I am your king.

Chapter II | Part IV

"She really didn't have to heal my wounds. They weren't that bad," Vincent mumbled.

"They what?" Adrian brought his hand to his ear. Vincent pressed his mouth in a firm line. He refused to say anything, knowing full well it would have to be the truth. "That's what I thought."

"I could've managed."

"You can't manage. You're my guard. You have to be on your peak level."

"Are you prepared for the wedding this afternoon?" Vincent changed the subject. Grell fussed about the prince doing his hair, fixing his outfit, among other things.

"I don't want to get married."

"Maybe you'll be in luck and some handsome prince from a faraway kingdom will sweep you off your feet," Vincent chuckled.

"I thought you said you had no money," Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't talking about me, Your Majesty."

"Then who?"

Vincent declined to offer that information. He only had his suspicions and nothing more. There had been sightings of the Black Lotus, a trading group that spread far across the world. If his suspicions were correct, and they could be entirely wrong, the leader of that group might've been an old lover to the prince. He had just the right level of mystery and just enough asshole to be the prince's type.

"As much as I love a heroic tale, is this really the time to be hoping someone crashes your wedding? What will the princess think?" Grell offered his own thoughts.

"We aren't marrying for love, my darling Grell," Adrian sighed.

"Marriage is a social contract between kingdoms. It's a deal without paper," Vincent explained. "Or, with paper depending on if they have a certificate."

"How tragic that you cannot marry for love," Grell sighed.

"Enough about me and this horrid wedding. How was your talk with the general?"

"Oh, well," Grell focused heavily on a piece of Adrian's attire. "I never actually spoke to him."

"It seems you might have an opportunity," Vincent gazed at the door. Sure enough, it opened to reveal William standing there.

"Your Highness," William began. He briefly looked at Grell before turning his attention to the prince. "The guests are arriving. Are you certain you wanted even commoners present?"

"Why are you asking me? This is my mother's wedding. She was the one stupid enough to invite outsiders even when there was an assassination attempt," Adrian rolled his eyes. "It's too late to have them leave."

"Commoners?" Vincent grabbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. His mother would no doubt make an appearance. Or worse. "Keep them to the back, closest to the guards."

"Certainly."

"Oh, and William," Vincent grabbed his shoulder and forced him down a bit. "Be careful of people with beauty marks."

"Beauty marks?"

Vincent pointed to the dot below his eye. "Beauty marks. They're a dangerous thing."

...

The fields were filled with people as far as the eye could see. Everyone and anyone had come to this wedding. From Rachel's kingdom. From Adrian's kingdom. There was a thin walkway between the crowds. Adrian stood at the edge, by the altar, with the priest, regretting everything that had lead to this point. His mind filling itself with endless dread. He shouldn't have said something so rash and so stupid to Rachel. He shouldn't have offered Vincent like that. Most importantly, he shouldn't have to marry someone he couldn't care less about. Vincent wasn't in sight. He was in the furthest corner of the room. Much against any logic, he had been given a spot so far away as a sign that the Queen trusted her people. It was stupid. So stupid. What if something happened? Adrian desperately hoped something would.