Eternal Love (MewGulf AU)

🌞Chapter 31🌻

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There was a hesitant knock at the door.

Gulf turned his eyes from AA to the door behind him. AA walked over to open it and a maid appeared, looking troubled and apologetic.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt," she said. "But Prince Mew is here."

"Mew?" AA glanced at Gulf.

Guld panicked at the sound of Mew's name. His heart was not yet steeled for the future without Mew.

But how could Mew have found out so quickly! No, he couldn't have found out yet. He must have come for some other reason.

"What does he want?" AA asked.

"He says he wants to see you, Lord AA," the maid replied.

"Me?" AA stroked his chin thoughtfully. His hesitation was only to be expected. How could Mew have known that he would be at Yaya's house? Aisha was the only reason Gulf could come up with. If Mew demanded to know something from her, she wouldn't have been able to keep anything hidden.

AA let his hand fall from his chin. "I'll see Mew in here."

The maid left to pass the message.

Mew was coming to this room? Gulf was beside himself with nervousness, his eyes darting around the room for a hiding place.

"Calm down," AA said. "You can go wait in the next room. Mew came to see me, although I'm sure you're the reason for that."

Apparently, he also believed that Gulf's ruse had already been exposed.

Gulf went to hide in the other room. He wondered what Mew could want with his cousin. He stifled his breath, hyper-aware of even his smallest movements, and pressed his ear against the door.

The door to the drawing room opened and he heard someone come in. It was Mew.

"Well, hello there, cousin," AA said pleasantly. "I haven't seen you since you dropped by the Ziyard brothel. I suppose I should start calling you King Mew."

Gulf heard AA's voice clearly. He could imagine him spreading his arms theatrically. The man always spoke to Mew with a hidden meaning. He always put himself down and thus highlighted the difference between them, the first in line to the throne and the second.

"AA." It was Mew. The quiet tension in his voice told Gulf that he was holding his emotions in check. "Please don't waste our time with such nonsense."

AA responded to Mew's severity in his usual tone. "Of course, I too, prefer to be brief. So what can I do for you? It must be quite urgent if you went all the trouble of tracking me down here."

Mew bristled at AA's coyness. Gulf could feel it through the door.

"Will you turn Gulf over to me?" Mew asked, cutting straight to the point.

Gulf trembled in surprise. He had expected this to happen knowing that Mew had come all that way to find him threw his emotions into chaos.

He was also aggravated at being caught so soon after his escape. He dug his fingernails into his palms.

"Well, this is sudden." AA sounded more than a little surprised and gave a short laugh.

"You know why I'm here," Mew snapped, "and you will stop interfering in my affairs. I don't know why you would risk it in the first place."

"It's not very nice of you to imply all these horrible things about me" AA retorted.

Mew sounded annoyed. His voice never broke into a rage, but he was obviously incensed. His anger was revealed by the fact he had come all the way to Yaya's house.

"I'm taking Gulf home now," he growled. "Will you give him back to me?"

He probably hadn't punished Aisha. He didn't want to make the woman resent Gulf.

"Mew..."

Mew interrupted AA before the man could continue. "I didn't come here to talk to you. Just give Gulf back and we'll be done."

This was a grand example of the saying 'to turn a deaf ear to someone.' Mew wouldn't give his cousin any opportunity to explain himself. He would only stubbornly insist that AA hand Gulf over. Maybe he didn't need an explanation.

Even if his mother was a foreigner, there was no question that Mew was the man who would become the next king of Madina. His genes and his upbringing allowed him to issue orders, even to his cousin, as a matter of course.

"I'm a busy man, AA," he added.

Gulf pressed himself against the door and listened attentively, not wanting to miss a word. He also wanted to get an idea of what Mew was really thinking.

"I suppose that's true," AA answered evasively. "I'm sure you're also too busy to concern yourself with other people's feelings."

His words were clearly meant to provoke.

"Thank you for your timely opinion," Mew snapped. He wouldn't let AA get under his skin. He had scorned his cousin from the very beginning, trying to break him down. "I can have my men search the entire building. But I don't think you want that."

"Mew, are you even listening to yourself?"

"Yes. i know exactly what I'm doing."

Mew's voice sounded desperate enough that he would really search the entire house. He was furious that Gulf had fled the women's quarters.

"Mew you have to---'

AA's words were interrupted by a sharp sound.

TBC