Chapter Seven #2
Jaki winced inside before taking a sip of whiskey to chase away the medicinal taste. He’d tossed his half-brother out into the open hall after the truth resin had made him so out of it. He was one of those rare ones it wouldn’t work on, and it had made him completely incoherent within seconds.
Jaki had been cruel to him as a message, and he’d hoped it would make Lumi quickly break and spill his secrets. Treasonous people typically won’t admit anything when nicely asked.
Now, he regretted being so cruel to him despite the treason.
“I’ve seen him quite a few times over the past three years,” added the healer.
“Why?”
“Because he was the pleasure slave, and people were rough with him. They whipped him and left welts and bruises on him sometimes. He had to look fresh, so he’d come to me to be taken care of.”
“Did he have any injuries that didn’t seem like they were from rough play?”
“No. He had a scar down his torso that he said was from an accident when he was a kid, and he didn’t remember it. I guess he couldn't get a healer for it then.”
That was probably a lie. Jaki had seen the mark plenty of times when Lumi was railed after dessert in the Hall by whoever, and he’d often wondered. Lumi hadn’t cared if anyone asked about it.
Tivar had probably done it to him as a threat or a punishment. Tivar was known to have healing magic. It didn’t mean he’d always use it.
“I noticed he had a few faint white marks on his wrists,” he added.
She shrugged. “I assumed it was from being restrained before he worked here. Inexperienced people make mistakes. A cuff or a rope is too tight…I think the cane incident proves my point, Your Majesty.”
“True. Anything else about him?”
“No.”
“What about the other lords? Anything else strange or unusual? Anything that would make you think one hurt another on purpose?”
She shook her head with wide eyes. “No.”
“What about the ladies here?”
“There’s been nothing with them beyond typical female troubles.”
He sighed. “You can go.”
He gave her more money. After she left, he downed what was left in his glass and almost wished he hadn’t despite the warmth it gave him. Whiskey and blood loss weren’t the best combo.
He sat on a stool by the sideboard so he didn’t get blood on his couch and to avoid walking.
He hadn’t wanted to press too hard about Lumi, and it was fine if she thought someone else in the Castle might have done something wrong.
Lumi, being the pleasure slave, would be an easy target if someone liked doling out abuse.
Let her think whatever she liked about his questions.
It didn’t seem that anyone had done anything severe enough to cause trauma. It had come before.
He’d been more interested if Lumi had ever come with complaints about sexual injuries or strange pains.
Maybe even a possible pregnancy that he wanted to be rid of.
But she might not speak about anything quite that personal unless he prodded her more.
She hadn’t mentioned names, so he wasn’t sure who had warts or who learned a painful lesson with the cane. He could guess.
Lumi had said he was an abundant male, and he’d had the grey fever as a child so he'd never conceive. Grey fever came from a mushroom that was edible only if it was carefully dried and fully cooked. While people usually survived grey fever, it ruined the fertility of women and abundant males. Sometimes, it even affected a male’s seed, although that was far rarer.
Lumi was Edur, although Jaki had gotten used to the fake name.
He was positive the Royal Family never had grey fever at any point, and he knew Edur had been an abundant male.
Jaki knew the truth about their family and who he was since Elswere had always been honest about that with him.
He genuinely thought his nephew, Edur, was dead.
The evidence said so, and the entire Kingdom believed he was long gone. A badly burned cat fairy body had been laid to rest in the family tomb.
Pleasure slaves for a court to share was more of a western thing for those who had the kink. Father, since Jaki couldn’t help but think of him as that, had wanted one to share with any courtiers who wanted to use the slave too. A whorehouse down south had suggested someone, and it was Lumi.
However Tivar had worked it out was a mystery. While Elswere never seemed to think twice with his aging eyes and hadn't noticed the facial similarities, Jaki had been suspicious since day one.
And attracted. He had no idea why such lust had plagued him.
He’d even had the urge to bite and mark Lumi.
It had been hard to stuff it down when Lumi kept giving him looks like he wanted the Prince to mount him wherever.
It was even harder when Lumi would get on his lap, wiggle his ass, and say certain things.
For three years, Jaki had wanted him spread and gasping under him. He’d only held out for so long since he was sure Lumi was a spy, and Tivar had planted him there.
Besides not getting in bed with treasonous spies, one also shouldn't fuck their half-brother.
He’d kept his suspicions to himself because he wasn’t sure if he could get Elswere to believe such a thing. A treasonous pleasure slave who was also the supposedly dead Prince? If he told anyone else, would they assume he was crazy?
And now, Lumi had gone back to the one who had likely used and abused him. He hadn’t died at fourteen along with Aisi. He’d vanished because Tivar had taken him, hidden him away for years, and despite the act he’d played, sometimes, a glimpse of his missing years was in his eyes.
The heat made an abundant man desperate, and the courtiers didn’t care that he'd always used it because they liked it. It also made sex easier. The day in the tower proved he couldn’t manage it without his heat even if he physically responded.
The guilt was sour in Jaki’s gut. Every time he thought of those moments in the tower when Lumi had looked ready to crack when Jaki said what he wanted...
He shouldn’t have fucked him after he tried to torture the information out of him that morning. Lumi wouldn’t fucking stop acting as if they were playing interrogation, and Jaki hadn’t dared to admit his true suspicions because he hadn’t wanted to show his full hand.
He shouldn't have hurt him. If he’d lasted that long to where Tivar could put him somewhere and demand him to spy, the only thing to break him probably was Tivar.
Jaki rubbed his forehead. He also shouldn’t have fucked his half-brother who needed his heat to make it feel “good,” and he had no idea what to do now. He couldn’t simply go to Elswere and lay everything out. Not without looking like a madman.
Father did little anymore beyond the barest work. He didn’t prepare for war while the lands died, and the White Tide court held the dead Crown. As long as they kept their soldiers on the west side and didn’t cross the border, Elswere didn’t do anything in the east besides hold and wait.
Jaki stared down at the empty glass in his hands.
He might never see Lumi again.
***
Breakfast went on as usual the next morning.
Nobody seemed to have heard about Jaki being attacked in the city, although the guards would likely pass the story about.
It might take another day before a courtier caught wind of it.
He thought about Lumi returning to Tivar and likely more abuse.
It took effort to eat like nothing bothered him, but he was used to acting when needed.
Lumi wasn’t the only one, although Jaki was sure he wouldn’t have been able to keep up that much of a charade.
It was at lunch when Father finally asked him where Lumi was. The pleasure slave had rarely attended breakfast in the Hall.
Jaki shrugged and kept his carefully crafted neutral expression despite Father’s poor eyesight. “Maybe he had a late night that went on until morning?”
“He’s always up by lunch.”
Lumi usually told a few jokes or did light entertainment at lunch to amuse the courtiers. Public fucking was for after dessert in the evening. If a courtier wanted his ass, they went elsewhere during the day.
In Jaki’s eyes, it was daily rape. Or almost daily. The heat didn't change that, and it didn’t matter that Lumi had been committing one of the worst crimes. Treason wasn’t taken lightly anywhere, and some would say he shouldn’t feel sorry for Lumi or the urge to run and find him.
Father hadn't had the foggiest clue what had been going on. Jaki wasn’t sure how Lumi had been getting info back to Tivar. They’d surely been communicating in secret. Who knew what Father had said to him?
“Son?”
“Hm?”
“I asked you what’s wrong?”
“I guess you didn’t hear I was attacked last night.”
Father blinked. “No. What? Did someone take a swing at you in a tavern?”
“No, a vagrant stabbed me.”
Elswere gaped like a fish out of water. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“It’s not that big a deal. I’m fine now. The healer took care of me.” Jaki was still tired from the loss of blood, but Father didn’t need to know. “I have no idea who it was either, so there isn't anyone to go after.”
“Yes, it is a big deal. How did this happen?”
Jaki told him the fake version of the story since he wasn't about to say what Lumi did. Elswere fussed and tried to forbid his son from going out.
Jaki cast him a withering glare. “I’ll be twenty-four soon. I’m not a little boy you can force to remain at home.”
“You’re my son, and I’m protecting you. I can order you as King.”
“I’ll go out anyway.”
Elswere huffed. “At least take a guard. You’re the Crown Prin-”
“I don’t need a guard up my ass when I want to go fuck at the Snow Angels.”
“You just got stabbed,” Elswere hissed in a low voice.
“I wasn’t paying attention, and I should know better than to let my guard down and take dark side streets as shortcuts. It was my fault, and I’ll stick to the lit streets next time. Nobody would be foolish enough to attack me where guards tend to patrol. I will not be babysat.”