Heir of the Underground

Chapter 27: Leviathan

The red vest that Leviathan wore felt too tight, too constricting. It pressed into his stomach, expelling all the air from his lungs. He was suffocating. He couldn't catch his breath. Not here, not now.

Not as the coronation was about to begin.

So maybe the vest really wasn't to blame. But it certainly felt like it. The seams so taught, digging into his shoulder blades, around his arms. He wasn't used to such fabric. He usually wore armor, but he had dressed nicer today for the sake of giving Galderon a proper send off.

And in the process, he felt bear. Exposed. It didn't help that he was already on edge, knowing that Tierre and Solanine were still out to get Aurelia. He had promised himself to wear armor in order to prepare himself for an attack, but it was tradition to dress in the highest fashion in honor of the king. And if there was something that Leviathan was a sucker for, it was tradition.

That aside, he had felt bad lying to Aurelia about the matter, keeping the contents of the journal a secret from her. She was his sister, after all. But he knew that she was already worried about Kassius, and he didn't want to add more stress to her. If he added more to her, then surely it would find a way to transfer to Kassius, along with the truth. And the last thing he needed to be was distracted.

Leviathan just had to assure himself that everything would be fine. The ceremony was about to occur. Tierre and Solanine wouldn't dare interrupt then, not with so many others around to announce their emergence before they could. So they didn't need to be a thought in his head, or Aurelia's, or Kassius, not so long as the coronation remained undone, incomplete.

As Captain of the Guard, Leviathan stood to Kassius's side, concealing his rising anxiety and inner feeling of suffocation behind a neutral expression.

Kassius was silent, taking deep breaths as if to steady himself. Across the arena was Nix, who was flanked by Vale. It was customary that during these battles a trusted warrior referee the fight from both sides. With Fallon being married to Thisbie and thus somewhat related to both Galderon and Kassius, rules dictated that they couldn't stand watch. But Vale could, since his connection was a bit farther.

Fallon sat instead in the large box of the arena, where the royalty could sit and overlook the fight. Galderon sat in a makeshift throne, a proud smile on his face, his eyes pointed towards his son. His crown seemed to rest heavily on his head.

Soon, would it rest on Kassius's?
Thisbie and Elune sat in the box as well. Although Galderon looked proud, Thisbie seemed to be a nervous wreck, and Elune was already hiding behind her hands, peeking between her fingers. As someone who was never able to conceive a child, she had always sought to spoil Kassius and Thisbie as her own. And now Kassius's life was in question.

Surprisingly, Aurelia wasn't in the box. Leviathan had expected to see her there, beside Thisbie, perhaps holding her hand tightly, threatening to cut off the princess's circulation. But she wasn't there.

The box was typically only for family, but at this point, she seemed to be a part of the family, more so than Leviathan had ever been.

At the thought, he felt another wave of jealousy roll over him. He tried to fight it off, tried to fight off his negative feelings. Aurelia was his sister. And if Kassius happened to like her, to be close with her, that wasn't her fault. Leviathan couldn't control the feelings of others or their choices.

And yet, the more he tried to repress his jealous, the stronger it became—strong enough to be heard by Kassius who finally moved, turning his head to look at Leviathan inquisitively.