Paralyzed (Tboah!AlbeCale)

38) Angsteru Crossman's feelin' guilty uwu

Alberu held back an anguished groan. Today was just not his day.

Early this morning he had burned through another 50 paperworks and done some morning training where he accidentally cut his arm, then he visited the Henituse estate for brunch but ended up staying later than planned to take care of a sick Cale, then was lectured about rumors which could seriously damage his future plans, and then he had to share such rumors with Cale...

'... Haha.'

And a few hours ago he had been kidnapped as well. Luckily or unluckily, he happened to have his disguise turned off as he was about to teleport to his private training area, when two highly skilled men barged in looking for him.

So Alberu pretended to also be a kidnapper as a reason for why he was there. He was not worried about being captured since his dark elf attendants knew he had gone missing and had been following the carriage he was hidden in ever since he left the palace, but he was uneasy being confined by shackles that restrained all types of magic.

It was also strange how the dark elves had not retrieved him even when the carriage had completely stopped for about an hour inside a secluded place.

The most concerning thing however, was when another person had been placed in the carriage.

Alberu stayed quiet as the door opened and one of the kidnappers apologized to someone. That was when he heard the sound of another person climbing onto the seat in front of him. The doors closed again and soon the carriage started moving.

"Tsk."

The unknown person clicked their tongue, and not long after that, small shifting noises were heard.

'What are they doing?'

Alberu was slightly anxious about the new arrival, and hoped that they were blindfolded. Alberu knew damn well that his disguise artifact didn't change his facial structure, and that an observant person might notice the similarities between him and the crown prince.

Even though his face covering was only slightly transparent and the darkness would mask his prominent features well, his heart kept beating in his throat.

Also, the fact that his ears and skin color were on full display meant that if this person held any prejudices against dark elves, the situation would only get more complicated.

He was mulling over what to do when the sound of labored breathing gradually overtook the carriage. Normally, Alberu would not have done anything to put more attention on him since he was not disguised as a human at the moment, but...

"Hey."

Alberu had a strange feeling rise up from his gut as the breathing stopped. Silence encapsulated them for a few moments before Alberu spoke again, making sure to alter his voice.

"Who are you?"

The silence continued for a few more moments before a warbly throaty sound became audible. Alberu thought for a moment that the hints of vocals in between such a noise felt somewhat familiar. For some reason he felt like the person in front of him was not a stranger.

Maybe that was why he tested his luck.

"... Are you okay?"

Woosh, a faint scene played in his mind. A very small portion of a particular memory.

'Why am I thinking about that time?'

Alberu was recalling a memory where he said the exact same phrase of 'are you okay' to a young Cale Henituse, who had been panicking quietly without talking. This stranger across from him sounded kind of similar, so that was probably why.