King of Despair

Chapter 2

Kai Trisan stared as his brother held his thumb in front of his painting. His smock was plastered with dried paint everywhere. Kai thought of telling him it looked like a coat where a rainbow had puked on, but by knowing Tye, he would've answered back by saying not very kindly where Kai could go.

    "Why don't you just do me the favor of getting the hell out of here?" That's what he would say—or maybe something worse.

    Kai's brother, Tye Trisan, had painted the frame that he had in front of him. The big oval windows that stretched from the ground all the way to the sky-painted ceiling, the trees that bloomed outside of it filled with flowers of various colors. Even the pattern on the wall was exactly the same on the painting. It was something marvelous, Kai had to admit. And as much as he tried, Kai could never even do half of what Tye had done with the shapes and colors painted on that canvas.

    "Are you going to say something or just stare at me like a fool?" Tye asked him, although he hadn't turned around to face him. He placed his paintbrushes on a bowl of water and his palette next to it. Kai moved closer and said, "That's something good you have there. How long it took you?"

    "And how long have you been here?" He asked a little too harsh.

Their relationship over the last years had not been quite good. Once, they would be inseparable, the best of friends, and best of brothers. Today, they acted like they were strangers, or Kai was the stranger to him. It never made sense to him why he changed.

    "Not much," Kai answered back.

    "Liar; I could feel you standing there and staring at me painting. You know I like being alone when I'm painting."

    He never dared to pick a glance at Kai. "I just came looking for you," he told him, which was true. "But I got caught off eventually. Aunt Delphine is here and wants to show us the clothes that she has tailored for us. Said she wanted to see us together." Kai shrugged at him when he finished talking.

    "Where does she want to see us?" Even though his tone was still harsh, his face softened a little at the mention of Aunt Delphine coming to visit them.

    "I sent her to my private chambers; I didn't know where else I should."

    This brought a smile to his lips, though it was meant mockingly. "Great job for our future king, I guess."

    He removed his smock and placed it on the armchair that was next to him.

    They stepped out of the room and ventured their way through the castle and headed to Kai's private chambers. The walk down there was awkwardly silent. Kai could get the vague idea that Tye didn't want to be anywhere near him. How cute, little brother.

    Why would he be like that with him?

    Somebody yelled Kai's name, and a yelp almost escaped his mouth when he recognized from who the yell came.

    "KAI!" Yelled Delilah down the hallway. Delilah Millares was brought to the castle in the beginning of the year as Kai's future wife, future queen of the court of Durnatae. She was somewhat selfish, perhaps—or more. Kai sometimes wondered if his father gave her to him as a gift or a curse. He accepted the marriage hoping she might be better than he hoped, not what she was.

    Maybe he hoped for a lot in life.

    And what did he want? He didn't have a clue, but it wasn't her, definitely. She was ordinary, like every other girl he had ever met. Whenever they saw him, they all started screaming his name and asked him to bear their child. Of course, it wasn't his fault being so peculiar among ladies.