His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 55

Raena jumped at the sound of the door opening, looking over her shoulder at the newcomer. When she recognized Elene and Nola walking in quietly, she let herself relax back into the cushions, returning her eyes to the woman sleeping soundly in the bed.

The medicine Kara had drunk that morning had knocked her out almost instantly and she hadn’t moved an inch the whole time. If it wasn’t for her slow, subtle breathing, Raena would have thought she was dead.

Elene and Nola neared the bed, throwing Raena concerned glances before getting to work. Judging by the time of the day and the things they carried, it was probably time to change Kara’s bandages.

Raena looked at her own hand that had been so firmly wrapped from her palm to her elbow that she could barely move it. The tight bandage helped avoid the pain, but also prevented her from doing simple things like eating by herself. When she was still studying at the university, she tried training her left hand so she could draw with both but gave up at some point since it was too difficult and time-consuming.

Raena locked her eyes on Kara’s hands as Elene and Nola swiftly unfurled the bandages, revealing the blue, swollen skin underneath. There had been so many fractures on them that the healer started sweating profusely as he set her bones in place one by one. He had advised Raena to leave since the sight wasn’t going to be pretty, but she refused and stayed by Kara’s side even as her friend passed out from the pain.

The healer had said there was a good chance of Kara using her hands again, but he awkwardly explained that they wouldn’t be the same as before and she should give up on the idea of sewing or writing. He recommended plenty of rest, gentle care, and a lot of patience, which Raena assured him she’d get.

That was three days ago, and since then she had left Kara’s side only to bathe and do her personal business. She had settled Kara into one of the guest rooms on the second floor and practically moved in with her, despite everyone’s protests.

She couldn’t exactly explain it to them, but the quilt was eating at her while her anger at Lara and Kassian was threatening to make her do something stupid. So sitting next to Kara’s quietly resting body helped her calm down and think things through.

It was safe to say that her pretending was at its end. At best, Kassian probably thought she was bipolar or insane. At worse, he had realized she had been purposely deceiving him all this time. The question was what kind of reaction he’d have when she finally decided to meet him.

“His Highness came today again,” Elene said as if reading her mind. Raena moved her eyes to her but didn’t say anything. Elene started putting on the smelly ointment the healer had given them for the swelling, her attention seemingly taken by the task.

“I told him you are still unwell and not accepting visitors. Just like you asked.” Raena nodded even though Elene couldn’t see her with her back to her.

“He said he’ll be back.”

Raena scoffed. He should go back to his bed warmer and nurse her face. Hopefully, she’d turn ugly now and stop appearing where one least expect her.

Raena still couldn’t believe he actually took her side. It was true that Lara had been with him for years, but Raena didn’t think he actually had any romantic feelings toward her. He was supposed to be in love with Raena – or was it just her arrogance that made her reach that conclusion? No, she wasn’t wrong. His expression when she mentioned divorce wasn’t one of anger – it was of panic and regret.

Divorce. That was it. This was the perfect opportunity. She had almost forgotten about her threat with everything going on.

Raena got to her feet so quickly that both Nola and Elene jumped

“Nola, from this moment onward, you can consider yourself Kara’s personal maid. Continue what you were doing and stay by her side. I’ll let the others know to cover your chores. Elene, is Zen in the North Palace?”

“I think he’s in his room,” the blonde woman replied with a confused frown.

“Great. Bring him to my office.” Raena instructed her on her way to the door. She hesitated at the threshold, looking down at the crumpled skirts of the dress she had been wearing since yesterday, but then shook her head dismissively and walked into the corridor.

The house was quieter than usual. After word spread about what had happened and all the versions of the event circulated around, the maids and attendants had turned even more fearful. A few even quit with some lousy excuses, but Raena let them go without even listening to their explanations. With the ones Kara dismissed and the ones that left, there had been barely enough people to keep the place running. Nobody had complained though – not to her face, at least.

It didn’t matter anymore. Soon she’d be out of there.

Raena pushed the door of her office open, stepping inside the sunny room. The curtains weren’t drawn, so the desk and the big, comfortable chair she had spent so many hours in were basking in the sunlight. Kara always pulled at least one layer of curtains closed so that Raena wouldn’t get sunburned from sitting under the hot rays for too long.

‘Would she be able to pull a curtain with those hands again?’ Raena wondered as she strode next to the window and unfastened the ribbon that held the curtains together. She grabbed a handful of the fabric and pulled and pulled until finally, the thin yellow cloth was obscuring her view of the inner yard of the North Palace.

Raena sat behind her desk and took out a stack of empty paper, struggling for a minute to open a bottle of ink. She took one of the papers and a quill and dipped the latter in the ink before pressing its tip to the paper. With a little practice, she should be able to compose the letter well enough and send it.

A knock came on the door and Raena called for them to enter. She heard the door close and then barely audible footsteps neared her desk. When she noticed a shadow falling over her, she raised her head, meeting Zen’s eyes just as he was leaning over her chair.

“What the… Zen, what are you doing?” She frowned, pulling back in surprise. He straightened up with a frown on his face.

“You don’t look like you’re sleeping well. You should return to your room and rest properly,” he said matter-of-factly, circling the desk. Leaning on the side of the sofa so his body was facing the desk, he crossed his arms. “Elene said you wanted to see me. What is it?”

Raena stared at his face, trying to figure out why she was getting an off feeling. Was he mad at her? Concerned? Annoyed? Was it because she had been avoiding him after that night in her room? She really didn’t want to shake that hornet’s nest right now. Maybe later when she resolved the current predicament.

“Can you sneak us out of the North Palace unnoticed?” She asked.

“No,” he replied without hesitation. “There are too many eyes on you.” He paused, licking his l!ps.

“And with your husband coming here every day, none of the guards dare slack even for a second since he might show up at any moment. But..” Raena raised her eyes as she heard the last word, waiting for him to continue, “I might be able to sneak out alone after dark. Do you need to send a message or something?”

“Yes!” She nodded, looking down at the last version of the letter she wrote. It still looked sloppy and uneven, but it was as close as she could get to Raena’s handwriting in this state. The ink had already dried, so she folded the paper in two and sealed it in an envelope with her brother’s name on It. “Here. Can you make sure this is delivered to the hands of my brother?”

“You want me to sneak into the Prime Minister’s mansion?” Zen asked, raising an eyebrow as he took the envelope.

“Why is sneaking in the first thing that comes to your mind?” she scoffed. “Just tell the guards at the entrance to pass the message to my brother that you have a letter from his sister. He’ll come running.”

“Alright,” Zen said, sliding the letter into his inside pocket. Raena stared at him, barely suppressing her smile as she watched him struggle to keep his mouth closed. His curiosity was more than evident. He gave up on the struggle. “What is in.”

“I’m asking my brother to help me file for divorce,” she replied before he could finish. “Well, technically, I’m asking him to come to support me tomorrow when I file it.”

Zen’s eyes widened with shock; he even forgot to smile.

“You’re serious?” he eventually asked flatly, pushing himself up from the side of the couch.

“You’re divorcing him? Now?”

“Woah, easy on the enthusiasm Raena said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “This is the perfect moment. Using the recent attacks on me, the unfair trial the other night, and the fact that I even got hurt by a concubine, I can plead that I have been neglected, disrespected and abused. Even the Prime Minister wouldn’t be able to sit still. As long as the divorce request reaches the Emperor, I will Win.”

Zen smiled- a huge, pleased smile that smoothed his features and turned his gray eyes warm and shiny, like silver gleaming under the caress of the sun. Before she knew it, he had circled the desk and was cupping her face. His fingers caressed her cheeks, lifting her chin up so he could press his l!ps against hers. Raena expected it. She knew that telling him about her decision would trigger him to do something. But this time, she had no qualms about it. Kassian had made his choice and shown her just how little his affections lasted, so she was free to do whatever she wanted. She felt a bit bad for using Zen to scratch that annoying itch, but he looked more than willing, so her heart quickly settled down.

“This is excellent news,” Zen whispered against her l!ps, leaning his forehead on hers. “I’ll make sure your brother gets the letter.”

He let go of her, preparing to leave.

“Wait!” She stopped him just as he reached the couch. He turned on his heel, looking at her with his eyebrows raised. “There is another thing I need you to do for me.”