Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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"Is that really what the people think happened?"
ㅤJames couldn't believe it. This whole time, people had thought he and his father had been possessed by demons, that they let strangers into the palace?
ㅤAlex squeezed his hand. "No. There have been many plays about King Fabian, but the past in them is never consistent. A lot of different playwrights have their own theories, so it changes every year. Many don't even attempt to depict his childhood."
ㅤ"Only I know what truly happened, huh?" James lamented.
ㅤFeeling wounded out of his sense of humiliation and weakness, James finally stood up, stubbornly balancing on his feet, even if the ground still wobbled under him.
ㅤAlex didn't fight him this time, watching him keenly. He only got up himself once he'd established that James wouldn't fall again.
ㅤ"That's never happened to me before," James confessed, flustered, unable to tolerate the awkward air.
ㅤAlex's gaze persisted and James looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
ㅤ"They're not uncommon," Alex told him, undeterred. "Even the strongest of men suffer. I have, too."
ㅤJames nodded, jaggedly.
ㅤThere was still a weakness in his legs, his brain stinging. But, with Eris in his hand, he felt calm. Still, she felt absent, even now. There was no indication she felt anything, even though she used to be so chatty. He missed it. Even without words, she could be so snarky and could cheer him up when he needed it.
ㅤHe looked down pathetically at the mess of pages on the ground, some crumpled, some ruined. Most of it was still at his lower back, kept sturdy by his belt, but they'd slipped over time. And, the erratic movements of his panic had dislodged some.
ㅤAlex followed his gaze. "So, this is why you didn't want me to touch your back, huh?"
ㅤJames winced at the unsaid accusation and bent down to start retrieving them. They were lucky that the small alley was devoid of passersby.
ㅤ"Riley was summoned only minutes after we got inside. I barely got a chance to find the right documents, let alone memorise anything important."
ㅤ"So, you stole them instead?"
ㅤJames glared up at him, tapping the bunch of parchment on his leg to align the pages.
ㅤ"What else should I have done?"
ㅤ"No one saw you do it?"
ㅤJames scoffed, returning to his full height. "No, Alex, I actually gathered up an audience before I started vandalising government property. Of fucking course no one saw me do it. I even picked the pages out of the binders and put the empty covers back where they belonged."
ㅤAlex sighed. "Right, sorry. I didn't mean to be condescending. I'm just stressed out. This is the kind of thing I wanted to avoid."
ㅤJames retracted his claws. "Trust me when I say; I had no other choice."
