Betrothed To The Prince...

Fear

The sky was turning into different shades of red, orange and yellow as the sun was beginning to ascend the sky. The room was getting lit up slowly signifying that it was time to wake up. Ae moved a bit and then opened his eyes only to find himself in an unusual place and something heavy on his chest.

When he looked down, he was met with the sleep rumpled state of his husband who was still sound asleep, probably as an effect of medicine and snoring cutely. His lips were slightly parted looking as if he was pouting but his hands were resting on Ae's chest holding on to his tunic. The blanket was still wrapped around him.

Ae was about to touch Pete when he heard the movement outside. Realizing that he had sneaked into the chamber without the permission of his mother, he knew that he needed to leave right in this instant.

He gently lay Pete on the bed, making sure to tuck the blanket around him before he rushed towards the window. He could hear the guards announcing the arrival of queen and didn't waste much time but jumped off the window while holding the rope. He managed to lend safely and immediately hid the rope into the creepers so that no one will see.

He was about to rush towards his chamber when his way was blocked. "What were you upto? Does it take this long to say sorry?" Satra asked. "I.... Errr... Well... I was... He was a bit restless so I stayed back." Ae replied.

"Huh?! Out of all people, you were the one helping him? You were at the bottom of the list to be counted." Satra accused. "I know that I have been bad and mean but it doesn't mean that I am going to be stupid throughout." Ae shot back. "You'll have to prove rather than explaining. Good luck to you. Por had been searching for you from last night." Satra informed patting his brother's shoulder and walking away.

"Looks like trouble is finding its way to me." Ae muttered to himself. He hurried back to his chamber to get fresh before rushing to meet his father. All this while, he tried to come up with a reason that would help cover up his absence from last night.

When he reached his father's chamber, he could here the voice of Zee and his father talking. The guards outside announced his arrival and the two people turned their attention towards Ae. "Ae, where were you last night?" The emperor questioned.

"At the castle." Ae lied. "Well, as expected from you. We can't even expect you to have a little humanity. Even when Pete is in danger, you just want to relieve yourself. I don't understand what kind of prince you are, self-absorbed and selfish. You can't even think about anyone else." The emperor accused.

"Well, why should I bother about him? Who is he to me? You made me marry him. I haven't chosen him." Ae snapped. "Well, then I would like to inform you that your wish is being fulfilled. When Pete gets better, we have few announcement to make before sending him back to his parents so that he can have a 'better' life. Which he can't have here because of you." The emperor replied.

Though it was hurting Ae to speak like this, he knew he had to do it to keep Pete safe. "It relieves me of all the trouble. I don't have to see his face again." Ae replied. "It should be him saying so." The emperor mocked.

"Is that all? Or do you want to speak about something else?" Ae asked. "No... You may leave." The emperor replied without caring to look at Ae.

Ae walked out of the chamber heading in the direction of Satra's chamber. He wanted to talk about something important. "Your highness...." That greeting made Ae stop and look at the person. "Lord Runrot..." Ae said.

"Your highness... about the investigation of the traitor, we were not able to find anything further." Lord Runrot stated. "That's fine... You can cease the investigation since it's of no use. Let Sir Zee know that I have asked for his presence in my chamber. I need to have a word with him regarding prince Pete. I just hope he leaves soon before he becomes a headache for me." Ae spoke.