Two

Daniel stormed into the palace, his footsteps echoing sharply against the marble floors of the palace hall.

The massive doors slammed behind him with a thud that seemed to shake the ancient chandeliers overhead.

Servants scattered at the sight of his furious expression, bowing hastily and disappearing into side corridors. His blood was boiling.

He didn’t bother knocking as he pushed open the doors to the royal study. Inside, his parents sat waiting like kings on their thrones.

King Reginald Knight leaned back in his high backed leather chair, fingers placed under his chin, while Queen Eleanor sat beside him, her posture elegant and proud, a diamond necklace glittering coldly on her neck.

“Daniel,” his father said calmly, though his eyes were sharp as daggers. “You’ve returned sooner than expected. Good. We have important matters to discuss.”

“I have nothing to discuss with either of you,” Daniel growled, his voice low and dangerous.

He stood tall in the center of the room, fists clenched at his sides, still wearing the jacket he had grabbed from his room.

“This thing ends today. I will not marry Betty Calavarn. Not now. Not ever.”

Queen Eleanor sighed softly, rising from her seat with graceful precision. She approached him slowly, her heels clicking like a countdown.

“My son, you speak as if you have a choice in this decision, the rumors we spread were not just gossip.

They were preparation. The engagement will be announced within the week, and the wedding will follow by the end of the month.”

Daniel laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the opulent room. “Preparation?

You went behind my back and told the entire country I’m engaged to a woman I barely tolerate! Do you have any idea what that does to me?”

King Reginald slammed his hand on the heavy oak desk, making a stack of folded documents jump.

“Watch your tone, boy. You are the Crown Prince of Avanguard. Your duty is to this kingdom, not to whatever unnecessary pleasures you chase around.”

“Betty comes frok a good lineage. Her family’s wealth and political alliances will secure the relationship between us and get us more partnerships. This marriage is not negotiable.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

“I have told you repeatedly, I do not love her. I will never love her. Forcing this will only create a union that will embarrass the crown when it finally falls apart.”

His mother reached out, placing a cool hand on his arm. Her touch was meant to be comforting, but it felt like chains.

“Love is a luxury for commoners, Daniel. You have been indulging yourself far too long. We know about your… distractions. That boy you keep hidden away. Do you think we are blind?”

Daniel froze. His heart slammed against his ribs. They knew about Raine?

The Queen continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Yes, we know Daniel.” “Three years of secret meetings, payments, gifts. An apartment bought with royal funds in your account. Did you really believe you could keep such a thing from us?”

“We only allowed it because it kept you discreet and satisfied while we prepared for your real future. But that ends now.”

“You will not touch him,” Daniel snarled, stepping closer to his mother. His eyes blazed with protective fury. “Raine is none of your concern.

King Reginald stood abruptly, his tall frame imposing.

“He is very much our concern if he interferes with your royal duty. Refuse this marriage, and we will destroy him. Publicly. We will expose every transaction, every late night visit. The media will paint him as a gold digging whore who seduced the prince. His life will be ruined, school, reputation, everything. And you… you will be stripped of your title and inheritance if you continue this.”

The words hit Daniel like a physical blow. He stared at his father, chest heaving. For a moment, the grand study felt really suffocating, the weight of centuries of royal expectation pressing down on him.

“You would threaten your own son?” Daniel asked, voice cracking slightly despite his anger.

“We are saving you,” his mother replied softly. “Betty is beautiful, educated, and willing. She understands her role. She has already agreed to the match and is prepared to overlook your…..side matters after the wedding, as long as they remain hidden. You can keep your toy if you must, but in private. After you produce an heir.”

Disgust curled in Daniel’s stomach. The thought of marrying Betty while keeping Raine as a secret side piece made him feel physically ill. Raine deserved better than the scraps he game him.

He deserved more than what Daniel had been giving him, late night visits, money, rough sex followed by cold departures. But admitting that out loud felt like stepping off a cliff.

“I won’t do it,” Daniel said firmly. “I refuse. Find another way to secure your alliances. I am not a pawn for you to sold out.”

His father’s face darkened. “Then you leave us with no choice. As of this moment, your accounts are frozen. The apartment you bought for that boy? It will be seized by morning. Every payment you made to him will be traced and used as evidence. If you walk out that door without agreeing, we will release the first wave of scandals tonight. Your precious Raine will wake up to his face on every news site tomorrow.”

Daniel’s mind raced. He had his own personal money which he earned from busniess.

Millions, but he never mentioned it to his father.

He pictured Raine curled on the couch, tears streaming down his face after hearing the news. The way he would looked so small, so fragile. The thought of the media tearing him apart, calling him names, invading his privacy, destroying the fragile life Daniel had helped build for him made something inside Daniel twist painfully.

He turned away from his parents, pacing toward the tall windows overlooking the palace gardens. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the lawns.

He remembered the first night he met Raine three years ago. The boy had been terrified, huddled quietly in that club corner, trying to disappear.

Daniel had paid off his debts that very week, moved him into a safe apartment, and offered the contract. It was supposed to be simple, pleasure with no strings, no feelings.

But feelings had crept in anyway. For both of them or for him at least.

“You don’t understand,” Daniel muttered, almost to himself. “Raine isn’t just… he’s not what you think.”

Queen Eleanor approached again, her voice gentler now, like a serpent offering comfort. “We do understand, darling. Youthful rebellion. But the throne demands your sacrifice.

Marry Betty, secure the future of Avanguard. In time, you may even grow to respect her. We are not monsters.”

Daniel spun around, eyes blazing. “You are exactly that. You would destroy an innocent person to force my hand into something I'm not interested in.

I came here today because I was already angry…..angry at the rumors you spread, angry at being trapped.

But now? Now I see how little I truly matter to you beyond being a tool for power.”

King Reginald’s voice boomed. “Enough! Sign the agreement tonight, or face the consequences. We have already scheduled the press conference for tomorrow evening. Betty will be by your side, smiling in front of the cameras. You will stand there as the dutiful prince, or we will burn everything you care about.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Daniel’s mind flooded with images of Raine, his moans turning to soft giggles in the light, the way he snuggled close after sex, the quiet hurt he tried so hard to hide when Daniel always left.

He had pushed Raine away many times, terrified of how much he needed him. And now his parents were threatening to take even that away.

“I need time,” Daniel finally said, his voice strained.

“You have until sunrise,” his father replied coldly. “One night to come to your senses. After that, we moves forward, with or without your consent.”

Daniel didn’t reply. He turned and walked out of the study, shoulders rigid. The hallway stretched endlessly before him, lined with pictures of ancestors who had made similar sacrifices. He pulled out his phone, fingers hovering over Raine’s number, but he stopped himself.

He headed toward his private chambers, slamming the door shut behind him. He poured himself a drink, the amber liquid burning down his throat. Collapsing into a chair, he ran a hand through his hair, mind swirling with conflict.

Part of him wanted to burn it all down, leave the throne, take Raine, and disappear.

But the other part, the prince raised since birth to serve Avanguard, knew the cost would be too high. Not just for him, but for the people who relied on the crown.

Minutes passed as he sat there, staring into the darkness. His parents’ threats echoed in his head. Betty’s name felt like a rope tightening around his neck.

And Raine….. sweet, clingy, beautiful Raine, who had started looking at him with love he wasn’t supposed to feel.

Daniel closed his eyes, remembering the warmth of Raine’s body against his the last time he went there. The peace he had found in those arms, even for a short nap. He needed that peace now more than ever.

But peace had a price. And his parents were determined to make him pay it.

By the time the clock struck midnight, Daniel’s anger had not faded it had transformed into something colder, more calculated. He would try find a way out of this.

Daniel stood by the window in his chambers, staring out at the darkened gardens.

The palace felt like a prison tonight, every wall closing in. His phone buzzed on the table, a message from one of his aides about the upcoming press schedule. He ignored it.

He thought of Raine’s trembling voice, the tears, the way he would flinched when hit with the news. Guilt twisted deep in his chest, mixing with the fury that still burned hot. He would hurt the one person who gave him real peace, all because he couldn’t control the power in his parents hamds.

A soft knock sounded at the door. Before he could answer, it opened, and his mother stepped inside, her expression composed but determined.

“Daniel,” she said quietly, closing the door behind her. “You must see reason. This is quite bigger than your feelings for that boy.”

He didn’t turn around. “Leave me alone, Mother.”

“We cannot. The Calavarn family is expecting your formal proposal by morning. Refuse, and the consequences will be worse.

Not just for you, for him. We have evidence, photos, bank records. Everything.”

Daniel finally faced her, his eyes hard. “You would blackmail your own son?”

“We would protect the crown,” she corrected. “And if protecting it means removing an obstacle, so be it. End things with Raine cleanly, marry Betty.

In a year or two, once the alliance is secure, you can resume your private affairs. Discreetly.”

The suggestion made bile rise in his throat. “He’s not an affair. He’s… more than that.”

Queen Eleanor’s eyebrows rose slightly. “More? Then you have already broken your own rules, haven’t you? Feelings were never part of the contract, Daniel. You knew that from the beginning.”

He stayed silent, the truth of her words cutting deep. He had warned Raine countless times. No feelings. Just sex. Just pleasure. Yet here he was, unable to imagine his life without the boy who made him feel human.

“Think of Avanguard,” his mother continued, stepping closer. “Your father is not well. The pressure of leadership is increasing. This marriage will ease that burden. Betty is ready to stand by your side, she cares for you.”

“She cares for the crown,” Daniel muttered.

“Perhaps. But that is enough for now.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sleep through it. By sunrise, we expect your answer. Make the right choice, my son. For everyone’s sake.”

With that, she left, the door clicking shut softly behind her.

Daniel sank back into his chair, head in his hands.

The weight of the kingdom, his parents’ threats, and the image of Raine’s hurt face pressed down on him until breathing felt difficult. He wanted to go back to Raine right then, to pull him close and apologize, to bury himself in the warmth that only Raine could provide. But he couldn’t. Not yet.

Not while everything hung in the balance.

The night stretched on, heavy with unspoken decisions and looming consequences. Daniel sat there until the first light of dawn crept through the windows, his mind made up on o

ne thing only: he would protect Raine, no matter the cost.

The night stretched on but Daniel could only think of one thing.

“I'm sorry Raine.