Nielle stood in the middle of the room, gritting his teeth in irritation. After Brelle examined Shane on the ground and determined that he had indeed collapsed, he was taken to Elyan. The king kept Nielle in the main hall while he sent Louis and Brelle away. Louis objected, trying to stay and at least stand up for his brother a little, but Nielle wasn't interested in that. If there was something he really hated, it was the effort of others to protect him from something, as if he couldn't do it on his own.

But Nielle knew that Louis would wait outside anyway...while Brelle went to see Elyan to find out what happened to Shane.

Nielle wondered for a moment if Shane had really collapsed, or if he was just putting on a show, as he had threatened him with promise of making trouble yesterday. He smiled softly at the thought that he really did it on purpose. However, he was brought out of his thoughts the moment he heard footsteps in his direction.

Nielle only looked up at the king who was approaching him pissed off and sighed inwardly. He slowly opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, but before he could, he was a slapped hard by the king.

Nielle blinked painfully as the many rings on the king's hand created deep scratches on his face. His cheek stung and he felt blood running down his face from the wounds. Nielle gently wiped it off and gave his father an irritated look, which only angered the king more.

"Do you think my words have no weight? Since when did you stop respecting them completely?! What did I tell you about the new Lacrisan?! What were you supposed to do with him? Don't you listen to anything at all? You said a while ago that he was fine, didn't you?! I see how fine he is!" he screamed. 

Nielle slowly calmed down and said, "He was yesterday, I don't know what happened to him...I guess he didn't eat yet," he began.

"Didn't eat?" the king laughed, "He didn't look like he just didn't eat!" he shouted.

"Nobody knows, every Lacrisan is different, maybe he can't get used to the lack of luck in the country... I didn't do anything inappropriate to him," he clarified.

The king laughed with rage and slapped Nielle again, adding burgundy marks to his pale skin: "Do you think I'm crazy?!"

Nielle clenched his fists, how much anger filled, but after a deep breath, he said: "Father...if you want to punish me for something, do so. I don't know what else you want to hear...we're wasting time," he said probably more irritated than he should, as the king slapped hin again.

Nielle opened his mouth painfully and spat bloody saliva onto the ground as the king tore his lip open. After a moment of suppressing his nerves, he turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?!" the king screamed.

"If you'll excuse me, father, I'm going to see him...I want to know what's wrong with my Lacrisan," he lied, "if you want to punish me, send someone with instructions, I'll accept it. But I don't see the point in this conversation." he declared and left the hall without another word.

Nielle heard the aggressive shout of the king, since he wasn't done with him yet. It was clear to Nielle that he was furious, but he himself had certain limits by which he allowed himself to be personally humiliated by the king, and three slaps were enough. 

He knew his father's throughs, he knew his punishments and was prepared for them. There was nothing the king could do on such small matters that would really harm him, and while it wasn't pleasant for Nielle, it was still no big deal. 

He didn't break any law, he didn't do anything wrong...the only thing he was guilty of was lying to the king that Shane was fine. And he can't even prove it...that's why he assumed that the punishment he would receive would be nothing unbearable.

Louis was waiting in the hallway but didn't think Nielle would get out so soon. Looking at brother's scratched face and bleeding lip, after a while he handed him a handkerchief with a sigh.

Nielle pulled his own from his pocket and stated, "I believe you have more important things to do than to wait for that jerk to punish me."

"Nielle...don't talk about our father like that, he'll hear you," Louis said

"Let him hear," Nielle muttered and pressed the handkerchief to his lip, "one proper assassination and there would be peace."

"Nielle!" Louis raised his voice.  

"I didn't say anything," Nielle growled and walked away again.

"Wait, what did he say to you?" Louis asked, walking closer to him.

"Nothing important... I told him to send me the instruction of the punishment by someone," he explained.

"It won't be anything harsh," Louis reassured him.

"I don't need encouragement," Nielle retorted, but his brother didn't let him.

"Nielle, did you really go overboard with him?" Louis asked. 

Nielle stopped and looked at his brother, "Lui, don't you think it's weird, how perfect was the timing of his collapse, or did you just have a bad night's sleep?" 

Louis sighed deeply, "I guess he doesn't like you very much." He grabbed his forehead, unintentionally dropping the handkerchief from his hand.

"The main is that Iwi loves you," Nielle laughed and looked at Lacrisan behind Louis.

"Don't be jealous," Iuwin picked up the handkerchief and handed it to Louis.

Nielle laughed softly, "Don't worry, Iwi, I believe if I bid high enough, Louis would lend you to me for the night," he raised his corners.

"If Prince Louis sees fit to do that, be my guest, until it happens, keep dreaming." Iuwine didn't bother.

"Enough," Louis shook his head, "Even though I know you're joking, I'm not going to listen to such perversions...you're my brother, you should act like one." he frowned.

Nielle laughed softly, "It's because I'm your brother that I act the way I do," he stated.

"Nielle, go back to our father, preferably right away. He's going to be really upset," he pointed out, but Nielle ignored him and continued walking down the hall.

"Nielle!" he heard, but didn't answer.

He made his way through the corridors out to the yard and then to Elyan to talk to Shane. He wanted to know what he was trying to achieve by collapsing in front of the king and whether it was really an attempt to sabotage him. Because if so, Nielle was sure that their coexistence would be even more interesting.

***

After the doctor woke him with some nasty smelling cream, Shane felt even worse than when he collapsed. He sat on the bed in the doctor's room in Elyan's house and waited. Elyan measured his pulse in silence, and Shane wondered what he wanted to find out by that. Anyway, he didn't say anything. 

 It hadn't been long at all since he had regained consciousness, but Elyan looked as if he expected him to be completely sane, and as soon as he finished examining him, he began to question him.

"When was the last time you ate?

"I don't know, in Lacris." He said.

"Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Everywhere." He clarified.

Elyan looked at him, "Boy, if everything hurts you, I would bring out different kind of tools."

Shane stared at him for a moment before saying, "You can ask Prince Nielle where it hurts…he'll tell you better than I," he was sure.

"What did he do to you?" Brelle asked sitting next to him.

Shane looked at him, "Apart from draining half of my luck, nothing worth mentioning," he said.

"You don't look like you lack it," Elyan looked at the compass he used to measure Shane's luck a moment ago.

"When you lose one out of five liters of blood, you still have enough of it, but it won't do you any good, right?" he tried to explain in a way that the doctor would hopefully understand. 

"So you're just exhausted," Brelle stated.

"Prince Brelle," Elyan looked at him, "what I was saying about underestimating easy sounding diagnoses...even yesterday."

"I'm sorry," Brelle reminded himself, "So you're seriously exhausted." he amended as someone knocked loudly on the door. 

"Oh...I hope it's not another kid...I had enough," Elyan sighed and went to open the door, leaving Brelle and Shane alone. 

After a while, however, he returned with Nielle: "Of course I guessed right," Elyan said and stood next to Shame again, "just so you know, he's a patient right now...and in my house, the patient is protected." he reminded Nielle.

"I know," Nielle smiled, "why do you all think I really overdo it with him?" he laughed and looked at Shane, "Say, did you do it on purpose?"

"No," Shane said bluntly, as he had no reason to admit anything.

"You know it doesn't matter if you admit it, the king is pissed off ...the trouble you were talking about yesterday have more or less worked out for you, congratulations," he smiled and bent down to Shane sitting on the bed.

"It wasn't the goal, but it's a pleasure," Shane commented. 

Nielle laughed softly and sat down next to his Lacrisan, "I hope it'll be worth what I'm going to do to you next," he gently ran a finger along his shoulder, towards his neck, causing Shane to move to the side in irritation.

"Nielle!" Brelle raised his voice. 

"He earned me another thoughtless punishment from the king, it's only fair that I think one through for him, isn't it?" Nielle explained.

"After all that you did to him?" Brelle frowned.

"What did I do to him?" Nielle was amused, "I got him for fun...a few rapes, some blood, some whipping...nothing a normal Lacrisan couldn't stand."

"The Lacrisans are not for fun," Brelle said quite calmly.

"Okay, that's enough!" Elyan raised his voice, after which the princes fell silent, "I don't care what happened to him, he didn't eat anything, he's weakened... he has the right conditions for collapse... so calm down," he said, "Prince Nielle, you will accept the punishment for your foolish fun, and Brella, you don't get involved in things that don't concern you," he clarified.

"That's why I quite like you, Elyan," Nielle laughed, "you're not on anyone's side."

"I'm on the patient's side...that's why I believe the king will give you some punishment, which will allow him to get some time off from your treatment," he clarified.

He had barely finished speaking when there was another sharp knock on the door. Elyan sighed deeply, went to open it, and returned after a while with a pair of guards. The guys held a sheaf of paper which they read.

"Prince Nielle, for his impudent behavior towards the king, leaving the hall without permission and not fulfilling the king's orders, will be locked up in the dungeon for two days, after the stay he is obliged to apologize to the king and not to repeat similar mistakes again. His monthly salary is deducted by half for a quarter. By the orders of the king you're going with us, Your Highness. " he said.

Nielle looked at them and laughed, "When did he manage to dictate that? Did he have it prescribed? He certainly did," he wouldn't be surprised.

"Dungeon?" Shane was surprised.

"Your Highness, come with us," the guard instructed again.

Nielle sighed deeply and walked out of the room, "Don't worry, Lacrisan, we'll have fun sooner than you think," he looked at Shane with a soft half-smile.

Shane looked at Brell in confusion, "In your country, princes are usually locked up in a dungeon? I thought only house arrest was practiced...or kneeling in the hall and similar punishments as in Lacris."

Brelle nodded, "Partly yes...if I did something, the king would disciplined me by those punishment...if it was Louis he wouldn't punish him at all...but Nielle...the king will always punish him according to his mood...in the past he even left him without luck for a week...a few times he had him flogged…the king and Nielle aren't very fond of each other." he said.

"The King and Nielle are both idiots who don't know what to do with their free time," Elyan commented as he put away his supplies.

"Week without luck? I don't understand." Shane wondered.

"It doesn't seem like much to you, but it's a dangerously long time for us," Brelle explained, "ordinary Rinselians can last longer, but our royal family runs out of luck very quickly and without replenishment we're in trouble almost immediately. That time,  everyone was trying to calm down king's anger but once he comes up with something, no one will talk him out of it...I don't know how Nielle even survived it..." he said.

"How long can you last without luck?" Shane asked.

Brelle laughed softly, "If you didn't ask as if you wanted to take advantage of it, I would give you an answer," he laughed and walked over to Elyan.

Shane stared at them for a moment before changing the subject and said, "You have a very nice necklace, it reminds me of the ring I saw on Nielle."

Brelle looked at it and gently touched the big black pendant hanging on his neck, "Thank you." He smiled, but didn't talk about it.

Having finally what he wanted and getting two days without Nielle, Shane intended to use them to get what he came here for...or one of the things he needed. And since Prince Brelle didn't seem like a complicated target, he intended to start with him.

After all, what could possibly go wrong when Nielle is finally gone?