Yeran stopped before his chamber doors, breathing deep. Prince Aki, no, Prince Consort Aki, was inside. His husband.
He had gotten waylaid by a friendly knight and arrived here few minutes later than his__his husband.
'His husband,' Yeran repeated to himself, getting used to the feel of word.
The same boy he had had a crush on for three years, the one who he first saw at Ruwanyen. Who he had watched from far, afraid to draw into this blood bath.
Who could have had the capacity to imagine that it was the same enigma who snuck into his room almost five years before. The one he had never seen the face of. Not even in his wildest dreams had he put that face as Prince Aki.
Yeran had gaped, almost gasped out loud when he had first seen that perfection of a face, exchanging a wide eyes look with Zeke, who had smirked a second later and mouthed 'Good luck'. The traitor!
He had known that Aki must be a handsome guy, to be twins with Ruth. For long he had thought Aki as silly for covering his face when his twin stood just beside him. But they looked nothing alike! Bar the shade of their hair and identical eyes, there was nothing similar in them.
He hadn't paid much attention to searching for a portrait and now he will have to pay the price. How could he keep the ruse of relationship with Zeke going when this one is right here?!
He took in another deep breath and pushed the doors open.
The white robes were illuminated under a beam of moonlight and Aki stood there, leaning against the head table, seeming to glowing within.
His eyes raised, the enchanting amethyst was as sharp as ice and just as freezing as well.
Yeran hurried to let the door shut behind them and held a finger against his lips.
Aki's brows furrowed slightly, expressions not shifting.
Yeran tapped a finger against his ear and pointed behind him over a shoulder.
Aki nodded, looking slightly annoyed.
"Aki, yes?" Yeran asked, portraying nonchalant.
"Yes," he answered with an eye roll, "my lord," added as an afterthought.
Aki's eyes dropped to his sleeve, pulling a dagger out of some hidden pocket. Yeran felt his eyes widen.
"Look at me," he said, drawing those purple eyes back to his.
Aki's eyes snapped from his to the window, flipping the dagger in-between his long fingers, Yeran almost getting distracted by the deadly metallic shine.
Yeran shook his head, giving a smirk and a wink. Aki blinked, narrowing his eyes at him.
"I suppose that I must make something clear to you, Aki" he said, drawing a startled look out of the other.
"You may be my lawfully wedded husband, but keep in mind that you will never be anything in my mind, nor my heart, I already have a lover." Yeran continued.
Aki smiled, eyes twinkling with the urge to laugh. He inclined his head and gave a wink in turn, making Yeran's cheeks threaten to heat.
"You will neither be the 1st prince to have lovers, nor the the 1st king to have concubines, my lord" Aki replied with a benevolent voice, a cheeky grin playing on his lips.
Yeran knew, more than felt, when a deep blood rush made to make an appearance and hastily escaped the room with a casual,
"Good night, husband"
..
Zeke watched, waiting, as Yeran made a desperate dash inside and slammed the doors behind him.
Having come only to deliver the documents Yeran had asked, the sudden bang of the doors shocked his heart to make a desperate attempt to free itself out the ribcage, and he whirled around with a hand clutched over his chest, not in the least having expected Yeran of all people.
He opened his mouth to scold him for abandoning his newly married husband in the wedding night, that would result in a tsunami of rumors to be dealt with, but stopped, seeing the frantic energy of the new groom.
He waited, watching. Yeran turned around to lean against the door, eyes closed and pressed a hand against his mouth. He was panting, as if having run from a predator and not the male he pined after, for three years. Which, since now known to be Aki, not that false a description.
For the life of him Zeke could not stop the laughter that bubbled out of him, wondering what had made Yeran panick so badly, even if he did had a good guess.
Yeran jumped, startled out his skin and turned to stare at him, wide eyed with alarm which quickly turned to betrayal.
"That was one hell of a surprise, wasn't it, Lover boy?" Zeke teased, wiping tears of mirth.
"Zeke......" Yeran whined, swaying on his walk and plopping down on a chair.
"He's so beautiful....I couldn't take it...." he sighed, disgustingly love sick.
"Yeah, don't let him heat that, he will probably relieve you from some limbs," Zeke took a seat himself, knowing that he would be subjected to another long speech of adornment.
"You are not helping..." Yeran muttered, hugging the table in a desperate attempt to melt into it, eyes clouded dreamily.
"Eugh!" Zeke groaned, tired of hearing this for three years straight.
"Are you going to do something at least now? After all, he's already involved?"
"I can't....we have to keep up that thing," Yeran sighed into the wood.
"What thing?"
"We are in a relationship, Zeke! How could you forget?! The betrayal !!!" Yeran shot up like an arrow, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Zeke grimaced. Right, that thing. Why did he agreed to that thing again?
"You can still__"
"No, we can't let even a single mistake happen, we did not spent five years just to let it wash down the drain because of a crush of all things," Yeran cut him off with determination.
Well, he is correct. But Zeke is the one who would have bear through all that whining and sighing. So he can still have a good laugh, a little revenge. It will be cathartic.
"You were not so against it when her majesty brought this up before, infact, you encouraged it, by your own ways, now suffer," Zeke mocked, enjoying his friend's plight.
"Back then, I only knew of me finally getting my best assets into one place, not, not this...!!"
"You are not going to stop whining, are you? And prattling off how..beautiful and strong and clever and blah blah blah he is?" Zeke questioned, leaning close to peer into his eyes.
"Obviously not, you are my best friend, if I have to suffer, so do you," Yeran crossed his arms over his chest, pouting like a child.
Zeke sighed, resigned to his suffering.
...
A tap came on the window, not surprising Aki. He had expected that, but also hoped it wouldn't come. They were moderately free, but it was a figurative term, just because they were more free, does not mean that they were not on alien grounds.
"You shouldn't be here," was the first thing he said, even as he helped Ruth climb over.
Pausing for a second he let his senses spread, searching for something out of place and closed the shutters.
"Should you be sneaking into marital chambers, Brother? Specially on the wedding night?" He sassed, raising a brow.
"Are you okay?" Ruth asked instead, ignoring him.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Aki blinked.
"I saw Yeran leaving," a dark cloud crossed over Ruth's face.
"Ah, that, we already knew what I was getting into Ruth, there is no need to ponder over it. This marriage is nothing but a facade anyway, we will go our own ways after everything."
"But still, he should have given you the honor of staying in his marital chambers, now there will be talk and rumors, and not pleasant ones,"
"There will always be talks and rumors brother, it's human nature that we cannot change."
"Maybe I should just kill him, alliance or no alliance." Ruth muttered rebelliously.
Aki giggled.
"As much as I approve of you protecting my virtue, brother dearest, it truly is not a concern,"
"Let's see," Ruth may have agreed with him, for now, but Aki knew that Yeran aught to be a bit more careful in the future.
Unlike Aki's hot headed temper, Ruth's anger is like the deep ocean, it may look calm on the surface, but no one knew what lurked beneath.
...
Hi hi,
Author is on a roll baby! Look at me cramming up four chapters in rapid fire. How's things clearing up? Author is feeling pound of herself.
Hope you enjoyed,
See ya,
Arkhane.
P. S. : read the 1st chap and this side by side, u would enjoy it, I promise.
Yeran
Just so u remember, Yeran is 19 and Aki is 22 when the wedding is taking place okay? There's no underage or anything happening here.
Scared to not point it out thanks to somethings I've seen recently.