Alex flung open the doors to his father's study, rage boiling in his veins, and turned to face him.
"How could you?" he shouted. "I begged you to leave him alone!"
"I didn't do anything," his father hissed.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Nikolas voted against it! You accepted the result without batting an eye! It's because of that damned marriage, isn't it? You're making me pay for saying I wanted a lover!"
"You're raving!"
"Then explain to me why the hell my best friend would stab me in the back like that! Because from where I stand, he only did it because you ordered him to."
His father shook his head, disappointment in his gaze. "You've gone mad if you think I could do such a thing to you."
"Oh, please! As if this were the first time you've acted behind my back!"
"I insisted that William come here. I'd be a fool to send him away after you made the Crown Pact."
"You regret it—tell the truth. You don't want him here because you don't want him near me. But you're a damned coward, Father, and you orchestrated all of this to drive him away without dirtying your hands."
His father frowned, anger hardening his features.
"How dare you?" he said, his voice rough in his throat. "I am your king. I demand respect!"
"You can't demand respect if you're the first not to give it!"
"Alex! Kneel!"
"Forget it!"
"That is an order from your king. Kneel!"
"I refuse—"
The slap struck his cheek, and Alex stumbled backward. He clutched the back of a chair, pain throbbing along his cheekbone and spreading in tingling waves across his skin.
When had his father last slapped him like that? Maybe never. His father had never been the type to deal out corporal punishment.
Yet that slap burned.
He raised a hand to his eyes, guilt and pain tightening his throat. He didn't want to give up William. His heart wouldn't survive knowing he was far away.
"Why did you do it?" he murmured. "I had accepted your damned marriage, I was trying to be a good king… You had no reason to send him away. Not like this."
"I didn't do anything, Alex. Even if I don't agree with this whole affair, even if I asked William to step back, I would never have forced you to stay away from him."
"Then what? Are you suggesting Nik betrayed me? That Ballard was smarter than we were?"
His father frowned. "I don't know what happened. But if you're looking for someone responsible, you should speak with Nikolas instead of taking it out on me."
"You can't take those votes into account."
"My hands are tied, Alex. I can't do anything to keep him here. William shouldn't have proposed the vote, and you shouldn't have accepted Ballard's compromise. This situation was caused by your reckless decisions."
"We had the majority," Alex murmured. "Nikolas never should have betrayed us. He had no reason."
He had taken for granted that he would vote for them, but maybe he shouldn't have. Maybe he should have asked.
"If William leaves, then I'm leaving too."
"Alex, you can't—"
"Yes, I can!" Alex tightened his fingers around the chair's back and glared at his father. "You would raze entire kingdoms for my mother. All I ask is to have the person I love by my side, and you're not even willing to grant me a small concession."
"It's not the same thing."
"Because he's a man?"
His father looked away, and Alex's anger flared again.
"I accepted a marriage I never asked for with a woman I don't even know, yielding to the blackmail of a man I despise, and I did it for you. I became Crown Prince for you. Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for you. To make you proud. Because it's what you want!"
"What you're doing is your duty, Alex. Not my whim."
"A duty that's tearing me apart, Father, and you don't even notice."
"You don't know what you're saying, son."
"If you want me to become your puppet, I'll do it—but don't tear away the only person who makes me feel understood."
"Alex, I—"
A soft knock interrupted them.
"Come in," said the king.
The door opened, and a servant bowed. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, your presence is urgently requested."
"What's the matter?"
"Two royal advisors are arguing heatedly, and we've been unable to calm them."
Alex stepped forward. "Lead the way."
He followed him out of the study through corridors and down stairways until he heard the first shouts. He turned the corner and stopped, eyes wide.
William and Nikolas were yelling at each other, both held back by other advisors to keep them from tearing at each other's throats. Nikolas's lips were split, blood staining his jacket.
Alex raised an arm and signaled to his father not to interfere, then stepped between the two of them.
"That's enough. Stop it—both of you."
Silence fell over the entire corridor. The prince cast a glance at William, then looked at Nikolas.
"I think you owe me an explanation."
His best friend pulled free from the advisor's grip and straightened his jacket. "I have nothing to tell you, Alex. I voted according to my conscience."
"I thought you cared about me."
"It's because I care that I made this decision." Nikolas gestured toward William. "He's a terrible influence on you."
"It's not true, and you know it."
"You don't really know him."
"Do you? I remember you saying you barely knew him."
Nikolas shrugged. "Well, that was bullshit, all right? I know him better than you do. We had a relationship."
Alex's eyes went wide, and he turned sharply toward William. The mage was even paler than usual, his eyes shining and his hands trembling. And the look he gave him was full of guilt.
"So it's true," the prince murmured.
"I'm sorry."
"Do you trust me now?" Nikolas asked. "William is a lying, manipulative man. You should stay away from him."
Alex clenched his fists. "What do you know about it?"
"I slept with him, I already told you."
"That doesn't mean anything."
Nikolas shot him an angry look. "And the fact that he tried to bribe me doesn't matter?"
"You started it," William growled. "You tried to blackmail me."
"I just wanted to know the truth! I deserved that!"
"I left you—we've been nothing for three years. You have no right to demand anything from me!"
"And you have no right to treat me like I'm worth less than an insect."
"Enough!" Alex said, cutting in.
"You do this to everyone!" Nikolas went on, ignoring him. "You have no respect for anyone, not even the people you claim to love."
"That's not true!" William shouted.
"If I hadn't thrown you out of my room, you would've slept with me just to get my damn vote!"
Alex's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. He turned to William and saw the pain reflected in his poison-green eyes.
"Tell me it's a lie."
"I'm sorry." William hid his face in his hands and collapsed to his knees. "I'm sorry—I didn't know what to do."
"Oh, Will, sometimes you're so foolish…"
Nikolas snorted. "I pity his lover for falling in love with a horrible man like—"
"Shut up!" Alex burned him with his gaze. "You have no idea what you've done."
"I'm protecting you!"
"I don't need it. I'm not a child—I can judge for myself whether someone deserves my respect." Alex turned to the crowd. "There's nothing to see. Leave."
The bystanders scattered, and only his father, William, and Nikolas remained.
The prince knelt in front of the mage and sighed. "You really are foolish, you know."
"I'm sorry," William murmured. "I couldn't tell him the truth."
"I know." He pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. "When you're desperate, you always end up doing a lot of foolish things."
"I don't want to leave."
"I know."
"I should have told you. It's all my fault."
Alex kissed his head. "You have no idea how angry I am right now. And how stupid I feel for not realizing sooner what was going on."
He hadn't even understood what had been between William and Nikolas, even though the clues had been obvious. Even though he overheard the servants' gossip a few days ago.
"I'll take you to your room, Will. You need to rest."
"There's no need. I can manage on my own." William pulled away from him. "I have to start arranging my departure. There are things to pack, and… I don't think I can stay here much longer, can I? I also need to find a carriage bound for Lenz. Write to my mother. Maybe I could work in her shop."
"Will…"
"I'm sorry, I ruined everything. Now you're bound to a mage who won't be able to stay by your side." A shadow crossed his gaze. "In the end, I really did condemn you."
"I can still fix everything. I can stand against the Council."
"It doesn't matter anymore, Your Highness. It was foolish even to hope that someone like me could stay by your side for more than a few months. My presence here has always been nothing but a mistake."
William bowed to the prince and the king and walked away. As soon as he turned the corner, Alex cast a furious glance at Nikolas.
"I hope you feel better now."
"I deserved to know the truth. If he'd been honest, he wouldn't be in this situation now."
"And did it ever occur to you that maybe he couldn't tell you?"
"They're just lies! He has no respect for anyone, not even for himself. People say that while we were together, he sold his body."
Alex clenched his fists, and a surge of anger burned through his veins.
"You have no idea what you're talking about. William was hurt—he suffered for three damn years—and now that he'd finally found a place where he could be happy, you ruined everything." He grabbed Nikolas by his jacket and leaned over him threateningly. "Are you satisfied now?"
"Why do you care? You're not—" He frowned. "It's you, isn't it? You're his lover…"
"That's none of your business."
"He'll make you suffer too!"
"The only one who's suffering is him. Can you understand that, or are you too focused on your twisted love to see how much you've hurt him?" Alex let him go. "Forget it—you wouldn't understand anyway."
He turned to his father.
"I'm going to make sure William doesn't do anything foolish."
He walked away from them, crossed the palace, and reached the mage's room. He went in without even knocking and found him curled up beneath the covers.
He sat on the mattress beside him and remained silent, waiting for him to make the first move.