The Royal Husband (taynew fanfic)

Reckoning (2)

Luke's laughter echoed maniacally through the room, his demeanor shifted to one of deranged amusement, his eyes gleaming with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"Hahahahaha! Looks like I hit the right spot!" His laughter grated on the nerves of those present, a chilling reminder of the depths of his instability.

Turning his gaze towards New, he continued with a malicious grin. "Yes New! It was your mother! your lovely mother! who betray my father..."

Before Luke could finish his sentence, Lucas's hand shot out with lightning speed, delivering a resounding slap across his son's face. The crack of the blow reverberated through the room, a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO BRING UP THIS TOPIC EVER AGAIN!" Lucas's voice thundered with authority, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and disappointment. Luke's laughter resumed its manic pitch, his eyes narrowed into a malicious glare directed at Lucas.

The intensity of his gaze held a hint of accusation, as if he were blaming Lucas for a series of perceived injustices. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MARRY HER! WHAT DID SHE DO?"

His words were sharp, laced with venom as he pointed an accusatory finger in King Sebastian's direction, his eyes ablaze with fury. "SHE FALLS FOR ANOTHER MAN!"

The room fell silent as Luke's accusation hung heavily in the air, the tension palpable as everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Luke's voice cracked with emotion as tears welled up in his eyes, his gaze shifting to his father with a mixture of anger and despair.

"And what did you do? You gave up!" Luke laughed manically. "You... you just gave up!" Suddenly, his laughter turned into a furious shout. "YOU USELESS, PATHETIC MAN!"

Lucas recoiled at Luke's outburst, his expression a mixture of regret and anguish as he struggled to find the right words to respond.

The weight of Luke's accusations bore down on him, a heavy burden that he carried with a sense of resignation. "Luke, you don't understand..."

But before Lucas could continue, Luke's tirade escalated, his anger boiling over as he lashed out at Lucas with unchecked fury.

"Do you have any idea what you've cost me? What you've cost all of us, Father? If you hadn't given up, I'd be the prince now! You could have had the throne, I could have had the throne! But no-because you couldn't fight, you abandoned everything! All that power, all that prestige-gone, because you couldn't make the right decision! I could've had it all, but now, I'm left with nothing because of your failure!"

Luke's voice rose to a fevered pitch now, his words dripping with contempt as he starts to hurled accusations at those gathered before him.

"You all think you're so righteous, so perfect! But you're nothing but hypocrites, every single one of you!"

"King Alexander, you're no better than the rest of them! You let your son marry into this cesspool of corruption without batting an eye!"

King Alexander bristled at Luke's words, his face contorted with anger as he rose from his seat, his fists clenched in fury. "How dare you! My son's happiness is none of your concern!"

But Luke was undeterred, his rage fueling his relentless onslaught as he turned his venomous gaze to Fah and her husband. "And you, Fah! You're nothing but a pawn in their game, a puppet dancing on their strings!"

Fah's husband stepped forward, his jaw set in determination as he spoke out against Luke's baseless accusations. "You have no right to speak to my wife that way! Show some respect!" But Luke simply laughed, the sound ringing hollow in the tense silence that followed.

His eyes gleamed with a manic fervor as he reveled in the chaos he had sown, his mind consumed by a maelstrom of anger and resentment. "Respect? Respect is earned, not given. And none of you have earned anything from me!"

Sebastian's voice boomed with authority, cutting through the chaos of Luke's accusations like a thunderclap. "ENOUGH! Luke, you will pay for what you did. Guards, take him away!" The guards moved swiftly to apprehend Luke, their expressions stern as they approached him with determined resolve.

But Luke's laughter only grew louder, echoing off the walls of the study room like a haunting refrain. In the aftermath of Luke's outburst, the room remained steeped in tension, the lingering echoes of his accusations casting a shadow over the gathered assembly.

Lucas, his head bowed in shame, offered a heartfelt apology to those present, his voice heavy with regret as he acknowledged the pain his son's actions had caused. With a heavy heart, he vowed to make amends for the havoc wrought by Luke's reckless behavior, pledging to do whatever it took to set things right.

Later in the night, when the halls of the palace were empty and the bustle of court life had quieted to a distant hum, Tay and New stood side by side on the balcony, gazing out over the kingdom below. The stars above were a soft, steady glow, and the moon cast a silvery light that bathed the courtyard and the distant fields in a peaceful serenity.

The world, for now, felt calm.

Tay's arm encircled New's waist, drawing him closer as a gentle breeze ruffled the edges of their robes. They stood in silence, the weight of the day's challenges gradually slipping away, leaving only the quiet sound of their breathing and the distant murmurs of the palace. It was a moment they both needed-a rare fragment of peace.

New leaned into Tay's warmth, his eyes closed for a moment as he absorbed the quiet beauty of the night. His chest rose and fell with a steady breath, the tension that had gripped him for so long easing in Tay's embrace. He had once thought this moment-this tranquility-would always be just out of reach. But now, standing here, it felt like the beginning of something new.

Tay turned slightly, his lips brushing against the side of New's head. "We've made it through the worst of it," he said softly, his voice carrying a note of quiet satisfaction, yet still filled with the weight of everything they had faced together. "It wasn't easy, but we're here."

New nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He could feel the weight of those words, of the unspoken bond between them that had grown stronger over the past weeks. "And we'll face whatever comes next-together," he replied, his voice steady and full of certainty, a stark contrast to the uncertainty that had once defined him.

The future no longer seemed like a vast, daunting unknown. Now, it felt like something they could conquer together-piece by piece, step by step. For the first time, New allowed himself to truly believe that.

Tay tightened his hold around him, his thumb gently tracing the edge of New's collarbone. He looked at New, his eyes soft but filled with the unwavering love that had carried them through their trials. "I don't think I've ever been more certain of anything in my life," Tay whispered, his voice low but full of conviction.

New turned slightly to face him, their faces inches apart. The intimacy of the moment, the quiet bond they shared, felt more profound than anything spoken. "And I don't think I've ever had someone who believed in me like you do," New said, his voice thick with emotion.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the quiet stretching between them as they simply existed in each other's presence. The world outside was vast, uncertain, and full of challenges, but in this one moment, with the weight of the kingdom and the worries of their future set aside, they were just two souls who had found something extraordinary in each other.

Tay brushed his fingers against New's cheek, his touch tender and careful. "No matter what happens," he said, his voice filled with the kind of quiet promise that only the two of them could understand, "we'll face it together. Always."

New's heart swelled with a feeling he couldn't quite put into words, a sense of peace and trust that he hadn't known before. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Tay's, closing his eyes as the warmth of Tay's presence filled the space between them.

"Together," New whispered, a vow that was as much to Tay as it was to himself. "Always."

And as they stood there, wrapped in the embrace of the night, the future no longer seemed so intimidating. With Tay by his side, New knew they could weather any storm. Together, they would navigate the uncertain path ahead, their bond stronger than anything the world could throw at them.