By the time Kavien arrived at the grand palace carrying Isla, the royal court was already plunged into a state of absolute, frantic chaos.
The Queen was sobbing uncontrollably into her silk handkerchief, while the furious King paced the grand throne room, ruthlessly screaming orders at his trembling royal guards.
"I do not care where my daughter is or what it takes to find her!
Bring her back to me safely this instant, or I swear upon my crown, I will have all of your heads!"
the King roared,
his voice echoing with desperate, fatherly terror as the Queen continued to weep endlessly by his side.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors groaned open, announcing Kavien's imposing arrival.
Lucier, who had been pacing near the entrance, immediately spotted them and screamed her name,
"Isla!"
Every single pair of panicked eyes in the grand hall violently snapped toward the tall gates, locking onto the shocking sight of the intimidating, yellow-eyed boy effortlessly carrying their precious Princess in his arms.
"Isla... my sweet child!" the Queen gasped.
Both royal parents rushed forward in a frantic blur, immediately taking her from Kavien's hold and cradling her safely in their own arms.
"Are you alright, my dear?
We heard terrifying reports that a horrific beast had invaded the forest! Are you truly unharmed?
And who exactly is this boy?"
Before Isla could even open her mouth to explain the chaotic situation, Kavien coldly interjected.
Completely ignoring royal etiquette and refusing to make eye contact with the King, he spoke with an overwhelming, almost suffocating aura of sheer attitude and unyielding ego.
"The name is Kavien."
Just then, Lucier stormed forward, his face flushed with protective fury as he violently grabbed Kavien by his shirt collar.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on Isla?!" he roared.
Kavien didn't even flinch; instead, his yellow eyes narrowed with profound disdain as he effortlessly swatted Lucier's hands away.
"Trust me,
I have absolutely zero interest in touching your frog-faced little friend,"
Kavien sneered brutally. "She severely sprained her ankle in the dirt.
What exactly did you expect me to do?
Drag her all the way back here by her foot?
And why are you suddenly acting so incredibly concerned now?
Where exactly were you when she was trapped all alone in the dark woods with a bloodthirsty beast?
Let me make one thing perfectly clear—if I hadn't arrived exactly when I did, you all would be desperately praying for her soul right now, and the word 'Late' would be permanently attached to the title of Princess Isla.
So spare me your pathetic outrage."
He haughtily brushed the invisible dust off his coat, adding with a heavy, dramatic sigh, "Besides, I had absolutely no desire to wander around the forest carrying this heavy sack of potatoes in the first place.
My arms are legitimately aching from the sheer burden.
Seriously, what on earth do they feed you in this palace?
I always heard that royal princesses were supposed to be delicate, slender, and light as a feather, but you..."
"How dare you!"
Isla shrieked from the safety of her mother's embrace, her face burning a furious, humiliated crimson.
"You absolute bastard, have you no shame?!
First of all, it is entirely your fault that I was trapped out there to begin with!
You were the reckless idiot who dragged me out to that dangerous, unchecked location for a stupid duel without even bothering to verify if the area was safe!
Secondly, how dare you stand there and make derogatory comments about a lady's body?!
You picked me up entirely on your own arrogant accord; I certainly never asked for your so-called help!"
She took a deep, angry breath, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"And thirdly... you dropped me safely at my palace, so your little mission is over!
You showed off your impressive strength, now get out!
For all I know, you probably orchestrated this entire nightmare and sent that beast yourself just so you could swoop in, play the grand hero, and force me to owe you a massive favor!
Well?
Speak up!
You had so much obnoxious nonsense to say just a second ago, has the cat suddenly got your tongue?!"
Kavien stared at her flushed, furious face with an utterly blank, unbothered expression.
"I have absolutely no interest in dignifying your baseless, idiotic accusations with a response," he stated coldly.
"Just get your swollen ankle treated by a doctor before the pain agonizingly shoots all the way up your leg."
"You do not need to worry about me for a single second, you yellow-eyed freak!"
Isla snapped back viciously.
"I am not worrying about you,"
Kavien retorted smoothly, his voice dripping with icy sarcasm.
"I simply told you to get it treated because, knowing your wildly imaginative brain, you would probably find a ridiculous way to blame me for your leg falling off, too.
I am leaving."
As he turned his back on the royal family, the Queen's gentle, maternal voice suddenly called out.
"Child...please, wait," she offered kindly, her heart softening despite his highly abrasive attitude.
"It has gotten incredibly late, and the weather outside is looking quite treacherous tonight.
You should stay here at the palace for the night."
Kavien paused, but he didn't turn around.
"I can only sleep properly beneath the open sky," he replied, his tone surprisingly flat and devoid of its usual mocking bite.
"If I stay enclosed within these walls, neither I nor anyone else in this palace will get a single wink of sleep.
I deeply despise being a burden to others, just as much as I despise others causing trouble for me.
I will take my leave."
With those final, cryptic words, he began walking away, the heavy, rhythmic clack-clack-clack of his boots echoing loudly against the polished marble floors as he disappeared into the long corridor.
Everyone in the grand hall stood in stunned, absolute silence, their eyes entirely glued to his retreating figure.
Isla glared furiously at the empty doorway, her jaw clenched so tight her teeth ached.
'What an absolute, insufferable jerk,' she grumbled bitterly in her mind, rubbing her throbbing ankle.
'Why on earth does my life exclusively attract every single wicked, bastardly, absolute piece of garbage that exists in this world?
Seriously, God, what exactly did I do to deserve this?!'