Chapter Four
The best place to hide things is in the den of the enemy.
The tower worked well. It came with hiding spots and excuses.
To everyone else, it was a barren room. Nobody ever went up there even though the view was amazing.
A few thin window slits lit up the spiral stairs, and the way up was narrow, cold, and gloomy.
At the top, the large, round room was plain and lit with windows all around.
The thick glass wasn’t enough to keep out the chill. Luckily, being the King’s pleasure slave had granted Lumi a lovely, dark green cloak lined with fur.
He could have nice things for a while. After all, he was forever free, right? In the center of the space, he crouched so all he could see through the windows was the sky. No Castle grounds, no city, no people. It was just him, unending freedom, and the pattern he’d come to expect from above.
It would never end, and he’d always be free to see the shades of the sky that surely no one else was granted in other Kingdoms.
He went to the wall under the window directly across from the stairs.
The stones all looked exactly the same. He knew which one at the bottom was loose and picked at it to shift it.
It took a little maneuvering and was rather a nuisance.
It was fine because the last thing he needed if anyone ever decided to go up there by chance was for his secrets to accidentally fall out at someone’s feet.
Behind it was another loose stone, and he stood to slip his finger into the bottom casing of the window right above his spot. The casings were quite thick and old, and since one had come apart from the stonework, he’d been able to tuck a little iron stick inside.
The gap was so small, he had to use his pinky to reach in and inch the stick out enough to grasp. It was thinner than his pinky and had a tiny hook on the end. He crouched again and used it to work out the next stone. Behind it lay what he needed.
Finding a pair of matching reen quills had to have been quite a stroke of luck, and they had probably cost a fortune.
Reen birds had gone extinct a long time ago partly because they’d only had one or two babies in their lives, and people had kept hunting them for the feathers.
Supposedly, the meat had also been good.
Lumi’s blue and green one had a notch at the top, and he wondered if the first owner had more than one set. Two feathers had to be plucked at the same time so they’d make a working pair, and there weren’t many of them around anymore. One would have been an ordinary quill.
The erasing parchment they were bound to was also quite expensive since the spell for it took ages. He’d already been up there yesterday to write what time to expect him. The other person would have seen it at some point the day before, and now, they’d be waiting with their matching quill.
Lumi pulled out the jar of special ink that wouldn’t freeze, uncapped it, and dipped the tip of the reen quill into it.
He took his time as he wrote what he’d recently learned about King Elswere and Prince Jaki with the dark blue ink.
It faded slightly, and he knew the other was reading the words as they appeared.
The reply that appeared for Lumi was faded. I suspected that already even though he never dared to admit he was a bastard with no real Cleel blood. It’s good to have my thoughts confirmed. It’s almost funny how things work out.
Lumi didn’t find it funny.
Jaki is the real nuisance because if Elswere dies, I don’t think the Ice Court Prince will be content to sit on his arse and do nothing. He's also what I expected. Did you get any further information about the army? Locations, changes?
Lumi hadn’t cared to ask that night. He’d been more interested in confirming things about the Royal Family. I tried to ask, and he fell asleep. He drank too much wine.
Why on Ymir’s dirt wouldn’t you make sure he pulled back a bit on the wine? Not that much alcohol is required to make the person forget. It took you forever to acquire resin.
Lumi's stomach tightened as he dipped his quill in the ink again.
Who knows when I’d have another good chance?
I took it. He always drinks a lot at dinner, and he certainly won’t listen to me if I try to get him to lighten up.
I’m only his pleasure slave. Besides, his tongue often loosens with me on such matters because he thinks I have no head for remembering anything like that, and I’m simply someone to talk to.
That’s why I’ve been able to tell you all the locations and numbers.
There’s nothing in particular going on now.
Places near the border are guarded as before, and nothing has changed much.
He has no plans for invasion. He doesn’t want to actually fight. Things are stagnant here at the moment.
Figures he’s a coward.
Lumi scribbled a line. He’s afraid of Jaki dying in war.
His fake son. Have you found anything else useful lately?
No.
Nothing at all?
No.
Are you pregnant yet?
No.
Are you sure you haven’t been pregnant and maybe lost it after a couple of months?
It could happen to an abundant male, and Lumi would certainly notice if he were bleeding from his ass and shitting blood. He’d also never felt the supposed strange cramps which meant he’d already conceived.
I have not been pregnant at all.
I knew the fault was yours and not mine.
Lumi swallowed as the tip of his quill hovered over the ink jar. Of course, it was his fault. He'd often been reminded.
Are you still being fucked by a good deal of the court?
Yes. Lumi took a deep breath. They never get tired of me.
Just like me. What about Prince Jaki? Does he still fuck you too?
Lumi flicked his eyes up at the steely sky through the window before he wrote his lie. When he feels like it.
Whore.
The truth hurt.
I bet Prince Jaki isn’t as good as me.
Lumi focused on the grey sky for another moment before he wrote. He’s nothing like you.
The last bit was true in every way, and he could imagine the other writer smirking and thinking his bedroom skills and cock were better than Prince Jaki’s.
We’ll be together very soon. I need you to come back now. Pick a night within one week and get to the spot. I've already sent them to get you, and they're likely there already.
Lumi’s breath hitched as the parchment blurred.
What? No, no, no. He couldn’t. His freedom wasn’t supposed to end yet.
He was supposed to have one more year where he pretended and convinced himself his freedom was forever.
For a moment, he swore he felt the shackle on his wrist, and his hand shook as he wrote.
I’m supposed to stay another year. My contract.
So? Is your ass so great that Elswere will chase you down? He’ll find somewhere else to stick his cock.
But I could find out more. I’ll try to get more resin too.
I don’t need it, and I already knew that place is stagnant.
I’d rather you come back now. I’ve already sent the boat, and the men have likely been waiting for a couple of nights already.
They’ll be watching every night. Starting tonight, you have one week to get to it.
Do you understand me? Just because you signed a contract with him doesn’t mean I don’t own you.
I will always own you. You obey me first. You know what I'll do to you if you disobey.
Lumi’s hands trembled, and his heart nearly stopped when he heard the squeaky door down below close with a bang.
Yes.
Next to the yes, he scrawled a shaky triangle which meant it wasn’t safe anymore. The other would know not to expect further messages. He replaced the lid, wiped the quill on the parchment, and shoved it all back into the space. The words would fade entirely in a few hours.
Lumi was leaning against a window with his cloak closed around him to hide his slight shakiness. The sight of Prince Jaki both helped and worsened it. He’d never expected to see him up there.
In the wintery sunlight, the short, white fur on the Prince’s ears looked so soft, Lumi wanted to scratch them and play with the little tufts at the top.
He wanted to stroke his tail, lie next to him, kiss those lips, and enjoy many things beyond sex.
They were things he’d never get, especially since his eternal last year had been cut off.
With all of the typical cream, silver, and white of his clothes, Prince Jaki looked like the ruler of a mystical, lively land of snow and ice. Not a dying one.
Prince Jaki’s pink eyes practically pierced him.
In the wintry light, his pupils turned to narrow slits.
Lumi wanted to get on his knees and beg for his safety and protection.
He thought he had another year of freedom, and he had only focused on his time there.
Over and over, he’d told himself that his four years equaled forever, and he’d never have to go back.
Not once had he allowed himself to think of later because the act had to be maintained at all times. It had helped him keep his sanity because the prospect of returning was torture.
“What are you doing in my spot?” Prince Jaki finally asked as he twitched his white cloak even closer. Despite coming up the gloomy stairs the servants hadn’t bothered to clean in ages, the white fox fur on the bottom was immaculate.
If the tower was a favorite area to hide and think, it was the first Lumi knew of it. “It seems we both like the view.” He smirked. “Maybe we share a lot of likes.”
Prince Jaki stilled at those words for a second before he moved toward the window Lumi was by. “I doubt I have much in common with a whore.”
Lumi glanced through the glass at the sky. “You liked our little game. I’d say we had that in common.”
Prince Jaki’s glare could have cut ice. “You’re not the only one with a tight ass and a taste for pain, so don’t think you’re special. There aren’t any new faces at the whorehouse, and none of the willing courtiers are appealing. You were something to play with.”