Seyn wet his lips, color high on his cheeks. “Come here, then,” he said, freeing his wrist and cupping Ksar’s jaw. It’s been too long, came a crystal clear thought Ksar fully agreed with. It definitely felt like it had been months since he last tasted Seyn’s lips and touched him intimately.
It was still a poor excuse for kissing him in such a public place, most likely in full view of several members of high society.
He did it, anyway.
A small moan left Seyn’s mouth at the first contact of their lips. Ksar didn’t allow himself to deepen the kiss too much—they were in a public place—but it took all his willpower not to haul Seyn onto his lap like some uncivilized barbarian. And although he didn’t let himself delve into Seyn’s mind, either, he could still feel snatches of his thoughts. I missed this. I missed you. It’s so fucked up, but I feel whole only with you.
“Yes,” Ksar said roughly, breaking the kiss and pressing their foreheads together. He knew exactly what Seyn meant. “My sentiments precisely.”
Chapter 27
“Have you lost your mind?”
Seyn almost flinched from the anger in the Queen’s face, even though that ire wasn’t directed at him.
Ksar met his mother’s gaze unflinchingly, his face absolutely inscrutable. If he weren’t still wearing the same clothes that he’d worn to the ball, Seyn wouldn’t have believed that this proud, arrogant man was capable of kneeling for someone.
The mere memory of it made him want to smile, which would hardly be appropriate in this situation.
Queen Tamirs was furious. Leylen had been just as furious, but she hadn’t returned with them to the Second Royal Palace, leaving the ball with her parents after the scandal had hit.
Unlike his wife, the King-Consort seemed to be torn between shock and confusion. Harry and Adam hadn’t been invited to take part in the conversation after they all returned from the ball. Seyn would envy them that, except he didn’t really feel like being separated from Ksar. He was embarrassed by how clingy he felt, but despite Ksar’s words, there was still a part of him that was sure Ksar would change his mind after talking to Queen Tamirs.
“I’m in full possession of my mental faculties,” Ksar said.
“So you’re saying that those rumors aren’t true and you weren’t caught kissing your former bondmate?” Queen Tamirs said.
“Being caught implies that we were attempting to hide something,” Ksar said, his tone very mild. “It certainly wasn’t the case.”
Seyn hid a smile.
Queen Tamirs’s violet eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you got our House mired in another scandal on purpose?”
Ksar looked at her steadily. “I’m saying that there was no point in trying to hide it when everyone would have found out anyway. I’m not marrying Lady Leylen’shni’gul.”
“But Ksar,” his father cut in, frowning. “The wedding is in four days. You can’t do that. The scandal aside, the poor girl would be humiliated.”
“That poor girl has only herself to blame,” Ksar said coldly. “She shouldn’t have spread the rumors of our imminent marriage without my permission. She cornered me into marrying her. I don’t owe her anything.”
“To be fair, you did promise to marry her in exchange for her breaking her bond to Harry,” Seyn said with an eye roll. Ksar had a very selective memory when it suited him.
“I keep my promises only to people I care about,” Ksar said, meeting his gaze, his eyes softening for a moment before hardening again as he returned his gaze to his father. “Leylen and her family will be compensated handsomely for their trouble. She’ll hardly be heartbroken. She has no fondness for me.”
The King-Consort sighed. “I suppose so. But she isn’t the main problem.”
“Indeed,” the Queen said, glaring at Ksar. “The problem is that you are supposed to act like a responsible heir to the throne instead of indulging your selfish whims. You seem to have forgotten what being the Crown Prince entails. You have duties to your clan and to your House, and one of them is to keep your House’s reputation unblemished by scandal. I thought I raised you better than this.”
Seyn winced on the inside. He didn’t know how Ksar managed to look so unbothered by his mother’s words.
“Raised better than this?” Ksar repeated with barely any inflection in his voice. “You misspoke, Mother. Borg’gorn has more claim to raising me than you do. You should have said ‘I thought I created you better than that.’ Perhaps you should have removed my ability to want things for myself when you genetically engineered your perfect heir. I’m sorry, Your Majesty, if I don’t behave to your exact specifications.”
The Queen paled. The King-Consort turned away, his shoulders slumped.
Seyn bit the inside of his cheek, suppressing the urge to hug Ksar. He knew Ksar wouldn’t welcome it, not in front of his parents. Ksar would never show weakness in front of his parents.