Blood Royals Book #4: Long Live The King!

Chapter Forty Three: Cray Thera

King Relian's POV
"Your majesty!" Griffin Hugh approached me with a big smile on his face. We shook hands. "It's an honour to have you visit us!"

"It's long over due." The last time I was here was when Stephen was a prisoner here. Cray Thera is not my favorite place but I hope that by the time my third son comes along, it will be a better place. "Have you ever met my beautiful wife?"

I presented Renée. She's getting more beautiful by the day. QM had already said it's a boy. Renée doesn't want to know but I'm thinking it too because it has a lot of similarity to Rehan's pregnancy. It is starting to show. Griffin's smile grew when he noticed. "Yes we have met. Once I think, at the palace. It's always an honour your majesty." He bowed and kissed the back of Renée's hand. "And the young prince? Will he be joining us?" He looked back at the helicopters waiting for us to return.

"Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, he won't be joining us." I answered. Rehan does not like Renée on most days. He refused to be held by his mother. On some days he is especially clingy with Renée, still trying to be breast fed. We have had some seriously embarrassing moments, one of which he was photographed with his whole hand in his mother's blouse. It was a photograph that got people amused because QM was glaring, my mother was laughing, Renée was ignoring him and I covered my face. The title was: "His Royal Highness Prince Rehan caught with his hand in the cookie jar". He was smiling the whole time.

We haven't taken him outside since.

Griffin seems to get it because he burst out laughing. We couldn't help but laugh as well.

We followed him to the prison that is his office. Renée slipped her hand into mine. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe honey. And I brought extra bodyguards." My usual number in the palace is four bodyguards. Stephen isn't always among them. I allow him to take four days off in a week to be a father. Outside the palace, ten in close proximity and a dozen others scattered in plain clothing to blend in. Today I brought thirty. I'm not taking chances. "And I'll die before anyone touches a strand of hair on your head."

I stole a quick kiss from her lips.

"I know you will." She squeezed my hand. "Are you anxious about seeing Nilsa?"

"Sort of. Her trial begins in a week. I'm backing off entirely. Not having control over it is making me anxious."

My mom visits every week. She says Nilsa is the best version of herself. This is our first visit. It's been four months since we got Daa Haan back. The duchy is getting back on it's feet. The appointed council meant to run the duchy is working hard. They report to me. I'm scrutinizing everything they do ruthlessly. We will never go back to losing Daa Haan.

"Let's hope for the best. Even after everything she did, I'm not mad at her. In a way, I want her to find redemption. Boy she's hard to hate!"

I chuckled. "When we were kids, she would beat me up and then hug me. It was hard to hate her." I agreed.

Nilsa has always suffered the internal conflict of good and evil. This is nothing in between. It's extreme ends of the spectrum. She can be nice at this second and kick you the next.

"We can go to see her together. I don't want to be left alone." She held on to me.

"I would feel better if you do."

"Will you be seeing her immediately?" Griffin asked me.

"Yes."

"Should she be brought to you? I would advise it."

"I want to go down to her cell." I answered.

"Very well. Let's go."

The prison in Cray Thera has five floors. One is underground. There is where Nilsa is. It's for the worst prisoners. It's cold and as quiet as the graveyard. It makes the dungeons at the palace look classy.