Separate Crowns of One Heart

Twėlvė

We barely last until the next afternoon before we're summoned by the King. The Prince turns to me when we get outside of the King's study. "Let me do all the speaking. If he is going to be angry, he's going to be angry at me." Fine by me.

His Majesty makes us wait a few moments before sending someone to let us in. If his plan is to make us more nervous, then it's working. I am all but a tangle of nerves.

Then we're finally let in.

The study is more like a small library with a desk in the very middle... a desk at which King Abdullah sits, pouring over a scrawl of articles. Bookcases that are filled to capacity line the walls, only leaving the windows and the door bare.

The Prince approaches the desk and crosses his hands behind his back, broadening himself to obscure me from the King's view. "Your Majesty." The King does not look up for a few more minutes... then finally his golden eyes lift from the articles. "You called for us."

His Majesty tosses the articles he was studying across the desk for us to see. The Prince doesn't move to look at them but I crane my neck to see the front pages. They're tabloid articles and many of them have scandalous titles: "The Kingdom's Prince Attempts to Murder His Lover For His Mate", "Noble Citizen, Camille Katron Betrayed By The Prince", and (my personal favorite) "Soon To Be Princess Forces Prince to Attack His Lover".

These people sure do know how to spin a story. I wonder how they recounted yesterday's chain of unfortunate events.

"I was hoping the two of you could explain what this is."

The Prince casts a sideways glance down at the articles on the table before turning back to his father. He clears his throat, stalling, probably thinking of some devious way to get out of this. "I would love to explain--"

"Kenyon." The King gives his son a warning look, accustomed to the Prince and his meandering ways.

The Prince sighs. "Nobody attacked or tried to murder Miss. Katron," he tells his father. "Believe it or not, she was the one who attacked us. Well... She attacked Miss. Odusanya. She has a history of hurting her and she would have done just that if--"

"If you had not revealed yourself to the world. Well, look what good that's done." His Majesty tosses more articles across the desk, these ones about the Prince and his deadly Arcana. "Kenyon, we've worked so hard to keep what you are hidden and you threw all that away for... for what?"

"Camille was going to hurt Cyrah," the Prince insists.

"No." The King shakes his head and points at the tabloids before us. "Because according to those, it says that Miss. Odusanya was able to hold off Miss. Katron and stop her advances. That is until you told her to stop and began doing your..."

The Prince speaks now with a calm that I've never seen from him. "I gave Cyrah my word that I would never let anyone hurt her as long as she is my mate and that included protecting her from Miss. Katron."

"Miss. Odusanya," His Majesty addresses me. "Please step forward." I do as he says and he stares at me. Although he and his son share the same eyes, the King's are as cold as the metal his eyes resemble while the Prince's are warm. "Is what Kenyon says true?"

I nod my head. "Yes. Everything he says is true."

The King purses his lips and returns his attention to his son. "What did you even do to Miss. Katron?"

"I took away her powers."

"Her family is very upset about the incident and is requiring reparations for the emotional and physical damage that you and Miss. Odusanya have caused her," he explains. "They are also requesting that you call off your engagement to Miss. Odusanya and take Miss. Katron as your bride instead." The Prince begins to argue but the King quickly holds his hand up, silencing him. "I know that is not an option so the two of you will apologize to Miss. Katron and you will reverse whatever you have done to her."