Cherished by The King |BxB|

Epilogue

Two weeks.

Two weeks until the wedding.

You have no idea how excited I was. It could've also been the caffeine running through my veins, but scratch that. I was shining brighter than the fucking sun! I had picked out my suit a few days ago, I had been to hundreds of cake tastings.

It was fantastic!

The guest list had been pretty short, but we had agreed that we would keep the celebration publicly in the castle so everyone could participate and share the joy.

Goooooddd, you have no idea how I was bouncing around in the hallways every day. Lynx was mostly in his office, and Ezekiel had gone back home with Leonel for the time being. So you can imagine how bored I was!

I had gone to Will and Tyro nearly every other day, trying to drag them out with me. Once Will had agreed to go shopping with me for some... funsies.

He wasn't probably going to go with me for a second time. It had been an absolute catastrophe, but it's yet another story, okay.

And you can't believe who I ran into a while back– you remember the overly excited and chirpy little girl? Dana? We had caught up, and apparently she had been very busy with school and some family drama (she lost her teddy bear. Speculates that her mother accidentally shredded it in a washing machine), which is why she hadn't been around since the day I had arrived here.

We promised to see each other at the weddings, and she had been thrilled to try out more of those stupid fashion shows with me. But, let's not worry about that right now.

Because today was a good day.

Today marked a month since the meeting with Barren, and everything was going more than perfect. Quillios' kingdom had opened up to the surrounding kingdoms, and the merchandise and business were working smoothly. There hadn't been any kind of conflicts, and the border between Yscriah had become eerily quiet. They had lowered their security and border checks, though I doubt it was from anything else but the fact that no warrior wanted to actually guard it anymore.

My threats had gone through, I guess.

Barren had revoked the laws he had brought back, and he had released the people he had held captive. Fighting circles had ceased, and the minorities could now live in peace. Many had fled into the Diétrich's lands though, which is totally understandable– maybe even better.

I didn't know how long I could keep Barren on my leash, but for now, he had behaved well.

Lynx had sent Phoenix to monitor him. The broody little guy you met earlier; the one that looked like the fucking grim reaper himself. Yeah... he was scary.

I had talked to him once when he had visited us with an update. Apparently, Barren had locked himself inside his room, and was pretty much never seen anymore. The trick was, he could smell Phoenix. He knew we were watching him, and he knew that his cord could be plugged out at any given moment.

He was living in constant fear.

(Phoenix had also told me that he once broke into his room and fucking rolled in his bed like a lunatic. Even to me, it had seemed a bit too much– but the bastard had just laughed and somehow got a great deal of joy out of it. So, who was I to tell no?)

Either way, things were looking good for almost everyone. Lynx and I had hugged each other the second I had returned from the meeting, and he had been crushed.

He had cried and cried, lulled me in his arms. He had apologized millions of times, and promised to never behave like that again. But I had quickly turned that down, and we had come to an agreement.

I wouldn't ever leave him behind again. I had done what needed to be done, and I was now a free man. We could put this all behind, and focus on what was ahead of us.

I was so, so happy, and so was he.

We were in the best state possible, and I feel like our love just continued to grow day by day. There were still things that stayed a bit mysterious, like his past. But we were getting closer and closer, and nothing was stopping us.

I was immensely crazy about him.

And speaking of my mate, I had bought him these cute cupcakes, and I was about to surprise him with dark red roses. He had taken me to dinner the other week, and of course, it had made me all about a returning action. I was giddier than I had ever been, I swear.

I had also looked for a ring for him. And it was hidden in one of the cupcakes; ready for him to fish it out. I couldn't be the only one with a ring, right? I wanted him to wear one too!

But...

Nothing lasts forever, right?

Those high spirits could be destroyed in seconds. And that's what happened here as well. Because just as I was on my way to climb toward our bedroom, I heard my name being called.

And then and there, I could've fucking snapped someone's neck in two. I don't know how he even dared to show his face here, but sometimes people's audacity gets the better of you.

The unmistakable height, and the long beautiful blonde hair. It couldn't be any other but him. The one that made my blood instantly boil, and the one that I wanted to simply watch burn.

But unfortunately, I couldn't launch at him right there and then.

Under his wing, he had a little boy. Those green eyes jumping on every single thing in the hallway, clearly glistening in tears— I couldn't mutilate his uncle in front of him.

"Gabriel...?"