Cas spent the rest of the night catching up on a few episodes of a crime show he had been watching off and on recently to take his mind off everything else that was happening. It was a good distraction, and by the time he reached the bottom of the can of beer he’d taken from the fridge, he was ready to get some sleep.

Turning off the television, he headed back to his room with a yawn. There was still no telling if his father would agree to help Iris—or if she would even need help, since her family could still come to get her—but he couldn’t do anything else about it tonight. He’d already put in the request. Now, he just had to sit back and wait for the king to come to a decision on his own.

With that thought in mind, he made quick work of his night routine and settled down for bed, hanging onto the hope that everything would be solved in the morning.

--

The next day started the same as any other for Cas. He got up to have breakfast before his lesson—he noticed again that his father hadn’t eaten his portion—and went to the study to wait for his economics tutor to arrive. Since he hadn’t been out late this time, his class started at eight o’ clock sharp. However, instead of six hours, it was only three. He had a feeling the first one was only as long as it was because his teacher had wanted to cover so much material in the introductory lesson. At least, he hoped so. He didn’t know if he could handle another six-hour lecture about the financial state of Aspiria.

Throughout the class, he discreetly checked his phone underneath the table, hoping to find a text or call from Iris saying she had gotten picked up by her family. Unfortunately, no message came through, and he grew more certain that she was still waiting for them at the hospital. It also meant his request to Atlas was even more important than before. If his father refused to let her stay with them, she really would have nowhere else to go. The thought made him more anxious to check in with the king and find out what his decision was.

So, by the end of his class, Cas hurried out of the study to go to his father’s room. It was already eleven, and he doubted the hospital would let Iris stay past noon without further payment, so he didn’t have much time to get an answer. He jogged up the stairs and walked briskly down the hall to knock on the king’s bedroom door. The expected “come in” followed, and he stepped inside to find his father sitting upright in his bed, just like he had been the night before. He rarely seemed to leave the spot these days.

He opened his mouth to ask about the request, but then paused when he noticed a few new bottles on his father’s nightstand. [color=#b97703]“Did Dr. Emett stop by?”[/color] he asked, wondering if the medicines had been left because of the results of the physician’s visit.

“About an hour ago, yes,” the king answered, sipping at a cup of herbal tea. “But you didn’t just come here to inquire about my health, did you?”

[color=#b97703]“Well, is it any better?”[/color] Cas frowned, already sure he knew the answer. His father’s health never improved.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Atlas replied, turning to look at the bottles on the table with a disgusted expression. “In the meantime, I’m just adding more pills to the cocktail.”

[color=#b97703]“At least it’s better than nothing,”[/color] Cas shrugged, ambling over to the reading nook to sit in one of the cushioned armchairs. [color=#b97703]“So… did you think about it?”[/color]

“Hm?” his father grunted before remembrance crossed his face. “You mean in regard to that girl?”

[color=#b97703]“Yeah,”[/color] Cas nodded tentatively. [color=#b97703]“She probably going to be released in less than an hour, and I haven’t heard word that anyone has come to pick her up yet.”[/color]

“Why are you so interested in helping her?” Atlas eyed him skeptically. “You’ve already paid for her hospital bill.”

[color=#b97703]“That won’t matter if she gets kicked out of the capital,”[/color] Cas pointed out. [color=#b97703]“It’s not like I put myself in this position on purpose either. I just happened to be the one who found her, so I’m the only person she knows, since she lost her memories. There’s no one else she can stay with until her family figures out where she is or she remembers how to get home.”[/color]

“I see,” his father sighed. “I still don’t like this, but I suppose I do understand that her options are limited.”

[color=#b97703]“Does that mean…?”[/color] Cas sat up a little straighter.

“Yes,” the king confessed. “I will allow her to stay here until she is capable of returning to her own home.” He held up his hand. “However, there will be conditions. First, she is to be placed in the furthest bedroom from either of our wings. Second, she must be in her room by ten o’ clock every night. And third, I will have the night guards ensure that she follows these rules with orders to remove her from the property immediately if she fails to adhere to them.”

[color=#b97703]“I don’t think any of those will be a problem,”[/color] Cas fought the urge to roll his eyes at his paranoid father’s rules. Atlas was treating her like a delinquent, but he had agreed to let her move in temporarily. That was all that mattered. He stood from the chair. [color=#b97703]“I guess that means I should go pick her up. Thanks, dad.”[/color]

The king just grunted again in response, sipping moodily at his drink. It was obvious that he was unhappy with the arrangement, but that was to be expected. Cas was just happy that he’d said yes at all.

In a better mood than before, the prince headed down to his car, eager to tell Iris the news that she wouldn’t have to live on the streets.