William closed his eyes and sighed. The king's words kept echoing in his head, and he couldn't stop dwelling on them. He didn't want to stay away from the prince, but how could he ignore a direct order?
"Will?"
The prince's voice made him flinch. William rose from the chair and knelt beside the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired." The prince smiled at him. "You saved me, thank you."
"I only did my duty, Your Highness. Can you walk? I had the bath prepared."
"I think so."
William helped him to reach the bathroom and step into the tub, then scrubbed his back and hair to wash away any trace of what had happened.
"Your Highness, if you wish to talk about it, I can listen."
The prince sighed and tilted his head to look at him. "I'm fine, really. I was scared, and I never want to find myself in a situation like that again, but I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I felt your fear."
"It would've been strange if I hadn't been frightened, don't you think?"
William smiled. "I suppose so."
He filled a bucket with hot water and poured it over the prince's head to rinse away the soap. Water streamed over his skin, tracing the lines of his muscles and neck.
William set the bucket aside, leaned forward, and kissed him near the ear. Perhaps he was being selfish, but he didn't want to let him go. He didn't even want to share him with anyone.
The prince was his—no one else had the right to take him away. Not even the king.
"May I bathe with you?"
The prince looked at him in puzzlement, then smiled. "Of course."
William undressed, stepped into the tub, and sat on his lap. The prince wrapped his arms around him, and William nestled against his chest.
For a long time, they both remained silent, letting themselves be lulled by the faint beating of their hearts and the warmth of the water.
"Sven questioned him," William said, "but Lord Caleb said nothing."
"Perhaps I should question him myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Right now, I only want to beat him until he's unrecognizable."
"Your father seemed intent on executing him."
"He would deserve it."
William lifted his head from the prince's shoulder and searched his eyes. "Do you feel up to telling me what happened?"
The prince sighed and looked away, his hand tracing circles on William's side.
"I argued with my father. He arranged a marriage behind my back with Ballard."
"He told me."
"I hate it when he treats me as if I were completely incapable." He ran his hands through his hair. "He has to keep everything under control; he can't help it. But some decisions should be mine alone."
"Did you tell him?"
"Yes, but I don't think he can truly understand me. I know he loves me, but sometimes I feel he wishes he had a different son. Someone more like him."
"What happened?"
"Well, I was looking for you when that man, Caleb, stopped me. He had a bottle of wine and offered it to me as a gift. It was sealed, so I brought him to my study. He poured two glasses, and we drank." The prince frowned. "And I was fine."
"And then?"
"He said that if I put in a good word with my father for the wine, he would persuade the count to vote for you. A favor for a favor. It made sense—I didn't think it could be a trap."
"So you agreed."
The prince nodded. "It was what we needed, wasn't it? He asked me for paper and pen, and I gave them to him, and…"
He fell silent, and William looked at him in confusion. "And?"
"For a moment, I lost sight of him. He must have taken the opportunity to pour the drug into the wine." The prince sighed. "What an idiot! And to think I was trained never to lower my guard."
"I wouldn't have made that mistake either."
"Are you scolding me, grumpy raven?"
William smiled. "Only a little, if you allow it."
The prince kissed his mole. "I can allow you anything."
"Was he the one who brought you here?"
"Yes, but my memories are confused. I think at one point I pointed a weapon at him, but he must have disarmed me. Then he dragged me to the bed and pinned me down and… undressed me."
William embraced him and kissed his lips. "I wish I had arrived sooner."
"You saved me all the same, and I'm grateful for that." The prince smiled and pressed his forehead to his. "Thank you for always being by my side."
William gave a faint, strained smile, then lowered his gaze.
"There's… something you need to know, and you won't like it."
The prince let out a sigh of relief and rested the back of his head against the edge of the tub. "Do I really need to know?"
"Your father knows about us."
He jerked his head up. "What?"
"I think he's known for a while, but today he asked me to step aside and convince you to consider the marriage proposal."
"You didn't accept, did you?"
"No. I don't want to move away from you, and I don't want to share you with someone else."
The prince chuckled. "Your jealous side is adorable."
"I'm being serious, Your Highness. The king might accept that we continue as lovers, but I don't want to see you with someone who isn't me. And I'm not saying this because I want the crown."
"I know, Will. And I don't want to force you to endure palace gossip. If I must place the crown on someone's head, I want it to be yours. And… I would also like my children to have your beautiful green eyes."
William flushed. "What are you saying? I can't give you children!"
"But if you could, there wouldn't be a problem, right? I would give the kingdom an heir, and your rank and your foreign blood would stop being an issue."
"But I can't."
"Are you sure there isn't some magic that could make you pregnant? Wait, no, it would have to make me pregnant."
"You want to give birth?"
"You're a hemophiliac; you'd risk dying. You do know women lose a lot of blood during childbirth, right?"
William's cheeks grew even warmer. "And how do you know that?"
"I assisted my mother when Rudi was born. I know how much blood a woman loses, and I can't let you do it. So if there is a magic that can make a man pregnant, I'll be the one to give birth."
"Your Highness, the issue doesn't come up. No such magic exists."
The prince parted his lips, then pressed them together again and lowered his gaze. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know."
"I wish I could say my father is wrong, but he isn't. I'm not a fool; I know the only thing I must do is have an heir."
"Better two or three, just to be safe."
"Do you really think this is the time to be pedantic?"
William flushed. "Sorry."
The prince pulled him to his chest. "I don't want to marry, but I will if it's the only way to stay with you."
"Maybe we can buy some time. I can… try asking Caedos if there's a spell we can use. Or I can look for something in the kingdom's laws we might exploit. Maybe someone before us found themselves in a similar situation."
"My father won't give me any more time. If I don't accept, he'll do it for me."
"Then accept Lord Ballard's proposal, but ask for time to get to know Lady Vanessa. That way, the engagement won't be made official, but it should be enough to keep His Majesty occupied."
"Could Ballard also withdraw the vote?"
"I doubt it. Unless he's certain he would lose."
"Is he?"
"With Lord Caleb in a cell, he can't buy his father's vote. So only Lord Kess remains among the undecided. If he votes against us, it ends in a tie. Six to six. If he votes for us, we win by a single vote."
Unless Nikolas had decided to take revenge for their last argument. If he voted against them and Lord Ballard managed to convince Lord Kess, they would lose.
But would Lord Ballard risk so much for such a remote possibility?
William pressed his lips together. "Come to think of it, he really might withdraw the vote."
The prince frowned. "That would be nice, but that bastard hates you."
"But I think the only thing he truly cares about is seeing his daughter on the throne."
"You're telling me I have to accept?"
"Do we have alternatives?"
"We could always run away. Let's make a romantic escape to the Empire."
William raised his eyebrows. "And why there, of all places?"
"Wouldn't you like it?"
"I don't know."
"I would truly like to see your homeland. It sounds like a beautiful place." He held him against his chest and stroked the back of his head. "You are my other half, Will. Without you, I am incomplete. That's why I don't want to marry anyone but you."
William smiled at him and kissed him. He caressed his lips, parted them, and deepened the kiss. They intertwined fingers and tongues, exchanging sweet, gentle touches.
"Thank you," the prince murmured. "For everything."