her brows wrinkled with anger.

"Oh, please Lady Faye," the princess in haste appealed, holding the old woman's hands wanting to make her point. "Please don't tell this to anybody! I do not want anymore rumors circulating about me again. Please, just...just don't mind it. It will be fine. I will be fine."

If not only for her request, the old woman would definitely go to King Garlow and report such insult caused by one of his generals. However, she knew full well the impact of it. Princess Lianne had gone through a lot of rumors already which were based on nothing. If what transpired tonight would come leaking in every hallway, surely the princess would suffer again.

'Without a doubt,' Lady Faye thought, 'being a princess was never easy, especially one that yearns for her freedom.'

She calmed herself afterwards and squeezed Lianne's hands in response. "I won't tell, don't worry. But if ever General Cain will do this to you again, I will not hesitate to teach that man a lesson, intoxicated or not."

Lianne nodded in relief as she wiped her tears away and cooled herself down as their carriage continued on the way to Regaleria. The party did became a quick respite against the walls of her 'prison'. Even as that incident happened with Cain, she was still happy she was able to set foot outside of the Regaleria mansion - a new thing on her mundane, controlled life.

When the carriage stopped at the main entrance of the massive portico, the princess had already collected herself. She intentionally kept her hair down, gathering it all to the left side to cover the fresh kissmark on her neck.

Lady Faye heard the coachman somehow having trouble setting the horses down properly and when the footman opened the carriage door, she caught a sight of another coach that parked adjacent to the one she was riding.

She suspected it was from a new guest of another palace as she had not seen such regal black coach before in the mansion.

She descended down the stairs carefully supported by the footman's elbow, followed by the princess who didn't take mind of the new coach when she caught sight of it.

Lianne however noticed how busy the maid servants were unloading the packages out of the black coach, and instantly knew that they needed Lady Faye's supervision. The tiring night they went through provided her a good excuse to leave first.

"Uhm, Lady Faye. Is it okay if I'll be leaving you first?" Lianne asked, showing concern on the servants heavily lifting the packages.

Lady Faye looked at her with warm eyes and nodded, "Yes, go and rest my dear. You need it."

Lianne nodded back and then started climbing the long wide stone stairs of the portico making sure she wouldn't step on her gown. Oddly enough, the maid servants were staring at her as if waiting for something to take place, and it made her pretty conscious.

She was halfway towards the main entrance door of the foyer when she noticed that the great chandelier was lit up. It was already a quarter before twelve in the midnight and she knew that it wasn't supposed to be lit up.

'How odd,' she thought to herself.

She glanced at where Lady Faye stood who was seriously talking to one of the coachman of the black coach. Noticing how regal the carriage was, she thought it must be one of Garlow's flamboyant guests visiting him.

Dismissing this as none of her concern, she continued to walk towards the main door, but as she entered the foyer, she abruptly stopped. Her breath was caught in her throat and her eyes widened.

High above the long red-carpeted stairs of the west wing, a man was descending from it wearing a semi-formal, unbuttoned black tuxedo suit. He was staring straight at her like a predator to its prey.

'Why is HE here?!' Her jaw dropped in astonishment. Her heart started beating fast.

Just as when the coachman informed Lady Faye of the mysterious guest, she saw Princess Lianne already entering the front main door. She quickly walked up the stairs and entered the foyer to her own surprise and delight.

The coachman was right.

Apparently, the owner of the black coach was none other than the crown prince himself who had just arrived from Veirsalles. She has yet to know the consequences of his return and what made the King decide for the prince to come back to the kingdom after these years, but she hand an inkling it was something urgent.

She sensed the princess' anxiety as she knew well she still disliked the prince, but instead of dismissing her out of the foyer, she pulled her shoulder close to her so she would not walk out, and gently managed to bow her head in acknowledgment of the prince presence.

Lianne's cheeks blushed a shy pink. Her distress upon the earlier encounter with Lord Cain had flown out of her mind and was replaced with the sudden consciousness of Prince Ruen's presence.

"Your Highness, welcome back," Lady Faye greeted. Lianne didn't miss a hint of joy and relief there.

Prince Ruen who was already a couple of feet away from them responded to the old woman with equal gentlemanly fashion.

"Lady Faye, it's nice to see you again."

Then, he smiled.

Lianne's eyebrow cocked up in disbelief. He never smiled. Not even when he was young. Had he hit his head somehow?

He stopped a few feet away from them and took Lady Faye's hand and kissed it as a sign of greeting.

Again, Lianne showed a stunned reaction. She was but a few feet away from him! She felt so awkward that she quickly crossed her arms to her chest realizing that he might do the same greeting to her.

"Princess Lianne," Ruen spoke, the tone of his voice heavier than seconds ago, and then he slightly bowed his head, amusement filling his eyes. He knew already she didn't want to be kissed in the hand by him.

Lianne was taken aback. First, was his apparent show of being a gentleman and now speaking her name properly with her title. She had rarely heard him address her of such. What had happened while he was in Veirsalles that made him behave into such a suave, well-mannered man?

"It's been awhile," the prince continued.

Lianne didn't respond. She stared at him amazed by his pretension. He might be able to fool all of the residents in the mansion with his dashing looks and actions but not her! Oh, how amazing an actor he was.

To Ruen, as their eyes were locked, he could see the familiar disdain in it. After three years of being away, it seemed as though nothing has changed. She still hated him.

"Well then!" The Head Servant clapped her hands and smiled, intending to break the tension amassing gradually between the two royals. "It seems we were just on time for your arrival, Your Highness. The King didn't mention that you are coming back today."

"You know father, Faye. He seems to have a penchant on surprising people," Ruen spoke returning his attention to the old lady.

"You look rather splendidly dressed for a party." He raised his observations, eyeing Lianne at the same time. He couldn't overlook how she looked perfectly beautiful on her light pink satin gown, and of course, he couldn't ignore the delicious swelling of her bosom.

Lianne was silently fuming as he continued his sarcastic inspection. Subtly, she tugged the old woman's arm to let her know that she wanted to leave the foyer, but Lady Faye only acted as if she didn't sense it.

"To actually be able to please father to the point of acquiring his permission to invite such a beautiful princess to a party, may I know to whom?" the prince asked, wanting to know to whose party it was that they had just attended.

He knew the princess was not allowed to set foot outside the mansion. To see her attending a party tonight made him relieved. At least, it was a progress of his father's rather possessive nature of her and a bit taste of freedom she solely deserves. However, the very thought of her going to a party without him made him clearly jealous. Who might the person be to be able to gain his father's trust?

Lady Faye stood calmly, but deep inside she was frantically thinking what appropriate answer she'd give to the prince. She didn't want to tell him that they just arrived from the Soulisse mansion, but she knew sooner or later he would learn about it.

"Your Highness, the party was at the Soulisse mansion. Uhm, of Lord-"

"Cain," Ruen finished whilst his eyes flashed briefly with displeasure. He turned to look at Lianne with jaw clenched, silently scrutinizing her, making her mentally perceptive of his blatant perusal.

Lady Faye was cognizant herself of what was about to transpire. Yes, again, another heated argument between the two. For three years, it must be what they missed to do, to bicker against each other like they used to since they were young. But, what occurred following it was something she had never expected would happen.

Ruen's right hand reached out on the princess and slowly he touched her cheeks to Lianne's stunned expression. She didn't move away or even act like she was averse to his touch. It was as if she was welcoming to it, more like she had wanted him to touch her, and she was horrified by her own unconscious behavior.

Amidst the Head Servant's presence, Ruen wasn't embarrassed of his affectionate gesture on the princess. He continued to brush her curls towards her back and without warning, he tilted her head to the side giving a full view of the one thing that astonished Lady Faye at the sight of it.

"What's this?" Ruen spoke, voice roped with anger. "A kissmark?"

Lianne was stunned upon hearing what the prince had said. Why does he have to find it?! She began to blush furiously and quickly slapped his hands away from her face. She acted as if she was angry, but deep inside she was embarrassed by the clear evidence he had seen. Obviously, he was so good at ogling at her.

"No!" Lianne denied in haste. "This is just a bruise I got from a branch when I was horse riding." She tipped her chin up, confident that her false alibi was perfect. She covered the discoloration again with her hair and behaved as if she was ready to stand ground.

Lady Faye was shocked by the princess' lie. Both of them knew it was not the truth. She looked at the prince who was coolly staring at the princess and hoped the he would believe.

She exactly knew how dangerous it would be if the prince would know about what had happened between the princess and Lord Cain, but when did the princess even bothered to think about his welfare? She could have just plainly admitted it, but why did she unhesitatingly made the alibi? She, however, couldn't backup the princess' alibi as the bruise on her neck looked certainly like a kissmark.

"Well, uhm, Your Highness," the Head Servant started to speak but was cut off.

"Lady Faye," Ruen spoke, his eyes still resting on the fuming woman in his front. "I need to talk to you tomorrow about this particular party at the Soulisse Mansion. I want to know exactly everything that happened while you were there," he said sternly, no doubt suspicious of Lianne's alibi.

With this, Lianne's emotions shot up.

"Aren't you too conceited?" she cried, clenching her fist, her heart pounding hard like boulders falling in a steep slope, her teeth gnashing with irritation. "Here you are back in the mansion after three years of absence and now you act as if someone who has the right to know everything I am doing?!"

The prince stayed silent, not giving any show of expression on his face.

Lady Faye then patted Lianne's shoulder hoping to stabilize her, but then Lianne began to hurriedly walk out in his front, her heels clicking as she strode heavily out of the foyer and into the servant's hall.

Ruen's gaze followed her as she left and began to mutter words Lady Faye wasn't able to hear, 'Curse it. I messed up again.'