Sebastian didn’t sleep much on his return flight to Albion, he had too much to think about.
Edward’s willingness to cooperate had taken him by surprise. He had been expecting a lot of resistance. Maybe he could hope that Edward still loved him.
It was strange to see Edward with different hair and less muscular. He looked happy and healthy in all the surveillance photos which made him feel a little bitter.
The other students on Edward’s photography course had been asked about Edward or rather, Gabriel Dubois. He was popular and considered good looking, but had remained single the entire time. Sebastian had been relieved to hear that until he had met the barista of the coffee shop. He didn’t like the thought of anyone else having the chance to date Edward.
A royal advisor appeared at his side.
“Angela has sent through the schedule for Queen Annelise’s funeral. Would you like to look at it now?”
Sebastian switched to work mode. He had a l
Edward was woken up in the morning by a knock at the door. He took a moment to realise that he was no longer in his bedroom in Switzerland, he was in the royal palace in Albion. “Who is it?” he asked sleepily. “It’s Bernadette, you have a meeting before breakfast at 8. I suggest you get up very soon.” Edward groaned. No one had mentioned that the meeting would be this early. It was 7:00am now. “I’ll get up,” he said sleepily. He heard Bernadette’s footsteps fade away and he pushed away the bedcovers. If the meeting was about his marriage it meant Sebastian would be there. He persuaded himself to get out of bed. The plane journey combined with the awkward dinnertime the previous evening had exhausted him. He had a quick shower and got dressed. His black roots were starting to show in his hairline again. He would have to ask if the royal advisors wanted him to have brown hair or his natural black hair. He wouldn’t mind going back to his
Edward checked that his camera had plenty of battery and loaded an empty memory card into the camera for his photoshoot. Sebastian had been visibly disappointed by the photoshoot request, but he had agreed to it eventually. “Remind me why I have to be your model again,” Sebastian requested when Edward walked into his office. “As I said before, the assignment is a male model photoshoot. You’re the only male I can use,” Edward explained. “I’m not allowed to socialise so I don’t know anyone else at university. If I use someone here like Ryan, everyone is going to wonder if I’m cheating on you. That means it has to be you.” Sebastian didn’t look entirely convinced, but he got up from his desk. “What do you want me to do?” “How much time do you have to spare?” Edward questioned. “Ideally I want to get all the photos at once.” “You can have an hour of Prince Sebastian, the male model,” his husband replied. Edward decided the be
They spent a long time wrapped up in each other. Edward was sad to notice how much time had passed when he checked his watch. “I think I should leave now,” he said. “You do have a lot of work to do.” Sebastian’s desk was littered with piles of paperwork. It was likely only to get worse when he became king. His husband pouted at him. “It feels unfair to part so soon. We’ve only just reconciled,” Sebastian’s pout changed into a smirk. “Did you want to visit me in my bedroom tonight?” Edward’s eyes narrowed. He did remember that they had been planning to sneak around at night a year ago. He just couldn’t see how it was possible. “How am I going to manage that without being seen? You never told me how we were going to manage it last time.” “There’s a secret passage,” Sebastian said simply. Edward wasn’t sure on whether or not to believe him. He remembered the secret room in the ballroom and the age of the palace. It was lik
“I think we also should stay together forever,” Sebastian agreed. “Don’t run away again.”Edward leaned in for a very quick kiss.“Thank you for my present. I don’t have anything to give you in return though.”It wasn’t like he was able to go out to buy anything. He was always trapped.“Your undying love in return feels fair,” Sebastian quipped.Edward nudged him. “You already have that. I just didn’t tell you.”Sebastian moved in for a kiss that became very deep and tongue filled. Edward was breathless by the time they parted.“I need to get back to work before Angela comes to find where I am,” Sebastian said. “There’s only one number in the phone. You’ll find it’s the most important one.”Sebastian left the library after readjusting his blond hair to its usual style. Edward took a moment to recover his
Rehearsals for the crowning ceremony started in full force the following day. Sebastian spent the morning being fitted for his formal clothes and trying on the crown. It was odd to feel the weight of the crown on his head. It was a lot heavier than it had looked on his mother’s head. The crown was gold and had emeralds on each peak. It was centuries old and had to be restored every few years. The original fur lining had been replaced with synthetic fur ten years before for a better public image. “How do I look?” he asked Edward when his husband turned up. Edward stared at him silently and gave him a thumbs up. “You look very kingly,” he said. “For someone who got a higher grade in creative writing than me, that wasn’t very imaginative,” Sebastian retorted. “Did you want to try it on?” “Am I even allowed to?” Edward asked and looked around nervously. Sebastian knew that the answer was likely no. He wasn’t bothered though
Sebastian felt a feeling of dread in his stomach. He had never expected to have a police visit about his mother’s death. It was odd especially given that it had been a few weeks since her death.“Let them in,” he said after a long moment of silence.It wasn’t like he could turn the police officers away. It wouldn’t reflect well on himself or the palace.Angela drew back and showed two men into the room. Sebastian immediately identified that the taller one with dark hair and moustache was the superior officer from his steely confident exterior. The second officer was shorter and looked very nervous.“Good morning, Prince Sebastian. I am Detective Superintendent Daniel Edgeworth from Albion police headquarters. The person next to me is Detective Inspector Felix Albury,” the superior officer told him.“It’s nice to meet you two,” he replied. “Please take a seat. I am busy at the moment
Sebastian hadn't originally cared who saw them hugging in that moment. When he heard a cough from one of Edward's bodyguards, he was brought back to reality. He quickly let go of Edward.“There’s been some very bad news today,” he told him. “I wanted to speak to you in private.”Edward’s bodyguards made themselves scarce and Sebastian led Edward to his office.“The police are here. My mother didn’t die naturally, she was poisoned,” he told him.A variety of emotions flicked across Edward’s face. Sebastian guessed that his face had been the same when the police officers had told him. Edward gave him a hug.“Sorry about being an emotional wreck. I was also told I am technically the top suspect,” Sebastian said.Edward drew back from the hug in indignation.“You’re the last person I would suspect of murder,” he protested and went back to hugging him
Edward’s heart thudded in his chest. He was now very worried about Sebastian’s future. He didn’t want to see him arrested for something he didn’t do. He did his best to calm down so he could think everything through carefully. They had to have guessed he was in a romantic relationship with Sebastian from the marriage and were trying to trap him somehow. “I am happy to help with the investigation,” he answered carefully. “I just don’t think Prince Sebastian is the murderer.” “Why do you think that is the case?” Daniel asked evenly. “Prince Sebastian has always been the heir to the throne. He could have just waited for her to die naturally. There’s no need to murder her whilst he’s still a teenager,” Edward replied. “He’s also never shown any violent inclinations since I’ve met him.” The younger police officer slid a sheet of paper across to him. Edward saw it was an official royal document with Queen Annelise’s signature about setting up the go