"Your Highness!" Sam grimaced when his butler exclaimed as soon as he saw the prince. He and Kepler rushed to his side when he entered the palace.
"You've truly outdone yourself this time prince." Instead of fretting about the prince like the butler, Kepler only shook his head at him. He still looked haggard from all the work Sam had placed on him but somehow Sam thought his aide was enjoying Sam's pain a little too much.
"It's only a couple of scratches." He repeated what he had told Kiera. "They will end up healing in no time."
"It looks like those 'scratches' will need another round of fresh bandages," Kepler said sarcastically, and nodded to the butler who quickly sent a passing maid for some new bandages.
"How on earth did you manage to get this injury?"
Sam motioned to Kepler and they walked all the corridors of the palace until they went into Sam's study. Kepler closed the doors behind them.
"Was it the Beast you went to find?" Kepler asked him right away.
Sam walked further inside his study to stand in front of his oak desk. Leaning against it, he nodded.
Kepler shook his head in disbelief.
"I still can't wrap my head around it. The idea of the Beast people turning into animals…" He trailed off but Sam could guess what thoughts were going through his head.
At first, he had also found it hard to believe, but the proof had already been presented to him. He saw it with his own eyes. The tiger, and the way he transformed back into a human man. When she stuck her sword into the man, Kiera had not even batted an eye. Her eyes showed disgust, but Sam knew it was caused by the childhood trauma she had experienced.
"It was fascinating Kepler. There was a tiger, and when Kiera struck her sword into it, the tiger morphed into the body of a man."
Kepler looked astounded, his eyes wide behind the one monocle.
"And Kiera," he said wistfully as he remembered how the Beast General had called out his name with worry when the tiger attacked him. "She was phenomenal."
Kepler instantly made a face at the lovestruck prince.
Then came a knock at the door, and Kepler went to open it, grabbing the servant's box of bandages and ointments. He closed the door and went over to Sam, setting the box down on the oak desk next to the leaning prince.
"You'll need to strip down."
Sam immediately put his arms around himself and inches away from Kepler. A smile on his lips.
"I would appreciate it if you took me out for a meal first."
Kepler snorted. "Very original sire. I thought you would say something along the lines of being the Beast General's." He retorted at the prince, taking out the bandages and tin of ointment from the box.
"Well, not yet, but hopefully there will be good news soon." He said with a wink.
Kepler again made a face at the prince.
"Are you going to let me help you change your bandages or not?"
"Go ahead." Sam reached up to slide off his shirt, letting out a drawn-out groan as pain shot up his side. Kepler took one look at the bloodied bandages wrapped around his waist and sighed before he began to redress his bandages.
"This is going to take one to two weeks to fully heal. It will scar though."
"Hmm." He said, uninterested in that. Instead, he asked Kepler about an entirely different matter.
"How are my brothers and my father?"
"Your father is still pretending to be busy with the investigation on the attack, as well as the First Prince. Henrie did say he spotted the First Prince paying a visit to a mutual friend yesterday."
Sam flinched when Kepler applied some of the ointment directly onto his stitched wound. The smell of the herbal medicine hit his nostrils as he glared at his aide.
"My apologies." Kepler hurriedly said but the upturned corners of his lips said otherwise.
"Never mind that. What mutual friend are you talking about?"
Kepler looked at him with a dead seriousness in his eyes. There was not even a hint of a smile on his lips anymore.
"King William."
Sam breathed out, running a hand through his hair.
"Did Henrie say what the two had talked about?"
Kepler shook his head.
"He could not get closer to the room, Your Highness. He said the other Beast General and his people were guarding the area." Kepler laughed a little, "He was ranting about the Beast Peoples' strange perceptiveness. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, one small mistake and they would have discovered him."
"You did not tell him the secret did you?"
"No sire."
"Good. Tell Henrie he will have to be extra cautious around any of the Beasts. Let him know that they are not only incredibly strong but also sensitive to any sounds and smells."
"Wouldn't it better for us if you let your people know about the Beast Peoples' curse? The King of Beasts did not forbid you from telling anyone."
Sam shook his head. "He did not explicitly say I couldn't speak on the curse with my people, but something tells me I should be very careful with who I divulge the information. The Lion Lord isn't a stranger to schemes. He knows the dance of the human nobles very well."
Sam put on a fresh shirt after wrapping the new bandages around his waist. An image of Kiera flashed through his mind as his fingers worked on the buttons.
"More than anything, I would be damaging the relationship between Kiera if word of the curse got out." He gave a short laugh. "I guess that's why King William did not prohibit me from speaking about it. He knew I would not want to put any strain on our developing relationship."
King William, the reigning Lord, the supreme ruler over the Forest and its people. Now Sam knew the title of Lion Lord was literal. He could not even begin to imagine fighting a Beast with a lion's might.
"Kepler," Sam quickly changed focus, "there seems to be no end to the tasks we must complete. Kiera and I found the raging Beast and it was killed, but in finding the Beast I might have stumbled across an even bigger issue." He and Kepler shared a long look.
"How certain are you?"
"I have a hunch."
Kepler took off his monocle, bringing his other hand up to rub his tired eyes.
"Milord, your hunches are almost always spot on." He then mumbled something about having more work under his breath. Sam felt a little bit of pity for the man so he let him mutter out his frustrations.
Readjusting the monocle on his face, he looks back at the prince.
"Done?" When Kepler only dipped his head forward slightly, Sam smiled wryly.
"Good. Now it's time to get to work."
Sam was insanely busy the next couple of days. He and Kepler barely had any time to rest after Sam told Kepler of his suspicions. On top of that, most of his people were busy spying on his family, making sure they were constantly monitored for any new movements. He still had to keep his family from running amok.
He could not believe his ears when the butler knocked on the door to his study. He absentmindedly allowed the man to come in and was shocked when the butler announced the arrival of a guest he would have never imagined taking the initiative to visit him.
"Beast General Kiera Blackwater is waiting in the receiving room sire."
"Who?" He blinked his green eyes at his butler. He must have thought the prince looked tired, blinking with dark circles under his eyes, swamped with piles of paperwork on his desk.
"Kiera Blackwater sire. Should I tell her you are currently unwell and unfit to receive any visitations?"
"No!" Sam jumped up from his seat. "Inform her that I will only take a few minutes to finish up a few papers and then I will meet with her."
His butler bowed his head and left as Sam went to the mirror at the back of the room, taking the time to ensure all was in order. Then he left his study and headed to the receiving room.
Sam opened the doors to the room and his eyes immediately sought out the raven-haired figure standing in the room. She had her back turned to the door, but Sam knew her ears would have already picked up the sound of his approaching footsteps. She peered over her shoulder at him as he entered the room and Sam noted the attire she had chosen to wear to visit him. He smiled when she curtsied in a beautiful green dress.
"Greetings Prince Sam." Her eyes watched the prince, studying his reaction.
"What a lovely surprise Kiera. I didn't know you would come to visit me today." His smile did not leave his lips as he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back. "You look radiant." He waited for her to pull her hand back from him, but when she didn't he tried not to show the slightest sign of his confusion. Internally he cocked his head to the side.
"Thank you." With Sam still holding onto her hand, her blue eyes naturally went down to pointedly look at his side. "How has your wound been healing?"
His grin widened on his face. He must have appeared like a happy puppy, happily wagging his tail because their hands were still joined.
"It feels fine. I think it should be healed in another couple of days or so."
She nodded her head, but her mouth did not open to say anything else. There was a silence between them and Sam suspected she was having trouble speaking on the topic she had come here for.
'Why is she embarrassed?' He thought, 'what could have possessed her to suddenly to visit him in a dress that looked magnificent on her?'
Sam felt the need to do something mischievous, and after pulling her hand to his lips and kissing her skin, she was spurred into speaking as she finally pulled her hand away from his grasp.
"I was wondering if you would like to go horseback riding with me." She hurried on to say, "once you feel your wound has had enough time to heal."
There was no way for him to hide his happiness. He looked at her with adorning eyes.
"You want to go on a special outing with me?"
"I did n—"
She stopped herself, looking away from him as she nodded her head.
"I thought it would be a nice way to thank you for your help with the investigation. Unless you want to be thanked some other way. I do have money."
Sam remembered the coin purse she tried to offer Lucy and laughed.
"I know you do. But I would rather take you up on your offer to ride horses together. I think I would enjoy myself being in your presence much more than anything money could ever buy me."
She looked back at him.
"Is that so? Then you should be satisfied with horse riding being your only award for your help."
When he did not speak, she took it to mean he had no qualms about their arrangement. Kiera gave him a curt nod and then left the palace after promising the prince with a rendezvous.
Sam worked harder the following days, happily waiting for the promised meeting with the Beast General. He was motivated enough to seek out additional herbal remedies that could speed up the healing time of his wound. He wanted to boast about how well he had healed.
Then the day came when Sam was healed and ready enough to mount a horse.