The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 40

Casimir fled the throne room with his heart pounding in his chest. That wasn't the first time he defied Meredith, but it had been a while since he got on her bad side. She would most likely retaliate after this. She didn't like it when people spoiled her plans. If she thought she would gain power in the royal family by using Amaris against Casimir, then she was dead wrong. What happened between Casimir and the clergymen would stay in the past. The prince was moving on.

He wasn't sure where to search for Logain. The warlock said that he would wait for him, but he wasn't outside the throne room like he said he would be. For a moment, Casimir worried Logain returned home. He might have been to the warlock's home, but he didn't know how to get there from the castle. Sebastian used his magic to teleport them to the castle, which made finding Logain's home difficult. Casimir would have to search for information, or perhaps he could convince Sebastian to take him there. He wasn't fond of talking to the warlock after learning he was the one Logain was in love with, but he would settle with asking him for help if it meant spending time with Logain again.

Casimir kept walking in hopes he would find Logain waiting nearby for him. He promised that he would give him a tour, so Logain had to be around here somewhere. Perhaps the High Priestess scared him off, or maybe Logain left in hopes of never having to see Casimir again. He prayed that wasn't the case. After developing his relationship with Logain, he hoped they could take things a step further. Casimir wanted to continue seeing him. The prince wasn't this interested in someone for a long time.

As he searched for the warlock, Casimir came to a stop when he heard his sister's voice. Selene was in the palace gardens, sitting on one of the benches. She wasn't alone. Casimir smiled when he saw his cute redhead warlock sitting beside her. They spoke in hushed whispers, neither of them noticing Casimir approaching them. The prince couldn't help finding Logain adorable as he gossiped with the princess. Whatever they were speaking about made the warlock smile.

When Logain finally noticed that they had company, he shyly looked up at the prince. He was quick to stand up to greet the prince and was taken by surprise when Casimir hugged him. The prince didn't care if he was showing affection in front of someone else. While it made Logain nervous and bashful, Casimir was confident in showing off his relationship with the warlock. He wanted people to see that Logain was his.

Not that his sister would try to steal Logain from him. Selene was already happily married and seemed excited to know that her friend and brother were starting a relationship with each other. Despite Logain's worries about the future, he was willing to open up enough and let Casimir into his life. Selene's loner friend was finally letting someone in.

The prince was about to kiss Logain, but the warlock quickly put a hand against Casimir's mouth to stop him. "C-Casimir . . . not in front of your sister. It's too embarrassing to kiss in front of people."

Casimir pulled Logain's hand away, giving him a slight smirk. "What if we went somewhere private? I want to show you the castle after all, and maybe we can stop at my bedroom later. You'll need to know where it is if you want to visit me."

The prince didn't bother to stay quiet. While the princess might have found their relationship charming, she didn't want to hear this side of it. She gave an awkward smile and said, "I-I should go. I hope the two of you have fun."

Selene didn't waste any time standing up to flee the scene. The prince did that on purpose to make his sister go away. He wanted to spend time with Logain alone. He wasn't in the mood to share the warlock with anyone else, even if it was with someone who wasn't a threat. Selene could spend time with her friend later. It was Casimir's turn to be with Logain.

Casimir took Logain's hand. "Shall we get going, my dear? There's so much I want to show you in the castle."

"Are you sure you don't just want to take me to your room?" Logain asked, knowing that's where they would end up together. The prince couldn't fool him. He might give him a tour, but Casimir had one ultimate destination in mind.

The prince chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with us spending quality alone time together. During our journey, we were always helping people and didn't have much time to ourselves. We might as well change that while we have the time together."

"It was your fault. You're the one who wanted to help people." Logain pointed out, but leaned in close to Casimir.

While the opportunity presented itself, Casimir caressed Logain's cheek. He leaned down to kiss him. It was a gentle kiss for now, but Casimir wouldn't be so gentle once he took him back to his room. It was tempting to skip the tour to take him there right away. If Logain minded, he would have protested more. Logain must have felt the same way after seeing Casimir's old love interest. He wanted confirmation that the prince was his and only his.

However, before they had the chance to pull away from each other and leave, they heard someone clear their throat behind them. Casimir sighed, annoyed by the interruption. He should have known better than to expect peace in the castle. The prince turned to face the person bothering them, but came to a halt when he saw the clergyman with long white hair. Amaris had his arms crossed and was glaring at the men.

"So . . . this is why you wouldn't agree to the High Priestess' request," Amaris stated the obvious.

"Did you follow me?" Annoyance laced Casimir's voice. He didn't expect Amaris to come after him, but it was most likely because the High Priestess commanded him to. Casimir wouldn't hold his tongue about it. "You've become a pain in the ass ever since Meredith sent you off to that 'school'. Now you're just the High Priestess' loyal lap dog instead of the man I used to know."

"The High Priestess set me on the right path. If it weren't for her guidance then I would have continued my life of sin," the clergyman responded, coming to Meredith's defense.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Being gay isn't a sin, Amaris. That place she sent you to tortured you just because you like men. When are you going to see that she isn't a good person like she tries to pretend?"

Casimir wanted to bring up that Amaris and he hooked up a couple of times after he came back, but he didn't want to say that in front of Logain. The warlock might have known the truth about them, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear about it now. If the High Priestess knew about it, Amaris would end up in the same place again. For someone who wanted to be free from sin and follow the High Priestess' orders, Amaris sure liked Casimir.

"You do realize that she's trying to force us together to repeat what happened in the past? Meredith is evil, she wants to use you to get close to the royal family, and then she'll turn her back on you." Casimir wouldn't fall for Meredith's manipulation, and while he didn't have feelings for Amaris anymore, he didn't want him to fall into her trap either. He wasn't a bad man; he was just misguided.

Despite his warning, Amaris had no intention of listening to him. The clergyman shook his head. "I didn't come here to listen to you scold me about the High Priestess. Regardless of what she plans, I owe her my life. She saved me, and I will continue to follow her guidance. You should do the same. You shouldn't continue to hang around the wrong kind, Prince Casimir."

Amaris glanced at Logain when he said this. A hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly gone. No matter how hard he tried to mask his feelings, Logain could tell that Amaris was hurt and disappointed by this turn of events. He followed the prince because he still liked him, and perhaps Amaris thought he could get on Casimir's good side. Logain couldn't help gripping onto the prince's arm, which made the clergyman look away. Now that Logain finally had someone who cared about him, he didn't plan on letting him go easily.

Amaris sighed. "I hope you will consider what I've said. I'll see you around, Casimir."

With that, he left the men alone in the garden.