My Only Person

The Beastly Saint

What?

The Archduke and I shared a mutual expression of confusion.

"You two seem to have become good friends!" Charlotte beamed from ear to ear.

"No, we haven't," I promptly refuted.

"That's not what you stated just an hour ago! I distinctly remember you announcing to everyone that we are dear friends."

"Don't you understand jokes, Your Highness? Oh, I'm sorry, how could you, when you sense of humour is so dry."

"At least I'm not like you, always salty."

"They truly behave like best friends," Keith muttered, convinced.

"Nonsense!" I vehemently rejected the idea. However, the Archduke, determined to tease me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. "Hush! I had a thought - how about we get matching tattoos to celebrate our friendship?"

I shot him a cold glare and attempted to remove his arm, but he held me firmly. "I was also pondering the possibility of turning our friendship into a lifelong bond. When we become parents, how about we have one of our children marry each other. That would make us family!"

While it was true that our collaborative investigation in the Silver Fang Pride pack case, or rather our shared zealous endeavour to conceal the truth behind the poison case, had brought us closer, it was not to the extent that we could be considered best friends. Furthermore, I had no desire to have a friend like him. He would be a toxic friend, the kind who would be supportive at times but would just as readily obstruct me without reason on other occasions.

"Have you perhaps lost your brain cells during your investigation of the poison, Your Grace?"

"Petty of you to use my words against me," he chuckled, recalling that these were the same words he had used when I left for the Silver Fang Pride pack.

"I'm simply returning them to their owner," I plainly defended myself.

He withdrew his arm from my shoulder and asked, with a playful smirk, "What do you think?" referring to my previous comment.

I shot him a deathly glare. "I believe you never had any brains to begin with."

"Careful. I am still an Archduke."

"As expected of you, using status to intimidate others."

"When did I?" He feigned surprise.

"When you prevented me from being the Commander."

"Aw, are you still angry about that?"

"Should I be angry, Your Highness?"

"You're entitled to."

"At least you're aware of that."

"I'm not as insensitive as you think I am."

"Of course! You just consistently talk to me as though you see someone else in me." My sarcastic comment rendered him silent, his face inscrutable.

I couldn't read his gaze; his dark eyelashes concealed them beneath their heavy weight. I hadn't realized it would affect him so profoundly.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke in a somber, subdued tone. However, in the now deathly silent room, it resonated as if he were screaming. "Is it just me, or is everyone being extra mean today?"

The King, who barely ever paid attention to him, also looked at him, quite concerned.

I still couldn't discern his eyes, but from what I could observe, he clearly didn't enjoy my words.