Prince Tadesse stormed away from the sparring ground, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles blanched.
"How dare they humiliate me!
I am Prince of this backwater kingdom. That damn woman will regret it. And Prince Khisa… I'll make you pay."
He wandered alone into a thicket of trees behind the royal tents, breathing heavy, the echoes of laughter still ringing in his ears. With a roar, he smashed his fist into the trunk of a tree. Bark split beneath his knuckles, and pain shot up his arm, but he didn't care.
"Why did I even come to Assab?
To prove myself? To be mocked by a foreigner? To see my sister—my own sister—laugh as I'm brought low?"
Blood trickled from his hand, but he ignored it, staring at the ground.
"They think I'm a fool. Maybe I am. Maybe I should've stayed in Abyssinia where I was feared—not... tolerated."
But deep down, past the rage and bruised ego, something else gnawed at him.
