Vengeance of The Broken Lycan Prince [BL]-Chapter 448: Always Together In Bed, That… Counts, Right?
[TAMIKO]
That night, no royal in the grand palace got the slightest hint of sleep. It was as if they were all cooped up, more than they could voice.
Their silence throughout the night and even the next two days was felt by everyone, even as the kingdom prepared for the grand banquet. It was not something that many would think negatively about.
Because honestly, they understood the silence in the middle of all their excitement.
This didn’t happen daily.
They couldn’t run and embrace it with ease just because life was suddenly all bright and shit for them. It was different. Way too different, and slowly, they were learning to respect what was and what couldn’t be.
That was all they had left anyway.
In the palace, the royals carried themselves with the kind of grace that didn’t give away the horrors in their hearts.
They acted like life was normal for them.
The king and his Lord kept the kingdom running.
The prince and his lord made sure to assess the banquet preparations.
The Lycan chief and his barbarians made sure to countercheck what was needed for the success of the evening. It wasn’t just about a day for them. It was about a life that they had to protect.
The barbarians understood that a little too well because even as the chief talked to them, he was not wearing any suppressants.
The whiffs of caramel lingered in the kingdom, a scent so sweet but one that the entire kingdom silently swore to protect because it was worth it. It was a scent that reminded them of what life was like.
It gave them hope in a time when things seemed hopeless, even though they had succeeded in so much already.
But time was not to be played with, and the day of the banquet came a little too fast for anyone’s liking.
Hell, a week after the war was supposed to be a long time and to allow everyone to relax, but the rumors never went quiet. The warriors never let down their weapons, even though they had succeeded in winning the worst kind of battle back then.
It was a time when everyone was careful, steady, smiling, and acting like the sun only ever shone on Kawai alone. And maybe that was the illusion that we were all trying to lure themselves into.
Because at least with the illusion of happiness and a banquet that was meant to hide their pain, there was hope.
The hope of a better Kawai, even of things that were not as kind. Even the kingdom knew of the ultimatum that reigned between Kosta and Tamiko.
They knew it so damn well.
"I don’t think I can do this, Danny," Tamil said as he looked at his best friend.
They were done preparing for the banquet.
The entire week, Tamiko had been keeping himself busy, trying to live a life that didn’t revolve around anything that would trigger their unfortunate fate. He had been happy that night, but as the week went by, he wasn’t sure anymore.
It was as if his life had started to get a little flaky, and honestly, that scared him because of the way that so much was at stake.
The ball would have everyone. Literally. It would age the warriors of Kawai, their families. Anyone who felt like coming. It was going to be a huge ass banquet, and Tamiko didn’t have the strength to deal with what was there.
He didn’t know what that would be like, and it terrified him because he was not sure how the ball would go.
"You’ve been avoiding Igor," Danny said, like his friend’s fear was something that he had expected. He could smell how nervous Tamiko was, and while he, too, was nervous, he chose not to focus on it.
If Tamiko was scared, there was no telling what would happen to him.
"We share the same bed, Danny. I doubt you would call that ignoring someone. Besides, we have never fought since the battle. We are doing great," Tamiko said as he looked everywhere but at his friend.
He was trying to convince himself of that more than he would Danny.
Lord Danny knew him like the back of his hand. It was like they would be able to read him even when the worst was happening, and that was supposed to be consoling somehow to Tamiko because at least he had someone in his corner.
But it didn’t make him less stressed about everything.
So many things had changed over the years, and frankly, there wasn’t a thing that could bring them back together instantly. For them to be happy and okay, like the burden of ten years was a no-brainer.
A lot had been left pending, and not even the sweetest kiss from each other would have fixed it.
Tamiko was just ready to face the possibility that the cracks in their bind would start coming again.
He was not ready to face the fact that he had to live a life that didn’t have Kosta for a while because of a vow he had made out of desperation to prove just how much he loved Kosta.
Oh, the irony.
The universe had gotten one over him, and now they were both paying the price for it, even on a day when they were supposed to be the happiest. It wasn’t okay.
"When was the last time you two spent time together, or even kissed?" Danny asked if it was that obvious, the disconnect between the Erasthais. It had been a very painful week for everyone in the palace.
Only Danny had the courage to spell it out for the stubborn prince, but what would the price be for that then?
Would it really be worth it when the sun went down on them?
Or was this just going to be another day he they acted like the world was not as fucked and that they were not trying to figure out a way to make things probably worse than they all already were?
"We’ve been busy. We only find ourselves in our chambers," Tamiko grumbled.
Danny sighed.
He wasn’t even certain there was much he could say to his brother anymore. They were screwed, that much was obvious, and they had to work it through fast.
"You realize there is a whole legend of how in love the two of you are, and you can’t even remember the last time you two kissed... the slightest of affection? You are doomed; you know that, right?
"How the fuck are you going to pull this off with all the eyes that will be on you?" Danny asked again.
He knew that this had to be hard for Tamiko, too.
The darn ultimatum was hanging over their heads like some darn curse, and it wasn’t pretty. But that didn’t make it any easier for them to overcome and finalize what was needed. There was just no way out of this for them unless they put up a front.
"That shouldn’t be so h—" Tamiko said, and Danny smacked the back of his head, as if that was the much-needed reset for Tamiko. It was a harsh one, but truly someone needed to do the two Erasthais a favor.
"Are you fucking serious?" Danny asked, right as Kosta walked in, all dressed and ready for the banquet, too. And Danny stood there like the world was truly going to end at the banquet this evening.
It wasn’t going to be easy, and he hated the fact that he could see that they both had hearts in their eyes for each other, yet somehow had managed to steer clear of each other.
Who the fuck was supposed to explain this in even the simplest terms then?
"Wow, you both are so dashing and smell of each other, no one would ever believe you haven’t touched each other for a whole week," Danny spat.
Kosta stared at him like that was unnecessary, but then he seemed to move on because he slipped past Tamiko and Danny to check something in the closet. It was as if the world was suddenly the worst thing that they had to share.
Boy, was it awkward ass fuck.
This was not the choice that Kawai had cheered for a week ago. The same couple that had lived in the rumors that had spread across the kingdom like wildfire. This couldn’t be the clue they were talking about.
And Danny knew he was going to have a long night with these two.
"We are fine... right, Kosta?" Tamiko asked.
Kosta didn’t even turn to look at him.
"Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?" Kosta added that it was the most normal of things for them. This was frustrating as fuck. There was just no way this would work, not with the way Kawai had grown so nosy about the two of them.
"You ready to do this?" Kosta asked once he got what she was looking for... which Danny had realized was nothing. The man just wanted to hover around his Erasthai; it was painful to watch, honestly.
"Yeah, let’s get it over with," Tamiko said, his tone making Danny stare at Kosta like he was about to rip the man into a thousand shreds.
Danny understood that it wasn’t easy for them. Still, it didn’t make the urge to smack both of them into understanding what was needed for them any lighter.
"If you’ve fallen out of love, spare yourselves the agony. You two look like you’re about to shit yourselves when you’ve been to balls crazier than this one. If it’s too much, you can sit this one out instead of suffering through it all.
"You both look miserable as fuck," Danny said, excusing himself.
Tamiko and Kosta followed him out, wordlessly.
Their faces then morphed into smiley ones...
As if they had practiced.
