Chapter 49 #2
There was a subtle edge to his tone; a hint of jealousy Rain didn’t miss.
“He’s my Captain,” Rain clarified, tapping the message.
Henry’s voice crackled through the speaker:
“Your Highness, I was just apprehended by your father’s army just south of Romandy Point.
A squadron of at least four hundred.
It was… not friendly.
I had to call rank and make it known that I was Aetherial and the cousin of King Taffy.
Audible sigh.
Only then did they let me leave — after turning the truck inside out, mind you. Bloody vultures.
This isn’t normal interaction with your kingdom, which leads me to believe King Azrien suspects we’re up to something. I suppose we are aiding you without his knowledge.
They didn’t get anything out of me. I told them to speak to my King as I was out on a royal errand.
Your orders are safely tucked away in my breast pocket; they didn’t frisk me.
I await your orders regarding this matter, Your Highness. But no doubt Taffy will hear of this from your father — perhaps we should ensure he hears it from us first.”
The message ended.
Jay’s face drained of colour.
His already puffy eyes looked stark against the sudden pallor of his skin. Horrified, he reached out and grabbed Rain’s wrist; instinctively, protectively.
Rain’s stomach twisted.
He should not have listened to that message in public.
Not with Jay.
Not with anyone.
“Why would King Azrien have troops near Romandy?” Jay asked, voice trembling as he searched Rain’s eyes for answers.
Rain sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” he said calmly, though tension coiled beneath his tone. “But it leads me to believe he’s followed my demands and removed the troops from the southern region.”
He met Jay’s gaze; steady and serious.
“What are they telling you? And Jay… please. Keep what you heard and what we discuss, between us. I trust you. But I need to remind you that anything I share in confidence must stay between us.”
Jay’s expression shifted; something inside him settling, solidifying.
Conviction.
Loyalty.
A quiet, fierce protectiveness Rain had never expected to see directed at him again.
He tightened his grip around Rain’s wrist, grounding them both.
“You can trust me,” he said, and the certainty in his voice made Rain’s chest ache.
Jay swallowed, then continued, words tumbling out in a rush as he tried to make sense of everything he’d heard.
“We haven’t heard anything. But my dad hasn’t been home since Rozday. The council is working nonstop with the King—that’s all I know.”
He paused, brow furrowing.
“That was a Pink captain, wasn’t it? Why are the Pinks helping you and not the King? Why would they help a prince hide our princesses, especially when it goes against another king’s wishes? Does this count as a breach of the alliance? What do they have to gain?”
The questions poured out of him; frantic, confused, desperate for clarity.
Rain exhaled slowly.
“Firstly,” he said, “I am a King, not a prince.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Jay froze.
His face flickered between confusion, disbelief, and something like awe.
Rain winced.
He hadn’t meant to reveal that.
Not like this.
Not to Jay; not when everything between them was already so fragile.
“I shouldn’t have told you that,” Rain admitted quietly. “Please don’t tell the others. I don’t want them to view me differently. Not yet.”
Jay’s eyes widened further, his breath catching.
Rain pressed on, trying to steady the moment.
“There’s a lot you don’t know, and I can’t tell you—not yet. But to answer your question: yes, the Pinks want me to marry their princess. And in good faith, they offered me aid when I requested it. Without their help, I’m not sure I could’ve kept the girls safe. Not without casualties.”
Jay shook his head, still trying to piece everything together.
“Rain… I don’t understand. How are you King when Azrien still sits on the Blue throne?”
Rain shoved the Connekt back into his pocket, regretting every confident slip of the tongue that had led them here.
“It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it,” Jay snapped; frustration bubbling up, the old wounds of their breakup resurfacing.
Rain’s jaw tightened.
He looked away, then back at Jay, then away again; as though the truth itself was too heavy to hold in one place.
“They call me the Rainbow King,” he whispered.
The words felt sacred—forbidden—as though speaking them aloud might summon the wrath of the Gods themselves.
Jay’s eyes darkened, the blue deepening like a storm rolling in.
“Meaning the entire realm?” he pressed.
Rain bit his bottom lip; a tell he couldn’t hide, then nodded.
Jay’s breath hitched.
“Fuck, Rain,” he blurted. “Do you have a death wish? You can’t go against all the kingdoms.”
Rain snorted, trying to lighten the mood.
“I just couldn’t bear the thought of living without you, so I thought I’d take the most theatrical approach and have the entire realm take me out.”
Jay didn’t laugh.
“I’m serious,” he said sharply. “What are you thinking? I know you come from a line of mad kings, but I thought you had more sense than that.”
Rain placed a hand over his chest dramatically
“Wow, Rouge. Don’t hold back—say what you really mean.”
Jay glared.
Rain sighed, dropping the theatrics.
“Look… you were there when I got the book of prophecies. From—” he gestured toward the boarded-up shop next door “—there.”
Jay’s gaze flicked to the abandoned storefront, remembering their time together.
“And while your education is wildly biased,” Rain continued, “I’m sure you’ve heard how prophecies have come true over the centuries. The words of our seers are considered the words of the Gods. There’s an entire book of prophecies about me; about the life I’m destined for.”
He met Jay’s eyes; steady, solemn, resigned.
“I am destined to be the change the realm needs. Try as I might to deny it, I’m not destined for the simple life I crave with you.”
Jay’s breath faltered.
Rain inhaled deeply, grounding himself before he spoke again.
“That’s why I meant it when I said I understand why we can’t be together. I feel responsible for every living thing on this Gods-damned planet. That’s not something I would ever burden you or anyone with.”
His voice softened, but the truth in it was sharp enough to cut.
“If you were with me, you’d be sharing me with the world. And Jay… you deserve a love that centres around you and only you.”
A quiet sadness settled between them; heavy, inevitable.
Jay’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Why does it have to be you?”
Rain didn’t hesitate.
“Because it couldn’t be anybody else.”