Chapter 15: See You In Peril

Instead, he buried his cannies deep into her neck, which felt unlike any of his prior deeds to her. She whimpered in anguish as he continued to drive his cannies deep.

Inara couldn't push him away; he was too strong for her, and his behavior was altogether different. He abruptly stopped sipping her blood of his own volition and coldly relinquished his grip on her, "Who are you properly?"

"I'm your wife, Alex, I mean Young Master," Inara sluttered, bending her head slightly, but she felt his cold hand on her neck instantly, he was choking her with a sensation of wrath, "Never repeat that phrase again, I have my eyes on you, address me properly whenever I requested for me,"

Inara's eyes widened as she realized she was supposed to stay there; how could she possibly live here?

"Yes, Young Master," Inara screamed. Two female servants appeared in their midst and bowed to Alexander respectfully, "Prince Alex, should we take her to the slave courters?" they asked, "Yes, have her flogged twenty times," he said darkly. The female servants dragged Inara out of his sight, fearing to irritate him.

—-----

The female attendants, known as the dark servants in Dark Feathers Castle, escorted Inara to the slave courters, "We'll advise you to behave yourself, Prince Alex does not tolerate disobedience, the few hours he'd spent here made us know him better," they advised, but Inara's mind was concerned by his peculiar behavior.

"What will be my fate? Would he…, "We have no idea what he'd do because he hasn't left the dungeon, but his commands take effect immediately. We're so sorry, Miss, "It's alright, thanks for the enlightenment," Inara murmured as they bowed and walked away from her sight.

—------

Gwen appears to Inara, who has been sobbing profusely for the few hours she has been there, not because she has been asked to be flogged by him, but because seeing him change hurts her a lot, "I'm sorry for causing you pain," she apologized, and Inara turned her head to her when she recognized her voice.

"H--He isn't the husband I know again, Ma'am," she sobbed, "My darling, with time, your husband will be back to the person you knew him as; just a matter of time and patience, "I cannot bear to see him suffer; when I declared I was his wife, he nearly choked me to death. He stated, I don't have a wife,"

"Due to his current situation, he does not forget about you. Even though I wasn't there with you, it's clear he doesn't harm you in the way I imagined, therefore he kept you for a reason, "I want to get him out of here, soon. I can't see why his Father wants him dead, but he is at least my husband. Will I watch my husband die?"

"Inara, may I ask you a question, which you have to be honest with me?"

"Yes, I'd promise to be sincere, "Have you fallen in love with my son? Are you so into him that you're obsessing over him?" Gwen dropped the bombshell; Inara was taken aback by her question, and she responded with silence.

—----

Later at night, Inara entered Alexander's dungeon and knelt before him, "Prince Alex, do you…, "When was my name switched to that, wifey?" he scoffed, making Inara's eyes widen in surprise, "You've remembered me?"

"I don't recall forgetting you, but this area looks strange; where is this location? The darkness indicates a reason. I'm not sure either, but I am delighted you're back. I practically go nuts," Inara chuckled. She wanted to hug him so hard, but she knew it would irritate him, so she kept her excitement under control.

"Still, let's get out of here, follow my lead," Alexander murmured, and Inara followed him from behind; she was surprised that he knew that place better than she did without thinking too hard.

—-----

The next day, Inara took a bath and was about to dress up, when she felt someone standing next to her, "Good morning, Your Highness, how was your night?"

"Ma'am, how did you get here?"

"My darling, I have been looking over you. Should I dress up your unruly hair for you? Your husband might like it," Gwen added with a grin, making Inara actually blush, "I would appreciate that, but it is not appropriate as you are my..., "Don't worry, I could genuinely dress up your hair; it's been a while since my Mother let me to. She normally says my hair styles are always lovely, but I was so silly!"

Inara looked at her and recognized a trace of regret and sadness in her eyes, "Are you missing her, your Mother? Why don't you go…, "My Mother is no longer alive; she died a long time ago to save my life, which is why I am not allowed to aid my son. I wished I could change things like I wanted, "Ma'am…,"

"Gwen, please stop calling me 'Ma'am.' You're already making me feel old, so how should I style your hair in a way that would suit your husband. You…, "Stop teasing me; it's not like he loved me, Gwen," Inara whispered honestly as Gwen sat behind her before the mirror.

"My darling, I don't like seeing you wear that sad face; your husband may not have accepted love, but you should accept him that way," Gwen cajoled, staring carefully at Inara's reflection in the mirror, "My husband, who is he, Gwen?"

"He's a Young Master of…, "No, he's a Prince, and they call him 'Prince Alex' there. Why can't you tell him you're his mother? He might be longing for you….., "He can never longed for me, he hates me even without seeing my face yet, "But he needs to know,"

"My dearling, he's been doing alright without me; it'll only make him angry, which I don't want to see. I understand you want me to reunite with him, but it's completely beyond what I can handle," Gwen murmured terribly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Enough with that; let me make you seem gorgeous, Inara. So, I was thinking of making your scent more appealing even without doing what's required, right!" Gwen teased Inara, and she smiled shyly.

—----

Inara stepped into the garden looking stunning, thanks to Gwen's aid. She sat in a chair but was hesitant to eat, "I'm not hungry, Young…., "I once told you I despise falsehoods, wifey. I was not expecting you to come here only by glancing at your face, "What's wrong with it?"

"Pale, you seem like you haven't gotten enough rest, and your leg is literally bleeding. Stop hiding it from me, wifey, "I apologize," Inara said bitterly, but Alexander approached her and, unexpectedly, carried her in a bridal style.

"What? Please, let me walk myself; you don't need to do this," she screamed. Alexander ignored her pleas; it was more because of how loud she was that he said hoarsely, "I see no reason why I would listen to you, why I was the one who literally hurts you," which caused Inara's jaw to drop and she'd surrender.

—------

Alexander lay Inara on the bed, forcing her to sit upright and facing him, "Take off your shoes," he said, to which Inara complied, "This would rather hurt a lot, wifey," he warned sternly, pulling out some treatment oils.

He applied the treatment oil to her wounds, and Inara didn't appear to be in pain, instead peering intently into his eyes, "Young Master," she shouted in tears, Alexander paused, turning his attention to her, and found tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Why would Basil want to kill you? He warned me he was going to kill you very soon; is that why you went to my hometown and returned last night?"

"No, "Does it have to be because of me, Young Master? You're risking your life for my safety…, "Sssshh! It's worthless, and I won't die anytime soon, wifey,"

"I don't believe you, because no one cares about you; even if you die, consider me dying next to you right away," she cried in tears. Alexander couldn't believe what he was hearing, but Inara's attitude said volumes!

"Oh, wifey. Are you grieving because you will be lonely after my death, or because of me?"

"Because of you, Young Master. I'm always sad to see you in Peril, but I can't help you," Alexander couldn't help but glance at her, bewildered; this was the first time someone had cried for his safety.