knight's Royal Duty || Gonkillu ||

Cruelty

The days following the failed rebellion were grim. Killua had been stripped of what little freedom he had left. The queen kept a closer watch on him now, her iron grip tightening with every passing hour. The wedding had been postponed for now, but the looming threat of it still hung over Killua like a blade ready to fall.

The palace was quiet, the tension between Killua and his mother thicker than ever. The court remained silent, their loyalty to the queen unwavering, and Lady Sylva had returned to her family's estate, her part in the political arrangement temporarily put on hold.

But despite everything, Killua wasn't ready to give up. Not yet.

Gon stayed by his side through it all, his presence the only thing that kept Killua from falling into despair. They spent their days planning, searching for any opportunity to escape the future his mother had laid out for him. They spoke in whispers, hidden away in the palace's many secret passages, plotting their next move.

"Fuck this," Killua muttered one evening, his voice filled with quiet resolve. "I don't care what it takes."

Gon nodded, his eyes filled with the same determination. "We'll find a way out, Killua. We always do." Even he lied to himself.

As the days stretched on, the storm that had been building between Killua and his mother was far from over. The queen's power still loomed.

Days turned into weeks, and the fallout from Killua's failed defiance only deepened. The queen, in her calculated way, had moved swiftly to neutralize the threats to her plans. The court remained silent, unwilling to side with Killua or Sylva, and the nobles who had once whispered in his favor now shied away from him, knowing that aligning themselves with the prince would put them in the queen's crosshairs.

But the worst blow came quietly, almost without fanfare. One morning, Killua awoke to find that Gon was no longer his personal guard.

The change was presented as an honor, a promotion. Gon had been ranked up to knight—a prestigious title, one that was meant to signify his bravery and loyalty to the crown. It was a title that came with more responsibility, more authority. For most, it would have been a cause for celebration.

But for Killua, it felt like a knife to the heart.

The promotion meant that Gon was no longer allowed to be by Killua's side. No more quiet moments in the gardens, no more late-night escapes to the secret passages beneath the palace. The queen had removed Gon from his role as Killua's closest confidant, and Killua knew exactly why.

She was severing the one bond that had kept him strong.

Gon didn't seem to see it that way. When he came to tell Killua the news, his face was filled with quiet pride, though there was a sadness in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide.

"They've made me a knight," Gon said, his voice soft but tinged with a mixture of pride and reluctance. "I'll be serving the kingdom now, in a bigger capacity. It's... it's a big step."

Killua stood in his chambers, his back to the window as he stared at Gon. His heart was racing, but he forced himself to keep his expression neutral. He didn't want to show how much this hurt. He didn't want to burden Gon with the weight of his own despair.

"That's... good," Killua said, his voice flat, almost robotic. "It's what you deserve."

But the words tasted bitter on his tongue.

Gon frowned slightly, stepping closer. "Killua, I know this changes things. I won't be able to stay with you like before."

Killua's chest tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. He wanted to say something—wanted to tell Gon how much this hurt, how much he hated this decision. But he couldn't. His mother's hand was in this, and he knew it. She was trying to drive a wedge between them, and if he spoke up, if he made a scene, he feared she might succeed in pushing Gon even further away.