"Your Highness." William greeted him coolly outside the Council Hall and entered without waiting for a reply.
Alex followed him, his heart clenched tight.
His father was standing by the table, Nikolas at his side, and the two were speaking in low voices. They fell silent when Alex and William entered.
The prince gave a small bow. "You wished to see me, Father?"
"Yes. Thank you for coming so quickly." The King cleared his throat. "You and William must go to Narea. It's an important matter."
Alex shot a brief glance at the mage, but noticed no reaction. If the news had shaken him, he did not show it.
He turned back to his father. "May I know why?"
"An investigation," Nikolas replied. "We've received reports of suspicious financial movements that seem to lead back to the governor of Narea. In addition, tributes have decreased this year. The official excuse is that the region is dealing with dissidents and bandits, but we have our suspicions."
"You think he's holding back funds?"
"My investigations suggest so."
Alex looked at his father, puzzled. "And what do I have to do with it? I'm not good with numbers."
"William is" the king replied.
The mage stiffened and lowered his head even further. "I will do my best, Your Majesty."
Alex sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Do I have to accompany him like last time?"
It would be hard to be alone with him for more than a week.
"No," his father replied. "This time you will go in an official capacity as Crown Prince. With your private guard. While William examines the governor's accounting records, you will test him and judge his loyalty."
"You fear he might rebel?"
"He's a young and ambitious man, and Narea is one of the richest centers in Vellara. They have a poor opinion of the central government, and it's nothing new for merchants to want greater independence. The governor has never shown signs of supporting those demands, but I don't trust him."
Alex frowned. That man seemed a better politician than he was; he wasn't sure he could carry out the task his father was entrusting to him.
"I'm not much of a diplomat."
"Take it as an opportunity to refine your skills." His father gave him a sharp look. "When you are king, you'll have to deal with nobles like this every day, and it's best that you gain some practical sense."
"But I'm not like you, Father."
"I know. That's why William is going with you. I could have sent a couple of tax collectors, but I need the governor to remember whom he owes obedience to. And only the king or his heir can do that."
Alex furrowed his brow. "I understand."
He would have preferred to stay out of it, but he knew he had no choice. It was his duty as prince that demanded it of him, and yet he still felt wrong in that role stitched onto him. Especially after the near failure at Astya.
He shot a brief glance at William, who was staring ahead with his usual detached expression. If his father had sent them on a mission before the kiss, Alex would have welcomed it. Now, instead, spending time together felt like nothing but torture.
That afternoon had changed everything.
He half-closed his eyes and tried to regain a superficial calm. "I'll have the carriage prepared. We'll leave as soon as possible."
His father nodded. "Nikolas will give William our records. He only needs to verify that the numbers add up." He hesitated for a moment. "Return safely."
William bowed his head. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
He left the room in silence, radiating that icy detachment that Alex had once loved and that now only made his heart bleed.
"Alex?" His father called him back. "You and William…"
Alex stiffened. Had he understood what had happened between them?
His father rubbed his forehead, as if unsure which words to choose. "Have you argued again?"
"No, we… everything's fine, Father. Nothing happened."
It sounded false even to his own ears. He was truly terrible at lying…
He looked away and left the room. Then he reached Sven in the armory and told him they would be leaving shortly for Narea.
The captain nodded. "I'll alert the others and have the horses prepared."
"Saddle Tempest as well."
"Are you not traveling by carriage?"
Alex shrugged, uncomfortable. "I'd rather leave the carriage to William."
Sven frowned. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing. Just a misunderstanding."
"It doesn't look like it. You look more like a man on the brink of a divorce."
Alex flushed, and a sharp pain shot through his chest. He gave him a desperate look, and Sven's eyes flew wide.
"Your Highness, you—"
"Please don't tell anyone."
"I won't, don't worry." He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Was it intentional?"
"Yes."
"From both of you?"
Alex nodded and let himself drop onto a bench. "But it shouldn't have happened. It ruined everything."
"How far did you go?"
"Just a kiss."
Sven raised his eyebrows, looking puzzled. "I thought you'd slept together."
"You don't understand, he's… different."
And he awakened sensations Alex had never felt before.
The prince wanted to sleep with him, to possess him, but he also wanted to hold him to his chest and coddle him. To give him little kisses on the face and neck, to walk hand in hand with him, enjoying the sun on their skin.
To watch him read in the quiet of the garden.
All his life, he'd had one-night flings, forcing himself to live in the moment without worrying too much about feelings. Then William had come along and complicated everything.
Sven sighed and sat beside him. "Your Highness, could it be that being rejected has hurt your pride?"
Alex shook his head. "What hurts is that we shouldn't have done it. I'm the prince and he's just my mage. This… thing ruined everything."
He couldn't give up the throne, nor could he send William away. They were bound for their entire lives.
"I'll saddle Tempest, but I'll lead him myself. You travel by carriage with the mage and try to find some balance. In Narea you'll have to work side by side; it's better if you prepare yourselves."
"I'm not sure I can manage it."
"If the situation were to become unbearable for you, I'd give you Tempest and travel with the mage."
"Thank you, Sven."
His captain smiled and shrugged. "It's my duty, Your Highness. And I suppose I'll have to keep the secret from my wife."
"That would be best. You're the first person I've told, and for now I'd like my sisters not to find out."
If Alex could manage to smother the desire he felt for William, perhaps everything would go back to how it was before.
Two days later, Alex and William left the palace along with the prince's private guard, heading for the city of Narea.
Sven rode alongside the carriage, barking out brisk orders to the rest of the soldiers, and Tempest under him seemed calmer than usual. From time to time, Alex leaned out the window to stroke the horse and murmur sweet words to him.
He should have spoken to William, but the mage was reading in silence, his eyes fixed on the pages resting on his knees, as if he had no intention of speaking to anyone.
He was avoiding him, and Alex preferred it that way.
"Your Highness!" Falko drew up alongside the carriage and flashed him an excited smile. "It's a real shame you can't ride with us."
Sven shot a stern look at his younger brother. "His Highness is on an official visit. He can't arrive dirty and sweaty."
"Of course, but we both know the carriage is for the mage." Falko made a small grimace. "He's slowing us down."
Alex glanced at William, seated on the other side of the compartment. He must have heard, but he pretended the accusation hadn't touched him. Or maybe it really hadn't…
He looked back at Falko.
"It's not William's fault. He hasn't learned how to ride yet, and Tempest can't carry both of them on such a long journey."
The young guardsman flinched and lowered his head guiltily. "You're right, Your Highness. I apologize for my lack of tact."
"You shouldn't apologize to me. Even if he doesn't show it, he heard you."
"I'll do so before dinner, Your Highness."
Sven gave his brother a nod that might have been a silent rebuke and sent him back to the rear.
"My brother always speaks out of turn."
"Falko is loyal, even if he's a bit too impulsive."
That was precisely why he had welcomed him into his private guard.
"He idealizes you too much," Sven murmured.
"And is that a bad thing?"
"In general, no. But we are also your confidants, and sometimes it's necessary to be harsh. He tends to see you as a model to strive for and doesn't notice your flaws."
Alex leaned against the window frame. "I can't tell whether you're trying to flatter me or scold me."
"Your flaws make you human, Your Highness. Falko pretends not to see them, and that makes him too harsh with the rest of the world and too indulgent toward you. And then… it also makes him too inclined to put himself in danger just to prove to you that he's a perfect knight, like you."
"I'm anything but perfect."
"But Falko doesn't understand that."
"Keep an eye on him. I don't want him getting hurt."
Sven smiled at him. "Don't worry. I've been keeping an eye on that little menace of a brother of mine since he learned how to walk. It helps that he obeys me without making a fuss."
Alex chuckled. "It's a shame Rudi doesn't do the same with me."
"The little prince is still young, and you've always been affectionate with him."
"Weren't you ever affectionate with Falko?"
"Do I strike you as an affectionate type?"
"No, but you must have some redeeming quality if you won my sister's heart."
Sven lifted his head toward the sky, and for a moment his serious gaze softened. "Who knows. You can ask her, though she might not answer you."
Alex laughed and withdrew into the carriage. He turned toward William, and his heart skipped a beat.
The mage was staring at him, an unfamiliar expression on his face. He wasn't angry, nor disappointed, and a faint smile curved his lips.
It was as if he were looking at him with a bittersweet tenderness.
Then the moment passed.
The mage lowered his gaze back to the book he was reading, and Alex swallowed the pain that had torn his chest.
He clenched his fists. "William?"
The other man turned a page, immersed in his usual silence.
"William. Please, talk to me."
William snapped the book shut, but didn't lift his head. "There's nothing to talk about."
"There is. This is tearing me apart, and we can't go on ignoring each other. In Narea we'll have to work together, and that's impossible if you pretend I'm not here."
"I'm sorry. It's my fault, I shouldn't have kissed you. I didn't want to hurt you."
"It wasn't the kiss! All of this is what's hurting me. You not wanting to talk to me, avoiding me as if you might burn just by looking at me."
"I'm doing what's best for both of us. You should do the same."
Alex sprang to his feet. "Maybe I don't want it that much!"
"That's your problem, Your Highness. You don't understand that duty comes before everything else."
"But I—"
The carriage jolted violently, and Alex lost his balance, pitching forward. He struck something hard with his forehead, a searing pain shot through his skull, and he landed on something solid and warm.
He opened his eyes and found himself caught in William's green eyes. They shone brighter than usual, and a faint blush tinged his cheeks.
And they were as close as they had been that day on the lakeshore, just before exchanging a kiss that had ruined everything.
His heart leapt into his throat, and something in his stomach fluttered.