The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 49

Amaris and Logain entered the ballroom together, which neither of them was happy about. If they could, they would have avoided each other like the plague, but this was all to help the crown prince. Upon entering once more, Logain couldn't help looking for Casimir among the crowd. When he spotted the prince, Casimir was still talking to his mother. The prince looked annoyed as he spoke with the queen, but he wouldn't go against whatever she was demanding of him. Regardless of who Casimir danced with during the ball, the outcome would still be the same. The prince would still choose Logain.

Eventually, Casimir's conversation with his mother ended. He turned to go back to the balcony, but stopped when he saw Amaris and Logain together. The warlock gave him an awkward smile. Logain didn't want this, but he could be with Casimir later. They would find each other again. For now, they could spend a little bit of time apart. Logain glanced away and tightened his grip on Amaris' arm. He could put up with this act if it meant helping the crown prince. He would do anything for him.

Reluctantly, Logain joined Amaris on the dance floor. When they looked into each other's eyes, they couldn't hide their resentment. Amaris sighed, then placed a hand on Logain's waist and took one of the warlock's hands. Having the clergyman touch him made Logain's skin crawl, for multiple reasons.

Firstly, Logain couldn't stand Amaris. The clergyman had been a nuisance ever since he met him, and Logain also couldn't deny his jealousy. Amaris had a connection with Casimir that could never be erased. He spent many years with the prince, and he was Casimir's first love.

Secondly, when they touched each other, they could feel the conflicting energies. Amaris' light magic and Logain's dark magic didn't mix well. The warlock didn't know if the clergyman felt the same, but Logain sensed that his magic could spiral out of control if they spent too much time together. It wasn't like Casimir's magic, which regulated him. If Amaris felt it, he was good at hiding it. This was only another reason for Logain to dislike him.

They danced together in awkward silence, neither of them willing to be the first to say something. The tense atmosphere could make it obvious to anyone around them that they didn't like each other. Logain glanced around the room for the prince once more. He found Casimir with a lady who seemed to be talking his ear off, but the prince clearly wasn't listening. Logain caught his eye, and Casimir smirked at him. Casimir was aware that Logain disliked Amaris, and now he was teasing him from afar. Logain was sure he would hear about this later.

Amaris jerked Logain closer to him, which made the warlock turn his attention back to him. He shot him a glare, and Amaris sighed. The clergyman said, "As much as I don't like you, we're not being very convincing. We should at least talk to each other."

"I have nothing to say to you," Logain shot back.

"Likewise. I only care about Casimir and would do anything for him. Even if that means conversing with my enemy." Amaris tightened his grip on Logain's waist. He was silent for a moment, but then gave in and asked, "What is your relationship with him, anyway?"

"We're dating, and after tonight, we'll be engaged," the warlock responded. He kept his answers short, not in the mood to talk to this man.

There was a look of jealousy in the clergyman's eyes. "Are you in love with him, or are you just using him? You're a warlock, you could have used your dark magic to trick him into falling for you."

"I did nothing like that! My feelings for him are genuine. You're the one who poses a problem to my relationship with him. It seems like you can't get over him. I can tell by the way you talk about him and by how you followed him the other day when he returned to the castle." Logain added with a low growl, "I suggest you back off if you know what's good for you."

Amaris rolled his eyes. "Casimir and I share a connection that you could never understand."

"Perhaps not, but he told me enough about you for me to understand what happened in the past. If you still think you have a shot with him, then I hate to break it to you, but it's not going to happen. After you walked back into his life after being brainwashed, Casimir knew his relationship with you was over. You were just someone for him to hook up with." Knowing that Casimir and Amaris used each other like that left a pit in Logain's stomach, but it was in the past. Logain and Casimir are together now, so Logain wanted to move forward and not back.

"And who is to say that you won't end up the same as me? Casimir has a reputation for hooking up with men and then dumping them. The only difference with me is that I'm the only one who stuck around despite how he constantly used me. Your 'boyfriend' is a fuckboy," Amaris said.

Logain let go of Amaris, signaling the end of their dance. He clenched his fists and retorted, "Maybe he was in the past, but he's not like that anymore, so don't talk about him like that. I believe that Casimir's feelings for me are genuine, and you're just trying to put doubts in my head to make me break up with him. But I won't. I love Casimir, and I know he loves me, too."

The warlock believed that only Amaris was listening to him, but he was taken by surprise when he felt someone put an arm around his shoulder. When he glanced up, Prince Casimir was beside him, smiling down at him. Knowing that Casimir had heard their conversation made him blush. This wasn't how he wanted to admit his feelings for the prince. Logain wanted to tell him properly, but Amaris made him blurt out the words.

Casimir didn't seem to mind, though. "I love you, too, Logain."

To the warlock's surprise, and to everyone who was watching, Casimir wasn't shy as he leaned down and kissed Logain on the lips. Logain was too stunned to pull away, but he didn't kiss him back either. In front of the whole ballroom, Casimir was openly kissing him. It didn't last long, but it was enough to get the message across. Logain was the one the prince was choosing.

The prince looked for his parents among the crowd. When he spotted the king and queen, Casimir announced, "She's the one I would like to marry."

He kept eye contact with his mother. The queen was none the wiser that Logain was actually a man, but she was still skeptical. However, to the prince's relief, the queen nodded and gave a small smile. Queen Lillian finally said, "Then it shall be done. Congratulations on your engagement, Casimir."

Her approval made Casimir take Logain's hand. Now that their engagement was official, Casimir wanted to go somewhere private with Logain. He wanted to be with only him and away from the nobles and their gossip. He knew they were whispering about them, but Casimir ignored it. They could think and say whatever they wanted about him. Casimir just wanted to spend time with the person he loved.

Before leaving the ballroom, Casimir looked at Amaris, who had his arms crossed and was looking at the ground. He said loud enough for only the clergyman and warlock to hear, "Thank you for watching over Logain for a moment."

Amaris shrugged but didn't look up at them. "Whatever. That's the last favor I'm doing for you for a while."

The clergyman didn't wait for a response as he turned and walked away. Logain was confused by their exchange, but the prince would explain everything when they were alone. Regardless of the eyes on them, Casimir tightly held Logain's hand and led him away.

After hearing Logain admit that he loved him, Casimir wanted some much-needed alone time with the warlock.