Sairis's POV
Later that afternoon, since Candice would be preparing for the ball and lessons were canceled, Sairis returned to his room.
The hallway was quiet as he walked back, and he was grateful for the silence. It had been a long morning, and his body felt heavier with every step.
When he entered his room, he closed the door behind him and let out a tired breath. He stretched out on the bed with a low groan, his muscles finally relaxing against the mattress.
His body still ached.
The Alpha from two nights ago had not been gentle when pounding into him. Sairis shifted slightly on the bed and rubbed his lower back, wincing when the soreness flared again. The dull ache had not left him since that night. It felt as if every bone in his body had been shaken loose.
"That man was a beast," Sairis muttered under his breath.
He knew his body well enough to understand it would take time before the pain faded. At least two weeks, maybe more, before he would feel completely normal again. Until then, every movement reminded him of that night.
Sairis sighed and turned onto his side, pulling the blanket loosely over himself. His eyes slowly grew heavy.
Within minutes, sleep took him.
Several hours later, loud knocking suddenly shook his door.
"Sair!" Henrietta's voice rang out from the other side of the door, sharp and panicked.
Sairis groaned and slowly pushed himself up from the bed. His head felt heavy from sleep, and the ache in his back returned the moment he moved. He rubbed his face with one hand as he stumbled toward the door.
"What is it?" he called out tiredly.
The door swung open before he could reach it.
Henrietta stood there, breathing fast. Her usual stern expression was gone, replaced with worry.
"We have a problem."
Sairis felt his stomach drop. "What happened?"
Henrietta stepped aside and gestured for him to follow her. "Candice is sick," she said quickly. "She needs you."
The sleep left Sairis instantly.
Without another word, he moved past her and hurried down the hallway. His steps were quick despite the soreness in his body. A bad feeling grew in his chest as he reached Candice's room.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Candice lay in bed beneath the blankets. Her skin looked pale, almost as white as the pillow beneath her head. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her breathing was slow and tired.
She looked miserable.
Sairis walked to the bed immediately and sat beside her. "Candice," he said softly.
Her eyes slowly opened. "I cannot go," she whispered weakly.
Sairis gently took her hand. It felt cold. "There must be another solution," he said.
Candice slowly shook her head. "You said you would do anything for me, Sair."
His chest tightened. He had said those words many times over the years without thinking much about them. Hearing them now made his heart sink.
Candice squeezed his hand weakly. "Please do this for me." She whispered.
Sairis frowned. "Do what?"
Candice swallowed and looked at him seriously. "You must go in my place." She said.
For a moment, Sairis thought he had heard her wrong. He stared at her as if she had lost her senses. "You want me to what?" he stuttered.
"You must go to the ball as me."
Sairis pulled his hand away and stood up quickly. "Absolutely not."
He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing the room. "That is madness."
Candice watched him quietly.
"If the king discovers something like that," Sairis continued, his voice rising slightly, "I would be executed for deception."
He paced the room nervously. "Surely we can send a message to your mother or the king." He said.
Candice shook her head urgently. "No." Her voice trembled. "No one can know I am sick, remember?"
She gripped his sleeve weakly. "If the kingdom learns the only heir of this family is ill, it will destroy us."
Sairis went silent, because he knew exactly what she meant. Weak noble families did not survive long in this world. The moment others sensed weakness, the powerful houses would circle like wolves around wounded prey.
He had seen it happen before, had watched proud families lose everything in the span of a single night.
In truth, he had not only seen it. He had lived through it himself, the memory of how his own family had fallen in one terrible night still heavy in his mind.
Candice spoke again softly. "You understand, don't you?"
Sairis closed his eyes for a brief moment. A quiet breath left his lips as the weight of her words settled in his chest. "Yes," he said at last.
Then he sighed and opened his eyes again. "But how would I even do this?" He gestured down at himself. "We look nothing alike. I am a man."
Henrietta cleared her throat from the side of the room. "We can handle that."
Sairis turned toward her slowly.
Henrietta stood with her arms folded, a small knowing smile spreading across her face. "I have seen you in disguise more times than I can count," she said.
Sairis frowned slightly.
Henrietta stepped closer, clearly confident in her idea. "If anyone can pull this off, it is you." She said.
Candice nodded quickly from the bed, her pale face brightening with hope. "Yes, Sair. You can do it."
Henrietta continued speaking before he could protest.
"You will be wearing a mask anyway," she said. "Everyone at the ball will. It is part of the celebration."
She pointed toward the wardrobe.
"You only need to appear at the ball, greet a few people so they know Candice attended, and then leave before anyone starts paying attention."
Sairis stared at both of them in disbelief. "You make it sound very simple," he said slowly.
Henrietta shrugged. "In truth, it is."
Candice reached for his sleeve again. "You just need to show up, Sair," she pleaded softly. "Then you can leave."
Sairis rubbed his forehead, already feeling a headache forming.
"This is madness," he muttered.
Yet as he looked at Candice lying there weak and pale, he knew the two women were not going to give up on the idea so easily.
Sairis rubbed his face, thinking about how his disguises had always been useful, though he had never imagined it would place him in danger like this.
Still, he knew he could do it. He knew how to walk like a noble lady, speak like one, and move like one, and as long as no one looked too closely, he would be fine.
Besides, the ball would be full of arrogant nobles chasing the prince's attention, and no one would bother to notice one quiet lady standing in the corner.
Sairis exhaled slowly, the breath leaving his chest. He hoped this decision would not come back to bite him in the ass. "Fine," he said at last.
He turned his head and looked at Candice.
"I will do it."
Candice's shoulders relaxed immediately. A weak smile spread across her pale face, relief clear in her tired eyes. "Thank you, Sair," she whispered.
Henrietta clapped her hands together with excitement. "Good!" Before Sairis could change his mind, she stepped forward and grabbed his arm firmly. "Then we must start now."
Sairis let out another tired sigh. "Alright."
He glanced toward the large wardrobe standing against the wall, already imagining the trouble that awaited him.
"Let us get dressed."