The Crown Prince's Love
Chapter 32

~Desmond~

The thing I had dreaded the most had happened, and I was powerless to prevent it.

My attitude towards him couldn't save him from the danger I was trying so hard to protect him from.

"Randy," I screamed his name as I rushed to him, catching him in my arms.

I didn't care about the assailant, my focus was on Randy. He was bleeding profusely, and my hands holding him started trembling.

I was afraid of what would happen next.

The voice from my recurring dreams suddenly echoed in my ears. "I warned you, didn't I?" The voice laughed and faded.

Randy, his hand covered in blood, reached out to touch my face.

A lone tear escaped my eyes as I gazed into his eyes.

"Desmond..." He whispered my name, and then his hand went limp in my arms.

I wanted to scream as I held him, but onlookers began shouting for me to take him to the school clinic. I lifted him from the ground, and thankfully, someone offered to drive us there.

I placed my hand on Randy's chest to ensure he was still breathing, even though his chest rose and fell. I was terrified about what had happened to him.

"Randy," I whispered, stroking his hair, my heart racing so fast it felt like it might burst at any moment.

If only I hadn't ignored him, maybe this could have been avoided.

"We're here!" The kind stranger, a middle aged woman, announced as she stopped the car in front of the school clinic.

Two nurses and a doctor rushed out with a stretcher. Randy was quickly taken inside and into the operating room.

I tried to follow, but they stopped me.

"Don't worry, we've already informed the king and queen, and they've permitted us to save the crown prince. He'll be fine." The female doctor reassured me.

I nodded, not knowing what else to say, my fear for Randy overwhelming me.

As she entered the operating room, I paced outside the door with clenched fists, hoping for the best.

"Desmond!" Noah's voice came from behind me as he approached with Sonnia and Ana. "What the hell happened to Randy?" He demanded, grabbing my shirt collar.

"Isn't it your job to protect him no matter what?" He accused without asking for details. "I'm talking to you!" He yelled when I didn't respond. "Are you just going to stay silent about what happened to my brother?" He tightened his grip on my collar.

Sonnia stepped between us and pushed Noah's hand away. "Stop it. Randy won't like how you handle this when he wakes up."

Noah scoffed, released my collar, and then stormed toward the door, only to return. "How did it happen? If someone hadn't recorded the video, we wouldn't have seen it. I thought your job was to protect him at all costs, but instead, you let him get attacked and you failed in your duties." He slapped my shoulders.

I didn't argue or respond because I knew he was right. If I hadn't ignored Randy or the warnings I had received, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

It was my fault.

"Noah!" Sonnia shouted at him and pulled him away from me. "It's not his fault, and I've told you to stop accusing him like this because Randy won't be pleased when he wakes up."

"Then he should have done his job perfectly instead of lagging and allowing this to happen!" Noah yelled at her, then answered a call on his phone and walked away, giving me glares.

Once he was gone, Sonnia came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright, Desmond?" She asked, and I shook my head in response.

Understanding that I didn't want to talk, she rubbed my back and joined Noah, leaving me alone with Ana.

None of us said anything.

I slumped to the ground, heaving a deep sigh.

As my head rested against the wall, I allowed the tears that had welled up in my eyes to flow, all the while blaming myself.

"This is all because of me." I repeated, striking the ground until my knuckles bled, continuing to hit it as if I were fighting against my guilt and remorse.

"Stop it," Ana shouted and grasped my hand. "You don't have to hurt yourself like this. It won't resolve what's happening right now. We just have to hope that the crown prince will be fine. That's all we can do."

I turned to face her, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. "It's all my fault because I should have done something about it. He was right there, staring at me when he was shot, and I couldn't do anything but watch, and..." I sniffled and ruffled my hair. "I should..." but before I could finish, Ana hugged me.

"He's going to be fine." She assured me, rubbing my back. "He's going to be fine." She repeated those words, continuing to rub my back. "I can assure you that's everything is going to be fine."

I found her words comforting, and I hugged her back, hoping that Randy would indeed be fine.

When she pulled away from the hug, she placed her hand on my shoulder. "I know you care about the prince, but you can't blame yourself for what you didn't do. I can assure you that the crown prince will be fine. We just have to hope for the best." She told me.

I nodded in response, closed my eyes, and just then, the door to the operating room burst open, with the female doctor walking out.

I jumped to my feet and rushed towards her. "Doctor, how is the crown prince? Is everything okay with him?"

She nodded in response and placed a hand on my shoulder. "The crown prince was lucky not to be hit in any vital organs, and we were able to remove the bullet. We saved him."

I heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed my chest, grateful that nothing serious had happened to him.

"I'm really happy that he's fine," I said, and then the nurses and other doctors wheeled him out of the operating room on a stretcher.