XXV
"We've sent our corruption unit to investigate the Bullmar knights, following your insight.
" his father said. "As well, we've told our crime unit to deal with the bandit problem, we've since found the bodies that you dealt with, along with another scene that you must have driven past on your journey. "
?"The other was my dealing as well, Your Grace." Alex said.
?"Very good." the duke nodded. "Was the trip to the saintess insightful at all?"
?Alex hesitated. His father was framed by the large windows behind him, the light piercing through and darkening his father's face to an almost silhouette, making it uncomfortable to look him in the eye.
?"Ino has concerns." he hedged, uncomfortable.
?"She normally does." the duke chuckled, linking his fingers together on the table. "Nothing pleases that girl, like your mother. Even so, she's quite the sharp one. What did she say?"
?Alex shuffled his weight on his feet. "You have her letter..."
?"Yes, but I want to hear it from your mouth."
?Alex had no idea what Ino had written on that slip of parchment, it could have been anything ranging from nothing to everything.
He got the feeling that Ino would only share so much, she was intelligent enough to not reveal all her cards so quickly, but he had no idea how far that went.
He needed their stories to match otherwise either he or Ino would be in trouble for withholding information.
?"She believes that Eris is good for James.
" he answered, as vaguely as possible, trying to find a way to divert the conversation.
"Also, he's more fluent in the royal language than I am, which is something to consider.
He also seems to have a lot of knowledge about inner royal workings, especially regarding the Ankaid royal house and King Fabian. "
?His father laughed, shaking his head. "My son, you're very thoughtful, but those kinds of things are unnecessary to tell me about. We know who he is, we just want to know what he's like; his mental state, his morals, his collaborative qualities. So, tell me about those."
?Alex didn't let the relief reach his face, knowing he'd successfully avoided trampling on Ino's toes.
"Well, he's very unpredictable without his relic, a lot more emotionally volatile and prone to emotional outburst. However, he is a lot calmer with her and he becomes a lot more logical and deliberate.
As for his morals..." Alex winced at the thought, "Well, he is perfectly happy to kill people, but he draws the line at what he calls 'innocents'.
" Alex's fingers flicked on the imaginary apostrophes.
?"Innocents?" the duke seemed deep in thought over the word.
?Alex nodded. "I've seen him kill people for the sake of civilians. His moral compass is as good as you can get in an assassin."
?"That's very promising, if true. We don't want to replace one problem with another."
?"Your Grace, if you'd allow me to ask... what do you mean by that?"
?His father narrowed his eyes, his irises like a piercing ice. Alex tried to calm the flutter of nerves that arose.
?"You've been very daring recently, Alex."
?"I apologise, Your Grace. I've been rude."
?The duke cracked a smile, Alex reluctantly relaxed.
?"That's okay, son. I like my children to be ambitious, we just want the best for our house. Let's just say that a big wave will come after King Fabian's death and James will be a very valuable asset to have under our thumb. We want to get some control over him."
?Alex did his utmost best to not react to the implication his father was dangling over his head.
?Once he was let go, he immediately went to find James, hurrying through the corridors and nearly pummelling into busy servants on his way.
?There was only one explanation that fit.
King William's recognition of him, his arrogant impertinence towards King Fabian, his possession of a relic, his father's words about a 'replacement' and James' 'value' were all beginning to make sense to him.
James' odd hints and truths fit in place like a sashimono joint.
?James was royalty.
?Even his colouring was similar to the late King Leonardo's; the golden hair and red eyes.
He was a relative of the late king. His father planned to kill King Fabian and replace him with James.
That was why they were so concerned about James' morals; they didn't want to trade the smoke with a flame.
?Alex stopped by James' guest room but he wasn't there. He cursed, and turned on his heel to the training grounds, the next most probable place.
?The revelation painted James' behaviour in a different light. James wasn't simply being provocative and insolent when he called King Fabian names and insulted him in front of others; it was likely he had known King Fabian personally at some point.
?James had called King Fabian's family's deaths suspicious only the morning before and Alex hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming James was flaunting his disregard for the man to be an annoyance.
It was possible he was on the run because he knew something he shouldn't have.
Alex could still recall the colour-draining gape James had when Alex had told him of their assassination plan back in the torture chamber.
They were asking him to kill his relative.
?He almost bumped into someone as he passed through the entrance hall, turning his shoulders to avoid impact.
?"Watch where you're going, clay face."
?Alex bristled, recognising that voice. He stopped immediately to give his attention to the man like a trained dog, out of habit.
?"So this is where you've been skulking around all this time, huh?
I thought maybe you'd done a runner." his brother snarled, pulling his lapels to correct his attire.
He was the spitting image of the duke, his eyes the duchess' green instead of his father's blue, those very eyes glared at him in disgust.
?"Caelan. I hope you've been well." Alex said, his fingers flexing as he kept his impatience reeled in.
?"That's 'Your Lordship', to you." his brother replied. "No amount of education would teach you people manners."
?In his peripheral vision he saw some royal knights rush like school boys down the corridor that led to the training grounds, sniggering. Alex had to keep himself rooted where he was, even though he felt keyed up.
?"Are you listening, Alex?"
?Alex couldn't wait any longer, he sidestepped Caelan with a clasp to his shoulder.
?"Sorry, Caelan. I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
?He heard his brother splutter angrily behind him as he rushed towards the corridor the knights had disappeared down.
Caelan yelled something behind him, threatening to tell the duke, but he would worry about the consequences later.
He hoped Riley wasn't setting James up for yet another violent scene.
He didn't like the excited buzz of the knights in the air.
?As he got closer, he began to recognise the roar of applause and heckling, his pace becoming more urgent.
He had to push through crowds of bulky-built knights of all sorts of different ranks and divisions, his height and brawny build helped him shove people out the way.
All windowed-doors were open, people spilling out into the courtyard, jeering loudly.
?He pushed to the front, seeing Thomas and James in the middle of the excitement, left with lots of room to dart around in. Alex could spot some civilians and civil servants cheering from the loggias and balconies as well as the two men put on a show.
?James wielded two blunt knives whilst Thomas held a heavy iron training sword in his hands; whilst not fatal, the weapon was very capable of breaking bones if it hit someone in the wrong place.
Alex boggled at James' poor choice of weapon.
Both men were panting heavily, their faces red from the exercise.
It was likely they had been at it for a while, but neither seemed particularly hurt nor did either appear as if they'd give up any time soon.
?"Go on Thomas, show him!" a knight cheered nearby.
?"Fuck him up!"
?James tilted his head in challenge, flipping his knives around in a taunting circle.
Thomas went for it, rushing towards James who deflected the heavy blade with one of his knives and side-stepped out the way, trying to use Thomas' momentum and gravity against him.
He attempted to jab one of his blades into Thomas' side but Thomas ducked to the side and rolled on the ground to escape and increase distance.
As if predicting this manoeuvre, James pounced on him before he could complete the movement, the two falling into a clumsy heap as James wrestled the other man into submission.
The crowd hissed and groaned in disappointment, urging Thomas to buck him off.
?Alex watched on in amazement. Swords were almost useless once you were grounded, there wasn't enough striking room and the weight was too heavy to use properly.
James had baited Thomas into the worst position.
He didn't flinch as Thomas got a few hits in at his stomach and ribs, using his fists, nor did he seem to register the pain on his face at all.
?Despite having the upper hand, James got up and retreated, giving his knives another experimental twirl, allowing Thomas to get back onto his feet and pick up his sword. Some knights near him tutted and Alex got the impression that this must have been a cycle they'd repeated multiple times over.
?James went to pull his shirt off, Thomas waited for him to do so, he used it to wipe the sweat on his body and forehead before throwing it to the side.
James stared hatefully at the bandages that had begun to unravel on his arm and tore those away too, his scarred upper body plain for everyone to see.
Most of the knights were too focused on the competition to care, but Alex did hear a few sympathetic hisses.
The scars that littered that man's body were a sight to behold.
?Whilst Alex had seen James without a shirt numerous times, it was either in a strict professional capacity or he had avoided looking. But, with the number of people focused on this match, he almost felt like it was okay to look.
?James was leaner than him, but his shoulders were broad and his muscles were generously packed hard all over his body.
He had very little body fat which further defined them, every movement of the arm, every twitch of his fingers, caused them to flex and pull under his skin.
Even from a distance he could see veins streaking down his biceps and Alex knew from earlier interactions that those veins were pronounced in his hands as well.
There was very little you call soft about the man.
?James turned slightly, revealing his chest to Alex's gaze.
Alex bit his lip hard, hoping the pain would snap him out of his ogling.
James' strong pecs dipped below in the middle as they trailed down into his abs, a sheen of sweat catching the light and pronouncing them.
He turned his head, feeling his face heat up.
?Alex was sure he must have been the only person to ever reject James' advances, one would have been insane to turn down someone like that. James looked as if he'd been carved into marble by the gods.
?Even so, Alex couldn't help but feel suspicious that James was more interested in humiliating him rather than actually wanting him.
Brown skin was hardly an attractive trait in the empire and Alex wasn't a feminine man either, nor was James, it wouldn't make sense for a masculine man like James to want him.
?An uproar in the crowd snapped Alex's attention back to see James holding Thomas' weapon in his hand, waving it gleefully as he kept it out of Thomas' reach.
After an unsuccessful bid for his weapon back James bonked him lightly on the head with it, laughing in delight.
Thomas' next lunge was more successful and James fell to his back with a loud thud.
Alex winced at the noise and started walking towards them, wanting to stop the match before it became too violent.
?By the time Alex had reached them, James had twisted his body around Thomas in a head-lock on the ground, whilst Thomas only had one free hand which uncomfortably tried to hit James over and over, the angle weak.
?"Stop." Alex ordered, towering over them with his arms crossed.
?The two men froze and stopped wrestling, but James kept him in the grasp, their bodies coated in pale dirt and dust. They looked up at him in surprise, their smiles wide and their heavy breathing shaking with weak laughter.
?"Let go of him, James."
?James' bared his teeth mischievously, but then let go, allowing Thomas to clamber away and rise to his feet.
James shortly followed, Thomas pulling him up.
To Alex's surprise, the two men clasped hands, bumping their shoulders into each other in camaraderie, despite the bruises that decorated their bodies.
They weren't this friendly with each other when Alex saw them together last.
?"Having fun, were we?" Alex murmured, looking between the two of them.
?A lot of the knights had already left, their entertainment for the day ending, the noise quieting. Perhaps they also didn't want to be seen slacking off work in front of their boss' son.
?"I wanted to test him." James huffed, still in high spirits. Thomas rolled his eyes.
?Alex raised an eyebrow. "To embarrass my men?"
?"No, sunshine," James drawled, "Thomas is one of the only professionals here. I wanted to see if his physical capabilities were just as sharp as his behaviour."
?"I'm standing right here, psycho." Thomas muttered.
?"His behaviour?" Alex asked, confused. Thomas looked like he wanted to leave the conversation, not wanting to listen to people talk about him, but Alex shook his head and kept him there.
?James nodded enthusiastically. "He respects your authority, which seems to be rare, no offence." Alex couldn't exactly be offended if it was true, though he did feel a sting of embarrassment. "What family are you from?" James went on to ask Thomas.
?"The Viscount of Kilerth." Thomas answered, "I'm the second grandson of the title heir."
?James blinked. "I should've been addressing you as Your Lordship all this time, huh?"
?"Yes, you should have." Thomas replied, though he didn't seem too angry. There was only so much respect you could expect from James and the little of it you could get was earned.
?If James had really grown up as a relative of King Fabian, it made sense he was so blasé about other people's titles— it was likely his own family was much higher standing. He probably never had to learn to respect nobles because they were all mostly below him.
?"Does your family own slaves, Thomas?" James went on to ask, disregarding etiquette.
?Thomas' eyes darted to Alex and then looked away again in a hurry, conflicted.
?"They do," Thomas answered carefully, avoiding looking at Alex, "but my family pays them a wage."
?James whistled in surprise. "Very unusual. I guess that explains it. You probably have more respect for them than the average person."
?"I'm not a slave, James." Alex grunted, frowning.
?"No fucking shit, Alex. I'm talking about his racial attitudes."
?"Can I just go?" Thomas asked, awkwardly, gesturing towards the doors. Alex gave him a dismissive hand in an affirmative, annoyance simmering. Thomas escaped before anything could stop him.
?"Why are you even here speaking to me, right now?" James huffed. "You made it clear you want nothing to do with me."
?Alex shut his mouth when no words came out. Why had he come here? He knew James was a royal relative, but what of it? Was he going to tell James that he knew that and for what?
?When Alex remained silent, James snorted and bent over to pick up his shirt, his shoulders rolling and the muscles in his back flexing with the movement, the sight captivated him. He was glad James put it back on though, he was finding it hard to keep his lust in check and his mind on track.
?"I didn't know you were skilled with knives," is what Alex ended up saying instead.
?James shrugged, looking at the blunt blades in his hands. "I couldn't take Eris to all my jobs; she's too big. Often I had to blend in with crowds and knives a lot easier to hide, also I can drop them at any moment."
?"You can use them despite your palms?"
?James scanned Alex's face for a moment but nodded. "Well, like I've said before, I have no feeling in them anymore. As long as the muscles are intact, I'm fine."
?"Right." It made sense. Alex inwardly fought for another thing to say.
?James sighed. "Alex, stop dragging. Why are you here?"
?The problem was that Alex didn't know why he was there.
?A knight almost tripped into them, the clashing of wooden swords echoing in the courtyard as the men got back to their training. James pulled him out the way by his arm, Alex's throat clenched.
?"Let's get out of here first. "James murmured.
?They got out of the sun and walked down the loggias, reaching a more private corridor, the air cooler.
?"Where's Eris?" Alex inquired. She wasn't hanging off James' body like he expected.
?James' frame tensed and he stopped walking, staring at the ground. "I left her in the room." he said, his voice hesitant.
?"Oh, how come?"
?James looked up, conflicted, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Truthfully, I feel uncomfortable holding her right now after..." James waved his palms with a frown, the burns red and angry. "Now tell me what you want."
?"I want to change my question."
?Caught off guard, James' eyes widened. "Okay... what did you want to change it to?"
?This wasn't what Alex wanted to say at all, but as he stared at the handsome man in front of him, he couldn't stop the urge.
Those red eyes bore right back into him, their vivid colour nature's warning to ward people away from him, alerting other animals about the danger, about the blood that would spill.
But, instead of wanting to flee, Alex felt drawn to them, his instincts compromised.
?Alex squared his shoulders, gathering the courage. "When you wanted to..." he trailed off, his face warming, "Are you actually attracted to me, or do you just want to embarrass me?"
?It clearly wasn't the kind of question that James had expected from him, his lips parted in surprise, but they quickly curved and pulled into a toothy smile. Alex wasn't sure if he was still breathing.
?"Alex." James started, looking away and shaking his head before returning his attention back to him.
"I've never once gone out of my way to try and embarrass you.
" he said, taking a step closer whilst Alex remained very still.
"I find you very attractive and the fact that you don't realise how sexy you are makes you even more irresistible. "
?James was standing so close that Alex could feel the brush of his breath fluttering on his chin, the red lustful gaze boring into him. James' tongue brushed his own lower lip and Alex watched, resisting the urge to close the gap.
?Instead, he took a step away and cleared his throat. James appeared disappointed but not offended, letting him.
?"I was just curious." Alex muttered uncomfortably, the words sounded brutally untrue even to his own ears and he winced.
?"Of course." James accepted, holding his hands behind his back.
?Alex nodded curtly and turned to walk away but James called out to him.
?"Can I meet you after supper?" James asked. Alex swallowed roughly, panic rising within and then James laughed. "My bad! I didn't mean like that, there's just something I want to talk to you about."
?Relaxing, Alex nodded, not trusting his voice and then fled. James wasn't the one embarrassing him, he was embarrassing himself.