A king with a bad attitude must change for his subjects or else face the rebellion. He thinks power can stop it all, little does he know power can become the reason for his fall.
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Book 1 | R...
It had been two days since Jupiter agreed to be his and Edward was having a hard time containing his merriment. Jupiter was already cautious of him, he had no intention to scare the boy away.
The constant fluttering inside him reminded him of a group of butterflies. Kaleidoscope. What were the wings made of? Nervousness? Anticipation? Both? Whichever it was, was grazing every corner, leaving a part of themselves behind to get stuck to the flesh as a token of memory of blue-eyed Jupiter. Was this how the first fall felt like? Maybe. He wished not to dive deeper into his thoughts; he had to finish work early. Moreover, he was inviting Jupiter for lunch. It would be their first meal in the courting phase. The notion of meeting the boy rushed him into action, maneuvering to work faster than ever. In the span of the next three hours - ten to one - he was done with paperwork and awaiting Jupiter's arrival, unaware that the boy was right outside the door.
Callum titled his head at his fellow soldier. Confusion clouded his mind as he observed the boy from head to toe. Surely, the boy was jittery.
Jupiter was chewing on his fingers as he had already bitten his nails up to the distal edge. His other hand was busy pulling at the uniform he was wearing; the dress code was a must for all the servers. A voice - Callum's - startled him into jumping. "Did you say something?" he questioned, facing the guard.
"I asked, Are you okay?" Callum repeated his unheard question slowly.
"Yes, I am fine" came the reply in a shaky voice which did not go unnoticed by Callum. The king must be a wrathful beast if he is making a soldier shake in his boots. Poor Jupiter, he mused internally and frowned at his own pity-filled thoughts.
Meanwhile, Jupiter steeled himself and decided to go in before Edward heard them and came barging outside. Albeit pleasurable, he would not want a repeat of the jealousy episode. "I am going in," he announced, more to himself than Callum, and pushed open the door after knocking twice.
Edward was on Jupiter as soon as the short male entered. Their lips collided and meshed together. Eagerness was clear between them during the exchange. As they came up for air, their foreheads pressed together to relish the feel of each other some more, to stay in the happy bubble they built for themselves.
Edward retracted a small step back before he enquired - "How are you?"
"Out of breath."
In sync, they let out a giggle. For a moment, they were the only people in the world. It was not love, but it was a feeling both of them were experiencing for the first time.
"Come." Edward pulled Jupiter with him to the balcony where he set up the lunch — a concoction of healthy meats, salad, and rich fruits from their kingdom. One would say it was a regular lunch setting, the single long-stemmed rose on the table would beg to differ and so would the red cloth plates of food were laid on. The color was a symbol of courting across all the nine kingdoms.
Jupiter was ecstatic when the king pulled out a chair for him. He almost lost consciousness when the king sweetly tucked a napkin on his dress for him prior to taking a seat in his own chair.
Conversation flowed between them effortlessly, from hobbies to past lovers. Unbeknownst, they had established a comfort zone way before they acknowledged their hearts. A game was pre-decided by Edward to know Jupiter better.
"Mountains or oceans?"
"Oceans."
"Forests or Fields?"
"Forests."
"Edward or Ed."
"Ed."
There were many questions. There was a 'why' that followed each one while smirking and blushing followed the last.
"Let me feed you." Edward had to reign in a smile, he had never come across a person who could blush to the extent of turning pink from head to neck including ears before Jupiter. "May I, please?" he insisted.
Mutely, Jupiter nodded. The whole time Edward was feeding him fruits, the color pink neither left nor went down. In fact, the shade of pink darkened to crimson.
The lunch passed too soon to either of their liking. Edward was more infatuated than ever with Jupiter. He longed for this one day with Jupiter before they go back to being the King and his sentry the next day. Therefore, he ordered another sentry to guard his door that night after sending Callum on his merry way.
In the evening, Edward presented Jupiter with the best and the most expensive ale in the kingdom. They kept on drinking until they could no longer walk a straight line. They were sprawled side by side on the bed, their shoulders touching, when Jupiter said – "I should go."
"Wait! Let me call for a maid to escort you to your room."
"They would know," Jupiter slurred.
"I'd spray you with perfume, you play a fainted man," Ed mumbled as he went to the guard and instructed him to summon a maid.
A knock at the door made Jupiter giggle. Time to go. He got off the bed. At the door, Ed pulled him in for a last kiss of the day before he let Jupiter go with the beautiful golden blonde who was standing right outside.
When Edward woke up the next morning, he had no recollection of going to bed last night. Last night. A smile lit up his face at the memories the two words elicited. But once he turned on his side, it all but vanished. There laid a woman with her back turned to him and her golden blonde hair sprawled like a curtain on her shoulders and face.
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