The sound of slow footsteps echoed in the forest as Alec and Kenneth walked, side by side, in silence. Their earlier conversation made them think a lot about their future. Each one worried about a different thing. The pressure on Alec's chest started disappearing as now the king was next to him. He was concerned for the last two days about his safety but had to stay for his father's funeral. His feelings for the king were too strong that he could not stop thinking about him despite his mourning. The fact that he was alone in the palace, surrounded by people he could not trust bothered him a lot. Thankfully, Kenneth was still alright. He was with him now.Alec widened his eyes when he remembered what he saw before they found his father collapsed on the ground. He was on his way to the castle to warn Kenneth about Gwendolyn's lie but ended up staying at the village. The image of the queen taking off the pillow from under her dress reappeared in his mind, and he stopped wa

Keith put his mask on and approached the castle gates. The guards let him in, and he took a deep breath before he walked inside. He was away only for two days, and many things happened. He stopped walking when he noticed blood drops on the shiny floor. He widened his eyes, and his heart almost stopped as he feared something must have happened to the king.Keith followed the red stains until he arrived at the main hall where the king sat on the couch, looking worryingly at Alec, whose leg was bleeding."Alec?!" Keith ran and knelt in front of his best friend, "What happened?!" he yelled."Someone attacked us," Alec muttered, "His target was the king.""This is why you should not have gotten involved," Kenneth mumbled, frowning as he watched the physician clean Alec's wound.

Carl led the soldiers in the forest, following the path Keith described. There were dozens of armed men walking discreetly to avoid getting caught by the black-dressed enemies. He tightened his grip around his sword handle and looked behind to make sure his men were following, especially a handsome man whose skin got tanner after spending many days under the sun. Carl never paid attention to anyone as he did to Todd. His life was all about training harder to get promoted to a higher position, but lately, being by Todd's side brought him a foreign satisfaction. "Halt!" he raised his arm, signalling his men to stop walking. He walked further from them to check the surroundings, and as Keith said, a dozen trees circled a large camp. He shook his head in disbelief and walked back to warn his men and get ready to invade the tents.

Alec and Keith froze as they understood what the king meant by that night. "I was only but a child," Kenneth whispered as he eyed every inch of the man's face. "You made a child hold a sword and kill his parents." Gasps and whispers sounded in the room after they heard the king's last words. Kenneth never spoke about the past before. He let people around the palace and the villages believe all sorts of stories about the late sovereigns' death. That haunting memory was too painful that it made him weak, too weak to defend the truth. "I remember you," Kenneth cupped the man's face with one hand and squeezed his jaw tight, "Your laughter still sounds in my ear every night before I sleep. You enjoyed that, didn't you?" he squeezed tighter until the man groaned with pain. "You loved seeing an innocent child ending his

Alec pecked Kenneth's nose before standing up and extended his arm for the king to hold his hand. He smiled at him and led him to the bed. He lied on the soft mattress, and Kenneth slowly crawled on top of him. Alec looked heavenly handsome, like an angel sent to serve his king. His black hair spread on the mattress, highlighting his half-naked body.Kenneth placed his hands on his waist and kissed his lower abdomen, sending goosebumps through Alec's body. He pulled his waistband and started sliding his trousers down to expose his intimate zone.Alec bit his lower lip and smirked, "I remember when you wanted to cut my head." he said, playing with Kenneth's soft blond locks that tickled his naked abdomen. Kenneth chuckled and pecked his thigh, making his legs weaken. "I am happy w