Lewd King's Bucket List-Chapter 73: Truth’s Hint

After a few minutes of wandering the maze that was a garden, Runa happened upon King Ixion sitting in a beautiful gazebo, looking off toward a bed of roses.

"How... beautiful."

Runa joked to herself

’Okay, maybe he is crazy.’

Though the weird state she’d found the king in actually pointed toward the opposite. What was crazy about calling flowers beautiful?

Runa stepped up into the gazebo with the Lord of Truth’s cage in hand and bowed. Instead of greeting him formally...

"Greetings, Ixion."

The King’s ocean eyes fell upon Runa’s form like a tidal wave. His lips pulled into a strange smile that he failed to conceal.

With a warm tone alongside a wistful gaze, Ixion said:

"Runa, thank you for responding to my summons."

’What’s up with him?’

Runa had noticed it immediately, but there was a gallantry about his actions. Like the once-lost grace momentarily resurfaced.

Ixion leaned his back against the gazebo’s bench.

"Things might get pretty hectic soon. I’ve assigned Zabaniyah to shadow you. So, you shouldn’t fear anything."

Runa’s eyes, filled with suspicion, fixed on Ixion’s longing look.

"What about you?"

Ixion lightly chuckled.

"She also has an ability similar to Se’van’s; she can shadow both of us at the same time. But it is a little taxing for her, so when I’m awake she’ll spend her full focus watching over you — it’s not like I need her protection."

"I see..." Runa scratched her cheek, then added, "Why have you summoned me?"

Ixion laughed jubilantly:

"Why? Because sitting alone on a bench is quite the depressive look, no matter how much beauty surrounds one! The king can’t look depressed, can he?"

Once again, Runa spotted a hint of sadness hidden behind the madness.

"I guess not. So, you called me and Lot here for our company?"

"Of course! Why would I not want to add beauty to this landscape?"

Runa chuckled and held up the parrot, who twitched and stared at Ixion.

"You consider the Lord of Truth beautiful?" Runa didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she cracked a joke, "Wow, maybe the rumors were true. You fetishize beasts."

"Ah! Tis’ a lie! I hold no such desire for a bird!"

Lord of Truth screeched:

"Fuck you!"

Ixion chirped back:

"Fuck you too!"

Then, Ixion started laughing gleefully.

Runa even giggled along at the childish antics. There was an odd charm about the ’mad king’s idiocy.’ Like he was merely attempting to be a distraction from the terrifying world outside.

Ixion noticed the look on Runa’s face, and an odd solemn one washed over his own. His laughter slowly cut out, and he averted his gaze again toward the garden...

He had the same exact look as when he asked Runa about love.

Once again, once a-goddamned-gain, the curious cat saw sadness hidden behind the king’s proud exterior. Hell, it wasn’t even hidden. It was on full display.

Something about being happy made Ixion sad.

Or...

Something about seeing Runa happy brought up a world of regrets in his mind. Like a reminder of his failure to protect the world.

’Was that it?’

Was it guilt causing Ixion to act like so?

But then, ’What’s his end goal?’

Runa drew back upon her first lesson from Se’van...

’His lunacy without motive, driven mad by the Scourge. That’s the dominant narrative.’

Then, what was the counter one?

Se’van had said there is always the possibility of one, no matter what. So then...

’What would it be?’

The insistent question that had festered in her thoughts, refusing to be silenced, finally erupted. Screw formality. She’d already addressed him by name alone. She’d already seen his unwillingness to punish. So, why not push that boundary as far as it would go to sate this gnawing curiosity.

"Ixion, what’s with the farce?"

Ixion’s eyes slightly narrowed before he forced them to widen.

"Huh? What do you mean, dear kitten?"

Runa rubbed her hands together, interlacing and unlacing her fingers repeatedly.

"I don’t... really know. I haven’t learned to read my Soul Scripture yet, but I think my Aspect has to deal with reading people... their features, minute motions, what they say. Like an observer or something."

Rune looked down at Ixion’s lap and watched his fist ball up with each word she spoke.

Fearlessly, Runa continued:

"Forgive my impertinence, but your actions have betrayed your gaze time and time again. Almost like you’re putting on a display. Like you wish to be hated. You even looked pained when you called the ambassadors ’beasts’ before. That look... that wasn’t the look of the rumored ’mad’ king. I’m truly sorry if I’ve offended you."

Ixion’s gaze hardened. His stare drifted around the garden before it settled upon the rose bed he’d been looking at when she’d first spotted him.

He didn’t quip back. He didn’t say, ’so you think I’m mad?!’ followed by the jester appearing and screaming ’of course you are!’

No...

He spoke slowly and measured, without inflection.

"There’s this saying... ’curiosity killed the cat.’" Ixion’s stare flipped back onto Runa. "Let’s try not to give that saying any weight."

The threat was supposed to scare her. Make her skin crawl, but it didn’t. Not at all.

Just like everything else the king said and did, the words were hollow.

It was all hollow...

***

’Ah, the first to discover my act...’

Ixion silently gazed at Runa, his eyes holding a quiet intensity.

It was a matter of time. Ixion was never the best at hiding his feelings.

He didn’t entirely care if she had an inkling of doubt, or even if she knew, but no matter what she was to keep that notion to herself.

At least until they face the rebellion upon their return from Praxis.

After all, once that farce was through, his Origin shattered and destroyed, he was intent to spill his true plot to those closest to him.

Enlist their help in his ultimate act.

They would become his dancers in ’The End.’