The following day, Alex woke with a slight headache and a hint of a cough.
Going out in the rain the night before to deliver William's gift had seemed like a good idea, but he wasn't so sure anymore.
Too bad he couldn't just lounge under the covers.
After breakfast, he headed to the Council Hall as requested by his father.
"I wonder if William's here too," he murmured as he climbed the stairs.
"Of course, Your Highness."
The mage's flat voice made his heart leap into his throat.
He turned to find the young man right behind him, a couple of steps lower. He was wearing trousers and a jacket with wide sleeves, in the exotic style of the Empire.
And he was… handsome.
"Will!"
William blinked, as if something had caught him off guard.
"So you've given me a nickname, I see."
Alex brought a hand to his mouth. Shit, it had slipped out.
"If you don't like it, I'll go back to calling you by your full name."
"I like it."
Those words warmed his chest. Alex wasn't sure, but he even thought William might have smiled at him.
They walked together, side by side, and Alex had the clear feeling that the night before he'd managed to mend whatever he had accidentally broken between them.
"How are you?"
"I'm better. Forgive me for causing you trouble."
"You didn't. But you worried me a lot." Alex scratched the back of his neck. "I want to be your friend. I want you to trust me."
William met his gaze, but there was no hostility in those poison-green eyes. "I don't think I can be your friend, but I do trust you. It's just that… a prince shouldn't insist on trying to save everyone."
Alex looked away. Suddenly he felt exposed, as if William had stripped him bare and thrown him in front of the entire court.
"What else is a fake king supposed to do?"
"You're not a fake king. Right now, you're simply the heir to the throne."
The prince looked at him again and couldn't hold back a faint smile tinged with sorrows.
"What difference does it make? I—" A cough scratched at his throat. "Sorry, I'm not feeling very well this morning."
William frowned and placed a hand against Alex's neck. The prince stiffened, his heart soaring into his throat.
"You caught a chill," the mage murmured. "After the meeting with the King, come to my room. I have something that might help."
"The way you put it, it sounds like you're inviting me to bed—"
Alex slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. He really hadn't meant to make such a stupid joke after everything that had happened. "William, I'm sorry, I…"
He almost expected one of those sharp looks of his, but instead the mage just watched him with an expression Alex couldn't place. He seemed almost amused.
William withdrew his hand, leaving behind a pleasant warmth where his fingers had touched him.
"If I wanted to take you to bed, Your Highness, I doubt I'd need an excuse. I fear a few sweet words would be enough to make you yield."
Alex flushed to the tips of his ears. Was that a jab at what had happened in Astya with Reyne? "So now you're making fun of me?"
"Just a little, if you allow it." A small smile flickered on the mage's lips, then quickly vanished. For a moment he seemed to hesitate, his gaze growing evasive. "I'm not some frigid prude, Your Highness. I know I might seem like one, but…"
"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable."
William folded his arms around himself. "I know you wouldn't judge me, but it isn't easy for me right now. And for what it's worth, I've never found you disgusting."
"I know."
Alex had no proof, but he felt it in his heart. William had plenty of flaws, but he had never thrown such cruel words at him. Sure, he scolded him sharply and shot him looks so icy they burned, but he had never been unfair or malicious.
William sighed. "And I've never judged you for your… flings. Maybe I was a bit too harsh with you, and I shouldn't have reprimanded you so much, but I'm worried about your position at court."
Alex blushed again, his heart skipping a beat. Damn this treacherous body—now it decided to get shy? And why did William keep catching him off guard like this?
He looked away and cleared his throat.
"My reputation is already compromised enough; I don't think my little flings can cause any more damage."
"I hope that when you get married, you'll stop visiting brothels."
Alex grimaced. "I already told you, I don't want to get married."
"You don't have much of a choice. It's part of your duties, and it could bring you new allies."
"I know, but I'd rather not have to. It's one of the reasons I don't want the crown."
He resumed walking toward the Council Hall, and William quietly fell into step beside him. Their footsteps echoed on the stone floor, drowning out the quick thrum of Alex's heartbeat as he searched for the right words.
"You'll think I'm foolish," he went on after a while, "but it's because I know I won't be as lucky as my parents."
"What do you mean?"
"My father isn't very expressive, but he loves my mother madly." Alex looked him in the eyes and gave him a faint, melancholy smile. "They married for love, you know? But I won't have the same luck."
"You can't know that."
"But I do. I already told you: I prefer men, and you can't have children with a man."
William's cheeks flushed. "I thought you liked women too."
"To be honest, I don't enjoy sex with them. And I've only ever fallen in love with men, so I doubt I'll be able to love my future wife."
"You could do as they do in the Empire."
Alex raised his eyebrows. "Meaning?"
"They take concubines. The Emperor of Xia has a harem he visits in turn. The first one to bear a son becomes the official wife."
A cough nearly made him choke. "If I did something like that, the entire nobility would drop dead of a heart attack. Women in Vellara are especially jealous."
"So are those in Xia." William stopped and looked him in the eyes. "But if you took a lover, you could still be happy even if you married a woman you don't love."
"And how is that different from visiting brothels?"
"I suppose… the feelings."
Alex ran a hand through his hair, uneasy. How had they ended up discussing something so intimate? And why didn't he feel judged when talking with him?
He cleared his irritated throat again. "Well, I don't want to get engaged right now, so there's no point thinking about it, right? You, on the other hand, should consider my proposal."
"Do you mean marrying your sister?"
"She's a good girl."
"She'd be miserable with me. I'm not attracted to women."
"Not even a little?"
William shook his head. "And besides, my heart already belongs to someone else."
A chill spread through Alex's chest. Myrina had been right—the mage had truly fallen for someone. And why did knowing that irritate him so much?
"Is he… a good person?"
William gave a small smile. "He's the kindest, most righteous, and selfless person I've ever known."
"Oh, and… are you getting married? I mean, does he know? He's a he, right?"
"He is, and he doesn't know."
"Don't you want to be happy with him?"
The mage looked at him with a strange expression. "More than anything. But he'll never be happy with me. And I don't want to dim his light."
Silence fell between them, carrying them all the way to the Council Hall.
As soon as they stepped inside, a red blur hurled itself with a shrill squeal at the mage's face.
"Wiiiiilliam! You've gotten thinner! You're eating, right?"
A fire-breathing dragon the size of a kitten rubbed against William's cheek. Volcanis, Gregoris's familiar.
Alex stiffened at the sight of the reptile and hoped to go unnoticed, but the spirit turned her tiny head toward him and launched herself at him.
"Aaaaalex! You've gotten even cuter, you know? Such a handsome young man—I bet you have a whole line of suitors." She pinched his cheeks. "But you look a bit worn out. Are you sure you're eating enough?"
"Good morning to you too, Volcanis."
The familiar bared her small fangs, sending a shiver of terror down his spine. Volcanis was one of the many reasons Alex couldn't stand reptiles. As a child, she did nothing but chase him all over the palace, treating him like a puppy to look after.
Gregoris's deep laugh echoed through the room. The Court Mage joined them and pulled the dragon off Alex's head. "My apologies, but she missed you."
"Of course. They're my pups," Volcanis trilled before flying to the window and curling up on the sunlit sill.
Alex scrubbed a hand through his hair. Just what he needed—the arrival of mama dragon.
He glanced at William, who was watching him with a trace of amusement. He frowned.
"You think this is funny?"
"Your phobia is amusing."
"This is serious!" He crossed his arms. "Aren't you afraid of anything?"
"Not of spirits."
Alex pulled a face, then the visit to the bookstore several days earlier flashed in his mind—and the erotic book William had asked to be set aside. He smirked.
"Now that I think about it, I just remembered something—funny for me, not so much for you."
William frowned, puzzled. "What are you referring to?"
"Try to think about it. Maybe by the end of the meeting you'll figure it out. Now let's get to work."
"Well said, Your Highness!" Gregoris slung an arm around his shoulders and grabbed William with the other. "My boys are working side by side. You've no idea how happy this makes me!"
"Master, please," William murmured.
"You two get along, right?"
Alex scratched the back of his neck. "More or less."
"As long as you don't start punching each other like the King and I used to do, I'll call it a success."
The sovereign, seated at the far end of the long table, cleared his throat. "Are you done, Gregoris?"
"Don't tell me you mind if I tease the boys a little."
"I'd like to finish before lunch, if you don't mind."
"You're too rigid." Gregoris patted Alex's shoulder. "Tell him."
"I try, but he doesn't listen to me."
William frowned and parted his lips to retort, but the door to the hall opened and a man stepped inside.
Hair as red as fire, tied back in a ponytail from which rebellious curls always escaped, deep brown eyes and a constellation of freckles dusting a face Alex would have recognized anywhere.
A smile blossomed on the prince's lips.
"Nikolas!"
His best friend had finally returned to court.