Royally F**cked

VII:Septem

Delvin stood amongst the Gardenia's, roses and petunias wondering where on earth he'd gone wrong. Silver sword hanging limply in his right hand, he assessed the man trembling before him. His name was Hamel, everything else about him was irrelevant now. Now he'd decided to kill the man.

Hamel was a gardener who'd been under Delvins payroll, specifically to tell him about the Queen's movements, and the undergoing of a different group. Something potentially more sinister than the Queen. Named simply the Swans. A group of elite wizards, unknown to him and his magic tower. He didn't know much about them yet, only that they used forbidden magic. That itself was a crime.

That was Hamel's purpose. To find out about the group, with a meagre amount of magic power Hamel could hide under a pretence of wanting to be a part of the group. But of course, it didn't even get that far. Hamel had betrayed him. Sold him out to the Queen and alerted her to his plan of usurpation.

No matter.

Delvin would try something else. The Queen couldn't just get rid of him anyways. He was his fathers son. And that meant more in the eyes of Vespertine Law, than it did her being Queen.

"Please. Please don't kill me!" Hamel pleaded. Delvin annualised him once more, watching as he got on his knees and begged. Perhaps he should have thought of that before betraying him.

It was hard to believe that the Queen was his own mother. His mind returned to the past for a flash, of pleading on the floor while being whipped, crying in an isolated room for days on end with no food. Delvin Vespertine could not allow the same fate to befall his younger sister.

Snot began to run down the face of the gardener, and he felt a flash of pity. Before it was quickly replaced with anger. He didn't bother to use magic. Instead using his Imperial Sword to cut the man's head off. It slid off his body like butter.

Delvin turned on his heel, and left. He'd leave the body in the Gardens, for everyone to see it. Let this be a warning to the Queen. He was no fool. And he wasn't fucking around anymore.

----

Lavinia always woke up at the crack of dawn, without failure. Farm work started early, sewing seeds, reaping crops, and feeding livestock. Lots had to be done. And she guessed the habit just stuck. But on this morning, it was oddly quiet. There was none of the usual bustle of people wandering around the Palace, no consistent hum of magic, not even the birds seemed to be singing.

She headed to the window, pulling back the pale curtains to peer outside. Due to her position, she was right next to Delvins own room. Giving her the perfect view of the Royal Gardens. They were gorgeous all year round. Kept alive and blooming by magic. An array of reds and gold, littered the quad in spectacular rows.

Lavinia was envious.

But, there was nothing there. The quad was empty. All that remained were the flowers, gently swaying with the breeze. Despite the creeping anxiety crawling up her neck, there was nothing wrong. She hummed, giving the Royal Garden one last look over, before drawing the curtains shut. Lavinia had to get ready for work.

There was no time to speculate over her anxiety. Nothing was there. Nothing had happened.

So why did she feel like something had?

---

It was a well known fact that Delvin did not like anyone. Anyone but his sister and long time friend, Tobias. He was a hard cut shell. Not even members of the magic tower could talk to him so flippantly. In Lavinia's own words, 'Delvin had no chill'. Whatever that meant.

But for whatever reason, whenever he was around her all he longed to do was see the red flush of anger on her cheeks. Prod and poke until she exploded under his ministrations. She was so adorable when she was mad. Like a little tabby mouse.

Delvin glanced around his room, dawn was breaking. She'd be waking up soon. The golden sunlight was creeping through the cracks of his curtains, casting rays of light across the room. He'd left it dishevelled in his haste to get to the gardener before anyone else did.

Not only had Hamel betrayed him, that man had used the Queen's Position to threaten him and his sister. Unacceptable. He looked back down at his front. His white uniform had been tarnished with the splatter of blood. With a disgusted look on his face, he hefted the shirt of himself, holding it in his hands for just a pause before setting it on fire with magic.

No evidence. No traces. Even though everyone would know it had been him. No one would be able to prove it. That was what he was. A silent monster lurking in the shadows. The monsters in the stories mothers told their children to scare them into being good.

Delvin looked at himself in the floor length mirror, his gaze pausing on the whip scars across his chest, and shoulders. But then he noticed it. There was the slightest hint of blood in his white hair. Lavinia would be here soon to wake him up. That couldn't be done. He couldn't let her see what he really was.

That cemented it then. He'd take a shower, and then organise his room again. A silent smirk crept across his face as he leisurely walked into the adjoining bathroom. He couldn't wait for her to come in.

---

Lavinia opened up the double doors, tutting lightly as she saw Delcin still wrapped up and bundled in covers. The Prince had no sense of timeliness. A chronically lazy man with far too much money and time. She wandered over to his bedside.

The light opening up from the crack of the curtains reflected off his white platinum hair. He seemed softer here. Led in bed. Innocent somehow. His features weren't tense, his body lax and comfortable furled on his side. Quietly, she stepped closer to the giant four poster bed.

In this dawning light, he almost looked like the sleeping princess. The princess who fell into a magical coma. Only to awake with true love's kiss. Or something like that anyway.

Her attention fell to his lips. They were parted just slightly, perfectly symmetrical and not the slightest bit dry like her own. His nose was long and aristocratic. Eyebrows thick yet blonde. Jaw stronger and defined even in this relaxed piston. Her hands went to brush the stray hair out of his eyes before she caught herself.

Oddly, at this distance he smelt fresh, citrus like lemons. As if he'd washed already. Though that was highly unlikely. The Prince sometimes woke up mid-morning, he'd never get up on his own, before even she had.

She scrunched her face stomping over ot the curtains dragging them opening with a huff

The large windows were hefty, puffing a spray of dust into the air. The reaction was immediate. Delvin groaned pathetically rolling on his side as he covered his eyes with the crock of his elbow.

"Rise and shine." Lavinia chuckled. Sadistically enjoying his momentary suffering. He moaned, rolling over onto his over side. "Get up or i'll throw water on you." She threatened, as he hefted the covers over himself, to hide from the light. That seemed to do it. He yanked the covers back down. Delvin shifted, dragging his legs off the bed before getting up.

She studied him for a pause, before beginning to head out of the room. He seemed more put together, for lack of a better word, than usual. As if everything had been neatly placed on his body, from the bed shirt, to the pants he wore. Odd. But it wasn't that big of a deal. Delvin was an odd man, Lavinia wouldn't put anything behind him.

"Get ready." Lavinia said, over her shoulder. "I'll bring breakfast to you." Heading out the room, she completely missed the contorted grin on his face. Little did she know, Delvin had not once gone to sleep that night. 

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Authors Note: 

Hey! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. We get to see a bit more of Delvin's psyche in this one. I've been updating way more frequently now, so i hope you like it! Same goes for The Vampire and The Demon! Ive been trying to keep more on top of things <3 

Hope you guys are good. Let me know if you like this series! Id really appreciate your thoughts on it <3 

Lots of love, 

Sam.E