What has changed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian seemed to sense he was intruding. He stood up and said, \u201cI have something urgent to attend to. See you later.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Cassian left, Alessandro sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on Abril\u2019s forehead to check for a fever. He had begun doing this every time he returned to their chambers, no matter how much she insisted she was fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is your wound? Does it hurt?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still hurts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see it. May I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she still couldn\u2019t move very well, Alessandro pulled back the blankets and helped her raise her nightgown. He could see her bare legs and undergarments. He looked at her face to gauge her expression. She seemed calm, with no trace of embarrassment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting this,\u201d Alessandro thought as he helped her sit up so he could remove the\u00a0<\/p>\n
bandage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril winced as she sat up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat hurts.\u201d she complained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alessandro thought the wound would heal faster due to her powers, but that wasn\u2019t the case. It was healing slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo your injuries always take so long to heal?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, although I think that\u2019s normal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alessandro applied a fresh bandage and asked, \u201cDo you get sick often?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore, but when I was younger, yes. I always had a fever. I wasn\u2019t very healthy. But that changed as I grew up. Now I hardly ever get sick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he finished applying the bandage, Alessandro noticed small scars on Abril\u2019s legs. He touched them with his fingertips. Abril blushed. That was new to her. Though she didn\u2019t seem ashamed to let him see her body, she did blush when he touched her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get these scars?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
What has changed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was when I fell into the rose bushes three years ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Points\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alessandro remembered that day. He hadn\u2019t helped her. Despite her being injured, he had punished\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLie down,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril obeyed, and Alessandro lowered her nightgown and covered her with the blankets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must stay in bed until you recover. Try not to move too much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes I will.\u201c.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you need anything, ask the maids. And if any of them is rude to you, let me know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI must go. Rest. I\u2019ll see you tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To Abril, the king\u2019s kindness and concern were strange. Perhaps if it were at the beginning of their marriage, she might have thought it was because she was his wife. But after being ignored and forgotten for three years, it was hard to believe. She wondered if it was because of the child she was supposed to give him, but she dismissed that reason as well\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril looked at her left hand, where the marriage mark was visible; If she had died, if the king hadn\u2019t arrived in time, he would be free from this invisible bond that united them, and he could remarry\u00a0<\/p>\n
his betrothed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril sighed deeply and wondered, \u201cWhat has changed? I don\u2019t understand. Until recently, His Majesty wanted me dead. Why is he so worried about me now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril had so many questions in her mind, so many things she wanted to ask the king. But she was also afraid to ask, afraid of the answer she might receive. She decided it was best to stay quiet and inconspicuous until she recovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alessandro summoned Sirius. When he entered, he asked, \u201cWhy is her wound taking so long to heal? When I injured my hand, it was gone in two days. It\u2019s been a week, and hers is healing very slowly. Plus, she has several scars. I don\u2019t get it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps her magic prevents her from healing her own wounds.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHealing magic hasn\u2019t worked on her either,\u201d Alessandro said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe her magic nullifies all other magic, though I don\u2019t know if she does it consciously or unconsciously. That\u2019s why magic doesn\u2019t work on her. I think that\u2019s why, when she went to the temple and touched the sphere of magic, there was no reaction. The sphere is a magical artifact. I think she nullified it, and that\u2019s why it seemed like she possessed no magic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
What has changed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Points\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now what? Her wound is still not healing. What do we do?\u201d The king asked, looking worried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can only wait, Your Majesty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wound\u2026 Will it scar?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt most likely will, since healing magic doesn\u2019t work on her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want her to have another scar because of me. Find a way to prevent it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Your Majesty, I am a mage, not a healer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, from now on, you are. So stop wasting time and go do as I have asked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sirius left the king\u2019s office and wondered what the king had meant by saying he didn\u2019t want her to have another scar because of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At night fall, Alessandro returned to his room. He thought Abril would be asleep, as it was quite late. However, she was standing on the balcony, gazing into the distance. Alessandro hurried to her side and said, \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing? I told you not to get out of bed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alessandro moved a little closer, placed his hand on her shoulder, and called her again, \u201cPrincess.\u201d Abril still didn\u2019t respond. It was as if she couldn\u2019t hear him. Alessandro made her turn around and discovered her eyes were closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He waved his hand in front of her face and called her again, \u201cPrincess, what is wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abril remained unresponsive, as if asleep. He shook her shoulder, causing her to wake up. As she opened her eyes, Abril wondered how she had gotten to the balcony and what she was doing there. She looked at Alessandro and asked, \u201cWhat am I doing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to know myself,\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He Threw Away and Sold to the Devil 28 What has changed?\u00a0 Cassian seemed to sense he was intruding. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-regret-their-knees-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}