Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LVI. ALEXEI ❆ ❆

Alexei's more lost than he ever has been in his life.

That's saying something, he thinks... He's always felt lost — though he's always stayed in the same place his whole life, he's always felt lost.

And today the feeling is more prevalent than it ever has been.

His brain doesn't even know where to start with organizing the thoughts in his head — his mother being Jae's mother, what his father did to Jae's father...

What Alexei just did to Kumari.

He... He left her there.

There was no way she'd be okay.

But he'd believed her, when she'd parroted back those words that he'd told her only a few hours before — "It won't hurt."

Only a little earlier was he having the time of his life, dancing with a fairy tale princess... And now he's having the worst time of his life.

Locked in the library once again, and not even his books can help him now.

And he can't help anyone else...

He is truly a cowardly, useless prince. Not like the ones in the stories at all.

Alexei slams the book he had open closed.

That's no way to think... I have to be like the princes in the stories now. I have to save the princess — she already did her part and freed me, after all.

If sweet Kumari could be so brave, then he had to take her lead.

I have to find her. But how can I exit this room...? I'm not strong enough to break the stone door down. And neither do I have a sword, or any sort of weapon to defend myself... Should father stick to his word and turn on me in such a manner as he described.

He shudders. He always thought his father loved him, though he smothered him too much... He didn't think once that anything like this would happen.

That doesn't matter right now. I need to get to Kumari.

Alexei's mind and gaze flickers over to one of the windows on his side of the library.

I can do what Kumari did.

He shuffles around the library desperately, looking for any sort of rope... He finds none, but soon notices something else.

There are pairs of curtains, long curtains made of thick fabric, on each of the windows in the library. He quickly takes into account the number...

It's not going to be long enough to reach the very bottom, but low enough that he can jump without getting hurt. Just like last time.

Perfect.

So he gets to work, clambering up and down tables and chairs to reach the high windows — tall as he may be, the windows were higher. But soon enough, he's managed to bring down every curtain from where they're attached, with minimal wear or tear.

He sits on the floor, working quickly, tying several knots like he'd seen Kumari tie... Luckily, his memory was good enough to memorize it after seeing it just once — being forced to read so many books requires one to acquire a good memory.

However, he must admit... He did have a little help from a pirate's book of knots.

With one final knot — to tie the tip of one curtain to the edge of the window — he lets his makeshift rope fly free, and just as he'd calculated, it comes to a hanging stop just a meter or so above the snow.